The ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Extreme is the brand’s high-end, top-of-the-line motherboard, that clearly screams “I am the embodiment of the PC Master Race”. As such, ASUS has spared nothing to make it an engineering wet dream.
What Am I Looking At?
As a product of the ROG lineup, the Z890 Extreme never fails to impress with its combination of PCB and metal platings. This entire motherboard is practically encased with heat shields both at the front and back, the latter obviously adding rigidity and preventing any possible bowing or bending.
Like the recent Crosshair X870E Hero I reviewed, the Z890 Extreme is peppered with toolless M.2 slots and PCIe 5.0 expansion slots that come with ASUS’ Q-Release mechanism, allowing for easier installation and removal of GPUs.
On top of that, it also comes with 24+1+2+2 power stages for the VRMs.
What’s Good About It?
Being a premium motherboard, the Z890 Extreme features six M.2 slots – three of them support PCIe 5.0, while the other three are PCIe 4.0. Two of the latter use ASUS’ ROG Q-DIMM.2 slots, by the way.
There’s also an Intel 2.5Gb LAN port as well as a Marvell AQtion 10Gb LAN. Sure, it seems overkill but it certainly means any potential bottlenecks via cable is eliminated, especially if you’re looking to stream your games live and play an online game, simultaneously. Oh, and there’s Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 support, as well, both of which come with an easy-to-install antenna that just clicks into place, literally.
As for its performance, I actually used this motherboard as part of my review of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. I recommend you read that review to see its performance but I will include a couple of the relevant graphs here for convenience.
Finally, and as mentioned in my review of the 285K, the Z890 Extreme separates itself from the crowd with a built-in LCD on the side that, by default, actively keeps me informed about the CPU’s voltage, temperature, as well as the amperes it is consuming.
What’s the Catch?
The biggest drawbacks and, if I may so, downsides to the Z890 Extreme come in a pair. Firstly, it is very, very heavy. It weighs a few kilos, easily, so if you’re installing this into your system, do understand (if you don’t already know) that you’re making your rig chonkier, and that’s before the additional components like the CPU cooler and the GPU.
Second, like all high-end, top-tier motherboards, it is ridiculously expensive. Off the shelf, it costs RM5,200, meaning that it is unattainable by those looking to build a mid-range system, and is pretty much only available to those with deep pockets and the intention to build their premium dream desktop rig.
Should I Buy It?
The ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Extreme, unfortunately, isn’t a motherboard for the budget-minded gamer, nor is it the kind of PC component someone would buy on a whimsy. Like its Ryzen-based counterpart, the X870E Hero, this motherboard is more a luxury than it is a necessity.
At the end of the day, however, RM5,200 commands you an above-average number of M.2 slots and expansion options, a programmable built-in LCD display that gives you real-time data about your CPU’s performance, as well as the latest in connectivity options.
Photography by John Law.
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Telegram for more updates and breaking news.
