Intel Core i5-14600K on the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero
The Intel Core i5-14600K holds its clocks on the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero: the board's 20 Vcore stages carry about 1913 W and the processor asks for 180 W in a sustained all-core load, which is 9 % of capacity and an estimated 44 °C at the VRM.
By Farrukh Sufyan Sarwar · Published 4 November 2026 · Model v1.0 · Build 2026-11-04
- Estimated VRM temperature
- 44 °C
- 38 °C case air plus 6 °C of rise
- Stress ratio
- 0.09
- 180 W of 1913 W capacity
- Capacity score
- 95/100
- 100 minus the stress ratio times 60
- Expected clock loss
- 0 %
- Sustained all-core clocks, not gaming frame rate
- Board capacity
- 1913 W
- 20 × 90 A, teamed
- Processor draw
- 180 W
- 181 W at peak boost
What happens when you build this
This pairing is not close to any limit. 180 W against 1913 W of capacity leaves the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero running its stages at 9 % load, and our model puts the VRM at 44 °C in a closed case. Nothing about the Intel Core i5-14600K pushes this board into the region where clocks start dropping.
The ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero carries 20 Vcore power stages rated 90 A each, teamed in pairs off a shared controller channel, with large finned blocks with real thermal mass. That works out to about 1913 W of sustained core power once the design and the cooling are accounted for, which is the number the Intel Core i5-14600K's 180 W is measured against.
Buy it on the rest of the specification rather than on power delivery, because at 9 % of capacity the VRM has stopped being the interesting variable. Count the M.2 slots you need, check the rear ports against what you actually plug in, and let the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero's 20 stages get on with it.
The measurement
The gauge shows the estimated VRM temperature under a sustained all-core load, with a thinner copper needle for the brief peak the processor reaches at full boost. The schematic beside it shows the same thing as current per power stage.
Estimated VRM temperature
Intel Core i5-14600K on ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero: estimated 44 °C sustained, 44 °C at peak boost. Risk band: NONE.
- Sustained
- Sustained 44 °C
- Peak boost
- Peak boost 44 °C
Power delivery
What else to know about this pairing
Note: One M.2 slot borrows lanes from the graphics slot
The CPU-attached Gen 5 M.2 slot shares its lanes with the graphics slot, which then runs at x8.
Where the PCIe lanes go
The ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero has 5 M.2 slots and one of them is wired to the processor rather than the chipset. The CPU-attached Gen 5 M.2 slot shares its lanes with the graphics slot, which then runs at x8. A current graphics card loses one or two percent from that, which matters far less than most forum threads suggest — but it is worth knowing before you wonder why your card reports x8.
The ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero takes DDR5, which the Intel Core i5-14600K supports, and validates memory up to DDR5-8000. Firmware is not an issue: the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero ships with a BIOS that already knows Raptor Lake Refresh.
Boards that run the Intel Core i5-14600K without throttling
Each of these keeps the processor under a third of the board's sustained power capacity, and each has a listing we can verify.
BudgetB760MSIMSI MAG B760 Tomahawk WiFi
The cheapest board here that still leaves the Intel Core i5-14600K real headroom.
Capacity used19 % · 50 °CIntel Core i5-14600K draws 180 W of 956 W
- Socket
- LGA1700
- Vcore
- 12 × 75 A
- Memory
- DDR5
$142.65
as of 4 November 2026
EnthusiastZ790ASUSASUS ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WiFi II
The most headroom of any board in the database for the Intel Core i5-14600K.
Capacity used9 % · 44 °CIntel Core i5-14600K draws 180 W of 2104 W
- Socket
- LGA1700
- Vcore
- 18 × 110 A
- Memory
- DDR5
$499.99
as of 4 November 2026
The ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero
ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero
- Socket
- LGA1700
- Vcore
- 20 × 90 A
- Memory
- DDR5
~$699
no live listing yet
- Chipset
- Z790
- Form factor
- ATX
- Vcore stages
- 20 × 90 A
- Phase design
- Teamed phases
- VRM cooling
- Heavy heatsink
- VRM tier
- Tier S
- Memory
- DDR5-8000
- BIOS Flashback
- Yes
Questions people ask about this pairing
- Will the Intel Core i5-14600K throttle on the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero?
No. The Intel Core i5-14600K draws 180 W in a sustained all-core load and the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero holds about 1913 W, so the VRM sits at an estimated 44 °C and clocks hold.
- How many power phases does the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero have?
20 Vcore power stages rated 90 A each, in a teamed design. Counting only the core rail matters here — vendor marketing often adds the SoC and auxiliary phases to reach a bigger number, and those carry none of the CPU's core load.
- Does the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero need a BIOS update for the Intel Core i5-14600K?
No. The ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero ships with a BIOS that already supports Raptor Lake Refresh, so the Intel Core i5-14600K posts out of the box.
- What memory does the Intel Core i5-14600K take on the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero?
DDR5, in up to 4 slots, validated to DDR5-8000 on this board.
- What VRM temperature should I expect with the Intel Core i5-14600K on this board?
Our model estimates 44 °C, from 38 °C of interior case air plus the stress ratio of 0.09 scaled by 65 °C. Measured numbers move with case airflow and ambient temperature, so treat this as a band rather than a reading.
- Does an M.2 drive affect the graphics slot on the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero?
The CPU-attached Gen 5 M.2 slot shares its lanes with the graphics slot, which then runs at x8.