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ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi vs ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero: Comparison
What is the difference between ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero?
M.2 slots is where these two genuinely part company, ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi 3 against ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero 5, a 40% lead for ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero. They differ on memory type too, 4x DDR5 DIMM, up to 256GB, dual-channel, DDR5-7600+ ,... on the ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi versus 4x DDR5 DIMM, up to 192GB, up to 7800+... on the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero. There is a split on oldest cpu family supported as well, Ryzen 7000 on the ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi versus Core 12th Gen on the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero.
Who each one is for
The ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi is the one to take for builders who want extra SATA ports for legacy drives and budget AM5 builds that don't need Wi-Fi 7, though it is the wrong buy for anyone who wants the latest B850 or X870 chipset features and builds that want a fourth M.2 slot. Buy the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero for builders who want a high-end LGA1700 board with Thunderbolt 4 and enthusiasts completing a 13th/14th Gen Intel system, though it is not the pick for budget-first LGA1700 builds. It is the wrong buy for new builds better served by the newer Core Ultra Series 2 (LGA1851) platform.
What ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero have in common
Where they agree, they agree completely, memory slots, form factor, cpu overclocking supported, pcie 5.0 support and wi-fi onboard included, so the decision does not turn on any of those. They match on 6 further specifications as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do the ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero differ on socket?
Yes. Socket reads AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series on the ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi versus Intel Core 14th / 13th / 12th Gen, Pentium... on the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero.
Is the Primary Graphics Slot Gen the same on the ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi and ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero?
It is. Both are listed at PCIe 5.0, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.
Specs and benchmarks
Platform
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- AMD
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- Intel
Model Number
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
Socket
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- AMD Ryzen 9000 / 8000 / 7000 series
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- Intel Core 14th / 13th / 12th Gen, Pentium Gold, Celeron
Form Factor
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- ATX
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- ATX
Chipset
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- B650
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- Z790
Newest CPU Family Supported
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Ryzen 9000
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- Core 14th Gen
Memory Type
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 4x DDR5 DIMM, up to 256GB, dual-channel, DDR5-7600+ (OC), XMP/EXPO
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- 4x DDR5 DIMM, up to 192GB, up to 7800+ MT/s (OC)
Oldest CPU Family Supported
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Ryzen 7000
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- Core 12th Gen
CPU Overclocking Supported
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- Yes
Memory Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- 4
Board Width
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 305 mm
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- 243.84 mm
M.2 Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 3-40%
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- 5Best
PCIe 5.0 Support
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- Yes
Wi-Fi Onboard
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Yes
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- Yes
Max Memory Capacity
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 256 GBBest
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- 192 GB
Max Rated Memory Speed
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 7600 MT/s
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- 7800 MT/sBest
M.2 PCIe 4.0 Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- 3
SATA Ports
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- 6
PCIe x16 Slots
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- 3
Primary Graphics Slot Gen
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- PCIe 5.0
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- PCIe 5.0
Rear USB 10Gbps Ports
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- 6
Rear USB 5Gbps Ports
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 4
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- 4
Vcore Power Stages
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 16
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- 20
EPS 12V Configuration
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Two 8-pin
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- Two 8-pin
Max Ethernet Speed
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 2.5 Gbps
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- 2.5 Gbps
Ethernet Port Count
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 1
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- 1
Wi-Fi Standard
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Wi-Fi 6E
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- Wi-Fi 6E
Bluetooth Version
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 5.2
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- 5.3
Audio Codec
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Realtek ALC897, Nahimic, 7.1-channel
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- ROG SupremeFX 7.1 Surround Sound HD Audio CODEC ALC4082
Expansion
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 1x PCIe 5.0 x16, 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 mode); 1x M.2 PCIe 5.0 x4, 2x M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4; 2x SATA III; 1x M.2 Key-E (Wi-Fi)
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- 2x PCIe 5.0 x16 (x16 or x8/x8) + 1x PCIe 4.0 x16 (x4)
Connectivity
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 1x Rear USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A (10Gbps), 1x Rear USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C (10Gbps), 4x Rear USB 3.2 Gen1 (5Gbps), 2x Rear USB 2.0; 1x Front Panel USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C header (20Gbps)
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- Thunderbolt 4 onboard
Networking
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5G LAN, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- Intel 2.5Gb LAN, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Special Features
- ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
- 3x M.2 (1x Gen5, 2x Gen4)
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
- 5x M.2 slots, Hyper M.2 card support
Which one should you pick?
Choose ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi if you want the higher memory slots (4 vs 4).
Choose ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero if you want the higher M.2 slots (5 vs 3).
Price comparison
| Retailer | ASRock B650E Steel Legend WiFi | ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
| Newegg | View on Newegg | View on Newegg |
Disclaimer: The price and specification of the given product may differ from the actual product. Please confirm on the retailer's website before buying.