ASRock Z790 Steel Legend WIFI is a mass-produced product that comes in a standard cardboard box. The front has a white and black theme. The front also lists support for 13th generation Intel Core processors, Polychrome SYNC, PCIe Gen 5, DDR5 and HDMI.
The back of the package shows the specifications and features of the motherboard, such as ASRock graphics card stand, 16+1+1 power phase design, Blazing M.2 multi-layer heatsink, Steel PCIe Gen 5×16 slot, Solid-Rock components, Reinforced DIMM slot DDR5 and Wi-Fi 6E.
Removing the main plastic cover reveals a cardboard package containing the motherboard and accessories.
Inside the package there is another box with accessories, located just below the stand of the board itself. While the accessories are a bit scattered and organizing the various extras can be confusing, they are easily accessible.
The package includes several accessories such as a Wi-Fi antenna module, two SATA III cables, screws for the M.2 drive, and a motherboard manual. Here is the full list of accessories included in the kit:
With all the accessories complete, it’s time to put the box aside and open the top bracket that houses the Z790 Steel Legend WIFI motherboard.
The ASRock Z790 Steel Legend WIFI i features a white and black theme with gray camouflage decorations on the heatsink. This motherboard is a common choice, retailing for $289.99 in the standard ATX form factor.
Looking at the front side of the motherboard, we see that this design will fit almost any PC model. Many motherboard manufacturers are now starting to use a white color scheme on their motherboards, but ASRock has been following this color scheme for a while now in its main line like the Steel Legend.
This motherboard uses LGA 1700 socket and supports Intel Core processors. The socket is compatible with 13th and 12th generation Intel cores. The socket has a protective cap on top that indicates the exclusivity of the 13th Gen Raptor Lake and 12th Gen Alder Lake processors, preventing users from using older 11th and 10th Gen processors that simply won’t fit in the socket and forcing them use it forcibly. into the slot will only cause permanent damage to the motherboard.
Next to the slots are four DDR5 DIMM slots supporting up to 128GB of dual-channel memory. These slots are designed to support XMP profiles up to 6800 MHz (OC Plus). Each slot is labeled, making it easy to install DIMMs in the correct orientation. DDR5 memory has different locking locations, so forcefully inserting a DDR4 module into a DDR5 slot will cause permanent damage. Each slot also features a reinforced design to maintain signal integrity and maintain slot longevity over extended periods of use.
ASRock Z790 Steel Legend WIFI uses a 16+1+1 phase power supply configuration and a 60A Smark power stage. The motherboard also uses a 6-layer PCB made of 2oz copper.
As you can see, the VRM gets plenty of cooling thanks to two aluminum heatsinks, one of which has an extended fin design. The VRM heatsink is equipped with a built-in heat sink to ensure efficient heat dissipation.
The processor is powered via an 8+8-pin power connector. This will provide up to 300W of processor power. Intel’s 13th and 12th generation Unlimited processors are very power hungry, and if you plan to overclock these chips, the Core i9-13900K has a maximum turbo power rating of 253W.
9 W/MK thermal pads are installed under each radiator for efficient heat transfer. ASRock uses high quality Nichicon 12K black capacitors on the motherboard to ensure stable power delivery.
The Steel Legend logo is applied to both heatsinks for an aesthetically pleasing appearance. The backlighting on the I/O board features RGB LED backlighting through an acrylic panel.
Expansion slots include three PCI Express x16 slots (1 Gen 5 x16 / 1 Gen 5 x8 / 1 Gen 4 x4) and 5 M.2 slots. Only one M.2 slot has Gen 5 speeds and uses x16 dGFX channels, while the remaining 4 M.2 slots have Gen 4×4 channels.
* If M2_1 is busy, PCIE1 will be switched to x8 mode. If PCIE2 is busy, M2_1 will be disabled. If PCIE3 is busy, SATA3_0~4 will be disabled. Support NVMe SSD as boot drive
ASRock uses metal covers on the sides of PCIe Gen 5.0 expansion slots as part of its surface mount technology, which provides a certain level of protection. It increases holding capacity and shear resistance by reinforcing the grooves with metal plates. Not only are they said to provide extra protection, but they also ensure ideal signal flow.
Four of the five M.2 slots are cooled using thermal pads and an aluminum baseplate. This is part of ASRock’s M.2 heatsink cooling technology to ensure stable operation of M.2 storage devices. The hot melt adhesive has a plastic cover that must be removed before use with storage devices. One of the interesting design solutions ASRock has implemented on the heatsink is that the screws don’t come off completely, so users won’t have to worry about losing them.
The Z790 PCH sits underneath a large heatsink that’s engraved with a silver “Steel Legend” logo that lights up with RGB LEDs when power is applied to the motherboard.
The new PCH design is very futuristic, and the rest of the motherboard has a pure white camouflage pattern.
Storage options include eight SATA III ports rated at 6GB/s. They can simultaneously support 8 different storage devices. There are also two USB 3.2 connectors (2 Gen 2 / 2 Gen 1) on the front panel. Once installed in the case, access to the ports can be a little difficult since they are located directly under the PCH heatsink. Below the storage ports are several fan and jumper headers.
ASRock implements audio through its audio system, which is a combination of hardware and software audio solutions. 7.1 channel HD audio using the latest Realtek ALC897 audio codec.
ASRock uses Intel Wi-Fi 6E to support wireless connections such as 802.11ax WiFi (2.4G WiFi) and Bluetooth 5.2. On the Ethernet side there is a 2.5GbE Ethernet LAN port powered by a Dragon RTL8125BG network switch. Below is the complete list of I/O ports on ASRock Z790 Steel Legend WiFI motherboard:
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Post time: Oct-18-2024