The Gigabyte X870 EAGLE WIFI7 is clearly targeted at end-users who’d like to save some cash by forgoing bells and whistles on a motherboard, while still retaining some high-end features that matter.

To recap AMD launched its "Zen 5" Ryzen 9000 series of processors a couple of weeks back in August 2024, and motherboards featuring the new X870E and X870 chipsets are now available to purchase from retail since 30th September 2024; the budget-friendly B800 series of chipsets are rumoured to launch only sometime in early 2025.

As per the table above, which was taken from AMD's website, the X870E and X870 offer minimal differences over the X670E and the X670 which they replace, with the key difference being mandatory USB4 support - all boards with the X870E and X870 chipsets come with USB4 support as standard.

To get in on the launch excitement, we'll be taking a look at the Gigabyte X870 EAGLE WIFI7, which as it it name implies, sports the X870 chipset and is intended to be more of a budget-friendlier mainstream motherboard offering.

Summary of Specifications

Processor Support: AMD Ryzen 9000/8000/7000 series processors
Chipset: AMD X870
Memory: 4x DDR5 slots, max 256GB, up to DDR5 8000 (OC) support (as of October 2024)
Audio: Realtek ALC897 audio codec
LAN: Realtek RTL8125D 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet
WIFI: MediaTek MT7925B22M WIFI 7 module with Bluetooth 5.4 support (for Revision 1.0); Realtek RTL8922AE WIFI 7 module with Bluetooth 5.4 support (for Revision 1.1)
Expansion Slots: 1x PCIe 5.0 x16, 2x PCIe 3.0 x16 (both PCIe 3.0 slots operate at x1 mode)
Storage: 4x SATA III, 1x PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2, 1x PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 M.2, 1x PCIe 4.0 x2 (M.2 slots support NVMe drives only)
Form Factor: ATX
Official Product Page: https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/X870-EAGLE-WIFI7 

Do note that PCIe 5.0 is supported only when a Ryzen 9000 or Ryzen 7000 series processor is installed on this motherboard - Ryzen 8000 APUs only support the PCIe 4.0 standard.

Packaging & Contents

As can be seen, the X870 EAGLE WIFI7 comes in a box that sports a black, blue and orange colourway, with the "EAGLE" text splashed across the front and the usual summary of features and specifications over on the rear.

The board comes with the following accessories:

• WIFI antenna
• 2x SATA III cables
• 1x G Connector
• 2x M.2 drive scews
• Quick installation guide
• Regulatory information leaflet

Board Aesthetics

In terms of aesthetics, we see that Gigabyte has gone for a black and grey colour scheme, where it comes with an integrated I/O shield design with grey heatsinks all around.

As a budget-oriented motherboard offering, no surprises here that we've got nothing much going on over on the rear of the board, where there aren't any fancy motifs like those that you tend to find on higher-end motherboards.

The AMD X870 chipset has a single-chip design and is cooled by a passive heatsink - the said chipset heatsink has blue-coloured aesthetic LEDs along its bottom edge for a touch of pop.

A clear indication of the X870 EAGLE WIFI7's budget pedigree is the fact that only the primary Gen 5 M.2 SSD slot comes with a heatsink - the board's second and third Gen 4 M.2 SSD slots do not have any heatsink coverage at all.

VRM & Memory Support

The X870 EAGLE WIFI7 comes with 14+2+2 power stages rated for up to 60A, and sports four DDR5 slots with a single-tab design that as of the time of writing this article, support a maximum of 256GBs of RAM and the DDR5 8000 standard when overclocked.

Front Panel USB Headers

For front panel USB connectivity, the X870 EAGLE WIFI7 comes with a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C front panel header near the RAM slots, as well as a single USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A front panel header along the long edge of the board; the said Type-A header provides support for up to two front panel USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports.

Rounding up this section on front panel USB connectivity are two USB 2.0 front panel headers found near the bottom edge of the board, where 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

For your graphics processing needs, Gigabyte has included a single PCIe 5.0 x16 slot for a graphics card, where the said slot features Gigabyte's "UD Slot" design that helps reinforce the slot for use with heavy graphics cards. It's worth noting that PCIe 5.0 is only supported on this slot when a Ryzen 9000 or Ryzen 7000 series processor is installed; the Ryzen 8000 series of APUs support the PCIe 4.0 standard, and the said graphics card slot will operate at either PCIe 4.0 x8 or x4 mode, depending on which model of Ryzen 8000 APU is installed.

As can be seen above, the PCIe 5.0 x16 slot also comes with the PCIe EZ-Latch Plus feature that helps make removing a graphics card from the slot less of a chore.

Moving on, the board also comes with two full-length PCIe 3.0 x16 slots that each operate at x1 mode.

For your legacy storage and optical drives, Gigabyte has included four SATA III ports, with all ports in a right-angled configuration to aid with cable management.

The X870 EAGLE WIFI7 also comes with a single PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 slot and two PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots - of these two PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, slot M2B_SB supports x4 and x2 link speeds, while slot M2C_SB supports x2 link speeds only. Do note that these slots support M.2 NVMe drives only - M.2 SATA drives will not work with any of these slots.

The lone PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 slot features Gigabyte’s "M.2 UD Slot" design, with a unibody stainless steel shield for improved durability and signal integrity. Again, do bear in mind that PCIe 5.0 is only supported with a Ryzen 9000 series or Ryzen 7000 series processor installed; if you do have a Ryzen 8000 series APU installed on this board, the primary PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 slot will operate at PCIe 4.0 x4 link speeds instead. 

Installing and removing a M.2 drive from the PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 slot is a fully tool-less experience; the heatsink of the Gen 5 M.2 slot features a tool-less design called M.2 EZ-Latch Click, which makes removing and installing the said heatsink a cinch, while the slot itself features the M.2 EZ-Latch Plus mechanism, which allows for a M.2 drive to be installed and removed easily from the slot.

The X870 EAGLE WIFI7 is not spared the bane that is PCIe lane sharing, where the two PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots share bandwidth with each other. If one were to have a M.2 drive installed in slot M2C_SB, which supports the PCIe 4.0 x2 standard, the other PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slot, M2B_SB will operate at x2 mode instead of x4 mode.

Audio & Internet Connectivity

Unsurprisingly, a budget audio codec in the form of Realtek's ALC897 powers the X870 EAGLE WIFI7's audio experience.

In terms of internet connectivity, we've got a Realtek RTL8125D chip serving up support for 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet...

...while wireless internet connectivity is courtesy of a WIFI 7 module that supports the Bluetooth 5.4 standard. Which model of WIFI 7 module included is dependent on which motherboard revision that one has - for Revision 1.o (the board featured in this article), Gigabyte has included a MediaTek MT7925B22M module, while Revision 1.1 comes with a Realtek RTL8922AE module. Do note that both modules support the 160 MHz channel width, and not the ultrawide 320 MHz channel width that "true" WIFI 7 modules should provide support for.

Fan & RGB Headers

The X870 EAGLE WIFI7 comes with six fan headers:

• 1x CPU_FAN
• 1x CPU_OPT
• 4x SYS_FAN

RGB headers are in no short supply, where Gigabyte has included three Gen2 addressable RGB headers and a single 12V RGB header.

Other Features

Kicking off the list of special features that the X870 EAGLE WIFI7 comes with, are reset and power buttons located near the top edge of the motherboard. As their names imply, the reset button allows end-users to do a hard reset of the PC, while the power button, as you might have rightfully guessed, allows end-users to power on the PC. Do note that the reset button is also what Gigabyte terms a multi key button - the said button can be reprogrammed from within the BIOS to serve other purposes.

Also included near the power and reset buttons is a reset header that can be hooked up to the front panel reset button of a PC case.

To help with troubleshooting PC startup issues, we get a set of Status LEDs right beneath the reset header.

Along the bottom edge of the motherboard, we get a TPM header for an optional discrete Gigabyte TPM module, as well as a Clear CMOS header.

Rear I/O

The X870 EAGLE WIFI7 comes with an integrated I/O shield design that sports ventilation openings in the form of small square vents. The following ports can be found on the rear I/O:

• Q-Flash Plus button
• 4x USB 2.0 Type-A ports
• 1x HDMI 2.1 port (supports a maximum display resolution of 4096x2160 at 60 Hz)
• 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports
• 2x USB4 Type-C ports (supports DisplayPort Alternate mode with a maximum display resolution of 3840x2160 at 240 Hz)
• 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port
• 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port
• WIFI antenna connector (WIFI EZ-Plug)
• Audio jack connector

The Q-Flash Plus feature allows end-users to update the motherboard's BIOS without needing to install a processor, RAM and graphics card.

Conclusion

To sum up, the Gigabyte X870 EAGLE WIFI7 is clearly targeted at end-users who'd like to save some cash by forgoing bells and whistles on a motherboard, while still retaining some high-end features that matter, such as a decent enough VRM setup to support higher-end Ryzen 9000 processors, PCIe 5.0 support for a graphics card and a M.2 drive, dual USB4 ports, along with some quality-of-life features such as PCIe EZ-Latch Plus.

One downside to note is the fact that the two PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots that this board has shares bandwidth with each other, where if you have a drive each installed in those two slots, both slots will operate at PCIe 4.0 x2 mode instead.

Get this board from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3zHYr4G (affiliate link)

Get this board from Shopee Singapore: https://s.shopee.sg/20d8XCYX25 (affiliate link)

ALKtech may earn commissions from qualifying purchases made using affiliate links, at no extra cost to you as a customer. These commissions go a long way in supporting the platform!

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.