GIGABYTE Z890 AI Top Wifi7 DDR5 Intel Motherboard

The GIGABYTE Z890 AI Top WiFi 7 is a flagship E-ATX motherboard built around the Intel Z890 Express Chipset and the LGA1851 socket, designed to support Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors. Engineered for content creators, AI workstation builders, and performance enthusiasts who demand both compute headroom and cutting-edge connectivity, this board delivers a dense feature set backed by extensive thermal engineering. Power delivery is handled by a Twin Digital 16+1+2 phase VRM solution, reinforced by VRM Thermal Armor Advanced to keep temperatures in check under sustained loads. Memory support spans four DDR5 DIMM slots with a combined maximum capacity of 256 GB (64 GB per DIMM), operating in dual-channel configuration with XMP support and DDR5 speeds up to 9500 MT/s in overclocked mode. ECC and non-ECC unbuffered memory are both supported, broadening the platform’s suitability for workstation use cases. Storage options are equally expansive. Two CPU-attached M.2 slots support PCIe 5.0 x4 and PCIe 4.0 x4 respectively, while two additional chipset-connected M.2 slots run at PCIe 4.0 x4. All four M.2 slots are covered by M.2 Thermal Guard XL heatsinks. Eight SATA 6 Gb/s ports round out the storage array, with RAID support for both NVMe and SATA devices. Connectivity is a standout strength. Dual Marvell AQtion AQC113C controllers provide dual 10GbE LAN supporting speeds from 100 Mbps up to 10 Gbps, while an Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 module adds tri-band 802.11be support across 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz bands with 320 MHz channel width (requires Windows 11 SV3) and Bluetooth 5.4. Two Thunderbolt 5 Type-C ports on the rear panel each support up to 7680×4320 at 60 Hz output alongside DisplayPort Alt Mode. The rear I/O also includes one HDMI port (up to 4096×2160 at 60 Hz), six USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and dual RJ-45 connectors. Audio is served by an ESS ES9260 DAC/CODEC at the rear and a Realtek ALC897 codec at the front header. GIGABYTE’s AORUS AI Snatch software provides AI-driven auto-overclocking, while AI Perfdrive supplies customised BIOS profiles. EZ-Latch Plus allows tool-free PCIe and M.2 slot access, and Q-Flash Plus enables BIOS updates without a CPU or memory installed. Verified Specifications: – Socket: LGA1851 | Chipset: Intel Z890 Express – Form Factor: E-ATX, 305 mm × 285 mm – Memory: 4 × DDR5 DIMM, max 256 GB, up to 9500 MT/s (O.C.), XMP, ECC support – PCIe: 1 × PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU), 1 × PCIe 5.0 x8 (CPU, shared), 1 × PCIe 4.0 x4 (chipset) – M.2: 2 × CPU (PCIe 5.0 x4 + PCIe 4.0 x4), 2 × Chipset (PCIe 4.0 x4) – SATA: 8 × SATA 6 Gb/s – LAN: Dual Marvell AQtion AQC113C 10GbE – Wireless: Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200, Bluetooth 5.4, tri-band – Thunderbolt: 2 × Thunderbolt 5 (USB4 Type-C) rear, 1 × Thunderbolt 4 internal header – Audio: ESS ES9260 (rear), Realtek ALC897 (front) – BIOS: AMI UEFI, 256 Mbit flash, Q-Flash Plus supported – OS: Windows 11 64-bit