GIGABYTE Z890 Aorus Xtreme AI Top DDR5 Intel Motherboard

The GIGABYTE Z890 Aorus Xtreme AI Top is a flagship E-ATX motherboard engineered around the Intel Z890 Express Chipset and LGA1851 socket, purpose-built for Intel Core Ultra Series 2 processors. Designed for enthusiast builders and power users who demand headroom for the most demanding workloads, the board combines advanced AI-assisted tuning, next-generation connectivity, and premium thermal management into a single platform. At the heart of the power delivery is a digital 20+1+2 phase VRM solution, giving Core Ultra processors the clean, stable power required for sustained high-frequency operation. Memory support spans the full DDR5 spectrum: four DDR5 DIMM slots accept up to 256 GB of system memory (64 GB per slot) with speeds from 5600 MT/s all the way to 9500 MT/s in overclocked configurations, and the board supports XMP profiles and CUDIMM modules for effortless performance tuning. Expansion is extensive. Two CPU-connected PCIe 5.0 x16 slots enable high-bandwidth multi-GPU or NVMe add-in configurations, while four M.2 slots — including one PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 and two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 connectors — deliver fast storage throughput. Four SATA 6 Gb/s ports round out storage, all with RAID 0/1/5/10 support for both NVMe and SATA devices. Connectivity sets the Z890 Aorus Xtreme AI Top apart from more conventional offerings. The back panel houses two Intel Thunderbolt 5 ports (USB Type-C, up to 80 Gbps with Thunderbolt devices), ten USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, and dual Marvell AQtion AQC113C 10GbE LAN ports supporting 10/5/2.5/1 Gbps and 100 Mbps speeds. Wireless is handled by an Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200NGW module covering 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands (802.11be, 320 MHz channel width) alongside Bluetooth 5.4. Audio is delivered through an ESS ES9280AC DAC chip paired with dual ESS ES9080 chips, with DTS Sound Unbound and S/PDIF optical output. The BIOS runs on a licensed AMI UEFI implementation with Q-Flash Plus for no-CPU BIOS flashing and an OC Ignition button for quick overclocking access. GIGABYTE’s AORUS AI SNATCH software provides AI-model-driven auto-overclocking, while AI Perfdrive delivers customised BIOS preset profiles tailored to installed hardware. Thermal management features include VRM Thermal Armor Advanced, M.2 Thermal Guard XL heatsinks, and a DDR Wind Blade active cooling fan for memory modules. Installation is simplified by EZ-Latch Plus (screwless PCIe and M.2 release), EZ-Latch Click (screwless M.2 heatsink removal), M.2 EZ-Match magnetic alignment, and WIFI EZ-Plug for quick antenna installation. Verified Specifications: – Form Factor: E-ATX, 30.48 cm x 30.5 cm – Socket: LGA1851 | Chipset: Intel Z890 Express – Memory: 4 x DDR5 DIMM, up to 256 GB, up to DDR5-9500 (O.C.), XMP & CUDIMM support – VRM: 20+1+2 digital phases – PCIe Slots: 2 x PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU), 1 x PCIe 4.0 x4 (Chipset) – M.2: 4 slots (1x PCIe 5.0 x4 CPU, 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 CPU, 2x PCIe 4.0 x4/SATA Chipset) – SATA: 4 x SATA 6 Gb/s with RAID 0/1/5/10 – LAN: 2 x Marvell AQtion AQC113C 10GbE – Wi-Fi: Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200NGW (802.11be, 2.4/5/6 GHz, BT 5.4) – Rear USB: 2 x Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C), 10 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A – Audio: ESS ES9280AC + 2x ESS ES9080, DTS Sound Unbound, S/PDIF out – Display: Up to 7680×4320@60 Hz via Thunderbolt 5 (requires CPU with integrated graphics) – BIOS: AMI UEFI, 256 Mbit flash – OS: Windows 11 64-bit (24H2 or later) – Warranty: 3 Years