MotherboardsReviews

ASRock Z790 Steel Legend WiFi Motherboard Review

Specifications

 

 

Unique Feature

Superb Productivity
– PCIe Gen5 (Graphics, M.2)
– Dual Channel DDR5
Rock-Solid Durability
– 16+1+1 Power Phase, 60A SPS for VCore+GT
– Flexible Integrated I/O Shield
– Nichicon 12K Black Caps (100% Japan-made high-quality conductive polymer capacitors) Ultrafast Connectivity
– 2.5G LAN,
802.11ax Wi-Fi 6EModule
EZ Update
– ASRock Auto Driver Installer EZ Troubleshooter
ASRock Post Status Checker

CPU

– Supports 13th Gen & 12th Gen Intel® Core™ Processors (LGA1700)
– Supports Intel® Hybrid Technology
– Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Max 3.0 Technology
– Supports Intel® Thermal Velocity Boost (TVB)
– Supports Intel® Adaptive Boost Technology (ABT)

Chipset

– Intel® Z790

Memory

– Dual Channel DDR5 Memory Technology
– 4 x DDR5 DIMM Slots
– Supports DDR5 non-ECC, un-buffered memory up to 6800+(OC)
– Max. capacity of system memory: 128GB
– Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) 3.0

1DPC 1R Up to 6800+ MHz (OC), 4800 MHz Natively.
1DPC 2R Up to 6000+ MHz (OC), 4400 MHz Natively.
2DPC 1R Up to 5600+ MHz (OC), 4000 MHz Natively.
2DPC 2R Up to 4800+ MHz (OC), 3600 MHz Natively.

BIOS

– 256Mb AMI UEFI Legal BIOS with GUI support

Graphics

– Intel® Xe Graphics Architecture (Gen 12)
– 1 x eDP 1.4, supports max. resolution up to Full HD 60Hz
– 1 x HDMI 2.1 TMDS Compatible, supports HDCP 2.3 and max. resolution up to 4K 60Hz
– 1 x DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC (compressed), supports HDCP 2.3 and max. resolution up to 8K 60Hz / 5K 120Hz

*Intel® UHD Graphics Built-in Visuals and the VGA outputs can be supported only with processors which are GPU integrated.

Audio

– 7.1 CH HD Audio (Realtek ALC897 Audio Codec)
– Nahimic Audio

LAN

– 2.5 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000/2500 Mb/s
– Dragon RTL8125BG
– Supports Dragon 2.5G LAN Software
– Smart Auto Adjust Bandwidth Control
– Visual User Friendly UI
– Visual Network Usage Statistics
– Optimized Default Setting for Game, Browser, and Streaming Modes
– User Customized Priority Control

Wireless LAN

– 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E Module
– Supports IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax
– Supports Dual-Band 2×2 with extended 6GHz band support*
– 2 antennas to support 2 (Transmit) x 2 (Receive) diversity technology
– Supports Bluetooth + High speed class II
– Supports MU-MIMO

*Wi-Fi 6E (6GHz band) will be supported by Microsoft® Windows® 11. The availability will depend on the different regulation status of each country and region. It will be activated (for supported countries) through Windows® Update and software updates once available.
A 6GHz compatible router is required for 6E functionality.

Slots

CPU:
– 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 Slot (PCIE1), supports x16 mode*
Chipset:
– 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 Slot (PCIE2), supports x4 mode*
– 1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 Slot (PCIE3), supports x2 mode*
– 1 x M.2 Socket (Key E), supports type 2230 WiFi/BT PCIe WiFi module and Intel® CNVio/CNVio2 (Integrated WiFi/BT)- Supports AMD CrossFire™
– 15μ Gold Contact in VGA PCIe Slot (PCIE1)

*If M2_2 is occupied, PCIE1 will downgrade to x8 mode.
Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks

Storage

CPU:
– 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_1, Key M), supports type 2260/2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode*
– 1 x Blazing M.2 Socket (M2_2, Key M), supports type 2260/2280 PCIe Gen5x4 (128 Gb/s) mode*
Chipset:
– 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_3, Key M), supports type 2242/2260/2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode*
– 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_4, Key M), supports type 2242/2260/2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode*
– 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_5, Key M), supports type 2260/2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode*
– 8 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors

*Supports Intel® Volume Management Device (VMD)
Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks
If M2_2 is occupied, PCIE1 will downgrade to x8 mode.
Either M2_1 or M2_2 can be used at a time.

RAID

– Supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10 for SATA storage devices
– Supports RAID 0, RAID 1 and RAID 5 for M.2 NVMe storage devices

USB

– 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C (Front)
– 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C (Rear)
– 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A (Rear)
– 12 x USB 3.2 Gen1 (8 Rear, 4 Front)
– 3 x USB 2.0 (3 Front)

*All USB ports support ESD Protection

Connector

– 1 x eDP Signal Connector
– 1 x SPI TPM Header
– 1 x Power LED and Speaker Header
– 1 x RGB LED Header*
– 3 x Addressable LED Headers**
– 1 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin)***
– 1 x CPU/Water Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)****
– 5 x Chassis/Water Pump Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)*****
– 1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector)
– 2 x 8 pin 12V Power Connectors (Hi-Density Power Connector)
– 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector (15μ Gold Audio Connector)
– 1 x Thunderbolt™ AIC Connector (5-pin) (Supports ASRock Thunderbolt™ 4 AIC Card)
– 2 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 3 USB 2.0 ports)
– 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Headers (Support 4 USB 3.2 Gen1 ports)
– 1 x Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Header (20 Gb/s)

*Supports in total up to 12V/3A, 36W LED Strip

**Support in total up to 5V/3A, 15W LED Strip

***CPU_FAN1 supports the fan power up to 1A (12W).

****CPU_FAN2/WP supports the fan power up to 2A (24W).

*****CHA_FAN1~5/WP support the fan power up to 2A (24W).

*****CPU_FAN2/WP and CHA_FAN1~5/WP can auto detect if 3-pin or 4-pin fan is in use.

Rear Panel I/O

– 2 x Antenna Ports
– 1 x HDMI Port
– 1 x DisplayPort 1.4
– 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
– 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A Port (10 Gb/s)
– 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C Port (10 Gb/s)
– 8 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports
– 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port
– HD Audio Jacks: Rear Speaker / Central / Bass / Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone (Gold Audio Jacks)

Software and UEFI

Software
– ASRock Motherboard Utility (A-Tuning)
– ASRock Dragon 2.5G LAN Software
– ASRock Polychrome SYNC*
UEFI
– ASRock EZ Mode
– ASRock Full HD UEFI
– ASRock My Favorites in UEFI
– ASRock Auto Driver Installer
– ASRock Instant Flash
– ASRock Easy RAID Installer

*These utilities can be downloaded from ASRock Live Update & APP Shop.

Accessories

– 1 x User Manual
– 2 x SATA Data Cables
– 1 x ASRock WiFi 2.4/5/6 GHz Antenna
– 4 x Screws for M.2 Sockets
– 1 x Graphics Card Holder

Form Factor

– ATX Form Factor: 12.0-in x 9.6-in, 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm
– 2oz Copper PCB

OS

– Microsoft® Windows® 10 64-bit / 11 64-bit

*Windows® 10 only supports version 21H2 or later

Certifications

– FCC, CE
– ErP/EuP ready (ErP/EuP ready power supply is required)
– CEC Tier II ready

 

Z790 Chipset: Delivering a Supercharged Experience for Enthusiasts

The 13th Gen Intel® Core™ desktop processors, when paired with the Z790 chipset, deliver the breakthrough performance and features that gamers, creators, and professionals need to work at their best. Optimized for overclocking1 and precision tuning when paired with an unlocked processor, the Z790 chipset empowers you with the control and confidence to choose the best performance and thermal characteristics for the task at hand. Harness the processing power, responsiveness, and connectivity of up to 38 high-speed I/O lanes—including 20 PCIe 4.0 lanes, 8 PCIe 3.0 lanes, and 5 USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20G) ports—as well as Intel® Killer™ Wi-Fi 6E (Gig+) to take your gaming, content creation, and productivity to the next level.

 

For more information, you can go to ASRock’s website.

 

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