First, some context. Intel’s Z890 is the company’s top chipset for the new LGA 1851 socket, upgrading connectivity with dual Thunderbolt 4 and Wi-Fi 6E. But motherboard.
Board blitz: Builders planning a high-end gaming rig or workstation around Intel’s new Arrow Lake processors rejoice – the major motherboard makers have a fresh batch of Z890 boards packed with the latest features. There are new lineups from Asus, Gigabyte, Asrock, and MSI – and today we are looking at what they bring to the table.
First, some context. Intel’s Z890 is the company’s top chipset for the new LGA 1851 socket, upgrading connectivity with dual Thunderbolt 4 and Wi-Fi 6E. But motherboard vendors are going above and beyond, with many higher-end models adding support for Thunderbolt 5, Wi-Fi 7, 2.5GbE, and 9000MHz+ DDR5 speeds. Prices generally range from $199 to $999 in the US, though there are a few exceptions.
On the Asus front, there are 13 new boards spanning ATX, micro-ATX, and mini-ITX sizes. The ROG Maximus Extreme, Apex, and Hero models return as their flagship overclocker’s choices, while the Prime series covers more affordable options.
