Best budget Z790
Z790 Steel Legend WiFi
Five M.2, eight SATA, front 20Gbps Type-C and Wi-Fi 6E - the storage-monster budget board for 12th-14th gen holdouts.
Our verdict
The Z790 Steel Legend is the budget board that out-stores the flagships: five M.2 sockets, eight SATA ports, and a front 20Gbps Type-C at a price the premium tier cannot touch. Tom's Hardware titled its review 'Legendary for Budget Builds.' The known compromise is the dated ALC897 audio codec - real, and priced in.
Best for: Storage-heavy 12th-14th gen builds - NAS-adjacent gaming rigs and drive hoarders.
Skip it if: Audio quality off the rear jacks matters to you - the ALC897 is the budget codec.
ASRock Z790 Steel Legend WiFi
Intel Z790 · LGA1700 · ATX · DDR5
$180last verified price - stock has been patchy
Chipset
Z790
Socket
LGA1700
Form factor
ATX
RAM
4x DDR5 to 128GB
Full specifications
| CPU Support | Intel 14th, 13th & 12th Gen Core processors |
|---|---|
| Socket | LGA1700 |
| Chipset | Intel Z790 |
| Power / VRM | 16+1+1 phase design, SPS (Dr.MOS); 6-layer 2oz copper PCB |
| Memory | 4x DIMM DDR5, max 256GB, up to DDR5-7200+ (OC), XMP 3.0 |
| PCIe Slots | 1x PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU), 1x PCIe 4.0 x16 (x4), 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x2) |
| M.2 Storage | 5 total: 1x Blazing Gen5 x4 + 4x Hyper Gen4 x4 |
| SATA | 8x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s (RAID 0/1/5/10) |
| Rear USB | 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, 1x Gen2 Type-A, 8x Gen1 Type-A |
| Front USB Header | 1x USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C header (20 Gb/s) |
| Networking | Dragon RTL8125BG 2.5G LAN; Wi-Fi 6E + Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Audio | Realtek ALC897, 7.1CH with Nahimic Audio |
| Display Outputs | HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4 (DSC), eDP connector |
| Form Factor | ATX, 12.0 x 9.6 in |
Transcribed from the manufacturer's official spec sheet - always confirm details there before buying.
Why buy it
- Five M.2 (one Gen5) plus eight SATA - unmatched storage at this price
- Front-panel 20Gbps Type-C header and an eDP connector
- Capable 16+1+1 SPS power delivery with stable performance
Think twice if
- Dated Realtek ALC897 audio codec - every reviewer flagged it
- Only four M.2 sockets can run concurrently
- No 20/40Gbps ports on the rear panel itself
What reviewers say
Tom's Hardware
4/5 starsTitled 'Legendary for Budget Builds.' Praises five M.2 sockets (one PCIe 5.0), eight SATA ports, front 20Gbps Type-C, eDP port, 2.5GbE + Wi-Fi 6E, and capable power delivery; gaming performance is great. Criticisms: only four M.2 sockets run concurrently, and the ALC897 audio codec 'could be better.'
Full review ↗FunkyKit
7.6/10An affordable board delivering 'everything most gamers will want' with good performance and excellent stability; praises the user-friendly BIOS, M.2 PCIe 5.0 support, and included graphics-card holder. Cons: the older ALC897 codec, max RAM frequency trailing rivals, and no 20/40Gbps USB on the rear panel.
Full review ↗OCinside.de
Purchase Tip Award'Excellent overall package' with strong SPS power supply making it 'a sensible choice for overclockers,' an enormous number of USB ports, 2.5 Gigabit LAN, and integrated RGB lighting at a mid-range price.
Full review ↗Build around it
A full build starting from this board - picks computed from our live catalog, matched to the board's budget class.
CPU
Intel Core i9-14900K
The strongest gaming CPU we track for LGA1700 - score 96/100 at ~$459.
GPU
NVIDIA RTX 5060 Ti
The best score-per-dollar in our GPU data - matches the value play this board is. Score 72/100 at ~$370.
RAM
Kingston FURY Renegade DDR5-6400 CL32 32GB (2x16GB)
DDR5-6400 CL32, 2x16GB - the cheapest kit on the Z790 sweet spot at ~$278. Faster kits are mostly wasted money here.
Case
Phanteks XT PRO
Takes ATX with 435mm of GPU clearance - an airflow pick at ~$60.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CPUs does the Z790 Steel Legend WiFi support?
It uses the Intel Z790 chipset on the LGA1700 socket. That means Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) desktop CPUs. Check any specific pairing with our free bottleneck checker before you buy.
What RAM should I put in the Z790 Steel Legend WiFi?
It takes DDR5 in 4 slots (up to 128GB). The sweet spot on Z790 is DDR5-6400 - faster kits cost more for little real-world gain. Our RAM advisor picks a kit for your exact use.
Will the Z790 Steel Legend WiFi fit my case?
It is an ATX board. Our case finder filters cases by the form factors they actually take.
How much does the Z790 Steel Legend WiFi cost?
The last first-party price we verified was $180. The price on the retailer page is the real one.
Prices are from our latest first-party retailer check and change constantly - always confirm on the product page. Reviewer citations are attributed and linked; we summarize, they tested. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.