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Benchmark Results
Our standard benchmarks and power tests are performed using the CPU’s stock frequencies (including any default boost/turbo) with all power-saving features enabled. We set optimized defaults in the BIOS and the memory by enabling the XMP profile. For this baseline testing, the Windows power scheme is set to Balanced (default) so the PC idles appropriately.
Synthetic Benchmarks
Synthetics offer a valuable method for evaluating a board's performance, as identical settings are expected to yield similar results. Turbo boost wattage and advanced memory timings are areas where motherboard manufacturers can still optimize for stability or performance, though, and these settings can impact specific testing scenarios.
The X870 Aorus Stealth performed well in our synthetic benchmarks, achieving average-to-slightly above-average results across most of our benchmark suite. Be it office apps, encoding, or rendering, the Stealth did fine here.
Timed Applications
In our timed applications, LAME and Corona, our board fell into the slower of the two results for each of these two benchmarks. Handbrake performance was good, posting the second-fastest time in x264 and on the faster side of average in x265. So far so good!
3D Games and 3DMark
Starting with the launch of Zen 5, we’ve updated our game tests. We’re keeping the F1 racing game but have upgraded to F1 24. We also dropped Far Cry 6 in favor of an even more popular game in Cyberpunk 2077. We run both games at 1920x1080 resolution using the Ultra preset (details listed above). Cyberpunk 2077 uses DLSS, while we left F1 24 to native resolution scaling.
The goal with these settings is to determine if there are differences in performance at the most commonly used (and CPU/system-bound) resolution with settings most people use or strive for (Ultra). We expect the difference between boards in these tests to be minor, with most falling within the margin of error. We’ve also added a minimum FPS setting, which can affect your gameplay and immersion.
In our 3DMark and game tests, the board was slower in 3DMark than most (remember, these results are ~1-2% from worst to first), but it did well in Cyberpunk 2077, posting the second-highest average frame rate (141). F1 24 was just 1 FPS below our average at 168 frames per second. In short, performance is on par with the other boards we’ve tested, whether for work or play.
Overclocking
Over the past few CPU generations, overclocking headroom has been shrinking on both sides of the fence, while the out-of-the-box potential has increased. For overclockers, this means there’s less fun to have. For the average consumer, you’re getting the most out of the processor without manual tweaking. Today’s motherboards are more robust than ever, and they easily support power-hungry flagship-class processors; We know the hardware can handle them. There are multiple ways to extract even more performance from these processors: enabling a canned PBO setting, manually tweaking the PBO settings, or just going for an all-core overclock. Results will vary and depend on the cooling as well. In other words, your mileage may vary. Considering all the above, we will not be overclocking the CPU. However, we will try out our different memory kits to ensure they meet the specifications.
For memory testing, we start with our fastest non-clock driver kit: Klevv 32GB (2x16) DDR5-8000. Per usual on this platform, it booted to Windows but wouldn’t pass a stress test with our 9900X. The Team Group DDR5-7200 kit worked without issue. Those speeds are well past the ‘sweet spot’ for the AMD platform, and with today’s otherworldly RAM (and video card, and storage) prices, we doubt many people are looking at these higher speeds in the first place.
Dropping in our Ryzen 5 8600G APU, we were able to run our Klevv DDR5-8000 kit. Curiously, the first time we ran the stress test, it failed at 30:02 before I could stop it and capture the screenshot. I powered down, re-seated the RAM, and off we went, this time passing the 30-minute mark. I started another, and it ran for a couple of hours, so perhaps it wasn’t seated properly during the first run. And the short of it is, the kit worked, and DDR5-8000 is close to the Stealth’s ceiling.
Power Consumption / VRM Temperatures
We used AIDA64’s System Stability Test with Stress CPU, FPU, cache, and Memory enabled for power testing, using the processor's peak power consumption value. The wattage reading is obtained from the wall via a Kill-A-Watt meter, capturing the entire PC (excluding the monitor). The only variable that changes is the motherboard; all other parts remain the same. We've moved to using only the stock power use/VRM temperature charts, as this section aims to ensure the power delivery can handle flagship-class processors.
Stress testing the X870 Aorus Stealth with our DDR5-7200 kit showed it to be fairly average in power consumption. At idle, it sat around 79W and peaked at 255W. This averages out to 167W and is an efficient result among X870 and X870E boards. There’s nothing out of the ordinary here either.
VRM temperatures ran nice and cool, peaking at just over 48 degrees Celsius on our sensors, and surprisingly, were lower on the integrated MOS sensor (40 degrees Celsius). Although we’re only testing with a Ryzen 9 9900X, we’re certain the VRMs will handle any flagship-class processor and an overclock without being the limiting factor.
Bottom Line
The Gigabyte X870 Aorus Stealth delivers what its name suggests: a clean-looking, all-black, rear-connect motherboard that moves all unsightly connections to the back—paired with a stealthy all-black appearance that blends in with most build themes. It’s well equipped for a mid-range motherboard with 13 USB ports on the rear IO (2x USB4), enough storage options with four M.2 sockets (2x PCIe 5.0 x4) and two SATA ports, fast networking, a solid audio solution, and capable power delivery, all for $299.99 at Newegg (along with the Aorus Stealth Ice, white, for $10 more).
In the rear-connect world, there are only a couple of comparable motherboards available from the major board partners (ASRock not being one of them for AMD). MSI’s MAG X870E Tomahawk Max Wifi PZ ($319.99) is one of those direct competitors. Outside of appearance (I prefer the Stealth), there isn’t much difference between them, though the MSI board’s second PCIe 5.0 socket runs at up to x2 speeds, whereas the Stealth's runs at full 4x. Asus’ closest competitor is the TUF Gaming B850-BTF Wifi W ($270.99). This board, on the B850 chipset, has fewer M.2 sockets (three), slower and fewer USB ports (10 on rear IO, one Type-C, no USB4), slower LAN and Wi-Fi 7 (2.9 Gbps max, vs 5.8 Gbps), and a similar audio codec. If you can get away with less, it’s a good option, but for an additional $30, you get a lot more board for the money with the X870 Aorus Stealth.
You can also choose X670 or B650 options for rear-connect. Still, the newer generation offers more and, in this reviewer’s opinion, looks even better than earlier generations, making it my preference for this type of build.
The Gigabyte X870 Aorus Stealth is a strong competitor in the rear-connect/BTF motherboard market. While there are a couple of boards bookending our review board on price, the Stealth is in the Goldilocks zone, offering a balance of features, pricing, and a premium appearance that the others don’t have. If you’re in the market for a BTF/rear-connect motherboard and love the all-black look and complete feature set, it’s the best motherboard for the job at a reasonable price.
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