GIGABYTE 970-Gaming SLI (AMD 970) Motherboard Review
Steven's Motherboard Test System Specifications
- Motherboard: GIGABYTE 970-Gaming SLI
- CPU: AMD FX 6350
- Cooler: Corsair H115i GT - Buy from Amazon
- Memory: G.Skill TridentX (2x8GB) 3200MHz - Buy from Amazon
- Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
- Storage - Boot Drive: Samsung 850 Pro 512GB - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
- Storage - SATA6G Drive: Corsair Force LS 240GB - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
- Storage - USB Drive: Corsair Voyager GS 64GB - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
- Case: Corsair Obsidian 900D - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
- Power Supply: Corsair AX1200i - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
- OS: Microsoft Windows 10 - Buy from Amazon
- BIOS: F1
- Drivers: Audio: PG431, Intel LAN: 20.7, VIA USB 3.0: V4.90A, ASmedia USB 3.1: 1.16.28.1
The motherboard looks good inside of a case, and the red LEDs provide a nice glow.
The new test bench is designed to test every aspect of the motherboard and IO. I have designed it so that the motherboard sits in a case and is cooled by fans always on at a constant rate to keep the conditions similar during all tests. I have cut out part of the case behind the motherboard so I can get thermal images of the back of the PCB where the VRM heat spreads. System and CPU power measurements are now digitally logged.
I am also using a Netgear Nighthawk X4 AC2350 for our network (including wireless AC) tests. The latest M.2, SSD, and USB technologies are also being utilized to test the maximum potential of the motherboards that are tested.
Overclocking
The 970-Gaming SLI is a sub-$100 motherboard, and I don't want to set a bad example by showing you guys a nice overclock. To overclock 125W CPUs over 4.2GHz on this motherboard requires very strong airflow over the VRM heat sink, and that isn't normal.
I would look into the 990FX-Gaming from GIGABYTE if you want a motherboard like this one with better overclocking. The 970-Gaming SLI is a gaming motherboard and not an overclocking motherboard.
PRICING: You can find the GIGABYTE 970-Gaming SLI (AMD 970) Motherboard for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing, but can change at any time. Click the link below to see real-time pricing for the best deal:
United States: The GIGABYTE 970-Gaming SLI (AMD 970) Motherboard retails for $99 at Amazon.
United Kingdom: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon UK's website.
Canada: The GIGABYTE 970-Gaming SLI (AMD 970) Motherboard retails for $125 CAD at Amazon Canada.
Recommended for You
- We at TweakTown openly invite the companies who provide us with review samples / who are mentioned or discussed to express their opinion of our content. If any company representative wishes to respond, we will publish the response here.
Related Tags
Latest News Posts
- Blizzard announces full Overwatch League teams
- NieR: Automata shipped and sold over 2 million copies
- New Red Dead Redemption 2 updates coming next week
- Vivendi may take over Ubisoft in November
- AMD Radeon RX Vega 32, RX Vega 28 rumored to be coming
Forum Activity
- Upgrading USB ports on top of case
- Areca ARC-8050T3 12-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID DAS Review
- GA-P67A-UD3P-B3 can't change multiplier past 38, can't change turbo ratio with i5 3570k
- TP-Link Archer C3150 Dual-Band Wireless Router Review
- Using Netgear wndr3700 as router extender problem
Press Releases
- AOC announces retail availability of AGON curved QHD gaming monitor
- Seasonic presents the PRIME Ultra power supplies
- EVGA announces GeForce GTX 1080 Ti FTW3 ELITE video card
- G.Skill releases AMD Ryzen-optimized Trident Z RGB DDR4 memory
- Hear the difference feel the beat of the DRUM
