ASUS has introduced three new Z790 motherboards including the flagship ROG Maximus Z790 DARK HERO with Intel 14th Gen CPU support.
ASUS Unveils Flagship ROG Maximus Z790 DARK HERO Amongst Trio of New Motherboards For Intel 14th Gen CPUs
At Gamescom 2023, ASUS ROG has introduced three new motherboards that are designed for the upcoming Intel 14th Gen CPUs, supporting enhanced designs and new features. The trio includes a flagship ROG Maximus motherboard known as the Z790 DARK HERO alongside the ROG STRIX Z790 A Gaming WIFI II and the TUF Gaming Z790-PRO WIFI.
The ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 DARK HERO is a flagship solution that is outfitted with a 20+1 phase power delivery solution, following are the highlighted features of the motherboard:
- Intel LGA 1700 socket: Ready for Intel Core Next-Gen & 13th Gen processors, Intel Core 12th Gen, Pentium Gold, and Celeron Processors
- Robust Power Solution: 20+1 teamed power solution rated for 90A per stage with dual ProCool II power connectors, high-quality alloy chokes, and durable capacitors to support multi-core processors
- Optimized VRM Thermals: Massive heatsinks integrated with the I/O cover, joined by an L-shaped heatpipe, and connected to the power stages with high-conductivity thermal pads
- Latest M.2 Support: Onboard PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot, and four PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots all with substantial cooling solutions
- Abundant Connectivity: Dual Thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C ports, USB 20Gbps Type-C front-panel connector with Quick Charge 4+ up to 60W and USB Wattage Watcher, six additional USB 10Gbps ports, two PCIe 5.0 x16 SafeSlots, HDMI 2.1
- High-Performance Networking: On-board Intel Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) and Intel 2.5 Gb Ethernet with ASUS LANGuard
- Intelligent Control: ASUS-exclusive AI Overclocking, AI Cooling II, AI Networking, and Two-Way AI Noise Cancelation to simplify setup and improve performance
- Immersive Audio: ROG SupremeFX ALC4082 codec with ESS ES9218 Quad DAC for up to 32-Bit/384 kHz playback
- Unmatched Personalization: I/O cover with Polymo Lighting, three addressable Gen 2 headers, and one RGB header, all configurable with ASUS-exclusive Aura Sync RGB lighting
- DIY Friendly Design: PCIe Slot Q-Release, M.2 Q-Latch, Q-Antenna, pre-mounted I/O shield, Q-Code, Q-LED, FlexKey button, Start button, BIOS FlashBack™ button, and Clear CMOS button
All three ASUS Z790 motherboards come with REMP II, AI Cooling II, and AI Overclocking features that enable the fastest CPU & DDR5 memory overclocking capabilities while keeping things cool & in check with the AI Cooling II feature set. The TUF Gaming Z790-PRO WIFI is also the first board in the lineup to support the AI overclocking capability which wasn't present on the previous-gen TUF line of motherboards.
Additional features for the new ASUS Z790 motherboards will include features such as onboard PCIe Gen5 M.2 slots, Thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C ports with up to 40 Gbps transfer speeds, front-panel USB 20 Gbps Type-C ports, PCIe Slot Q-Release, M.2 Q-Latch, Q-LED, and Q-Antennas. The motherboards will also feature support for WIFI 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 solutions using the Intel Gale Peak 2 "BE200" & Killer 1750X discrete solutions.
ASUS also points out that its existing 600 & 700-series motherboards will also be compatible with the upcoming 14th Gen CPUs from Intel after a BIOS update which is available:
Will you upgrade your motherboard to take advantage of the high-performance networking, abundant connectivity, and optimized power solutions of our latest and best Z790 motherboards? Or will you stick with your battle-hardened Z690 or Z790 motherboard while you upgrade to a next-gen CPU? It’s all up to you.
In terms of design, all three ASUS Z790 motherboards feature a ATX form factor with the ROG & TUF Gaming models going with a distinct black color scheme while the ROG STRIX makes use of a two-tone white/black color scheme. The ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 DARK HERO also comes with a massive "ROG" logo on the I/O plate which features ARGB illumination. These products are going to launch next month with the introduction of Intel's 14th Gen Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs. Expect the prices to be slightly higher than the existing models.
About the author: A Software Engineer by training and a PC enthusiast by passion, Hassan Mujtaba serves as Wccftech's Senior Editor for hardware section. With years of experience in the industry, he specializes in deep-dive technical analysis of next-generation CPU and GPU architectures, motherboards, and cooling solutions. His work involves not only breaking news on upcoming technologies but also extensive hands-on reviews and benchmarking.
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