Verdict and Conclusion
As you all know, Intel’s 14th Gen processors have just been released (Oct 2023), and ASRock have taken the opportunity to release some of new “refreshed” Z790 motherboards in the form of the Z790 PG Riptide WiFi.
This new range of affordable Z790 motherboards can now support higher speed DDR5 memory with speeds of up to 8000 MHz and beyond, plus you get faster WiFi 7 onboard.
And more interestingly, this motherboard can support both Intel’s XMP and AMD’s EXPO memory standards, which means you now have a wider choice of memory kits to choose from. For memory compatibility and QVL (qualified vendors list), please check ASRock’s QVL page here.
The ASRock Z790 PG Riptide comes in a nice matte finish, and features a decent 16+1+1 VRM design with SPS for Vcore+GT, plus an 8 layer PCB which is cooled by several large Aluminium heatsinks on the motherboard.
You’ll find a special eDP port which allow users to connect the optional ASRock 13.3” LCD Side Panel kit.
Another feature I like is the the heatsink for the Blazing M.2 (PCIE Gen5) slot. It features a quick release latch for easy mounting of your SSDs, so no more losing those tiny M.2 screws!
During our tests, we used an Intel 14th Gen Core i9-14900K processor, along with 32GB of Thermaltake Toughram XG RGB DDR5-7200 ram and a Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics card. It’s one hell of a test rig and we managed to get some excellent scores in all of our benchmarks, including a Cinebench R23 scores of 35,453 (multi core) and 2,260 (single core). For PCMark 10, we got an impressive score of 10,686, and a score of 12,816 for PassMark 10.
For UL’s Procyon Photo Editing Benchmark, we got an excellent score of 10,156 and 9,991 for the video editing suite. For 3DMark Speed Way and Port Royal, we got a very good score of 6,109 and 16,044 respectively. And finally, for Timespy and Firestrike, we got nice scores of 28,505 and 44,265 respectively.
The ASRock Z790 PG Riptide is surprisingly packed with a lot of features, and here’s a quick list …
For expansion, you get 1 x PCIE 5.0 x16 slots (with + Surface-Mount Tech), 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16, and 1 x PCIe 3.0 x1 slot.
For storage, you get 1 x Blazing M.2 (PCIe Gen5x4), and 4 x Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4x4) slots, as well as 8 additional SATA ports (6+2).
For connectivity, you get the Killer E3100G, 2.5GbE LAN and the Wi-Fi 7 802.11be via the M.2 Key-E module which is already installed.
For RGB lovers, you’ll find 2 x 3-pin ARGB (5V) headers located on the top right side of the motherboard, and another 1 x 3-pin ARGB (5V) header, as well as 1 x 4-pin RGB (12V) towards the bottom middle of the board.
And finally, you also get all of ASRock’ unique features such as the auto driver installer, Dr. MOS, 8-layer PCB, and the Realtek 7.1 HD Nahimic audio and Polychrome RGB.
With such a feature-packed motherboard, it’s quite a surprise to to find that you can buy the original ASRock Z790 PG Riptide (no WiFi) motherboard for around USD $225 from Amazon – https://amzn.to/3tIZOg8
Final Words:
The ASRock Z790 PG Riptide WiFi is an affordably attractive motherboard, that not only comes packed with some great features, but also offers very good performance thanks to its support for Intel’s latest 14th Gen processors, plus the ability to support higher speed DDR5 memory.
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