Published: October 20, 2022 | Source: ASUS | Author: Tom Logan

ASUS Z790-A Prime WiFi Review

Conclusion

It seems odd to focus so heavily upon the aesthetics when they are a matter of taste anyway, but we just struggle to get over the wisdom behind the changes ASUS have made to the Prime.

With a range of motherboards that tick a box for almost every need, the Prime always had a struggle to make itself noticed amongst the Strix and similar motherboards ASUS offer. What it had was a white aesthetic that was unlike almost anything else they offered. Those of you who want to stray from the path of an all black system with RGB lighting have few choices, but the ASUS Prime was one of those choices. Now this new Z790 version has swapped out the white heatsinks and design for a silver one. Admittedly light silver rather than gunmetal grey, but silver nonetheless. If that wasn’t odd enough they’ve also covered the two biggest heatsinks with a black design echoing the new “Space” theme they’re going for. Thus even if you could overlook the move from white to silver, ASUS haven’t committed to the silver aesthetic and it is to the detriment of the Z790-A Prime WiFi.

Away from how it looks though, it’s an affordable way to get on the Z790 train. It has DDR5 support and a single PCIe 5.0 slot for your GPU. All the M.2 storage is PCIe 4.0, but most people don’t own PCIe 5 NVMe drives, and certainly those who do aren’t looking at this end of the price spectrum, so it’s a decision to which we’re not averse.

For comparisons sake we tested all our Z790 motherboards with the Core i9-13900K, and it’s fair to say that the Prime is best running these at stock. They already boost well, but the 16+1 60A teamed Power Stage obviously has its limitations on such a thirsty processor. As we saw on our DDR4 vs DDR5 Showdown that’s also available to read today, the Prime actually is a stormer with the Core i5-13600K installed. It’s not bad on the Core i9 of course, none of the Z790s are, but it really shines and gives you some tweaking freedom with the Core i5. For that reason we’re awarding it our OC3D Gamers Choice award. It’s just a shame ASUS have dispensed with its role as an alternative to the all-black motherboards that dominate the market.

Currently, ASUS’ Prime Z790-A WIFI motherboard is available to order for around £329.99 at UK components retailers.