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ASUS · AM5 · Z790

ROG MAXIMUS Z790 DARK HERO

ATX · DDR5 · 4 DIMMs · 20-phase VRM · Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be)

Quality
104
VRM
95
Value
28
Amazon
$700
ROG MAXIMUS Z790 DARK HERO
View ROG MAXIMUS Z790 DARK HERO Gallery in high resolution
$700
Unavailable Updated 2 weeks, 1 day ago Prime FBA
Overall103.8
VRM95.0
Chipset100.0
Expansion / storage110.0
Connectivity110.0
Audio104.0
Quality / price28.2
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Written analysis

ROG MAXIMUS Z790 DARK HERO at a glance

The ROG MAXIMUS Z790 DARK 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 8000 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 + 2 + 1 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 2 ×16 slots, 1 ×4.

On-board storage consists of 5 M.2 slots supporting PCIe 5.0 x4 (M.2_1); PCIe 4.0 x4 (M.2_2/M.2_3/M.2_4/M.2_5) and 4 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 110.0, rated premium . Wireless networking is Wi-Fi Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be) ; wired networking is 1 x Intel ® 2.5Gb EthernetASUS LANGuard at up to 2500 Mbps. Bluetooth 5.4 is included. The recorded USB provision is 12 rear connections and 9 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 103.80, 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 28.2. 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 DARK HERO
Chipset / socket
Intel ® Z790 Chipset / AM5
Form factor
ATX
Launch price
—
Amazon price
$700
Availability
Unavailable
Price updated
2 weeks, 1 day ago

VRM

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

Memory

Type / slots
DDR5 / 4 DIMMs
Max capacity / OC
192 GB / 8000 MT/s
Per DIMM
48 GB
XMP / EXPO
Yes

PCIe

Supported version
PCIe 5.0
x16 physical
2
x16 Gen 5
2
x4 physical
1
x4 Gen 4
1

Storage

M.2 slots
5
M.2 lengths
22110, 2280, 2260, 2242
M.2 modes
PCIe 5.0 x4 (M.2_1); PCIe 4.0 x4 (M.2_2/M.2_3/M.2_4/M.2_5)
SATA ports
4

Display outputs

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

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 2.0
4
Front USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 5 Gbps
4
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
2
LAN speed
2500 Mbps
Wi-Fi
Wi‑Fi 7 (802.11be)
Wi-Fi bandwidth
320MHz
Bands
['2.4 GHz', '5 GHz', '6 GHz']
Antenna connectors
2
Bluetooth
5.4

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

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 slots, DDR5, non-ECC un-buffered modules supported. Supports many overclocked memory speeds (listed above), with highest listed 8000+ (OC). Supports Intel XMP and ASUS Enhanced Memory Profile II (AEMP II). Supports DIMM Flex. On-Die ECC is supported by DDR5 modules but module/server ECC is not supported. Supported memory types, speeds, and number of modules vary by CPU and configuration — refer to ASUS memory support list for compatibility.
Display notes
1 x HDMI port (HDMI 2.1) supporting 4K@60Hz. 2 x Intel Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C) ports support DisplayPort and Thunderbolt video outputs. VGA resolution support depends on the processor's or graphics card's capabilities. Graphics specifications may vary between CPU types; refer to intel.com for updates.
Expansion notes
Two physical PCIe 5.0 x16 slots (operable as x16 or x8/x8). One PCIe 4.0 x4 slot. Bandwidth sharing: M.2_1 shares bandwidth with PCIEX16(G5)_2 — when M.2_1 is enabled PCIEX16(G5)_2 is disabled and PCIEX16(G5)_1 will run at x8 only. Refer to ASUS PCIe bifurcation table/support page for detailed bifurcation and compatibility information.
M.2_1
PCIe 5.0 4 · 2242, 2260, 2280, 22110 · From CPU — M.2_1 shares bandwidth with PCIEX16(G5)_2; when M.2_1 is enabled PCIEX16(G5)_2 is disabled and PCIEX16(G5)_1 will run at x8.
M.2_2
PCIe 4.0 4 · 2242, 2260, 2280 · From CPU
M.2_3
PCIe 4.0 4 · 2242, 2260, 2280 · From Chipset
M.2_4
PCIe 4.0 4 · 2280 · From Chipset
M.2_5
PCIe 4.0 4 · 2280 · From Chipset
RAID
SATA / PCIe (PCIe RAID 0/1/5/10; SATA RAID 0/1/5/10)
Storage notes
Board supports 5 M.2 slots and 4 SATA 6Gb/s ports. Compatible with Intel 12th/13th/14th Gen CPUs and Intel Z790 chipset. Intel Rapid Storage Technology provides PCIe and SATA RAID (0/1/5/10). M.2 length support varies by slot (up to 22110 on M.2_1).
USB notes
Primary counts used. Rear: 2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB4) Type-C, 6x USB 10Gbps (5 Type-A + 1 Type-C), 4x USB 5Gbps (Type-A). Front total 9 = 1x USB 20Gbps Type-C + 4x USB 5Gbps + 4x USB 2.0 (provided via 2 USB 5Gbps headers supporting 4 ports and 2 USB 2.0 headers supporting 4 ports). Front USB Type-C (20Gbps) supports up to 60W PD/QC4+ (PD profiles: 5/9/15/20V max 3A; PPS 3.3–21V max 3A). Note: an additional USB Type-C PD note in the source lists max 5V/3A separately.
Audio notes
Impedance sense for front and rear headphone outputs; supports jack-detection, multi-streaming, front panel jack-retasking; 120 dB SNR stereo playback and 110 dB SNR recording; supports up to 32-bit/384 kHz playback; SupremeFX shielding technology; premium audio capacitors; rear LINE OUT port does not support spatial audio (use front-panel jack or USB audio device for spatial audio).
Networking notes
Intel Wi‑Fi 7 2x2 with MLO support (full functions available in Windows 11 24H2 or later). Wi‑Fi supports up to 5.76Gbps transfer rate. 6GHz band and bandwidth regulatory availability may vary by country. Bluetooth version may vary — refer to Wi‑Fi module manufacturer for latest specs. Listed as having 1 x Wi‑Fi Module.
Button notes
Additional onboard controls: FlexKey button (programmable), Start button (onboard power), ReTry button (reset/boot recovery). Also includes a CPU over voltage jumper and an Alternative PCIe mode switch. BIOS FlashBack and Clear CMOS buttons are present (captured above).
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 Additional Cooling Kit 1 x Thermal pad for M.2 1 x DDR5 fan holder Miscellaneous 1 x ASUS WiFi Q-Antenna 3 x M.2 backplate Q-Latch packages 3 x M.2 backplate Rubber Packages 1 x Q-connector 1 x ROG stickers 1 x ROG key chain 1 x M.2 rubber package 1 x ROG VIP card Installation Media 1 x USB drive with utilities and drivers Documentation 1 x Quick start 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.

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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 slots, max. 192GB, DDR5
8000+(OC)/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) memory module
ASUS Enhanced Memory Profile II (AEMP II)
Supports DIMM Flex
* 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 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 x4 slot
* Please check the PCIe bifurcation table on the support site (https://www.asus.com/support/FAQ/1037507/).
** M.2_1 shares bandwidth with PCIEX16(G5)_2. When M.2_1 is enabled, PCIEX16(G5)_2 will be disabled and 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 4 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 5.0 x4 mode.)**
M.2_2 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode.)
Intel ® Z790 Chipset**
M.2_3 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode)
M.2_4 slot (Key M), type 2280 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode)
M.2_5 slot (Key M), type 2280 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode)
4 x SATA 6Gb/s ports
* Intel ® Rapid Storage Technology supports PCIe RAID 0/1/5/10, SATA RAID 0/1/5/10.
** M.2_1 shares bandwidth with PCIEX16(G5)_2. When M.2_1 is enabled, PCIEX16(G5)_2 will be disabled and PCIEX16(G5)_1 will run x8 only.

USB

Rear USB (Total 12 ports)
2 x Thunderbolt™ 4 ports (2 x USB Type-C ® )
6 x USB 10Gbps ports (5 x Type-A + 1 x USB Type-C ® )
4 x USB 5Gbps ports (4 x Type-A)
Front USB (Total 9 ports)
1 x USB 20Gbps connector (supports USB Type-C ® with up to 60W PD/QC4+)**
2 x USB 5Gbps headers support 4 additional USB 5Gbps ports
2 x USB 2.0 headers support 4 additional USB 2.0 ports
*USB Type-C ® power delivery output: max. 5V/3A
** USB Type-C ® power delivery output: 5/9/15/20V max. 3A, PPS:3.3–21V max. 3A

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 8-pin PCIe power connector
Storage related
5 x M.2 slots (Key M)
4 x SATA 6Gb/s ports
USB
1 x USB 20Gbps connector (supports USB Type-C ® )
2 x USB 5Gbps headers support 4 additional USB 5Gbps ports
2 x USB 2.0 headers support 4 additional 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 (F_AUDIO)
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 10Gbps ports (5 x Type-A + 1 x USB Type-C ® )
4 x USB 5Gbps ports (4 x Type-A)
1 x HDMI TM 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

Wireless

Intel ® Wi-Fi 7*
2x2 Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)**
Supports 2.4/5/6GHz frequency band***
Support Wi-Fi 7 320MHz bandwidth, up to 5.76Gbps transfer rate.
Bluetooth ® v5.4****
* Compatible with Windows 11 or later.
** Wi-Fi 7 MLO(Multi-link Operation) full functions support will be ready in Windows 11 2024 Platform (Windows 11 24H2) or later.
*** Wi-Fi 6GHz frequency band and bandwidth 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 Jack-retasking
- High quality 120 dB SNR stereo playback output and 110 dB SNR recording input
- Supports up to 32-Bit/384 kHz playback
Audio Features
- SupremeFX Shielding Technology
- ESS ® ES9218 QUAD DAC
- Gold-plated audio jacks
- Rear optical S/PDIF out port
- Premium audio capacitors
*The LINE OUT port on the rear panel 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 or use a USB interface audio device.

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-Antenna
- Q-Code
- Q-Connector
- Q-DIMM
- Q-LED (CPU [red], DRAM [yellow], VGA [white], Boot Device [yellow green]) with DRAM Detection
- Q-Slot
ASUS Thermal Solution
- M.2 heatsink backplate
- M.2 heatsink
- Metal 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 20G with Quick Charge 4+ Support
- Support: up to 60W fast charging and USB Wattage Watcher*
- 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 8-pin PCIe power connector or else only 27W will be supported.

Accessories

Cables
1 x ARGB RGB extension cable
4 x SATA 6Gb/s cables
Additional Cooling Kit
1 x Thermal pad for M.2
1 x DDR5 fan holder
Miscellaneous
1 x ASUS WiFi Q-Antenna
3 x M.2 backplate Q-Latch packages
3 x M.2 backplate Rubber Packages
1 x Q-connector
1 x ROG stickers
1 x ROG key chain
1 x M.2 rubber package
1 x ROG VIP card
Installation Media
1 x USB drive with utilities and drivers
Documentation
1 x Quick start guide

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