Colorful iGame Z790D5 VULCAN W V20 Motherboard Review – An Unexpected & Powerful Design

Conclusion - A True Flagship

Having tested Colorful's iGame Vulcan GPUs in the past, my expectations for the Z790D5 Vulcan were high and oh boy this motherboard didn't disappoint me. Right off the bat, you're met with a stunning white design in a premium finish with the white looks. Z790D5 is a stupidly high-end and feature-rich motherboard that would've been on the top of my list if it wasn't for its super late introduction.

In terms of performance, the motherboard offers superb capabilities. Out of the box, you have performance that matches other high-end Z790 motherboards and with its strong 21-phase VRM, you can expect some serious overclocking. I had no trouble pushing the 13900K through its paces and there's even more headroom which will require some OC expertise given that LN2 mode and BCLK buttons are featured on the motherboards. You can expect solid performance with 12th, 13th, and 14th Gen CPUs and the company even says that you can enjoy "Fearless" full-core overclocking on a top-of-the-line 14900KS.

In terms of storage options, you are getting four M.2 slots, three of which sit under the same heatsink, and one Gen5 x4 with a dedicated and massive aluminum-finned heatsink. This heat sink will ensure around 50-60C operating temperatures running the fastest 14 GB/s+ NVMe drives so you don't have to worry about heat accumulation. The PCIe slot configuration includes three slots with 1 Gen5x4 and 2 Gen 4x4 options. There's enough space to run two dedicated GPUs which is good for AI setups and having metallic shielding means that you can ensure your PCIe slots don't wear away over time.

Colorful's iGame motherboards also ship with a very sleek BIOS which has all the essential tools though it does lack a bit in terms of technicality. There's a lot to be desired given the enthusiast positioning of this motherboard though we can expect the company can offer more advanced tuning features in future BIOS updates. But for 90% of the audiences, the BIOS is still packed with a lot of features and is snappy.

USB support is good with a total of 17 ports available (8 front panel and 9 on the back) and dual LAN ports (2.5 GbE + 5.0 GbE) are also great plus there's also the ALC1220 codec for audio. There are 6 fan headers, 2 pump headers, 3 ARGB headers, and one RGB header on the motherboard. Wireless connectivity also exists with a WiFi 6E and BT5.3 solution. You also get 60W power delivery through the USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C port on the front, an essential in modern times for charging your daily devices such as smartphones or powerbanks. There are also an ample amount of fan & RGB headers which are enough for your cooling and lighting needs.

Coming to the pricing, the $499 US price tag is a bit on the high-side but we have seen other Z790 motherboards in the high-end category past the $500 US mark. Also, I would've wished the motherboard launched earlier this year as we are on the verge of the launch of a new motherboard generation in the form of Z890 which will be introduced alongside Intel's latest Arrow Lake Desktop CPUs. The motherboard is a great enthusiast option and is a looker, it has the core Vulcan DNA fused within it and for the design itself, this is one of the best Z790 motherboards out there. We hope that Colorful can offer a similar enthusiast product within its next-gen lineup to flex its muscles.