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Software
NZXT doesn’t include a bunch of applications, but takes more of a single program route with its CAM software. CAM monitors your PC, controls fans and RGB lighting, audio, and includes overclocking capabilities. The program is easy to use and worked well in our short time with it, controlling fans and making some on-the-fly system adjustments when overclocking.
Firmware
To give you a sense of the Firmware, we’ve gathered screenshots showing a majority of the BIOS screens.
NZXT worked with ASRock to help develop this board and it shows a bit with the overall setup of the BIOS. Across the top are several headers, including Main, Overclocking, Advanced, Tool, PC Monitoring, and more. Editable fields are on the left, while descriptions of each selection are on the right.
The BIOS is black, white and purple, matching NZXT’s brand colors while also being easy to read. Most options are found just under the sub-heading and you do not have to dig down to find commonly used options. Overall, the BIOS is ergonomic for the user, with most of what you need easily accessible. We didn’t have any issues working in this BIOS.
Test System and Comparison Products
Our test system uses Windows 10 64-bit OS (1909) with all threat mitigations applied. The motherboard BIOS used is the latest non-beta available to the public, unless otherwise noted. The hardware used is as follows:
| CPU | Intel i9-10900K | Row 0 - Cell 2 |
| Memory | G.Skill Trident Z Neo 2x8GB DDR4 3600 (F4-3600C16D-16GTZNC) | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
| Memory 2 | G.Skill Trident Z Royale 4x8GB DDR4 4000 (F4-4000C18Q-32GTRS) | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
| GPU | Asus ROG Strix RTX 2070 | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
| CPU Cooler | Corsair H150i | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
| PSU | Corsair AX1200i | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
| Software | Windows 10 64-bit 1909 | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
| Graphics Driver | Nvidia Driver 445.75 | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
| Sound | Integrated HD audio | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
| Network | Integrated Networking (GbE or 2.5 GbE) | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
| Graphics Driver | GeForce 445.74 | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
For this review, we’ll be directly comparing the NZXT N7 Z490 ($229.99) to the Biostar Z490GTA Evo ($249) and the ASRock Z490 PG Velocita ($259.99).
Benchmark Settings
| Synthetic Benchmarks and Settings | Header Cell - Column 1 |
|---|---|
| PCMark 10 | Version 2.1.2177 64 |
| Row 1 - Cell 0 | Essentials, Productivity, Digital Content Creation, MS Office |
| 3DMark | Version 2.11.6866 64 |
| Row 3 - Cell 0 | Firestrike Extreme and Time Spy Default Presets |
| Cinebench R20 | Version RBBENCHMARK271150 |
| Row 5 - Cell 0 | Open GL Benchmark - Single and Multi-threaded |
| Application Tests and Settings | Row 6 - Cell 1 |
| LAME MP3 | Version SSE2_2019 |
| Row 8 - Cell 0 | Mixed 271MB WAV to mp3: Command: -b 160 --nores (160Kb/s) |
| HandBrake CLI | Version: 1.2.2 |
| Row 10 - Cell 0 | Sintel Open Movie Project: 4.19GB 4K mkv to x264 (light AVX) and x265 (heavy AVX) |
| Corona 1.4 | Version 1.4 |
| Row 12 - Cell 0 | Custom benchmark |
| 7-Zip | Version 19.00 |
| Row 14 - Cell 0 | Integrated benchmark |
| Game Tests and Settings | Row 15 - Cell 1 |
| The Division 2 | Ultra Preset - 1920 x 1080 |
| Forza Horizon 4 | Ultra Preset - 1920 x 1080 |
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