Page 4 - BIOS, Overclocking Features, Test System
Once I fired up my PC, I kept hitting "Delete" on my keyboard until I entered the BIOS. If you are an F2 kind of guy, that also works for this ASUS motherboard. The default screen is EZ Mode shown in my above screenshot. Here, you will find quick hardware monitoring data such as motherboard information, temperatures, CPU voltage, and fan speeds. The boot order can be modified on the side. You cannot adjust voltage and fan speed here, as this is saved for users who wish to enter Advanced Mode only. Advanced Mode is a standard GUI version of the American Megatrends BIOS. We will go over that in just a moment.
Before we begin, I went ahead and fired up ASUS' EZ Flash. EZ Flash is an integrated feature for the user to flash their BIOS safely and easily. You can update using a ZIP from any internal or USB flash drive, which is very convenient. EZ Flash simultaneously updates your BIOS and ME firmware. My motherboard sample came with the launch BIOS, and I have updated it to version 1501 without any issues at all.
The ASUS ProArt Z890-Creator WiFi offers comprehensive fan control options. The Q-Fan Control screen shown in the above screenshot allows you to individually tune each fan channel by a number of presets, including Standard, Silent, Turbo, and Full Speed, according to data from different sensors. If you want to define the fan curve manually, you can set this up yourself with a resolution of eight thresholds. It even supports fan stop for chassis fans. If you are unsure about the settings, there is an automatic tuning feature available. I am very picky about noise, and by extension, manual fan control features, and I am satisfied by what is offered by ASUS.
If you have used ASUS products in the past, you will be quite familiar with the Ai Tweaker, as shown in our series of screenshots above. There is a lot you can play with, since the Intel Z890 chipset is an enthusiast chipset with full overclocking support. CPU and memory overclocking is supported along with an extensive selection of voltage adjustments. Changing anything can be done by inputting the values directly from your keyboard, so you will not need to scroll through a long list of numbers to find what you need. Alternatively, you can also hit the "+" or "-" keys on your keyboard to increase or decrease the selected value. The integrated Intel Neural Processing Unit can be overclocked automatically.
The Hardware Monitor section on the right has two tiles. The top tile shows current CPU and memory statistics. The Prediction tile suggests overclocking settings based on an internal algorithm. Option descriptions are shown at the bottom of your screen as you highlight the option you want to modify. The allowed voltage range and increments are shown as well, which I find very helpful.
I have included more screenshots from sections under Ai Tweaker, which is Tweaker's Paradise and Advanced Memory Voltages. Overall, the usage experience of ASUS' UEFI BIOS is excellent. The control interface is smooth, and screen transitions are flawless. There are a lot of tuning features available, and I really do not have any complaints for a high-end Z890 board.
Our test configuration using the ASUS ProArt Z890-Creator WiFi is as follows:
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 265K
CPU Cooling: Noctua NH-D15 G2 HBC
RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-8400 2x24GB
Chassis: be quiet! Light Base 600 LX
Storage: Crucial T500 2TB, Crucial P310 2280 2TB (Heatsink Version)
Power: Seasonic PRIME TX-1300 ATX 3.0 1300W
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
I did not include any other motherboards for results comparison, because any minor motherboard performance differences can usually be attributed to manufacturers giving slight overclocks to the CPU at default settings. Instead, I have included the results of all benchmarks, including testing of various subsystems, to verify the ASUS ProArt Z890-Creator WiFi is within the expected performance range.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Bundle and Chipset
3. Physical Look - Hardware, Board Layout
4. BIOS, Overclocking Features, Test System
5. Benchmark: AIDA64
6. Benchmark: Cinebench 2024
7. Benchmark: PassMark PerformanceTest 11
8. Benchmark: PCMark 10
9. Benchmark: 3DMark
10. Onboard Sound Frequency Analysis
11. Thermal Measurements
12. Conclusion
