ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z890 HERO Motherboard Review

The ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero is here, ready to take on the enthusiast PC gaming market! It comes armed with Intel's latest Z890 chipset and is ready to unleash the full potential of 15th-gen Intel Core processors, although technically it's the "first gen" of the "Core Ultra" series and a new naming/number structure. This ATX motherboard is a technological tour de force, boasting cutting-edge features designed to satisfy the most demanding gamers and enthusiasts. At its core lies the Z890 chipset, which facilitates enhanced PCIe capabilities, increased bandwidth for storage devices, and improved power delivery. With wide support for the latest PCIe 5.0 devices, enabling lightning-fast data transfer speeds for next-generation graphics cards and SSDs. It likely comes are no surprise that this also means it's the most expensive Z890 motherboard we're reviewing today, by quite a large margin. Extreme Connectivity Furthermore, the Maximus Z890 Hero embraces the future of memory with its quad-DIMM slots supporting up to 192GB (4x48GB) of RAM, pushing frequencies to a staggering 8800+ MT/s through ASUS's OptiMem III technology. The ROG Maximus Z890 Hero features six onboard M.2 slots, three of which are PCIe 5.0-ready to offer blistering 16 GB/s speeds, while the others offer PCIe 4.0 interfaces. It also features a SlimSAS connector, which supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode or up to 4 SATA devices via a transfer cable. ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z890 HERO To ensure those powerful CPUs receive clean and stable power, ASUS has equipped the Z890 Hero with an extremely robust 22(110A)+1(90A)+2(90A)+2(80A) power stages with ProCool II power connectors. This high-end power delivery system is nothing but premium components, including alloy chokes and durable capacitors, to handle the demands of high-performance processors, even under heavy overclocking, for extended periods. Large heatsinks connected via a heat pipe effectively dissipate heat generated by the VRM, maintaining optimal operating temperatures for enhanced stability and longevity; it's overengineered to high hell, which is what you expect at this price range. ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Extreme Motherboard Key Features AI-Powered Performance Ready for Advanced AI PCs: Designed for the future of AI computing, delivering the power and connectivity needed for demanding AI applications. Intel® LGA 1851 Socket: Supports Intel® Core™ Ultra Processors (Series 2). Exclusive AI Technologies: ASUS AI Advisor, AI Overclocking, AI Cooling II, and AI Networking II to optimize setup and enhance performance. Advanced Overclocking & Memory Technologies: NPU Boost NitroPath DRAM Technology DIMM Fit DIMM Flex AEMP III Unmatched Power & Cooling Robust Power Solution: 22(110A)+1(90A)+2(90A)+2(80A) power stages with ProCool II power connectors, MicroFine alloy chokes, and premium metallic capacitors. Optimized Thermal Design: Massive heatsinks integrated with the I/O cover, connected to the power stages with high-conductivity thermal pads, and joined by a U-shaped heatpipe. Extensive Connectivity Latest M.2 Support: Three PCIe® 5.0 M.2 slots Three PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots ROG M.2 PowerBoost Substantial cooling solutions for all M.2 slots Abundant Connectivity: Dual Thunderbolt™ 4 USB Type-C® ports USB 20Gbps Type-C front-panel connector with Quick Charge 4+ (up to 60W) and USB Wattage Watcher USB 10Gbps Type-C front-panel connector Five additional USB 10Gbps ports PCIe 5.0 x16 SafeSlot with full support for next-gen graphics cards HDMI™ 2.1 High-Performance Networking: On-board Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) with ASUS WiFi Q-Antenna Intel 2.5Gb Ethernet Realtek 5Gb Ethernet DIY-Friendly Features Effortless Upgrades: PCIe Slot Q-Release Slim, new M.2 Q-Latch, M.2 Q-Release, M.2 Q-Slide. Simplified Troubleshooting: Q-Antenna, BIOS Q-Dashboard, Q-Code, Q-LED. Convenient Controls: FlexKey button, Start button, BIOS FlashBack™ button, Clear CMOS button, and pre-mounted I/O shield. Immersive Audio & Personalization Immersive Audio: ROG SupremeFX ALC4082 codec with ESS® ES9219 Quad DAC for up to 32-Bit/384 kHz playback. Unmatched Personalization: I/O cover with Polymo Lighting II Three Gen 2 ARGB headers ASUS-exclusive Aura Sync RGB lighting Renowned Software Comprehensive Suite: ASUS DriverHub Dolby Atmos® 1-year Internet Security subscription TurboV Core GlideX HWiNFO 1-year AIDA64 Extreme subscription For more information, please visit the official product page here. What ASUS Had to Say "The ROG Maximus Z890 Hero unleashes the performance of Intel® Core™ Ultra processors (Series 2) via exclusive AI PC technologies, robust power delivery, optimized thermal management, extensive PCIe® 5.0 support, DDR5 slots and WiFi 7. Meanwhile, angular design elements and Polymo II Lighting accents around the ROG logo deliver a signature aesthetic that elevates system design." Packaging The box is pretty simple up front, and I would have liked a photo of the motherboard here, but we do get labels showing us that it features things like Gen5 PCIe and M.2, WiFi7, Dolby Atmos and much more. However, it's cool to see that ASUS has maintained its design philosophy for well over a decade, the boxes haven't changed too much since I started in this industry. Around the back, again, I would have liked a larger photo of the motherboard, given this is an expensive model, it helps to see what you're getting. However, we do get a rundown of many of the features, with the M.2 mounts, DDR5 memory support, the full Rear I/O and other storage options all detailed here. A Closer Look The MAXIMUS HERO series has a reputation for being one of the absolute best in terms of aesthetics, features and performance, and it's safe to say that the MAXIMUS Z890 HERO really does look the part. It's not a big departure from previous designs, but that's hardly surprising. This is the MAXIMUS you know and love with some tasty upgrades under the hood, and with even better armour and cooling than ever before. The heatsinks here are nothing short of significant, with a large amount of metal providing massive amounts of thermal capacity, with thick fins and grooves cut into it to provide plenty of additional airflow. It's also one of the few VRM heatsinks that cover the top and left side of the CPU socket, but also the bottom, and there are hefty heatpipes ensuring everything is connected for improved heat distribution. That isn't just for aesthetics either, as there is an incredibly powerful VRM configuration lurking within. The HERO features 22(110A)+1(90A)+2(90A)+2(80A) Power Stages, making it one of the most extreme solutions we've ever seen. The HERO is clearly more heatsink than it is a motherboard, but that's no bad thing, as there's a lot of hardware supported to keep protected and cooled here. With huge heatsinks for the M.2 mounts, as well as a significant heatsink over the main chipset, I have no doubts it'll be able to maintain its performance under extreme workloads. There's a PCIe 5.0 slot with its own thicker heatsink above the main PCIe 5.0 slot. Below that, there's a PCIe 4.0 slot, and below that two more PCI 5.0 slots, and to the bottom right, two more PCIE 4.0 slots, making this the first motherboard I've seen with six M.2 mounts, which is truly an incredible amount, allowing for 3 x Gen5 and 3 x Gen4 drives, you'll get some extremely fast storage configurations in here. Around the back of the motherboard, there's a huge backplate, which adds additional protection and cooling to the rear of the PCB, but also just helps provide a more robust mounting point for the heavy heatsinks on the other side. Unsurprisingly, there's a lot of weight here too, this is a very heavy motherboard. At the rear of the motherboard, you get a pair of the latest USB4/THUNDERBOLT4 ports for ultra-fast storage and display connectivity, as well as an additional 10Gbps Type-C below that. There's a triple threat of networking with the latest WiFi7, 2.5 Gb and 5 Gb LAN, so you've certainly got some impressive networking options here, although I am surprised at this price it didn't come with 10GbE, but I'm sure most of you can make do with the three options on offer either way. 3DMark Timespy 3DMark Time Spy is a popular benchmark focused on evaluating DirectX 12 performance. It simulates a demanding gaming scenario, stressing both your CPU and GPU with complex graphics and physics calculations. The benchmark renders a detailed scene featuring advanced lighting, shadows, and particle effects, providing a realistic representation of modern game visuals. 3DMark is available on Steam here. 3DMark CPU Benchmark 3DMark CPU Benchmark is a tool designed to measure CPU performance across various scenarios. Instead of providing a single score, it runs multiple tests using different numbers of threads (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and maximum available) to see how well your CPU scales with increasing workload. This helps to gauge performance not only for modern games utilizing many cores, but also older titles and tasks like 3D rendering. The results give a comprehensive overview of your CPU's capabilities under different loads, aiding in comparisons, overclocking decisions, and understanding potential bottlenecks. Available now on Steam. PCMark 10 Express PCMark 10 Express is a shorter benchmark that focuses on basic home PC use. It includes the Essentials and Productivity test groups. It is less demanding than the main PCMark 10 benchmark. The Essentials test group covers the common tasks that people do every day with their PCs, such as web browsing, video conferencing, and app start-up time. The Productivity test group measures system performance with everyday office applications, such as writing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Available now on Steam. Cinebench 2024 Cinebench 2024 is a cross-platform benchmarking tool used to evaluate both CPU and GPU performance. Unlike previous versions which focused solely on CPU, it now leverages Maxon's Redshift rendering engine to assess a system's capability for handling demanding 3D tasks. It provides scores for both single-core and multi-core CPU performance, as well as a separate GPU score, making it a comprehensive solution for understanding your system's overall rendering capabilities. Available now on Maxon. Blender 4.2.0 Blender 4.2.0 is a powerful, open-source 3D creation suite, not a benchmarking tool itself. It excels in tasks like 3D modeling, sculpting, animation, texturing, shading, lighting, simulation, rendering, video editing, and compositing. While it doesn't provide a benchmark score, you can use Blender to indirectly benchmark your system by measuring render times for complex scenes. This can give you a sense of how well your hardware handles demanding 3D workloads. Available now from blender.org Super PI 2.1 Super PI is a single-threaded benchmark that calculates pi to a specific number of digits. It uses the Gauss-Legendre algorithm and is a Windows port of a program used by Yasumasa Kanada in 1995 to compute pi to 232 digits. Available now on Super PI. Wprime 2.11 wPrime 2.11 is a multi-threaded benchmark tool designed to stress-test your CPU by performing complex calculations. It specifically focuses on evaluating your CPU's ability to handle heavy multi-core workloads, making it useful for overclockers, system builders, and anyone looking to gauge their CPU's performance under demanding conditions. The benchmark calculates square roots using the Newton method, providing results for both 32 million and 1024 million iterations, testing different levels of computational intensity. It offers both single-threaded and multi-threaded modes, allowing you to see how well your CPU scales with additional cores. Available now from WPrime. Y-Cruncher Y-Cruncher is a specialized benchmarking tool designed to measure the computational power of your system by calculating the mathematical constant Pi (π) to trillions of digits. It's a multi-threaded application, leveraging the full capabilities of modern multi-core processors and large amounts of RAM. Y-Cruncher is often used by enthusiasts and overclockers to stress-test their systems, assess stability, and compare performance with other configurations. While it doesn't directly measure gaming or 3D rendering performance, its focus on heavy computational tasks makes it a good indicator of a system's raw number-crunching abilities, particularly for memory-intensive operations. Available now from numberworld.org. AIDA64 AIDA64 memory benchmark is a feature of AIDA64, a system information and diagnostics software. It measures the bandwidth and latency of the CPU caches and the system memory by performing various read, write, copy, and latency tests. It uses different instruction set extensions and optimizations depending on the processor and memory type. It also supports multi-threading, multi-processor, and multi-core systems. You can use it to compare your system performance with others, test its stability and reliability, and optimize it for better performance. Available now on AIDA64. Cyberpunk 2077 Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world, action-adventure RPG set in the megalopolis of Night City, where you play as a cyberpunk mercenary wrapped up in a do-or-die fight for survival. Improved and featuring all-new free additional content, customize your character and playstyle as you take on jobs, build a reputation, and unlock upgrades. The relationships you forge and the choices you make will shape the story and the world around you. Legends are made here. What will yours be? Available now on Steam. F1 23 Be the last to brake in EA SPORTS™ F1® 23, the official video game of the 2023 FIA Formula One World Championship™. A new chapter in the thrilling “Braking Point” story mode delivers high-speed drama and heated rivalries. Available now on Steam. Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered Developed by Insomniac Games in collaboration with Marvel, and optimized for PC by Nixxes Software, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered on PC introduces an experienced Peter Parker who’s fighting big crime and iconic villains in Marvel’s New York. At the same time, he’s struggling to balance his chaotic personal life and career while the fate of Marvel’s New York rests upon his shoulders. Available now on Steam. The Riftbreaker The Riftbreaker is a base-building, survival game with Action-RPG elements. You are an elite scientist/commando inside an advanced Mecha-Suit capable of dimensional rift travel. Hack & slash countless enemies. Build up your base, collect samples and research new inventions to survive. Available now on Steam. Shadow of the Tomb Raider Experience Lara Croft’s defining moment as she becomes the Tomb Raider. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Lara must master a deadly jungle, overcome terrifying tombs, and persevere through her darkest hour. As she races to save the world from a Maya apocalypse, Lara will ultimately be forged into the Tomb Raider she is destined to be. Available now on Steam. In the fast-paced world of today, every second counts. That's why we put each motherboard through its paces, measuring the time it takes to boot into Windows. A speedy boot time means less waiting and more doing. We've meticulously timed each motherboard's startup process, from pressing the power button to reaching the Windows desktop. Boot Time Power Consumption Power consumption on motherboards is important because it affects the stability and performance of the system, especially when overclocking or using high-end components. The power consumption of a motherboard depends on its features, the type of voltage regulator, integrated chipsets and modules, and BIOS power-saving features. VRM Performance When it comes to testing VRM performance, there are multiple ways to do it including using the likes of HWiNFO to measure what the sensor tells you, or to use K-Type probes, or to get a better, well-rounded picture, you can use both, which is exactly what we’ve done here today. All of these motherboards were tested in the same room with the same probe configuration with the ambient temperature controlled at 23c for consistency in the results. First, the VRM temperature was taken at idle, with one probe on the upper VRMs and one probe to the side of the CPU A third reading was taken using the built-in sensor on the motherboard via HwiNFO. We then leave the system sitting on the desktop for 10 minutes to settle before taking our idle readings on both HWiNFO and the probes. After this, we wanted to simulate a worst-case scenario using Prime95 with small FFTs to generate the most heat, as well as Cinebench 2024 to simulate more common, real-world usage. We run each test for an hour, along with letting the temperatures to settle down between each test. You will find that the software reading from the sensor will vary quite wildly in areas, and this is down to the sensor location for one, and if the sensor is reporting the internal temperature instead, which based on our testing and the sensor data generally reading higher, that is the case. Given that VRMs (Voltage Regulator Modules) behave similarly to CPUs and GPUs regarding heat generation and dissipation, it’s crucial to manage their temperatures effectively. Operating temperatures above 100°C can lead to long-term damage or failure. Typically, a safe operating range for VRMs is between 70°C and 90°C, but this could result in CPU performance throttling to reduce the temperatures to safer levels. however, it’s best to keep them below 70°C for optimal performance and longevity. All the boards tested here fall within these safe ranges. How Much Does It Cost? The ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z890 HERO DDR5 PCIE 5.0 ATX Motherboard is a very high-end motherboard, and as you might expect, that is very much reflected in the price. It's coming in at £719.99, making it pretty much out of the reach of your average PC gamer. However, when it comes to getting extreme connectivity and features, you certainly get what you pay for. Pretty much every aspect of this motherboard is upgraded with more robust hardware and components, and with six M.2 mounts, three networking options, and a comprehensive VRM configuration, it's sure to appeal to enthusiast gamers and content creators with deeper pockets. I am a little surprised it didn't have 10 GbE at this price range though, so that's something to keep in mind if you require it. Conclusion The ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z890 HERO is a high-end motherboard designed for gamers and enthusiasts who demand top-tier performance and cutting-edge features. Built for the last Intel Core Ultra CPUs, it doesn't support previous generations of Intel processors. As we said, it supports the latest and greatest memory kits but also comes with a higher recommended RAM speed to hit that performance sweet spot than any other motherboard/CPU combo on the market, which can mean an increase in your build cost, but that is often true of the latest flagship hardware anyway. Lots of Storage One of the biggest features of this motherboard is the M.2 storage, with it supporting an incredible six M.2 drives, with a mixture of three Gen5 and three Gen4, unlocking the potential for some truly staggering read/write performance that's sure to appeal to content creators, or gamers who don't ever want to see a loading screen for more than a couple of seconds. It also features ROG M.2 PowerBoost, which in ASUS's own words "is an exclusive ASUS motherboard feature that provides amperage exceeding industry standards, supporting all six onboard M.2 slots to operate simultaneously at optimal performance. This advanced power setup helps ensure stability and data integrity even under high loads, while also helping to ensure the rated lifespan of an M.2 SSD." In my words, it's a PCIe connector to the motherboard to keep up with the higher power demands of running more drives. VRM The VRM configuration is overkill for almost all users, but with a 22+1+2+2 Power Stages design rated at 110A, it's safe to say it's unlikely to ever falter when it comes to delivering CPU power cleanly, stably, and with those big heatsinks, remain cool regardless of how hard you push your system. Furthermore, if you are interested in performance benchmarks and overclocking, it's sure to tick all the right boxes for you score seekers too. Networking With a triple thread of WiFi 7, 2.5 Gb, and 5Gb LAN, you can take advantage of high-speed internet connections, network storage, and other LAN configurations. I would have liked 10 GbE, but while it's something I would use, I understand it would likely increase the price even more, and it's not exactly a common requirement for many home users. Should I Buy One? Honestly, most likely you do not need this motherboard, it's complete overkill. You can get great gaming and day-to-day performance from the £300 or even cheaper motherboards. However, if you want something more robust, it's hard to argue with what ASUS has to offer here. I'd only say you should pay for six M.2 drive bays on a motherboard if you intend to use them, as well as the more expansive PCIe configuration and Thunderbolt4, those features do not come cheap, but if you're building a monster of a gaming PC that's also built for high-end content creation and rendering, then it's well worth the investment.