Overview

The Gigabyte B650E AORUS Elite X AX is a standout mid-range AM5 motherboard that brings premium features to an accessible price point. At $229, it offers PCIe 5.0 support for both the primary GPU slot and one M.2 slot, a capable 14+2+1 power stage VRM, Wi-Fi 6E, and 2.5GbE LAN. For builders who want the benefits of the AM5 platform—including a future upgrade path—without paying flagship pricing, the B650E AORUS Elite X AX delivers exceptional value.

Design & Build

The AORUS Elite X AX sports Gigabyte’s signature aggressive gaming aesthetic with a dark PCB, large heatsinks covering the VRM area and chipset, and subtle RGB lighting on the chipset heatsink and I/O shroud. The VRM heatsinks are substantial for a B650 board, with cut fins for increased surface area, and the primary M.2 slot includes a thick thermal pad and heatsink for PCIe 5.0 drives that run hot.

Build quality is solid for the price point. The PCB is a 6-layer design with 2oz copper, providing adequate signal integrity for PCIe 5.0 and high-speed DDR5. The PCIe slots are reinforced with stainless steel, and the rear I/O panel is pre-installed. The board lacks the full metal backplate of premium siblings, which is an expected cost-saving measure at this price.

Performance

The 14+2+1 VRM (14 Vcore, 2 iGPU, 1 SOC) using 60A power stages is more than sufficient for Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 5 processors, and can handle a Ryzen 9 7950X or 9950X at stock settings without issue. For extreme overclocking on a Ryzen 9 or heavily overclocked 9800X3D, a more robust VRM would offer more headroom, but for the vast majority of users, this VRM is entirely adequate.

Memory support is excellent. The board supports DDR5 speeds up to 8000+ MT/s with Gigabyte’s memory trace optimization. We achieved stable DDR5-7200 CL34 with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D without difficulty. The EXPO (AMD’s memory overclocking standard) support works flawlessly with validated memory kits.

The PCIe layout is well thought out: the primary x16 slot runs at PCIe 5.0 x16 from the CPU, while the second x16 slot is PCIe 4.0 from the chipset. The single PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot shares bandwidth with the GPU slot in some configurations, so users running multiple PCIe 5.0 devices should consult the manual for lane allocation details.

Features

PCIe 5.0 Ready: Support for PCIe 5.0 GPU and NVMe storage ensures compatibility with the latest and next-generation components.

14+2+1 Power Stages: Capable 60A VRM design handles all current AM5 processors with headroom for enthusiast-level configurations.

Wi-Fi 6E + 2.5GbE: Gigabyte’s latest wireless module supports Wi-Fi 6E for low-latency wireless connectivity, paired with a Realtek 2.5GbE LAN controller.

BIOS Flashback + Q-Flash Plus: Update the BIOS without a CPU installed, making it easy to ensure compatibility with the latest Ryzen 9000-series processors.

Pros

• Excellent value at $229 with PCIe 5.0 support
• Solid VRM handles Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9 processors well
• Good DDR5 memory support up to 8000+ MT/s
• Wi-Fi 6E and 2.5GbE LAN included
• BIOS Flashback for easy updates without a CPU
• PCIe 5.0 for both GPU and storage

Cons

• 60A power stages limit extreme overclocking headroom
• Only one PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot
• No USB4 or Thunderbolt support
• 6-layer PCB is adequate but not premium
• No metal backplate at this price point
• Realtek audio codec is serviceable but not premium

Verdict

The Gigabyte B650E AORUS Elite X AX proves that you don’t need to spend $400+ to get a great AM5 motherboard. It delivers PCIe 5.0 support, a capable VRM, solid memory overclocking, and excellent networking features at a price that respects your budget. The compromises—a 6-layer PCB, 60A power stages, and a single PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot—are reasonable tradeoffs for the price. For builders targeting the Ryzen 5 9600X or Ryzen 7 9800X3D, this is one of the best value motherboards on the market.

Sources

• Gigabyte B650E AORUS Elite X AX Official Page - gigabyte.com
• Gigabyte B650E AORUS Elite X AX Review - TechSpot - techspot.com
• Gigabyte B650E AORUS Elite X AX Review - Tom’s Hardware - tomshardware.com
• Gigabyte B650E AORUS Elite X AX on Amazon - amazon.com
• Gigabyte B650E AORUS Elite X AX on eBay - ebay.com