Introduction

ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 HERO review

Every story needs a hero, and this one is all about the Z790 ROG Maximus Z790 HERO, which includes multiple M2 slots (PCIe Gen4/Gen5), a 2.5 GigE connection, and WIFI6E, as well as a robust 24+1 VRM design and PCI Express 5.0 lanes. We will pair it with some excellent TeamGroup DDR5, clocked at 7200 MHz. It is a pricey hero, though, as it costs $629.

For Z790 there will be at least 13 different motherboards available from Asus, with more from the ProArt series arriving shortly. They will use Intel's latest flagship Z790 chipset and Asus's technologies like AI Overclocking to quickly improve performance and AI Cooling II to optimise your PC for optimal thermals and noise levels. There are two motherboards in the Maximus series: the ROG Maximus Z790 Extreme and the ROG Maximus Z790 Hero. Both are designed for aficionados who want superb possible hardware, whether to set a new overclocking record or to play games with no compromises. Even the primary PCIe x16 slot reflects this, as Asus leaves enough for up to a four-slot graphics card. The motherboard utilises an eATX format with a 20+1-phase architecture. The ROG Maximus Z790 Hero's extensive M.2 compatibility provides many possibilities for assembling a high-speed storage array. It all starts with the included ROG Hyper M.2 add-in card, which allows you to attach up to two M.2 drives—one PCIe 5.0 and one PCIe 4.0—in the board's second PCIe 5.0 x16 slot. Furthermore, the board includes three onboard PCIe 4.0 slots for expanding your storage space even further.

	Cores		Clock Frequency				Cache		Power usage		Price
Intel	P	E	Base P	Turbo P	Base E	Turbo E	L2	L3	Base	Turbo	USD
Core i9-13900K	8	16	3.0GHz	5.8GHz	2.2GHz	4.3GHz	32MB	36MB	125W	253W	589
Core i9-13900KF	8	16	3.0GHz	5.8GHz	2.2GHz	4.3GHz	32MB	36MB	125W	253W	564
Core i7-13700K	8	8	3.4GHz	5.4GHz	2.5GHz	4.2GHz	24MB	30MB	125W	253W	406
Core i7-13700KF	8	8	3.4GHz	5.4GHz	2.5GHz	4.2GHz	24MB	30MB	125W	253W	384
Core i5-13600K	6	8	3.5GHz	5.1GHz	2.6GHz	3.9GHz	20MB	24MB	125W	181W	319
Core i5-13600KF	6	8	3.5GHz	5.1GHz	2.6GHz	3.9GHz	20MB	24MB	125W	181W	294

Last month at Intel Innovation, Intel introduced the 13th generation of its Core processor family, led by the 13th generation Intel Core i9-13900K, their fastest-ever desktop CPU. There are six unlocked 13th-generation Intel Core desktop processors available, with clock speeds running up to 5.8 GHz over a maximum of 24 cores and 32 threads. We tested numerous Z790 motherboards already, so for the HERO we decide to see if we can make a difference, since it;s compatible we'll use DDR5 7200 MHz from TeamGroup. The frequency parameters for Intel XMP 3.0 range from 4,800 MHz to 7,200 MHz for their memory, and gamers can access the Intel XMP 3.0 OC capability straight from their BIOS system. With that said, let's look closely at the platform and then head into testing.