Pros & Cons
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- Six M.2 Slots
- Robust power design
- Top-tier audio hardware
- Excellent networking hardware
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- Only two 3.5mm jacks on the rear I/O panel
- Bland aesthetics
ASRock Z890 Taichi Specs
| aRGB Headers | 3 |
| Chipset | Intel Z890 |
| CPU Socket | Intel LGA 1851 |
| Ethernet Jacks | 1 |
| Form Factor | ATX |
| M.2 Slots | 6 |
| Maximum Memory Speed | 9600 |
| Maximum Supported Memory | 256 |
| Memory Type | DDR5 |
| No. of Audio Channels | 3.1 or 4.0 |
| No. of DIMM Slots | 4 |
| Onboard Audio Chipset | ESS Sabre9219 + Realtek ALC4082 |
| Onboard Video Out for IGP (Rear Panel) | HDMI |
| Onboard Wireless | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) |
| PCI Express x16 Slots | 2 |
| S/PDIF Port | |
| SATA Connectors | 4 |
| Thunderbolt 3 or 4 Ports (Rear Panel) | 2 |
| USB 2.0 Ports Onboard (Rear Panel) | 2 |
| USB 2.0 Ports Supported Via Header | 4 |
| USB 3.0, 3.1, or 3.2 Ports Onboard (Rear Panel) | 10 |
| USB 3.0, 3.1, or 3.2 Ports Supported Via Header | 3 |
| USB Type-C Header |
ASRock’s long-running line of Taichi motherboards often ranks among the best available for any given platform—and the new ASRock Z890 Taichi lives up to the legacy. At a $499 list price, this motherboard doesn’t come cheap, but it's well worth considering for luxury desktop builds, featuring six M.2 expansion slots, top-notch audio hardware, and excellent networking capabilities, among other notable features. The ASRock Z890 Taichi earns our Editors' Choice award among motherboards for high-end Intel mainstream CPUs.
Design and Features: Low-Key Looks With Lots to Love
Aesthetically, the ASRock Z890 Taichi motherboard looks a bit plain: It's predominantly black (like most boards today), enlivened with some copper-colored dots and lines, as well as gear images etched into the rear I/O shroud and the heatspreaders that cover the M.2 slots and chipset. A dash of color would help the board stand out visually—even its RGB LED lights look generic—but you'll find even plainer models on the market. And looks aren’t that important in the first place.
The Z890 Taichi features a potent power subsystem that includes two large heatsinks to keep the board’s MOSFETs, or metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors, from overheating. ASRock states that the board features a 20+1+2+1+1 power-phase configuration, with 20 phases dedicated to the CPU and utilizing circuitry capable of handling up to 110 amps of current. ASRock didn't specify what the other MOSFETs do and how much power they can handle. Ultimately, it’s not a significant concern, as the power hardware is relatively robust and exceeds what most affordable motherboards provide.
Audio Controller: Top-End Sound From Up to Four Speakers
The ASRock packs some of the best audio hardware you'll find on motherboards today, but it suffers from some questionable design choices. The board features an ESS Sabre9219 digital audio converter, which has a signal-to-noise ratio of 130dB and powers the audio connections on the rear I/O panel. A second audio codec, a Realtek ALC4082, handles the front-panel audio.
(Credit: Michael Justin Allen Sexton)ASRock took care to support the audio hardware by separating the left and right audio channels on separate PCB layers and using high-end audio capacitors. But the rear I/O panel only supports two 3.5mm audio jacks, so the best possible configuration you can have is 3.1 or 4 channels. The only way to get a 5.1 speaker setup is to use optical or HDMI audio.
Networking Features: The Latest in Wireless Connectivity
The networking hardware on the ASRock Z890 Taichi is just what you’d expect from a modern high-end motherboard. You'll find two network interface controllers (NICs): one that supports 5Gbit/s data-transfer speeds (a Realtek RTL8126 controller) and the other, a Realtek Dragon RTL8125BG, which tops out at 2.5Gbit/s.
You also get top-notch wireless internet access with the ASRock Z890 Taichi's 802.11be 2x2 Wi-Fi 7 controller. This radio module also supports Bluetooth 5.4.
Building Experience, Connections, and Headers: Stress-Free and Super-Stacked
Building a PC with the ASRock Z890 Taichi motherboard goes smoothly, without any major issues. Most of the headers are located along the right and bottom edges of the motherboard, which are generally easy to access in most PC cases. The same applies to the fan headers on top of the motherboard, but the CPU connectors on top are another matter: As with most motherboards, these connectors will be difficult to reach.
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(Credit: Michael Justin Allen Sexton)The ASRock Taichi Z890 is downright extravagant with M.2 slots, with a whopping total of six—maybe the highest number I’ve seen on a motherboard. That's probably more than you will ever need, but welcome to have if you ever want to load up on ultra-fast SSD storage.
Only the first slot supports a PCIe 5.0 x4 connection, while all of the rest are PCIe 4.0 x4 compliant. The primary M.2 slot features a dedicated heatspreader, whereas the other five share a single heatspreader that also makes contact with the motherboard’s chipset heatsink.
(Credit: Michael Justin Allen Sexton)You'll also find four SATA-III ports on the motherboard, although the Z890 chipset technically supports up to eight. Still, SATA storage devices have been waning in popularity, making it unlikely that most people will ever need four, let alone more.
Rear I/O Panel: Well-Equipped for Top-End Builds
The Z890 Taichi's rear I/O panel provides excellent connectivity support. A dozen USB ports are spread across the panel, with all but two being Type-A. The other two ports, USB Type-C, support both Thunderbolt 4 and USB4, with a maximum bandwidth of 40GB/s. These Type-C ports also double as video outputs. Alongside these, you'll find an HDMI port, an optical SPDIF port, and two 3.5mm audio jacks. Located nearby are the external networking connections, two antenna jacks, and two RJ-45 LAN ports.
(Credit: Michael Justin Allen Sexton)Finally, the rear I/O panel includes a couple of buttons: a BIOS reset switch to restore factory defaults and another that allows you to install a new version of the BIOS from a flash drive.
BIOS: A Familiar and Friendly Interface
Speaking of the BIOS, the ASRock Z890 Taichi uses one similar to those on other recent ASRock motherboards. To access the EZ Mode BIOS interface, boot the system while pressing either F2 or the Delete key.
(Credit: ASRock)From here, you can make several changes to the system, including setting a memory profile, changing the boot priority, flashing the BIOS to a new version, viewing the hardware installed on the motherboard, and adjusting fan settings, among other options.
(Credit: ASRock)For basic setup, you won’t need to go further than this. For more complex tasks, such as overclocking or fine-tuning specific settings, you will need to access the advanced BIOS menu.