Gigabyte Z890 AORUS Master Motherboard Review – Strong Memory Support, Great Design

CPU Performance Tests

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 be taking a 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 Gigabyte's latest Z890 AORUS Master motherboard which is priced at $599 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 105C.

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 Gigabyte Z890 AORUS Master motherboard comes in a standard cardboard package. The front features a large AORUS "Eagle" logo. The packaging also lists down a few features such as LGA 1851 socket, PCIe 5, DDR5 support along with the Z890/Core Ultra Series 2 labels.

The backside of the package lists the specifications and special features of the motherboard such as the 18+1+2 phase Digital VRM & VRM Thermal Armor, a DIY Friendly design, Ultra Durable PCIe UD Slot X and WIFI 7 with WIFI EZ Plug support.

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
• 1 x WiFi Antenna
• 1 x ARGB Splitter Cable
• 2 x Thermistor Cables
• 1 x Case Stickers
• 1 x AORUS Badge
• 1 x Guide Book
• 1 x Support Book
• 1 x G-Connector
• 1 x Memory Fan

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

The Gigabyte Z890 AORUS Master motherboard is an ATX offering that measures 244 x 305 mm. The motherboard carries black and silver color schemes and with all Master series, we get to see a nice futuristic design. The Master is one of the most premium offerings in Gigabyte's AORUS lineup so expect it to offer high-end capabilities in terms of performance and features.

Gigabyte's Master motherboards are solid in terms of layout and design. They offer a lot of variety and capabilities to users who want to take their PC experiences to the next level. The designs have been made even better over the years with the addition of EZ DIY features and the Z890 doesn't compromise on these features at all.

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 9500 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 9500 MT/s apply to 1DCP (1 Rank) configurations.

The Gigabyte Z890 AORUS Master motherboard features a 24+2+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 along with a set of ISL99380 (80A) and NCP81526C power stages. These are arranged in a 9+9 phase configuration. All capacitors are labeled at 20K "FP 27CG 561".

The VRMs and power delivery solution are scattered around the LGA 1851 socket. The board uses an 8-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 VRM Thermal Armor Advanced solution. These include the primary VRM heatsinks and small cooling vents on the IO bracket which the company claims to offer up to 7C lower temperatures.

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 Premium VRM Thermal Armor VRM heatsink which makes use of two aluminum blocks with a series of fins that are stacked together. The heatsink features a heat pipe solution that connects the heatsinks, offering a larger surface for thermal dissipation.

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

Expansion slots include three full-length PCI Express x16 (1 x Gen 5.0 x16 / 1 x Gen 4.0 x4 / 1 x Gen4.0 x1) and five M.2 slots.

CPU:

• - 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, supporting PCIe 5.0 and running at x16 (PCIEX16)
• * The PCIEX16 slot shares bandwidth with the M2D_CPU connector. The PCIEX16 slot operates at up to x8 mode when a device is installed in the M2D_CPU connector.

Chipset:

• - 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, supporting PCIe 4.0 and running at x4 (PCIEX4)
• - 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, supporting PCIe 4.0 and running at x1 (PCIEX1)

The motherboard utilizes a full metallic slot and comes with an ultra-durable PCIe armor on the back side to enhance the durability of the PCIe slot. These slots offer up to 58 KG of load-bearing capacity. The M.2 slot features an EZ-Latch design that makes it easy to remove graphics cards.

The motherboard also has a vast array of M.2 slots, all of which are featured under dedicated M.2 Thermal Guard XL & Ext heatsinks.

One of the larger heatsinks also works as a cover plate for the motherboard's lower portion. It has a matte black 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. The slot comes with an EZ Release heatsink, making for a toolless design.

The primary M.2 Thermal Guard XL heatsink is the bigger one and provides better cooling to a Gen5 M.2 SSD. This has the same tooless EZ mechanism.

Following is the full list of M.2 ports and their details on the Gigabyte Z890 AORUS Master motherboard:

CPU:

• - 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 25110/22110/2580/2280 PCIe 5.0 x4/x2 SSD support) (M2A_CPU)
• - 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 22110/2280 PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSD support) (M2B_CPU)
• - 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 22110/2280 PCIe 5.0 x4/x2 SSD support) (M2D_CPU)

Chipset:

• - 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSD support) (M2P_SB)
• - 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 2280 SATA and PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSD support) (M2M_SB)
• 4 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors

The Z890 PCH is housed beneath a large heatsink with the AORUS Eagle logo. The PCH cover has a unique reflective coating which provides an nice visual detail on this premium motherboard.

The motherboard offers two RGB accent zones. First is the I/O cover which has the large AORUS logo, and the second LED array is featured underneath the PCH cover. These can be turned off or can be customized using Gigabyte's RGB Fusion 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.

AORUS uses a 5.1 CH HD audio design with the latest Realtek ALC1220 CODEC and ESS 9118 DAC for rear panel audio with 5.1 channel support. 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 listed as follows.

• 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
• 2 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connectors
• 1 x CPU fan header
• 1 x CPU fan/water cooling pump header
• 4 x system fan headers
• 4 x system fan/water cooling pump headers
• 4 x addressable RGB Gen2 LED strip headers
• 1 x RGB LED strip header
• 5 x M.2 Socket 3 connectors
• 4 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
• 1 x front panel header
• 1 x front panel audio header
• 1 x USB Type-C header, with USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 support
• 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 headers
• 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers
• 1 x noise detection header
• 1 x Trusted Platform Module header (For the GC-TPM2.0 SPI/GC-TPM2.0 SPI 2.0/GC-TPM2.0 SPI V2 module only)
• 1 x HDMI port (Note)
• 1 x power button
• 1 x reset button
• 1 x reset jumper
• 1 x Clear CMOS jumper
• 2 x temperature sensor headers
• Voltage Measurement Points

AORUS 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 is a single 10 GbE LAN port powered by the Marvell AQtion AQC113C chip.

The motherboard comes with the following I/O connectors:

• 1 x Q-Flash Plus button
• 1 x Clear CMOS button
• 2 x Intel Thunderbolt 4 connectors (USB Type-C ports)
• 6 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports (red)
• 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports
• 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
• 1 x RJ-45 port
• 2 x antenna connectors (2T2R)
• 2 x audio jacks
• 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector

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 format.

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 Battlefields 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 setting 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 which 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.

Last year, Gigabyte introduced its refreshed Z790 AOURS Master X which proved to be a nice upgrade over the previous Z790 Master variant. This year, Gigabyte is offering a completely upgraded model in the form of the Z890 AORUS Master, featuring support for Intel's Core Ultra 200S CPUs and adopting the Z890 chipset.

Gigabyte isn't compromising a bit on the next-gen Master, instead, it's aiming to offer upgrades in every department. For performance, you can expect solid support for Core Ultra 200S out of the box with zero hiccups using the latest BIOS. Whether you are running stock or overclocked, the 21-phase power delivery is rock solid and delivers a punch when you need to push it that extra mile. There's a reason we resorted to using the "Extreme" mode since that can show us the drawbacks of each motherboard when the CPUs are pushed past their "Performance" or baseline profiles. The Z890 Master had no issues in either mode.

For memory support, AORUS goes for a four DIMM DDR5 solution with up to 256 GB capacity support and up to 9500 MT/s speeds. The motherboard also has a new AI Snatch mode which comes pre-loaded with a huge dataset of profiles, perfect for CPU and memory overclocking. Gigabyte has worked with Kingston to enable support for AI Snatch on the latest Renegade DDR5 CUDIMM modules which come with a 8800 MT/s speed out of the box (XMP) but can be tuned up to 8933 MT/s through a single click. We also had no trouble in pushing our memory kit to 9200 MT/s speeds on the AORUS Master. Another interesting aspect of the Master is the included DDR Wind Blade fan which acts as a secondary active-cooling solution dedicated to the memory modules.

In terms of design choices, the Z890 AORUS Master has the same futuristic vibe that AORUS is known for with a very subtle RGB approach this time. The shiny mirror finish, & brushed grey plates with the nano-carbon heatsinks look great and the E-ATX form factor makes a lot of sense for a board of this tier. Little things such as the M.2 and PCIe EZ mechanisms make building PCs more fun and less annoying since you can access the M.2 and GPU slots with ease.

The things we loved about the Gigabyte Z890 AORUS Master:

• Familiar & Attractive "Futuristic" Design
• Strong VRM Solution
• Great For CPU Overclocking
• Great Memory Support (DDR5-9500 MT/s)
• Great VRM Heatsink
• Lots of USB ports (Including Dual USB4)
• Five M.2 slots with heatsinks
• Latest WIFI7 & BT5.4 Support
• Bundled Fan for Memory modules
• EZ Toolless Design For GPU, M.2 Slots, WIFI Antenna
• Feature-Rich BIOS Firmware
• ATX Form Factor

Things that we would have liked to see:

• Dual LAN ports
• Lower Price
• More Audio Jacks

Regarding storage options, you are getting five M.2 slots, two of which are Gen5 while the rest are Gen4 but retain full bandwidth. The PCIe slots are also full x16 designs with Gen5 x16 on a single & Gen4 x4 & x1 on the rest. Gigabyte's M.2 heatsinks have always been the best on the market as the company was the first to adopt proper aluminum finned designs and this time they have been upgraded to the new "XL" variants for the Master, offering better thermals and EZ Latch-Plus tool-less designs.

On the USB side, the motherboard has a total of 23 USB connections including 2 USB4 Type-C. All the latest IO features included WIFI7 with an EZ Plug mechanism which makes the hassle of removing or installing WIFI antenna connections super easy. There's also a single 10GbE LAN port and the onboard EZ DEBUG panel makes for easy debugging. Gigabyte's latest BIOS for its AORUS Z890 motherboards is also full of tuning features with features such as AI Perddrive that allow the users the best profile based on temperatures alongside the standard "Baseline", "Performance" & "Extreme" profiles.

Gigabyte's Z890 AORUS Master is priced at $599 US. That's a very high price considering the Z790 AORUS Master X was priced at $549.99 US which in itself was a bump over the original Z790 Master which cost $499 US. However, Gigabyte has added a lot of features to this motherboard, it's their top motherboard, just below the Tachyon which is an overclockers-exclusive, and the Xtreme which is designed for crazy enthusiasts who want nothing short of the best. The Master is also one of the best designs that AORUS has on offer and it shows in terms of its performance, fantastic memory support capabilities, a huge array of USB and M.2 connections, a wide range of IO, and the use of several EZ design methodologies.

 

Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.