ASUS ROG STRIX Z790 –F GAMING REVIEW

2023-08-04 08:16:42

Por AlternativeX

Posted: August 4, 2023

ASUS continues to present models of motherboards to cover the requirements of all types of users. This time comes the answer to those seeking to enter the segment STRIX in Z790 for new Intel processors that directly competes with motherboards based on the chipset X670 the AMD.

True to style, this motherboard is protected by the classic STRIX aesthetic with black as a base and red accents, showing its design on the front and its main features and technical specifications on the back.

CONTENT

In the box the manufacturer includes the following items

User guide Welcome message to the ROG family ASUS stickers ASUS WebStorage advertisement Safety guides Thermal pad for M.2 Zip ties 2 SATA III cables Bolts for M.2 ROG keychain Fan support for RAM Wi-Fi + BT antenna Support for RAM and VRM fans

The black and gray colors are what first grab our attention on this motherboard. Its overall design is very similar to that seen in the previous generation, although with details that give it a more aggressive and modern look.

As we well know, this model has an LGA 1700 socket that supports the new Raptor Lake processors, that is, Intel’s 13th generation. But it is also possible to use the 12th generation processors if we wish.

In this case, since it is a Z790 motherboard and allows overclocking, it is necessary or recommended to connect both power connectors for the processor.

As for memory support, this board supports up to 192GB with speeds of 7200 Mhz in DDR5 under the Dual Channel configuration, which is usual in this range.

Taking a closer look at the expansion issue, we find 3 PCIe ports of which only the first x16 works with the PCIe 5.0 protocol and the other 2 work at x4 in PCIe 4.0

And since we are talking about the PCI ports, it is interesting to mention that the manufacturer included a button under the name of Q-Release which allows us to release the lock to make it easier to remove our video card.

The support for M.2 drives is found in four places on this motherboard: the first directly under the processor socket and which is also cooled thanks to the aluminum piece with a thermal pad on both sides. And the additional 3 at the bottom where they are all refrigerated.

We also find the traditional SATA ports, which on this occasion are 4 available.

Regarding connectivity we have:

1 x HDMI Port

1 x DisplayPort

4 x USB 2.0

BIOS FlashBack Button

Clear CMOS Button

1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C

1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C

6 x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2

2.5Gb Ethernet

 Wi-Fi 6

Salida Óptica de audio

5 x Audio Jack

For the comparison we will use the average of the previous platforms that we have reviewed. On the component side we will use Kingston memories, SSD from WD, NVIDIA graphics card, and ASUS power supply. Everything is detailed below:

Plataforma Intel Alder Lake

ProcesadorIntel Core i7 12700KPlaca MadreASUS ROG STRIX Z790-F GAMING WIFIMemoriesKingston 32GB 5600MHZ DDR5Power SupplyROG THOR 1200WGraphic CardNvidia GeForce RTX 3080StorageSSD WD Black 850 1TBCabinetOpen Bench TableCoolingNoctua NH-U12S BlackFansN/A System TestsBlender
7-Zip
CineBench 23 CPUSistema Operativo y ControladoresMicrosoft Windows 11 Pro 64 bits

The Benches that we have provided for this session are:

7-Zip

CINEBENCH R23

Next, we will use the Cinebench Software created by Maxon, which is highly recognized in the film world since it is also used to create 3D content. This test is based on the CPU that saturates our processor. The result is expressed in points, which means that the more the better.

BLENDER BENCHMARK

Then thoroughly test the ASUS ROG STRIX Z790E-GAMING WIFI It is appropriate to mention that it is positioned as an ideal option for those seeking to squeeze all the performance out of a K series processor (either i7 or i9) as it allows us to overclock both the processor and the memories.

Although arriving with an approximate price point of 580 USD it is already a purchase reserved for those who know what they are looking for. In this case it would be a large capacity for M.2 drives, Wi-Fi/BT support, overclocking margin and a large number of both internal and external connectors.