ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z890 HERO motherboard LGA1851, ATX, DDR5, 6 × M.2, 5G LAN

The LGA1851 socket is built for Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) processors. According to ASUS, the Maximus Z890 Hero brings out their performance through exclusive AI PC technologies, a robust power design and optimised thermal management. Extensive PCIe 5.0 support means both the graphics card and the newest SSDs can use the fastest interface. The board has no graphics chip of its own; the HDMI output uses the processor's integrated graphics.

With six M.2 slots for SSDs, the system, games, project files and backups can each get a drive of their own. Four SATA III ports add more room, for up to ten drives in total according to ASUS, and they can be combined in RAID 0, 1 or 5. All of this leaves the expansion slots free for other cards.

Four DIMM slots hold up to 192 GB of DDR5 in dual-channel mode, and supported speeds reach DDR5-8800 according to the manufacturer – plenty of headroom for experimenting with the fastest kits. Standard non-ECC modules are supported. A Clear CMOS button on the rear panel restores BIOS defaults if an overclock goes too far.

The rear panel carries two Thunderbolt ports with USB-C connectors for fast external drives and docks, plus a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, four USB 3.2 Gen 2 and four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports. On the board there is a Thunderbolt header and a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 header for the case front panel. Networking includes two ports – 5 Gbit/s and 2.5 Gbit/s – along with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.

Audio is handled by the Realtek ALC4082 codec with 7.1-channel output, and the rear panel has line in, line out and an optical S/PDIF output for digital sound. Angular design elements and Polymo II lighting around the ROG logo give the board its signature look. Cooling headers cover the CPU fan and four chassis fans, and the supported operating system is Windows 11.

Enthusiasts building a high-end gaming PC around an Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) processor who want fast DDR5; users with lots of SSDs who need six M.2 slots; and gamers and creators who want Thunderbolt, 5G Ethernet and Wi-Fi 7 on one board.