The ASRock Z790 Steel Legend WIFI is a mainstream offering and comes in a standard cardboard box page. The front is themed in a white and black color theme. The front side also lists down support for Intel’s 13th generation Core processors, Polychrome SYNC, PCIe Gen 5, DDR5, and HDMI.
The backside of the package lists the specifications and special features of the motherboard such as the ASRock Graphics Card Holder, 16+1+1 Power Phase Design, Blazing M.2 multi-layer heatsink, Steel PCIe Gen 5×16 slots, Solid-Rock components, DDR5 Reinforced DIMM slots and WiFi 6E.
The main plastic cover can be removed to find the actual cardboard package within it that houses the motherboard and the accessories.
Inside the package is another box that contains the accessories and is located right below the box holder for the board itself. It is very easy to access although the accessories are a bit scattered and things could get messy sorting out the various additions.
There are several accessories included in the package such as a Wi-Fi antenna module, two SATA III cables, screws for the M.2 storage devices, , and a manual for the board. Following is the full list of accessories in the package:
– 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
With all the accessories done, it’s time to put that box aside and open up the top holder that contains the Z790 Steel Legend WIFI motherboard.
The ASRock Z790 Steel Legend WIFI i is themed in white and black & additionals feature a few grey-colored camo accents on the heatsinks. The motherboard is a mainstream option that retails for a price of $289.99 US and comes in the standard ATX form factor.
Taking a look at the front of the motherboard, we see a design that would look great with almost any PC build. Lots of motherboard makers are now starting to adopt the white color scheme on their boards but ASRock has been following this on its mainstream lineup such as the Steel Legend for some time now.
The board uses the LGA 1700 socket to support Intel Core processors. The socket is compatible with Intel’s 13th & 12th Generation core family. The socket has a protective cover on top of it that points out the exclusivity with Raptor Lake 13th Gen & Alder Lake 12th Gen CPUs, refraining users from running an older 11th and 10th generation CPUs as they won’t fit in the socket at all and forcing them in the socket is only going to cause permanent damage to your motherboard.
Next to the socket are four DDR5 DIMM slots that can support up to 128 GB of dual-channel memory. These slots are rated to support XMP profiles up to 6800 MHz (OC Plus). Each slot is labeled, making it easier to install DIMMs in the proper orientation. DDR5 memory comes with a different latch position so forcing a DDR4 module into a DDR5 slot will cause permanent damage. Each slot is also combined with a reinforced design to make sure signal integrity remains good while keeping the slots durable for long-term usage.
The ASRock Z790 Steel Legend WIFI packs a 16+1+1 phase power delivery configuration that makes use of the 60A Smark Power Stages. The motherboard also makes use of a 6-layer PCB with a 2oz copper design.
As you can see, the VRMs are getting ample cooling from two aluminum-based heatsinks, one of which features an extended fin design. The VRM heatsinks feature an embedded heatsink to make sure heat is dissipated effectively.
The CPU is supplied power through an 8+8 pin power connector configuration. This will feed the CPU with up to 300 Watts of power. The Intel 13th & 12th Gen Unlocked CPUs are very power-hungry with the maximum turbo power rated at 253W for the Core i9-13900K and more if you are planning to overclock these chips.
Each heatsink has 9w/Mk thermal pads located underneath for efficient transfer of heat. ASRock uses high-end Nichicon 12K Black Capacitors on the motherboard to ensure stable power delivery.
The Steel Legend logos are embedded on both heatsinks and provide a nice aesthetic. The one on the IO shield features RGB LED illumination through the acrylic plate.
Expansion slots include three PCI Express x16 (1 Gen 5 x16 / 1 Gen 5 x8 / 1 Gen 4 x4), and 5 M.2 slots. Only 1 M.2 slot is rated at Gen 5 speeds and shares lanes with the x16 dGFX while the four remaining M.2 slots feature Gen 4×4 lanes.
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
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
* 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
ASRock is using a metallic cover on the sides of the PCIe Gen 5.0 expansion slots as a part of its Surface-Mount Tech which provides protection to some extent. It adds more retention and shearing resistance by reinforcing the slots with metal plates. Aside from adding more protection, they are also said to offer ideal signal flow.
Four out of the five M.2 slots are cooled off by the thermal pad and aluminum baseplate cooling. This is part of ASRock’s M.2 heatsink cooling technology and ensures stable operation for M.2 storage devices. The thermal adhesive has a plastic cover over them which needs to be removed before using them with the storage devices. One interesting design choice that ASRock made with the heatsinks is that the screws don’t come off entirely so users should not worry about screws going missing.
The Z790 PCH is housed beneath a large heatsink with the ‘Steel Legend’ logo engraved in silver colors and will be illuminated with RGB LEDs once the board is powered on.
The new PCH design is very futuristic and features a snow-white Camo theme as the rest of the motherboard.
Storage options include eight SATA III ports rated to operate at 6 GB/s. These can support 8 different storage devices at once. There are also dual USB 3.2 (2x Gen 2 / 2x Gen 1) front panel connectors. It might be a bit difficult to reach the ports once it’s installed in the case since they sit right below the PCH heatsink. Many fan headers and jumpers can be found beneath the storage ports.
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ASRock is using its Audio system for audio which is a combination of hardware, and software audio solutions. 7.1 CH HD audio with the latest Realtek ALC897 audio codec.
The full list of connectors on the motherboard is listed as follows.
– 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)
ASRock is using Intel’s Wi-Fi 6E to power wireless connectivity such as 802.11ax WiFi (2.4G WiFi) and Bluetooth 5.2. In terms of Ethernet, there is a single 2.5GbE Ethernet LAN port which is powered by a Dragon RTL8125BG networking switch. Following is the full list of I/O ports on the ASRock Z790 Steel Legend WiFI motherboard:
– 2 x Antenna Ports
– 1 x HDMI Port
– 1 x DisplayPort 1.4
– 1 x Optical SPDIF OutPort
– 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)
