Abundant Connectivity: Two Thunderbolt ™ 4 ports, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C ® rear I/O port and front-panel connector, four additional USB 3.2 Gen 2 and Gen 1 ports, PCIe 5.0 x16 SafeSlot, and HDMI ® 2.1

Instant 6GHz: A BIOS setting that lets you run your i9-13900K, i9-13900KF, i7-13700K, or i7-13700KF at 6GHz and beyond. Form factor: The form factor of a motherboard is its size and shape. The most common form factors for desktop computers are ATX, microATX, and mini-ITX. Expansion slots: Expansion slots allow additional hardware components to be installed on the motherboard, such as graphics cards, sound cards, and network cards. Expansion slots are typically located on the bottom or right edge of the motherboard. How about PCIe Gen 5? Does a small motherboard like this mean you’re not fully covered here? Not at all! Being Z790, you’re given a PCIe Gen 5 16x slot—only one due to the space constraints. That’s for your GPU, which will have more than enough headroom for even future releases compared to PCIe Gen 4. Storage support You want an exceptional feature set: The ROG Maximus Z790 HERO has support for 2 PCIe 5.0 x16 slots parallel to a PCIe 5.0 M.2 card slot, a feat that even most high-end motherboards fail to achieve. Don’t Buy It If:The board also shines in the looks department (literally) with tasteful lighting and an industrial aesthetic. It’s definitely an eye-catcher! So overall, a highly recommended motherboard! The ROG Maximus Z790 Hero from ASUS might not be cheap, but it's certainly the best Z790 motherboard to build your Raptor-Lake-based system around. This board has everything you need to forge the ultimate gaming PC, from capable 20-phase, 90A VRMs that can push the new Intel Core i9-13900K to its limits to a full PCIe 5.0 design and DDR5 memory support.

Design and Build Quality:At first glance, I found the design of the ROG Maximus Z790 HERO to be extremely impressive and in line with the traditional ASUS design ethos. I like the implementation of the RGB lighting on this board. The build quality is also quite admirable, thanks to the crafting materials used in the construction of the PCB.High-Performance Networking: On-board Intel Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) and Intel 2.5 Gb Ethernet with ASUS LANGuard Nonetheless, DDR5 has some benefits, such as lower power consumption (1.1V compared to DDR4’s 1.2V) and on-die ECC support, which was traditionally seen in server-grade DDR4 RAM. DDR5 also allows for higher density per module, with a theoretical maximum support of 256 GB (compared to DDR4’s 64 GB). This could lead to consumer-grade CPUs supporting up to 256 GB (or potentially even more) of DDR5 RAM in the future. Prizes are without warranty and subject to availability. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice. The specifics of the prize shall be solely determined by the Sponsor. Each individual can only be selected as a winner for once. You want PCIe 5.0 x4 support: Although PCIe 5.0 x16 modes and a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot come alongside the motherboard, I think PCIe 5.0 M.2 x4 support would have been appreciated instead of PCIe 4.0 x4. What Makes It The Best High-End Z790 Motherboard?