The Gigabyte Z890 EAGLE WIFI7 is a mainstream Intel Z890 motherboard that serves up a good mix of modern features at a more accessible price point.

On 10 October 2024, Intel officially announced its next-gen Core Ultra 200S series of processors (codenamed "Arrow Lake-S") and the accompanying Z890 chipset. As the successor to Intel's 14th Generation "Raptor Lake Refresh", could "Arrow Lake-S" be just what Intel needs to fend off the onslaught from AMD's Ryzen 9000 and 7000 series of processors?

In the lead-up to the Core Ultra 200S's availability at retail, likely by 24 October 2024, ALKtech takes a look at a mainstream Intel Z890 motherboard that is targeted at end-users intending to build a mid-to-high-end Intel Core Ultra 200S gaming PC - the Gigabyte Z890 EAGLE WIFI7. Read on to learn more about this motherboard!

Summary of Specifications

Processor Support: Intel Core Ultra 200S Series
Chipset: Intel Z890
Memory: 4x DDR5 slots, max 256GB, up to DDR5 8800 (OC) support (as of October 2024), CUDIMMs supported
Audio: Realtek ALC897 audio codec
LAN: Realtek RTL8125D 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet
WIFI: MediaTek MT7925B22M WIFI7 module with Bluetooth 5.4 support (for Revision 1.0); Realtek RTL8922AE WIFI 7 module with Bluetooth 5.4 support (for Revision 1.1)
Expansion Slots: 1x PCIe 5.0 x16, 2x PCIe 4.0 x16 (both operating at x4 mode)
Storage: 4x SATA III, 1x PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2, 3x PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2; only one PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slot supports either a M.2 SATA or M.2 NVMe drive, the other slots support M.2 NVMe drives only
Form Factor: ATX
Official Product Page: https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/Z890-EAGLE-WIFI7

Packaging & Contents

The Z890 EAGLE WIFI7 comes in a box that sports a black, blue and orange colourway with the "EAGLE" text emblazoned prominently on the front. Over on the rear of the box, we get the usual summary of features that the board comes with.

The board comes with the following accessories:

• WIFI antenna
• 2x SATA III cables
• Multilingual installation guide
• Regulatory information leaflet

Board Aesthetics

In terms of aesthetics, we see that Gigabyte has gone for a black and grey aesthetic, where it comes an integrated I/O shield design and grey heatsinks all around. 

Unsurprisingly, there's nothing much going on over on the rear of the board; we don’t get any fancy motifs like those that you tend to find on higher-end motherboards.

As can be seen, the Z890 EAGLE WIFI7 comes with a large passive heatsink for the Z890 chipset and sports full heatsink coverage for all of its four M.2 drive slots.

Fans of lighting effects for their motherboards can rest easy with the knowledge that the Z890 EAGLE WIFI7 comes with a smattering of built-in aesthetic LEDs - we get them within the integrated I/O shield area (where they are visible through a transparent viewport with the "EAGLE" text), as well as beneath the chipset heatsink.

To further spruce up the motherboard's appearance, Gigabyte has also included is an illuminated "GAME ON" motif found along the long edge of the board.

VRM & Memory Support

For memory support, the board comes with 14+1+2 power stages rated for up to 60A, and sports four DDR5 slots with a dual-tabbed design that as of the time of writing this article, support a maximum of 256GBs of RAM and the DDR5 8800 standard when overclocked. The board also supports the latest DIMM format on the block, Clocked Unbuffered DIMMs (CUDIMMs), which come with a clock driver on the memory module to improve signal stability, thereby paving the way for even higher operating frequencies.

Front Panel USB Headers

For front panel USB connectivity, the Z890 EAGLE WIFI7 comes with a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C front panel header near the RAM slots, as well as a single USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A front panel header located along the long edge of the board - the said Type-A header provides support for up to two front panel USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports.

Along the bottom edge of the board, we do also get two USB 2.0 front panel headers, with each of these headers providing support for two front panel USB 2.0 Type-A ports, for a total of four ports.

Expansion Slots & Storage Options

The Z890 EAGLE WIFI7 comes with a single PCIe 5.0 x16 slot for a graphics card, where the said slot features Gigabyte's "PCIe UD Slot X" design that helps reinforce the slot for use with heavy graphics cards - the said slot also features an inner rubber lining that according to Gigabyte, can help protect the graphics card's PCB from scratches during installation and removal.

The slot also comes with the PCIe EZ-Latch Plus feature, which helps make removing a graphics card from the slot less of a painful affair.

Also included are two full-length PCIe 4.0 x16 slots that each operate at x4 mode.

In terms of storage connectivity options, we get four SATA III ports, with all ports in a right-angled configuration so as to aid with cable management.

For M.2 drive support, the Z890 EAGLE WIFI7 comes with a single PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 slot and three PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots. Of the three Gen 4 M.2 slots, one slot utilises PCIe lanes from the CPU, while the remaining two slots utilise PCIe lanes from the Z890 chipset. Do note that of the two Gen 4 M.2 slots that utilise chipset PCIe lanes, only slot M2M_SB supports both M.2 SATA and NVMe drives - the other three M.2 slots of the board support NVMe drives only.

Audio & Internet Connectivity

As a mainstream motherboard offering, no surprises here that Gigabyte's included a Realtek ALC897 audio codec to power the board's audio experience.

Realtek's RTL8125D LAN controller is tasked with serving up 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet for wired internet connectivity...

...while wireless internet connectivity is powered by a WIFI 7 module that supports the Bluetooth 5.4 standard. In true blue Gigabyte style, we get different WIFI 7 modules for different motherboard revisions; for Revision 1.o (the board featured in this article), Gigabyte has included a MediaTek MT7925B22M WIFI 7 module, while Revision 1.1 comes with a Realtek RTL8922AE module instead. Do note that both WIFI modules support 160 MHz channel widths only - it's worth noting that in general, higher-end WIFI 7 modules and routers tend to come with support for the 320 MHz channel width for faster transfer speeds.

Fan & RGB Headers

The Z890 EAGLE WIFI7 comes with six fan headers:

• 1x CPU_FAN
• 1x CPU_OPT
• 3x SYS_FAN
• 1x FAN_PUMP

RGB headers are in no short supply too - we get three Gen 2 addressable RGB headers and a single 12V RGB header.

Other Features

The Z890 EAGLE WIFI7 comes with a set of power, reset and Q-Flash Plus buttons in what Gigabyte terms an "EZ-Debug Zone" that is located near the top edge of the motherboard. As their names imply, the power button allows end-users to power on the PC, while the reset button allows end-users to do a hard reset of their PCs. Do note that the reset button is also what Gigabyte terms a multi key button, where the said button can be reprogrammed from within the BIOS to serve other purposes. The Q-Flash Plus button on the other hand, allows end-users to update the board's BIOS without needing to install a CPU, RAM or graphics card.

Near the "EZ-Debug Zone" is a set of Status LEDs that can help with troubleshooting PC startup issues.

Moving over to the bottom edge of the motherboard, we get a TPM header for an optional discrete Gigabyte TPM module.

Seeing as the board does not come with on-board Thunderbolt ports, Gigabyte's included a set of Thunderbolt add-on card headers that are to be used with an optional Gigabyte Thunderbolt add-on card.

Rounding off this section on special features is a Clear CMOS header, as well as a reset header that allows end-users to hook up their PC case's front panel reset button to the motherboard.

Rear I/O

The Z890 EAGLE WIFI7 comes with the following ports on the rear I/O:

• 4x USB 2.0 Type-A ports
  
• 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports
• 1x DisplayPort 2.1 port (supports a maximum display resolution of 3840x2160 at 144 Hz)
  
• 1x USB4 Type-C ports (supports DisplayPort Alternate mode with a maximum display resolution of 3840x2160 at 144 Hz)
  
• 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports
  
• 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port
  
• WIFI antenna connector (WIFI EZ-Plug)
  
• Audio jack connectors

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Z890 EAGLE WIFI7 is clearly targeted at the consumer looking to build a mid-to-higher-end Intel Core Ultra 200S gaming PC, where it serves up a good mix of modern features at a more accessible price point. We get a decent VRM setup that should perform well with higher-end Core Ultra 200S processors, PCIe 5.0 support for a graphics card and M.2 drive, 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet with built-in WIFI7, a USB4 port and a good assortment of other USB connectivity options, rounded off by quality-of-life features such as PCIe EZ-Latch Plus, M.2 EZ-Latch Click and so on.

That said, it’s worth noting that the WIFI7 module on this motherboard doesn’t support the 320 MHz channel for faster wireless connectivity – something to take note of especially if you’re intending to use a high-speed WIFI7 router for your wireless internet needs.

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The motherboard featured in this article was a review unit provided on loan from CDL Trading Pte Ltd, an authorised distributor for Gigabyte in Singapore.