ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero – Intel Z790 Chipset (Socket LGA1700) DDR5 PCIe 5.0 ATX Motherboard

The ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero boasts robust cooling, WiFi 7 and ample PCIe 5.0 slot for unmatched performance, and it offers full compatibility with 14th Gen Intel Core processors. Meanwhile, its stealthy design is accentuated by new Polymo lighting, which illuminates the I/O shroud with a microstructural array of dual-layer RGB and adds a personalised touch of style to your gaming setup.

Specifications

About the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero Motherboard

Teamed Power Architecture

Today’s CPU architectures place incredible demands on motherboard power design by transitioning from deep power-saving modes, going from lower-power mode to full load in an instant. The latest ROG VRM architecture rises to the challenge by utilising teamed power stages to rapidly swing current, while maintaining exemplary thermal performance.

DDR5 Domination

Comprehensive memory tuning options are the cornerstone of ROG motherboards. With the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero, you can extract all of the potential out of your DDR5 modules, regardless of if they’re from an extreme-speed kit or an entry-level set that would otherwise be locked. ROG has a long legacy of flexing the fastest memory performance, and DDR5 is no outlier. Thanks to improved signal routing, now enthusiast-grade kits have been driven far beyond the 8 GT/s mark on the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero, and who knows how far future DIMMs can go? Seasoned veterans can test their mettle by tinkering with the extensive array of tuning options in the UEFI.

PCIE 5.0

Fully embracing the new standard, the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero offers abundant Gen 5 support to give unfettered bandwidth to the fastest SSDs and graphics cards available. Both of the x16 expansion slots have the PCIe 5.0 treatment to offer incredible speeds up to 64 GB/s for compatible devices. To bear the brunt of massive graphics cards, they are also protected with SafeSlot retention brackets, and the top slot can be released easily thanks to the PCIe Slot Q-Release button.

Five Onboard M.2 Slots

The ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero features five onboard M.2 slots, one of which is PCIe 5.0-ready to offer blistering 16 GB/s speeds, while the others offer still-impressive 8 GB/s over PCIe 4.0 interfaces.

M.2 heatsinks

Large aluminium heatsinks provide extensive surface area to cool mounted M.2 drives, and each of the three onboard slots has a dedicated backplate for additional heat dissipation.

VRM heatsink

A VRM heatsink on the MOSFETs and chokes is connected to the aluminum I/O cover via an embedded heatpipe to increase mass and surface area for dissipation.

ROG Water-cooling Zone

Dual water-temperature headers and a flow-rate header feed information straight into Armoury Crate, allowing you to track coolant temperatures and the flow rate of the entire loop.

Two Thunderbolt 4 Type-C Ports

Each port delivers up to 40 Gbps of bidirectional bandwidth for the latest super-speed devices and drives. Both ports can be employed for up to two external 4K displays, and PCIe bandwidth extends to up to 32 Gbps. USB 20Gbps Type-C front-panel connector features Quick Charge 4+ technology that can rapidly charge devices up to 60W.

WiFi 7

Next-gen WiFi 7 chipset introduces all-new ultrawide 320 MHz channel bandwidth in the 6 GHz band and 4096 QAM, delivering up to 2.4X ultra-fast WiFi speeds. WiFi 7 features require onboard WiFi chipset, WiFi AP, and WiFi 7-supported operating systems to support the corresponding features.

2.5G Ethernet

Low-latency gaming, speedy file transfers, and high-resolution video streaming are among the many perks of onboard Intel 2.5 Gbps Ethernet.

ROG SupremeFX

ROG SupremeFX audio technology delivers an exceptional 110 dB signal-to-noise ratio to the line-in jack for pristine recording quality.

Aura Sync

Up your game with complementary Aura Sync enhanced aesthetics, featuring preset lighting effects that can be easily synchronised across compatible ROG graphics cards, monitors, keyboards, and mice to give your setup a unified look.