Review of ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z790 APEX - The Snow Queen

In our review we will look at the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z790 APEX motherboard. We will examine the main characteristics and capabilities of this motherboard, and also test performance in several popular games.

This subsection of our review highlights the main aspects of the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z790 APEX, such as appearance and hardware configuration.

ASUS ROG (Republic of Gamers) is a brand created by ASUS in 2006, dedicated to the production of premium gaming equipment. The APEX series was introduced by the brand as part of its ongoing commitment to innovation and improving the gaming experience of users. It should be noted that ASUS ROG APEX usually refers to a line of motherboards, although the name can also be used for other ASUS products.

ASUS first introduced the APEX series in 2017 with the release of the ROG Maximus IX APEX. This motherboard was specially designed for enthusiasts and gamers who wanted maximum performance and system customization.

Subsequent models, such as the Maximus APEX, continued to improve performance and reliability while remaining at the forefront of technological advancement. They continued to offer unique overclocking and tuning capabilities that remain some of the most advanced in the industry.

The box is made in the style of ASUS ROG, which further emphasizes its affiliation with this brand. It is made in black and red tones and is decorated with graphic elements displaying ROG symbols:

ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Apex is a motherboard specially designed for high-end gaming enthusiasts. Its unique configuration makes it an ideal overclocking tool. Thanks to the powerful power supply and excellent cooling, the board is capable of overclocking the latest 13th generation Intel Core processors to 6 GHz and above. In addition, the optimized layout of DDR5 slots allows for much better timings and RAM frequencies than on standard boards with four DIMM slots.

 The motherboard comes with an M.2 PCIe 5.0 expansion card, offering an M.2 slot running in PCIe 5.0 mode. A massive radiator is responsible for its cooling. The ROG DIMM.2 module allows you to easily install two M.2 drives next to the memory slots, where its large heatsinks feed directly into the airflow of case fans.

 ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Apex is equipped with two eight-pin connectors for powering the processor. This is an unusual feature that can only be found in the most powerful and high-performance motherboards. Dual processor power connections ensure power stability, which is especially important during high loads and system overclocking.

 ROG series motherboards have always been distinguished by their advanced capabilities for working with high-speed memory, and DDR5 is no exception. Thanks to optimized routing that connects the memory slots on the ROG Maximus Z790 Apex board, the best memory kits can operate at speeds in excess of 8 GT/s. Advanced users can work with a wide range of settings in UEFI.

 Both PCIe 5.0 x16 expansion slots deliver an incredible 64GB/s of bandwidth to compatible devices. They are reinforced with metal SafeSlot mounts to support the weight of massive graphics cards. A Q-Release button is provided for easy removal of the graphics card.

 The ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Apex motherboard provides rich connectivity and power options. It is equipped with six SATA ports, which allows you to connect up to six different drives. Both traditional hard drives and more modern and faster SATA SSD drives are supported.

In addition, the board is equipped with an additional six-pin power connector. This is a very important feature because it provides additional power to the system, which is especially useful when overclocking and using high-end components.

The rear panel of the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Apex motherboard has standard PS/2 ports for connecting a mouse and keyboard. Although modern computers increasingly use USB ports for these purposes, PS/2 ports continue to be an important feature, especially for enthusiasts and professional gamers.

Two M.2 PCIe 4.0 slots are equipped with heatsinks designed to cool high-performance drives. This ensures efficient heat management even during intensive work.

Overclocking: UEFI BIOS offers advanced overclocking capabilities for the processor, RAM and graphics card. This includes changing multipliers, bus voltages and frequencies, as well as memory overclocking options.

System Health Monitoring: UEFI BIOS allows you to monitor temperatures, fan speeds and system voltages in real time. Options are also provided to configure fan curves and temperature limits.

Boot settings: UEFI BIOS offers flexible boot settings, including boot device selection and boot priority. Save and Load Profiles: UEFI BIOS allows you to save and load profiles with BIOS settings to quickly switch between different configurations. Secure Boot Support: UEFI BIOS supports Secure Boot, which provides protection against malware at the operating system boot level.

Firmware Upgrade: UEFI BIOS supports the ability to upgrade firmware using a flash drive or over the Internet. This allows you to update the BIOS to fix bugs, improve stability and compatibility with new components.

Integration with utilities and programs for system configuration: UEFI BIOS on ASUS ROG CROSSHAIR X670E HERO integrates with utilities and programs such as ASUS AI Suite and ASUS Armoury Crate, allowing you to optimize and configure the system directly from the operating system.

Support for various motherboard functions: UEFI BIOS supports functions specific to a given motherboard model, such as customizing RGB lighting, USB connectors and other interfaces, as well as the ability to enable or disable individual controllers and devices.

Modern processor overclocking is an art that requires deep knowledge and experience, because modern processors are already sold at the highest possible frequencies. However, some users may try to increase the processor frequency in search of even greater performance, but improper overclocking can harm the hardware and degrade system performance.

Thanks to the powerful overclocking capabilities of the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Apex motherboard, we were able to overclock our Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5 7200 RAM to 7800 MHz without any problems.

The initial XMP profile at 7200 MHz was installed without problems. Then, increasing the frequency to 7800 MHz, we again did not encounter any problems - the system turned on without any problems and worked stably.

This result confirms the excellent overclocking capabilities of the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Apex motherboard. Users do not have to spend extra time on additional settings - everything works right out of the box, they just need to select the desired frequency in the BIOS.

5200 MHz

 5600 MHz

 6000 MHz

 7200 MHz

 7800 MHz

To illustrate in more detail the system performance at various RAM frequencies, we conducted testing using the AIDA64 utility. In this test we used different RAM frequencies: DDR5 5200, DDR5 5600, DDR5 6000, DDR5 7200 and DDR5 7800 MHz.

From the test results, it became clear that the best results were achieved using DDR5 7800 RAM. Data transfer speeds at this frequency reached almost 120 gigabits per second - a truly impressive result, confirming the high performance of our system.

These results confirm that using high-frequency RAM in combination with a powerful motherboard capable of supporting such high frequencies can significantly improve system performance. And this is especially important for those who do professional work or play resource-intensive games.

Thus, not only the appearance, but also the performance of our snow-white assembly is at the highest level.

Testing took place at maximum quality settings and with ray tracing.

 Analyzing testing in the game Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered at different RAM frequencies, we see similar trends in performance increases. The minimum FPS has increased from 102 FPS using DDR5 5200 MHz to 116 FPS using DDR5 7800 MHz, which represents an increase of approximately 14%. Average FPS also improved, rising from 110 FPS to 126 FPS, which represents a 15% improvement.

Testing took place at maximum quality settings and with ray tracing.

 In Game Cyberpunk 2077 Similar results are observed, confirming the correlation between RAM frequency and gaming performance. The minimum FPS has increased from 93 FPS on DDR5 5200 MHz to 123 FPS on DDR5 7800 MHz, which represents an improvement of more than 30%. The average FPS also increased, reaching 146 FPS on DDR5 7800 MHz versus 121 FPS on DDR5 5200 MHz, an increase of more than 20%.

Testing took place at maximum quality settings with RT without frame generation.

 In Game Hogwarts Legacy We also see a direct relationship between RAM frequency and gaming performance. The minimum FPS increases from 72 FPS at 5200 MHz to 83 FPS at 7800 MHz, which represents a 15% increase. Average FPS also shows an improvement, from 81 FPS on DDR5 5200 MHz to 95 FPS on DDR5 7800 MHz, which shows a 17% improvement.

Testing took place at maximum quality settings with RT without frame generation.

 Testing of The Lord of The Rings: Gollum also shows improved performance as the RAM frequency increases. The minimum FPS increased from 107 at DDR5 5200 MHz to 117 at DDR5 7800 MHz, which is an improvement of approximately 9%. The average FPS also increased, from 131 at DDR5 5200 MHz to 144 at DDR5 7800 MHz, an increase of more than 10%.

Testing took place at maximum quality settings.

 In Game The Last of Us Part I v.1.1.0.0 we see a similar picture: increasing the frequency of RAM leads to increased performance. The minimum FPS increased from 136 at DDR5 5200 MHz to 158 at DDR5 7800 MHz, showing an improvement of more than 16%. The average number of FPS also showed an increase, from 149 FPS on DDR5 5200 MHz to 172 FPS on DDR5 7800 MHz, which corresponds to an improvement of 15%.

The ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z790 APEX is an outstanding motherboard that leaves an impressive impression both in terms of aesthetics and functionality. Its white color, enhanced by RGB lighting, not only makes it attractive, but also emphasizes its high-tech character.

In terms of functionality, the ROG MAXIMUS Z790 APEX truly outperforms most of its competitors. Impressive customization and a number of unique features, such as the ability to easily implement M.2 drives using the ROG DIMM.2 module, make this board ideal for those looking for maximum features and flexibility.

When it comes to overclocking, the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z790 APEX is one of the best overclocking boards in the market. It offers amazing stability and a wide range of customization, making it the ideal platform for those looking to achieve peak performance. Proof of this is our experience with overclocking DDR5 memory to 7800 MHz, which went absolutely smoothly.

In terms of gaming performance, the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z790 APEX also outperforms many of its competitors. Our testing showed that when overclocking RAM to 7800 MHz, gaming performance noticeably improves, which confirms ASUS's excellent work in the area of ​​memory optimization.

In conclusion, the ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z790 APEX is one of the most outstanding motherboards available in the market today and it offers an incredible combination of aesthetic appeal, variety of features and overclocking capabilities, and excellent gaming performance.