The ASRock Z790 Taichi LITE being a premium motherboard comes in a rather huge box. The front is themed in a black and champagne gold color theme. The front side also lists down support for Intel's 13th generation Core processors.
The backside of the package lists the specifications and special features of the motherboard such as the Killer Networking, ESS DAC, Thunderbolt 4 USB 4 Type-C ports, PD3.0 60W fast charging, WiFi 6E, DDR5, and a 24+1+2 phase power design.
Inside the package is another box that contains the accessories and is located right below the box holder for the board itself. It is very easy to access although the accessories are a bit scattered and things could get messy sorting out the various additions.
There are several accessories included in the package such as a Wi-Fi antenna module, four SATA III cables, screws for the M.2 storage devices, and a manual for the board. Following is the full list of accessories in the package:
- - 1 x User Manual
- - 4 x SATA Data Cables
- - 1 x Wireless Dongle USB Bracket
- - 1 x ASRock WiFi 2.4/5/6 GHz Antenna
- - 4 x Screws for M.2 Sockets
With all the accessories done, it's time to put that box aside and open up the top holder that contains the Z790 Taichi LITE motherboard.
Despite being a LITE motherboard, the ASRock Z790 Taichi LITE retains its high-end feel with the high-end VRM solution and a full-ATX design.
The ASRock Z790 Taichi LITE is styled in black and grey. The motherboard comes with the standard ATX form factor so compatibility won't be an issue on a wide range of PCs. Instead of using gears on the heatsink, the motherboard heatsinks and PCB are painted with gears to retain the Taichi look and theme.
While the gears on the PCB look nice, I understand that some users may find them a bit offsetting, and a cleaner PCB look would've been nice too. But it's a matter of preferences. If you want more flashy designs, than the Taichi is available in the standard and Carrara edition, both of which look great but cost a bit extra,
The board uses the LGA 1700 socket to support Intel Core processors. The socket is compatible with Intel's 14th, 13th & 12th Generation core family. The socket has a protective cover on top of it that points out the exclusivity with Raptor Lake 14th/13th Gen & Alder Lake 12th Gen processors, refraining users from running older 11th and 10th generation CPUs as they won't fit in the socket at all and forcing them in the socket is only going to cause permanent damage to your motherboard.
Next to the socket are four DDR5 DIMM slots that can support up to 192 GB of dual-channel memory. These slots are rated to support XMP profiles up to 7200+ MT/s(OC Plus). Each slot is labeled, making it easier to install DIMMs in the proper orientation. DDR5 memory comes with a different latch position so forcing a DDR4 module into a DDR5 slot will cause permanent damage. Each slot is also combined with a reinforced design to make sure signal integrity remains good while keeping the slots durable for long-term usage.
The ASRock Z790 Taichi Carrara packs a 24+1+2 phase power delivery configuration that makes use of the 105A Smark Power Stages.
The motherboard also makes use of an 8-layer PCB with a 2oz copper design. ASRock is using the Renesas RAA229131 controller while those 24 Renesas RAA22010540 SPS MOSFETs provide the CPU with 2520 Amps of power.
Unlike the Taichi, the Taichi LITE doesn't feature a backplate heatsink, and the heatsinks for the VRMs are also toned-down. The Z790 Taichi actually had an active cooling solution embedded within the VRM heatsinks which isn't the case with the Taichi LITE. Some may see it as a plus as active cooling solutions lead to unwanted noise.
The CPU is supplied power through an 8+8 pin power connector configuration. This will feed the CPU with up to 300 Watts of power. The Intel 14th, 13th & 12th Gen Unlocked CPUs are very power-hungry with the maximum turbo power rated at 253W for the Core i9-13900K and more if you are planning to overclock these chips.
Getting a closer look at the VRM heatsinks reveals an aluminum fin design on both heatsinks. Each heatsink has thermal pads located underneath for efficient transfer of heat.
There's a large heat pipe that runs between the two topmost VRM heatsinks and provides good heat dissipation. you can see through the I/O area and the VRM heatsink and there's mostly a hollow part beneath the two. The heatsink has really been slimmed out as a cost-saving measure.
Expansion slots include three PCI Express x16 (1 Gen 5 x16 / 1 Gen 5 x8/ 1 Gen 4 x4), and 5 M.2 slots. Only 1 M.2 slot is rated at Gen 5 speeds and shares lanes with the x16 dGFX while the four remaining M.2 slots feature Gen 4x4 lanes.
- CPU:
- 1 x Blazing M.2 Socket (M2_1, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen5x4 (128 Gb/s) mode*
- 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_2, Key M), supports type 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode**
- Chipset:
- 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_3, Key M), supports type 2260/2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode*
- 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_4, Key M), supports type 2260/2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode*
- 1 x Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_5, Key M), supports type 2260/2280 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) mode*
- 8 x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s Connectors***Supports Intel Volume Management Device (VMD)
Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks* If M2_1 is occupied, PCIE1 will downgrade to x8 mode.
If PCIE2 is occupied, M2_1 will be disabled.
M2_1 and M2_2 cannot be populated simultaneously.
**If PCIE3 is occupied, SATA3_0~3 will be disabled.
ASRock is using a metallic cover on the sides of the expansion slots which provides protection to some extent. It adds more retention and shearing resistance by reinforcing the slots with metal plates. Aside from adding more protection, they do look really sweet.
All four M.2 slots are cooled off by the thermal pad and aluminum baseplate cooling. This will ensure stable operation for M.2 storage devices. The thermal adhesive has a plastic cover over them which needs to be removed before being used with the storage devices.
The topmost M.2 slot will house the primary PCI Gen 5.0 M.2 at the top which offers even more cooling performance through a larger heat sink.
Storage options include eight SATA III ports rated to operate at 6 GB/s. These can support 8 different storage devices at once. There are also dual USB 3.2 (2x Gen 2 / 2x Gen 1) front panel connectors. Many fan headers and jumpers can be found beneath the storage ports.
ASRock is using its Audio system for audio which is a combination of hardware, and software audio solutions. 5.1 CH HD audio with the latest Realtek ALC4082 audio codec, ESS SABRE9218 DAC on its own dedicated PCB layer. The full list of connectors on the motherboard is listed as follows.
- - 1 x SPI TPM Header
- - 1 x Power LED and Speaker Header
- - 1 x RGB LED Header
- - 3 x Addressable LED Headers
- - 1 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin)
- - 1 x CPU/Water Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
- - 6 x Chassis/Water Pump Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
- - 1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector)
- - 2 x 8 pin 12V Power Connectors (Hi-Density Power Connector)
- - 1 x 12V 6-pin Power Connector for Fast Charging (Hi-Density Power Connector)
- - 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector (15μ Gold Audio Connector)
- - 2 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 4 USB 2.0 ports)
- - 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Headers (Support 4 USB 3.2 Gen1 ports)
- - 1 x Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Header (20 Gb/s)
- - 1 x Clear CMOS Button
- - 1 x Dr. Debug with LED
- - 1 x Power Button with LED
- - 1 x Reset Button with LED
ASRock is using Intel's Wi-Fi 6E to power wireless connectivity such as 802.11ax WiFi (2.4G WiFi) and Bluetooth 5.2. In terms of Ethernet, there is a single 2.5GbE Ethernet LAN port which is powered by a Killer E3100G networking switch. Following is the full list of I/O ports on the ASRock Z790 Taichi Carrara motherboard:
- - 2 x Antenna Ports
- - 1 x HDMI Port
- - 1 x Optical SPDIF OutPort
- - 2 x USB4 Thunderbolt 4 Type-C Ports (40 Gb/s for USB4 protocol; 40Gb/s for Thunderbolt protocol)
- - 2 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A Port (10 Gb/s)
- - 6 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports (USB32_12 are Lightning Gaming Ports. USB32_34 support Ultra USB Power.)
- - 2 x USB 2.0 Ports
- - 2 x RJ-45 LAN Ports
- - 1 x Line Out Jack (Gold Audio Jack)
- - 1 x Microphone Input Jack (Gold Audio Jack)
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