ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Apex — The Ultimate Overclocking Motherboard
- klb856
- Nov 30, 2025
- 3 min read
A deep dive into features, BIOS tuning, and pushing Intel's latest chips to 5.8 GHz and beyond. By Lance Brown on November 2 2025,
Overview
The ASUS ROG Maximus Z890 Apex is the spiritual successor to ASUS’s legendary Apex series—motherboards designed not for casual gaming, but for the enthusiasts and world-record chasers who live for liquid nitrogen, high voltages, and frame-perfect performance tuning. Featuring the new LGA 1851 socket and Z890 chipset, the Apex blends bleeding-edge PCIe Gen 5 connectivity, insane VRM power delivery, and BIOS tools that rival dedicated bench setups.
22+1+2+2 phase VRM with 110A power stages for rock-steady current delivery.
ProCool II power connectors and MicroFine alloy chokes for reduced impedance.
Heavy-duty heatsinks connected with heatpipes to dissipate heat under load.
Extreme OC features: LN2 Mode jumper, Safe Boot, Retry button, Slow Mode switch, and ProbeIt voltage points.
Memory and Layout
ASUS limits the Apex to just two DDR5 DIMM slots to ensure ultra-short trace lengths for maximum signal integrity. This enables validated DDR5 overclocks exceeding 9000 MT/s with support for up to 96 GB (2×48 GB) modules.
PCIe Gen 5 Connectivity
The Apex fully embraces PCIe 5.0:
2× PCIe 5.0 x16 slots (x16 / x8 + x8 configuration).
3× CPU-connected M.2 Gen 5 x4 slots for next-gen NVMe SSDs.
Optional DIMM.2 card adds 2 more PCIe 4.0 M.2 drives.
Every PCIe Gen 5 lane from the CPU is utilized efficiently, making the Apex one of the best choices for NVMe RAID or multi-GPU enthusiasts. Be aware that using all M.2 slots may cause lane sharing.
Integrated Wi-Fi 7 with tri-band MLO (2.4/5/6 GHz).
Realtek 5 Gb Ethernet for ultra-low latency wired connections.
Large VRM and M.2 heatsinks with direct airflow design.
Multiple fan headers and water-pump headers for custom loops.
BIOS and AI Tuning
The Apex BIOS remains one of ASUS’s most advanced. Every voltage rail, LLC curve, and memory parameter is manually adjustable. AI Overclocking and AI Cooling II analyze thermal margins to suggest starting points for manual tuning.
Overclocking Guide — Hitting 5.8 GHz on the P-Cores
Note: For this setup, ensure robust cooling — a 360 mm AIO or custom water loop is recommended.
Enter BIOS by pressing DEL or F2 and switch to Advanced Mode (F7).
In Extreme Tweaker, set:
AI Overclock Tuner: Manual
CPU Core Ratio: Sync All Cores → 58
CPU Core/Cache Voltage: Manual Mode → 1.38 V (start point)
Load-Line Calibration: Level 4 or 5
Under Internal CPU Power Management:
Long/Short Power Limits (PL1/PL2): 4095 W
Tau: 128 s or maximum
Ring Ratio: 47–49 × (Disable “Ring Down Bin”).
Enable Thermal Velocity Boost and keep AI Cooling II active for adaptive fan curves.
Save and Exit (F10) → Verify 5.8 GHz all-core in CPU-Z or HWInfo.
Typical Stable Settings
Cooling Type | Voltage | Temp | All-Core Clock |
360 mm AIO | 1.35–1.38 V | ≤ 85 °C | 5.7–5.8 GHz |
Custom Loop | 1.38–1.42 V | ≤ 80 °C | 5.8–6.0 GHz |
Stability testing: Use Cinebench R23 or AIDA64 for 15–30 min. If unstable, reduce ratio by 1× or adjust voltage by ±0.01 V increments.
Verdict
The ROG Maximus Z890 Apex stands alone as a purpose-built overclocker’s dream. From its precision VRM to the BIOS granularity and LN2-grade switches, it remains unmatched. It’s expensive, yes—but for anyone chasing performance records or simply wanting absolute control, the Apex earns its name.
Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 for overclockers)
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