GIGABYTE Motherboards and Wi-Fi 7, a Game Changer for PC Gaming and Streaming

From smartphones to portable computing devices to traditional desktop PCs, the world has gradually shifted toward a wireless future at home and on the go. Wi-Fi is the wireless networking standard in computing and tech that dates back to the late 1990s. With Wi-Fi 7, the seventh generation is ready to be unleashed, a game-changing upgrade that will improve everything from day-to-day productivity to gaming to the quality of streaming media.

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Succeeding Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7 represents a significant generational leap forward for wireless technology - effectively doubling bandwidth and introducing groundbreaking multi-band connectivity. Wi-Fi 7 is ready to take full advantage of high-speed internet connections.

In the PC space, GIGABYTE is spearheading the transition to Wi-Fi 7 with motherboards like the Z790 AORUS XTREME X, Z790 AORUS MASTER X, and Z790 AORUS ELITE X WIFI7. What makes Wi-Fi 7 different? How does it compare to existing technologies like Wi-Fi 6 or 6E? What do these new features and capabilities bring to PC gaming, the modern smart home, and streaming? Let's dig in.

Wi-Fi 7 Explained

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At the most basic level, Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be) is the latest iteration of Wi-Fi. It promises faster connection speeds and lower latency while offering better and expanded network management. Like previous versions, Wi-Fi 7 is fully backward compatible with Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax) and Wi-Fi 5 (IEEE 802.11ac) technologies. Although it uses the same 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands as Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7 significantly improves overall speed thanks to massive bandwidth and transmission upgrades.

Wi-Fi 7 supports up to 320 MHz wide channels compared to Wi-Fi 6E's 120 MHz. Looking at wireless bandwidth as lanes on a freeway, with Wi-Fi 7, you've not only got more than double the number of lanes but with 12-bit 4K Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) technology, the data (or vehicles) are now 20% faster too. Wireless signals are now more densely packed than 10-bit Wi-Fi 6, which results in more and faster data.

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The Wi-Fi 7-powered GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS XTREME X motherboard can achieve wireless speeds of up to 5800 Mbps via its Ultra-high Gain Antenna. Compared to the 2400 Mbps of Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7's speed is a game-changer. However, Multi-Link Operation, or MLO, takes it to the next level.

With previous standards like Wi-Fi 6, network adapter or device connectivity happens over a single band: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or the new 6 GHz. Multi-Link Operation means that with Wi-Fi 7, a device can connect using multiple bands for the first time, boosting speeds with the increased bandwidth. And thanks to concurrently used bands, you've also got a more reliable Wi-Fi connection. If you've ever experienced a spotty or inconsistent Wi-Fi network, this feature also makes Wi-Fi 7 a winner.

Wi-Fi 7 Delivers Next-Gen Gaming

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From Call of Duty to Fortnite to Helldivers 2, PC gaming often happens over a network. The modern PC gaming rig is a collection of finely tuned hardware, from the latest Intel Core processors to GeForce RTX 40 Series graphics cards, high-speed PCIe Gen5 SSD storage, and DDR5 memory. With its DIY-friendly design and cutting-edge features, the GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS ELITE X motherboard supports and connects the latest PC hardware with the bonus of the new Wi-Fi 7 standard.

Low latency is an essential metric for PC gaming, from input devices to how fast images are rendered on a display and, of course, connecting to a network or game server. With Wi-Fi 7's support for up to 320 MHz channel bandwidth, faster data rates and increased throughput dramatically reduce latency. However, with Wi-Fi 7's exclusive Multi-Link Operation (MLO) technology, you can game over 5 GHz and 6 GHz concurrently. The result is faster speeds through aggregation, with multiple routes ensuring a more reliable and low-latency experience.

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This also trickles down to downloading chunky 50GB or so game updates and new releases. With MLO tech and Wi-Fi 7's advances, you could allocate the 2.4 GHz band to downloading a brand-new game while playing an online title like Helldivers 2 over 6 GHz wireless.

Wi-Fi 7's improved bandwidth and lower latency also present a game-changer for the future of virtual reality (VR). Wi-Fi 7 makes a smooth, ultra-crisp 4K, low latency, and wire-free VR experience possible. With Wi-Fi 7, you don't have to worry about running an Ethernet cable to your gaming PC for Call of Duty or a super-long cable to your VR headset to play Half-Life: Alyx.

Media Streaming with Wi-Fi 7

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Modern internet connections are faster than ever, but having the bandwidth and capacity to stream high-quality 4K content over a home network to multiple devices still requires the technology and hardware to do just that. Wi-Fi 7's technologies and advances tackle the problem of network congestion, interference, and bottlenecks head-on.

Wi-Fi 7 supports 320 MHz wide channels to deliver more data for more reliable streaming. But with the ability to aggregate lower bands and connect to a single device like the GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS ELITE X over multiple bands, the decreased latency allows you to tap into the full potential of your internet connection quicker and with minimal delays - which is perfect for streaming media and browsing through services like Netflix.

With MLO (Multi-Link Operation), running into a bottleneck where another service or app is taking up bandwidth - like Windows Update - becomes a thing of the past. Wi-Fi 7 can manage multiple connections over multiple bands with increased bandwidth and throughput. Like the example for gaming, you're GIGABYTE Wi-Fi 7-powered device can ensure smooth 4K video playback over 5 GHz while system updates are happening in the background over the 2.4 GHz band.

A Connected Smart Home

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The modern smart home is more than a PC, smartphone, and TV going online over a single network. Everything from fridges to microwaves to portable speakers and home security shows that a home network can be as intricate and complex as those in an enterprise environment. Given this, it's easy to see why the new Wi-Fi 7 standard focuses on increased bandwidth, data throughput, lower latency, and multi-link operation technology.

And there is more to the Wi-Fi 7 story: new and improved technologies ensure that a household full of gaming consoles, PCs, laptops, smartphones, 4K TVs, security cameras, and appliances never skips a beat. With up to 16x16 MU-MIMO (Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output), Wi-Fi 7 doubles the network capacity compared to Wi-Fi 6 to support more devices.

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Multi-Resource Units (MRU) and Puncturing are Wi-Fi 7-specific technologies that allow unused parts of channels to transmit more data, further improving a network or device's reliability and speed. With Wi-Fi 7, the future of networking is here.

If you're looking at building a new PC, head here to check out GIGABYTE's range of Wi-Fi 7-powered motherboards so you can confidently go wire-free for gaming, media streaming, and more.