Relative to computing (or gaming) performance, it has the lowest power consumption at factory settings. And the ROG Strix Z790-A Gaming WiFi II also sits among the more modern motherboards available for the Intel LGA 1700 platform. It’s already from the “second wave”, where network connectivity has been upgraded (to WiFi 7) and for example the support for DIMM Flex, useful for memory with extremely high bandwidth, is also new.
What it looks like in the BIOS
EZ Mode is where most of what is most often adjusted as part of basic configuration. There’s also a ReSizable BAR button on the top navigation, which for example, on MSI boards you have to look for in the advanced PCIe settings.
The memory profile or XMP is referred to as the “D.O.C.P.”. Once activated, regardless of version, expect half the memory controller bandwidth with “1500 MHz” (Gear 2) for faster DDR5 memory (over 6000 MT/s).
Compared to the early Asus Z790 boards, one of the new features is the DIMM Flex technology for dynamic management of memory system bandwidth with respect to the workload. We also have a more detailed article on this topic. The idea is to achieve optimum performance and not to degrade it due to excessive temperature of the PMIC circuit, which is on memory such as DDR5.
Even with a processor as powerful as the Core i9-13900K, Asus doesn’t reduce the all-core boost clock speed for AVX2 in factory settings by a negative offset. That’s why it’s also on average 100–250 MHz higher compared to some other boards. Compared to boards with higher CPU core clock speeds, what interferes is more aggressive thermal protection or overall worse cooling, which can also be shaped by different PCB deformations and thus worse contact of the cooler base with the processor IHS.
Load-Line Calibration (LLC) is at level 3 (adjustable…).
The unique Asus feature – MultiCore Enhancement – allows you to choose one of four modes, where you can also get to above-standard CPU clock speeds by “auto-overclocking”, let’s say. Achieving these clock speeds is dependent on the intensity of the workload and the available cooling performance of the CPU cooler. In lower, gaming loads, you can get to higher all-core boost clock speeds even with the most powerful CPUs even with mediocre performance coolers. It then just depends on what kind of temperature at what noise level you consider appropriate.
Power limits management is in the Ai Tweaker (Internal CPU Power Management) tab. We test in two variants, with “4096 W” (i.e. no power limits) and with 125 W for long-term load, while the short-term load is set to PL2 level (253 W) with a Tau timeout of 56 seconds, although this is often not respected after setting it (and higher performance is available for a significantly shorter time), as you can see in the power consumption graphs.
Each of the seven connectors can be customized in the fan management interface. These also support DC control. By default, the regulation is set to “auto”, so the board should recognize whether a fan with three (DC) or four (PWM) pins is connected to it. In case you can’t get to the starting/minimum speed as expected with PWM fans, it’s a good idea to go for PWM control. This is because in rare cases, the board may regulate a PWM fan with a linear voltage (DC), which will typically result in higher start-up speeds.
If you don’t like any of the preset profiles (Standard, Silent, Turbo, Full Speed), you can create your own speed curve. However, it’s a pity that this interface lacks a quick option to change the thermal source on which the fan speeds will be based.
The thermal source can be changed, but a bit inconveniently. You have to find the connector in the Monitor tab (Q-Fan Configuration), where you can change the thermal source from the default “CPU” to for example “VRM” or possibly to another one, for example a custom thermocouple with arbitrary placement inside the case. Hopefully, sooner or later Asus will bring these options out within the Q-Fan Control screen as well, somewhere next to the 2D graph with the curve as other manufacturers have it.
