ASUS ROG Strix Z790-A Gaming WiFi D4 Review

Introduction

Here is a motherboard which slightly confuses us. Normally the ROG products are either named F or E, or if they’re pushing the boat out you can also get one called the Hero. When it comes to models named A it is more normally found on the ASUS Prime range of products. When you combine an A with a white aesthetic the chances of it being a Prime are so near 100% as to be indisputable.

Yet the latest model from the ASUS ROG Strix stable, that most popular of brands, is the ASUS ROG Strix Z790-A Gaming WiFi D4. Not only is it named the A, but it’s white, and despite being a Strix product it supports DDR4 rather than DDR5.

All of this is somewhat confusing. We know that the Crosshair name holds the honours on the AMD platform, the Maximus on the Intel platform, and the Rampage is enjoying a retirement until a suitably beefy Intel chipset arrives. The Strix range, though, is the one that sells by the bucketload. To change it up for a white but actually silver design that uses DDR4 instead of DDR5 is a curious choice. Of course we’re as curious as that choice to find out how it stacks up against the Z790 DDR5 competition.

Pricing 

At launch, ASUS’ ROG Strix Z790-A Gaming WIFI D4 motherboard is available for around £399.99 in the UK at various components retailers.

Technical Specifications

Only a single PCI Express 5.0 slot, no support for PCIe 5.0 M.2s and DDR4 instead of DDR5 is the type of arrangement we would more usually expect to find on a model in the ASUS TUF range. If this wasn’t called a Strix we’d never guess. However, it’s perfect if you want to get onboard the 13th Generation Intel CPU train without having to either break the bank in terms of components, or be left with the feeling you’re not maximising its potential.