ASRock and its Taichi series have always been committed to affordable high-end hardware. The Taichi Lite uses the same hardware but changes the look to create a more mid-range aesthetic. It even ditches RGB lighting to save costs. At $399.99 ($50 more than the Z790 version), it’s not the cheapest motherboard out there, and it doesn’t offer as many user-friendly or “AI” features, but you’re still getting your money’s worth. First of all, Z890 Taichi Lite is equipped with 6 M.2 slots (the most native), powerful VRM, Wi-Fi 7 and dual network cards for fast network, flagship-level vocal,etc.
A total of 18 Z890 models are listed on ASRock’s website. All the familiar models are still there, including Nova, Lightning, Riptide, Pro and Steel Legend. There’s even an Aqua board, and the company has brought back the overclocking-centric OCF (Overclocking Formula). ASRock offers a range of motherboards in different shapes and sizes (including MicroATX and Mini-ITX), with prices for the Halo OCF ranging from $200 to around $1,000. In short, there’s something for everyone – even the white PCB option.
The Z890 Taichi Lite’s performance is one of the best we’ve ever tested. Using the “Performance Mode” preset, it performs well in most activities, including gaming. It was one of the only motherboards that allowed our Intel Core Ultra 9 285K to reach its preset 250W power limit, and not surprisingly, it used more power under load than the other motherboards we tested. If this is an issue, you can leave it at Intel defaults and get very similar performance.
Below, we’ll examine the details of this board and determine whether it deserves a spot on our site. best motherboard list. But before we share our test results and discuss the details, we’ll list the specs from ASRock’s website.
ASRock Z890 Taichi Lite Specifications
| socket | AM5 (LGA 1851) |
| chipset | Z890 |
| Overall dimensions | ATX |
| voltage regulator | 23 phases (20 110A SPS MOSFETs for Vcore) |
| video port | (2) Thunderbolt 4 (Type C) |
| Row 5 – Cell 0 | (1) HDMI (v2.1) |
| USB port | (2) Thunderbolt 4 (40 Gbps) Type C |
| Row 7 – Cell 0 | (4) USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) |
| Line 8 – Cell 0 | (4) USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) |
| Line 9 – Cell 0 | (2) USB 2.0 (480 Mbps) |
| network jack | (1) 5GbE |
| Line 11 – Cell 0 | (1) 2.5GbE |
| audio jack | (2) Simulation+SPDIF |
| Legacy ports/jacks | ✗ |
| Other ports/jacks | ✗ |
| PCIe x16 | (1) v5.0 (x16/x8) |
| Line 16 – Cell 0 | (1) v5.0 (0x/x8) |
| PCIe x8 | ✗ |
| PCIe x4 | ✗ |
| PCIe x1 | ✗ |
| Crossfire/Nvidia | ? |
| memory slot | (4) DDR5-9600+ (overclocked), 256GB capacity |
| M.2 socket | (1) PCIe 5.0 x4 (128 Gbps) / PCIe (up to 80 mm) |
| Line 23 – Cell 0 | (5) PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps) / PCIe (up to 80mm) |
| Line 24 – Cell 0 | (Supports RAID 0/1/5/10) |
| SATA port | (4) SATA3 6 Gbps (supports RAID 0/1/5/10) |
| USB connector | (1) USB v3.2 Gen 2×2 (20 Gbps) Type C |
| Line 27 – Cell 0 | (2) USB v3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) |
| Line 28 – Cell 0 | (2) USB v2.0 (480 Mbps) |
| Fan/pump connector | (8) 4-pin (CPU, chassis, AIO/water pump) |
| RGB connector | (3) aRGB Gen 2 (3-pin) |
| Line 31 – Cell 0 | (1) RGB light strip (4-pin) |
| diagnostic panel | (1) Dr.Debug 2 character debugging LED |
| Internal buttons/switches | (1) Power button |
| Line 34 – Cell 0 | (1) Reset button |
| SATA controller | ✗ |
| Ethernet controller | (1) Realtek 8126 (5GbE) |
| Line 37 – Cell 0 | (1) Realtek 8125BG (2.5 GbE) |
| Wi-Fi/Bluetooth | Wi-Fi 7 – 320 MHz, 6 GHz, BT 5.4 |
| USB controller | Intel JHL8540 |
| HD audio codec | Realtek ALC4082 with ESS Sabre9219 DAC |
| Data definition/data transfer | ✗ / ✗ |
| Warranty | 1 year |
Inside the ASRock Z890 Taichi Lite box
ASRock provides some accessories for you to use: SATA cables (four), Wi-Fi antenna, three thermistor cables, an ARGB splitter, and finally M.2 screws and brackets. It’s not missing anything, but you don’t get a lot of extras.
Design of Taichi Lite
Like all Z890 motherboards, the Z890 Taichi Lite has received a facelift. The motherboard still uses a black server-grade 8-layer PCB with a nominal 2 ounce copper content, and uses an “XXL heatsink” on the VRM. The bottom of the motherboard uses a plate heatsink to cool the four M.2 sockets and chipset underneath, all finished in brushed aluminum. The PCIe 5.0-capable M.2 slot features a tool-less multi-layer heat sink. ASRock has switched from black to silver heatsinks here, and the gear/gear theme remains a staple in the Taichi range, with a black stencil on most metallic surfaces.
If you’re looking for integrated RGB, you’ll have to buy the pricier Taichi, or buy a different motherboard, since this one doesn’t have one. You can buy your own and attach it to the four headers, but aside from the power and reset buttons and the Dr. Debug display, it has no LEDs. Overall, we like what we see and the neutral theme should blend in with most build themes.
In the upper left corner we find two high-density 8-pin EPS connectors (one required) to power the processor. The “XXL” radiator doesn’t actively cool like the Taichi, but it still serves the needs of gaming or other mainstream tasks well. Past the slot area, before the DRAM slots, are the first 4-pin fan headers (8 in total), and two more in the corners. CPU_FAN1 supports up to 1A/12W, and the other connectors can output up to 3A/36W. The all-in-one computer has sufficient power and can even be customized with water cooling configuration.
The four DRAM slots have locking mechanisms on both sides without any reinforcement. ASRock lists capacities up to 256GB and speeds up to DDR5-9600(OC)+. Our test system had no issues running any of our kits, including the faster DDR5-8200 Kingston and GSkill CU-DIMM kits. This motherboard is rated for DDR5-9600, so there’s plenty of room if you want more.
Going along the right edge we see the first two 3-pin ARGB connectors, the third ARGB and a 5-pin RGB connector on the bottom edge. ASRock’s Polychrome Sync app can control any connected RGB or compatible hardware (such as RAM and graphics card RGB). Just below it is the Dr. Debug monitor to help troubleshoot POST issues (and read temperatures in Windows), a 24-pin ATX connector to power the motherboard, and a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20 Gbps) Type-C connector , and finally, the 19-pin USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) connector.
The power supply capacity of Z890 is one of the most powerful, consisting of 23 phases, of which 20 phases are allocated to Vcore. The power supply is routed from the EPS connector to the Renesas RAA229130 PWM controller and then to 20 Renesas R2209004 110A MOSFETs in a “combination” or “dual” configuration. The 2,220 amps available are more than enough and won’t hinder overclocking. The main limitation of this system is its cooling capacity.
The lower left side is the fully exposed audio section, based on the flagship Realtek ALC4082 codec and ESS Sabre219 DAC. You can see the four red WIMA audio capacitors and the ever-present audio breakout wire.
There are two full-length PCIe slots in the middle of the motherboard and a series (five to be exact, with the sixth on the right) M.2 slots. The top full-length ruggedized PCIe slot connects through the CPU and runs up to PCIe 5.0 x16 speeds, but supports x8.x8 or x8/x4/x4 with riser cards. The bottom slot is connected through the chipset and runs up to PCIe 4.0 x4. Please note that M2_4 will be deactivated when using the bottom slot.
Mixed in among the PCIe slots and offset to the right are six M.2 slots. The top slot is connected through the CPU and is the only slot that supports PCIe 5.0 x4 (128 Gbps). The remaining 5 are PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps), and 1 slot (M2_3) supports PCIe and SATA-based M.2 modules. The Z890 Taichi also offers four SATA ports, which should be enough, but is less than the eight offered by the Z790. Both SATA and NVMe storage support RAID0/1/5/10 modes.
There are several exposed plugs on the bottom of the board. You’ll find the usual features, including extra USB ports, RGB headers, and more. Below is the complete list from left to right.
- front panel audio
- 4-pin RGB connector
- 3-pin ARGB connector
- Thunderbolt 5 connector
- (2) USB 2.0 headers
- TPM header
- (3) 2-pin temperature header
- (4) System fan/water pump header
- front panel
On the integrated back panel, we see an area filled with multiple USB ports and a perforated space that helps with VRM cooling. It’s relatively easy to read with a black background and gray text, and the labels are descriptive, so we couldn’t ask for more.
There are 12 USB ports in the middle, including 2 Thunderbolt 4 (40 Gbps Type-C, also supports video playback through DisplayPort), 4 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) and 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps). The standard Wi-Fi 7 antenna connection and HDMI output are on the left side. In the center are the BIOS Flashback and Clear CMOS buttons, two Ethernet ports, and an audio stack consisting of two 3.5mm jacks (mic and output) and a SPDIF optical port.
More: best motherboard
More: How to choose a motherboard
More: All motherboard content