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ASUS · AM5 · Z790

ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO

ATX · DDR5 · 4 DIMMs · 20-phase VRM · Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)

Quality
102
VRM
95
Value
25
Amazon
$777
ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO
View ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO Gallery in high resolution
$777
Available Updated 2 days, 8 hours ago Prime FBA
Overall101.6
VRM95.0
Chipset100.0
Expansion / storage110.0
Connectivity99.0
Audio104.0
Quality / price24.8
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Written analysis

ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO at a glance

The ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO uses the ATX form factor, AM5 socket, and Intel ® Z790 Chipset chipset. This is a high-end platform with the feature headroom expected in an enthusiast gaming or productivity build.

Memory support is DDR5 across 4 DIMM slots, with up to 192 GB and rated overclocked speeds up to 7800 MT/s. XMP / EXPO memory-profile support is recorded for easier tuning.

Best fit: a premium gaming or creator build that will use the stronger VRM, storage, and I/O rather than simply needing a compatible socket.

Power delivery

The calculated VRM score is 95.0, placing the power delivery in the ultra high-end class. The board lists 20 CPU power phases, 90 A power stages in a 20+1+2 layout. CPU power input is listed as 2. That is appropriate for sustained high-power CPUs and aggressive tuning when case airflow and VRM cooling are also adequate.

Expansion and storage

The expansion and storage score is 110.0: exceptionally well equipped . The platform supports PCIe 5.0. Physical expansion includes 3 ×16 slots.

On-board storage consists of 5 M.2 slots supporting PCIe 5.0 x4, PCIe 4.0 x4, SATA and 6 SATA ports. Supported M.2 lengths are listed as 22110, 2280, 2260, 2242. That is enough NVMe capacity for a multi-drive gaming or creator setup without immediately relying on an add-in card.

Connectivity and rear I/O

The connectivity score is 99.0, rated premium . Wireless networking is Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) ; wired networking is 1 x Intel ® 2.5Gb EthernetASUS LANGuard at up to 2500 Mbps. Bluetooth 5.3 is included. The recorded USB provision is 12 rear connections and 1 front-panel connections. USB4 Type-C is available at the rear. The specification sheet below separates every USB speed and connector type.

Display connectivity includes HDMI 2.1, USB-C DisplayPort. These motherboard outputs require a processor with integrated graphics.

Audio

The audio score is 104.0. This is an ultra-premium onboard implementation based on ROG SupremeFX 7.1 Surround Sound High Definition Audio CODEC ALC4082; ESS ® ES9218 QUAD DAC, aimed at users who want strong analogue output without immediately adding a USB DAC. The rear panel has 5 analogue jacks, with gold-plated contacts. Optical S/PDIF is present for digital audio equipment.

Buying verdict

Overall quality is 101.60, placing this board in the specialist flagship class. Its appeal is breadth—power delivery, expansion, I/O, and onboard features—not merely socket compatibility.

At the recorded Amazon price, the quality-to-price score is 24.8. This is a feature-first premium purchase; compare nearby boards if several flagship extras would go unused.

Board data

Full specifications

Platform, expansion, storage, rear I/O, internal headers, networking, audio, and board controls in one sheet.

General

Manufacturer
ASUS
Motherboard
ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO
Chipset / socket
Intel ® Z790 Chipset / AM5
Form factor
ATX
Launch price
—
Amazon price
$777
Availability
In stock
Price updated
2 days, 8 hours ago

VRM

CPU phases
20 (90 A)
Power design
20+1+2
EPS connector
2

Memory

Type / slots
DDR5 / 4 DIMMs
Max capacity / OC
192 GB / 7800 MT/s
Per DIMM
48 GB
XMP / EXPO
Yes

PCIe

Supported version
PCIe 5.0
x16 physical
3
x16 Gen 5
2
x16 Gen 4
1

Storage

M.2 slots
5
M.2 lengths
22110, 2280, 2260, 2242
M.2 modes
PCIe 5.0 x4, PCIe 4.0 x4, SATA
SATA ports
6

Display outputs

HDMI
Yes · 2.1 · 4K@60Hz
DisplayPort
No
USB-C DisplayPort
Yes · 1.4

USB

Rear USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 5 Gbps
4
Rear USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A 10 Gbps
5
Rear USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C 10 Gbps
1
Rear USB4 Type-C
2
Front USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C 20 Gbps
1
Front USB-C PD
60 W
Header USB 2.0
4
Header USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 5 Gbps
4
USB4
Type-C · rear

Networking

Ethernet
1 x Intel ® 2.5Gb EthernetASUS LANGuard
LAN ports
1
LAN speed
2500 Mbps
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Bands
2.4/5/6 GHz
Antenna connectors
2
Bluetooth
5.3

Audio

Chipset
ROG SupremeFX 7.1 Surround Sound High Definition Audio CODEC ALC4082; ESS ® ES9218 QUAD DAC
Analog jacks
5
Gold-plated jacks
Yes
Optical S/PDIF
Yes
Spatial audio
No

Buttons

BIOS flashback
Yes
Clear CMOS
Yes
Q-Flash Plus
No
Smart button
No
Onboard start / reset
Start / Reset

Additional information

CPU support
Intel ® Socket LGA1700 for Intel ® Core™ 14 th & 13 th Gen Processors, Intel ® Core™ 12 th Gen, Pentium ® Gold and Celeron ® Processors Supports Intel ® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 and Intel ® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0** * Refer to www.asus.com for CPU support list. ** Intel ® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 support depends on the CPU types.
OS support
Windows ® 11, Windows ® 10 64-bit
Memory notes
4 DIMM DDR5, non-ECC un-buffered memory. DDR5 supports On-Die ECC (but motherboard does not operate in ECC module mode). Highest listed OC speed is 7800+ MHz (OC). Supported memory types, data rates, and module counts depend on CPU and memory configuration—refer to the ASUS memory support (QVL) list for exact compatibility.
Display notes
1 x HDMI port; 2 x Intel Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C) ports supporting DisplayPort 1.4 and Thunderbolt video outputs. HDMI supports 4K@60Hz as specified in HDMI 2.1. Graphics specifications may vary by CPU. VGA resolution support depends on the processor or graphics card.
Expansion notes
Supports PCIe 5.0 as the maximum generation (PCIe 5.0 provides ~32 GT/s per lane, roughly ~3.94 GB/s per lane, or about ~64 GB/s aggregate for a x16 link; backward compatible with previous PCIe versions). Physical slots: 2 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slots and 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 slot. Bandwidth sharing/limitations: the two PCIe5 x16 slots operate in x16 or x8/x8 modes when both used; installing an ROG Hyper M.2 card in one PCIEX16(G5) will force the other PCIEX16(G5) to run at x8. The PCIe 4.0 x16 slot supports x4 or x4/x4 modes (bifurcation) — consult the ASUS PCIe bifurcation table/support site for exact configuration and peripheral compatibility. Chipset: Intel Z790.
M.2_1
PCIe 4.0 x4 · 2242, 2260, 2280, 22110 · From CPU
Hyper M.2_1
PCIe 5.0 / PCIe 4.0 x4 · 2242, 2260, 2280, 22110 · via ROG Hyper M.2 card (PCIEX16 slots) — When the ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_1, Hyper M.2_1 can run at PCIe 4.0 x4; when installed on PCIEX16(G5)_2, Hyper M.2_1 can run at PCIe 5.0 x4; when installed on PCIEX16(G4), Hyper M.2_1 (and Hyper M.2_2) can run at PCIe 4.0 x4.
M.2_2
PCIe 4.0 x4 · 2242, 2260, 2280 · From Intel Z790 Chipset
M.2_3
PCIe 4.0 x4 · SATA · 2242, 2260, 2280 · From Intel Z790 Chipset
Hyper M.2_2
PCIe 4.0 x4 · 2242, 2260, 2280, 22110 · via ROG Hyper M.2 card (PCIEX16 slots) — When the ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_1 or PCIEX16(G5)_2, Hyper M.2_2 will be disabled; when the card is installed on PCIEX16(G4), Hyper M.2_1 and Hyper M.2_2 can both run at PCIe 4.0 x4.
RAID
SATA / PCIe (PCIe RAID 0/1/5/10; SATA RAID 0/1/5/10)
Storage notes
Total: 5 M.2 slots and 6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports. Intel Rapid Storage Technology supports PCIe RAID 0/1/5/10 and SATA RAID 0/1/5/10. RAID configuration and boot drives are not supported on the SATA6G_E1-2 ports. Hyper M.2 slots require a ROG Hyper M.2 card installed in PCIEX16 slots and their PCIe generation/availability depends on which PCIEX16 (G5_1, G5_2, or G4) the card is installed in.
USB notes
Primary USB data: Rear total 12 ports (2x Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, counted as USB4; 6x USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports — 5 Type-A + 1 Type-C; 4x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A). Front total 9 ports explicitly lists 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C (supports up to 60W PD and QC4+) and headers: 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 headers supporting 4 additional Gen1 ports, and 2x USB 2.0 headers supporting 4 additional USB2 ports. Internal IO repeats the Gen2x2 connector and header information. Counts reflect only items explicitly listed in the primary USB data.
Audio notes
Impedance sense for front and rear headphone outputs; supports jack-detection, multi-streaming, front panel MIC jack-retasking; 120 dB SNR stereo playback, 110 dB SNR recording; supports up to 32-bit/384 kHz playback on front panel; SupremeFX shielding technology, premium audio capacitors, audio cover. Note: rear panel Line Out does not support spatial audio — spatial audio must be used via front-panel audio jack.
Networking notes
ASUS LANGuard present; 1 x Wi‑Fi module (2x2 Wi‑Fi 6E). Regulatory restrictions for 6 GHz may vary by country. Bluetooth version may vary; refer to Wi‑Fi module manufacturer for latest specs. Includes 2 x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) ports.
Button notes
Additional onboard controls: FlexKey button, Start button, ReTry button. BIOS FlashBack™ and Clear CMOS are listed on the rear I/O. Note: the rear panel Lime (line-out) port does not support spatial audio — use the chassis front panel audio jack for spatial audio. Also present are related switches/jumpers (Alternative PCIe Mode switch, CPU Over Voltage jumper) and numerous headers, but these are not listed as buttons.
Fan / RGB headers
1 CPU · 1 OPT · 1 AIO · 4 chassis · 3 ARGB · 1 RGB
Thermal sensors
1
Other headers
Front audio · System panel
Accessories
Cables 1 x ARGB RGB extension cable 4 x SATA 6Gb/s cables ROG Hyper M.2 Card 1 x ROG Hyper M.2 Card with heatsink 2 x M.2 screw packages for ROG Hyper M.2 Card Additional Cooling Kit 1 x Thermal pad for M.2 1 x DDR5 Fan holder 1 x VRM Fan holder Miscellaneous 1 x ASUS Wi-Fi moving antennas 3 x M.2 backplate Q-Latch package 3 x M.2 backplate Rubber Packages 1 x Q-connector 1 x ROG stickers 1 x ROG key chain 1 x ROG VIP card Installation Media 1 x USB drive with utilities and drivers Documentation 1 x User Guide
Dimensions
ATX Form Factor12 inch x 9.6 inch ( 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm )

Extracted notes sit here. Official manufacturer copy is at the bottom of the page.

Amazon

Price history

Nearby quality

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VRM fit

VRM-appropriate CPUs

AM5 processors whose TDP sits in this board’s VRM window. Socket match is required; chipset extras still matter on sTR5. This is a power-delivery filter, not a ranked CPU guide.

Open AM5 CPUs in the CPU table

Discussion

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Vendor copy

Official manufacturer data

Raw manufacturer text kept for reference. Structured specs above are extracted from this copy and are the source for scores and tables.

CPU support

Intel ® Socket LGA1700 for Intel ® Core™ 14 th & 13 th Gen Processors, Intel ® Core™ 12 th Gen, Pentium ® Gold and Celeron ® Processors
Supports Intel ® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 and Intel ® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0**
* Refer to www.asus.com for CPU support list.
** Intel ® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 support depends on the CPU types.

Memory

4 x DIMM, Max. 192GB, DDR5 7800+(OC)/7600(OC)/7400(OC)/7200(OC)/7000(OC)/6800(OC)/6600(OC)/6400(OC)/ 6200(OC)/ 6000(OC)/ 5800(OC)/ 5600/ 5400/ 5200/ 5000/ 4800MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory*
Dual Channel Memory Architecture
Supports Intel ® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
* Supported memory types, data rate (Speed), and number of DRAM modules vary depending on the CPU and memory configuration, for more information refer to www.asus.com for memory support list.
* Non-ECC, Un-buffered DDR5 Memory supports On-Die ECC function

Graphics

1 x HDMI TM port**
2 x Intel ® Thunderbolt™ 4 ports (USB Type-C ® ) support DisplayPort 1.4 and Thunderbolt™ video outputs***
* Graphics specifications may vary between CPU types. Please refer to www.intel.com for any updates.
** Support 4K@60Hz as specified in HDMI 2.1.
*** VGA resolution support depends on processors' or graphic cards' resolution.

Expansion slots

Intel ® Core TM Processors (14 th & 13 th & 12 th Gen)*
2 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slots (support x16 or x8/x8 modes)**
Intel ® Z790 Chipset
1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (supports x4, x4/x4 modes)
* Please check the PCIe bifurcation table on the support site (https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1037507/).
** When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_1, PCIEX16(G5)_2 will run x8 only and if ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_2, PCIEX16(G5)_1 will run x8 only. - To ensure compatibility of the device installed, please refer to https://www.asus.com/support/ for the list of supported peripherals.

Storage

Total supports 5 x M.2 slots and 6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports*
Intel ® Core TM Processors (14 th & 13 th & 12 th Gen)*
M.2_1 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode.)
Hyper M.2_1 slot (Key M) via ROG Hyper M.2 card, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (supports PCIe 5.0 x4 mode.)**
Intel ® Z790 Chipset**
M.2_2 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode)
M.2_3 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 & SATA modes)
Hyper M.2_1 slot (Key M) via ROG Hyper M.2 card, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (suppports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode)**
Hyper M.2_2 slot (Key M) via ROG Hyper M.2 card, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (suppports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode)***
6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports****
* Intel ® Rapid Storage Technology supports PCIe RAID 0/1/5/10, SATA RAID 0/1/5/10.
** When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_1, Hyper M.2_1 slot can support PCIe 4.0 x4 mode. When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_2, Hyper M.2_1 slot can support PCIe 5.0 x4 mode. When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G4), Hyper M.2_1 and Hyper M.2_2 slots can support PCIe 4.0 x4 mode.
*** When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_1 or PCIEX16(G5)_2, Hyper M.2_2 slot will be disabled. When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G4), Hyper M.2_1 and Hyper M.2_2 slots can support PCIe 4.0 x4 mode.
**** RAID configuration and boot drives are not supported on the SATA6G_E1-2 ports

USB

Rear USB (Total 12 ports)
2 x Thunderbolt™ 4 ports (2 x USB Type-C ® )
6 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (5 x Type-A + 1 x USB Type-C ® )
4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (4 x Type-A)
Front USB (Total 9 ports)
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 connector (supports USB Type-C ® with up to 60W PD/QC4+)
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 headers support additional 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports
2 x USB 2.0 headers support additional 4 USB 2.0 ports

Internal I/O

Fan and Cooling related
1 x 4-pin CPU Fan header
1 x 4-pin CPU OPT Fan header
1 x 4-pin AIO Pump header
4 x 4-pin Chassis Fan headers
1 x W_PUMP+ header
1 x 2-pin Water In header
1 x 2-pin Water Out header
1 x 3-pin Water Flow header
Power related
1 x 24-pin Main Power connector
2 x 8-pin +12V Power connector
1 x 6-pin PCIe Power connector
Storage related
3 x M.2 slots (Key M)
6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports
USB
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 connector (supports USB Type-C ® )
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 headers support additional 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports
2 x USB 2.0 headers support additional 4 USB 2.0 ports
Miscellaneous
3 x Addressable Gen 2 headers
1 x AURA RGB header
1 x FlexKey button
1 x Front Panel Audio header (AAFP)
1 x Start button
1 x ReTry button
1 x 10-1 pin System Panel header
1 x Thermal Sensor header
1 x CPU Over Voltage jumper
1 x Alternative PCIe Mode switch

Rear I/O

2 x Thunderbolt™ 4 USB Type-C ® ports
6 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (5 x Type-A + 1 x USB Type-C ® )
4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (4 x Type-A)
1 x HDMI ® port
1 x Wi-Fi Module
1 x Intel ® 2.5Gb Ethernet port
5 x Gold-plated audio jacks*
1 x Optical S/PDIF out port
1 x BIOS FlashBack™  button
1 x Clear CMOS button
*The rear panel Lime (Line out) port does not support spatial audio. If you wish to use spatial audio make sure to connect your audio output device to the audio jack on the front panel of your chassis.

Wireless

Wi-Fi 6E
2x2 Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Supports 2.4/5/6GHz frequency band*
Bluetooth ® v5.3**
* WiFi 6E 6GHz regulatory may vary between countries.
** The Bluetooth version may vary, please refer to the Wi-Fi module manufacturer's website for the latest specifications.

Audio

ROG SupremeFX 7.1 Surround Sound High Definition Audio CODEC ALC4082
- Impedance sense for front and rear headphone outputs
- Supports: Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel MIC Jack-retasking
- High quality 120 dB SNR stereo playback output and 110 dB SNR recording input
- Support up to 32-Bit/ 384 kHz playback on front panel
Audio Features
- SupremeFX Shielding Technology
- ESS ® ES9218 QUAD DAC
- Gold-plated audio jacks
- Rear optical S/PDIF out port
- Premium audio capacitors
- Audio cover

Special features

Extreme OC Kit
- FlexKey button
- ReTry button
- Start button
Extreme Engine Digi+
- 10K Black Metallic Capacitors
- MicroFine Alloy Choke
ASUS Q-Design
- M.2 Q-Latch
- PCIe Slot Q-Release
- Q-Code
- Q-Connector
- Q-DIMM
- Q-LED (CPU [red], DRAM [yellow], VGA [white], Boot Device [yellow green])
- Q-Slot
ASUS Thermal Solution
- M.2 heatsink backplate
- M.2 heatsink
- Steel backplate
- VRM heatsink design
ASUS EZ DIY
- BIOS FlashBack™ button
- Clear CMOS button
- CPU Socket lever protector
- ProCool II
- Pre-mounted I/O shield
- SafeSlot
- SafeDIMM
AURA Sync
- AURA RGB header(s)
- Addressable Gen 2 header(s)
Front Panel USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 with Quick Charge 4+ Support
- Support: up to 60W charging*
- Output: 5/9/15/20V max. 3A, PPS:3.3–21V max. 3A
- Compatible with PD3.0 and PPS
* To support 60W, please install the power cable to 6-pin PCIe power connector or can only support 27W

Accessories

Cables
1 x ARGB RGB extension cable
4 x SATA 6Gb/s cables
ROG Hyper M.2 Card
1 x ROG Hyper M.2 Card with heatsink
2 x M.2 screw packages for ROG Hyper M.2 Card
Additional Cooling Kit
1 x Thermal pad for M.2
1 x DDR5 Fan holder
1 x VRM Fan holder
Miscellaneous
1 x ASUS Wi-Fi moving antennas
3 x M.2 backplate Q-Latch package
3 x M.2 backplate Rubber Packages
1 x Q-connector
1 x ROG stickers
1 x ROG key chain
1 x ROG VIP card
Installation Media
1 x USB drive with utilities and drivers
Documentation
1 x User Guide

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