ASRock Z890 Taichi Aqua Motherboard Review – Incredible IO Capabilities With 10 Type-C Ports & Water-Cooling For High-End Enthusiasts

Conclusion - Superb IO, Great Cooling, High-End Design

The Intel LGA 1700 platform was launched three years ago in 2021, and it has since seen a total of 3 generations of CPUs: Alder Lake (12th Gen), Raptor Lake (13th Gen), and Raptor Lake Refresh (14th Gen). We have seen at least three generations of motherboards, first with the 600-series, which had Z690 as the top SKU, and then two generations of 700-series based on the top Z790 chipset, which included a soft refresh for the 14th Gen lineup.

Intel has now introduced its next-generation 800-series chipsets, and with the Core Ultra 200S CPU series, the company is also launching a brand new socket called LGA 1851. Today, we will look at the latest motherboards based on the Z890 chipset.

We received a load of motherboards from various manufacturers, so let's start by taking a look at these updated designs. For this review, we will be testing ASRock Z890 Taichi Aqua, an enthusiast board offering for the Core Ultra Series 2 platform, which retails at $999.99 US.

The Intel LGA 1851 Platform

For its Arrow Lake lineup, Intel is introducing a brand new socket, which ends the reign of the LGA 1700 series after a little over three years. The new socket from now onward will be LGA 1851, and this will be first featured on the new 800-series motherboards.

The 800-series chipsets will include several SKUs, but the one we are getting today is the top-tier Z890. This platform offers a total of 48 PCIe lanes, of which 20 are PCIe Gen 5.0, and these come from both the CPU and the PCH. The Z890 PCH features up to 24 PCIe 4.0 lanes, up to 4 eSPI, up to 10 USB 3.2 ports including 5 20G, 10 10G, and 10 5G options, up to 14 USB 2.0 links & up to 8 SATA III links.

The new platform is further enriched with the latest features, which include:

Integrated I/O:

• Up to 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports
• Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+)
• Bluetooth 5.3 (LE)
• 1 GbE

Discrete I/O:

• Up To 4 Thunderbolt 5 ports
• Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7 (5 Gig)
• Bluetooth 5.4 (LE)
• 2.5 GbE

In terms of memory support, the new Z890 motherboards will offer up to DDR5-6400 (native) capabilities and expanded speeds over 8000 MT/s with XMP. The platform will support up to 48 GB DIMMs in the dual-channel mode for up to 192 GB capacities in UDIMM, CUDIMM, SODIMM, and CSODIMM flavors.

Lots of Goodies For Overclockers!

Finally, we have the new overclocking goodness, which comes in the form of new functionalities for tuners with fine-grain control.

These features include:

• Granular core clock - Top turbo frequency in 16.6 MHz steps for P-Cores and E-Cores
• Dual base clock - Run an independent BCLK for SOC and compute tiles
• Tile-to-Tile & fabric OC - Can apply a static/BIOS ratio and supports dynamic ratio changes for fabric
• DLVR bypass - Bypass the internal voltage management using an external supply for extreme OC
• Intel eXtreme tuning utility - New features including automated OC enhancements
• Memory overclocking - New memory controller supports new XMP and CUDIMM DDR5
• P & E-core overclocking - P-core per-core V/f control, and E-Core per cluster V/f control
• Low-temperature overvolting - Increasingly bypass voltage limits as the chip gets colder

The cooler operation of the chips also provides higher headroom for overclockers. As for the TJmax, Arrow Lake-S "Core Ultra 200S" will have a peak operating temperature of 105 degrees.

Cooler Compatibility With LGA 1851 Socket

The Intel LGA 1851 socket is compatible with LGA 1700 socketed coolers, though some coolers might require an offset kit for proper thermal load balance. The new socket also has a revised ILM called RL-ILM, which uses a spacer between the loading mechanism to ensure proper pressure for the new Arrow Lake CPUs.

Intel Desktop Platform Chipset Comparison

Chipset Name	Arrow Lake-S (ARL-S) PCH / 800 Series (Z890)	Raptor Lake-S (RPL-S) PCH / 700 Series (Z790)	Alder Lake-S (ADL-S) PCH / 600 Series (Z690)	Rocket Lake-S (RKL-S) PCH / 500 Series (Z590)	Comet Lake-S (CML-S) PCH / 400 Series (Z490)	Coffee Lake S (CFL-S) PCH / 300 Series (Z390/H370, B360, Q370, H310)	Coffee Lake S (KBL-R) PCH / Z370 Platform
Process Node	7nm	14nm	14nm	14nm	14nm	14nm	22nm
Processor	24C, 20C, 14C, 12C, TBD)	24,16C,12C,10C,6C,4C	16C,12C,10C,6C,4C (Full corporate/consumer SKU stack at launch)	8C, 6C (Full corporate/consumer SKU stack at launch)	10C, 8C, 6C, 4C, 2C (Full corporate/consumer SKU stack at launch)	8C, 6C, 4C, 2C (Full corporate/consumer SKU stack at launch)	8C, 6C, 4C (6 Consumer SKUs at Launch)
Memory	Up To DDR5-6400 (Native)	Up To DDR5-5600 (Native) Up To DDR4-3200 (Native)	Up To DDR5-4800 (Native) Up To DDR4-3200 (Native)	Up To DDR4-3200 (Native)	Up To DDR4-2933 (Native)	Up To DDR4-2666 (Native)	Up To DDR4-2666 (Native)
Media, Display & Audio	eDP / 4DDI (DP, HDMI) Display Capabilities	eDP / 4DDI (DP, HDMI) Display Capabilities	eDP / 4DDI (DP, HDMI) Display Capabilities	DP 1.2 & HDMI 2.0, HBR3 HDCP 2.2 (HDMI 2.0a w/LSPCON) 12-bit AV1/HEVC & VP9 10-bit Enc/Dec, HDR, Rec.2020, DX12 Integrated Dual-Core Audio DSP With USB Audio offload SoundWire Digital Audio Interface	DP 1.2 & HDMI 1.4 HDCP 2.2 (HDMI 2.0a w/LSPCON) HEVC & VP9 10-bit Enc/Dec, HDR, Rec.2020, DX12 Integrated Dual-Core Audio DSP SoundWire Digital Audio Interface	DP 1.2 & HDMI 1.4 HDCP 2.2 (HDMI 2.0a w/LSPCON) HEVC & VP9 10-bit Enc/Dec, HDR, Rec.2020, DX12 Integrated Dual-Core Audio DSP SoundWire Digital Audio Interface	DP 1.2 & HDMI 1.4 HDCP 2.2 (HDMI 2.0a w/LSPCON) HEVC & VP9 10-bit Enc/Dec, HDR, Rec.2020, DX12 Integrated Dual-Core Audio DSP
I/O & Connectivity	Integrated USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20G) Integrated Intel Wireless-AC (Wi-Fi6E/ 7 BT CNVio) with Gig+ Integrated SDXC 4.0 Controller Thunderbolt 4.0	Integrated USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20G) Integrated Intel Wireless-AC (Wi-Fi6E/ 7 BT CNVio) with Gig+ Integrated SDXC 4.0 Controller Thunderbolt 4.0	Integrated USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20G) Integrated Intel Wireless-AC (Wi-Fi6E/ 7 BT CNVio) with Gig+ Integrated SDXC 4.0 Controller Thunderbolt 4.0	Integrated USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20G) Integrated Intel Wireless-AC (Wi-Fi6E/ BT CNVi) Integrated SDXC 3.0 Controller Thunderbolt 4.0 (Maple Ridge)	Integrated USB 3.2 Gen 2 Integrated Intel Wireless-AC (Wi-Fi / BT CNVi) Integrated SDXC 3.0 Controller Thunderbolt 3.0 (Titan Ridge) w/ DP 1.4	Integrated USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) Integrated Intel Wireless-AC (Wi-Fi / BT CNVi) Integrated SDXC 3.0 Controller Thunderbolt 3.0 (Titan Ridge) w/ DP 1.4	Integrated USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) Thunderbolt 3.0 (Alpine Ridge)
Storage	PCIe 5.0 (CPU Lanes), 8x SATA 3.0	Next-Gen Intel Optane memory PCIe 5.0 (CPU Lanes), 6x SATA 3.0	Next-Gen Intel Optane memory PCIe 5.0, 6x SATA 3.0	Next-Gen Intel Optane memory PCIe 4.0, 6x SATA 3.0	Next-Gen Intel Optane memory PCIe 3.0, 6x SATA 3.0	Next Gen Intel Optane memory PCIe 3.0, 6x SATA 3.0	Next Gen Intel Optane memory PCIe 3.0, 6x SATA 3.0
Max PCH PCIe Lanes	Up To 24 (Gen 4)	Up To 20 (Gen 4) Up To 8 (Gen 3)	Up To 12 (Gen 4) Up To 16 (Gen 3)	Up To 24 (Gen 3)	Up To 24 (Gen 3)	Up To 24 (Gen 3)	Up To 24 (Gen 3)
Max CPU PCIe Lanes	Up To 20 (Gen 5) Up To 4 (Gen 4)	Up To 16 (Gen 5) Up To 4 (Gen 4)	Up To 16 (Gen 5) Up To 4 (Gen 4)	Up To 20 (Gen 4)	Up To 16 (Gen 3)	Up To 16 (Gen 3)	Up To 16 (Gen 3)
Max USB Ports	Up To 5 (USB 3.2 Gen 2z2) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x1) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 1x1) Up To 14 (USB 2.0)	Up To 5 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x1) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 1x1) Up To 14 (USB 2.0)	Up To 4 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x1) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 1x1) Up To 14 (USB 2.0)	Up To 3 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x1) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 1x1) Up To 14 (USB 2.0)	Up To 10 (USB 3.2) Up To 14 (USB 2.0)	Up To 10 (USB 3.1) Up To 14 (USB 2.0)	Up To 10 (USB 3.0) Up To 14 (USB 2.0)
Security	Intel TET Intel Boot Guard	N/A	N/A	N/A	Intel SGX 1.0	Intel SGX 1.0	Intel SGX 1.0
Power Management	C10 & S0ix Support for Modern Standby	C10 & S0ix Support for Modern Standby	C10 & S0ix Support for Modern Standby	C10 & S0ix Support for Modern Standby	C10 & S0ix Support for Modern Standby	C10 & S0ix Support for Modern Standby	C8 Support
Launch	2024	2022	2021	2021	2019	2018	2017

The ASRock Z890 Taichi Aqua motherboard comes in a large cardboard package. The front features a large Taichi logo. The packaging also lists down a few features such as WIFI7, & Thunderbolt along with Core Ultra Series 2 support.

The backside of the package lists the specifications and special features of the motherboard, such as the 28+1+2+1+1 SPS power system, Dual Thunderbolt 4 Type-C ports, the water cooling block & the USB Type-C array on the rear IO.

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

• 4 x SATA Data Cables
• 1 x USB 2.0 Bracket
• 1 x ASRock WiFi 2.4/5/6 GHz Antenna
• 1 x ARGB Splitter Cable
• 3 x Thermistor Cables

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

The ASRock Z890 Taichi Aqua motherboard is an eATX offering that measures 305 x 274 mm. The motherboard carries a the Taichi theme and utilizes a premium white/silver aesthetic with the PCB that is also coated in white.

ASRock's Z890 Taichi Aqua is an enthusiast-grade motherboard built for high-end PC builders and overclockers. It's a really good-looking motherboard & the company has put a lot of work into nailing the Taichi & Aqua design over the generations.

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 9600 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 applies 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 Taichi Aqua motherboard features a 28+1+2+1+1 (VCore/ VccGT/VccAUX)  phase SPS VRM power delivery that utilizes the Renesas RAA 229130 PWM controller, and R2209004 HBD (110A) stages for the VCore. All capacitors are labeled with 20K "1000B E19 & 270C D49" ratings. The PLL features RAA 220075R0 stages.

The VRMs and power delivery solution are scattered around the LGA 1851 socket. The board uses an 10-layer server-grade PCB with 2oz thickened copper in a low-loss design, retaining signal integrity for stable CPU and memory operations.

For the VRM cooling, ASRock has gone with a fully embedded water block solution from Alphacool, which makes use of a detachable heatsink design, which is useful since the same block also cools a Gen5 SSD.

The CPU is supplied power through an 8+8-pin power connector configuration. This will feed the CPU with up to 600 Watts of power. Intel's Arrow Lake "Core Ultra 200S" Desktop CPUs can sip up to 250W of power by default.

Even without water cooling, the heatsink block is very strong, making use of hefty aluminum pieces that should provide ample cooling in default and even some overclocked workloads.

Underneath the VRM heatsink are 9W/mK Thermal pads, which transfer heat from the VRMs to the heatsink.

The IO cover also features a nice design with Taichi gears and logos, while the motherboard label is etched on top of it. The IO cover also comes with embedded RGB LEDs.

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

CPU:

• 2 x PCIe 5.0 x16 Slots (PCIE1 and PCIE2), support x16 or x8/x8 modes

Chipset:

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

The motherboard utilizes a full metallic slot, and ASRock also implements its Graphics Card EZ release mechanism, which allows easy removal of graphics cards without having to release the PCIe lock manually.

The motherboard also has a vast array of M.2 slots, all of which are featured under dedicated M.2 XXL M.2 heatsinks.

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

Two of the slots (1x Gen5 and 1x Gen4) come with an EZ-Release heatsink, making for a toolless design. As mentioned above, the Gen5 heatsink is water cooling through the same block that is used by the VRMs while the Gen4 slots feature passive-cooled heatsinks.

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

CPU:

• 1 x Blazing M.2 Socket (M2_1, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen5x4 (128 Gb/s) mode
• 1 x Blazing M.2 Socket (M2_2, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen5x4 (128 Gb/s) mode
• 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_3, 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 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s & PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) modes

Chipset:

• 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_4, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode
• 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_5, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode
• 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_6, Key M), supports type 2242/2260/2280 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 large heatsink.

The motherboard offers a single RGB accent zone, and that is the IO cover. These can be turned off or can be customized using ASRock's Polychrome Sync software. There's also a single RGB header & an ARGB Splitter cable to expand the lighting capabilities for your PC.

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 2 USB 3.2 Gen2x2, four USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A and 4 USB 2.0 ports for fthe ront panel.

ASRock uses a 5.1 CH HD audio design with the latest Realtek ALC4082 CODEC with WIMA audio capacitors and ESS SABRE9219 DAC for rear panel audio, providing up to 130 dB SNR. There is a large selection of connectors on the motherboard, such as the Power On/Off, Reset buttons, a DEBUG LED, and more.

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

• - 3 x Thermistor Cable Headers
• - 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 Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
• - 4 x Chassis Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
• - 1 x AIO Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
• - 1 x Water Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
• - 1 x 24-pin ATX Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector)
• - 2 x 8-pin 12V Power Connectors (Hi-Density Power Connector)
• - 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector (15μ Gold 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)
• - 2 x Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Headers (20 Gb/s)
• - 1 x Dr. Debug with LED
• - 1 x Power Button with LED
• - 1 x Reset Button with LED

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, there are dual LAN ports including 5GbE & 2.5GbE.

The motherboard comes with the following I/O connectors:

• - 2 x Antenna Ports
• - 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
• - 2 x Thunderbolt 4 Type-C Ports (40 Gb/s for USB4 protocol; 40Gb/s for Thunderbolt protocol)
• - 4 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C Ports (10 Gb/s)
• - 4 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C Ports (USB32_TC_56 support Ultra USB Power.)
• - 2 x RJ-45 LAN Ports
• - 1 x Clear CMOS Button
• - 1 x BIOS Flashback Button
• - 1 x Line Out Jack (Gold Audio Jack)
• - 1 x Microphone Input Jack (Gold Audio Jack)

For testing, I used the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K CPU, which was sent to us by Intel on a range of Z890 motherboards.

Intel LGA 1851 "Z890" Motherboard Test Platform:

Processors	Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (Extreme Profile)
Motherboard	Gigabyte Z890 AORUS Elite DUO X (F2) Maxsun iCraft Z890 Arctic (1.1) ASRock Z890 Taichi OCF (2.17) ASRock Z890 Taichi Aqua (2.12) ASRock Z890 Taichi (2.08) ASRock Z890 Taichi LITE (2.08) ASRock Z890 PG Nova (2.08) MSI MEG Z890 Unify-X (7E20v1A1) MSI MPG Z890 Carbon (7E17v1A1) MSI MPG Z890 Edge TI (7E19v2A2) MSI MAG Z890 Tomahawk (7E32v1A3) Gigabyte Z890 AORUS Master (F9)
Power Supply	FSP Hydro G 1200W PSU
Solid State Drive	Crucial T700 2 TB Gen5 SSD
Memory	T-Force Delta RGB DDR5-7200 (CL34 2 x 16 GB)
Video Cards	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition
Cooling Solutions	Arctic Liquid Freezer III 420mm AIO
OS	Windows 11 64-bit

Our test rig includes the Crucial T700 2 TB Gen5 SSD that boots up our main OS. In addition to these, we are running an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founders Edition graphics card and an FSP Hydro G 1200W PSU. For this specific review, we used the V-Color Manta DDR5-9466 MT/s (48 GB) memory kit running at CL46 timings.

All Z890 Motherboards Memory Support (Official Rating)

The Intel Z890 motherboards are listed with some of the highest-listed DDR5 memory support out of the box. The new platform supports the latest DDR5 CUDIMM memory kits, offering over 9000 MT/s speeds. Following is how each of the motherboards we tested stacks up in terms of frequency support:

3DMark CPU Profile Benchmark

Instead of producing a single number, the 3DMark CPU Profile shows you how your CPU's performance changes and scales with the number of cores and threads used. The 3DMark CPU Profile has six tests that help you benchmark and compare CPU performance for gaming and other activities.

Blender

Blender is a free and open-source 3D creation suite. It supports the entirety of the 3D pipeline—modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, and even video editing and game creation.

Cinebench 2024

Cinebench 2024 utilizes the power of Redshift, Cinema 4D's default rendering engine, to evaluate your computer's CPU and GPU capabilities. Cinebench 2024 is designed to accommodate a broad range of hardware configurations - while it seamlessly supports x86/64 architecture (Intel/AMD) on Windows and macOS.

Cinebench R23

Cinebench is a real-world cross-platform test suite that evaluates your computer’s hardware capabilities. Improvements to Cinebench Release 20 reflect the overall advancements to CPU and rendering technology in recent years, providing a more accurate measurement of Cinema 4D’s ability to take advantage of multiple CPU cores and modern processor features available to the average user.

CPU-Z

CPUz is a freeware that gathers information on some of the main devices of your system such as the Processor name and number, codename, process, package, cache levels, Mainboard, chipset, Memory type, size, timings, and module specifications (SPD), and Real-time measurement of each core's internal frequency, memory frequency.

Geekbench 6

Geekbench 6 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures your system's performance with the press of a button.

HandBrake

HandBrake is a tool for converting video from nearly any format to a selection of modern, widely supported codecs.

PCMark 10

PCMark 10 is a complete PC benchmarking solution for Windows 10. It includes several tests that combine individual workloads covering storage, computation, image and video manipulation, web browsing, and gaming. Specifically designed for the full range of PC hardware from netbooks and tablets to notebooks and desktops, PCMark 10 offers complete Windows PC performance testing for home and business use.

POV-Ray

The POV-Ray package includes detailed instructions on using the ray tracer and creating scenes. Many stunning scenes are included with POV-Ray, so you can start creating images immediately when you get the package.

SuperPI

Super PI is used by many overclockers to test the performance and stability of their computers. In the overclocking community, the standard program provides a benchmark for enthusiasts to compare “world record” pi calculation times and demonstrate their overclocking abilities. The program can also be used to test the stability of a certain overclock speed.

WinRAR

WinRAR is a powerful archive manager. It can back up your data and reduce the size of email attachments, decompress RAR, ZIP, and other files downloaded from the Internet, and create new archives in RAR and ZIP file formats.

Battlefield V

Battlefield V brings back the action of the World War 2 shooter genre. Using the latest Frostbite tech, the game does a good job of looking gorgeous in all ways possible. From the open-world environments to the intense and gun-blazing action, this multiplayer and single-player FPS title is one of the best-looking Battlefield titles to date. The game was tested at max settings at 1440p.

DOOM Eternal

DOOM Eternal brings hell to Earth with the Vulkan-powered idTech 7.  We test this game using the Ultra Nightmare Preset and follow our in-game benchmarking to stay consistent.

GTA V

GTA V is one handsomely optimized title for the PC audience. It's scalable across various PC configurations and delivers an impressive frame rate. Rockstar did an amazing job with the PC build of GTA V, and it comes with a large array of settings that can be configured by PC gamers. We tested the title at 1440P with everything set to Ultra and 4x MSAA.

Metro Exodus

Metro Exodus continues the journey of Artyom through the nuclear wasteland of Russia and its surroundings. This time, you are set over the Metro, going through various regions and different environments. The game is one of the premier titles to feature NVIDIA’s RTX technology and does well in showcasing the ray-tracing effects in all corners. The game was tested at Ultra settings with RTX settings turned off at 1440p.

Shadow of The Tomb Raider

Sequel to The Rise of the Tomb Raider, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is visually enhanced with an updated Foundation Engine that delivers realistic facial animations and the most gorgeous environments ever seen in a Tomb Raider Game. The game is a technical marvel and shows the power of its graphics engine in the latest title.

Intel's Arrow Lake "K" SKUs come with a default TDP of 125W and a PL2 rating of 250W for the Ultra 9 285K and 159W for the 245K. The chips can be set to performance or extreme mode using the BIOS software from each respective motherboard vendor.

The Intel Core Ultra 200S "Arrow Lake" Desktop CPUs come with a slightly modified IHS that is equipped over the tiled CPU die. This IHS is soldered with gold plating underneath to ensure good heat dissipation and thermal conductivity. The socket also features a revised ILM mechanism called RL-ILM (Reduced-Load) to provide optimal pressure for the socket and the CPU.

After my initial review of the Z890 Taichi last year, I was excited to give the flagship ASRock Z890 offering a go. I had the motherboard in my hands for a good few months and had been anxiously waiting for newer BIOS firmware updates to fix the lackluster gaming performance of the Core Ultra Series 2 desktop CPUs. I just didn't back then that I would have to wait for months for Intel to finally deliver new BIOS/Firmware updates which were rolled out in the last few weeks with the "Core Ultra 200S Boost" label. So here it is, my review of the ASRock Z890 Taichi Aqua, the flagship Z890 motherboard from ASRock.

In terms of performance, the ASRock Z890 Taichi Aqua delivered great out-of-the-box performance and was also able to easily meet our baseline overclocking test using the flagship Core Ultra 9 285K and setting it to 5.6 GHz across all cores. The 28+ power design with 110A power stages, the use of 20K caps, and a premium 10-layer PCB all make for a motherboard that makes it one of the strongest options for enthusiasts.

With the Intel Core Ultra 200S boost feature, users can expect slightly better performance, especially in games, though don't expect anything about 5-8% gains. These gains come from tuned DDR5 memory and higher power limits which do add to overall temperatures and power numbers but it is an easy way to gain more performance than going the manual tuning route.

For memory support, ASRock goes for a four DIMM DDR5 solution with up to 256 GB capacity support and up to 9600 MT/s speeds, a major increase over the last Aqua option, the Z690 Aqua, which had memory support rated at 6400 MT/s. The motherboard supports both XMP modes and is ready for CUDIMM DDR5 modules, pushing for really high frequencies in Gear 2 mode. The motherboard had no problem running the stock DDR5 kit at 8000 MT/s out of the box, and even the 9200 MT/s OC profile booted up easily. ASRock also uses a slightly newer BIOS design while retaining the BIOS flashback feature, which allows users to flash to the latest BIOS with a USB stick without having CPU, Memory, or other components installed on the motherboard.

The motherboard also has some strong cooling capabilities, which are required for this beefy VRM design. The VRMs feature a water block from Alphacool, which also comes with an easy detachable design for the primary Gen5 SSD, which can also be water-cooled. You are looking at sub-50 °C temps with water cooling, which is fantastic. The board also has 8 fan headers, enough for your cooling needs, and even the M.2 heatsinks are beefy and enough to handle the fastest Gen5 SSDs.

The things we loved about the ASRock Z890 Taichi Aqua:

• Amazing Design with white aesthetics
• Strong VRM Solution
• Faster Memory Support (9600 MT/s+)
• Great OC Memory Support
• Great VRM Heatsink With Active-Cooling
• Lots of USB ports (Including Dual USB4)
• 10 Type-C ports on the rear
• Six M.2 slots with heatsinks
• Latest WIFI7 & BT5.4 Support
• EZ Toolless Design For GPU & M.2 Slots
• 10GbE LAN Port
• Solid BIOS Firmware

Things that we would have liked to see:

• Lower Price
• More Audio Jacks
• More SATA ports
• Some OC Tuning options on the board itself

Regarding storage options, you are getting six M.2 slots, one of which is Gen5, while the rest are Gen4 but retain full bandwidth. There's also a full bandwidth PCIe 5.0 x16 slot for discrete GPUs. ASRock has followed some of the latest design approaches to make the GPU and M.2 device installation and removal easy through its EZ Release mechanisms, making for an effortless experience.

On the USB side, the motherboard has a total of 20 USB connections, including 2 Thunderbolt Type-C ports. All ports support ESD protection, and the rear IO ports are also packed with BIOS flashback, USB, and various other options. There is also a single 10GbE LAN port. Audio through ALC4082 and wireless connectivity through the WIFI7 chip are also upgrades over the previous model.

CPU:

• - 2 x Thunderbolt 4 Type-C (Rear)

Chipset:

• 2 x USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C (Front)
• 4 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C (Rear)
• 4 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A (Front)
• 4 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C (Rear)
• 4 x USB 2.0 (Front)

I was already thoroughly impressed with ASRock's Z890 motherboard lineup, especially the Taichi, and the Taichi Aqua further elevates my thoughts about this series. The Aqua brings out solid OC performance, great cooling, and an incredible 10 USB Type-C ports on the back. It is also selling at a lower price point, close to $700 US, which is decent enough for the capabilities this flagship board has on offer. Overall, the Z890 Taichi Aqua lays a solid foundation for ASRock's future Aqua offerings & delivers great performance on the Core Ultra Series 2 platform despite the CPU's shortcomings.

 

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