Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Master Motherboard Review

The new Intel Core Ultra 200S series CPUs built on the new Intel Arrow Lake Architecture had just launched with the main focus of power efficiency alongside new platform improvements. These new CPUs use the LGA 1851 socket hence requiring a new set of motherboards for the 800 series chipset. We’ve reviewed the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K CPU using the Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Master motherboard as our testbench motherboard of choice. With the CPU review out of the way, it’s time to take a closer look at the Z890 Aorus Master.

Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Master – A Closer Look

Gigabyte retained the same packaging design of its Aorus Master motherboard and literally made no changes apart from the proper Z890 naming and logo usage. The back shows the full picture of the motherboard as well as its key features.

Packaging Contents are as follows:

• Manual
• WiFi 7 Antenna
• SATA Cable
• Front Panel Connector
• M.2 Thermal Pad

Coming from the previous Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Master X, the Z890 Aorus Master has a more streamlined design making the motherboard look more professional and fit more build themes. Apart from the heatsink design change, the Z890 Aorus Master motherboard itself is now an ATX motherboard which means better case compatibility compared to last year’s EATX form factor.

Despite the smaller form factor, Gigabyte removed the back armor on the new Z890 Aorus Master. Its unfortunate that we have to see some features cut out on the flagship motherboard.

The Z890 Aorus Master uses a 18+1+2 Twin Digital SPS VRM Design with 110A of smart power stage. It uses a 9+9 phase operating in a parallel power design. The VRM Thermal Armor Advanced is an L-shaped VRM heatsink integrated into the IO Shield. It has a 6mm heatpipe that runs across the heatsinks and a 7 W/mk thermal pad for heat conductivity.

Memory support on the Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Master Motherboard can go as high as DDR5-9500, an improvement from the Z790 Aorus Master X’s DDR5-8266 max support. With the new Arrow Lake platform, the 800 series chipset supports CUDIMM memory memory modules with Gigabyte partnering with Kingston and V Color for their 8800MHz CUDIMM kits which are also used on our Ultra 9 285K review.

Gigabyte also introduced its AI snatch software for CPU and memory tuning. With XMP AI Boost the 8800MT/s CUDIMM kits can achieve 8933 MT/s.

Gigabyte uses its signature UD Solid Pin Power Connector for its 24pin ATX and 8+8-pin EPS power connectors.

Gigabyte has recently been known for its generosity for its I/O ports and I’m glad to see the same thing on the Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Master. There are six USB 3.2 Gen 2 type-A ports, four USB 3.2 Gen 1 type-A ports, two USB 2.0 type-A ports, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, 10GbE ethernet port, audio ports, and a Intel 2×2 Wifi 7 BE200.

Gigabyte has implemented the WIFI EZ-Plug Design for its WIFI antennas allowing for quick connects and easy disconnects.

Gigabyte has an ez release mechanism for its PCIe x16 slot allowing for quick GPU disconnects especially for larger video cards.

M.2 EZ-Latch Plus, and PCI-E EZ-Latch. M.2 EZ-Latch Click is a tool-less approach for the M.2 heatsink for easy installation and removal. M.2 EZ-Latch Plus is the brand’s solution for a tool-less SSD installation. An upgrade to last generation is the tool-less approach for the M.2 heatsink as well for a seamless SSD install experience.

The M.2 slot supporting PCIe Gen 5 has dedicated M.2 heatsink while the three PCIe Gen 4 and one Gen 5 slots shared the same heatsink. Both Gen 5 M.2 slots are UD slots meaning they’re reinforced similar to the full length PCIe slots.

Benchmark Setup and Test Methodology

Gadget Pilipinas’ testing philosophy is to provide detail-oriented results as accurately as possible so that our readers can replicate our tests given that these conditions are met. Different benchmarking apps and sequences are used depending on the tested component or device.

We use CapFrameX 1.7.2 as our primary FPS capture and analysis tool for all our gaming benchmarks. The latest build version of Windows 11 Pro and WHQL-certified drivers are used for our benchmarks. Readings such as temperatures and power draws are recorded using HWINFO64, and other relevant software for cross-checking.

For more info, read our Review and Benchmark methodology article.

Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Master Benchmarks

3DMark – Firestrike, Timespy, CPU Profile

3DMark is the go-to benchmark for gamers because of the ability to share and compare results online.

SuperPI 32m

SuperPI is a single-threaded benchmark application that lets the CPU calculate Pi(π) to the nth digit. In this benchmark, we selected the Pi calculation to 32M, the highest available for the app. 

CINEBENCH 2024

Maxon’s Cinebench benchmark is one of the most iconic benchmark applications used by reviewers and enthusiasts. The latest Cinebench R23 uses the latest rendering architectures, including Intel’s Embree ray tracing technology and other advanced features from AMD and Intel that allow users to render the same scene on the same hard. 

PROCYON

Procyon benchmark suite is developed by the UL, the same team behind 3DMark and PCMark benchmarks. The UL Procycon video editing benchmark uses Adobe Premiere in a typical video editing workflow. The benchmark starts by importing two video project files with various edits, adjustments, and effects – the second project uses several GPU-accelerated effects. Each project is exported in 1080p with H.264 encoding and again in 4K with HEVC H.265. The reported score is based on the time taken to export all four videos. 

OCCT Enterprise Benchmark

OCCT is a popular benchmark and stability testing tool among overclockers, enthusiasts and system integrators

wPrime 1024M

wPrime is a benchmark tool similar to SuperPI, but the former takes on finding prime numbers using Newton’s Method. The benchmark is set to calculate 1024 million prime numbers, and the performance is measured according to calculation time. 

V-RAY 5

V-Ray Benchmark is a stand-alone version of V-Ray developed by Chaos Group. It is designed to test the CPU and GPU by rendering sample scenes at a fixed amount of time. V-Ray is a plug-in mostly utilized by 3D computer graphics software applications mainly for industrial design, product design, architecture, film, and video game production. V-Ray is not limited to 64-threads as it supports multi and mega-threading. 

BLENDER

Blender is a widely used, free, open-source 3D creation suite. It supports the whole 3D pipeline process from modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, and even motion tracking. Blender has become a standard for CPU benchmarks with the BMW27 and Classroom Scene most used. This prompted the company to release Blender Open Data Benchmark in 2018, a benchmark-specific version allowing users to run a preset benchmark and share the results online like 3DMark.

GeekBench 6.3

Geekbench is a multi-platform benchmark used to gauge CPU performance and compare them across Windows, Mac, and Mobile. Geekbench 6 is the latest version and doesn’t rely on memory more than the previous Geekbench 4, making it a great tool to measure both single-core and multi-core CPU performance.

PCMark10

From the same developers of the popular game benchmarking tool 3DMark, PCMark 10 is a benchmarking app for measuring a whole PC’s performance. It covers a wide variety of tests to reflect common tasks performed in a modern workplace. We selected PCMark 10’s extended benchmark and reported both the overall score and Digital Content Creation Score. 

CORONA RENDERER

Corona Renderer is an unbiased photorealistic render available for Autodesk 3Ds Max, Maxon Cinema 4D, and as a stand-alone application. Its popularity, similar to Blender, led Chaos Group to develop a benchmark version of the app which runs using Corona Renderer 1.3. Workstation systems, especially CPUs, can utilize Corona Benchmark as up to 72 threads can be used in the benchmark, making it very suitable for CPUs with various price segments. 

PassMark 10.2

Passmark 10 provides a comprehensive suite of tests that evaluate various aspects of a system’s performance, including CPU, GPU, memory, and disk performance. Its automated testing process makes it accessible and efficient for reviewers to conduct benchmarks and analyze the performance of different systems.

BapCo CROSSMARK

Crossmark is one of the few native cross-platform benchmark tools available for Windows, Android, Linux ChromeOS, iOS, and macOS. It measures overall system performance and system responsiveness using models of real-world applications making it a great comparison point across multiple platforms.

HANDBRAKE

Handbrake is a top-rated open-source video conversion software that is used by professionals, enthusiasts, and even reviewers as a reference point mainly because of its wide variety of media codecs. The rise of streaming and blogging makes video content, both encoding, and transcoding important for these people, regardless of whether they’re seasoned professionals or just starting out. Handbrake also takes advantage of AVX-512 and OpenCL to accelerate certain types of media codecs. Our Handbrake benchmark converts a 500MB MP4 video to H.264 to measure the processor’s performance.

OCTANE 2.0

Google Octane 2.0 is a benchmark that measures a Javascript engine’s performance by running multiple tests representing different use cases of JavaScript applications. While Google Octane is retired and no longer maintained, it is still a good representation of today’s dynamic, interactive web applications. Our Google Octane 2.0 is run on Microsoft’s latest Chromium-based Edge browser. 

Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Master Temperatures

Despite the fewer VRMs compared to the previous Aorus Master Z790 Master and Master X, the Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Master only managed to peak at 44 degrees throughout our testing. That said, the Ultra 9 285K consumes less power than the Core i9 14900K which could be a contributing factor apart from the improved VRM thermals.

CONCLUSION

While it is sad and unfortunate to see some features gone on the latest Aorus Master, we have quite a lot of quality-of-life improvements in return. This generation’s Aorus Master follows Intel’s efficiency approach, which focuses on convenience and reliability. That said, the Gigabyte Z890 Aorus Master commands a hefty price tag at Php 41,390, a lot more expensive than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K.

So, if you’re after for more than one M.2 Gen 5 slot, and is the type of person to maximize the connectivity in both quantity and bandwidth, then the Aorus Z890 Master is one of the best, if not, the best motherboard that fits that criteria. It offers a robust solution for gamers and professionals requiring high bandwidth without having to worry about reliability.

Grant Soriano

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Grant is a Financial Management graduate from UST. His passion for gadgets and tech crossed him over in the industry where he could apply his knowledge as an enthusiast and in-depth analytic skills as a Finance Major. His passion allows him to earn at the same time help Gadget Pilipinas' readers in making smart, value-based decisions and purchases with his reviews and guides.