Intel Z890 motherboards make its debut with Thunderbolt 5, Wi-Fi 7, and 9600MHz DDR5 overclocking

Board blitz: Builders planning a high-end gaming rig or workstation round Intel’s new Arrow Lake processors rejoice – the most important motherboard makers have a contemporary batch of Z890 boards filled with the newest options. There are new lineups from Asus, Gigabyte, Asrock, and MSI – and at the moment we’re taking a look at what they carry to the desk.

First, some context. Intel’s Z890 is the corporate’s prime chipset for the brand new LGA 1851 socket, upgrading connectivity with twin Thunderbolt 4 and Wi-Fi 6E. However motherboard distributors are going above and past, with many higher-end fashions including assist for Thunderbolt 5, Wi-Fi 7, 2.5GbE, and 9000MHz+ DDR5 speeds. Costs usually vary from $199 to $999 within the US, although there are a number of exceptions.

On the Asus entrance, there are 13 new boards spanning ATX, micro-ATX, and mini-ITX sizes. The ROG Maximus Excessive, Apex, and Hero fashions return as their flagship overclocker’s decisions, whereas the Prime collection covers extra inexpensive choices.

Past the upgraded Z890 specs, most boards characteristic a brand new toolless M.2 socket set up mechanism, and the PCIe x16 slots use a Q-Launch latch so you’ll be able to take away graphics playing cards with out fidgeting with the lock. Asus has even launched a “DriverHub” app to streamline driver updates.

Gigabyte is bringing 17 new Z890 boards to the occasion, most of that are higher-end Aorus fashions, just like the flagship Xtreme AI High. This board packs a 22+1+2 part VRM, two full-size Gen 5 PCIe slots, 4 Gen 5/Gen 4 M.2 slots, and even an RGB DDR5 cooler. The Aorus lineup spans E-ATX, ATX, micro-ATX, and mini-ITX sizes.

To not be outdone, Asrock has 16 new Z890 motherboards prepared. Probably the most fascinating addition is the brand new Taichi sub-brand, which has expanded right into a full lineup starting from the premium Taichi Aqua (with customized cooling loop assist) right down to extra inexpensive Taichi Lite fashions.

Their different collection, comparable to Riptide and Lightning, have additionally obtained Z890 updates. Asrock can be touting superior 10-layer PCB designs on choose boards for enhanced energy supply and sign integrity.

In fact, MSI is a key participant as properly, with 9 new Z890 motherboards spanning their fanatic MEG collection to their mainstream Professional designs.

The highest-tier MEG boards, just like the Godlike, Ace, and Unify-X, promise unimaginable DDR5 overclocking potential as much as 9600MHz. The Godlike mannequin comes with a hefty price ticket, costing $1,264 within the US and €1,379.99 in Europe, making it the most costly Z890 board.

Colourful deserves an honorable point out, too. The corporate has launched seven new Z890 motherboards for a spread of customers. One unnamed mannequin stands out with a bottom cable administration design. This board eliminates most front-facing connectors, using an Asus 600W GPU connector to energy the graphics card instantly from the motherboard – promising a cable-free, clutter-free construct for fans.

Past the same old suspects, Biostar, Maxsun, and NZXT have their Z890 designs able to hit the cabinets on October 24 – the identical day Intel Core Ultra 200S CPUs launch.