Intel's mid-range 700-series chipsets are now upon us, and with it, budget-oriented motherboards such as the Gigabyte B760M GAMING X AX DDR4.

Editor's note (January 2024): The B760M GAMING X AX DDR4 now supports 14th Gen "Raptor Lake Refresh" processors with a BIOS update that is available for download from Gigabyte's official website.

Intel's 13th generation Raptor Lake processor offerings were first released for sale to the general public on 20th October 2022, with a first wave of "K" series CPU offerings (e.g. Core i9-13900K, Core i5-13600K etc) hitting the shelves alongside motherboards powered by the range-topping Intel Z790 chipset. Fast forward to January 2023, Intel has finally released the rest of its Raptor Lake CPU and chipset line-up, in the form of products such as the Core i5-13400 CPU, to chipsets such as the Intel B760 and H770. To get in on the launch excitement, we'll be taking a look at a more value-oriented Intel B760 motherboard offering targeted at gamers on a budget - the Gigabyte B760M GAMING X AX DDR4.

Summary of Specifications

• Processor Support: Intel 13th Gen Core processors & 12th Gen Core, Pentium Gold and Celeron processors
• Chipset: Intel B760
• Memory: 4x DDR4 slots, max 128GB, up to DDR4 5333 (OC) support
• Audio: Realtek ALC897 audio codec
• LAN: Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet
• WIFI: AMD RZ608 WIFI 6E module with built-in Bluetooth 5.2
• Expansion Slots: 1x PCIe 4.0 x16, 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (operates at x4 mode)
• Storage: 4x SATA III, 2x PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 (NVMe mode only)
• Form Factor: Micro ATX

Packaging & Contents

The B760M GAMING X AX DDR4, as its name implies, sits within the GAMING X series of product offerings targeted at gamers on a budget, where it comes in a black and orange-coloured box sporting an Iron Man-like character emblazoned on the front of the box.

The board comes with the following accessories:

• WIFI antenna
• 2x SATA III cables
• Spare M.2 drive screw
• Quick start guide

Board Aesthetics

With the board out of the packaging, we see that Gigabyte has gone for a black and grey colour scheme. It comes with an integrated I/O shield design, and has black-coloured heatsinks all around. Fans of RGB lighting effects should note that this board does not come with built-in RGB LED accents, though it does of course, come with a handful of onboard RGB headers.

The board's B760 chipset is cooled by a passive heatsink, and Gigabyte has included a heatsink for one out of the two M.2 drive slots that this board comes with.

VRM & Memory Support

The board's power delivery solution is by means of an 8+1+1 setup, with 60A DrMOS power stages for the VCore and VCCGT phases.

Memory support on the other hand, is courtesy of four DDR4 slots that support a maximum of 128GBs of RAM, and the DDR4 5333 (OC) standard. The slots are made of plastic, and have a dual-tabbed design.

Front Panel USB Connectivity

For front panel USB 3.2 connectivity, Gigabyte has included a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C front panel header, as well as a USB 3.2 Gen 1 front panel header that provides for two front panel USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports.

Also included are two front panel USB 2.0 headers found near the bottom edge of the board. Each of these headers provide support for two front panel USB 2.0 Type-A ports, for a total of four ports.

Expansion Slots & Storage Options

The B760M GAMING X AX DDR4 comes with a reinforced PCIe 4.0 x16 slot for a graphics card. The said slot comes with the PCIe EZ-Latch feature, which is essentially an oversized retention tab on the PCIe slot that helps make removing a graphics card from the slot less of a painful affair in a completed PC build.

Also included is a single PCIe 3.0 x16 slot that operates at x4 mode.

For your internal storage needs, Gigabyte has included four SATA III ports, with two ports in a right-angled configuration, and two ports in a straight-angled configuration.

Also included are two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots. Do note that these slots support NVMe SSDs only - SATA M.2 drives are not supported.

Audio & Internet Connectivity

Being the budget-oriented motherboard offering that it is, the B760M GAMING X AX DDR4 comes with an entry-level Realtek ALC897 audio codec.

The board's wired internet connectivity is handled by Realtek's RTL8125BG chip that serves up support for 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, while wireless internet connectivity is courtesy of an AMD RZ608 WIFI 6E module that also supports Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity.

Fan & RGB Headers

The B760M GAMING X AX DDR4 comes with a total of four fan headers:

• 1x CPU_FAN
• 3x SYS_FAN

Also included are two addressable RGB headers, as well as two 12V RGB headers.

Other Features

Located near the bottom edge of the board is a Q-Flash Plus button that allows end-users to update the board's BIOS without needing to install a CPU, RAM or graphics card.

Right next to the Q-Flash Plus button is a reset button - the reset button is also what Gigabyte terms a multi-key button, which can be re-mapped within the BIOS to serve a variety of different functions, such as to serve as a switch that can enable and disable the board's on-board RGB devices, and so on.

Thunderbolt add-on card headers are also included with the board - the said headers are to be used with an optional Thunderbolt add-on card that is sold separately by Gigabyte.

A nice-to-have is a serial (COM) port header that is also found near the bottom edge of the board, which should come in useful for situations that call for the use of legacy PC hardware.

Rear I/O

The B760M GAMING X AX DDR4 comes with an integrated I/O shield design, with the following ports on the rear I/O:

• 5x USB 2.0 Type-A (1x port in white supports Q-Flash Plus)
• WIFI antennae connectors
• 1x DisplayPort 1.2 connector (supports display output of up to 4096x2304@60 Hz)
• 1x HDMI 2.0 connector (supports display output of up to 4096x2160@60 Hz)
• 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (5 Gbps)
• 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port
• Audio jack connectors

Conclusion & Pricing

To sum up, the Gigabyte B760M GAMING X AX DDR4 is a value-oriented micro ATX Intel B760 motherboard offering that checks the right boxes when it comes to its features, where it even serves up features such as 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet and WIFI 6E at its price point.

One issue to think about though, is the value proposition that low-to-mid-range Intel B760 boards have against motherboards powered by its predecessor chipset, the Intel B660, that is, while such B660 boards are still available to purchase new on the market. If you’re able to find new B660 boards for cheap, you might find that the incremental improvements from the B760 chipset might not be worth the additional cost, assuming that B660 boards are indeed cheaper depending on where you're from, where the money saved from getting a new B660 board could be put to use on other components instead.

As of this board's launch in January 2023, the B760M GAMING X AX DDR4 can be had for a price of around $280 Singapore dollars from offline and online retailers in Singapore, which converts to roughly $208 US dollars for you international readers.

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The motherboard featured in this article was a review unit provided on loan from CDL Trading Pte Ltd, an authorised distributor for Gigabyte in Singapore.