EVGA Z790 Dark Kingpin Edition Motherboard Review

The I/O panel is rather self-explanatory and quite sparse for any motherboard.  Starting at the left you will find two buttons for CMOS Reset and BIOS Update.  Next to that you will find the combo PS/2 port and two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports.  Dual WiFi followed by Dual Intel Ethernet consisting of a i225V 2.5GbE sitting atop four USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, you’ll find another USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C.  Onboard video support is absent on the Z790 Dark but you will get a full analog 8-channel audio offering with digital connections over optical.

The I/O cover is integrated with the I/O connections giving the Z790 Dark a fully polished feel and, unless you decide to take the motherboard apart you won’t accidently forget to install it before installing the motherboard. 

Onboard Audio

The audio solution found on the Z790 Dark is a new design based on the Realtek ALC1220 system supporting 7.1 channel audio.  It would seem this version of the Dark does not feature the same audio setup as previous editions and has ditched the headphone amplifier and specialized audio capacitors.

One of the benefits to buying high-end computer hardware is that you often get some pretty amazing goodies.  Some of these are required while others are nice to have.  The EVGA Z790 Dark comes with a number of accessories including what you see below.

Some of the highlighted items include a standalone WiFi antenna, Probe-lt test leads, four SATA cables and some replacement thermal pads for your M.2 drives.  Drivers can be found on an included EVGA branded flash drive along with a digital copy of the user’s manual. 

One of the coolest features of the EVGA Dark series of motherboards is the PCB bench table.  This wafer doubles as a visual aid for all of the components on the motherboard with the added benefit of holding your motherboard during a benchmark session.  Your expansion cards will be flopping in the wind but your board will be lifted while you overclock like a Kingpin.

EVGA has included longer standoffs to convert the blank PCB into a table.  It goes without saying that some assembly is required and, in my opinion, you shouldn’t bother using it.