Description
The ASUS ROG Strix Z790-A Gaming is an ATX motherboard for Intel’s LGA 1700 socket on the Z790 chipset. It sits in the upper mainstream of the ROG Strix range, built around strong power delivery, four M.2 slots and a full set of modern connectivity, and it is DDR5 only.
Compatibility first, since that is what a motherboard buyer needs. Socket LGA 1700, chipset Z790, form factor ATX, memory DDR5. ASUS lists support for 14th, 13th and 12th generation Intel Core processors along with Pentium Gold and Celeron parts. Builders comparing similar boards can look at the ASUS ROG Strix Z690-E Gaming from the previous chipset generation, the MSI Z790 Project Zero for a back connect alternative, or the compact ASRock Z790M-ITX WiFi.
Power Delivery And Thermals
ASUS quotes a 16 plus 1 power solution rated at 70 amps per stage, with dual ProCool II power connectors, alloy chokes and durable capacitors. Sixteen stages on the core rail at 70 amps each provides substantial headroom, which matters on this platform because 13th and 14th generation Intel processors draw heavily under sustained multi core load. Dual CPU power connectors also mean the power supply needs two available CPU cables, which is worth checking before assembly.
Thermal management is described as massive heatsinks with an integrated input and output cover and high conductivity thermal pads. Integrating the heatsink with the rear port shroud adds surface area without adding height, which is the standard approach on boards at this level.
Z790 supports processor overclocking, which is the functional distinction between Z and B series chipsets. A board with this power design and cooling is provisioned for it, so buyers who intend to overclock an unlocked processor are in the right place. Buyers who do not overclock could save money on a B760 board such as the ASUS ROG Strix B760-I.
Storage And Expansion
The M.2 arrangement is described precisely, which is welcome. There is one PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot with both a heatsink and a backplate, and three further PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots with heatsinks. That is four drives, all at PCIe 4.0, all cooled.
Note that none of the M.2 slots is PCIe 5.0. The PCIe 5.0 support on this board applies to the x16 graphics slot, described as a PCIe 5.0 x16 SafeSlot, where SafeSlot is ASUS’s reinforced slot design intended to resist the weight of a heavy graphics card. Buyers expecting a Gen 5 storage slot should note the distinction, though Gen 4 drives remain fast enough that this is rarely a practical constraint.
A backplate on the primary M.2 slot is a real detail rather than a cosmetic one: it draws heat from the underside of a double sided drive, where the second set of memory chips would otherwise have no cooling path.
Connectivity
The rear and front connectivity is the strongest part of the specification. ASUS lists a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C port on the rear panel at 20 Gbps, plus an additional front panel connector with Power Delivery 3.0 rated up to 30 watts. A 30 watt front USB-C port will fast charge a phone or run a small device from the case front, which is more than most boards provide.
Additional USB 3.2 Gen 2 and Gen 1 ports are listed without counts. Display outputs are HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4, which only function with a processor that has integrated graphics. Aura Sync RGB lighting is supported for anyone coordinating lighting across components.
Wireless is where the listing contradicts itself. The product title states WiFi 6E, while ASUS’s own description says Wi-Fi 6. Those are different: Wi-Fi 6E adds the 6 GHz band, which requires a compatible router and a different radio. Anyone buying specifically for 6 GHz support should confirm with ASUS before ordering.
Highlights
- Socket LGA 1700 with the Intel Z790 chipset in ATX form factor.
- Supports 14th, 13th and 12th Gen Intel Core, Pentium Gold and Celeron.
- DDR5 memory support.
- Four PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, all heatsinked, one with a backplate.
- PCIe 5.0 x16 SafeSlot for graphics.
- 16 plus 1 power stages at 70 amps each with dual ProCool II connectors.
- USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C rear port plus a 30 W Power Delivery front connector.
- HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 outputs.
Things To Consider
The listing has a colour problem as well as a wireless one. ASUS’s description twice describes the board as a white and silver scheme suited to white gaming gear, while the Color specification field reads BLACK. ASUS sells the Strix Z790-A in both a white and a dark variant, and this listing does not make clear which one ships. For a board bought partly on appearance, that matters, and it should be confirmed with the seller.
The listing also states in the description that the board is designed for 13th generation processors, while the feature bullets list 14th, 13th and 12th generation support. The bullets are the broader and more current statement. Anyone fitting a 14th generation processor should still check the shipped BIOS version with the seller, since the listing does not mention a method of updating firmware without a processor installed.
Several standard specifications are missing: the DIMM slot count, the maximum memory capacity and speed, the SATA port count, the PCIe slot layout, and the fan header count. The Memory Speed field reads 4.6 GHz, which is not a valid DDR5 rating in that unit, and the Processor field reads pentium.
Customer feedback is thin at 4.5 stars across 146 ratings, on a board first available in January 2023. That average is good but the sample is small for a mainstream ATX board. The listed dimensions of 10.75 by 2.8 by 13.5 inches and weight of 4.65 pounds describe the retail packaging. Readers can compare alternatives in the motherboards category and processors in the CPU processors category.
Who It Suits
The ROG Strix Z790-A Gaming suits a builder assembling a high performance Intel system who wants four cooled NVMe slots, headroom to overclock, a reinforced PCIe 5.0 graphics slot and a genuinely useful front panel USB-C port with 30 watt charging. The power design is provisioned for the most demanding processors on the socket.
It is more board than a mid range build needs, since a B760 chipset covers most gaming systems for less. It is also the wrong choice for anyone reusing DDR4 memory, for buyers who need PCIe 5.0 storage, and for those who need the color variant and wireless standard confirmed before ordering, since this listing states both inconsistently.
