ASRock Z890 LiveMixer WIFI Motherboard Review – Mainstream Design Under $250 US

ASRock Z890 LiveMixer WIFI Unboxing & Close Up Inspection

The ASRock Z890 LiveMixer WIFI motherboard comes in a standard cardboard package. The front features a large picture of the motherboard along with a purple and black color scheme. The box also lists a few features, such as WIFI7, Thunderbolt, and Polychrome Sync RGB.

The backside of the package lists the specifications and special features of the motherboard such as the 18+1+1+1+1 SPS power system, dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, Memory OC Shield, and a total of 23 USB ports.

Inside the package is another box that contains the accessories and is located right below the box holder for the board itself. You get:

• 2 x SATA Data Cables
• 2 x ASRock WiFi 2.4/5/6 GHz Antennas
• 1 x Thermistor Cable

With all the accessories done, it's time to put that box aside and take the motherboard out of its package.

The ASRock Z890 LiveMixer WIFI motherboard is an ATX offering that measures 244 x 305 mm. The motherboard carries a black color scheme with silver colored heatsinks and face plates that adopt a reflective touch.

ASRock's Z890 LiveMixer WIFI is part of the relatively new LiveMixer lineup. Previous iterations have featured a very colorful PCB and board layout but this time, ASRock has gone with more natural colors.

The board uses the LGA 1851 socket to support Intel Core Ultra 200S "Arrow Lake" processors. At launch, the LGA 1851 socket will only support the Arrow Lake CPUs though we can expect a brand new family in the coming years.

Next to the socket are four DDR5 DIMM slots that can support up to 256 GB of dual-channel (24/48/64 GB modules) memory.

These slots are rated to support XMP profiles up to 9466 MT/s (OC Plus). Each slot is labeled, making it easier to install DIMMs in the proper orientation. DDR5 memory comes with a different latch position so forcing a DDR4 module into a DDR5 slot will cause permanent damage. Each slot is also combined with a reinforced design to make sure signal integrity remains good while keeping the slots durable for long-term usage.

The full QVL list can be found here. The motherboard supports 5600 MT/s natively and 6400 MT/s for Arrow Lake K CPUs. The 9600 MT/s apply to 1DCP (1 Rank) configurations. The memory signals also integrate a new PCB design feature called "Memory OC Shield" which reduces EMI and offers enhanced memory overclocking and stability, especially at higher frequencies.

The ASRock Z890 PG NOVA WIFI motherboard features an 18+1+1+1+1 (VCore/ VccGT/VccAUX)  phase SPS VRM power delivery that utilizes the MPS 2427 "MP29005-A" PWM controller, and MPS 2415 "MP87681" (80A) SPS stages for the VCore. The motherboard also features 20K capacitors.

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The VRMs and power delivery solution are scattered around the LGA 1851 socket. The board uses an 6-layer server-grade PCB with 2oz Thickened copper in a low-loss design, retaining signal integrity for stable CPU and memory operations.

The VRMs receive ample cooling from the aluminum VRM heatsink solution.

The CPU is supplied power through an 8+8 pin power connector configuration. This will feed the CPU with up to 300 Watts of power. Intel's Arrow Lake "Core Ultra 200S" Desktop CPUs can sip up to 250W of power by default.

Coming to the cooling solution, we first have the aluminum VRM heatsink which makes use of two aluminum blocks with a series of fins that are stacked together.

Underneath the VRM heatsink are 7W/mK Thermal pads which transfer heat from the VRMs to the heatsink.

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Expansion slots include three PCI Express x16 (1 x Gen 5.0 x16 & 2 x Gen 4.0 x4) and four M.2 slots.

CPU:

• 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 Slot (PCIE1), supports x16 mode

Chipset:

• 2 x PCIe 4.0 x16 Slots (PCIE2 and PCIE3), support x4 mode
• 1 x M.2 Socket (Key E), supports type 2230 WiFi/BT PCIe WiFi module

The motherboard utilizes a full metallic slot for the first Gen5 x16 connector.

The motherboard also has a vast array of M.2 slots, three of which are featured under dedicated M.2 extended M.2 heatsinks. The primary M.2 slot features Gen5 connectivity with dual-sided thermal pads and an EZ release mechanism.

One of the larger heatsinks also works as a cover plate for the motherboard's lower portion. It has a silver finish and underneath, you can find single-sided thermal pads. You need to remove the plastic sticker from the thermal pads before installing a new SSD for proper heat transfer.

Following is the full list of M.2 ports and their details on the ASRock Z890 LiveMixer WIFI motherboard:

CPU:

• 1 x Blazing M.2 Socket (M2_1, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen5x4 (128 Gb/s) mode*
• 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_2, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode

Chipset:

• 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_3, Key M), supports type 2230/2242/2260/2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode
• 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_4, Key M), supports type 2280 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s & PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) modes
• 4 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors

The Z890 PCH is housed beneath a standard heatsink with a reflective coating on the top and the "LiveMixer" logo engraved on it.

The motherboard features just one RGB accent zone which is below the larger M.2 Armor heatsinks with several LEDs scattered in a horizontal position. These can be turned off or can be customized using ASRock's Polychrome Sync software.

Storage options include four SATA III ports rated to operate at 6 GB/s. These can support 4 different storage devices at once. There are also 3 USB 3.2 front panel connectors (4x Gen1 Type-A & 1x Gen2 Type-C). 2 USB 2.0 (four ports) front panel connectors are also included.

ASRock uses a 5.1 CH HD audio design with the latest Realtek ALC1220 CODEC. For diagnostic purposes, a standard array of LEDs can be found but that's about it.

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The full list of connectors on the motherboard is listed as follows.

• - 1 x Thermistor Cable Header
• - 1 x SPI TPM Header
• - 1 x Power LED and Speaker Header
• - 1 x RGB LED Header
• - 3 x Addressable LED Headers
• - 2 x CPU Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
• - 5 x Chassis Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
• - 1 x AIO Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
• - 1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector
• - 2 x 8 pin 12V Power Connectors (Hi-Density Power Connector)
• - 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector
• - 2 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 4 USB 2.0 ports)
• - 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Headers (Support 4 USB 3.2 Gen1 ports)
• - 1 x Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Header (20 Gb/s)

ASRock is using the latest WIFI 7 Module to power wireless connectivity with a 320MHz channel bandwidth and Bluetooth 5.4. In terms of Ethernet, is a single 2.5 GbE LAN port.

The motherboard comes with the following I/O connectors:

• - 2 x Antenna Ports
• - 1 x HDMI Port
• - 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
• - 2 x Thunderbolt 4 Type-C Ports (40 Gb/s for USB4 protocol; 40Gb/s for Thunderbolt protocol)
• - 2 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A Ports (10 Gb/s)
• - 10 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports
• - 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port
• - 1 x BIOS Flashback Button
• - 1 x Line Out Jack (Gold Audio Jack)
• - 1 x Microphone Input Jack (Gold Audio Jack)

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