[smartPC사랑=남지율 기자] Overclocking is the process of increasing the computing speed of a PC compared to its default state. Looking at the description alone, it seems that there is nothing to lose by overclocking, but the overclocking process is not that simple.
It is basic to use a CPU and motherboard with overclocking support, and the stronger the power supply of the motherboard, the better results can be expected. In addition, even for the same type of CPU, overclocking results may vary greatly depending on the yield of each CPU.
If the overclocking settings are wrong, booting may not be possible without BIOS initialization. In addition, some USB keyboards are not compatible with BIOS, so motherboards with PS/2 ports are preferred, but PS/2 ports are becoming increasingly rare on motherboards these days.
GIGABYTE focused on this point and released ‘GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS TACHYON PCDirect’, an overclocking specialized motherboard for overclockers.
GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS TACHYON PCDirect
CPU – Supports LGA1700 Intel 13th and 12th generation Core series
Memory (DDR5)
O.C(8333/8000/7950/7900/7800/7600/7400/7200/7000/6800/6600/6400/6200/6000/5800/5600/5400/5200MHz)
Non O.C(4800/4000MHz)
XMP support, up to two 64GB DDR5 DIMMs (single 32GB), ECC Un-buffered DIMMs 1Rx8/2Rx8 supported, non-ECC Un-buffered DIMMs 1Rx8/2Rx8/1Rx16 supported
onboard graphics – HDMI 2.0 port x1 (up to 4096×2160@60Hz and HDCP 2.3)
audio – Realtek ALC1220-VB CODEC, DTS:X Ultra support, High Definition Audio, 2/4/5.1/7.1 channels, S/PDIF input/output
LAN – Intel 2.5GbE LAN chip (2.5Gbit/1Gbit/100Mbit)
expansion slot – PCIEX16 (PCI Express 5.0/x16 slot) x1, PCIEX8 (PCI Express 5.0/x16 slot) x1, PCIEX4 (PCI Express 3.0/x16 slot)
storage interface – CPU: M.2 x1(Socket 3, M key, type 22110/2280 PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSD 지원)(M2A_CPU)
Specifications: M.2 x2(3 sockets, M key, type 22110/2280 PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSD slots)(M2P_SB, M2Q_SB), M.2 x1(3 sockets, M key, type 22110/2280 SATA and PCIe 4.0). x4/x2 SSD carrier (M2M_SB)
SATA 6Gb/s x4
USB – USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C x2 (1 x internal header, 1 x back panel), USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A x3 (3 x back panel), USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A x6 (2 x internal header, back panel) 4), USB 2.0/1.1 x4 (4 internal headers)
back panel connectors – RJ-45 x1, audio jack x5, PS/2 keyboard x1, PS/2 mouse x1, SMA antenna connector (2T2R)
200% charge of Aorus sensibility!
GIGABYTE’s gaming brand ‘AORUS’ enjoys a lot of popularity among PC gamers with its unique and consistent gaming design. A design that properly meets the so-called ‘Aorus sensibility’ was applied to the Z790 Aorus Tachyon. It has a very colorful appearance with a design that emphasizes sharp straight lines, which are the standard of gaming motherboards.
In addition, the eagle logo symbolizing AORUS applied to the heat sink and the prism effect that looks different depending on the angle catch the eye.
The chipset is Z790. Overclocking is possible as it is the Z series, and the socket is LGA 1700. That is, it is compatible with the Intel 13th Gen Core series and the Intel 12th Gen Core series.
The RAM slot is DDR5. It can install 32GB of RAM per slot and supports XMP. It can be seen that there are two RAM slots, but considering the price of the motherboard alone, it may seem like a lacking configuration. However, dual RAM is usually preferred for overclocking systems, and the Z790 Aorus Tachyon supports RAM overclocking of up to 8,333 MHz.
The power supply has a 15+1+2 phase configuration. As much as it is equipped with a 105A premium choke, it can supply power up to 1,575A, so it shines in an overclocking system.
What about PCIe slots? Thanks to the application of the PCIe 5.0 standard, it can easily respond to next-generation graphics cards to be released in the future.
In addition, by applying the ‘ultra durable armor design’, it is stable even when a heavy graphics card is installed. You can see that additional soldering has been done on the bottom of the motherboard to ensure that the slot is firmly maintained.
For those who are serious about overclocking
The Z790 Aorus Tachyon has various elements optimized for overclocking. First of all, it has PS/2 keyboard and PS/2 mouse terminals, which are difficult to find on recent motherboards. Therefore, unlike some USB input devices that have problems with BIOS compatibility, BIOS settings can be changed more stably.
The installation of the ‘overclocking kit’ is also worth paying attention to. The overclocking kit consists of buttons and switches that make overclocking easy. If you press the button with the turtle icon on it, you can boot into the default state without resetting the BIOS settings. It is also possible to manually adjust the CPU magnification with the + and – buttons.
In addition, it can measure voltage by connecting to a multimeter, and has a BIOS switch button or BIOS reset button.
It has a structure specialized for memory overclocking, and when using the XMP profile, overclocking of up to 9,300 MHz is supported.
AORUS motherboard for gamers
Although the Z790 Aorus Tachyon is a product specialized in overclocking, it is basically a motherboard belonging to the gaming brand ‘Aorus’. Therefore, many designs for gamers were applied. It can be seen that the storage expandability is excellent, and it can be useful if you want to install games with 4 SATA 3 ports.
There are a total of 4 M.2 slots. A heatsink that can cover all four NVMe SSDs is provided as standard, and all slots meet the PCIe 4.0 standard, making it a good choice as a ‘direct storage’ supported gaming PC.
It has a rich configuration of terminals so that various gaming gears can be connected. In addition, it has an Intel AX210 chipset and supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth. Therefore, wireless gamepads can be easily connected.
We also focused on audio quality. A high-end audio capacitor and noise guard are applied to realize a more realistic and clear sound.
