The Asus TUF Gaming Z790-Plus Wi-Fi ($229.99) is an inexpensive Intel Z790 motherboard that guarantees game-ready options and confirmed sturdiness. Asus boasts that it is engineered with military-grade elements and a complete cooling system supposed for extended-use eventualities. Its prolonged characteristic listing contains 4 M.2 sockets, succesful energy supply, a premium (last-gen) audio resolution, quick networking together with Wi-Fi 6E, and a number of other USB ports together with a 20Gbps USB-C port on the rear I/O panel. It falls in need of an Editors’ Alternative advice, but it surely’s a tempting finances alternative with Intel’s present prime chipset aboard.
The Design: Industrial Worth Stylish
The TUF Gaming Z790-Plus has a fundamental aesthetic (as you’d count on on this worth vary), however one that matches with most construct themes. It options an embossed nameplate together with geometric design parts Asus says mirror the dependability and stability that outline the TUF collection. Shrouds and heatsinks cowl solely what’s vital on the six-layer PCB. The VRM heatsinks are huge and sport deep miter cuts to extend floor space and effectiveness. In case you’re on the lookout for RGB bling, the board has two areas that shine by means of the PCB on the suitable edge.
The motherboard helps Intel’s twelfth and thirteenth Era LGA1700 processors together with the flagship Core i9-13900K and the Core i9-13900KS. The 16 60-amp MOSFETs and TUF chokes devoted to the processor dealt with our CPU and not using a hitch throughout testing. The heatsinks stored the ability bits beneath operating properly inside spec, even with overclocking, although they do are likely to get heat.
Reminiscence assist goes as much as DDR5-7200+ (OC), which is true round common for the platform. A lot previous the candy spot (roughly DDR5-6000 to DDR-6400), you are spending more money for fewer efficiency positive factors, anyway. In case you want loads of RAM, the board accommodates as much as 192GB, which is sufficient for even probably the most hardcore customers.
Our DDR5-5600 and DDR5-6000 kits had been completely steady after setting the inner XMP profile, so all is properly round these speeds. The TUF Gaming board even ran our quickest package at DDR5-7200. If that does not fulfill you, you will discover loads of sub-timings to tweak inside the BIOS to squeeze much more out of your system.
Structure and Inside Connectors
Beginning within the prime left nook, we spy the 2 8-pin EPS energy connectors (one required) to gasoline the CPU. Flanking these are the 2 giant VRM heatsinks. The rear I/O cowl sports activities embossed branding exhibiting off the TUF gaming image.
Simply above the highest VRM heatsink are the primary two of seven fan headers. Every header helps PWM and DC-controlled gadgets and might output as much as 1A/12W. This must be loads for many followers, although for those who plan to make use of a customized water-cooling loop ensure your pump (or some other part) would not eclipse that quantity or you would injury the board. Management over these gadgets is dealt with by means of the BIOS or Asus’ Armoury Crate software program.
Above the DRAM slots is a Q-LED characteristic that helps troubleshoot POST points. The 4 LEDs (Boot, DRAM, CPU, and VGA) mild up throughout the POST course of. If there’s an issue in one in every of these areas, the LED stays lit that will help you observe down the difficulty spot.
Shifting down the suitable edge, we run into the primary RGB characteristic, illuminating the translucent PCB on this space. Beneath that we discover the primary RGB headers, on this case, 4-pin RGB and 3-pin ARGB headers. Two extra 3-pin ARGB headers are situated alongside the underside edge. Subsequent is the 24-pin ATX connector to energy the board, a front-panel USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) Kind-C port, and eventually a 19-pin front-panel USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) Kind-A header.
Audio, Enlargement, Storage, and Rear I/O
On the backside left of the board is an audio part comprised of three devoted audio caps and, hidden under a Faraday cage (one of many electrostatic discharge safety options incomes the TUF label), a Realtek ALC1220A codec. This is without doubt one of the finest from the earlier technology, and most customers will discover its 7.1 channel configuration appropriate for his or her wants.
In the midst of the board are 5 PCI Specific slots, with 4 M.2 sockets sprinkled in and round. Beginning with PCIe, the bolstered prime slot is your main graphics-card slot and helps PCIe 5.0 x16 speeds. The underside full-length slot connects by means of the chipset and runs as much as PCIe 4.0 x4 speeds. Additionally related by way of the chipset are a PCIe 4.0 x4 slot and two smaller PCIe 3.0 x1 slots, supplying you with loads of locations to place growth playing cards. Additionally value a point out right here is Asus’ use of a PCIe Slot Q-Launch to simply unlock the graphics card within the main slot.
Three of the 4 M.2 sockets are lined by heatsinks. The highest socket, utilizing the most important heatsink, is a CPU-attached PCIe 5.0 x4 (128Gbps) socket that matches as much as 110mm modules. The underside three sockets join by means of the chipset and run as much as PCIe 4.0 x4 (64Gbps). All of the M.2 sockets use an M.2 Q-Latch to safe modules with out utilizing screws, which is extremely handy as these screws are tiny! The 4 sockets must be loads for the mainstream customers and players the motherboard targets.
Alongside the underside fringe of the board are a number of headers, together with extra USB 2.0 ports and fan headers, front-panel audio, COM port, ARGB headers, a Thunderbolt AIC header, a Clear CMOS jumper, two SATA ports, and eventually the front-panel cables’ header.
The rear I/O consists of a pre-installed panel with white labels on a black background. It is produced from corrosion-resistant stainless-steel bonded with chromium oxide that Asus says will final thrice longer than conventional panels. (It survived 72 fairly than 24 hours of salt-fog testing, not that you just plan to maintain your PC in a salt fog…we hope.)
Beginning on the left, we run into the HDMI and DisplayPort video outputs to be used with some CPUs’ built-in graphics. Subsequent are a number of USB ports together with two Kind-C (one 10Gbps, the opposite 20Gbps). There are six extra USB-A ports, together with two 10Gbps and two 5Gbps ports, which is likely to be barely limiting for some customers. Lastly, we see the Wi-Fi 6E antenna connections, the two.5GbE networking port, and the audio stack consisting of 5 analog ports plus S/PDIF.
A Temporary Have a look at the BIOS and Utilities
The TUF Gaming Z790-Plus Wi-Fi sports activities the identical background we have seen for a few generations of Asus TUF BIOSes, an easy-to-read black and grey with white and yellow textual content. You begin in EZ Mode, which presents high-level system information together with CPU temperature and core voltage, DRAM standing, fan profiles and entry to the Q-Fan performance, and even an EZ System Tuning button to tweak your system with one click on. Nonetheless, for the reason that Z790 chipset helps overclocking, you may get extra out of your system for those who overclock manually.
The superior BIOS presents a normal configuration with main headings throughout the highest, together with My Favorites (customizable), Fundamental, AI Tweaker, Superior, Monitor, Boot, and Instruments. All of the detailed performance is on this far more complete mode.
The AI Tweaker part accommodates all of the choices to tweak and overclock your system. Right here you’ll be able to alter voltages, RAM speeds and timings, and overclocking choices for the processor. Whereas the ability supply is not the strongest we have seen, chances are high your CPU temperatures and cooling can be limiting elements earlier than this motherboard is.
Contained in the Superior part are a number of sub-headings the place you’ll be able to tweak the CPU, chipset, USB, audio, and networking performance.
The monitoring part shows detailed details about temperatures, fan speeds, voltages, and the Q-Fan configuration to regulate your fan profiles. There are each canned profiles and the power to create and save customized fan curves, which is all we will ask from a BIOS.
The Asus BIOS is logically laid out and simple to navigate, and the Z790 model has a full array of tweaks, together with these to overclock RAM and the processor. The corporate’s BIOS is usually my favourite as all the things is straightforward to learn, and choices are straightforward to seek out. Our model (1220) was rock-stable throughout our time with the board.
As for software program, Asus’ Armoury Crate homes a slew of performance together with system tweaking and monitoring, and management of RGB lighting and followers. This system matches the ROG theme and is straightforward to work with. The primary screenshot under reveals the touchdown web page, the {hardware} it may management on our take a look at system, and features resembling fan and RGB management under.
The Fan Knowledgeable 4 module controls all of the followers and water pumps related to the 4-pin headers. You may alter by means of 4 canned settings, or tweak every header together with your customized curve or curves.
The Aura Sync part controls all of the RGB lighting and contains numerous preset modes (static, respiration, coloration cycle, rainbow, comet, glowing yo-yo, starry evening, flash and sprint, and strobe) which you too can tweak individually.
Asus’ software program presents a whole Home windows-based suite of options to regulate absolutely anything you’ll be able to by way of the BIOS. If you wish to overlock, you may wish to use the AI Suite 3 software program, because it provides you probably the most management over the processor.
Verdict: An All-Day, On a regular basis Gamer
The Asus TUF Gaming Z790-Plus Wi-Fi motherboard’s declare to fame is its robustness, with guards and protections resembling ESD that different boards might not have. Its military-grade elements, together with an upgraded energy resolution with TUF chokes and a complete cooling system (although neither of those actually stands out amongst its friends) promise to deal with marathon gaming classes with rock-solid efficiency. We are able to testify that the efficiency is true up there with its opponents’, and the board held up simply nice throughout our time with it, as anticipated.
So far as these opponents are involved, ASRock’s Z790 PG Riptide matches the Asus’ $229.99 worth, whereas the Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Elite AX DDR5 and the MSI MAG B760 Tomahawk Wi-Fi DDR5 listing $10 and $30 greater respectively. None of them stands out as a must-buy over the others, as every presents one thing its rivals do not. We just like the ASRock’s worth level and storage assist, whereas the Gigabyte’s and MSI’s appears to be like and well-balanced specs are additionally engaging. However finally, we like what the TUF Gaming has to supply, even when it is not armor-clad throughout as TUF boards had been a number of generations in the past. It is a worthwhile decide within the finances Z790 enviornment.
