Board Design, CPU, and Memory
The Biostar Z790 Valkyrie features a black printed circuit board with 8 layers and black heatsinks covering all critical parts. The cooling heatsinks have a polished aluminum finish with decorative lines in red and gold. There are RGB areas under the VRM heatsinks and chipset that illuminate the name Valkyrie and its logo, controlled by the Vivid LED DJ unit in Biostar’s Aurora software suite. The board fits most build styles, although I think there are other boards in this price range that look more distinctive.
Internal Design and Internal Connectors
Our tour of the board begins at the upper left, where we find two 8-pin dual EPS connectors to power the CPU. As with most boards, just one is sufficient, but you’ll need both if you plan to overclock or run sustained heavy loads with high-powered processors. Large cooling heatsinks connected by heat pipes extend over the rear I/O parts, while there is a reflective surface at the top of the board with RGB LED lights illuminating the Valkyrie logo.
Audio, Expansion, Storage, and Rear I/O
The audio part is located under a cover on the lower left side. Four capacitors are visible for the older Realtek ALC1220 audio chip. This is not the latest and greatest 7.1 channel audio solution, but most people find it satisfactory for various uses, including gaming.
The middle section of the board contains five M.2 sockets and three PCI Express slots. Starting with the slots, all three PCIe slots support full length and are reinforced to prevent sagging due to heavy graphics cards. The two upper slots connect through the CPU and support PCIe 5.0 – the upper slot reaches PCIe 5.0 x16 and the middle slot reaches PCIe 5.0 x8. The upper slot drops to x8 if the middle slot is used. The lower slot connects through the chipset and reaches PCIe 4.0 x4 speeds; designed for peripherals.
Between and around the three PCIe slots, there are five M.2 sockets for storage, each under a thermal heatsink. The upper socket, M2M_CPU1, is a PCIe 5.0 x4 (128 Gb/s) slot and can hold drives up to 80 mm in length. M2M_CPU2 also connects through the CPU but operates at PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gb/s) speeds and supports devices up to 110 mm. M2M_SB2 and SB3 connect through the chipset at speeds up to PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gb/s).
The fifth socket, M2M_SB4, operates at PCIe 3.0 x4 (32 Gb/s) and supports M.2 drives based on SATA. It should be noted here that although the PCIe 5.0 capable socket has a thermal heatsink, we would like to see something more robust for those drives that operate at high temperatures to prevent potential thermal throttling.
Technically, there is a sixth M.2 socket – a Key-E slot designed for CNVi Wi-Fi modules. In other words, if you need Wi-Fi, this is where to install it, as the board does not come with built-in wireless. On the right edge, there are eight horizontally oriented SATA ports, complementing the abundant storage options. There is also a BIOS switch here that allows you to store and swap between two BIOS versions, so you have a backup in case one fails or malfunctions.
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The length of the bottom edge of the board features several connectors, including additional USB 2.0 ports, fan connectors, front panel audio, COM port, two-character LED indicator, Thunderbolt connector, four-pin main headphone connector, and finally, the front panel connector – in other words, what is customary.
For the pre-installed rear panel, the smart BIOS update button on the left allows you to update the BIOS without a CPU (a crucial step if you plan to use 14th generation processors). There are a total of eight USB ports, six of which are Type A and two are Type C. The latter includes a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20 Gbps) ultra-fast port and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) port that also supports DisplayPort. All six USB-A ports are USB 3.2 Gen 2, so while other motherboards offer more ports (I use more than six Type-A ports at the back), those here are fast.
If you are using the integrated graphics of some processors, there is a DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.1 port available. On the right, there is a five-jack audio array along with a 2.5 Gbps Intel Ethernet port, and antenna connections if you add your Wi-Fi. Nothing is missing or unusual here, but make sure the number of USB ports is sufficient for your needs, and don’t let the Wi-Fi antenna connectors deceive you into thinking there’s built-in Wi-Fi radio.
A Quick Look at UEFI BIOS and Tools
Biostar’s BIOS features a unique setup compared to others: while the usual main headings are at the top, detailed system information showing CPU and memory speeds, temperature, and system date is located on the left side. Valkyrie uses white or light gray text on a dark gray and black background, making it easy to read. Like other motherboard partners, Biostar offers both an EZ mode and an advanced mode that makes all options available.
The BIOS starts in EZ mode, which is informative and functional. You get system information such as boot priority, CPU, memory, and storage information, along with some simple switches to enable backlighting, RAID, and more. Overall, it is as useful as it is functional compared to its competitors.
The advanced section of the BIOS has headers at the top (main, advanced, chipset, boot, security, Tweaker) in the typical UEFI style. You cannot overclock the CPU here, but you will find plenty of options to adjust memory speed and timings.
In the advanced section, there are several subheadings where you can adjust CPU, chipset, SATA, USB, audio, and network functions.
In the Tweaker section, you will find all the options for overclocking memory and adjusting the CPU. The Z790 chipset has many options for overclocking the processor, including multiplier and BCLK, memory speed and timings, and voltage. Everything is there.
Biostar’s BIOS is not our favorite; compared to more well-known motherboard partners, it needs a serious update to match their look. However, it is easy to read and navigate and has all the options for the platform, so the functionality is present, if not as polished as its competitors.
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The software side provides Biostar’s Valkyrie Aurora application. This is a comprehensive program that controls many functions including audio (Smart Ear), RGB lights (Vivid LED DJ), and fan control (AI Fan). It even has a hardware monitor to check critical temperatures and voltages.
The system information tab covers high-level system data including clock speed, motherboard, memory, and processor information. If you need details about your PC configuration, this is where you should find it. (by Biostar)
Next is the GT Touch section. Here you can select one of three different performance presets: normal, economical, and sport. This is done by adjusting the default behavior of the CPU.
The Vivid LED DJ unit controls any integrated RGB lights (none in this case) and any lights connected to the three onboard connectors. There are eight presets to choose from (Shine, Breathe, Starry Night, Colorful Permanent / Shine / Breathe, and Shine and Music). You can also adjust the color and choose synchronization with other RGB devices connected to the connectors, although I don’t see options based on frequency.
The AI Fan section, as the name suggests, controls your fan. Here, you will also find two preset control modes (quiet and aggressive, manual and full) and the ability to create your own curves.
Finally, the hardware monitor section does what is expected, displaying high-level system information including CPU and system temperatures and VRM. It also shows core voltages and fan speeds and even tracks power supply current. (Strangely, our power supply wasn’t registered.) (by Biostar)
Overall, we like the Aurora software. It’s a lightweight installation, but it might be a little too simple compared to others, but it covers what you need from within the Windows operating system.
Conclusion: A Motherboard that Lacks a Bit
The Biostar Z790 Valkyrie is a puzzle. Priced at around $450, you get many high-quality features including five M.2 sockets, strong power delivery, a leading-edge audio chip from the previous generation, an unexciting yet premium appearance, and solid gaming and productivity performance. The problem is you can get a better-looking motherboard with integrated Wi-Fi for the same amount, in some cases with 40Gbps ports. Furthermore, Biostar boards are generally affordable only in Europe and Asia, with less stable distribution in the United States.
The competition is fierce in the high-end Intel motherboard market these days, including the Gigabyte Aorus Master X and Asus ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming Wi-Fi II and ASRock Z790 Taichi with 40Gbps Thunderbolt ports priced slightly higher than the Valkyrie and MSI MPG Z790 Carbon Wi-Fi at a lower price. All of these boards look like a $500 motherboard and offer the same or better hardware. If you are trying to compete in the upper mid-range or high-end category, you will need to deliver in terms of hardware and aesthetics, and Biostar doesn’t do that yet. The Z790 Valkyrie is by no means a bad motherboard, but it would be much more attractive at a price of $400 or less.
Source: https://me.pcmag.com/en/motherboards/21272/biostar-z790-valkyrie
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