Gigabyte’s $209 Z890M Aorus Elite WiFi7 Ice packs 15 phases into white Micro ATX form

Gigabyte has listed the Z890M Aorus Elite WiFi7 Ice on Amazon for $209. The Micro ATX motherboard is designed for Intel Core Ultra 200S Plus processors and brings many features of the larger ATX model to a compact form factor.

The board includes three M.2 sockets and four SATA ports. The primary M.2 slot runs at PCIe 5.0 x4 speeds, while the other two operate at PCIe 4.0 x4. Two full-length PCIe slots are available, with the main slot supporting PCIe 5.0 x16. Gigabyte states that the design includes full heatsink coverage across the board, a feature often omitted in this price range. The package also includes six 4-pin fan headers rated for 24W each and two RGB lighting zones.

Network connectivity consists of 2.5 GbE Ethernet and Wi-Fi 7, though the wireless chip is limited to 160 MHz channels. Audio handling relies on the Realtek ALC897 codec. Memory support extends to DDR5-9200 in overclocked configurations. In testing, a DDR5-8800 kit failed to function correctly, while a DDR5-8200 kit ran without issues. The reviewer advises users to check the qualified vendor list for optimal stability.

Power delivery is handled by 15 phases, with 12 dedicated to the CPU core. The system uses dual 8-pin EPS connectors and 60A DrMOS components, providing a total capacity of 720A. This setup supports processors including the Core Ultra 9 285K, though the reviewer notes that heavy overclocking on higher-end chips may require strong case airflow.

The rear panel offers nine USB ports, including one USB4 Type-C port at 40 Gbps with DisplayPort output. A separate DisplayPort 2.1 output is also present. The board supports RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 for NVMe drives. In performance testing, the motherboard delivered average results, performing well in 3DMark and gaming benchmarks. It includes AI Perfdrive software for one-click BIOS presets.

The box contains two white SATA cables, a rubber pad, an extra M.2 thermal pad, an EZ front panel connector, and an installation guide. The design includes tool-free installation features such as EZ-Latch and EZ-Click M.2 mounting.