The ASRock Z890 Taichi Aqua uses the LGA 1851 socket paired with the Z890 chipset and comes in the E-ATX form factor, measuring 305 mm wide by 274 mm tall, with a single CPU socket and no integrated processor or integrated graphics. Wireless connectivity is well covered, with Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) and backward compatibility through Wi-Fi 6E, 6, 5, and 4, alongside Bluetooth 5.4, though aptX audio codec support is absent. The board supports easy overclocking and includes a clear CMOS button for quick BIOS resets, but does not feature a dual BIOS setup. RGB lighting is built in, and the board carries a three-year warranty.
The board features four DDR5 memory slots arranged across two channels, with a maximum supported capacity of 256 GB. Out of the box, RAM runs at up to 5600 MHz, while overclocking can push speeds as high as 9200 MHz. ECC memory is not supported on this board.
The rear I/O panel is built entirely around USB-C, with no USB-A ports of any kind present. It includes four USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports, four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C ports, two USB 4 40 Gbps ports, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports, while USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, USB 4 20 Gbps, and Thunderbolt 3 are absent. Networking is covered by two RJ45 ports, and there are no video outputs of any kind — no HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI, or VGA connector. eSATA and PS/2 ports are likewise not present.
Internal connectivity is extensive, with six M.2 sockets and four SATA 3 connectors available for storage, while SATA 2 and U.2 sockets are not present, nor is an mSATA connector. For USB expansion headers, the board provides four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, four USB 3.0 ports, two USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 ports, and four USB 2.0 ports. Cooling is well catered for with eight fan headers, and a TPM connector is included for security module support.
The board offers three full-length PCIe slots in total: two PCIe 5.0 x16 slots and one PCIe 4.0 x16 slot. Older generations are not represented, as there are no PCIe 3.0, 2.0, or legacy PCI slots. Narrower slot configurations — including x1, x4, and x8 — are also absent, keeping the layout focused exclusively on full x16 form-factor cards.
The onboard audio supports 5.1-channel output and delivers a signal-to-noise ratio of 130 dB from its DAC. Two analog audio connectors are provided on the rear panel, and a S/PDIF Out port is also present for digital audio passthrough to external receivers or DACs.
The board supports four RAID configurations across its storage array: RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10 (1+0), covering the most commonly used modes for both performance and redundancy setups. RAID 0+1, however, is not supported.
