The Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X Motherboard from GIGABYTE is unique for the AORUS Z890 series. Offering not only the latest from the Z890 lineup, such as EZ-Flex, innovative thermals, powerful overclocking capabilities, and the latest connectivity options, it also comes equipped with the new D5 DUO X, an innovative dual RAM slot design. Built to maximize speeds and thermals, the GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X is a solid offering from GIGABYTE.
While built to support the latest Intel Core ULTRA processors (series 2), many of the design elements present in the X870E AROSE ELITE X can be found here. Unboxing reveals a very similar layout to the aforementioned motherboard. Key AORUS elements, such as the full-length PCIe slots (two PCIe 4.0 x16 and a single PCIe 5.0 x16), thermal guard plating for the M.2 drive bays with the iconic EZ-Latch Click/Plus system, and ALC1220 WIMA Audiophile-grade capacitors, are all present and accounted for. It’s nice to see all these details present.
One notable difference is the D5 DUO X RAM Slots: two in total, compared to the traditional four RAM slots. With this leveraged space, GIGABYTE has opted to install two stackable M.2 slots. This allows for five M.2 drives (4x PCIe 4.5 M.2 and 1x CIe 5.0 M.2). For those needing all of the storage, GIGABYTE has you covered.
“Built to maximize speeds and thermals, the GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X is a solid offering from GIGABYTE.”
Unique to the design is the PCB thermal plate that covers the backplane. It makes handling the board during installation easier. The area surrounding the CPU mounting plate is exposed to allow for easy access and installation of your cooler bracket of choice. Working with the GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X for installation is smooth and streamlined.
GIGABYTE has designed every element of the Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X to allow users to maximize performance while maintaining solid thermal control. For example, the CPU socket, which is designed for the LGA 1851 socket series, is Reduced Load Independent Loading Mechanism (RL-ILM) ready. The RL-ILM is a CPU bracket system that reduces overall tension on the CPU, reducing the risk of bending and increasing thermal contact with the cooler.
It helps reduce overall wear and tear on the components. My only critique of the system, and this could be due to the be quiet! Light Loop 360, I was installing with its two-screw mounting system: once the cooler bracket is installed, would it have to be completely removed to release the tensioner arm? It’s a bit cumbersome if you need to reseat the CPU or clean and reapply thermal paste.
It’s oddly long when compared to some of the other motherboards, which is the source of the issue. It’s something to consider when picking a cooler. Something like the excellent NZXT Kracken Core 360 RGB should be fine with its four-point mounting system.
The GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X offers a unique Ultra Turbo Mode for Intel Core Ultra 200S series CPU’s. It is essentially a safe(ish) one-click overclocking system built into the system. This type of system is something I’ve seen in the last couple of generations of motherboards, designed to reduce the stress of overclocking. While I would note that overclocking can put unnecessary strain on your system over the long term, the Ultra Turbo Mode does help keep potential risks to a minimum, which is appreciated.
The GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X also comes with a unique feature in the D5 DUO X RAM system. In essence, GIGABYTE has reduced the number of DIMM slots available from four to two and doubled the capacity of each of the two slots. The result is a more compact design, leaving room for the two additional M.2 drives.
“The GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X offers a unique Ultra Turbo Mode for Intel Core Ultra 200S series CPU’s.”
The more impressive aspect of the system, though, is that not only can the same memory capacity be installed in two DIMM slots as the traditional four (256GB), but the Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X can handle higher transfer speeds up to 10266 MT/s. Managed through the BIOS, the system optimizes to leverage CQDIMM performance. It’s an impressive feat, to say the least and one that allows users to push their systems to the upper limits of consumer systems.
The final feature of note is the Steady Power system, a staple on the AORUS Elite motherboards. Providing consistent power thanks ot the 8+8 pin CPU Power connector, the GIGABYTE vZ890 AORUS ELITE DUO X delivers consistent power to leverage the full power of the multicore CPU. As with the other Elite motherboards in the AORUS lineup, the Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X delivers on power.
The GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X gaming motherboard is a great offering for Intel users. It optimizes performance on the latest Intel Core Ultra 200S Series CPUs, and the D5 DUO X RAM configuration is a nice touch for those looking to optimize RAM performance and seeking a little extra M.2 storage. While the RL-ILM system might be cumbersome for some cooler installs, the GIGABYTE Z890 AORUS ELITE DUO X overall is a great gaming board.
