ASRock Phantom Gaming Z790 Nova WiFi DDR5

Review context: The prices and retailer mentions below are the recorded July 2026 snapshot, not a fresh price or stock check. This is specifications-based buying advice, not a hands-on benchmark. Exact-model manufacturer reference.

Memory capacity: ASRock currently specifies up to 256GB across four DDR5 slots. Use compatible modules and the required BIOS; advertised OC speeds depend on the CPU and kit.

Six M.2 Slots Is the Whole Pitch

ASRock’s Z790 Pro RS WiFi has four physical M.2 sockets, while the Z790 Steel Legend WiFi and Taichi Lite each have five. The Nova WiFi doubles down on storage with one Blazing M.2 Gen5x4 slot plus five Hyper M.2 Gen4x4 slots, one of which also supports SATA. That's six NVMe-capable slots on a single ATX board, which is unusual even at this price tier.

For most gaming builds this is overkill, and I'd say so directly rather than talk you into needing it. But if your build plan includes a boot drive, a dedicated game library drive, a working-files drive, and maybe a Plex or local backup drive, all without touching a SATA cable, the Nova is one of the few boards on the market that lets you do that cleanly. ASRock backs this with a toolless multi-layer M.2 heatsink system, so swapping drives doesn't mean fighting with tiny screws under a GPU.

VRM and GPU Support

The Nova uses a 20+1+1 design with 90A SPS stages and a composite heatsink with a fan and heatpipe. These are manufacturer specifications, not a measured guarantee that an i9-14900K will avoid throttling. Sustained performance depends on BIOS power limits, CPU cooling and airflow.

ASRock also reinforces the primary PCIe x16 slot on the Nova, a detail that matters more than it sounds. Heavy GPUs like the RTX 4080/5080-class cards have real weight, and slot reinforcement reduces the risk of PCB flex or connector wear over years of use, especially relevant if your case sits somewhere it gets bumped or moved.

India Pricing

₹32,000–34,500 at EliteHubs, with PrimeABGB carrying similar stock. This puts it close to the MSI MPG Z790 Carbon WiFi in price, and the comparison is a fair one: the Carbon leans into styling and audio, the Nova leans into storage and VRM.

Who Should Buy / Who Should Skip

Buy this if you want maximum M.2 storage on a single board, you're running a 14900K or 13900K and want VRM headroom for sustained overclocks, or you're future-proofing storage without wanting to touch SATA cables.

Skip this if you only need two or three NVMe drives, in which case the Steel Legend WiFi DDR5 gets you similar core performance for roughly ₹5,000 less.

Related Parts and Guides

Compare against: ASRock Z790 Steel Legend WiFi DDR5, ASRock Z790 Taichi Lite WiFi DDR5, MSI MPG Z790 Carbon WiFi. Pair with: Core i9-14900K, Core i9-13900K, Core i7-14700K. See our vendor comparison guide before buying.