ASUS ROG Strix Z890-I Gaming WiFi Review
Conclusion
Conclusion
The ASUS ROG Strix Z890-I Gaming WiFi is a great option if you want a smaller footprint motherboard without compromising any of the elements that make the Z890 chipset so desirable.
We often talk about the cleverness of designers in arranging components neatly, and with an ITX motherboard that’s even more true. This ASUS ROG Strix Z890-I goes above and beyond by utilising verticality too, as well as every nook and cranny their design team could find. Heck they’ve even provided you with an external box to have another couple of USB ports, and that’s just as happy on your desk as it is attached – magnetically – to the side of your case.
Just look at the picture that has graced each page of this review. There are ARGB headers for the AURA Sync lighting. You’ve got a fan header in the tiny gap between the LGA1851 CPU Socket and the M.2 heatsink. And, of course, that M.2 heatsink itself. Two Gen5 M.2s, with a heatsink and thick thermal pads, and a fan to help keep everything cool and thus working at maximum speed. It’s an exercise in efficient design. In a world that often, foolishly, believes bigger is better, the Strix proves that compact can be beautiful too.
Performance is very much on a par with the majority of Z890 motherboards we’ve tested. Whilst the Strix Z890-I might never have topped our charts, it was also never disgraced. The small footprint doesn’t mean small capabilities, even when we were thrashing it hard. The beefy power design and excellent actively cooled VRMs keep things running hard all day. If that isn’t enough the memory supports up to DDR5 9200 with its dual channel design. High performance is also there when you look at the connectivity with two Thunderbolt 4 ports available.
So what don’t we like? Not much. As before we’re not keen on the pixelated theme the Strix seems perennially stuck with. We didn’t like it at launch, and time hasn’t softened our opinion. We think the Strix name deserves better. You also have the normal compromises with an ITX motherboard; limited M.2 slots, SATA slots, USB ports etc. But that’s because we’re storage hogs so two M.2s just aren’t enough.
The ASUS ROG Strix Z890-I Gaming WiFi is nearly everything you could want from a small form factor and wins our OC3D Gamers Choice Award.
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