The ROG Maximus Z790 HERO BTF—a new premium, Socket LGA 1700 Intel motherboard that falls under ASUS’s advanced Back to Future (BTF) lineup for enabling hidden-connector builds—will cost 799€ when it’s released, according to a new listing for the product that has been spotted on ldlc.com, a French electronics retailer. ASUS unveiled its full lineup of new BTF motherboards and graphics cards back in January, including not only two BTF motherboards, but also two NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Series BTF GPUs.
The pricing from LDLC:
Current exchange rates:
- 799 EUR
- 868 USD
Key specifications:
| ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO BTF | |
|---|---|
| Size | ATX |
| Memory | 4 x DIMM, Max. 192GB, DDR5 |
| PCIe | 2 x PCIe 5.0 x16 (@x16 or @x8/x8) 1 x PCIe 4.0 x4 |
| Storage | 1 x M.2 22110 (PCIe 5.0 x4) 4 x M.2 2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4) |
| Networking | Intel Wi-Fi 7 1 x Intel 2.5Gb Ethernet |
| Rear I/O | 2 x Thunderbolt 4 ports (2 x USB Type-C) 6 x USB 10Gbps ports (5 x Type-A + 1 x USB Type-C) 4 x USB 5Gbps ports (4 x Type-A) |
| Front I/O | 1 x USB 20Gbps connector (supports USB Type-C) 2 x USB 5Gbps headers (support 4 USB 5Gbps ports) 2 x USB 2.0 headers (support 4 USB 2.0 ports) |
| Aura | 3 x Addressable Gen 2 headers 1 x AURA RGB header |
| Cooling | 1 x 4-pin CPU Fan header 1 x 4-pin CPU OPT Fan header 1 x 4-pin AIO Pump header 4 x 4-pin Chassis Fan headers 1 x W_PUMP+ header |
| Power | 1 x Graphics card high-power slot (delivers up to 600 watts) 1 x 24-pin main power connector 2 x 8-pin +12V power connector 1 x 12V-2X6 Auxiliary power connector |
Other BTF products from ASUS include:
- TUF Gaming Z790-BTF WiFi
- ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 BTF Edition
- TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER BTF White Edition
ASUS on its premium BTF motherboard:
Like the Dark Hero, it bears shadowy tones, armored panels and hulking VRM heatsinks. Polymo lighting on the I/O shroud sets it all off with the perfect accent. This microstructural array of light and color features two layers of RGB lighting that work in tandem to display a luminous ROG design.
Despite the similarities among these boards, they end up looking strikingly different with the connectors and headers tucked out of sight. The armored elements of the ROG Maximus Z790 Hero BTF now extend all the way to the bottom of corners of the build. The edges are cleaner and more distinct. The Q-Code and Q-LED diagnostic features to reflect system status are a bit easier to take advantage of in their less-busy surroundings. For any builder who leans toward a less-is-more aesthetic, the ROG Maximus Z790 Hero BTF is a major step forward.
As one of the latest ROG Z790 motherboards, the ROG Maximus Z790 Hero BTF boasts a cutting-edge feature set. A PCIe 5.0 x16 slot stands ready for the best graphics of today and tomorrow, and in line with it is a graphics card high-power slot that allows users to install a BTF graphics card. Dual Thunderbolt™ 4 connectors at the rear panel stand ready to support next-generation peripherals at full speed, and ROG SupremeFX 7.1 audio paired with an ESS ES9218 Quad DAC for front-panel connections provides crisp, clear gaming audio no matter what headset or speakers users plug into their PC. A USB 20Gbps connector gives users a connection to a high-bandwidth USB Type-C port on the front panel.
With voltage regulator modules featuring 20+1+2 power stages, each rated to handle up to 90 amps, the ROG Maximus Z790 Hero BTF is ready for a top-shelf Intel processor. Each power stage is rated for up to 90 amps of output, and each provides the cleanest possible power delivery to the processor, even under the highest loads.
The ROG Maximus Z790 Hero BTF’s ample M.2 support gives users high-end options for building out a speedy and spacious storage system. The onboard PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot lets users install one of the fastest drives on the market, and four additional PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots let users supplement their storage even further with additional drives.
The ROG Maximus Z790 Hero BTF gives users high-end networking options. WiFi 7 support will let them access the latest generation of wireless networking when they pair this motherboard with a WiFi 7 router. For those who prefer wired connections, a high-bandwidth 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port awaits.
Finally, the ROG Maximus Z790 Hero BTF offers one of the latest ASUS DIY-friendly innovations: the PCIe Slot Q-Release Slim. With this mechanism, users will not need to release a tricky latch or even press a button to release their graphics card from the slot. Simply tilt the card toward the latching mechanism to automatically unlock it from the PCIe slot. This makes upgrades and maintenance easier than ever before.