ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero Review

There are motherboards that simply provide somewhere to install your CPU, RAM, graphics card and storage, and then there are motherboards like the ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero. This is very much the latter. The Hero is designed as a premium foundation for a high-end gaming PC, and almost every part of the board reflects that philosophy. From its substantial power delivery and PCIe 5.0 support through to Wi-Fi 7, 5Gb Ethernet, Thunderbolt 4 and an impressive amount of storage expansion, this is a motherboard aimed squarely at gamers and enthusiasts who want to build a system without having to worry about replacing the motherboard anytime soon.

The Z890 Hero supports Intel's Core Ultra 200S processors using the LGA1851 socket, giving Intel's latest desktop platform a seriously capable home. ASUS has equipped the board with a 22+1+2+2 power design, including 22 VCCCORE power stages rated at 110A each. There are also substantial VRM heatsinks, 10K-rated capacitors and MicroFine alloy chokes. You don't need to understand every one of those specifications to appreciate what they mean in practice. ASUS has built a power delivery system with considerably more capacity than most gamers will ever need, which is exactly what we want to see on a premium motherboard. It gives the board plenty of headroom for high-end Core Ultra processors and enthusiast tuning without making the motherboard itself a potential limitation.

That becomes particularly important when building around one of Intel's more powerful processors. The Hero isn't going to be the component holding your CPU back, and ASUS has also included a range of features aimed at enthusiasts who want to experiment with performance tuning. There are dedicated Start, ReTry and FlexKey buttons, along with Q-Code and Q-LED diagnostics. These might not sound particularly exciting on paper, but anyone who has built or upgraded a PC knows how frustrating it can be when a system refuses to POST. Having proper diagnostic features built directly into the motherboard can make troubleshooting considerably easier.

One of the biggest reasons to consider the Z890 Hero is its connectivity. This is where the board really starts to separate itself from more conventional gaming motherboards. There is a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot for your graphics card, along with additional PCIe expansion slots, while storage support is particularly impressive. The Hero features six M.2 slots in total, including three PCIe 5.0 x4 slots and three PCIe 4.0 x4 slots. That means you can build a seriously high-speed storage setup without immediately running out of M.2 connections. For a gaming PC with a large library, this is a major advantage because you can dedicate fast drives to your operating system, games, applications and other data without relying on slower SATA storage.

This is particularly relevant when you consider where high-end SSDs are heading. We've recently tested Samsung's 9100 PRO and recorded sequential speeds of more than 12GB/s read and 13GB/s write in CrystalDiskMark. A drive like that needs a PCIe 5.0 interface to reach its full potential, and the Z890 Hero provides exactly that. You can install a PCIe 5.0 SSD as your primary drive, add another high-speed drive for your game library and still have additional PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots available for bulk storage. For enthusiasts, that flexibility is a big part of what you're paying for with the Hero.

There is one important consideration when planning a high-end storage configuration. ASUS notes that using certain M.2 slots can cause the primary PCIe 5.0 graphics slot to operate at x8 rather than x16. This isn't something that will affect every configuration, and PCIe 5.0 x8 still provides substantial bandwidth, but it is something worth knowing before filling every M.2 slot. If you're building around an extremely high-end graphics card and several PCIe 5.0 SSDs, it's worth planning your storage configuration before you start installing everything.

Memory support is also exactly what we'd expect from a motherboard at this level. The Hero features four DDR5 DIMM slots with support for up to 256GB of memory, along with high-speed memory support, XMP and ASUS' memory optimisation technologies. While ASUS quotes extremely high overclocked memory speeds, we wouldn't recommend buying RAM purely because it has the biggest number on the box. For gaming, a good-quality DDR5 kit with sensible timings and enough capacity is far more important than chasing an extreme memory frequency that may require considerable tuning. The important thing is that the Hero gives enthusiasts plenty of room to experiment and leaves the door open for future memory upgrades.

PCIe 5.0 is another major part of the Hero's appeal. While PCIe 5.0 graphics performance isn't necessarily going to transform gaming overnight, the storage side of the technology is considerably more interesting. Modern PCIe 5.0 NVMe drives can deliver bandwidth that would have seemed ridiculous only a few years ago, and the Hero is designed to take advantage of it. When paired with a drive such as the Samsung 9100 PRO, the motherboard provides the high-speed interface required to move enormous amounts of data between storage and the rest of the system.

For Gaming Australia, DirectStorage is particularly interesting here. Microsoft's DirectStorage technology allows compatible games to make much better use of high-speed NVMe storage by reducing some of the traditional CPU overhead involved in moving and decompressing game assets. Instead of game data simply travelling from the SSD through the CPU before eventually reaching the GPU, DirectStorage can help move that data more efficiently towards the graphics card, while technologies such as GDeflate can handle decompression more efficiently.

We've seen just how impressive this can become with the Samsung 9100 PRO. In our own DirectStorage testing, we recorded 21.24GB/s of storage-to-VRAM bandwidth with DirectStorage and GDeflate compression enabled. With DirectStorage enabled but using uncompressed data, we recorded 10.92GB/s, compared with 6.20GB/s with DirectStorage disabled. Those numbers don't mean every game will suddenly load several times faster, because the game itself needs to support the technology, but they demonstrate what modern storage hardware can do when the software is designed to take advantage of it.

This is one of the reasons we think the Z890 Hero makes so much sense as a long-term gaming platform. We're still waiting for more games to fully embrace DirectStorage, but modern games are already becoming enormous. High-resolution textures, open-world environments and increasingly detailed assets are placing more pressure on storage systems. A motherboard like the Hero gives you the hardware foundation to take advantage of those developments rather than having to upgrade your platform later.

Networking is another area where the Hero goes well beyond what most gamers actually need. ASUS includes both 2.5Gb and 5Gb Ethernet, giving you plenty of flexibility depending on your home network, as well as Wi-Fi 7. If you're using a standard gigabit internet connection, don't expect 5Gb Ethernet to make your internet five times faster because your internet connection will still be the limiting factor. Where the faster networking becomes particularly useful is within your local network. If you have a high-speed NAS, another gaming PC or regularly transfer large files between machines, 5Gb Ethernet can make a noticeable difference.

Wi-Fi 7 is similarly about preparing the system for the future. If you're already running a modern Wi-Fi 7 router, the Hero can take advantage of that without requiring an additional wireless adapter. For people who don't have Wi-Fi 7 yet, it isn't necessarily a reason on its own to buy the motherboard, but it is another feature that should help keep the Hero relevant as networking technology continues to evolve.

Connectivity doesn't stop there. The rear I/O provides an impressive collection of USB ports, including two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C connections. Thunderbolt 4 can provide up to 40Gbps of bandwidth and can be used for high-speed external storage, displays and a range of other peripherals. For gamers, this could be useful for external SSDs, capture hardware and high-speed accessories, while content creators can make even better use of the available bandwidth.

The front-panel connectivity is equally impressive, including a 20Gbps USB-C connection with support for up to 60W of power delivery when configured correctly. It's one of those features that may not seem particularly important when you're choosing a motherboard, but becomes increasingly useful as more of the devices on our desks move to USB-C. Phones, portable SSDs, controllers and other accessories can all benefit from having a fast, high-power connection directly on the front of the PC.

ASUS hasn't overlooked audio either. The Hero uses a high-end SupremeFX audio implementation, including the Realtek ALC4082 codec and ESS ES9219 Quad DAC. For someone using a basic USB gaming headset, this probably won't make a huge difference, but anyone using quality analogue headphones, speakers or microphones will appreciate the attention ASUS has paid to the onboard audio. It's another example of the Hero being designed as an enthusiast motherboard rather than simply a platform to get your CPU running.

Cooling is another area where the Hero makes a strong impression. The motherboard uses substantial VRM heatsinks and provides heatsinks across its M.2 slots, which is particularly important for PCIe 5.0 SSDs. These drives can generate considerably more heat than older PCIe 4.0 models when they're being pushed hard, so having proper cooling built into the motherboard is important. The Hero also provides plenty of fan and pump headers, giving users the flexibility to build anything from a high-end air-cooled system to a full liquid-cooled gaming PC.

The physical design of the motherboard is also very much in keeping with the ROG Maximus range. It looks premium without relying entirely on excessive RGB lighting, and the integrated heatsinks and I/O cover give the board a substantial appearance. In a high-end gaming build, particularly one using a case with a large side window, the Hero is clearly designed to be something you actually want to look at rather than hide away.

The BIOS and general building experience are another strong point. ASUS has included a range of small quality-of-life features designed to make building and maintaining the system easier. M.2 Q-Latch, Q-Release Slim, Q-Connector, BIOS FlashBack, onboard diagnostic features and physical controls all reduce some of the little frustrations associated with PC building. None of these features will make your games run faster, but they can make the overall experience considerably less frustrating, particularly for people who regularly upgrade or modify their systems.

Overclocking is another area where the Hero is clearly aimed at enthusiasts. The power delivery, cooling and BIOS controls provide plenty of room for CPU and memory tuning, while ASUS includes additional software and automated tools for people who don't necessarily want to spend hours manually adjusting every setting. That doesn't mean everyone should immediately start overclocking. Modern CPUs already do an excellent job of managing their own performance, and most gamers will be perfectly happy leaving the system at its default settings. The important thing is that the Hero gives enthusiasts the option without forcing everyone else to use it.

Of course, there is one major drawback to the ROG Maximus Z890 Hero, and that's the price. This is an expensive motherboard, and there is absolutely no getting around that. There are considerably cheaper Z890 boards that will happily run the same processor, graphics card and SSD. If you're building a relatively straightforward gaming PC with a Core Ultra 5, one SSD, 32GB of RAM and a conventional graphics card, spending this much on a motherboard probably isn't the best use of your budget.

The Hero starts to make considerably more sense when you build the kind of PC it was designed for. If you're pairing a high-end Core Ultra processor with a powerful graphics card, multiple NVMe drives, fast DDR5, PCIe 5.0 storage, high-speed networking and a collection of demanding peripherals, suddenly many of those additional features become useful. You're not simply paying for a motherboard that can run your PC. You're paying for a platform that gives you considerable expansion and upgrade options.

That's ultimately what we like most about the ROG Maximus Z890 Hero. It doesn't feel like a motherboard designed simply to tick boxes on a specification sheet. The combination of storage expansion, PCIe 5.0, high-speed networking, Thunderbolt 4, DDR5 support, strong power delivery and enthusiast-focused features makes it feel like a genuine foundation for a premium system.

For gamers, the combination of PCIe 5.0 storage and DirectStorage is perhaps the most interesting part of the package. We're still waiting for more games to properly exploit the technology, but the hardware is already here. If DirectStorage becomes increasingly common over the next few years, a system built around a motherboard like the Hero and a fast PCIe 5.0 SSD will already be ready to take advantage of it.

The ROG Maximus Z890 Hero isn't a motherboard we'd recommend to everyone, and that's important to acknowledge. There are plenty of cheaper options that will provide excellent gaming performance. What you're buying here is flexibility, connectivity, build quality and longevity. You're buying the ability to run multiple high-speed SSDs, fast memory, next-generation networking and high-end processors without constantly wondering whether the motherboard is going to become the limiting factor.

For a high-end gaming PC, particularly one built around hardware like the Samsung 9100 PRO we've been testing, the Hero makes a lot of sense. It provides the PCIe 5.0 bandwidth that modern storage needs, gives you plenty of room for future expansion and includes enough connectivity that you're unlikely to find yourself reaching for expansion cards and adapters anytime soon.

The ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Hero is expensive, but it delivers exactly what we'd expect from a premium ROG motherboard. It's powerful, extremely well equipped and genuinely future-focused. It isn't necessary for the average gaming PC, but for someone building a high-end system with the intention of keeping it for years, it's an exceptional foundation.

Bottom line: The ROG Maximus Z890 Hero is the kind of motherboard you buy when you're building a high-end PC and don't want the motherboard to be the weak link. It isn't the sensible choice for every gaming PC, but for an enthusiast build designed to last, it's an outstanding foundation.