The Pro WS Z890 ACE and Z790 ACE differ primarily in chipset capabilities, PCIe lane distribution, and workstation optimization. The Z890 supports PCIe 5.0 x16 slots and enhanced thermal solutions for sustained workloads, while the Z790 focuses on PCIe 4.0 multi-GPU configurations. Both target professionals but prioritize different aspects of expandability and thermal management.
How Do the Chipsets Affect Performance in Z890 vs Z790 ACE?
The Z890 chipset leverages Intel’s latest architecture with 20 PCIe 5.0 lanes for NVMe storage and GPUs, reducing bottlenecks in data-heavy workflows. The Z790 ACE uses 16 PCIe 4.0 lanes optimized for multi-device setups. This makes the Z890 better for single high-performance GPU/SSD configurations, while the Z790 excels in distributed workloads like rendering farms.
Which Motherboard Offers Better PCIe Slot Configurations?
The Z890 ACE features triple PCIe 5.0 x16 slots with x16/x8/x4 bifurcation, ideal for AI/ML accelerators. The Z790 ACE provides five PCIe 4.0 x16 slots with x8/x8/x4/x4/x4 splitting, favoring multi-GPU rendering. Professionals using PCIe 5.0 devices like NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada will prefer Z890, while Z790 suits studios using multiple older GPUs concurrently.
| Feature | Z890 ACE | Z790 ACE |
|---|---|---|
| PCIe Generation | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| Total PCIe Lanes | 20 | 16 |
| Max GPU Support | 3x PCIe 5.0 x16 | 5x PCIe 4.0 x16 |
What Thermal Solutions Distinguish These Motherboards?
The Z890 uses a 12-layer PCB with 10W/mK thermal pads and direct-touch heat pipes for VRM/M.2 cooling, sustaining 400W CPU loads. The Z790 employs 8-layer PCB construction with graphene-coated heatsinks, optimized for 350W TDPs. Z890’s superior cooling suits CFD/research rigs, while Z790’s design handles prolonged video editing sessions effectively.
The Z890’s advanced cooling architecture includes dual 4mm heat pipes connecting the VRM array to the rear I/O shield, effectively dissipating heat during sustained AVX-512 workloads. Its thermal sensors provide real-time adjustments to fan curves and pump speeds, critical for liquid-cooled systems. In contrast, the Z790 prioritizes passive cooling efficiency through its graphene-enhanced surfaces, which reduce hotspots in multi-GPU environments by 15% compared to traditional aluminum heatsinks.
How Do Expansion Capabilities Compare for Storage and Networking?
Z890 includes eight SATA III + five M.2 slots (three PCIe 5.0), ideal for NAS/RAID arrays. The Z790 offers six SATA III + four M.2 (all PCIe 4.0), better for direct-attached storage. Both feature 10GbE + 2.5GbE LAN, but Z890 adds Wi-Fi 7 for wireless 40Gbps transfers, while Z790 sticks with Wi-Fi 6E for broader compatibility.
The Z890’s PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots deliver sequential read speeds up to 14,000 MB/s, making it suitable for 8K video editing and large dataset preprocessing. Its additional SATA ports support legacy storage arrays without requiring HBA cards. The Z790’s focus on PCIe 4.0 M.2 drives balances cost and performance for 3D rendering pipelines, where multiple mid-tier NVMe drives often outperform single high-end devices. Both boards include dual LAN ports for teaming or network segmentation, but the Z890’s Wi-Fi 7 support enables wireless VR workflows with sub-3ms latency.
“The Z890 ACE redefines workstation thresholds with PCIe 5.0’s 128GB/s bandwidth—game-changing for real-time physics simulations. However, the Z790’s robust PCIe 4.0 ecosystem still dominates multi-GPU workflows. Choose based on whether your pipeline prioritizes raw per-device speed (Z890) or scalable parallelism (Z790).” — Senior Engineer, Tier-1 OEM Partner
FAQs: Pro WS Z890 ACE vs Z790 ACE
- Does Z890 ACE Support Thunderbolt 4?
- Yes, via onboard headers. The Z790 ACE requires add-in cards for Thunderbolt.
- Can Z790 ACE Handle DDR5-6000?
- Officially no, but some kits work via XMP. Stability isn’t guaranteed compared to Z890.
- Which Board Has Better VRM Design?
- Z890 uses 22-phase 105A power stages; Z790 has 18-phase 90A. Z890 better sustains overclocked Xeon W-3400 CPUs.