ASRock Phantom Gaming Z790I Lightning WiFi (Intel 1700)

Das kleine ASRock Phantom Gaming ITX Mainboard hat einiges zu bieten! Auf OCinside.de haben wir heute aus der Phantom Gaming Serie das ASRock Z790I Lightning WiFi Mainboard auf Herz und Nieren geprüft. Trotz seiner kleinen Ausmaße bietet es viele Features und eignet sich gut für kompakte ITX Gaming Rigs. Ob das Mainboard noch durch mehr als seine geringe Größe besticht, zeigen wir hier in unserem Test.

With roughly a week left before everyone learns what the latest Intel® Core Ultra 200S Series Processors (and the Z890 LGA1851 motherboards) are capable of I decided to take a step back and test one of the latest Intel Z790 motherboards to hit the market. Yes, the unfortunate voltage issue of both the 13th and 14th Intel Core generations has been a rather significant problem but since not all batches have been affected by it (for example my i9-13900k test rig has been working fine since May last year) and also since new motherboards (and old due to microcode updates) are basically free of it (not to mention the number of people who own one such CPU) it's certainly worth testing new models. So as the review title clearly states I’m of course talking about the ASRock Phantom Gaming Z790I Lightning WiFi model which also happens to be the very first mini-ITX model I've reviewed in a very long time.

The tiny ASRock Phantom Gaming ITX motherboard has a lot to offer! Today on OCinside.de we put the ASRock Z790I Lightning WiFi motherboard from the Phantom Gaming series through its paces. Despite its small dimensions, it offers many features and is well suited for compact ITX gaming rigs. Whether the motherboard impresses with more than its small size is shown here in our review.

While the board boasts a powerful VRM capable of handling demanding processors like the Core i9-14900K and supports high-speed DDR5 memory, it does make some sacrifices in other areas. Lesser USB ports compared to the Z790 PG-ITX/TB4, the absence of WiFi 7, and PCIe Gen5 SSD support that is present on the newer Z790 chipset revision, which might be considerations for users looking to future-proof their build. The absence of the debug LED is probably the biggest issue for me because I consider that the bare minimum feature, even the most budget Z790 chipset motherboard right now. Despite these limitations, the Z790I Lightning WiFi remains a compelling choice for users, enthusiasts especially, that prioritizes affordability and strong CPU and memory performance in a compact ITX form factor. However, if the faster PCIe Gen5 SSD and WiFi 7, or even more expansion slots is what you need, the larger form factor mATX and ATX motherboard might be a better fit.