With the Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE 802.11be) train set to roll into the mainstream later this year, ASRock looks to be getting ahead of the curve with two new Z790 motherboards featuring the latest Wi-Fi 7 CNVI's. The more premium of the pairing, the ASRock Phantom Gaming Z790 Nova WiFi7 combines Wi-Fi 7 connectivity with several notable features, including a large power delivery, one PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 slot, as well as 5 GbE and support for up to two USB 3.2 G2x2 ports. The ASRock Phantom Gaming Z790 Riptide WiFi7 has a more modest feature set but plenty of premium connectivity, including 5 GbE and Wi-Fi 7, with eight SATA ports and space for up to five M.2 drives.

As more and more companies in the networking space announce their Wi-Fi 7 offerings, such as the Netgear Nighthawk RS700 Wi-Fi 7 router, unveiled back in March, it wouldn't take motherboard vendors long to follow suit. ASRock is seemingly one of the first, if not the first, to introduce not one but two motherboards based on Intel's Z790 chipset designed for the 13th Gen Core series family with Wi-Fi 7 connectivity.

Although ASRock hasn't provided a detailed list of specifications, they are showcasing both motherboards at their Computex 2023 booth. The ASRock Phantom Gaming Z790 Nova WiFi7 is the more premium of the two, with an advertised 20+1+1 power delivery, with one PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 slot, as well as support for up to five additional PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots. On the rear are seven USB ports, including one rear panel USB 3.2 G2x2 Type-C port, with a front panel header providing a second. As well as an unspecified Wi-Fi 7 CNVi, the Z790 Nova WiFi7 includes a single 5 GbE controller.

ASRock Phantom Gaming Z790 Nova WiFi7 motherboard (Image Credit: Toms Hardware)

Moving onto the second of ASRock's Wi-Fi 7-supported motherboards, the ASRock Phantom Gaming Z790 Riptide has a more modestly advertised 16+1+1 power delivery, but that's still more than enough for any users planning to overclock their unlocked Intel 13th Gen Core series processors. As with the Z790 Nova WiFi7, the Z790 Riptide WiFi7 has a single PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 slot, with support for a further four PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 SSDs and also has eight SATA ports. ASRock is advertising ten USB ports on the rear panel, with seven additional ports made available via front panel headers, including one USB 3.2 G2x2 port. Networking support comprises an unspecified Realtek 5 GbE controller and a Wi-Fi 7 CNVi.

According to our colleagues at Toms Hardware, ASRock states that both the Phantom Gaming Z790 Nova and Riptide WiFi7 motherboards will launch in August. At the moment, there's no indication of pricing.