ASRock
ASRock X870E Taichi
AM5 · X870E · E-ATX
8.6
$500MSRP3 videos
ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero
Flagship-class Z890 ATX board with 6 M.2 slots, dual Thunderbolt 4, 5GbE and Wi-Fi 7 for no-compromise Core Ultra builds.
- LGA1851
- Z890
- ATX
- DDR5
- 6
PCPR score
8.7
Excellent
R1
The short version
The ROG Maximus Z890 Hero is ASUS's top mainstream Z890 ATX board, with a 22-stage 110A power design for Core Ultra 200S chips. It packs six M.2 slots (three PCIe 5.0), two Thunderbolt 4 ports, 5GbE plus 2.5GbE, Wi-Fi 7 and tool-less M.2 and PCIe release mechanisms. Reviewers praise the feature set and SSD cooling; the main caveats are the high price and the sheer weight of the board.
Pros
- Six M.2 slots, three of them PCIe 5.0 x4, with M.2 heatsinks and tool-less latches
- Two Thunderbolt 4 ports, 5GbE plus 2.5GbE and 2x2 Wi-Fi 7 on board
- 22-stage 110A power design with dual 8-pin CPU power inputs
- BIOS FlashBack and Clear CMOS buttons on the rear I/O, plus a debug display
- DDR5 support listed up to 9200+ MT/s (OC) with CUDIMM support
Cons
- High price for an ATX board
- Heavy board that some cases and mounting setups need to account for
- Using M.2_3 or M.2_4 drops the PCIe 5.0 graphics slot to x8
Best for
- High-end Core Ultra 9 gaming builds
- Builders who want many fast SSDs and Thunderbolt without add-in cards
- Overclockers using DDR5 at very high speeds
J3
Full specifications
Core
- Socket
- LGA1851
- Chipset
- Z890
- Form factor
- ATX
Memory
- Memory type
- DDR5
- Memory slots type
- DIMM
- Memory slots
- 4
- Max memory
- 256 GB
- Max memory speed (OC)
- 9,200 MT/s
Expansion
- M.2 slots
- 6
- M.2 PCIe 5.0 slots
- 3
- M.2 PCIe 4.0 slots
- 3
- M.2 PCIe 3.0 slots
- 0
- Supports M.2 22110
- Yes
- SATA ports
- 4
- PCIe x16 slots
- 1
- Primary PCIe slot version
- 5.0
- PCIe x4 slots
- 1
- PCIe x1 slots
- 1
Connectivity
- Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi 7
- Bluetooth
- 5.4
- Ethernet speed
- 5 GbE
- Ethernet ports
- 2
Ports & I/O
- USB4 / Thunderbolt ports
- 2
- Rear USB-C ports
- 3
- Rear USB-A ports
- 8
- Front USB-C header
- Yes
- USB 3 headers
- 2
- USB 2 headers
- 2
- HDMI outputs (iGPU)
- 1
- DisplayPort outputs (iGPU)
- 0
Cooling
- Fan headers
- 8
- ARGB headers (5V)
- 3
Power
- CPU power
- 2x 8-pin
Fit
- Back-connect (BTF / Project Zero)
- No
Features
- BIOS flashback
- Yes
- BIOS note
- Core Ultra 200S (Series 2) is the launch platform. ASUS lists updated OS requirements for the CPU family on the spec page.
Physical
- Color
- Black
Compatibility notes
- The primary PCIe 5.0 x16 slot runs at x8 when either M.2_3 or M.2_4 is populated, per the ASUS spec page.
- Rear video outputs for integrated graphics are one HDMI port and two Thunderbolt 4 ports.
- Uses an LGA1851 socket, so it only fits Core Ultra 200S processors.
P1
Where to buy
- Buy from the maker
ASUS official page
Direct link
- Check price on Amazon
Amazon
Search this retailer
- See it at Newegg
Newegg
Search this retailer
- See it at Best Buy
Best Buy
Search this retailer
- See it at B&H
B&H Photo
Search this retailer
- See it at Micro Center
Micro Center
Search this retailer
We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. It never affects our scores or what we recommend. Prices move quickly, so confirm the final price at the retailer.
AV1
Video reviews
Positive · Review
Asus ROG Z890 Maximus Hero feature review and performance highlights
The Provoked Prawn
The reviewer walks through the Maximus Z890 Hero's features and shows gaming and benchmark results from several builds, with BIOS updates applied along the way.
Positive · Unboxing
The ULTIMATE Next Gen Board! - ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z890 HERO - Unboxing & Overview! (Intel Core Ultra)
Jordan Ash
An unboxing and hardware overview of the Maximus Z890 Hero from around the Arrow Lake launch, covering the board layout and bundled extras.
Overview · Unboxing
ROG MAXIMUS Z890 HERO - First look!
GGF Events
A first look at the Z890 Hero from the ROG media kit, showing what ships in the box and the board itself.
AV2
What reviewers and owners say
PC Gamer
PositiveCalls it nearly all the motherboard an Arrow Lake gaming build could need, praising six M.2 slots, strong SSD cooling and quick-release mechanisms, but notes its weight and very high price.
Review
Read the sourceClub386
NeutralA lineup guide that places the Hero alongside the Extreme and Apex, noting it shares the 22+1+2+2 110A power-stage design with the Apex while sitting below the Extreme.
Review
Read the source
Summaries are written in our words. Follow the links for each source’s own review.
R9
Common questions
Is the ROG Maximus Z890 Hero compatible with Core Ultra 200S processors?
Yes. It is an LGA1851 Z890 board built for Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) desktop processors, and ASUS notes that updated OS requirements apply to that CPU family.
Will a PCIe 5.0 SSD slow down my graphics card?
ASUS states that the PCIe 5.0 x16 slot drops to x8 when the M.2_3 or M.2_4 slot is occupied, so use M.2_1 for a Gen5 drive if you want the graphics card to keep all 16 lanes.
Does the Hero have Wi-Fi 7?
Yes, it has 2x2 Wi-Fi 7 with Bluetooth 5.4. ASUS notes that Windows 11 24H2 or later is needed for the full Wi-Fi 7 feature set.
J9Alternatives
