NZTX N7 Z790:
The bundle:
A little tour of the NZXT N7 Z790 bundle to see if it benefits from “special accessories”. Overall, we find a bundle reduced to its simplest expression with the two traditional SATA cables, the Wi-Fi antenna, the quick installation guide for the motherboard and two screws for SSD. Is that all? Yes, nothing more but this is a usual thing at NZXT since the brand is content with a very light bundle.
Now when we see its price of $299, we could at least expect a USB key with the various drivers even if they are available directly on the manufacturer’s page.
Architecture:
The NZXT N7 Z790 is architected around Intel’s new Z790 chipset, this motherboard retains the previous generation socket with LGA-1700 since the processor has grown in size since the Rocket Lakes. As a reminder, we reviewed the N7 Z690 version. The Z790 chipset supports PCIe 5.0 offering higher storage performance than the previous generation as well as DDR5 support.
The dimensions of the board are 305 mm x 244 mm, which corresponds to the ATX format. The dominant colors on the PCB are white and black, reinforced by the white steel casing. The design is quite neutral but it is a will of NZXT to take the design code of its case range. As a reminder, two colors are available: white and black. Finally, you should know that the card has no RGB system but several connectors compatible with NZXT components. These are directly implanted on the PCB.
The different heat sinks :
Let’s start the tour of the owner with the radiators, of which there are three!
First of all, the two radiators located on the top of the motherboard and which cover the power supply stage. These two radiators are connected together by a screw, they do not have heat pipes and are in direct contact with the mosfets via a thermal pad. We are here on a completely passive system.
The third heatsink, which covers the chipset, is hidden under the metal cover that covers more than half of the PCB. The area of the metal cover where the heatsink is located is perforated to allow for easier heat removal.
Three M.2 SSD slots:
While we’re on the subject of this fairing, three areas can be removed just by unclipping them to access the three SSD slots. They are held in place by two magnets except for the slot under the socket which will require the use of a Phillips screwdriver.
This NZXT N7 Z790 has three slots to accommodate M.2 SSDs: a 2242/2260/2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4 mode), a 2242/2260/2280/22110 (PCIe 4.0 x4 mode) and finally a 2242/2260/2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4 & SATA mode).
The socket and PCIe :
The space around the socket is pretty clear. Here, only the mounting holes of the LGA-1700 socket are available. This N7 Z790 can accommodate a maximum of four DDR5 memory modules. It supports dual channel memory kits up to 5000 MHz (OC) and for a maximum quantity of 128 GB. We hope to go much higher than 5000 MHz.
There are no less than five PCIe ports. The first is a PCIe 5.0 in 16x. Then there are two PCIe 4.0 x4 and two PCIe 3.0 x1. As we said earlier, there are four NZXT RGB connectors and two ARGB connectors in 5v on the PCB.
