A few days ago, we offered you the test of the new Raptor Lake processors from Intel. We reviewed the i5-13600K and the i9-13900K. The test of these two processors took place on this ROG Maximus Z790 Extreme from Asus, which we are offering you today to discover in detail. You should know that we also got our hands on a copy of the i7-13700K that we will review very soon. This ROG Maximus Z790 Extreme is currently available for $999.99 or 1399.95 euros.
We have also just received the model dedicated to overclocking, the ROG Maximus Z790 APEX, which we have already made you discover in the form of an unboxing and which you can discover very soon the full test!
Finally, you should know that an article dedicated to the ROG Strix Z790-A Gaming Wifi D4 is currently being written. Thanks to Asus France for making these samples available.
[nextpage title=”ROG Maximus Z790 Extreme:”] With each new generation of Maximus motherboards, Asus offers us an EXTREME model which represents the “ultimate” board and has all the best features. This model can be considered as a showcase for Asus. The price is of course higher than all other models in the range except the Glacial.
The idea of Asus is to incorporate on this model new technologies that in the future will be incorporated on more affordable cards such as the Q-Release button.
The bundle:
A small tour through the bundle of this ROG Maximus Z790 Extreme to see if it has “special accessories”. And the least we can say is that there is a lot to present you with an ultra complete bundle!
First of all, we find the ” ROG True Voltician “. This is a USB format oscilloscope which is in the suite of the V-Latch always integrated on the PCB of the motherboard. We will come back in more details on this module which is plugged into a USB port. We have received the management software and the user guide. We’ll have to take a closer look at it as there is a lot of information and details. You should also know that the mini-USB port allows the software to run on a separate PC.
We then find a series of accessories always very useful as a Phillips screwdriver Asus, a ROG FAN controller and the ROG Dimm 2.
The architecture very close to the Z790 chipset:
This is already the fifteenth version of the Maximus, one of the most famous models of the Asus brand. This one is of course part of the ROG (Republic Of Gamers) series. It seems that Asus no longer names the number of the series since the title on the box is ROG Maximus Z790 Extreme. We have no reference to the number “XV”.
The ROG Maximus Extreme is built around Intel’s new Z790 chipset, and this motherboard retains the socket of the previous generation with the LGA-1700 since the processor has seen its size increased.
The Z790 chipset supports PCIe 5.0 offering higher storage performance than the previous generation as well as DDR5 support.
The different heat sinks :
The dimensions of the board are 305 mm x 277 mm, which corresponds to the E-ATX format. The dominant color on the PCB is black. This is a choice made by Asus to keep the color neutral in order to fit in any kind of installation. The design is partly based on the previous generation with a card that has an “armor”. And the least we can say is that it is heavy with its 3.180 kg! The cooling should follow.
Let’s start the tour with the radiators, of which there are four! First of all, the three radiators located on the top of the motherboard and surrounding the socket. The two largest ones cover the power supply stage. These two radiators are connected by a heat pipe. As you can see, it has many cutouts to increase the contact surface and therefore the heat dissipation.
A third, smaller, and also connected through a heat pipe is responsible for keeping the stage cool a part of the power stage. We are here on a completely passive system. However, Asus provides in its bundle an adapter allowing to include a fan whose width can reach 60 mm.
Finally, the fourth is the one that covers the chipset. It is not really a radiator since it is the location of part of the RGB backlight. The height is low in order to allow easy placement of the graphics cards. As I said, there is a part of the ROG logo that has been pixelated and provided with an RGB backlight.
The socket and PCIe:
The space around the socket is quite clear and will be easy enough to isolate with rubber for testing under LN2. Moreover, Asus offers two mounting holes on the ROG models. One of them is compatible with LGA-1700 but also LGA-115x coolers! A very good point for Asus.
This Maximus Z790 Extreme can accommodate a maximum of four DDR5 memory sticks. Who says new processors says at Intel new chipsets . At first, it is the Z790 chipset which will be available. Good news because this one keeps the LGA-1700 socket as well as the backward compatibility. In other words, you will be able to use an i9-12900K on the Z790 chipset and conversely, an i9-13900K on the Z690 chipset. Intel will continue to support DDR4 on this chipset but this should be the last time since the switch will be made definitively to DDR5 in 2024.
Like the APEX, this Extreme has a button called Q-Release. When a card is plugged into the first PCIe slot , pressing this button opens the retention system and releases your graphics card. This was a concern we had with the previous generation when a heatsink was too close to the first PCIe slot. Good job Asus!
This Extreme supports dual channel memory kits up to 7800 MHz+ (OC) and for a maximum quantity of 128 GB. There are two PCIe 5.0 16x slots that will work in x8/x8 if you opt for SLI or CrossfireX. A third PCIe 4.0 x4 slot is also available. To power all this, the card has a 24-pin flat connector and two 8-pin connectors next to the power stages.
Five M.2 SSD slots:
A black aluminum plate with a cutout that matches perfectly with the one on the chipset covers two M.2 SSD slots on the PCB. You also have the option of using the vertical bracket (ROG DIMM2), which is included in the bundle and can also accommodate two M.2 SSDs. This brings the total number of M.2 SSDs to five.
As a reminder, the one under the OLED screen is a 2242/2260/2280/22110 M.2 SSD slot in PCIe 5.0. The other two as well as the two available on the ROG DIMM2 are PCIe 4.0 x4.
An OLED display but also the AniMe Matrix display :
The most attentive among you will have noticed the presence of the OLED screen. This is located just below the small heatsink that tops part of the power stage. Below this OLED screen is a PCIe 5.0 M.2 SSD slot, but we’ll talk about that below. This one can be set up but displays the motherboard’s boot sequence by default.
And that’s not all! On the top of the heatsink positioned on the top of the motherboard, there is an “Anime Matrix” screen that has no less than 222 LEDs! It can be configured to play custom animations, images, animations and audio visualization. It can also display the system time and date.
As is the case for a large part of the ROG range, it has the AURA system with LEDs present on the PCB at the level of the radiator covering the connectors and the logo placed on the chipset. The management of these lights is set via the AURA software but it is possible to disable them, quite easily, via the BIOS if you wish. [nextpage title=”The PCB and connectors: “]
The tools for clocker:
Let’s start with the elements inserted on the PCB which can be interesting tools for overclockers. There are a lot of them on this model, which has become a habit with Asus on the high end. This confirms its position as a card dedicated to overclocking.
- The power button: allows the powering of the motherboard.
- The FlexKEY (reset) : allows to restart the motherboard in case of failure. The button can now be assigned to another task like Safe Boot or disable backlight.
- Safe Boot: allows to restart the board even if the parameters chosen in the bios do not allow the boot. This avoids having to do a CMOS Clear to reboot and thus lose your encoded settings.
- ReTry Button : during cold tests, sometimes the OS freezes and a reset doesn’t allow to restart the motherboard : only solution 6, 7 seconds by keeping the START button pressed. With the ReTry button, it restarts immediately.
- Switch bios : allows to switch between the two bios. You can choose to have an ” overclocking ” bios and a “H24” bios.
- Slow Mode: in cold mode, if you want to reach 6 GHz in 60x100MHz, by activating the Slow Mode, you boot in 8×100 and in the OS, hop back to 60×100.
- RSVD: when activated under cold conditions (-120°C), it avoids ” Cold boot bug “.
- LN2 Mode: allows to activate LN2 profiles in the bios.
- The Q LED: 4 diodes (CPU – DRAM – VGA – BOOT) which allow to diagnose errors during the boot of the board. The one that remains lit corresponds to the problem.
- The Q Code: allows to display a code which corresponds to the component responsible for the error during the boot. This is now displayed on the OLED screen and the list of codes can be found in the manual.
- The CMOS CLR: allows to erase the BIOS parameters in order to return to the default ones.
- ProbeIT : allows you to measure voltages with a multimeter directly on the PCB.
The PCB:
Our Asus Maximus Z790 Extreme is based on a 24 + 1 + 2 phase power supply. The part in charge of the CPU consists of 24 phases and on this model, no splitter., but beware the phases are placed in parallel. We find the new controller, the RAA 229131 chip, present on a large number of Z690 motherboards. Here, we are on a X+Y=20 management, that is to say a 12 + 1 mode.
The 24 mosfets are all RAA 22010540 of 105A grouped in parallel by phase and thus allow to split them without using a splitter. The mosfets in the power stages generate the most heat because they are responsible for the voltage conversion and delivery to the CPU from the 12 volt EPS connector.
The connectors :
The rear panel has the following components. First of all, the Clear CMOS and the button to flash the BIOS from a USB stick.
In terms of USB ports, this ROG Maximus Z790 Extreme has a Thunderbol 4 USB Type-C port, a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 port (1 x USB Type-C), 8 USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (7 x Type-A + 1 x USB Type-C), an HDMI port, a Wifi module, an Intel 2.5Gb Ethernet port, a Marvell AQtion 10Gb Ethernet port, five LED-illuminated audio jacks and an optical output. [nextpage title=”The BIOS:”] As far as the BIOS is concerned, at first glance, we can recognize that we are at Asus. Those who are used to the brand will find it without any difficulty. As a reminder, the tab that will interest us the most is “Extreme Tweaker”.
Before starting, we remind you that it is essential to regularly update your BIOS. Moreover, the Asus team regularly proposes patches which it would be stupid not to take advantage of. The advantage of a card like this EXTREME is to have two BIOS. So you can test a new one while keeping the previous one. For those who tinker, this is a real plus!
The BIOS captures were taken with the XMP profile of our Teamgroup Delta RGB 7200 MT/s CL34 kit enabled. The other new option is ” Memory controller: DRAM Frequency Ratio ” which arrived with Rocket Lake. You can choose between Gear 1, Gear 2 and Gear 4. Be aware that in most cases, it will be Gear 2. The Gear 4 solution is there, for kits > 7000 MHz.
The ” Loadline calibration ” is in auto mode for comparative tests but we will come back to its function when overclocking the i9-13900K. The other sections are present since the previous generations and allow you to flash your motherboard, to control the speed of the fans and to create test profiles.
The different voltages :
In the ” overclocking ” section, we will see the most important voltages for the CPU and for boosting the DDR5 memory. You should know that it is possible to deactivate the E-core but that the performance of your processor then takes a serious blow. We’ll tell you about it in the rest of the article.
Finally, saving profiles is highly recommended when performing tests. It saves time. You can also save them on a USB key.
With the arrival of memory kits with A-Die chips, Asus has added a new memory profile that can reach 7600 MT/s. We’ll be sure to test it during memory overclocking.
The LN2 mode :
There is a LN2 mode, which must be activated via a jumper placed on the PCB. Be careful, this one is really dedicated to cold tests, so don’t activate it for air/water tests as some safety features will be automatically disabled. Once this one is activated, there is a LN2 CPU profile.
We have already tested our i9-13900K and the i5-13600K under liquid nitrogen but with our copy of the Maximus Z690 APEX. Don’t hesitate to ask for advice on our forum and discord if you encounter any problems when setting up your bios. [nextpage title=”The test setup:”] Here are the different components that equip our test platform. For the publication of these tests, I used the latest BIOS received although new versions will certainly be available in the days to come. Asus being very reactive on the update of its BIOS.
We will also propose you in the coming weeks several overclocking guides for your processor but also for your memory kit with this APEX model.
- Motherboard : ROG Maximus Z790 EXTREME (BIOS 0701)
- Processor: Intel i9-13900K and i5-13600K
- Memory : 32 GB Teamgroup Delta RGB 7200 MT/s CL34
- Graphics Card: MSI GT 710
- Cooling system : Optimus Foundation + 480 mm EK radiator
- SSD : Western Digital SN850 NVMe SSD M.2
- Power supply : be quiet! Dark Power PRO 12 1500w
- Operating system: Windows 11 64 bits
- Display: ROG PG27UQ
A quick tour through CPU-Z to make sure everything is in order before we start our tests. We notice that with this version 2.03.0, our i9-13900K is perfectly recognized as well as the DDR5 memory.
Now that our configuration is ready, let’s see if the BIOS is correct for the frequencies of our i9-13900K and the i5-13600K. [nextpage title=”The actual frequencies:”] As with every new processor test, our first idea is to check if the announced frequencies are actually reached. To do this, we will use the Cinebench R23 benchmark. Two cases will be used: a single core bench and a second one in multi core. The idea is to be able to judge the frequency reached and thus, to compare with what was announced by Intel in its slides.
Remember that the Boost frequency in bench is different depending on the processor. Be careful, as Intel points out, when we talk about Max Turbo frequency, it is the maximum frequency that can be reached by one of the processor’s cores executing a single-core workload(mono-thread). This frequency varies according to several factors: the load, the cooling system and therefore the temperature of your processor. This is a notion to keep in mind. Here are the frequencies we should reach on a single core during our run under Cinebench R23.
First step, we leave everything in AUTO in the BIOS except the XMP profile that we load in order to have a frequency of 6000 MT/s in 30-38-38-96 for our memory kit. We don’t make any other changes in the BIOS.
Test with the i9-13900K :
Here we go with the strongest processor, the i9-13900K. As you can see, we opened several windows to check the frequency and the temperature. The options in our BIOS have been left in AUTO but we will talk about it again in the power consumption section because it has a significant impact on it.
In single core, we can see that core #5 reaches a frequency of 5800 MHz which corresponds to what is announced by Intel. We can see that the temperature of the two cores that alternate at 5.8 GHz have a temperature of 65/66 °C.
When the 24 cores of our i9-13900K are solicited, the frequency is fixed on the P-Core at 5.5 GHz and at 4.3 GHz on the E-Core. As for the temperature of the hottest P-Core, it is 87°C and on the E-Core 69°C. Let’s not forget that we are equipped with a custom cooling loop of 480 mm. So if you choose this processor, it will be at least a very powerful AIO of 280/360 mm.
Test with i5-13600K :
We continue with the i5-13600K and its 6 P-Core. In single core, we can see that the core #5 reaches a frequency of 5100 MHz but strangely the other cores also remain at this frequency. It seems that it is the AUTO settings of our BIOS that remove the limits of Intel since the temperature is correct. The temperature of the requested core is 46°C.
When all 6 cores are used, the frequency is always 5.1 GHz, although we thought it would be lower. Finally, we will not complain since the temperatures are excellent with the hottest P-Core at 62°C and the E-Core at 52°C.
We can’t wait to test this i5-13600K in overclocking since it should become a very interesting processor on this new generation. Here we are, our two processors are perfectly operational, we can serenely start our comparative tests. [nextpage title=”CPU overclocking:”] When you say new platform, you need time to adapt but here, since we are quite close to the Z690 chipset, we shouldn’t have too much difficulty. We will just have to take into account the new specificities of the processors in terms of frequencies.
Protocol:
Before starting, it is necessary to have one or more reference scores with our i9-13900K/i5-13600K at stock frequencies , i.e., without having made any modification except for having activated the XMP profile. It is also very important to have a sheet of paper at hand that will allow you to note down all the tests you are going to perform as well as the results or failures. Personally, I have hundreds of sheets of my tests on which I sometimes go back to know how the processor behaved on such motherboard or in such test conditions. My own little bible.
For 24/7 overclocking, you will of course have to take more time to fine-tune the voltage in order to provide it with the minimum necessary but also to adjust each core independently if you want to take advantage of the maximum performance.
Load-Line Calibration in BIOS:
In the case of Rocket Lake, even if Asus advises a Level 4 for overclocking, I opted for a Level 7 in order to have the least vdroop possible.
Basically, I want the voltage chosen to be as close as possible to the load voltage. In the tables below, you can see the selected voltage, the effective voltage in idle and finally in load . The readings are made with a multimeter at the PCB of the motherboard. It is very important to know the real voltage brought to the different components but especially to your processor.
Overclocking under watercooling in different steps:
As usual, I will start the tests by choosing, via the BIOS, a starting frequency applied on the 8 P-Cores of the i9-13900K. I chose a starting frequency of 5500 MHz with a multiplier of 55, a BCLK of 100, a voltage of 1.20 volt and a Level 7. All the other options are in AUTO. For the i5-13600K, we will start from 5100 MHz (51 x 100).
The idea is then, in the OS, to test the stability on several runs of Cinebench R23 multithreaded . If it’s stable, I increase the frequency by 100 MHz while rechecking the stability. If the benchmark crashes, I increase the voltage by 0.05 volt increments in order to regain a stability allowing to run the benchmark.
The objective is to get a “quick” idea of the maximum benchmarkable frequency. Here is what we obtained for the i9-13900K. As you can see, we were very quickly limited by the temperature and this despite a fairly low voltage.
Our best score is 41796 in Cinebench R23 but with temperatures between 90 and 100°C. Our example is unfortunately not a gold processor and behaved well under LN2. The i5-13600K had some good surprises for us!
We were able to reach a frequency of 5.6 GHz on the P-Core, of 4.6 GHz on the E-Core and to raise the uncore frequency to 5.0 GHz. The temperatures are rather well contained, which allows us to pass the R23 single score to 27477 points (24274 in stock) and the multi score to 2214 points (2013 in stock).
The excellent performance in benchmarks combined with its excellent overclocking potential should make it one of the most popular Raptor Lake processors.
Memory overclocking :
As far as memory overclocking is concerned, our ROG Maximus Z790 Extreme has a 7600 MT/s profile in the bundle and it worked perfectly. We’ll go into more detail about memory overclocking in our dedicated Teamgroup Delta RGB 7200 MT/s CL34 memory kit test coming out tomorrow, as well as the ROG Maximus Z790 APEX test.
Now that we have reviewed the ROG Maximus Z790 Extreme, it is time to give you our overall impressions. [nextpage title=”The last word:”] That’s it, we’ve done the tour of this ROG Maximus Z790 Extreme combined with the new Rocket Lake i9-13900K and i5-13600K processors. By the way, if you want to know the performance of these two processors against the competition, our article dedicated to it is here. Our impressions are very positive about this association with this ROG Maximus Z790 Extreme version, which kept all its promises. As we had implied, this “Extreme” model combines everything that is best at the moment. The connectivity is ultra complete with the support of PCI-e 5.0 for the SSD, an ultra complete BIOS ready for overclocking and to spoil nothing, a superb design. The Anime Matrix screen is still as convincing as ever.
Let’s talk about the delicate point concerning the price of this ROG Maximus Z790 Extreme whose price is displayed in store on Amazon for $999.99 or LDLC at 1399.95 euros. So yes, it is expensive and even much too expensive. But beware, Asus’ will is not to make it its flagship product. The brand knows full well that it will not be the best-selling model on the Z790 chipset. The idea is to offer with this “Extreme” version a showcase of its know-how and an ultra complete bundle. As a reminder, the new features that appear on these ultra-high-end models often also make their appearance on more accessible models one or two generations later. We have just received the ROG Maximus Z790 APEX that we will test very soon as well as the ROG Strix Z790-A Gaming Wifi D4.
ROG Maximus Z790 EXTREME
We liked:
- An ultra powerful power stage
- The possibility to use high capacity and high frequency memory
- LN2 mode for testing under liquid nitrogen
- Two BIOSes available
- Numerous DDR5 profiles in the bios to clock the memory
- The “tools” inserted on the PCB to facilitate extreme overclocking
- The pleasant surprise of an automatic intelligent overclocking (AI Overclocking)
- The reactivation of Asus to offer new bios to overclockers
- The presence of two PS/2 slots for clocking under XP
- The updated TurboV Core software
- The presence of LGA-115x mounting holes!
- Q-Release button to free your graphics card
- ROG True Voltician USB oscilloscope
- The quality of the Matrix display
We would have liked:
- A much lower price but it is an “extreme” version
- To find 24/7 CPU profiles in the BIOS and not only LN2 profiles
Asus confirms its line of conduct by offering with this “Extreme” version, all the best in terms of technology. Whether it’s for gaming, overclocking or taking advantage of the oscilloscope, this ROG Maximus Z790 Extreme will offer you the best. But of course this comes at a cost, and here, it is expensive, too expensive. This card is aimed at a very targeted audience but don’t panic, Asus has other more affordable models in its range which we will come back to in the coming weeks.