INTRODUCTION

   The PC market is always very interesting and i dare say even more so nowadays. So, on one hand you have AMD and Intel release new CPUs and motherboards (chipsets) almost every single year (something which obviously doesn't sit very well with the majority of the consumer market) but on the other unlike in the past there's a plethora of models for people to choose from. Especially when it comes to motherboard models unlike in the past when all the top-end chipsets were just available with high-end models today you can find the current top-end chipsets even in mid-end ones. Take for example the Z790 chipset by Intel, it's not only available in models that cost all the way up to USD1000/1000Euros (and more) but it's also available in models that cost less than USD200/200Euros. Yes, there are bound to be differences in build quality, features and even support (BIOS update intervals) but the chipset remains the same and that's what really matters to some people. The Z790A-Silver by BIOSTAR is an affordable choice and today I’m testing it to see just how well (or not) it performs.

   BIOSTAR, is a professional brand dedicated to the production of motherboards, gaming motherboards, SSD, graphics cards, industrial computing systems, IoT, crypto mining equipment, healthcare solutions and motor start battery. Since its establishment in 1986, BIOSTAR has become a major motherboard supplier in the IT industry. In order to pursue the best quality and aesthetic design, BIOSTAR has invested heavily in ID design, equipment, global marketing research as well as R&D. With a constant emphasis on quality, BIOSTAR always seeks to improve beyond better and race to the future.

   Even though the Z790A-Silver motherboard by BIOSTAR is an affordable model it still features an 17-phase (16+1 90A) digital VRM, is compatible with Intel's 12/13th generation LGA1700 CPUs (once again the Intel Core i9-13900k will be used for this review) and fully supports DDR5 RAM (up to 128GB clocked at 7200MHz and above) and PCIe 5.0 (single EMI shielded and reinforced x16/8 full length slot). It's also equipped with three PCIe 4.0 Gen4 M.2 sockets, M.2 2230 socket for WiFi/Bluetooth module (not included), moisture proof PCB, single PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots, six native Intel SATA 6Gb/s ports (support RAID 0/1/5/10), debug LED, super durable solid caps and inductors, BIOS update button and port, Realtek RTL8125B 2.5GbE Ethernet port (0/100/1000/2500 Mb/s) and the Realtek ALC1220 7.1 onboard sound card. As for available connectivity the BIOSTAR Z790A-Silver comes ready with a single DP v1.2 port, single HDMI v2.1 port, 5 USB 3.2 Gen2 ports, 2 USB 3.2 Gen1 ports (via internal header), single USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port (1 available via internal header), 2.5GbE RJ45 port, 2 USB 2.0 ports (4 available via internal headers) and the Realtek ALC1220 High Definition Audio onboard audio ports. For a mid-end affordable model, it sure looks nice so let's see how it really does.