It’s clear that ASRock is the partner manufacturer of the N7 B550; upon entering the BIOS for the first time, you’re presented with a re-skinned ASRock BIOS. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. ASRock’s AM4 BIOS’ might not include every option under the sun, but it means the N7 B550 is easy to navigate. NZXT’s first motherboards came with a barely functional BIOS, and highlighted the company’s naivety about this segment of PC hardware.
Read more @ PC Gamer
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.
Read more @ KitGuru
We know from previous experiences that NZXT teams up with ASRock to produce its latest boards. The N7 Z590 is no exception as it’s based on features from the Z590 PG Velocita and Steel Legend offerings, though the exact configuration here is unique. Having a large topside shroud means all fan headers and other features are located at either the top or bottom of the six-layer PCB, grouped together sensibly by function. And if the white-on-black scheme doesn’t tickle your fancy, the same board is also available in all-black livery.
Read more @ Hexus
Diving into the N7 B550, this is an AM4 platform solution built on the AMD B550 chipset. CPU compatibility includes 3,4, and 5000 series processors coupled with support for DDR4 memory with speeds of 2133MHz through 3200MHz via JEDEC and 4733+ via XMP. The form factor is 288pin over four slots with a maximum capacity of 128GB.
Expansion slots include two x16 lanes PCI Express slots, one full x16 electrically Gen4, and one that is x4 electrically. Additionally, you will find two x1 lane slots that are Gen3. Storage is deployed over two m.2 slots; form factor supported 2242 through 2280. One slot operates in Gen4 mode with a four-lane connection and the other Gen3 x2 and SATA modes. An additional six SATA ports are available for legacy storage solutions.
Read more @ TweakTown
Opening up the oversized NZXT N7 Z590 box immediately greeted me with the super clean black design. After reviewing both the N7 Z490 and N7 B550, you would think I’d no longer be surprised by the aesthetic, but once again I took a moment to appreciate the metal cover design. It’s also available in white, as usual, making it one of the best options for any all-white or Stormtrooper-style builds.
Read more @ GameRevolution
Currently, NZXT uses the help of ASRock, one of the big four motherboard manufacturers, therefore the NZXT N7 B550 represents a kind of new opening, also with a view to the debut in the AMD sector. A characteristic feature of all NZXT models is a grille covering most of the laminate, usually available in two colors (black or white), although the manufacturer also had special editions, among others referring to the Fallout universe.
Read more @ PurePC (Polish)
The core specification list has largely gone unaltered. There’s still support for 10th and 11th Gen processors, as well as four DDR4 DIMM slots that can hold up to 128GB RAM with speeds of up to 4266MHz. There are two M.2 slots, four SATA ports, two full-size PCIe x16 expansion slots, and a further three PCIe x1 slots.
Just like the N7 Z490, there’s even a pre-installed Wi-Fi M.2 card, which can later be upgraded if you want faster wireless, and it’s now Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6E. Other than that, you can expect to see a few more USB 3.x ports on the rear I/O, as well as a few more layers to the PCB, allowing for more complex circuitry for all the additional functionality.
Read more @ Windows Central
Performance-wise, the N7 Z590 did well overall. Its results traded punches with the other boards in most tests. Like the Steel Legend it’s modeled from, this board follows Intel specifications, and in a couple of tests (Handbrake, Cinebench/POV-Ray single thread), the times/scores were lower than the others. To bypass that, simply adjust the power limits up, as the other boards do from the factory. The N7 board set our DDR4 3600 sticks at 1:1 with the memory controller, and we saw solid results in our memory bandwidth and latency tests.
Read more @ Tom’s Hardware
NZXT has had solid success with these platforms, perhaps more than most give them credit for; starting with Z390, we are now in the 3rd generation of the Intel platform solution, and the Z590 motherboard is a solid entry.
That said, it’s only the second Z590 motherboard we have had in house that doesn’t support Thunderbolt at all. NZXT looks to make that up by outfitting this solution with a host of USB connectivity. They certainly didn’t disappoint in that regard; they also didn’t skimp on networking bringing over the RTL8125BG and AX210 from the N7 B550 from earlier in the year.
Read more @ TweakTown
This new card remains of course in the spirit of “NZXT” with a variation in black or white associated with its armor which conceals a large part of the PCB. Before starting this article, you should keep in mind that this card is designed to be ideally located in a full NZXT configuration . As you will be able to discover during our test, the motherboard has many connectors implanted within the PCB and compatible with the other components offered by the brand. The design is also conceived in the spirit of NZXT and will be a good basis for those who decide to go through the modding box .
Read more @ Overclocking (French)