Even more features. Asus ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi test

Asus ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi in detail

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Motherboards with Intel Z790 chipsets represent the second generation for the Intel LGA 1700 platform. They are designed primarily for Intel Raptor Lake processors, but are backwards compatible with the previous generation (Alder Lake). The difference at the south bridge chipset level between the Z690 and Z790 boards is that the Intel Z790 supports more PCI Express 4.0 lanes. Although the total number of PCIe lanes is the same (28), while the Z690 has PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0 lanes in a 16/12 ratio, the Z790’s is 8/20, allowing for more faster devices, typically SSDs, to be connected. The Intel Z790 chipset then supports up to five 20-gigabit USB 3.2 gen. 2×2 ports instead of four (Z690).

Asus ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi

ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi follows the ROG Strix Z690-E Gaming WiFi. The recommended price has increased by 30 EUR, and it can be bought in shops for about 550 EUR, unless the vendor is looking for higher margins. The most significant intergenerational differences are in the number of slots and connectors. Traditionally, though, we’ll break everything down nicely step by step.

The board format is ATX (305 × 244 mm), which is the most popular – the best-selling. PCB shapes are standard (without cutouts typical of Asus Apex boards or some ASRock models). Širšia než u konkurencie je podpora chladičov CPU. There are also holes cut in the PCB for LGA 1200/115x coolers with smaller spacing. This way, even coolers without LGA 1700 support can be installed on the processor.

The back is without a backplate, which is a pity with more expensive boards (it’s a good protective and reinforcing component), but graphic designers have left their mark here in the form of a swirl with ROG Strix branding.

   

The illumination is only contained within the housing between the VRM heatsink and the I/O panel. So Asus didn’t overdo it with the ARGB LEDs. The plastic cover with a window over the lightguide looks rather strange though. In fact, the window only partially covers the ROG logo and thus the covered area is dim, which you will notice even at night. At first glance, this cover looks perhaps like a protective element to be removed during installation. However, this is not the case, as its removal is not counted with.

The power delivery is 19-phase, of which 18 phases are dedicated to powering the CPU. One phase has a current capacity of 90 A and Renesas ILS99390 voltage regulators are used, just like on the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero board, but here it’s minus two phases.

The PWM driver is also from Renesas – the 229131. Overall, this is a very solid power delivery that is cooled by an extremely robust cooler. The two heatsinks connected by a heatpipe and the aluminum cover bolted to the vertical heatsink, have a combined weight of up to 458 grams. For the record, that’s approximately the weight of the SilentiumPC Fera 5 CPU cooler. Overall, however, we can conclude that the power delivery is well prepared for even the most powerful CPUs and power draw of over 300 W.

   

The SSD heatsink of the first M.2 slot is also proper, or rather proper heavy. Its weight is 115g, which surpasses even the heaviest heatsink so far in tests from the Gigabyte Z690 Gaming X DDR4 motherboard. The Asus cooler is proportionally a bit different than Gigabyte’s cooler around three slots.

This cooler on the Asus board is oriented more to the width (it also supports 110 mm SSDs) and to the height, where it has even one more, secondary heatsink, above the main one, to which the heat is dissipated through a heatpipe. We have a complaint about the firmness of the thermalpad, which is different than on the rest of the heatsinks (also within this board). Considering how well it sticks to the surface of the SSD it is too fragile and tears. We had to scrape it off the SSD piece by piece when disassembling, but it is possible that this is a tax for impressive thermal conductivity. We haven’t tested a more powerful SSD cooler yet.

The cooler of the first slot is already well prepared for the most powerful PCI Express 5.0 SSDs. For those, the power draw should not increase dramatically compared to the current models (and will remain below 10 W), but their cooling requirements may be higher.

When installing an SSD in the first M.2 slot, however, it’s good to know one thing. Namely, that it takes PCIe 5.0 lanes from the interface for the graphics card. This has the disadvantage that the moment you fit an SSD into this slot, you’ll be missing out on eight GPU lanes that will only go in PCIe 5.0 ×8 or PCIe 4.0 ×8 mode (since PCIe 5.0 isn’t supported by any graphics cards yet). The same is true if you put an SSD using PCIe 4.0 ×4 in a slot labeled M.2_1. The lanes dedicated to the GPU will be consumed in exactly the same way. So it is always a trade-off for the graphics card, which will reach at most half the bandwidth.

However, this is no tragedy, and at a minimum for PCIe 4.0 graphics cards, the performance difference (between PCIe 4.0 ×16 and 4.0 ×8) is always quite negligible. There are up to five M.2 slots on this board, which is more than the SATA ports (there are only four of those). The second M.2 slot is also connected to the processor, but already with its own lanes. This one also supports PCIe 4.0 ×4 like all the others. The third, fourth and fifth M.2 slots are already connected to the chipset and although they support a full-fat four-lane interface, all SATA slots can still be used alongside them. Thus, it never happens that the occupation of any slot would mean the shutdown of a SATA port. The SATA ports use their PCIe 3.0 lanes and the M.2 slots in turn have dedicated PCIe 4.0 lanes.

And one piece of good news for owners of cases with four USB 3.2 Gen 1 connectors: the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi doesn’t have one 19-pin connector (like the ROG Strix Z690-E Gaming WiFi), but two (for four USB ports).

Also worth mentioning is the new safety for the first PCI Express ×16 slot. The Q-release mechanism was already on older boards, but now for the first time it is combined with a sliding latch (previously it was a flip-up one). Overall, removing the graphics card even from underneath a large twin-tower cooler is now very convenient.

There are up to twelve USB ports on the external connector panel. Of these, one is 20-gigabit (standard 3.2 gen. 2×2) with 30W charging support, up to seven are 10-gigabit (standard 3.2 gen. 2), and the remaining four are standard 3.2 gen. 1.

On one side of the USB ports is a full set of audio connectors (including an S/PDIF optical output), SMA connectors for WiFi antennas, and two video outputs (HDMI 2.1 and DP 1.4) on the other. To fit it all in comfortably, the Clear CMOS and BIOS flashback buttons are smaller (about half the size of the usual ones).

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

What it looks like in the BIOS

Nothing surprises you at first on the start screen. There’s all that you are familiar with – a basic overview of the connected components (processor, memory, fans) and their settings. There are also some buttons (e.g. to activate XMP, Intel Rapid Storage or to the Q-Fan control interface to manage fans) on the top navigation for example to adjust ARGB LED (Aura) or ReSizable BAR.

   

We’ll stick with ReBAR for a while. It is, like on the latest AMD boards, enabled by default. This was not the case on older boards (the technology was turned off and turning it on required manual enforcement with the exception of Biostar). So now you only come to the BIOS for ReBAR when you want to disable it for some reason. For example, because it is decreasing performance rather than increasing it in some application of yours.

This board also supports “AI Overclocking”. This should qualitatively overclock the best cores based on machine learning in used applications to up to 6 GHz. However, no matter how hard we tried to achieve this, we couldn’t get it where we needed to. We only saw 6 GHz on two cores under very low load. Even in single-threaded applications, it was “only” 5.9 GHz (i.e., 100 MHz above the single-core boost).

For systems with the most powerful custom loops, this overclocking can also be set to applications with AVX instructions. We didn’t even try to do that (we wouldn’t have a way to keep it from overheating). We didn’t even get to 6 GHz in games (and the silicon quality of our SP99 processor should be capable of that), where although the clock speeds sometimes jumped to 5.7 GHz, but on other cores it again dropped to below 5.5 GHz (that’s the “gaming” clock speed, which the processor without AI OC keeps stable on all P cores), down to 5.3 GHz. Significantly worse with this type of overclocking was also the repeatability of the measurements, for which we eventually discarded the idea of dedicating a separate article to this topic.

   

You can also increase the clock speeds of all processor cores “the old-fashioned way”, via MultiCore Enhancement with the “Remove all limits” option, including the power ones.

We test without these proprietary features. In order to be able to objectively compare each board with each other, we also ignore the default power limit settings. We cancel these or (for selected tests) set the short-term load (with Tau timeout at 56 seconds) to the official value for PL2 – 253 W. However, we do not interfere with other settings.

In the default settings there is also LLC and also a negative offset for applications using AVX instructions. In the case of this board, however, it is automatically set to “0”, which means that the multiplier is not reduced due to the presence of these instructions.

   

We also retain Thermal Velocity Boost, which determines the clock speed of the single-core boost. It decreases with higher temperatures.

The board has quite a lot of built-in temperature sensors, including the VRM, but Q-Fan again fails to make use of them. The PWM curve to control the fans cannot be related to any other sensor than CPU temperature. With older boards, at least with older BIOSes, this was possible.

   

However, all connectors are well customizable, and importantly, the system ones can handle very low PWM intensities. Thus, in terms of minimum speed, the bottleneck is not the motherboard (as it was, for example, with the Gigabyte Z690 Gaming X DDR4), but the fan itself. Only the connector through which a liquid cooler pump is to be fed can’t be set below 20 % PWM for safety reasons.

   

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Gaming tests…

The vast majority of tests is based on the methodology for processors and graphics cards. The choice of games is narrower with motherboards, but for this purpose there is no need for more of them. We always use the powerful Core i9-13900K processor, which will highlight the strengths and weaknesses of any motherboard well. In the past we have tested with two processors, including a cheaper, more low-power model, but we don’t do that anymore. The hypothesis that more expensive motherboards might “advantage” cheaper processors in performance has not been confirmed, so it’s rather pointless.

We’ve selected five titles from games we’re testing in two resolutions. There are significantly fewer games than in the CPU or graphics card tests, but these are just enough for the motherboard tests. Few people consider performance in a particular game when choosing a motherboard. But an indicative overview of which motherboard shapes gaming performance in what way (compared to another motherboard) is necessary. To avoid significant discrepancies over time, we’ve reached for relatively older titles that no longer receive significant updates.

These are Borderlands 3, F1 2020, Metro Exodus, Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Total War Saga: Troy. For newer games, there might be some performance changes over time (updates) and especially in high resolutions with high details. This is one of the test setups (2160p and Ultra, or the highest visual detail but without ray-tracing graphics) that focuses on comparing performance, for which the bottleneck is the graphics card. In other words, it will be clear from these tests which motherboard can affect the performance of which graphics card to what extent for any reasons. In contrast, a setup with Full HD resolution and with graphical details reduced to “High” will also reflect the CPU’s contribution to the final gaming performance.

We use OCAT to record fps, or the times of individual frames, which are then used to calculate fps, and FLAT to analyze the CSV. The developer and author of articles (and videos) for the GPUreport.cz website is behind both.
For the highest accuracy, all runs are repeated three times and average values of average and minimum fps are displayed in the graphs. These multiple repetitions also apply to non-game tests.

… Computing tests, SSD tests, USB ports and network tests

We test application performance in a very similar way to the processor tests. Almost all tests are included, from the easier ones (such as those in a web environment) to those that push the CPU or graphics card to the limit. These are typically tests such as 3D rendering, video encoding (x264, x265, SVT-AV1) or other performance-intensive computing tasks. As with processors or graphics cards, we have a wide range of applications – users editing video (Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve Studio), graphic effects creators (Adobe Premiere Pro), graphic designers or photographers (Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, Affinity Photo, AI applications Topaz Labs, …) will find their own in the results, and there are also tests of (de)encryption, (de)compression, numerical calculations, simulations and, of course, tests of memory.

SSD performance tests are also important for motherboards. Therefore we test the maximum sequential read and write speeds on an empty Samsung 980 Pro SSD (1 TB) in the well distributed CrystalDiskMark, in all slots. We approach the USB port tests in the same way. We use a WD Black P50 external SSD to test them. It supports fast USB 3.2 gen. 2×2, so it won’t be a bottleneck for even the fastest USB controllers. We report only one result for each USB standard. This is calculated from the average of all available ports.

We won’t deprive you of network bandwidth tests either. We move large files in both directions within a local network between the motherboard network adapters and the Sonnet Solo10G 10-gigabit PCIe card. This from the aforementioned Samsung 980 Pro SSD to the Patriot Hellfire (480 GB), which is still fast enough to not slow down even the 10 Gb adapter.

   

The results of all performance tests are averaged over three repeated measurements for best accuracy.

CPU settings…

We primarily test processors without power limits, the way most motherboards have it in factory settings. For tests that have overlap with power, temperature and CPU clock speed measurements, we also observe the behavior of boards with power limits set according to CPU manufacturers’ recommendations. We set PL1 to the TDP level, respecting also the tau timeout (56 s) for Intel CPUs. The upper power limit (PL2/PPT) is also set according to the official CPU specifications. Technologies for aggressive overclocking, such as PBO2 (AMD) or ABT (Intel), MCE (Asus) and the like, are not dealt with in our standard motherboard tests.

… and application updates

Tests should also take into account that over time, individual updates may skew performance comparisons. Some applications we use in portable versions that do not update or can be kept on a stable version, but for some this is not the case. Typically games get updated over time, which is natural, and keeping them on old versions out of reality would also be questionable.

In short, just count on the fact that the accuracy of the results you are comparing with each other decreases a bit as time goes on. To make this analysis easier, we’ve listed when each board was tested. You can find this out in the dialog box, where you can find information about the date of testing. This dialog is displayed in the interactive graphs, next to any result bar. Just hover over it.

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Methodology: How we measure power draw

In contrast to the Z690/B660 tests, we’ll simplify it a bit and measure only the CPU power draw on the EPS cables. This means that (also for the sake of best possible clarity) we omit the 24-pin measurements. We have already analysed it thoroughly and the power draw on it doesn’t change much across boards. Of the ten boards tested with an Alder Lake processor (Core i9-12900K), the power draw at 12 volts of the 24-pin connector ranges from 37.3–40.4 W (gaming load, graphics card power supply via PCI Express ×16 slot), at 5V (memory, ARGB LEDs and some external controllers) then between 13.9–22.3 W and finally at the weakest, 3.3-volt branch, the power draw of our test setup tends to be 2.2–3.6 W.

On top of the CPU power draw, which also takes into account the efficiency of the power delivery, this adds up to some 53–66 W under gaming/graphics load and only 15–25 W outside of it, with the graphics card idle. We already know all this from older tests, and it will be no different on the new boards, and as the number of measurements increases, reducing measurements that worsen orientation is beneficial. But from the text above, you know how much to add for the total power draw of the motherboard components to the CPU’s majority power draw.

The situation will be a bit different on AMD platforms, for those we will deal with what is the power draw on which branch of the 24-pin, but already in a separate article that will better highlight this topic. In a large comprehensive motherboard test, these measurements disappear, they do not attract enough attention.

We measure the power draw of the CPU (and its VRM) on the power supply cables, with calibrated Prova 15 current clamps and a calibrated Keysight U1231A multimeter. The clamps measure the electric current, the multimeter measures the electric voltage. In the union of these two electrical quantities, we finally obtain the exact power draw. We measure this in different loads on the CPU. The maximum multithreaded load is represented by Cinebench R23.

   

Lower, gaming load by Shadow of the Tomb Raider (1080p@high), single-threaded load by audio encoding (reference encoder 1.3.2, FLAC with bitrate 200 kbps) and idle power draw is measured on the Windows 10 desktop when only basic operating system processes and launchers of some test applications are running in the background.

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Methodology: Temperature and frequency measurements

By far the most critical part in terms of temperatures on the motherboard is the power delivery (VRM) for the CPU. This is where we return to the Fluke Ti125 thermal imager, which produces temperature maps that can be used to locate the average temperature, as well as the hottest point. We record both these values (average and maximum temperature on the Vcore) in graphs, and we will later evaluate the efficiency of the VRM heatsinks based on the maximum one. However, we lack a suitable thermometer for that yet. Of course, the thermovision is implemented without a heatsink, and a thermocouple needs to be installed on the hottest MOSFET to detect the reduction of temperature with a heatsink. This will be added soon.

Thermal imaging always relates to operating with the more powerful of the pair of test processors. With it, the differences and possible limitations or impending risks (for example, even from thermal throttling) become more apparent. In order to have a good view of the VRM, we use an Alphacool Eisbaer 360 liquid cooler with the fans fixed at full power (12 V) instead of a tower cooler (from the CPU tests). The temperature tests also include CPU temperatures for completeness, and we also test the efficiency of the supplied SSD heatsinks as part of the motherboard tests. These are already included with virtually all better motherboards, and so the question naturally arises whether to use them or replace them with other, more finned ones. We will test these heatsinks on a Samsung 980 Pro SSD during ten minutes of intense load in CrystalDiskMark. Finally, the temperature of the chipset’s southbridge and the cooling efficiency in this direction is noteworthy as well.

All tests are conducted in a wind tunnel, so full system cooling is provided. This consists of three Noctua NF-S12A PWMs@5V (~550 rpm) . Two of which are intake, one is exhaust. But the three fast AIO fans also function as exhaust fans, so there is a vacuum in the case.

The temperature at the entrance to the tunnel is properly controlled and ranges between 21-21.3 °C. Maintaining a constant temperature at all times during testing is important not only for the accuracy of the temperature measurements, but also because a higher or lower ambient temperature also affects the eventual behaviour of the processors’ boost. And we also properly monitor and compare the clock speeds, whether under all-core load or even single-threaded tasks. We use the HWiNFO application to record the clock speeds and temperatures of the cores (sampling is set to two seconds).

Maintaining a constant temperature at the intake is necessary not only for a proper comparison of processor temperatures, but especially for objective performance comparisons. The clock speed development, and specially the single core boost, is precisely based on the temperature. Typically in summer, at higher temperatures than is normal in living quarters in winter, processors can be slower.

Temperatures are always read as maximum (both from the VRM thermovision and average, but still from the local maximum values at the end of Cinebench R23). For Intel processors, for each test we read the maximum temperature of the cores, usually all of them. These maxima are then averaged and the result represents the final value in the graph. From the single-threaded workload outputs, we extract only the recorded values from the active cores (there are usually two of these, and they alternate between each other during the test). For AMD processors it is a bit different. They don’t have temperature sensors for each core. In order to make the procedure methodically as similar as possible to the one we apply on Intel processors, we define the average temperature of all cores by the highest value reported by the CPU Tdie (average) sensor. However, for single-core workloads we already use the CPU sensor (Tctl/Tdie), which usually reports a slightly higher value that better corresponds to hotspots of one or two cores. However, these values as well as the values from all internal sensors should be taken with a grain of salt, the accuracy of sensors across CPUs varies.

Clock speed evaluation is more accurate, each core has its own sensor even on AMD processors. However, unlike the temperatures, we write the average values of the clock speeds during the tests in the graphs. We monitor the temperatures and clock speed of the CPU cores in the same tests in which we also measure power draw. Thus, sequentially from the lowest desktop idle load in Windows 10, through audio encoding (single-threaded load), gaming load in Shadow of the Tomb Raider to Cinebench R23.

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Test setup

Poznámka.: Graphics drivers used at the time of testing: Nvidia GeForce 466.77 and OS Windows 10 build 19045.

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

3DMark

We use 3DMark Professional for our tests and from the tests, Night Raid (DirectX 12), Fire Strike (DirectX 11) and Time Spy (DirectX 12). In the graphs you will find the CPU sub-scores, the combined scores, as well as the graphics scores. From this you can see to what extent a given CPU is limiting the graphics card.

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New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Borderlands 3

Test environment: resolution 1920 × 1080 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 12; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: None; test scene: built-in benchmark.

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Test environment: resolution 3840 × 2160 px; graphics settings preset Ultra; API DirectX 12; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

   

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

F1 2020

Test environment: resolution 1920 × 1080 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 12; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: off, Skidmarks Blending: off; test scene: built-in benchmark (Australia, Clear/Dry, Cycle).

   

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Test environment: resolution 3840 × 2160 px; graphics settings preset Ultra High; API DirectX 12; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: TAA, Skidmarks Blending: off; test scene: built-in benchmark (Australia, Clear/Dry, Cycle).

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Metro Exodus

Test environment: resolution 1920 × 1080 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 12; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

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Test environment: resolution 3840 × 2160 px; graphics settings preset Extreme; API DirectX 12; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Test environment: resolution 1920 × 1080 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 12; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: off; test scene: built-in benchmark.

   

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Test environment: resolution 3840 × 2160 px; graphics settings preset Highest; API DirectX 12; extra settings Anti-Aliasing: TAA; test scene: built-in benchmark.

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Total War Saga: Troy

Test environment: resolution 1920 × 1080 px; graphics settings preset High; API DirectX 11; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

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Test environment: resolution 3840 × 2160 px; graphics settings preset Ultra; API DirectX 11; no extra settings; test scene: built-in benchmark.

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

PCMark

Geekbench

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Speedometer (2.0) and Octane (2.0)

Test environment: To ensure that results are not affected by web browser updates over time, we use a portable version of Google Chrome (91.0.472.101), a 64-bit build. Hardware GPU acceleration is enabled as well, as it is by default for every user.

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Note: The values in the graphs represent the average of the scores obtained in the subtasks, which are grouped according to their nature into seven categories (Core language features, Memory and GC, Strings and arrays, Virtual machine and GC, Loading and Parsing, Bit and Math operations, and Compiler and GC latency).

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New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Cinebench R20

Cinebench R23

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Blender@Cycles

Test environment: We use well distributed projects BMW (510 tiles) and Classroom (2040 tiles) and the renderer Cycles. Render settings are set to None, with which all the work falls on the CPU.

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LuxRender (SPECworkstation 3.1)

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Adobe Premiere Pro (PugetBench)

Test environment: PugetBench tests set. We keep the version of the application (Adobe Premiere Pro) at 15.2.

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New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

DaVinci Resolve Studio (PugetBench)

Test environment: set of PugetBench tests, test type: standard. App version of DaVinci Resolve Studio is 17.2.1 (build 12).

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New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Graphics effects: Adobe After Effects

Test environment: set of PugetBench tests. App version of Adobe After Effects is 18.2.1.

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New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

HandBrake

Test environment: For video conversion we’re using a 4K video LG Demo Snowboard with a 43,9 Mb/s bitrate. AVC (x264) and HEVC (x265) profiles are set for high quality and encoder profiles are “slow”. HandBrake version is 1.3.3 (2020061300).

x264 and x265 benchmarks

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Naposledy sme sa zaoberali základnou doskou, ktorá, ktorá je aj vďaka nižšej cene vhodná najmä na použitie s lacnejšími procesormi. Teraz tu máme o zhruba 50 eur drahšiu Gigabyte B660 Aorus Master DDR4. Príplatok tu má jasné opodstatnenie a odzkadľuje sa na lepších vlastnostiach. Napájacia kaskáda je výrazne efektívnejšia, chladiče sú účinnejšie a výbava je celkovo bohatšia, vrátane svetielok.

Audio encoding

Test environment: Audio encoding is done using command line encoders, we measure the time it takes for the conversion to finish. The same 42-minute long 16-bit WAV file (stereo) with 44.1 kHz is always used (Love Over Gold by Dire Straits album rip in a single audio file).

Encoder settings are selected to achieve maximum or near maximum compression. The bitrate is relatively high, with the exception of lossless FLAC of about 200 kb/s.

Note: These tests measure single-thread performance.

FLAC: reference encoder 1.3.2, 64-bit build. Launch options: flac.exe -s -8 -m -e -p -f

MP3: encoder lame3.100.1, 64-bit build (Intel 19 Compiler) from RareWares. Launch options: lame.exe -S -V 0 -q 0

AAC: uses Apple QuickTime libraries, invoked through the application from the command line, QAAC 2.72, 64-bit build, Intel 19 Compiler (does not require installation of the whole Apple package). Launch options: qaac64.exe -V 100 -s -q 2

Opus: reference encoder 1.3.1, Launch options: opusenc.exe –comp 10 –quiet –vbr –bitrate 192

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Adobe Photoshop (PugetBench)

Test environment: set of PugetBench tests. App version of Adobe Photoshop is 22.4.2.

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Affinity Photo (benchmark)

Test environment: built-in benchmark.

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Topaz Labs AI apps

Topaz DeNoise AI, Gigapixel AI and Sharpen AI. These single-purpose applications are used for restoration of low-quality photos. Whether it is high noise (caused by higher ISO), raster level (typically after cropping) or when something needs extra focus. The AI performance is always used.

Test environment: As part of batch editing, 42 photos with a lower resolution of 1920 × 1280 px are processed, with the settings from the images above. DeNoise AI is in version 3.1.2, Gigapixel in 5.5.2 and Sharpen AI in 3.1.2.

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

WinRAR 6.01

7-Zip 19.00

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New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

TrueCrypt 7.1a

Aida64 (AES, SHA3)

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Aida64, FPU tests

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FSI (SPECworkstation 3.1)

Kirchhoff migration (SPECworkstation 3.1)

Python36 (SPECworkstation 3.1)

SRMP (SPECworkstation 3.1)

Octave (SPECworkstation 3.1)

FFTW (SPECworkstation 3.1)

Convolution (SPECworkstation 3.1)

CalculiX (SPECworkstation 3.1)

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

RodiniaLifeSci (SPECworkstation 3.1)

WPCcfd (SPECworkstation 3.1)

Poisson (SPECworkstation 3.1)

LAMMPS (SPECworkstation 3.1)

NAMD (SPECworkstation 3.1)

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Memory tests…

… and cache (L1, L2, L3)

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New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

M.2 (SSD) slots speed

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New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

USB ports speed

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New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Ethernet speed

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New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Analysis of power draw without power limits

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New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Power draw with power limits by Intel

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New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Achieved CPU clock speed w/o power limits…

… and with Intel’s power limits

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

… and with Intel’s power limits

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

VRM temperatures w/o power limits…

… and with Intel’s power limits

New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

SSD temperatures

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New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Chipset temperatures (south bridge)

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New motherboards for Intel Raptor Lake processors are again a bit more expensive in the same class than the previous generation Z690, but they are also better equipped. This also applies to the ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi, which now has more M.2 slots than SATA ports. What’s also neater is the mechanism for removing graphics cards from underneath the big tower coolers and overclocking the CPU using machine learning. That’s also an option.

Conclusion

There aren’t many reasons to criticize the ROG Strix Z790-E. Some may find the price high, but that’s a general thing – all boards are more expensive than we’d like. Looking at the bigger picture, at all the elements, this board also justifies its price under the current conditions. The “Strix”, of course, is already getting pretty high. First and foremost, the ROG Strix Z790-E has a very robust power delivery, suitable for even the most powerful CPUs. Before you hit the limits of VRM cooling, you’ll be dealing with how to cool the CPU itself. How efficient is the power delivery, that will only become apparent as more motherboards are tested.

All-core boost clock speeds in games are nicely stable, at 5.5 GHz (P cores), or 4.3GHz (E cores). With the “AI overclocking” setting, the situation changes a bit. Some of the “most vital” cores run at higher clock speeds (6 GHz for higher loads is a bit of a utopia even at lower loads that you can cool and are not constrained by power limits), some at lower ones (below 5.5 GHz), and overall there is still a lot of tuning to do with this method of management. Later on, maybe we’ll get to a separate analysis of AI OC versus MCE (MuliCore Enhancement) or manual overclocking, we’ll see.

The BIOS settings are more or less as you know them on Asus boards – very detailed, except for one thing in the fan management (Q-Fan). It too is detailed, with perfect curve adjustment over a wide range of PWM intensities (but also DC, with linear fan supply), but there is one “but”. Namely, it is not possible for a selected fan to adjust its speed according to the temperature on one of the heat sensors other than the one in the CPU, for example according to the VRM one. The board has these, but Q-Fan no longer allows them to be assigned to the curve for the selected fan connectors. On most other boards this is possible, and until recently you could set it up on Asus ones as well. For most users this is a minor thing, but there will always be someone who cares about this type of customization as well. Unlike the Gigabyte Z690 Gaming X DDR4 motherboard, which can work with multiple temperature sensors when tuning the fans, the system connectors also respond to very low PWM intensity. Obviously this is not common, some boards take up from more aggressive values, at which higher fan speeds are achieved.

We did not encounter any performance anomalies. “Gaming performance” in Total War Saga: Troy is admittedly lower, but that’s due to inefficient thread scheduler management, and it’s going to be a similar scenario (at least under Windows 10) on other boards as well. Otherwise, with some bright exceptions (such as the x265 benchmark HWBot), we have performance tests filtered so the processor performs optimally, at full performance, with respect to the needs of a particular application. And the ROG Strix Z790-E doesn’t limit it in any way. The board doesn’t hold back the SSDs either, of which there can be up to five in the M.2 format and all come with full, four-lane support. Four are PCIe 4.0, the first one, with an extra-powerful heatsink is state-of-the-art, with PCIe 5.0 support. And yet there are still four SATA III ports available, which are somehow not mutually exclusive with the M.2 slots, they don’t have shared lanes. This too is an advantage of the better equipped boards with Z790 chipsets. They have more PCIe 4.0 lanes (than the Z690), these are used to connect the M.2 slots, and there are dedicated PCIe 3.0 lanes for the SATA ports.

We’ve already hinted at the very high TDP of the SSD cooler, and we’ll just add that it is, in terms of cooling, ranked first in our tests at the moment. The CPU VRM cooler is also super robust, but not for the sake of keeping up with “weaker” voltage regulators. These are massive, and even at 300 W without a cooler, the hotspots stay below 80°C, which is an excellent result by a wide margin. This is good, for example, for environments with higher ambient temperature (in common practice this is hot summer days) or for systems with less effective system cooling).

Interface speeds for wired network connections, SSD M.2 or external USB ports are always fine and do not deviate from the average. The number of USB ports is also worth praising. Not only on the rear panel, but also internally. One of the changes Asus has made compared to the similar Z690 board is that it has added a second 19-pin to connect two USB 3.2 gen. 1 ports. On some older boards we had complaints about its absence, as on many cases it doesn’t allow you to connect all the USB ports (but only half). This is not the case with the ROG Strix Z790-E.

It will be interesting to see in what light the competing boards show up. The Asus ROG Strix Z790-E is great though, and the “Approved” award is perhaps only temporary. Later, in the final balance sheet, taking into account the features of several boards, we do not exclude the possibility of its promotion.

English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš

Test games are from Jama levova

Special thanks to Blackmagic Design (for licenses for DeNoise AI, Gigapixel AI and Sharpen AI) and Topaz Labs (for licenses for DeNoise AI, Gigapixel AI and Sharpen AI)

• Contents
• Asus ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi in detail
• What it looks like in the BIOS
• Methodology: Performance tests
• Methodology: How we measure power draw
• Methodology: Temperature and frequency measurements
• Test setup
• 3DMark
• Borderlands 3
• F1 2020
• Metro Exodus
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider
• Total War Saga: Troy
• PCMark and Geekbench
• Web performance
• 3D rendering: Cinebench, Blender, ...
• Video 1/2: Adobe Premiere Pro
• Video 2/2: DaVinci Resolve Studio
• Graphics effects: Adobe After Effects
• Video encoding
• Audio encoding
• Fotky: Adobe Photoshop, Affinity Photo, ...
• (De)compression
• (De)encryption
• Numerical computing
• Simulations
• Memory and cache tests
• M.2 (SSD) slots speed
• USB ports speed
• Ethernet speed
• Power draw without power limits
• Power draw with power limits by Intel
• Achieved CPU clock speed
• CPU temperatures
• VRM temperatures – thermal imaging of Vcore and SOC
• SSD temperatures
• Chipset temperatures (south bridge)
• Conclusion