Hardware detective momomo_us has shared the details of an upcoming ASRock Z890 motherboard for Intel's Core Ultra 200 (codenamed Arrow Lake) processors. Although the model wasn't mentioned, and some detailed specifications are still missing, there are still some interesting tidbits about the ASRock Z890 motherboard—with the most eyebrow-raising specification being its ability to handle overclocked DDR5 RAM up to DDR5-9200, which is faster than the best RAM on the market right now.
The motherboard is based on the premium Z890 chipset, probably from ASRock's premium Taichi lineup. Given the description of the memory support, it's likely an ATX or microATX motherboard with four memory slots. The leaked specifications provide us with a sneak peek at the official supported data rates on Arrow Lake. DDR5-5600 is supported using single- or dual-rank memory in 1DPC (DIMM per channel) configurations. In a 2DPC configuration, however, data rate support drops to DDR5-4800 for single-rank and DDR5-4400 for dual-rank memory modules.
Regarding overclocked memory, the ASRock Z780 motherboard can support DDR5-9200 in a 1DPC setup with single-rank memory. Nonetheless, DDR5-6800 support remains consistent for 1DPC dual-rank and 2DPC single-rank layouts. However, filling all the memory slots with dual-rank memory will significantly constrain the data rate to DDR5-5800.
Compared to the last-gen Intel Z790 ASRock Taichi, which was rated for memory up to DDR5-7200, this unnamed ASRock Z890 motherboard's capability of DDR5-9200 is a considerable generational improvement that puts it within the world record spitting range. It also shows that Arrow Lake will probably have an improved IMC (integrated memory controller) that can easily handle speedy DDR5.
The other specifications listed are what we would expect from a next-generation Intel desktop motherboard. Support for features like Intel XMP, Thermal Velocity Boost, Adaptive Boost Technology, and Turbo Boost are all standard features for Intel motherboards, even if they've been iterated upon or used in a high-end board.
While final pricing and features for this ASRock Z890 motherboard remain to be seen, it'll undoubtedly be a viable option for enthusiasts who want to upgrade to Intel's latest consumer platform.
