The pinnacle of memory overclocking, the Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE motherboard unboxing review.

The GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE motherboard, tailor-made for LN2 memory overclocking, attracted the author's attention with its white heatsinks and PCBs, E-ATX, ninety-degree rotation of the core slots, and 18+1+2-phase power supply. The most important thing is that the overclocking guru, HiCookie, overclocked the DDR5 with this motherboard. 12752 MT/s (currently ranked first in the world).

Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE Motherboard Specifications.

Size: E-ATX 30.5 x 28.5 cm
Processor Support: Intel Core Ultra
Processor Footprint: Intel LGA 1851
CPU power supply phase: 18+1+2 phases
Chipset: Z890
Memory: 2x DDR5 DIMM slots, Overclocking World Record 12752 MT/s, 128 GB max capacity
Memory Certification: Intel XMP (Extreme Memory Profile)
Display output: 2X Thunderbolt 4 Type-C(5120×2880@60 Hz)
Expansion Slot: 2x PCIe 5.0 x16 (single card x16 or dual card x8/x8 bandwidth)
Storage Slots: 4x SATA 6Gb/s, M2A_CPU 25110/22110/2580/2280 PCIe Gen5 x4/x2, M2B_CPU 25110/22110/2580/2280 PCIe Gen4 x4/x2, M2P_SB 22110/2280 PCIe Gen4 x4/x2 M2M_SB 22110/2280 PCIe Gen4 x4/x2 & SATA
Network: Realtek RTL8126 5GbE
Wireless: Realtek Wi-Fi 7 RTL8922AE, Bluetooth 5.4
Audio: Realtek ALC1220, ESS SABRE9118EQ DAC
USB Ports (Front Expansion): 1x Thunderbolt 4 (Type-C), 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 × 2 Type-C, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (supports two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports on front), 1x USB 2.0/1.1 (supports two USB 2.0 ports on front)
USB Ports (Rear I/O): 1x Thunderbolt 4 (Type-C), 5x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (Red), 1x PS/2 Keyboard and Mouse Slot
RGB: 3x ARGB 5v 3-Pin, 1x RGB 12v 4-Pin
FAN: 1x 4-Pin CPU Fan, 1x 4-Pin CPU OPT, 4x 4-Pin SYS FAN, 3x 4-Pin SYS FAN/PUMP

Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE Motherboard Unboxing

It's coming! It's finally here! The motherboard I've been looking forward to since the samples were revealed at Computex Taipei 2024, the Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE, comes from GIGABYTE's Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE, but it's been a while since the Z890 chipset was released. But it's been a while since the Z890 chipset was banned, and compared to its competitors, AORUS has been relatively slow on the 2DIMM overclocking motherboard planning.

However, according to the author's inquiry, GIGABYTE is waiting for AORUS overclocking master HiCookie to refresh the Memory Frequency Hall Of Fame record result on the overclocking record website HWBOT, and HiCookie also re-topped the record on March 19, 2025 with DDR5 12752 MT/s (6375.8 MHz). So HiCookie and Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE are now the world's No. 1 memory frequency overclocking record.

Personally, I have respect for HiCookie, because during the Z790 era, HiCookie dominated HWBOT's Memory Frequency Hall Of Fame for almost a year, and was only surpassed by the Z890 chipset when it was launched.

Before you start reading this Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE unboxing article, you have to remember one principle, this motherboard is designed for "LN2 Liquid Nitrogen (Liquid Nitrogen) Extreme Overclocking Gamers" to use, so most of the design is related to the Z890 AORUS MASTER This regular motherboard is going in a different direction in that the "utility" it seeks is the extreme overclocking of the LN2 rather than the everyday use of the chassis, so personally I'm analyzing this board from a slightly different perspective than I normally would.

The product features and specifications printed on the box are a bit different from the actual official website, for example, the number of PCB layers is labeled as 12-Layer PCB on the box but 10-Layer PCB on the official website, and the power supply part is labeled as 19+1+2 items on the box but 18+1+2 items on the official website, you have to ask the customer service for the details of who to use as the benchmark, but the actual power supply should be based on the official website. The actual power supply should be based on the official website.

∆ GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE, as a boy, I can only say one thing: "This Eagle God graphic is really cool!

∆ Product Features.

∆ Product specification.

∆ GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE Channel Configuration Diagram.

 

My personal dream for a motherboard was simple: white, E-ATX, 2DIMM memory overclocking model, and it didn't really matter which chipset I wanted to use because I use both Intel and AMD, so when I saw the Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE samples in person, I asked a dealer I know to arrange a custom purchase.

I've always been interested in the AORUS TACHYON, besides being a 2DIMM memory overclocking specialization model, putting the motherboard's 24-Pin power supply slot next to the SATA allows me to take a clearer picture of the memory! Otherwise, it's really ugly to have thick 24-Pin cables blocking the memory side of the motherboard every time, except for the Z790 AORUS TACHYON, which I borrowed for a short time before.Overclocking Open Box MemoryIn addition, I have always wanted to have a B650E AORUS TACHYON, but the latter is not sold in Taiwan when Amazon has shelves but I hesitated, hesitation will be defeated! I'm really sorry that I lost.

The most intuitive peculiarity of this motherboard is that the entire CPU, memory slots, VRM power blocks are rotated 90° to the left, GIGABYTE is not the first brand to rotate the core slot layout in this way, the previous EVGA Kingpin series motherboards have this kind of standardized features, but EVGA has been .... So TACHYON this time is considered to be the inheritance of this feature will take the baton to continue, this approach is not in the overclocking on any advantage of the use of welcome everyone in the bottom of the message to put forward the views of the discussion, I looked at the PCB anyway, the Layout is sure to be re-launched, I have been able to imagine GIGABYTE RD initially reluctant to discuss with the PM's screen.

The motherboard size specification is 30.5 x 28.5 cm for E-ATX, if you want to put it into a chassis, you should pay attention to whether the chassis supports E-ATX motherboards, but the people who bought this board should be used with a bare test stand or directly on the desktop, the world is my chassis is the same as no limitations.

The 18+1+2-phase VRM power supply block is fitted with an aluminum alloy heat sink with heat pipes to help dissipate the heat. The heat sink has a magnetically-attachable plate, which can be picked up to reveal the CPU's dual 8-pin power supply slots.

∆ E-ATX size Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE.

The back of the ∆ motherboard is not equipped with a metal-reinforced back plate because LN2 players use a heating plate on the back so that the motherboard can reach the minimum operating temperature, and having a reinforced back plate would hinder this ease of operation.

∆ VRM block.

∆ The magnetic trim panel still has the awesome Eagle logo when removed.

 

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 of processors are incompatible and cannot be used. However, LGA 1851 and 1700 maintain the same hole spacing on the heatsink plan, so gamers can basically use the LGA 1700 heatsink grommet set directly along the heatsink. However, LGA 1851 and 1700 maintain the same hole spacing in the heatsink layout, so gamers can basically install the LGA 1700 heatsink directly along with the LGA 1700 heatsink grommet set, unless there is a special update from the heatsink manufacturer.

However, because of the rotating installation blocks, some water coolers may cause an obsessive-compulsive disorder if they can't be adjusted, and special water coolers like the LIANLI Hydroshift AIO may need to be considered as well.

∆ Z890 will only support Intel Core Ultra 200S processors with LGA 1851 foot print, but can be used with LGA 1700 foot print coolers.

 

Let's take a look at the expansion and power supply slots on the Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE motherboard. On the upper left side of the motherboard, there are dual 8-Pin ATX_12V power supply slots for the processor and a SYS_FAN1 system fan slot.

Unlike conventional motherboards, this board stacks the ATX_12V power supply slots up and down, and reverses the direction of the latches (usually the latches are facing up; this one is facing down). I'm not sure if it's due to layout constraints or something else, but the position inside the grooves of the board is not really good for removing cables, and if you're particularly thick-fingered you might not be able to get into it. If you have thick fingers, you may not be able to get in.

In addition, if you want to use it with a magnetic cover, your power supply cable should be very, very soft. LIAN LI EDGE 1000W For the demonstration, we can see that the bending range of the cable itself will lift up the magnetic decorative cover; and the softness of the cable is very soft. MONTECH TITAN PLA 1000W It's the only way to get a perfect cover, but it's important to find a cover that works with the MONTECH TITAN PLA 1000W  It is very rare to find power supplies with the same soft cables, so there are only two choices left: don't use magnetic lids and customize the power module cables.

∆ The ATX_12V dual 8-Pin processor power supply slots in the upper left corner of the motherboard, and a fan 4-Pin slot.

∆ with common softness LIAN LI EDGE 1000W Conduct a demonstration.

∆ With a special soft MONTECH TITAN PLA 1000W It's the only way to cover up perfectly.

 

The two-slot DDR5 DIMM Dual-Clip memory slots support non-ECC Un-buffered DIMMs as well as the new Clocked Un-buffered DIMMs (CUDIMM/CKD), with a maximum expansion capacity of 128 GB total for both slots, which means a maximum capacity of 64 GB per slot.

The QVL list of this motherboard is not important at all, because it is a memory overclocking board! Anyone who buys this motherboard should be able to manually overclock the memory, and HiCookie has already demonstrated that it can overclock to DDR5 12752 MT/s (6375.8 MHz) with a single stick of memory under Liquid Nitrogen.

There are CPU_FAN and CPU_OPT slots in the middle of the memory and processor slots, where water-cooling related power supply can be installed.

∆ 2x Un-buffered DIMM DDR5 memory slots supporting up to 128GB capacity expansion, world record overclocking up to 12752 MT/s, UDIMM/CUDIMM memory support, and two CPU cooler power supply slots on the side.

∆ There is also a fan supply slot hidden next to the graphics card quick release switch.

 

In the upper right corner of the motherboard, there are two 4-Pin fan power supply slots, namely SYS_FAN2 system fan slot, FAN7_PUMP water-cooling and fan power supply slot, there is a debugging light code display next to it, so that the user can quickly check what parts of the motherboard in the process of self-testing, resulting in a failure to boot up, the user can refer to the board manual to debug the action. Users can refer to the motherboard manual for debugging action.

∆ SYS_FAN2, FAN7_PUMP slot, debug code lamp.

The ∆ Error Removal Lamp Code display quickly identifies where the problem is.

 

LN2 Liquid Nitrogen Mode Switch, BIOS_SW Dual BIOS Switch, CMOS Clear CMOS Data Button, RTY Cold Boot Retry Button, RST Reboot Button, Thunderbolt 4 Port, One Front Type-C USB 3.2 Gen2 x2 (20Gb/s) Slot, Multimeter Voltage Measurement Points.

• LIMP_MODE Protection Mode Button: The system automatically reboots with the default or safe settings, eliminating the need to clear the CMOS and reload the settings in the past.
• OC_IGNIT Exclusive Overclocking Ignition Switch: Provides overclocking enthusiasts and system installers with the ability to pre-check the water cooling circuit during system installation, and can be used without a processor installed.
• TGR button: Usually used to lower the frequency before running the score to let the temperature of the processor drop, and without changing any software settings, dialing TGR immediately after running the score can restore the frequency immediately.
• LN2 Liquid Nitrogen Mode Switch: 1 is off; 2 is on to switch to Liquid Nitrogen Optimized Mode, which effectively starts the machine at a lower temperature.
• BIOS_SW Dual BIOS Switch: The motherboard can store two versions of BIOS, you can switch the versions only when the motherboard is completely powered off during shutdown.
• RTY Cold Power On Retry Button: When the overclocking dies in the middle of the overclocking period, and both RST and LIMP_MODE reboot do not work, you can press this button to force reboot, shut down the mandatory system and retry to reboot.

∆ Many function keys for overclocking.

∆ Thunderbolt 4 port, a front Type-C USB 3.2 Gen2 x2 (20Gb/s) slot, and a multimeter voltage measurement point.

 

On the bottom right corner are the motherboard 24-Pin power supply slots, four SATA 6Gb/s, DB_SENSE noise detection sockets, EZ DeBug lamps, and more.

∆ 24-Pin power supply slots, four SATA 6Gb/s, DB_SENSE noise detection sockets, EZ DeBug lamps and more.

Demonstration of the ∆ EZ DeBug lamp number.

 

On the bottom of the motherboard are: temperature sensing cable pin (EC_TEMP), CMOS setting clear jumper slot, system front panel slot, two SYS_FAN fan power slots, one USB 2.0 (supports two front USB 2.0 ports), one USB 3.2 Gen1 slot (supports two front USB 3.2 Gen1 ports), three 5V 3-Pin ARGB_V2, 12V 4-Pin RGB, retention switch (RSV_SW is not functional at this time), HD_AUDIO audio slots. Pin ARGB_V2, 12V 4-Pin RGB, Retention Switch (RSV_SW is currently not functional), HD_AUDIO Audio Slot.

∆Thermal cable pin (EC_TEMP), CMOS setting clear jumper slot, system front panel slot, two SYS_FAN fan power supply slots, one USB 2.0 (supports two front USB 2.0 ports), one USB 3.2 Gen1 slot (supports two front USB 3.2 Gen1 ports).

∆ Three 5V 3-Pin ARGB_V2, 12V 4-Pin RGB, Retention Switch (RSV_SW not currently functional), HD_AUDIO audio slots.

There is also a fan and PUMP slot hidden on top of the ∆Network LAN chip.

 

The motherboard PCIe slots provide two x16 slots, both directly connected to the CPU channel but sharing PCIe 5.0 x16 bandwidth. When only one graphics card is installed in the first slot, it can provide full PCIe 5.0 x16 bandwidth, and when the second slot is also used for device expansion, the two slots will share the bandwidth equally and each of them will operate at PCIe 5.0 x8 bandwidth. The PCIe EZ-Latch Plus button and PCIe UD Slot X metal-reinforced design allow gamers to easily remove and install heavy graphics cards without worrying about skewed slots.

∆Two metal-reinforced PCIE 5.0 graphics card slots that can operate as single x16 or dual x8 plus x8.

∆ PCIe EZ-Latch Plus Quick Release Button.

 

I've always been a fan of GIGABYTE's M.2 Thermal Guard Ext. heatsinks with the heatsink quick-release clips, and the one-piece design with a single clip is convenient for testers like me who want to swap out their SSDs, and the Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE comes with four M.2 SSD expansion slots onboard natively.

The two M.2 SSD expansion slots above are both directly connected to the processor channel. The M2A_CPU on the left above provides PCIe Gen5 x4 bandwidth, while the M2B_CPU on the right above only supports PCIe Gen4 x4 bandwidth, and both slots support M.2 SSD expansion in 25110/22110/2580/2280 sizes.

The next two slots, M2P_SB and M2M_SB, are in the chipset lane and both support PCIe Gen4 x4 bandwidth, but the M2M_SB can also be used to support the earlier M.2 SATA, and both slots only support the 22110 and 2280 sizes.

∆ M.2 Thermal Guard Ext.

∆ M.2 Heatsink turnbuckle.

∆ Four onboard M.2 SSD expansion slots, all of which are provided with double-sided granular thermal pads.

∆ This left slot supports PCIE Gen5 x4 bandwidth.

 

I/O on the rear of the motherboard provides LIMP_MODE protection mode button, Q-Flash Plus button, PS/2 keyboard and mouse, five USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A (10 Gbps red), one Thunderbolt 4 (Type-C), RJ-45 5 GB LAN wired network jack, Wi-Fi 7 antenna port, optical S/PDIF digital audio output, two audio ports. /PDIF digital audio output, two audio ports.

The entire motherboard has two Thunderbolt 4 (Type-C) ports that support DisplayPort and Thunderbolt processors with built-in graphics outputs, which can be accessed through the internal display to allow users to have additional display output slots available, up to a maximum resolution of 5120×2880@60 Hz with 24 bpp.

∆Rear I/O at a glance, the boards are separate because almost no one who buys this board will put it into a case.

∆ Rear I/O details.

∆ File Board Installation Demonstration.

∆ Quick Release Magnetic WiFi 7 Antenna Installation Showcase.

 

Extra accessories for the motherboard include: WiFi 7 antenna set, 2x SATA cables, 2x temperature measurement cables, noise measurement cables, chassis I/O integration buttons, and four M.2 thermal pads.

Surprisingly, this board doesn't come with a DDR Wind Blade fan to help cool the DDR5 memory, but most overclockers just use the 12 cm fan on it, which is much more convenient and efficient.

∆ Accessories at a glance.

 

Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE Motherboard Power Supply / 18+1+2 Phase Power Supply, 10 Layer PCB

The Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE motherboard adopts the 18+1+2 Digital VRM Design architecture, where the 18-phase 110A SPS is responsible for the CPU VCORE Phases, 1-phase 80A SPS is responsible for the VCCGT Phases (memory overclocking related), and the last 2-phase 80A SPS are responsible for the VCCSA Phases, and tantalum polymer capacitors are used for better overclocking stability. The last 2 phases of 80A SPS are responsible for VCCSA Phases and use Tantalum Polymer capacitors for better overclocking stability.

If you want a high resolution photo of the power supply you can refer toLink。

∆ The motherboard heatsink is disassembled and contains a nickel-plated heatpipe.

∆ 18+1+2 Digital VRM Design Framework.

The ∆ 18-phase 110A SPS for CPU VCORE Phases chip is the Renesas R2209004.

The ∆ 2+1 Phase 80A SPS for VCCSA Phases and VCCGT Phase is the Renesas ISL99380.

∆ Renesas RAA229131 PWM controller chip.

∆ Renesas RAA229134 Switching Controllers.

∆ niko-sem PK6H6BA N-Channel Enhancement Mode MOSFET.

∆ Diodes Incorporated PI3EQX1 Linear ReDrivers to rear USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports.

∆ Realtek RTS5464 USB-C PD, CC logic chip.

∆ Nuvoton NCT3941S/S-A Fan IC.

∆ Renesas Realtek RTL8126 5G wired network chip.

∆ Renesas Realtek ALC1220 audio chip.

∆ Dual BIOS chip.

∆ The Macronix MX25V4035F CMOS FLASH MEMORY chip is on the left and the ITE IT87952E Super I/O ring controller chip is on the right.

The ∆ ITE IT5711E-128 should be responsible for Q FLASH PLUS and RGB management.

∆ ASMedia ASM3142 USB 3.1 host controller chip.

∆ ITE IT8696E Super I/O environmental control chip.

∆ Z890 chipset.

∆ The mainboard battery is CR2032.

 

BIOS Function Setting Menu

After the motherboard has passed the self-check program, press the F2 or DEL button to enter the EASY MODE of the BIOS, where gamers can set up the basic functions, such as memory XMP one-click overclocking and so on.

I've tested it on a Z790 motherboard before. GIGABYTE PerfDrive For the performance difference of the function, the default GIGABYTE PerfDrive in the F1 version will be the Intel Default Setting-Peformance profile, which is manually adjusted to Spec Enhance during the author's testing.

∆ EASY MODE.

∆ Smart Fan 6 Fan speed curve setting.

 

If you need to set more details, press Advanced in EASY MODE to enter Advanced Mode. In Advanced Mode, you can adjust the voltage, frequency, or other parameters, and also see the "Biscuits CP Score", which can roughly estimate the quality and grade of the processor you have. The CP score of Biscuits can roughly estimate the quality and grade of your processor, and the author's processor is 85.928 CP.

∆ My favorite default common overclocking related settings.

∆ Tweaker is related to overclocking setting, the upper part is basically for CPU and memory basic adjustment.

∆ Advanced Processor Settings Upper half.

The ∆ advanced processor is set to the lower half.

∆ Advanced memory setting.

∆ Tweaker is related to overclocking setting, and the following is related to voltage setting.

∆ The advanced voltage setting of the processor.

∆ Processor/VRM Settings.

∆ Memory voltage setting related.

∆ DDR5 voltage setting.

∆ Settings.

∆ IO Ports tab Re-Size BAR here.

∆ System Info.

 

GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE Motherboard Lighting Effects

The Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE motherboard doesn't have any on-board RGB lighting, so if you want to get the lighting effect, you have to rely on other hardware devices to connect to the ARGB / RGB slots.

∆ The motherboard itself has no lighting effects.

∆ The motherboard's own colorful heatsinks are all that's needed to keep up the aesthetic points.

 

GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE Motherboard Performance Testing

The GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE motherboard is equipped with a 24-core, 24-thread Intel Core Ultra 9 285K processor, the motherboard BIOS is updated to version F1, and the memory is built on a barebones platform using the XPG LANCER RGB DDR5 8000MT/s 2X 24GB dual-channel memory kit. memory using XPG LANCER RGB DDR5 8000MT/s 2X 24GB dual-channel memory kit.

Extra handles GIGABYTE PerfDrive Manually set to Spec Enhance, Memory Enable XMP Profile 1, Memory Enable High Bandwidth & Low Latency FeaturesThe test is conducted with the memory performance mode set to Enhanced Performance.

Testing Platform

Processor:Intel Core Ultra 9 285K QS (GIGABYTE PerfDrive-Spec Enhance)
Cooler: Valkyrie E360 (full speed)
Water-cooled fan: LIAN LI UNI FAN P28 (full speed)
Motherboard: Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE ( BIOS version: F1)
Memory: XPG LANCER RGB DDR5 8000MT/s 2X 24GB CL 40-48-48-128 1.45V
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Founders Edition 8GB
Operating System: Windows 11 Professional 24H2
System Dish:Kingston NV3 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD 2TB
Power supply: MONTECH TITAN PLA 1000W
Case: STREACOM BC1 Benchtable V2
Graphics driver: GeForce Game Ready 561.09

 

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, series code name Arrow Lake using TSMC process, motherboard using Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE to support PCI-E 5.0 lanes, and the BIOS is F1 version.

Also ran CPU-Z internal tests Version 19.01.64(beta)The results are provided for your reference.

∆ CPU-Z information at a glance and Version 19.01.64(beta) built-in 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 XMP open, the read speed was 120.46 GB/s, the write speed was 102.43 GB/s, the copy speed was 109.43 GB/s, and the latency was 80.9 ns.

∆ AIDA64 cache and memory test.

 

new version Cinebench 2024 MAXON ONE is Maxon's benchmark software for MAXON ONE software. MAXON ONE includes Cinema 4D, Red Giant Complete, Redshift, ZBrush, Universe, and Forger, and is a powerful tool for creating animation effects, motion design, motion graphics, film-grade portraits, and game art scenes. Each of these software programs fits together to provide a complete visual solution for creators.

Cinebench 2024 uses Cinema 4D's default Redshift rendering engine to test GPU and CPU performance. If multiple graphics cards are used to run Cinebench 2024 tests, the software utilizes multiple cards for the rendering tests at the same time, and Cinebench 2024 performs multiple rendering tests with six times the amount of computation when compared to Cinebench R23. Compared to Cinebench R23, the Cinebench 2024 multi-threaded rendering tests show a six-fold increase in the amount of computation for scenes. This reflects improvements in CPU performance and the higher hardware requirements that multimedia workers must now meet.

∆ Cinebench 2024.

 

Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (Intel XTU) is Intel's official free software for overclocking, monitoring and boosting. The built-in Intel XTU Benchmark 2.0 can be used to test the multi-core computing capability of the processor, and the following results are provided for reference.

There are now two versions of Intel XTU available for download, version 7.14.2.14 supports only unlocked Intel Core processors (14th generation) and older processors, while version 10.x or a future update supports only unlocked Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2) and newer processors.

∆ Intel XTU Benchmark 2.0.

 

V-Ray 6 Benchmark The V-Ray engine test software is an image rendering program developed by Chaos Group. The free Benchmark examines the rendering speeds of the CPU and GPU on the V-Ray engine, while the V-Ray program tests the rendering performance of the processor, with the 285K test platform scoring 44,784 points.

∆ V-Ray 6 Benchmark.

 

Corona Benchmark is a free test software based on the Corona 10 rendering core that evaluates the performance of a system by using Corona 10 rendered scenes to measure the rendering speed of the system in terms of rays per second (rays/s). More rays per second means faster rendering, and the scores are linearly scaled. For example, a system with 6 million rays per second will have twice the rendering speed and performance of a system with 3 million rays per second.

∆ Corona Benchmark.

 

Geekbench 6 CPU Benchmark can be used to test CPU and memory performance, including data compression, image processing, machine learning, optical tracking, and many other daily use and professional productivity tests.

∆ Geekbench 6_ CPU Benchmark.

 

CrystalMark Retro 1.0.2 It is a comprehensive benchmark software that measures CPU, HDD, 2D graphics (GDI) and 3D graphics (OpenGL) performance. Developed by hiyohiyo and koinec, the authors of CrystalDiskMark and CrystalDiskInfo, the results are individual scores and not in any common units.

∆ CrystalMark Retro 1.0.2.

 

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.

 

OCCT CPU BENCHMARK CONFIGURATION Single thread and Multiple threads will be tested using AVX and SSE instruction sets respectively.

∆ OCCT CPU BENCHMARK CONFIGURATION.

 

Use with empty disk CrystalDiskMark Software to test ADATA LEGEND 970 PRO PCIe Gen5 x4 M.2 2280 2TB Read and write performance on the motherboard was tested in NVMe SSD configuration mode with the file size set to 1GiB, and sequential read and write speeds of 11656 MB/s and 10573 MB/s were measured in the default profile.

The Z890 chipset motherboard is limited by the IOE D2D bandwidth between the SoC tile and the IOE tile, so the onboard native slots with PCIE Gen5 x4 SSDs can't run at the theoretical speed of about 12000 MB/s, but if the M.2 SSDs are mounted on an adapter card using the PCIE slot of the graphics card, they can run at 14000 MB/s. The PCIE 5.0 x16 slot of the graphics card is in the SoC tile; the onboard M.2 PCIE Gen5 x4 SSD slots are in the IOE tile; the M.2 PCIE Gen5 x4 SSD slots are in the SoC tile. The M.2 SSD can run up to 14000 MB/s if installed by an adapter card using the PCIE 5.0 x16 slot of the graphics card, because the PCIE 5.0 x16 slot of the graphics card uses a SoC tile, while the M.2 PCIE Gen5 x4 SSD slot on the board uses an IOE tile, and the two are on different wafers.

∆ CrystalDiskMark Settings:NVMe SSD / Profile:Default, Sequential Read/Write and Random Read/Write test scores.

 

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 measure the performance of MAX, 16, 8, 4, 2 and 1 threads respectively, while the performance of 16 threads and above is more for 3D rendering or audio/video professional work, most of the mainstream DirectX 12 games 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、3D Mark 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.

 

After two hours of testing the software, the GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE motherboard was tested on the barebones platform with no additional fan blowing directly on it, with the VRM MOS maxing out at 51 °C and the PCH maxing out at 37 °C. The VRM MOS was also tested on the barebones platform without any additional fan blowing directly on it.

∆ During the above series of test software scores, a maximum MOS temperature of 51 °C was recorded using HWiNFO 64 at the same time.

 

Air-cooled Memory Overclocking Test

In the memory frequency overclocking section, the author switched to the Clock Driver (CKD) chip. G.SKILL Trident Z5 CK Turbo CK DDR5-8800 48GB (2x24GB) The memory is overclocked and can boot into the system at Gear2 9000 MT/s in Dual-Channel mode with 2DIMMs based on DDR5-8800 CL42-55-55-140 in XMP Profile 1.

∆ Memory Frequency Overclocking Conversion G.SKILL Trident Z5 CK Turbo CK DDR5-8800 48GB (2x24GB) Memory is overclocked.

∆ Manual overclocking is fed into the system with Gear 2 9000 MT/s CL42-55-55-140.

 

Then I manually overclocked the Gear 4 and tried to manually overclock to 10266 MT/s in 2DIMMs (Dual-Channel mode) to enter the system.

The challenge of the impact of single-bar memory frequency will be postponed for the time being. The author is going to have a surgery in the next few days and will enter the recuperation period, and will share the progress of overclocking with you if there is any progress.

∆ Manual Overclocking Gear 4 DDR5 10266 MT/s.

 

Conclusion

I finally had a chance to unbox the GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE motherboard designed for LN2 extreme overclocking! Looking at this motherboard, you're bound to say, "This design is really impractical, why is it designed this way"? But as I said earlier, this motherboard is designed for LN2 Liquid Nitrogen overclocking, not for daily use with all-in-one water cooling and chassis mounting, so even for overclocking enthusiasts like the author with all-in-one water cooling and air-cooled RAM (I have no choice but to play with LN2, I can't afford it), this is not the board's target group.

White, E-ATX, 2DIMM memory overclocking models, side 24-Pin power supply slots, etc., this motherboard meets the author's needs for overclocking test motherboards out of the box, well the first two is my appearance of the pie with the expansion of the requirements, but unfortunately this board is not in the first wave of the Z890 motherboards on sale time on the market, and hard to wait for several months is indeed much slower than the competitors, that I said! How long will it take for the X870 AORUS TACHYON ICE to be released? Australian overclockers are already overclocking and have not yet shopped! (KNOCKING ON BOWL)

This motherboard has the record of overclocking master HiCookie, want to challenge its DDR5 12752 MT/s (6375.8 MHz) world record? You are welcome to try it out yourself! But don't say something like: "If you buy it, you are guaranteed to get DDR5 12752 MT/s"? Don't say this kind of shameful nonsense, if the same platform can be overclocked to the world record, then what's the fun of overclocking?

 

Moving on to the competitor comparison, the current 2DIMM memory overclocking motherboard model of the Z890 chipset is available in each of the other homes:ASRock ASRock Z890 Taichi OCFThe Z890 APEX, Z890 UNIFY-X, and Z890 UNIFY-X are among the top 20 motherboards, with 1 GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE, 6 Z890 Taichi OCF, 11 Z890 APEX, and 1 Z890 UNIFY-X. The majority of these motherboards are still occupied by OCF and APEX. There are 1 GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE, 6 GIGABYTE Z890 Taichi OCF, 11 GIGABYTE Z890 APEX, 1 GIGABYTE Z890 UNIFY-X in the top 20 list, OCF and APEX still dominate the top 20 list, and the highest rankings for each model are TACHYON ICE, OCF, APEX, UNIFY-X, UNIFY-X, UNIFY-X, UNIFY-X, UNIFY-X, UNIFY-X.

From the number of ASUS is still the largest (after all, the amount of capital and faith is the most), followed by ASRock Z890 Taichi OCF because this generation of memory overclocking ability for all to see, and TACHYON ICE and UNIFY-X are only one person to use, Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE just started volume production to shop, so no one use it. The Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE has only just started mass production so it makes sense that not many people are using it yet, but how come the little lizard has been out for so long .... No one is using it (is there a problem with the marketing, you can't rely on Lin Dong to support it)?

In terms of NTD price, the Z890 AORUS TACHYON ICE (NTD 24990),ASRock Z890 Taichi OCF (NTD 19990), Z890 APEX (NTD 19990), Z890 UNIFY-X (NTD 18190), each with a five-year warranty, GIGABYTE is undoubtedly the most expensive, depending on whether you personally have a few key points because of the E-ATX, the white appearance, the 90-degree swivel slots, etc., so that you're willing to pay the difference in price, and then it is to consider the consumers! Then it's time to consider the consumer's brand beliefs, BIOS familiarity, and the different overclocking features of each motherboard to make a decision on what to choose.