ASRock Z790 Taichi Motherboard Review

Features and Specifications

Features

• Supports 13^th Gen & 12^th Gen Intel^® Core™ Processors
• 24+2+1 Phase Power Design, SPS for VCore+GT
• 4 x DDR5 DIMMs, supports up to 6600+(OC)
• 2 PCIe 5.0 x16, 1 PCIe 4.0 x16, 1 M.2 Key-E for WiFi
• Graphics Output Options: 2 USB4 Type-C, 1 HDMI
• 5.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC4082 Audio Codec), ESS SABRE9218 DAC, WIMA Audio Caps, Nahimic Audio
• 1 Blazing M.2 (PCIe Gen5x4), 4 Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4x4), 8 SATA3
• 1 USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C (Front), 2 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A (Rear), 10 USB 3.2 Gen1 (6 Rear, 4 Front), 6 USB 2.0 (2 Rear, 4 Front)
• Killer 2.5G LAN, Intel^® 1G LAN
• Killer 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E + Bluetooth

Overview

Taichi represents the philosophical state of undifferentiated absolute and infinite potential. A motherboard that fulfills every task – with style! Become like water. Shapeless, formless, versatile for any situation.

SPS (Smart Power Stage)

Dr.MOS design features the latest SPS (Smart Power Stage) technology. It’s optimized for monitoring current and temperature of each phase, thus delivering smoother and neater power to the CPU with enhanced performance and OC capability.

24+2+1 Power Phase Design

Featuring sturdy components and completely smooth power delivery to the CPU. Plus, it offers unmatched overclocking capabilities and enhanced performance with the lowest temperature for advanced gamers as well.

2oz Copper PCB

2 ounce copper inner layers that provide stable signal traces and power shapes! Delivering lower temperature and higher energy efficiency for overclocking.

8 Layer PCB design

The 8 Layer PCB provides stable signal traces and power shapes delivering lower temperature and higher energy efficiency, ensures a reliable and long-lasting system while delivering ultimate performance without any compromise.

The reinforced DIMM slot is surfaced mounted onto the motherboard to give better physical strength as well as a more stable memory signal, with this superior revolutionary design, it is able to dramatically overclock DRAM module up to insane frequency.

DIY Friendly Design

Due to the unique electrical architecture of DDR5 DIMM, there’s a high risk of damaging the memory module if AC power isn’t disconnected properly during removal or installation. To prevent this, ASRock has implemented a trouble free protection circuit on every DDR5 motherboard, lowers the risk of damaging your memory module.

PCIe 5.0 + Surface-Mount Tech

Compares to conventional DIP style PCIe slot, the SMT type PCIe slot improves signal flow and maximize stability under high speed, a key breakthrough to fully support the lighting speed of the latest PCIe 5.0 standard.

The latest PCI Express 5.0 is capable to perform a breathtaking bandwidth of 128GBps, ready to unleash the full potential of future high end graphic cards.

KiLLER E3100 + AX1675

The Killer Ethernet controller is designed specically for competitive gamers and performance-hungry users, this motherboard comes with both Killer E3100 2.5G Ethernet & WiFi 6E solution, the enhanced detection and prioritization engine provides the ultimate networking experience for gaming and multimedia applications.

Wi-Fi 6E 802.11ax

WiFi 6E technology has extended to the whole new 6GHz spectrum band, providing more WiFi capability and giving an even better and faster internet traffic. In addition to deliver higher speeds, the WiFi 6E also enhances the lower latency and supports service levels that are equivalent to 5G networks.

KiLLER Doubleshot Pro

Killer DoubleShot Pro allows the use of both the Killer Wireless and Killer Ethernet interfaces work at the same time which will give the end user max throughput as high as 4.9 Gbps, it automatically utilizes the fastest network connection for high priority traffic, this ensures the highest priority traffic will always be put on the fastest and most reliable link.

Thunderbolt™ 4/USB4 Type-C

Thunderbolt™ 4/USB4 technology brings speed and versatility to the most advanced USB Type-C, offering a fast and simple level of connection for work or home. It enables lightning-fast data transfer up to 40Gbps and connects external monitors, Thunderbolt™, and USB devices with a single Thunderbolt 4 cable.

Fast Charging Technology

Enjoy the superfast charging rate, up to 9V@3A 27W with the next generation PD 3.0!

ESS SABRE9218 DAC

Embrace the audio stunning performance with ES9218 SABRE DAC!
√ True Hi-Fi Audio. No distorted digital signal
√ 130dB SNR
√ 112dB THD+N and supports higher impedance up to 600 Ω headphone

WIMA Audio Cap

Optimized for high end audio applications! Deliver crystal and balanced sound to satisfy even the pickiest audiophile.

Nahimic Audio

Whether you are using headphones, a headset, external or internal speakers, via USB, Wi-Fi, analog output or even HDMI, Nahimic Audio offers you the most engaging listening experience, vibrant and rich with details.

PCIe Gen5 Blazing M.2

The Blazing M.2 accommodates the latest PCI Express 5.0 standard to perform twice the bandwidth compared to previous generation, with a breathtaking 128Gb/s transfer speed, it is ready to unleash the full potential of future ultrafast SSDs.

Lightning Gaming Ports

Aimed for die hard gamers and enthusiasts! Lightning Gaming Ports are sourced from two different controller interfaces that assist gamers in connecting the high speed mice/keyboard with the lower jitter and latency!

POLYCHROME RGB

In addition to the built-in RGB illumination, it also features onboard RGB headers and an addressable RGB header that allow motherboard to be connected to compatible LED devices such as strip, CPU fans, coolers, chassis and so on. Users may also synchronize RGB LED devices across the Polychrome RGB Sync-certified accessories to create their own unique lighting effects.

Front USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C

The latest USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C delivers up to 20 Gbps data transfer rate which is 2x as fast as previous generation, providing a blazing fast data transfer interface with reversible USB Type-C design that fits the connector either way.

Specifications

• Unique Feature
  Superb Productivity
  – PCIe Gen5 (Graphics, M.2)
  – Dual Channel DDR5
  – USB4 Thunderbolt™ 4 Type-C Ports (40 Gb/s)
  Rock-Solid Durability
  – 24+1+2 Power Phase, 105A SPS for VCore+GT with Enlarged Heatsink Armor
  – Flexible Integrated I/O Shield
  – Nichicon 12K Black Caps (100% Japan made high quality conductive polymer capacitors) Ultrafast Connectivity
  – Killer 2.5G LAN, Killer
  802.11ax Wi-Fi 6EModule
  – Killer DoubleShot™ Pro
  – Front Panel Type-C 60W Fast Charging (20V/3A)
  – ASRock Lightning Gaming Ports EZ Update
  – ASRock Auto Driver Installer
• CPU
  – Supports 13^th Gen & 12^th 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)
  – Supports ASRock Hyper BCLK Engine
• Chipset
  – Intel^® Z790
• Memory
  – Dual Channel DDR5 Memory Technology
  – 4 x DDR5 DIMM Slots
  – Supports DDR5 non-ECC, un-buffered memory up to 7000+(OC)*
  – Max. capacity of system memory: 128GB*
  – Supports Intel^® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) 3.0

  *1DPC 1R Up to 7000+ MHz (OC), 4800 MHz Natively.
  1DPC 2R Up to 6000+ MHz (OC), 4400 MHz Natively.
  2DPC 1R Up to 6000+ 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 HDMI 2.1 TMDS Compatible, supports HDCP 2.3 and max. resolution up to 4K 60Hz
  – 2 x Intel^® Thunderbolt™ 4, supports HDCP 2.3 and max. resolution up to 8K 60Hz*

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

  **Supports two 4K displays or one 8K display* Only the CPU’s embedded graphics can be displayed through Thunderbolt™ ports. If you want to display to a Thunderbolt™ monitor, please use CPU models with embedded graphics.
  Thunderbolt™ graphics output may not be compatible with certain Type-C monitors. Please use graphics card outputs instead.

• Audio
  – 5.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC4082 Audio Codec)
  – WIMA Audio Capacitors (For Front Outputs)
  – ESS SABRE9218 DAC for Front Panel Audio (130dB SNR)
  – Individual PCB Layers for R/L Audio Channel
  – Impedance Sensing on Rear Out port
  – Nahimic Audio
• LAN
  1 x 2.5 Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000/2500 Mb/s (Killer E3100G)
  – Supports Killer LAN Software
  – Supports Killer DoubleShot™ Pro 1 x Gigabit LAN 10/100/1000 Mb/s (Intel^® I219V)
• Wireless LAN
  – 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E Module
  – Supports IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax
  – Supports Dual-Band 2×2 160MHz 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
  – Supports Killer LAN Software
  – Supports Killer DoubleShot™ Pro

  *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:
  – 2 x PCIe 5.0 x16 Slots (PCIE1 and PCIE2), support x16 or x8/x8 modes*
  Chipset:
  – 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 Slot (PCIE3), supports x4 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 Slots (PCIE1 and PCIE2)

  * If M2_1 is occupied, PCIE1 will downgrade to x8 mode.
  If PCIE2 is occupied, M2_1 will be disabled.
  If PCIE3 is occupied, SATA3_0~4 will be disabled.
  Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks
• Storage
  CPU:
  – 1 x Blazing M.2 Socket (M2_1, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen5x4 (128 Gb/s) mode*
  – 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_2, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode*
  Chipset:
  – 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_3, Key M), supports type 2260/2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode*
  – 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_4, Key M), supports type 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_1 is occupied, PCIE1 will downgrade to x8 mode.
  If PCIE2 is occupied, M2_1 will be disabled.
  Either M2_1 or M2_2 can be used at a time.**If PCIE3 is occupied, SATA3_0~4 will be disabled.
• 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
  – 2 x USB4 Thunderbolt™ 4 Type-C (Rear)
  – 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C (Front)
  – 2 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A (Rear)
  – 10 x USB 3.2 Gen1 (6 Rear, 4 Front)
  – 6 x USB 2.0 (2 Rear, 4 Front)

  *All USB ports support ESD Protection
• 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)****
  – 6 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 12V 6 pin Power Connector for Fast Charging (Hi-Density Power Connector)
  – 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector (15μ Gold Audio Connector)
  – 2 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 4 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)******
  – 1 x Clear CMOS Button
  – 1 x Dr. Debug with LED
  – 1 x Power Button with LED
  – 1 x Reset Button with LED

  *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_3A supports the fan power up to 3A (36W).

  *****CHA_FAN1~6/WP support the fan power up to 2A (24W).

  *****CPU_FAN2/WP_3A and CHA_FAN1~6/WP can auto detect if 3-pin or 4-pin fan is in use.

  ****** Supports USB PD 3.0 up to 20V@3A (60W) fast charging when you install PSU’s Power Cable to the 12V 6 pin Power Connector.If the 12V 6 pin Power Connector is not plugged, this header supports USB PD 3.0 up to 9V@3A (27W) fast charging.

• Rear Panel I/O
  – 2 x Antenna Ports
  – 1 x HDMI Port
  – 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
  – 2 x USB4 Thunderbolt™ 4 Type-C Ports (40 Gb/s for USB4 protocol; 40Gb/s for Thunderbolt™ protocol)*
  – 2 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A Port (10 Gb/s)
  – 6 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports (USB32_12 are Lightning Gaming Ports. USB32_34 support Ultra USB Power.)
  – 2 x USB 2.0 Ports
  – 2 x RJ-45 LAN Ports
  – 1 x Line Out Jack (Gold Audio Jack)
  – 1 x Microphone Input Jack (Gold Audio Jack)

  *Supports USB PD 3.0 up to 9V@3A (27W) / 5V@3A (15W) charging
• Software and UEFI
  Software
  – ASRock Motherboard Utility (A-Tuning)
  – Killer Control Center
  – 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
  – 4 x SATA Data Cables
  – 1 x Wireless Dongle USB Bracket
  – 1 x ASRock WiFi 2.4/5/6 GHz Antenna
  – 4 x Screws for M.2 Sockets
• Form Factor
  – EATX Form Factor: 12.0-in x 10.5-in, 30.5 cm x 26.7 cm
  – 8 Layer PCB

More information on ASRock’s website.