NZXT N7 Z590 Review

1. Introducing the NZXT N7 Z5902. Digging deeper with NZXT N7 Z5903. CPU Testing and Performance4. Intel Adaptive Boost, AVX and VRMs5. Gaming Testing and Performance6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

The approach taken by NZXT with their various motherboards, including this N7 Z590, goes against the grain for tech enthusiasts. Clearly it is legitimate to take a product such as a motherboard and to enhance it with cosmetic fripperies for which you charge a premium. While we are not particularly interested in this approach we can see it might appeal to the more casual gamer who wants a smart PC and isn't especially bothered by the extra cost.

On the face of it this sounds like a reasonable approach but things are not entirely straightforward. For example, the NZXT N7 Z590 supports a full range of RGB headers, however the motherboard itself does not include any integrated RGB. That is a minor matter but the alarm bells start to ring when the aesthetics have been prioritised over performance and good engineering practice. This is particularly true of the plastic covers over the two M.2 slots that act as insulators, rather than heat sinks.

It is clear the NZXT N7 Z590 is built on sound fundamentals. It has a decent VRM set-up that is never troubled by the relatively low power requirements and has sufficient PCIe and M.2 slots. Furthermore you get a decent set of headers and connectors and we were particularly happy to see the inclusion of Wi-Fi 6E.

Our problems with the N7 Z590 centre on the combination of Intel Adaptive Boost and AVX workloads which clearly only applies if you use a Core i9-11900K CPU. If you choose a lesser Core i7 or Core i5 the IAB feature is unavailable and ceases to be a problem, but that still leaves the question mark over hot M.2 SSDs and the general concern over product support and BIOS updates.

Having said all that, you may feel you like the styling and the price is worth paying. We disagree but have to admit we can understand your point of view.

You can buy the NZXT N7 Z590 for £239.99 HERE.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

Pros:

• Smart styling.
• WiFi 6E.
• Seven fan headers.
• Micro Buttons for Power and Reset.

Cons:

• AVX Offset and Intel Adaptive Boost are problematic.
• M.2 covers act as insulators for SSDs.
• You pay a stiff premium over the base ASRock motherboard.
• The TPM header is hidden away.

KitGuru says: NZXT N7 Z590 requires some work.

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