White Board Pricing: Gigabyte Sets Z890M Cost at $209
The Micro ATX motherboard includes full heatsink coverage and PCIe 5.0 slots for Intel Core Ultra 200S Plus chips.
By Alina Ndlovu ·
A compact white motherboard for Intel processors is now available on Amazon for $209. The Gigabyte Z890M Aorus Elite WiFi7 Ice carries features from larger ATX boards into a smaller Micro ATX form factor.
The board supports Intel's Core Ultra 200S Plus processors. It includes three M.2 sockets and four SATA ports for storage. Networking hardware consists of 2.5 GbE Ethernet and Wi-Fi 7, although the wireless chip is limited to 160 MHz channels. Audio is handled by a Realtek ALC897 codec.
Heatsink coverage extends across the lower half of the board, a feature often omitted in this price range. A large heatsink protects the primary M.2 socket. Two RGB lighting zones are located near the voltage regulator modules and the chipset. Six 4-pin fan headers provide power to cooling components.
The primary M.2 socket runs at PCIe 5.0 x4 speeds through the CPU. The other two M.2 sockets run at PCIe 4.0 x4 through the chipset. The board supports RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 for NVMe drives. Two full-length PCIe slots are present, with the first running at PCIe 5.0 x16 and the second at PCIe 4.0 x4. A large graphics card may block access to the second slot.
Power delivery includes 15 phases, with 12 dedicated to the CPU core. Dual 8-pin connectors feed 60A DrMOS parts, creating a total of 720A. This setup handles the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, Core Ultra 5 250K Plus, and Core Ultra 9 285K. The review advises maintaining good airflow for heavy overclocking on the top two chips.
Memory support lists speeds up to DDR5-9200 with overclocking. In testing, a DDR5-8800 kit failed to function properly, while a DDR5-8200 kit ran without issues. The reviewer suggests using the memory qualification list for best results. Rear I/O includes nine USB ports and a single USB4 Type-C port at 40 Gbps.
Performance benchmarks described the board as average, with strong results in 3DMark and gaming tests. The package includes two white SATA cables, a rubber pad, an extra M.2 thermal pad, an EZ front panel connector, and an installation guide. Tool-free mounting features for the M.2 drives are included.
Source: Tom's Hardware
