I'm upgrading from an AM4 system with a Ryzen 5 3600 to a Core Ultra 270K+ platform. The PC will mainly handle physics and mathematics workloads, with some light gaming as well. I'm comparing these three motherboards: MSI Z890 Tomahawk for €215, ASUS ROG Strix Z890-E Gaming for €240, and ASUS ROG Maximus Hero Z890 for €307. Which one offers the best value, and are the more expensive boards worthwhile for a workstation?
4 Answers
If you expect to run two GPUs, don’t choose solely based on gaming-board features. Look for a workstation-oriented board that can provide two PCIe Gen5 x8 links, along with suitable networking and storage support. A creator or workstation model may offer a better lane layout and features such as 10Gb Ethernet, while many mainstream gaming boards are designed around one GPU. For a single GPU and ordinary expansion needs, though, the Tomahawk-class option should be enough.
Compare the manuals before buying, especially for maximum memory capacity, USB4 or Thunderbolt support, usable M.2 slots, and PCIe lane sharing. Lane layout becomes important if you might add a second compute GPU, an accelerator, or several NVMe drives later. Also check the memory QVL for the exact high-capacity DDR5 kit you plan to use.
The Maximus Hero is mainly worth considering if you need its additional ports, slots, networking, or other specific connectivity. Its stronger VRM and premium overclocking features won’t usually improve a stock workstation’s performance, so the Tomahawk is likely the best value of the three.
The Tomahawk should be perfectly adequate unless you specifically need an extra feature from one of the ASUS boards. At stock settings, you’re unlikely to see any meaningful CPU-performance difference between them. Put the savings toward additional RAM, faster storage, or better cooling instead.
I’m not sure yet whether I’ll add a second GPU, so PCIe lane sharing and future expansion are useful points to check.