Best Z790 DDR5 board at or under $500?

xDiVolatilX

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I'm looking at the Aorus Z790 Master. Anything better for the price? Has some nice touches to it. Anything better or slim Pickens? Not many Z790 boards out in the wild? What are you guys rocking? I want RGB on the board itself.
 
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Not that I'm in the market for one, but the Z790 boards are very scarce at the moment.
Yea they are. That's how I ended up getting an Aorus. I never would have gotten an Aorus. I have used MSI boards for the past 15 years. I had no choice. I didn't like the MSI offerings and the Aorus Master looked incredible.
It's a fantastic performer. It is literally about 10 lbs? I may be exaggerating a bit, or not? It feels like a 20 lbs dumbbell to be honest call me crazy lol
So far I'm loving it. I can easily do an all core 5ghz or all core 5.1 or all core 5.2 but that would make the vcore more than I like past 1.3 anything 5.0 or higher 5.2 all core is like 1.375ish. this is all on auto I haven't even found where the offset to lower the voltage is yet lol
 
Yea they are. That's how I ended up getting an Aorus. I never would have gotten an Aorus. I have used MSI boards for the past 15 years. I had no choice. I didn't like the MSI offerings and the Aorus Master looked incredible.
It's a fantastic performer. It is literally about 10 lbs? I may be exaggerating a bit, or not? It feels like a 20 lbs dumbbell to be honest call me crazy lol
So far I'm loving it. I can easily do an all core 5ghz or all core 5.1 or all core 5.2 but that would make the vcore more than I like past 1.3 anything 5.0 or higher 5.2 all core is like 1.375ish. this is all on auto I haven't even found where the offset to lower the voltage is yet lol
You're right about the weight. I did use an Aorus Z690 Master before switching out to another board. I was a big Aorus/Gigabyte user for a long time. That board gave me issues using Aorus memory and honestly I couldn't pinpoint which piece of hardware was causing the issue so I returned both for a refund. I'm sure they worked the kinks out in later bios updates, but I get impatient sometimes in my old age..lol.
 
I like the Asus creator boards. They have pretty much all features of the super high-end boards minus the RBG. They seem to be out of stock everyway or being scalped for 2x the price.
 
You're right about the weight. I did use an Aorus Z690 Master before switching out to another board. I was a big Aorus/Gigabyte user for a long time. That board gave me issues using Aorus memory and honestly I couldn't pinpoint which piece of hardware was causing the issue so I returned both for a refund. I'm sure they worked the kinks out in later bios updates, but I get impatient sometimes in my old age..lol.
Ah darn that was a sticky situation. Was the memory over clocked? I mean it's not like most people have another set of memory just sitting around to swap out for troubleshooting anyway, I don't they were too expensive still. Did you try running it at stock speed also or only on XMP? I see why you went Aorus memory also so keep the RGB synchronized. At this point I can't go everything synced because I don't want all the same brand of component. I'm ok with the RGB glowing a little different for everything, gives it a different touch. Besides my EK reservoir is 4 pin RGB not 3pin Argb so and the graphics card Is a EVGA 3080ti hydrocopper and Trident Z5 ram everything is different no chance I could sync it all together but I don't mind.
 
I like the Asus creator boards. They have pretty much all features of the super high-end boards minus the RBG. They seem to be out of stock everyway or being scalped for 2x the price.
I've never noticed the creator boards. I only use my computer for gaming now a days. I used to use it for work using Adobe suite but I started to dislike working on the PC because I wanted it to be my outlet for fun and relaxation. What do you use the creator boards for?
 
I got the Asus ROG Strix Z790-E for my new build. It's $499 + tax. It's pretty popular so gotta grab one when it's available. I'm a serious Asus fan boy when it comes to motherboards. Never had one fail on me in 15+ years of building PCs.
 
I got the Asus ROG Strix Z790-E for my new build. It's $499 + tax. It's pretty popular so gotta grab one when it's available. I'm a serious Asus fan boy when it comes to motherboards. Never had one fail on me in 15+ years of building PCs.
I was looking at this one also. It was between the Strix and the Aorus. I was an MSI fanboy but between the Asus or Aorus I didn't care lol. I probably could have gotten the Asus but aren't they comparable in pretty much every measurable way? Same price also. Stix just has a reputation for being more expensive in my opinion but not this time lol
 
As I start to plan my next build, I like that ROG STRIX Z790, but that price seems rough. Especially when the Zen 4 equivalents of that board are so much cheaper.

At this point I'm waiting on the 3D Zen 4 processor announcement (and hopefully more PCIE 5 power supplies) before taking the plunge.

EDIT: In general, seems like all the full-featured Z790 boards are a little pricey. After pricing out B650E boards, these are mostly $150-200 more. At least If I don't want to skimp on features. Hmmmm.
 
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As I start to plan my next build, I like that ROG STRIX Z790, but that price seems rough. Especially when the Zen 4 equivalents of that board are so much cheaper.

At this point I'm waiting on the 3D Zen 4 processor announcement (and hopefully more PCIE 5 power supplies) before taking the plunge.

EDIT: In general, seems like all the full-featured Z790 boards are a little pricey. After pricing out B650E boards, these are mostly $150-200 more. At least If I don't want to skimp on features. Hmmmm.
I threw down 5 bills for the Z790 Aorus Master. But honestly, compared to the rediculous GPU prices believe it or not I'm happy they are not even more expensive. After spending 300 on a skimpy board that I hated I love the feeling this monster gives me. I'm coming from Asus Rampage Extreme boards before so I need something substantial to fulfill my nerdy needs and wants haha just for fun I did an all core OC on the 12700kf at 5ghz at 1.25v stable in cinebench. I'm impressed. I think I might wanna grab a Raptor Lake sometime sooner or later to push up to 6ghz.
 
EDIT: In general, seems like all the full-featured Z790 boards are a little pricey. After pricing out B650E boards, these are mostly $150-200 more. At least If I don't want to skimp on features. Hmmmm.
I actually was considering a Z790 board to tinker with, but I'm finding it hard to find a board that would be any better than my EVGA Z690 Classified board. I do have the ROG Z690-E board in my back up PC and that has been a decent board as well with no issues, but the EVGA is built like a tank. This was originally a $700 motherboard that I got on sale at $300 ($329). I'm running a 13900K with the latest bios and it performs very well. I really wanted a white themed board for my build, but all the higher end one Z790's are out of stock and being price gouged by scalpers like the Asus Apex Z790. I think I'll just keep the EVGA board.
 
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Well add me to the Aorus Master list. I did have this mobo in the X570 and it served me well until I decided to upgrade to the 7950X. Well that was a huge mistake, I couldn't get it stable, it would randomly crash/bsod/reboot. Tried 2 different X670E and same results. I almost decided to go back to the X570 but decided since Microcenter is 90 miles away and since I'm there why not gamble on the 13900K instead? I did almost switched to Intel back on the 26th but I insist I stay with AMD and it was a mobo issue. So I made 3 trips already to Microcenter and prayed this would be it.

So far so good, no crash/bsod/reboot. It's only been a day but, here's the but! It was able to download my Steam games all night without a reboot/bsod or crash. I couldn't get that on the 7950X platform, both mobo would reboot or bsod during the downloading of my Steam game. I would see temps steady in the high 60's to low 70's during the downloads. Now with the new mobo and 13900K I would fluctuate between the 40's and 60's. Never seen it hit 70's like I did on the 7950X. I was under the impression that the 13900K run hotter than the 7950X. I also love the fact that it could boot up in 15-25 seconds vs over a minute on the Asus Crosshair Hero and 30-45 seconds on the MSI MEG Ace for AMD. None of these boards can beat my old X570 Aorus Master at 10 seconds cold boot up.
 
One of the best Z790 for memory overclocking-----is actually MSI's ITX board. Its rated for 8000+ DDR5
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MPG-Z790I-EDGE-WIFI

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BHCJ6KQ2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
Z790 Aorus Master does DDR5 8000 also and 10gb ethernet and pcie5 main slot and pcie5 m.2 slot and backplate and the beefiest heatsinks of any board I've ever seen along with the most overkill VRM setup. It's probably close to 10lbs you have to put your back into it to lift it lmao
 
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Z790 Aorus Master does DDR5 8000 also and 10gb ethernet and pcie5 main slot and pcie5 m.2 slot and backplate and the beefiest heatsinks of any board I've ever seen along with the most overkill VRM setup. It's probably close to 10lbs you have to put your back into it to lift it lmao
As of right now I think it only officially support 6800 or maybe it's stable at 6800. Either way after seeing the bios update, I decided to grab the 6800 instead of the 6000.
 
As of right now I think it only officially support 6800 or maybe it's stable at 6800. Either way after seeing the bios update, I decided to grab the 6800 instead of the 6000.
Which board r u talking about? The Z790 Aorus Master? What do you mean officially?
 
This is on the Z790 Aorus Master website
Screenshot_20221231-202538.png
 
It also says we cannot test all memory we just test a few meaning most should work especially as more kits become available overtime.
 
Which board r u talking about? The Z790 Aorus Master? What do you mean officially?
Talking about the latest bios update. It doesn't state what they officially support or guarantee to work.
The latest bios just says Improve DDR5 6800MHz 32GBx2 compatibility, which I assume is almost guarantee to work.
 
Talking about the latest bios update. It doesn't state what they officially support or guarantee to work.
The latest bios just says Improve DDR5 6800MHz 32GBx2 compatibility, which I assume is almost guarantee to work.
Aorus Master Z790 owners we just got another BIOS update on 1/18/23 it is the F5 BIOS I just installed it, it's good.
 
There are complaints of coil whine with this board. I assume noone here has experienced this?
Which board? The Z790 Aorus Master? No coil whine sound at all. Not from the board or from the 4090 Gaming X both are quiet.
 
No coil whine on my Z790. Hell I often wonder how people hear it. You mean to tell me you can hear it over the fans? That's the loudest thing in any systems I've ever built and I've been building since 2001. I must be really lucky as I've spent over $50k on pc parts and never once had any coil whine on anything. I've had several SLI system too, so I've double the chances to get the coil whine and still nothing.
 
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I've never noticed the creator boards. I only use my computer for gaming now a days. I used to use it for work using Adobe suite but I started to dislike working on the PC because I wanted it to be my outlet for fun and relaxation. What do you use the creator boards for?
The same thing as a board that costs a fraction of the price does just like most motherboards.
 
I've heard coil whine with a graphics card, but never with a motherboard.
I had a Gigabyte Z690 ITX motherboard which made noises when doing things like scrolling through a webpage. Or opening an app. And in those situations, my fans are totally inaudible. So, I just hear the crackling sounds from the motherboard.
 
Brand new bios just dropped again for the Z790 Aorus Master it's the F7 released 3/7/2023 whoever owns one I updated to it and it's good.

Also the memory QVL is updated and has all kinds of approved ram kits above 7000 like pages of kits.
 
I am having continual boot issues with my z690 MSI carbon and I have tried a lot of things.. once windows loads it's solid as a rock but a cold boot in the morning is typically a "hang, power off, re-attempt and usually it makes it to W11" ... it was annoying as hell.. Sooo I was about to just return it and get a z790 Aorus master or the Asus rog strix z790-E... The others on reddit with this same issue never sorted it out, just returned the board for another and that was that. but I am now keeping this board... read my updates below:

EDIT: update - looks like a bad sata cable was to blame for the boot issues.. I had one older SSD which required a connection to a sata port via cable.. I noticed that drive didn't show up in the devices from time to time so I reseated the cables on both ends really well.. that didn't improve things at all. It was still intermittent and booting took a lot longer than I felt it should.. so just removed the drive and now the system boots quickly and reliably.. I had this happen years ago on another system and I should have caught this sooner but oh well. The z690 carbon feels solid now in all respects.

EDIT2: the final update: turns out the ASMedia chip on the MSI z690 carbon and edge and I think on their MEG z690/z790 variant boards have issues. My boot problems were 100% related to this, it was not a bad sata cable, the whole controller is not working right and most people are just disabling it in the BIOS (called "External SATA 6G" - runs the physical ports A and B on my board) because windows 11 was complaining about it literally every other boot without anything even connected to it. Fortunately this was just two additional SATA ports - I just has the misfortune of using one of them for my one non-m.2 drive and it caused a bunch of issues.. AND all of the SATA ports are buried behind my giant ass video card - requiring a complete removal of said video card to access those ports. Anyways.. just wanted to make note in case anyone else runs into this issue. Maybe MSI will fix the ASMedia chip issue with a bios update. who knows. I don't even care about that controller so I am leaving it disabled in the bios from here on out.
 
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I've worked with this board. Absolutely fantastic.
I have to admit the "AI Overclock" feature on the ASUS Z790 boards I've tested is freakishly good after some initial skepticism - with 1 click it is within 1-2% of the manual OC performance tuning that took me weeks of re-learning all the theory and settings from massive guides put out by an ASUS engineer (Sampaio) that posts on OCN. Frequency of ASUS BIOS updates have also been stellar - especially beta BI0S updates released for extreme memory OC's earlier on in Raptor Lake's cycle.

Z790 Aorus Master was my first Z790 board, and I regret buying it for a number of reasons.
 
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Main thing I'd suggest staying away from is the higher end Z790 boards whose primary M.2 slot next to the CPU is wired Gen5, because it cuts the GPU x16 PCIe slot down to x8 as soon primary M.2 is populated, and you net lose 4 electrical PCIe lanes. I'd recommend a board with primary M.2 wired Gen4 to avoid this. Unfortunately you'll have to dive into the PDF manual to sniff this out since it's case by case. In general, the highest end Z690/Z790 boards tend to be M.2 Gen5, and IMO better avoided for this gen.

Examples: ASUS Z790 Hero is M.2 Gen4, ASUS Z790 Extreme is M.2 Gen5.
 
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Main thing I'd suggest staying away from is the higher end Z790 boards whose primary M.2 slot next to the CPU is wired Gen5, because it cuts the GPU x16 PCIe slot down to x8 as soon primary M.2 is populated, and you net lose 4 electrical PCIe lanes. I'd recommend a board with primary M.2 wired Gen4 to avoid this. Unfortunately you'll have to dive into the PDF manual to sniff this out since it's case by case. In general, the highest end Z690/Z790 boards tend to be M.2 Gen5, and IMO better avoided for this gen.

Examples: ASUS Z790 Hero is M.2 Gen4, ASUS Z790 Extreme is M.2 Gen5.
Or don't use that slot and you won't have to worry about it.
 
I have to admit the "AI Overclock" feature on the ASUS Z790 boards I've tested is freakishly good after some initial skepticism - with 1 click it is within 1-2% of the manual OC performance tuning that took me weeks of learning all the theory and settings from massive guides put out by an ASUS engineer (Sampaio) that posts on OCN. And its dynamic so if you change CPU cooler (or weather changes drastically) it adapts, so no need to manually re-tune VF curves. Frequency of ASUS BIOS updates have also been stellar - especially beta BI0S updates released for extreme memory OC's.

Z790 Aorus Master was my first Z790 board, and I regret buying it for a number of reasons.
Why? Mine has been so wonderful.
 
Main thing I'd suggest staying away from is the higher end Z790 boards whose primary M.2 slot next to the CPU is wired Gen5, because it cuts the GPU x16 PCIe slot down to x8 as soon primary M.2 is populated, and you net lose 4 electrical PCIe lanes. I'd recommend a board with primary M.2 wired Gen4 to avoid this. Unfortunately you'll have to dive into the PDF manual to sniff this out since it's case by case. In general, the highest end Z690/Z790 boards tend to be M.2 Gen5, and IMO better avoided for this gen.

Examples: ASUS Z790 Hero is M.2 Gen4, ASUS Z790 Extreme is M.2 Gen5.
You can just use the CPU connected gen 4 slot instead and not even deal with the gen 5 m.2 slot that shares bandwidth. Just avoid that one. I have my main m.2 into the CPU gen 4 slot and the game drive on the chipset connected slot.
 
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