Words & Conclusion
Final Words
The ASUS Dark Hero has undergone an aesthetic change, primarily feature-wise centred around the inclusion of support for WIFI7 and Bluetooth 5.4. The WIFI7 functionality is enabled by an IC sourced from Intel and while we haven't had the opportunity to conduct WIFI7 testing yet, WIFI6E delivered exceptional throughput closing in at 1 Gbps on the 6 GHz band. We look forward to testing the performance of WIFI7 as routers and access points with this capability become available, as its potential appears very promising. ASUS offers a feature-rich motherboard characterized by its exceptional build quality. Moreover, it exhibits outstanding performance, positioning it as one of the swiftest platforms we've encountered for the 14900K processor. The DARK HERO motherboard not only excels in performance but also boasts a visually pleasing design that radiates quality. With your investment, you gain access to an eATX Gaming motherboard featuring PCIe 5.0, DDR5 support, 20+1 Power Stages, 2.5Gb LAN port, Bluetooth V5.4, 5x M.2/NVMe SSD slots, 2x Thunderbolt 4 ports, WiFi 7 (which holds significant promise), and LGA 1700 support for Intel's 13th & 12th Gen processors. In terms of pricing, this motherboard is priced at $699 USD and is expected to replace the regular ACE model. We firmly believe that Z790 motherboards should ideally fall within the price range of 200 to 300 EUR, considering that most motherboards offer similar performance levels. As an alternative, a firmware-updated Z690 motherboard can deliver comparable performance and is likely to be a more budget-friendly choice in the near future. Opting for DDR4 memory will yield approximately 98% of the same level of performance.
| Intel Core | i5 13600K | i5 14600K | i7 13700K | i7 14700K | i9 13900K | i9 14900K |
| P-cores | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Max. clock speed P cores | 5.1GHz | 5.3GHz | 5.4GHz | 5.6GHz | 5.8GHz | 6.0GHz |
| E-cores | 8 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 16 |
| Max clock speed E cores | 3.9GHz | 4.0GHz | 4.2GHz | 4.3GHz | 4.3GHz | 4.4GHz |
| Threads | 20 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 32 |
| L2-cache | 20MB | 20MB | 24MB | 28MB | 32MB | 32MB |
| L3-cache | 24MB | 24MB | 30MB | 33MB | 36MB | 36MB |
| GPU/IGP | UHD 770 | UHD 770 | UHD 770 | UHD 770 | UHD 770 | UHD 770 |
| Base power | 125W | 125W | 125W | 125W | 125W | 125W |
| Max power | 181W | 181W | 253W | 253W | 253W | 253W |
Performance
We utilized a DDR5 6400 kit for this review, and that revealed spectacular bandwidth; albeit you'll gain some performance we don't think it's worth the money to spend too much on high-frequency kits though—more on that in a separate review of course. The performance, then, this motherboard is built and refined for just that. That goes from processor and memory performance towards WIFI6E and Ethernet with even dual 2.5 Gbps links. We do have to say that we're a little surprised to not receive a 10 Gbps ethernet connector in this price class, that or even 5 Gbps. The board comes with a very sophisticated power phase arrangement, pro overclockers will love this. Our take on PCIe 5.0 is this: at this time and stage, it's not needed for graphics cards, for a PCie gen 5.0 NVMe SSD it is a nice feature though, especially with the great cooling this motherboard applied to that Gen 5 SSD slot.
DDR5 Memory
If you decide to go for a completely new platform, the elephant in the room is the cost of ownership. While DDR5 memory will get cheaper next year, you'll likely pay a price premium. For intel, we recommend at least 5200 MHz; however, much like AMD, 6000 MHz might be a nice sweet spot. Stability-wise, we had no issues, we took a random 6400 MHZ kit from G.Skill.
Energy efficiency
We tested with a Core i9-14900K, a processor rated at a staggering max 253 Watts TDP (PL1+PL2) states. That does not mean the processor runs that all the time; however, for bursts of time when needed, it can pull that wattage. Overall the temperatures peaks high, but only for a short amount of time. We see better overall values than what AMD is offering with the 7950X. You could cool this processor with a premium heatpipe-based cooler; however, we'd advise a nice LCS kit.
The conclusion
The ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero is compatible with Intel processors from the 12th Gen, 13th Gen, and now 14th Gen core processors, specifically tailored for the LGA 1700 socket. This motherboard comes with Wi-Fi 7 compatibility, accompanied by a new Asus Wi-Fi Q-Antenna, and yeah we have been impressed by the performance throughput on the 5 and 6 Ghz bands. It also integrates PCIe 5.0 support, a USB 20Gbps front-panel header facilitating swift charging, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports (USB Type C). The board includes 6 USB 10Gbps ports (5 USB Type-A + 1 USB Type C) and four USB 5Gbps ports (Type-A). This motherboard features one PCIe 5.0 and four PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, enhancing its adaptability. The presence of a PCIe Slot Q-release button and an M.2 Q-latch system eases the installation or upgrading of graphics cards and storage drives. Additionally, Asus has incorporated proprietary technologies such as AI Overclocking, AI Cooling II, and AEMP II (Asus Enhanced Memory Profile II), which are geared towards optimizing build speed and performance tuning. Considering the hardware specifications, the motherboard's pricing stands at a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $699 USD. Lacking at this price point is a 5 or 10 Gbps Ethernet port. Furthermore, it can accommodate memory speeds reaching 8000+ MHz. During our testing, the motherboard demonstrated consistent stability. The Wi-Fi 6E compatibility on both the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands showed praiseworthy speeds, with future updates to Wi-Fi 7 anticipated. Performance-wise, the 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports delivered as expected. Strong Power Stages, a broad array of connectivity options ranging from M.2 and SATA to USB and Thunderbolt all make this a feature-rich and strong motherboard. In conclusion, the ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero mostly targets high-end computer enthusiasts. Those with a limited budget might find this model outside their financial comfort zone. While its hardware specifications are amazing, end-users should (re)consider its value in relation to its cost. The motherboard's retail price is $699 USD. It's a gorgeous motherboard and a brilliant piece of hardware though.
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