ASUS
ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
LGA1700 · Z790
90
/ 100
From $629
VS
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero wins by 3
ASUS
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
AM5 · X870E · PCIe 5.0 · 5 Gb LAN
93
/ 100
From $699
Specdex verdict
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero takes it — here’s why.
In our weighted Specdex score, ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero lands at 90 and ROG Crosshair X870E Hero at 93. That puts ROG Crosshair X870E Hero ahead by 3 points — a narrow margin driven mostly by its strengths in the categories below.
Pick ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero if…
- ✓PCIe 5.0 support
- ✓Current-gen networking
- ✓Modern I/O
Pick ROG Crosshair X870E Hero if…
- ✓Full PCIe 5.0 loadout
- ✓Excellent VRM
- ✓5G + 10G networking options
Score breakdown
ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
90 vrm 90
features 88
bios 86
value 84
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
93 vrm 96
features 96
bios 92
value 80
Specs side-by-side
Spec
ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
Socket
LGA1700
AM5
Chipset
Z790
X870E
VRM phases
—
20+2
RAM slots
—
4× DDR5-8000+
PCIe
—
2× PCIe 5.0 x16
Networking
—
5 GbE + Wi-Fi 7
ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero
Pros
- +PCIe 5.0 support
- +Current-gen networking
- +Modern I/O
Cons
- −Firmware updates on launch
- −DDR5 required
- −Pricing varies week to week
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
Pros
- +Full PCIe 5.0 loadout
- +Excellent VRM
- +5G + 10G networking options
Cons
- −Expensive
- −Only 2 DIMMs for memory overclocking headroom
- −Fan control UX
FAQ: ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero vs ROG Crosshair X870E Hero
Which is better, ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero or ROG Crosshair X870E Hero? +
ROG Crosshair X870E Hero scores 93 on our weighted rubric — ahead by 3. Your best pick depends on the sub-scores above.
Is ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero worth the price? +
At $629, ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero delivers a Specdex score of 90 — strongest in vrm.
Is ROG Crosshair X870E Hero worth the price? +
At $699, ROG Crosshair X870E Hero delivers a Specdex score of 93 — strongest in vrm.
Does ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Hero or ROG Crosshair X870E Hero last longer? +
Based on our long-term update and support ratings, both ship with multi-year support. Battery and reliability scores are visible in the breakdown above.