Discover the Whiteout Build Revolution: GIGABYTE’s STEALTH ICE Series Brings Clean, Stylish Power

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Managing cables can be likened to the dental hygiene practice of flossing. While many claim to do it, few truly enjoy the process, and neglecting it leads to an unsightly mess. GIGABYTE has long recognized this issue, and now they are committed to addressing it head-on by focusing more efforts in cable management solutions.

In 2022, they collaborated with MAINGEAR on Project STEALTH, which was a motherboard designed to move all its connectors to the back, a placement that makes more sense ergonomically. Now, with the introduction of the STEALTH ICE Series, this original concept has been given an elegant update: it features clean, white hardware, concealed connectors, and a sleek design that seamlessly blends into the wave of white builds you see on your social media feeds.

Inside The Snow-White Lineup

The STEALTH ICE Collection consists of four essential elements: the AORUS STEALTH ICE X870 and B850 motherboards, the AORUS RTX™ 5090 STEALTH ICE graphics card, and the C500 PANORAMIC STEALTH ICE case. Let’s explore each one in detail.

X870 AORUS STEALTH ICE

The X870 AORUS STEALTH ICE stands as their premium model, boasting an attractive white circuit board, heatsinks, and expansion slots that provide a pristine backdrop for your assembly. It’s packed with potent hardware, featuring a 16+2+2 phase VRM powered by SPS 80A stages, capable of managing power-intensive CPUs such as the Ryzen 9 9950X3D effortlessly without overheating.

Regarding storage, you’ll find four options: two PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots and two PCIe 4.0 slots for your preferred SSDs. The memory speed can reach 8200 MT/s, thanks to their AI-enhanced D5 Bionic Corsa technology managing the overclocking tasks. In terms of connectivity, it’s well taken care of, featuring Wi-Fi 7, 5GbE LAN, two USB4 Type-C ports with DisplayPort Alternate mode, and a dedicated Sensor Panel Link for internal display integration.

B850 AORUS STEALTH ICE

If you find X870 to be more powerful than your gaming needs require, don’t worry! The B850 AORUS STEALTH ICE is exactly what you need. It delivers the same sleek design and hidden cable features tailored for mainstream gamers.

On this 14+2+2 Twin Digital VRM system, you’ll appreciate the robust power delivery it offers. Notably, it comes equipped with two PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots and two PCIe 4.0 slots for versatile expansion options. It also supports DDR5 memory up to 8200 MT/s, which is quite fast. Remarkably, this board even includes Wi-Fi 7 connectivity, a feature that’s not commonly found on B850 boards.

These motherboards come with useful features such as Q-Flash Plus for performing BIOS updates even without a CPU installed, DriverBIOS which embeds wireless drivers within the BIOS itself, and the X3D Turbo Mode that enhances gaming performance by up to 18% specifically on AMD’s X3D processors.

AORUS GeForce RTX™ 5090 STEALTH ICE

The AORUS GeForce RTX™ 5090 STEALTH ICE graphics card maintains its white aesthetic by incorporating a hidden power connector design. This innovative feature channels power cables behind the motherboard instead of along the side, thereby addressing one of the most noticeable flaws in conventional builds. As a result, the overall system setup appears clean and well-organized.

The graphics card utilizes NVIDIA’s elite GeForce RTX™ 5090 GPU, ensuring exceptional, beast-like performance within a sleek design.

GIGABYTE C500 PANORAMIC STEALTH ICE

The award-winning GIGABYTE C500 PANORAMIC STEALTH ICE case seamlessly connects all components. It harmoniously matches with the STEALTH ICE Series motherboards, creating an uncluttered, aesthetically pleasing setup. Moreover, its expansive panoramic glass panel offers a stunning 270-degree perspective of the immaculate interior, making it a truly remarkable spectacle to observe.

This case arrives equipped with four initial 120mm ARGB fans (three on the sides, one at the back), all synced through RGB Fusion. It can accommodate up to ten fans in total and radiators as large as 360mm on both the top and side panels, offering ample room for various cooling solutions. The vertical GPU mount, providing a spacious 5-slot clearance, allows even the most robust graphics cards to be showcased flawlessly.

The Front Input/Output (I/O) offers USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C at 10 Gigabits per second, accompanied by two USB 3.0 ports, and audio jacks. Notably, the removable and cleanable magnetic dust filters on top, sides, and bottom provide a practical convenience.

Design Philosophy Behind The STEALTH Lineup

If you’ve been under the impression that sleek design and enhanced accessories are the only appealing aspects of this collection, you might be surprised. Here’s why: the entire design philosophy centers around relocating every connector (ATX power, CPU power, USB headers, audio, front panel) to the back of the motherboard.

That move was carefully planned to enhance the quality of your work process during construction, for example.

  1. The entire shebang becomes dramatically faster without routing and hiding cables. What used to take hours now takes minutes.
  2. Maintenance gets much less tedious since you can easily access components without navigating around a rat’s nest of cables.
  3. Without all those cables messing up the interior, your carefully selected components take center stage, which is always a nice thing.

Works With Cases Beyond GIGABYTE

What sets the STEALTH ICE Series apart is GIGABYTE’s strategy on compatibility. Rather than limiting users to a single ecosystem, they have formed alliances with over ten case manufacturers such as Corsair, Fractal Design, and Phanteks. This collaboration guarantees compatibility across more than 20 distinct models from these brands.

Adopting an open strategy, Project STEALTH’s design offers unrivaled adaptability for pristine constructions across various brands, ensuring you’re not constrained by choosing a specific manufacturer’s case based on aesthetics or unique attributes.

Smart Features That Go A Long Way

These motherboards come with user-friendly enhancements that significantly ease the experience of assembling a PC. For instance, they do away with fiddly screws during installation through designs like M.2 EZ-Latch and PCIe EZ-Latch Plus. Furthermore, an innovative feature called patented M.2 EZ-Flex uses a flexible baseplate to enhance heat transfer with SSDs, potentially lowering temperatures by as much as 12°C.

So, Who Is It For?

The STEALTH ICE Series hits a sweet spot for… pretty much everyone, really. Here’s how:

High-end gamers can enjoy superior power supply, outstanding cooling solutions, and features that boost performance in their advanced processors and graphics cards. Moreover, its sleek design allows these pricey components to be showcased elegantly, instead of being concealed by cables.

2. Content creators enjoy a streamlined, efficient process, largely due to robust equipment and an aesthetically pleasing design that looks great on screen. The intuitive cable organization allows for more time dedicated to content creation and less time spent adjusting the setup.

3. If you’re into do-it-yourself projects, you’ll undoubtedly admire how the STEALTH ICE Series simplifies the construction process. Experienced builders will delight in the tidy outcomes and cutting-edge features, while beginners will discover that creating a professional-looking project is now more achievable.

STEALTH ICE: Clean Builds, Clear Future

Consider this: It’s not essential for every PC building component to be groundbreaking. Often, new hardware simply translates to marginally improved benchmark scores. However, GIGABYTE’s STEALTH ICE Series addresses a persistent issue that we’ve all been putting up with for far too long – the hassle of cable management. This problem, previously seen as an inevitable part of PC building, is now being effectively tackled by this series.

I value the most that they refrained from establishing another isolated system. By collaborating with Corsair and Fractal Design, they’ve shown respect for the freedom of choice in PC building. This means if you prefer a cable-free design but within a different casing, it can indeed be achieved here.

Instead of constructing a system centered on these white components for everyone, it’s unlikely. However, for those embarking on a new project, particularly those who value aesthetics, the methodology behind the STEALTH ICE Series is hard to overlook as a sensible choice.

Experiencing the joy of PC building is essential, not stressful. GIGABYTE, by streamlining the most laborious aspects and championing a minimalist, timeless design, has crafted an innovative product that propels the hobby into the future. Frankly, I find this approach infinitely more appealing than yet another minor performance upgrade.

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2025-06-06 21:08