GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X Unboxing Review: DDR5 Overclocking, Performance Tests and CQ-DIMM Support Explained

The mainstream GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X motherboard offers a new option of 1DPC (1DIMM Per channel) memory overclocking specialization at a cheaper price, which supports the use of 4R Quad-Rank (CQDIMM) memory modules, so that 2DIMM motherboards can also get the advantage of traditional 4DIMM expansion capacity. In order to demonstrate the advantages of D5 Duo X, I have actually overclocked the memory to DDR5 10400, 10533, 10666 MT/s with this motherboard.

GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X Motherboard Specifications:

Size: ATX 30.5 x 24.4 cm
Processor Support: Intel Core Ultra
Processor Footprint: Intel LGA 1851
CPU supply phase: 16(60A) + 1(40A) + 2(60A) phases
Chipset: Z890
Memory Expansion: 2x DDR5 DIMM slots, 10266(O.C.) MT/s, 256 GB max capacity
Memory Certification: Intel XMP (Extreme Memory Profile)
Internal Display Output Slot: 1x USB4 Type-C (4096×2304@144 Hz), DP 2.1 (4096×2304@60 Hz)
Graphics expansion slots: 1x PCIe 5.0 x16, 2x PCIe 4.0 x4 (both slots have x16 length but only PCIe 4.0 x4 bandwidth)
Storage Expansion Slots: 4x SATA 6Gb/s, M2A_CPU 25110/22110/2580/2280 PCIe Gen5 x4/x2, M2B_CPU 22110/2280 PCIe Gen4 x4/x2, M2Q_SB 22110/2280 PCIe Gen4 x4/x2, M2L_SB 22110/2280 PCIe Gen4 x4/x2, M2M_SB 22110/2280 PCIe Gen4 x4/x2 & SATA
Wired Network: Realtek 5GbE
Wireless Transmission: Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200NGW, Bluetooth 5.4
Audio chip: Realtek ALC1220
USB Ports (Front Expansion): 1x USB 10Gbps Type-C, 1x USB 5Gbps (supports two USB 5Gbps Type-A ports on front), 2x USB 2.0/1.1 (supports four USB 2.0 ports on front)
USB Ports (Rear I/O): 1x USB 4 Type-C (40Gbps), 2x USB 10Gbps Type-A (Red), 4x USB 2.0/1.1, 3x USB 5Gbps Type-A (Blue)
RGB power supply slots: 3x ARGB 5v 3-Pin, 1x RGB 12v 4-Pin
Fan power supply slots: 1x 4-Pin CPU Fan, 1x 4-Pin CPU OPT, 3x 4-Pin SYS FAN, 1x 4-Pin SYS FAN/PUMP

GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X Unboxing｜Analysis of Design, Accessories and Specifications

I believe that a few days ago you have already watched theIntel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, Core Ultra 5 250K Plus Processor Unboxing ReviewHowever, in addition to the processors Intel sent to the media, Intel or the distributor sent more to each media to promote the Intel Platform Performance Package (IPPP) and the Intel Binary Optimization Tool. Ultra 7 270K Plus, Core Ultra 5 250K Plus processorsAn additional one, and then with the main protagonist of today's unboxing GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X motherboard for exposure, which turned out to be a motherboard with not much in the way of introduction.

Unfortunately, no matter whether it is the processor or motherboard or the function introduction, Intel or the various vendors "didn't ask the author to open the box", nor did they provide any media test samples to the author, and the follow-up of these two processors is just like the title of the author's article under the PTT forum, which has changed from "I think no one will buy it" to "No one will buy it at all". Originally, a bunch of media touted the "super price/performance ratio" based on the MSRP, but then Intel directly started to increase the MSRP, and took the MSRP as a reference, which means that the end-of-period products are already very unattractive, and they can only rely on the price to attract consumers, so where exactly did the self-confidence come from that Intel dared to directly increase the price of its products?

Back to the topic, this GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X motherboard was purchased by a friend of the author's. During our discussion, we accidentally discovered that this motherboard is very interesting, and its core focus is its support for Quad-Rank memory modules, which means that it supports 4-rank CUDIMMs, also known as CQ-DIMMs, and the author would have liked to test it out with CQ-DIMMs to see how powerful it is, but unfortunately, the author was let go and had to use regular CUDIMMs for real-world testing. I would have liked to test it with a CQ-DIMM to see how powerful it is, but unfortunately I was let go and could only test it with a regular CUDIMM.

GIGABYTE is the only manufacturer to launch new motherboard models in tandem with this wave of Plus processor updates. In this wave of Z890 PLUS series premiere motherboards, GIGABYTE has shared the Z890 AORUS TACHYON DUO X ICE with Z890M FORCE DUO X WIFI7 motherboards, and the AORUS overclocking guru, HiCookie, has shared the Z890 AORUS TACHYON DUO X ICE stress test and native photos with the original "TACHYON DUO X ICE" on FB. HiCookie also shared the Z890 AORUS TACHYON DUO X ICE's related stress test and the body product photos, a brief look at the original version of the "Z890 AORUS TACHYON DUO X WIFI7" and "Z890M FORCE DUO X".Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICEThere doesn't seem to be much difference in appearance compared to the previous version, but I guess it's just the addition of CQ-DIMM support and some BIOS functions, isn't it?

△ GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS TACHYON DUO X ICE.

△ GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X with Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE。

 

This GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X motherboard is priced at almost $11,500. In terms of product specifications and positioning, it is GIGABYTE's mainstream memory overclocking motherboard second to the TACHYON series in its product line at a cheaper price, but because of the cheaper price, it is definitely not as complete as the TACHYON series in terms of functionality. However, because of the cheaper price, the functionality will not be as perfect as the TACHYON series, but the cheaper pricing will be more attractive to overclocking novices.

Additional accessories include: two SATA cables, G Connector chassis I/O integration clips, 3 packs of M.2 thick pads + thin pads, Wi-Fi 7 antenna.

△ GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X GAMING MOTHERBOARD.

△ Basic features and specifications of the motherboard.

△ List of accessories.

GIGABYTE is expected to launch the Z890 PLUS series of motherboards, but it's not certain if all of them will actually be mass-produced and sold.

 

This new mainstream price class 1DPC (1DIMM Per channel) memory overclocking board, the overall black color scheme is just like the ELITE series style, a kind of honest and stable conservative style, if you have seen the author unboxing the board, you will be able to get a better picture of the board. X870 AORUS TACHYON ICE 與 Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE If you know what I look for in a motherboard, besides 2DIMMs memory overclocking specialization, another important thing is that it must be white in color! As a member of the pale white army, this is a must! But this is a personal preference, so this board is not quite my type.

The GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X motherboard utilizes an ATX 30.5 x 24.4 cm form factor, 16+1+2 power supply design, while the 16-phase DrMOS 60A VCORE Phases are powered by an 8+8-phase parallel design, and the PCB is an 8-Layer, 8-Layers specification.

△ ATX-sized GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X.

The back has a reinforced back panel, but is relatively plain.

△ Motherboard channel configuration diagram.

 

The VRM heat sink on the motherboard uses a zigzag heat sink to dissipate power underneath, and a heat pipe with a 5 W/mK high-efficiency heat sink pad in direct contact with the MOSFETs to maintain system stability.

Intel Z890 chipset motherboards have changed to use LGA 1851 feet, which currently only supports Intel Core Ultra 200S processors, and the previous Intel Core 12/13/14 th series processors are not compatible and cannot be used. However, LGA 1851 and 1700 maintain the same hole spacing in the heatsink planning, so gamers can basically use the LGA 1700 heatsink grommet set for installation. However, LGA 1851 and 1700 have the same hole spacing in the heatsink layout, so gamers can basically just use the LGA 1700 heatsink grommet set for installation unless the heatsink manufacturer has a special update.

△ VRM Thermal Armor Advanced.

The Z890 supports Intel Core Ultra 200S processors only, and supports the LGA 1851 footprint, but can be used with the LGA 1700 footprint cooler.

 

Let's take a look at the expansion and power supply slots on the motherboard. There is an 8+8-Pin ATX_12V power supply slot for the processor on the upper left side of the motherboard, and there is also a SYS_FAN fan slot that can be used with either the rear or upper fan of the chassis.

In the upper right corner of the motherboard, there are CPU_OPT and CPU_FAN fan and water-cooling power supply slots, 5V 3-Pin ARGB, EZ DeBug lamp, debug lamp and DeBug lamp, where the water-cooling header PUMP power supply and water-cooling exhaust fan cable can be installed when installing the integrated water-cooling.

The EZ DeBug and debugging light code displays allow users to quickly see what parts of the motherboard are failing to boot during the self-test process, and users can refer to the motherboard manual for debugging.

The motherboard uses dual 8-Pin processor power supply slots and one fan power supply slot.

△ CPU_OPT, CPU_FAN, 5V 3-Pin ARGB.

△ EZ DeBug with debugging light code display quickly identifies where the problem is.

 

The two DDR5 DIMM Dual-Clip memory slots are 1DPC (1 DIMM Per channel) configurations that support non-ECC Un-buffered DIMMs as well as the new Clocked Un-buffered DIMMs (CUDIMM/CKD), with a maximum expansion capacity of 256 GB in total for both slots, i.e., a maximum capacity of 128 GB for each slot. The maximum expansion capacity of the two slots is 256GB, which means the capacity of each slot is capped at 128GB, and it also supports Intel XMP 3.0 (Extreme Memory Profile) memory one-click overclocking profile.

The memory overclocking QVL frequency flaunts 10266 MT/s(oc) for two memory modules, but the current QVL list looks like the ones that can go up to 10266 MT/s should be CKD memory, reminding you again to choose the memory model that you install with the memory QVL (Qualified Vendor List, it is better to choose the memory model based on the motherboard's memory QVL (Qualified Vendor List) compatibility report.

The most special feature of this motherboard is that it supports Quad-Rank CKD UDIMM modules, which is also known as CQ-DIMM memory. In the case of CQ-DIMM memory, the maximum capacity of a traditional 4-slot module can be achieved by using 2 DIMM slots as well, and in the past, a traditional 2-Rank_2R (Dual Rank) module requires 4 single 64 GB sticks to form 256 GB (4×64=256), but CQ-DIMM can reach the maximum capacity of 128 GB by installing 2 sticks. In the past, traditional 2 Rank_2R (Dual Rank) modules required four 64GB single pins to form 256GB (4×64=256), but CQ-DIMM can reach a maximum capacity of 128GB with a single pin, so installing two pins can expand the capacity by 256GB (2×128=256).

△ 2x Un-buffered DIMMs DDR5 memory slots, compatible with UDIMM/CKD UDIMM/CQ-DIMM memory, supports up to 256 GB of capacity expansion, and up to 10266 MT/s (O.C.) with QVL on both modules.

 

On the right side of the motherboard, there is a motherboard 24-Pin power supply slot, a fan water-cooling power supply slot, a front USB 10Gbps Type-C slot, a USB 5Gbps slot (supporting two front USB 5Gbps Type-A ports), four SATA 6Gb/s slots, and more.

△ Motherboard 24-Pin power supply slot, one fan water-cooling power supply slot, one front USB 10Gbps Type-C slot.

△ One USB 5Gbps slot (supports two front USB 5Gbps Type-A ports), four SATA 6Gb/s slots, and more.

 

At the bottom are the system reboot jumper slot, CMOS setting clear jumper slot, front panel slot (F_PANEL), two SYS_FAN fan power slots, Thunderbolt 5 expansion slot (for use with GIGABYTE Thunderbolt 5 daughtercard only), two USB 2.0 slots (supports four front USB 2.0 ports), TPM (Secure Encryption Module Connection Socket), one 12V 4-Pin RGB, two 5V 3-Pin ARGB, front audio jack slot. mounting ports), TPM (Secure Password Module Connector), one 12V 4-Pin RGB, two 5V 3-Pin ARGB, and front audio jack slots.

△ The main board battery is CR2032.

△ System reboot jumper slot, CMOS setting clear jumper slot, front panel slot (F_PANEL), two SYS_FAN fan power slots, Thunderbolt 5 device expansion slot (for use with GIGABYTE Thunderbolt 5 daughter card only).

△ Two USB 2.0 slots (supports four front USB 2.0 ports), TPM (Secure Crypto Module Connection Socket), one 12V 4-Pin RGB, two 5V 3-Pin ARGB, front audio jack slots.

 

The motherboard PCIE slots provide a total of three x16-length device expansion slots. The top metal-reinforced x16 slot is a direct processor path, and the first PCIEX16 slot provides full PCIE 5.0 x16 bandwidth when installing a single device, such as a discrete graphics card, and does not share bandwidth with any of the M.2 SSD expansion slots.

For the first slot of the PCIEX16 graphics expansion slot, this motherboard has a PCIe EZ-Latch Plus graphics card quick release button next to the memory slot for a very DIY-friendly experience.

The bottom two PCIEX4_1 and PCIEX4_2 black slots are PCH chipset lanes, and although they are x16 in length, they both only offer PCIe 4.0 x4 bandwidth, while the bottom PCIEX4_2 expansion slot shares bandwidth with the M2L_SB slot, so you can only choose one of them to use.

△ From top to bottom PCIE 5.0_PCIEX16 (CPU), PCIE 4.0 x4_PCIEX4_1 (PCH), PCIE 4.0 x4_PCIEX4_2 (PCH).

 

The first M2A_CPU PCIE Gen5 x4 M.2 SSD expansion slot underneath the processor comes with a thin passive heatsink that supports 25110/22110/2580/2280 size M.2 SSD installations using the processor direct connect channel.

The larger M.2 Thermal Guard Ext. heatsink covers the lower three M.2 SSDs for cooling, and the M.2 EZ-Latch Click secures the M.2 heatsinks in place. All M.2 SSDs have M.2 EZ-Latch Plus to secure the SSD body in place, and the M2B_CPU expansion slot in the second slot is a direct processor connection path. The second slot, M2B_CPU Expansion Slot, is a direct processor connection channel that provides PCIe Gen4 x4 bandwidth to support 22110/2280 size M.2 SSD expansion.

The third and fourth M2L_SB and M2M_SB slots counted above use chipset channels and support 22110/2280 PCIE Gen4 x4 SSD expansion. Note that the third M2L_SB slot counted above shares bandwidth with the PCIEX4_2 expansion slot for graphics devices, and only one of the two can be used.

The M2Q_SB next to the memory slot also uses the PCH chipset channel and supports 22110/2280 PCIE Gen4 x2 SSD expansion.

△ M2A_CPU Gen5.

△ From top to bottom: M2B_CPU Gen4, M2L_SB Gen4, M2M_SB Gen4 & SATA lll.

M2Q_SB Gen4 is next to the memory slot.

 

The rear I/O of the motherboard provides a boot button, a reboot button, a Q-Flash Plus button, a clear CMOS data button, a DP 2.1 internal display output (supports up to 4096 x 2304 144 Hz resolution), two USB 10Gbps Type-A (red), four USB 2.0, and one USB 4 Type-C 40Gbps, Three USB 5Gbps Type-A (blue), one RJ-45 5 Gbps LAN wired jack, Wi-Fi 7-antenna port WIFI EZ-Plug, fiber optic S/PDIF digital audio output, two audio ports.

There is a USB 4 Type-C 40Gbps port on the rear of the motherboard, and the processor's built-in graphics output with DisplayPort 2.1 support allows users to have an additional display output slot available through the internal display, with up to 4096×2304 60 Hz resolution for screen output.

However, competitors in the same price class usually use Thunderbolt 4, which may vary on devices that specify that they require a Thunderbolt port for use, and judging by the driver, this board uses Realtek's chipset to provide USB 4.

One of the special features of this motherboard is that the boot and restart buttons are located at the rear I/O area of the motherboard. X870 AORUS TACHYON ICE 或 X870E AORUS MASTER Most overclocking motherboards, such as the keys are set on the inside, I guess the PM should be considered that this motherboard is mostly installed in the chassis, so the two shortcut buttons are placed on the outside, so that users can easily press the keys directly in daily use, right? GIGABYTE X870E AERO X3D WOOD Same.

The Rear EZ-button's RESET button is labeled on the official website as a Multi Key button that can be reset to other functions in the BIOS for various purposes such as RGB switch (to turn off all lighting effects on the motherboard), direct access to the BIOS (to enter the BIOS settings directly without keyboard input), Safe Mode (to enter the BIOS Safe Mode to modify certain options but retain other BIOS settings). (enter BIOS safe mode to modify specific options, but can retain other BIOS settings), but I'm not too sure if it really works, because I only saw this feature after I returned the board to my friend, and I can't verify it, before I unboxed the board. X870 AORUS TACHYON ICE Time.X870 AORUS TACHYON ICE In the BIOS, there is no RST_SW (MULTIKEY) setting field in the Miscellaneous section of Settings, and there is no way to set other functions.

△ Rear I/O at a glance.

 

RGB Lighting Show｜Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X Motherboard Lighting Effect Photographs

Then the actual power on and off to show the motherboard on-board lighting effect for your reference.

△ GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X motherboard lighting effect.

△ There is a light bulb under the PCH heatsink.

△ There is also a light bulb under the rear armor.

 

Performance Tests｜Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X CPU and Memory Performance

This motherboard is tested with 24 cores and 24 threads. Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor, and update the motherboard BIOS to version F1, and use the memory of the G.SKILL Trident Z5 CK Turbo CK DDR5-8800 48GB (2x24GB) Dual-channel memory kit to build barebones test platform and open Profile 1 profile for memory.

Extra On GIGABYTE High Bandwidth and Low Latency FeaturesIn addition, the test will be conducted in Ultra Turbo Mode_LV3, with multi-core performance enhancement set to on, and traditional test software performance enhancement tested.

Testing Platform

Processor:Intel Core Ultra 9 285K QS (Ultra Turbo Mode_LV3)
Radiator:LIAN LI GA II LITE 360 RGB(full speed)
Thermal paste: Cooler Master MASTERGEL MAKER 40g (thermal conductivity 11W/mK)
Motherboard: GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X (BIOS version: F1)
Memory:G.SKILL Trident Z5 CK DDR5-8800 48GB (2x24GB) cl 42-55-55-140 1.45v
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Founders Edition
Operating System: Windows 11 Professional 25H2
Power supply:MONTECH TITAN PLA 1000W
Case: streacom BC1 Benchtable V2

firstly CPU-Z Viewing the hardware information of the test platform, Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor has 24 (8P+16E) cores and 24 threads, the series code name is Arrow Lake using TSMC process, the motherboard supports PCI-E 5.0 lanes, and the BIOS is F1 version.

We also ran the CPU-Z internal tests for your reference.

CPU-Z platform information at a glance.

△ CPU-Z internal test score results.

 

AIDA64 Cache & Memory Benchmark It is mainly used to test the performance of processor caches and RAM. The read/write/copy bandwidth performance score represents the rate of transfer between CPU and memory, which means the efficiency of data throughput (the higher the score, the better), and the time delay score of accessing data indicates the responsiveness of the memory system.

Tested on this motherboard with Memory Profile 1 open, read speeds were 132.5 GB/s, write speeds were 123.6 GB/s, copy speeds were 128.3 GB/s, and latency was 72.6 ns.

△ AIDA64 cache and memory test.

 

by Maxon Cinebench An industry-standard benchmarking software, Cinebench 2026 tests GPU and CPU performance using Maxon's powerful Redshift rendering engine.

The new version of Cinebench 2026 adds a test for evaluating the performance of SMT-enabled CPU cores, which means that it is now possible to test: GPU, processor full-core, processor single-core, and processor single-thread performance.

Based on the latest Cinema 4D 2026 and Redshift code, and using the updated Clang V19 compiler, the benchmarking accuracy of contemporary and next-generation processors has been improved to test whether the equipment is stable under high loads, whether the thermal solutions of the desktop or laptop are sufficient to cope with the demands of long-term operation in order to maximize the potential of the CPU, and whether the machine is capable of handling demanding 3D tasks. and whether the machine is capable of handling demanding 3D tasks.

△ Cinebench 2026.

 

PCMark 10 It also simulates test scenarios to determine the overall performance of the computer. The common basic functions include application launching, web browsing, and video conferencing tests, while productivity simulates document and spreadsheet writing, and the last item, video content creation, includes professional tests such as photo editing, video editing, and rendering.

△ PCMark 10 test.

 

3DMark Score TestGIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X Gaming Performance

Next up, the 3DMark series, one of the most benchmarks for gaming scores, was used to compare the theoretical results of the same graphics platform with different processors through a series of tests with different picture quality and different GPU APIs.

3DMark CPU Profile This test will test the performance of MAX, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1 threads respectively, while the performance of 16 threads and above is more for 3D rendering or audio/video professional work, and most of the mainstream DirectX 12 game performance can refer to the score of 8 threads, while the score of 4 and 2 threads are related to the old games developed with DirectX 9.

△ 3DMark CPU Profile.

 

In addition, the author has also used the commonly used game performance simulation test 3DMark Fire Strike、3DMark Time SpyThe two programs are Fire Strike, which represents the 1080p quality DirectX11 GPU API situational game simulation test, and Time Spy, which represents the 1440p quality DirectX 12 GPU API situational game simulation test.

△ 3DMark Fire Strike.

△ 3DMark Time Spy.

 

DDR5 Overclocking Test｜Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X Memory Overclocking 10666 MT/s

The GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X motherboard is, after all, a 1DPC (1DIMM Per channel) motherboard designed for Overclocking (O.C.) overclocking, so why not overclock it? It would be too boring to just turn on the memory profile, how can we write articles on overclocking boards just like other hydrological media?

The overclocking tests were conducted in Dual-Channel mode, with the processor using a regular all-in-one AIO water-cooled cooler, and the memory using the previously unboxed G.SKILL Gigabyte Trident Z5 CK Turbo CK DDR5-8800 48GB (2x24GB)The memory modules use the original heat sinks without replacing the heat sinks or thermal pads, and the memory is cooled by pure air cooling without using LN2 (Liquid Nitrogen) for heat dissipation.

△ Two modules DDR5 10400 MT/s (5200 MHz).

△ Two modules DDR5 10533 MT/s (5266 MHz).

△ Two modules DDR5 10666 MT/s.

 

Rating Summary｜Is the Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X worth buying? Pros and Cons

The GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X motherboard, which is positioned and priced more towards the mainstream class, not only introduces a 1DPC (1DIMM Per channel) overclocking motherboard in the cheaper price range, but also adds a new performance enhancement feature, Ultra Turbo Mode, to the BIOS, as well as support for Quad-Rank memory modules to fulfill the demand for large capacity of 256 GB of memory in dual slots. In addition to the 1DPC (1DIMM Per Channel) overclocking motherboard, it also adds the Ultra Turbo Mode performance enhancement in the BIOS, and supports Quad-Rank memory modules for dual-slot 256GB memory capacity. The product is priced at $11490, with 2DIMM overclocking performance close to that of the top-end TACHYON, and also features SSD quick release, graphics card quick release, metal back panel, debugging Q CODE light, external CMOS key on the rear, and related shortcut buttons.

From the outside, this motherboard gives me the impression of being "honest and down-to-earth", without too many fancy RGB settings to match its theme of black and low-profile style, which makes the board unexpectedly suitable for pairing with the G.SKILL Chips Ahoy Trident Z5 CK Turbo Focus CK DDR5 Used together, the reinforced back panel is relatively plain and simple, and overall it's perfect for people who like simple styles.

I think this board is suitable for people who are just learning overclocking. Before getting used to the many functions of the TACHYON series, this board is very suitable for people who are just learning overclocking. Moreover, the Rear EZ-button overclocking button is placed at the rear I/O because of the power on button, reboot button, Q-Flash Plus button, and the clear CMOS data button. Overclocking is not a big problem even if it is installed in the chassis, it is not necessary to overclock on the bare test platform, and the debugging codes are directly standardized on the board, there is no missing or ugly adapter extension cables.

The author uses regular 1R CKD memory to overclock to DDR5 10400, 10533, 10666 MT/s with two modules, but DDR5 10666 MT/s is not suitable for the author. HWBOT Memory Frequency Hall Of Fame In terms of project rules, it's actually a bit short, but since I have to return the motherboard to a friend to install it, I'll let it go, if I have more time I feel like I can do it.

However, the timing of this board is really awkward, and it won't be long before Intel is ready to replace the legacy with a newer one. To be honest, except for overclocking players who just need it, it's really hard to think of a reason to buy the new Z890 1DPC motherboard, although it supports 4R high-capacity CQ-DIMMs, those are not yet in full MP production, and considering the price of the storage products, it shouldn't be possible to buy it. Considering the current price of storage products, it should not be possible to buy them even if they are mass-produced, and the use of USB4 in the rear will be weaker than other competitors that use TB4 at the same price, but it depends on the individual equipment used, like the author does not have a TB device, so it's not a bad idea.

However, I am still happy to see GIGABYTE adding overclocking models to their "mainstream" products, at least the basic overclocking buttons and materials are available, which will make the overclocking experience a lot friendlier and better. If you have been pondering about overclocking on an "entry-level" motherboard, it is really a bit impossible to get a feel for the overclocking experience, but at least the overclocking buttons and materials are there, and it is the only way to overclock.

 

Compare GIGABYTE Overclocking Top Boards Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE/When comparing the overclocking performance of the Z890 AORUS TACHYON DUO X ICE, the QVL frequency of the TACHYON is higher at 10400 MT/s, while that of the Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X is currently 10266 MT/s. In terms of overclocking performance alone, the TACHYON should still be stronger.

Because the author borrowed the Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X motherboard from a friend to open the box, and actually used it for only one day. For the author who is already used to the TACHYON, the overclocking convenience of the TACHYON is better because it has more overclocking functions or buttons, which is why the author said the Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X is suitable for new overclockers who are not used to it yet. ELITE DUO X is suitable for new overclockers who are not used to it yet, because after getting used to the convenience tools, there will be a feeling that you can't go back to it, such as the BCLK overclocking button, the TGR button, the BIOS_SW dual BIOS switch, and so on.

The overclocking BIOS (XOC BIOS) that GIGABYTE will provide for internal use is confirmed to be limited to TACHYON only, and to the benefit of Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X users can use the BIOS on the official website, but the drawback is that the BIOS function is not as rich as TACHYON XOC BIOS.

But the AORUS ELITE DUO X is cheaper after all, with a recommended price of 13,000 almost Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE With 60% off you can get it, I think this price gap sacrifices some things, but still retains the features and functionality is acceptable, if you still want cheaper then you can look at the Z890M FORCE DUOX WIFI7, but the overclocking performance and functionality will drop again.