PCB and connectors:
Clocker tools :
Let’s start with the elements inserted on the PCB, which can prove to be interesting tools for overclockers. There are plenty of them on this model, which has become a habit with Asus at the top end of the market. This confirms its position as a dedicated overclocking board.
- Power button: powers up the motherboard.
- FlexKEY (reset): restarts the motherboard in the event of failure. The button can now be assigned to another task via the BIOS.
- Safe Boot: allows the motherboard to be rebooted even if the parameters selected in the BIOS do not allow boot. This avoids the need to perform a CMOS Clear to reboot and thus lose your encoded parameters.
- ReTry Button: during cold tests, sometimes the OS freezes and a reset doesn’t allow the motherboard to restart: the only solution is to hold down the START button for 6 or 7 seconds. With the ReTry button, it restarts immediately.
- Switch bios: switches between the two bios. You can choose to have an ” overclocking ” bios and a more stable bios for H24 configuration.
- Slow Mode: allows you to boot with a coefficient of 16x and, once in the OS, return to the coefficient chosen in the bios. Mainly for max screens.
- RSVD: when activated under cold conditions (-120°C), prevents cold boot bugs.
- LN2 Mode: enables LN2 profiles in the bios.
- Debug LED: 4 LEDs (CPU – DRAM – VGA – BOOT) to diagnose errors during board boot . If one of them remains lit, the corresponding component is in trouble.
- Q-Led: displays a code corresponding to the component responsible for the boot error.
- CMOS CLR: clears BIOS parameters to return to default settings.
- ProbeIT : allows you to measure voltages using a multimeter directly on the PCB.
The PCB :
Our ROG Maximus Z790 APEX was based on a 24 2-phase power supply. What about our version 2 APEX Encore? Well, it’s the same, with 24 phases placed in parallel: so there really are 12. The controller is a RAA229131 chip(X Y=20), one of the best currently available, if not the best.
As for the 24 mosfets, they’re all 105A 22010540 AARs grouped in parallel by phase, enabling them to be duplicated without the need for a doubler. The mosfets in the power stages generate the most heat, as they are responsible for voltage conversion and delivery to the CPU from the 12-volt EPS connector.
Connectors :
The rear panel features the following elements. First of all, the Clear CMOS and the button for flashing the bios from a USB key. One of the board’s special features is its two PS/2 slots for connecting a keyboard and mouse. But why are we still using this type of connector in 2021? Quite simply because some benchmarks perform better under XP (Super Pi), and using non-USB peripherals makes OS installation much easier.
In terms of USB ports, this ROG Maximus Z690 APEX features four USB 3.2 Gen 1, five USB 3.2 Gen 2 and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C. Then there are the antenna mounts for dual-band Wi-Fi 7. Finally, we find the various audio outputs and the network port (2.5G).
