As the Intel 14th gen release date grows closer, manufacturers are busily preparing new motherboards armed with the Z790 chipset, giving LGA 1700 a final moment in the spotlight before Intel moves on to a new socket design. Now, Asus has revealed its plans to release three models, namely new additions to its ROG Maximus, ROG Strix, and TUF Gaming lines.
While Asus is timing the launch of these motherboards to coincide with the Intel 14th gen release date, they will naturally have out of the box support both 13th and 12th generation CPUs too. Likewise, older Z790 motherboards will support all three processor families, with BIOS updates already readily available to prepare them for the incoming chips.
ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero
As its name suggests, the ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero is a darker, stealthier variant of the existing Z790 Hero that launched back in 2022. They’re practically identical, save for the support for Wi-Fi 7 on the newer model.
The ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero specs are:
| Form Factor | ATX |
| RAM | 4x DIMM, Max. 192GB, DDR5 |
| PCIe expansion slots | 2x PCIe 5.0 x16 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 |
| Storage | 1x M.2 22110 (PCIe 5.0 x4) 4x M.2 2280 (PCIe 4.0 x 4) |
| Networking | Intel Wi-Fi 7 1x Intel 2.5Gb Ethernet |
| Rear I/O | 2x Thunderbolt 4 (2x USB Type-C) 6x USB 10Gbps (5x Type-A + 1x Type-C) 4x USB 5Gbps (4x Type-A) |
| Front I/O | 1x USB 20Gbps connector 2x USB 5Gbps headers 2x USB 2.0 headers |
| Aura | 3x Addressable Gen 2 headers 1x AURA RGB header |
| Cooling headers |
1x 4-pin CPU Fan 1x 4-pin CPU OPT Fan 1x 4-pin AIO Pump 4x 4-pin Chassis Fan 1x W_PUMP+ 1x 2-pin Water In 1x 2-pin Water Out 1x 3-pin Water Flow |
ROG Strix Z790-A Gaming Wi-Fi II
In addition to supporting Wi-Fi 7, the ROG Strix Z790-A Gaming Wi-Fi II gains an additional two USB 2.0 Type-A ports as part of its bolstered rear I/O. The most useful change, however, comes in the form of an additional M.2 slot, bringing the total available up to five.
The ROG Strix Z790-A Gaming Wi-Fi II specs are:
| Form Factor | ATX |
| RAM | 4x DIMM, Max. 192GB, DDR5 |
| PCIe expansion slots | 1x PCIe 5.0 x16 1x PCIe 4.0 x16 1x PCIe 3.0 x1 |
| Storage | 2x M.2 22110 (PCIe 4.0 x4) 2x M.2 2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4) 1x M.2 2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4 & SATA) |
| Networking | Intel Wi-Fi 7 1x Intel 2.5Gb Ethernet |
| Rear I/O | 1x USB 20Gbps (1x Type-C) 3x USB 10Gbps (2x Type-A + 1x Type-C) 4x USB 5Gbps (4x Type-A) 4x USB 2.0 (4x Type-A) |
| Front I/O | 1x USB 20Gbps connector 1x USB 5Gbps header 2x USB 2.0 headers |
| Aura | 3x Addressable Gen 2 headers 1x AURA RGB header |
| Cooling headers |
1x 4-pin CPU Fan 1x 4-pin CPU OPT Fan 1x 4-pin AIO Pump 5x 4-pin Chassis Fan |
TUF Gaming Z790-Pro Wi-Fi
The TUF Gaming Z790-Pro Wi-Fi’s flagship feature is AI Overclocking, marking the first time the technology has been available on this tier of Asus Intel motherboard. This should offer an easy, one-click solution for novice overclockers looking to boost performance, while those more familiar with the process can use it to establish a baseline.
The TUF Gaming Z790-Pro Wi-Fi specs are:
| Form Factor | ATX |
| RAM | 4x DIMM, Max. 192GB, DDR5 |
| PCIe expansion slots | 1x PCIe 5.0 x16 1x PCIe 4.0 x16 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 1x PCIe 3.0 x1 |
| Storage | 2x M.2 22110 (PCIe 4.0 x4) 1x M.2 2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4) 1x M.2 x 2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4 & SATA) |
| Networking | Wi-Fi 6E 1x Intel 2.5Gb Ethernet |
| Rear I/O | 1 x USB 20Gbps (1x Type-C) 3x USB 10Gbps (2x Type-A + 1x Type-C) 4x USB 5Gbps (4x Type-A) |
| Front I/O | 1x USB 20Gbps connector 1x USB 5Gbps header 2x USB 2.0 headers |
| Aura | 3x Addressable Gen 2 headers 1x AURA RGB header |
| Cooling headers |
1x 4-pin CPU Fan 1x 4-pin CPU OPT Fan 1x 4-pin AIO Pump 4x 4-pin Chassis Fan |
ROG Maximus Z790 Hero EVA-02 Edition
Finally, the Maximus Z790 Hero gets the Evangelion treatment with the ‘EVA-02 Edition’. Like the Dark Hero, it’s mostly the same as the existing Hero motherboard but with a few key differences. In addition to support for Wi-Fi 7, it also comes with an ROG Hyper M.2 Card, enabling more NVMe storage expansion.
The ROG Maximus Z790 Hero EVA-02 Edition specs are:
| Form Factor | ATX |
| RAM | 4x DIMM, Max. 192GB, DDR5 |
| PCIe expansion slots | 2x PCIe 5.0 x16 1x PCIe 4.0 x4 |
| Storage | Onboard 1x M.2 22110 (PCIe 4.0 x4) 1x M.2 2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4) 1x M.2 2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4 & SATA) ROG Hyper M.2 Card 1x M.2 22110 (PCIe 5.0 x4 / PCIe 4.0 x4) 1x M.2 22110 (PCIe 4.0 x4) |
| Networking | Intel Wi-Fi 6E 1x Intel 2.5Gb Ethernet |
| Rear I/O | 2x Thunderbolt 4 (2x USB Type-C) 6x USB 10Gbps (5x Type-A + 1x Type-C) 4x USB 5Gbps (4 x Type-A) |
| Front I/O | 1x USB 20Gbps connector 2x USB 5Gbps headers 2x USB 2.0 headers |
| Aura | 3x Addressable Gen 2 headers 1x AURA RGB header |
| Cooling headers |
1x 4-pin CPU Fan 1x 4-pin CPU OPT Fan 1x 4-pin AIO Pump 4x 4-pin Chassis Fan 1x W_PUMP+ 1x 2-pin Water In 1x 2-pin Water Out 1x 3-pin Water Flow |
We don’t yet know how much these motherboards will cost, but they’ll be available for purchase come October 16. In the meantime, check out our ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero review to get a taste of what they’ll offer.