Wood-pannelled PC cases? Yeah, yeah, seen 'em. Wood-trimmed motherboards? Novel, but not quite unique. But dark wood-trimmed motherboards? Now you're talkin'.
Gigabyte has updated its existing X870E Aero X3D Wood with revised and darker wood lashings. We give you the Gigabyte X870E Aero X3D Dark Wood, though without the manufacturer's all-caps verily enabled.
The Taiwanese company says, "The authentic dark wood texture finish brings natural warmth and character into high-performance computing; the supple leather pull tab adds tactile intimacy; and the understated dark metal tones offer calm and breathing room — a deliberate counterpoint to the noise of modern life."
Meanwhile our own Nick Evanson reckons, "wood mobos are just so pointless." How so? Nick doesn't like the fact that the physical characteristics of wood mean it is very restricted in where it can be used, in this case down the left hand side of the board, including on top of the I/O panel.
Personally, I'm a little more upbeat about the notion. You'd certainly need to be careful about your choice of case and side window to ensure maximum visibility. But still, if you like the natural texture, it could be worth it even if only glimpsed when digging inside the case for tweaks and upgrades.
As with the OG Wood board, this Dark variant is based on the AMD X870E chipset with the AM5 socket. You get a 16+2+2 Twin Digital VRM Design, four M.2 slots, and some nice tool-free touches.
At this point, my main concern would be matching the wood grain and colour with a similarly-suited case. The Asus ProArt Case PA401 looks a bit too dark, while the Corsair One i600 is probably too light. Could the Fractal Design North with the Walnut option be just right? There's only one way to find out.
