Product on Review: Z890 AORUS MASTER
Manufacturer: GIGABYTE
Street Price: USD 600 | GBP 539 | AUD 969
Calm has returned to the desktop CPU and motherboard market following monumental platform releases from both Intel and AMD. AMD’s initial ‘Zen 5’ Ryzen 9000-series salvo received reply in the form of Intel’s ‘Arrow Lake’ Core Ultra 200 series, all before a tactical X3D-shaped nuke was dropped as the red team’s final 2024 release. Now we can take a breath and look more closely at the processor’s most important partners and a platform landscape that is exceptionally diverse and more than a little daunting.
Motherboards based on Intel’s premium Z890 chipset currently form the backbone of support for their Core Ultra 200-series processors, starting just below the US$200 breakpoint and reaching well over $900 for the most well-equipped models. Unlike the competing X870/E platform, each manufacturer has stacked the segment with models in seemingly every price tier. Consumers will have plenty of choice between models and brands, so long as they choose Z890.
Intel Z890 leverages the LGA1851 socket and is only compatible with ‘Arrow Lake-S’ Core Ultra 200-series CPUs. Key features - along flagship overclocking support exclusive to their Z-series chipsets - include PCIe 5.0 signalling for both GPU (16 lanes) and M.2 storage (4 lanes) alongside a plethora of PCIe 4.0 lanes for peripherals, ancillary components and storage; DDR5 memory including high-performance CUDIMM support; comprehensive USB 3.2 Gen2x2 provision; and WiFi 6E. Manufacturer implementations may augment these features somewhat but that’s still a very solid list of capabilities.
That’s key because, unlike AMD’s X870/X870E approach, Intel doesn’t bifurcate their flagship chipset according to I/O provision despite actually coming in slightly cheaper at the entry level. Unfortunately for Intel, AMD still has aging X670 and B650 designs in retail channels to lean on.
With the preamble covered, let’s set our eyes on today's model up for review: GIGABYTE’s Z890 AORUS MASTER. You’d be forgiven for thinking that (like the X870E counterpart) this is their flagship in the segment given its price and moniker. That honour however goes to the Z890 AORUS MASTER AI TOP, a design with more robust power delivery and dual X16 slots to enable dual-GPU solutions (x8/x8 signalling) as chief differentiating factors.
The AORUS MASTER is nonetheless an exceptionally well appointed design. It boasts a robust 18+1+2 DigiPhase power delivery system to feed the thirsty Core Ultra 200 CPUs which, although not quite as heavy-duty as the AI TOP model, should be well sufficient to heavily overclocked 285K processors. High-end dual wireless and wired networking in the form of both WiFi 7 and 10Gb Ethernet are peripheral inclusions that are rare even among premium designs, setting it well above most of the competition. Bluetooth 5.4 is also available through the integrated WiFi module.
Pulling double-duty will be dual Thunderbolt 4 ports which offers both USB 4 and DisplayPort as aux. modes. Six USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports - a mix of 20, 10 and 5 Gbps - are available alongside the higher bandwidth ports on the rear I/O panel alone.
Rounding off the Z890 AORUS MASTER’s headlines are proprietary accessibility tweaks such as EZ Latch that make installing and updating components significantly easier, both on initial setup and once a build is complete and in situ. Clearly GIGABYTE are pitching this design at masters but even the less confident should find it welcoming and low-stress to build in.
At $599.99 the Z890 AORUS MASTER is firmly in flagship territory when it comes to pricing without quite straying into the most extravagant ‘halo product’ bracket. Cheaper X870E and Z890 models shouldn’t be quite so well-appointed but might lean towards niche aspects of desktop computing, particularly hardcore overclocking. The AORUS MASTER will need to be an exceptional ‘Jack of All Trades,’ hopefully mastering more than just the one.
