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EVGA Z790 DARK K|NGP|N (121-RL-E799) 

 

- 69 - 

 

 

10.

 

The controller defaults the capacity to the maximum available space for the 

RAID. Leaving the capacity at default is recommended because reducing the 

size is not beneficial, except in limited cases. 

11.

 

To complete the setup process, please select “Create Volume” at the bottom of 

the page. Depending on the array type, drive type, and volume this can take a 

few seconds to a few minutes. 

 

12.

 

Once the array is completed you will see this text, or something similar based 

on the array type and drives used. At this point, the array is ready to use.   

 

Summary of Contents for Z790 DARK K NGP N

Page 1: ...EVGA Z790 DARK K NGP N 121 RL E799 1 User Guide EVGA Z790 DARK K NGP N Specs and Initial Installation...

Page 2: ...6 M 2 Slot Breakdown 26 Preparing the Motherboard 27 Installing the CPU 27 Installing the CPU Cooling Device 28 Installing System Memory DIMMs 29 Installing the I O Shield 29 Installing the Motherboar...

Page 3: ...ut a CPU 105 SSD HDD is not detected 107 Using the POST code indicator to troubleshoot 109 System does not POST and Multi function Display reads C 109 System does not POST and Multi function Display r...

Page 4: ...N remains the choice of those that want a board capable of unbelievable performance For its other features the Z790 DARK K NGP N contains Realtek 7 1 Channel HD Audio an Intel 2 5 GbE NIC a Marvell 1...

Page 5: ...g Device PCI Express Graphics Card Power Supply Hard Drive or SSD Keyboard and Mouse Display Optional Optical Drive EVGA assumes you have purchased all the necessary parts needed to allow for proper s...

Page 6: ...n1 Ports 4x from Intel Z790 PCH 2x external Type A 2x internal via 1 FP header Supports transfer speeds up to 5Gb s USB 3 2 Gen2 Ports 3x from Intel Z790 PCH 3x external Type A 1x internal via 1 FP he...

Page 7: ...via PCH PCIe 5 0 Support Low power consumption and power management features MGPU Support AMD mGPU is supported Additional Expansion Slots 1x M 2 Key M 110mm Gen4 slot from CPU 2x M 2 Key M 110mm Gen...

Page 8: ...EVGA Z790 DARK K NGP N 121 RL E799 8 Unpacking and Parts Descriptions The following accessories are included with the EVGA Z790 DARK K NGP N Motherboard...

Page 9: ...EVGA Z790 DARK K NGP N 121 RL E799 9...

Page 10: ...K NGP N 121 RL E799 10 EVGA Z790 DARK K NGP N Motherboard LED The EVGA Z790 DARK K NGP N Motherboard has several LEDs indicating power connectivity and activity Below is the location of the LEDs and...

Page 11: ...emory has failed POST 5 Memory DIMM 2 Status a OFF DIMM detected and present b RED DIMM Memory has failed POST 6 CATERR Catastrophic Error on the processor a RED Processor error has occurred b OFF No...

Page 12: ...E3 The LED stays off when PE3 is disabled or unpopulated a WHITE PE3 slot can be used with installed CPU 17 M 2 Key M Socket3 110mm M2_1 Status LED The LED stays off when PM1 is disabled or unpopulate...

Page 13: ...is specific voltage is detected 28 CPU 1 8V Status a WHITE Voltage present Does not mean PSU is outputting in spec only that this specific voltage is detected 29 PCH 1 05V Status a WHITE Voltage prese...

Page 14: ...9 14 EVGA Z790 DARK K NGP N Component Legend The EVGA Z790 DARK Motherboard with the Intel Z790 and PCH Chipset Figure 1 shows the motherboard and Figure 2 shows the back panel connectors FIGURE 1 Z79...

Page 15: ...lti function Display 29 BIOS Safeboot Button 6 DDR5 DIMMSlots 18 USB 3 2 Gen1 Header 30 USB to SPI for BIOS Flash 7 24 pin ATX Power Connector 19 USB 3 2 Gen2 Type C Header 31 SW Slow Mode Switch 8 8...

Page 16: ...Mbps data rate or No Link Marvell 10GbE Activity LED Status Description Speed Link LED Status Description Off No Data Transmission Orange 10Gbps data rate Blinking Data Transmission Green 5Gbps 2 5Gbp...

Page 17: ...These headers also support 12VDC fans DC fans are controlled by decreasing voltage to the fan causing the fan to spin slower as less voltage is provided However DC powered fans may stall if the voltag...

Page 18: ...pear similar they are wired differently and attaching the wrong connector may cause damage to the motherboard or prevent the board from turning on Only one of the two connectors needs to be installed...

Page 19: ...is installed in either PE1 or PE2 the CPU will allocate x16 PCIe Gen 5 lanes to the slot where the device is located If PCIe devices are installed in both x16 slots both lanes will operate at x8 x8 sp...

Page 20: ...ices If your USB device requires more power it is recommended to attach a powered USB Hub Note USB 3 2 Gen1 is more commonly referred to as USB 3 0 19 USB 3 2 Gen2 Type C Header The USB 3 2 Gen2 heade...

Page 21: ...hermistor cable to provide temperature data to the motherboard which can be viewed in the BIOS These cables are commonly used with custom watercooling loops to monitor water coolant temperature or wit...

Page 22: ...rd is unable to complete boot due to a failed overclock and the user does not want to erase the previous settings used 30 USB to SPI for BIOS Flash This USB port is designed to connect directly to the...

Page 23: ...at 2A This header provides RGB lighting configuration via EVGA ELEET X1 within Windows and supports up to 125 LEDs Please see Page 45 for header specifics and Page 97 for control options in ELEET X1...

Page 24: ...ot If the end of the slot is closed then you will only be able to install x4 length devices or shorter If the x4 length slot is open you can install a longer PCIe device such as a full length graphics...

Page 25: ...Socket 3 Key M M 2 110mm slots M 2_1 M 2_2 M 2_3 and a vertical Socket 1 Key E M 2 Contains the WiFi BT module Note The M 2 Key M 110mm slots are accessible only after removing the heatsink between P...

Page 26: ...CH o This slot supports PCIe M 2 SSDs Intel Optane M 2 Key E 32mm Gen1 x1 from Z790 PCH o This slot is pre installed with the EVGA Wi Fi BT Module When only one PCIe device is installed between PE1 an...

Page 27: ...eful when handling the CPU Hold the processor only by the edges and do not touch the bottom of the processor Note Use extreme caution when working with the CPU to avoid damaging the pins in the mother...

Page 28: ...e the plastic protective socket cover by pulling it straight up and away from the socket 6 Carefully lock the lever back into place by lowering it down to the hook then push the lever towards the sock...

Page 29: ...On a 2 DIMM DDR5 motherboard design the memory controller on most Raptor Lake S Alder Lake S CPUs are officially supported up to a frequency of 5600MHz and 4800MHz respectively depending on the memor...

Page 30: ...he board o Some cooling assemblies are significantly harder to install after installing the motherboard for example push pin type assemblies o Bulky coolers can make it much more challenging to both f...

Page 31: ...ins on the inside of the chassis 4 Optional If using a CPU air cooler ensure that the fan assembly aligns with the chassis vents per the manufacturer s instructions 5 Secure the motherboard with nine...

Page 32: ...circled in blue 2 The motherboard should still have 1 2mm of movement before you fully fasten the screws Use this this tolerance to help mount graphics cards or tight fits with other components 3 Once...

Page 33: ...ing 1 Remove the M 2 Cover Remove the heatsink The heatsink is secured by six 6 screws Now visible are three pre attached screws in the 110mm location and three pre installed thermal pads on the M 2 s...

Page 34: ...ew with a screwdriver and fasten the standoff portion to the 80mm interval on the motherboard Remove the plastic cover over the thermal pad Install the M 2 device and use the inner screw to secure the...

Page 35: ...NGP N Cover for M 2 Devices Once all SSDs have been installed reinstall the M 2 heatsink and fasten all screws If the larger heatsink is not fully fastened you may have difficulty your PCIe device in...

Page 36: ...ds 3 2 GHz P Core 20 Core i9 12900T 8 8 Cores 24 Threads 3 2 GHz P Core 20 Core i9 12900 8 8 Cores 24 Threads 3 2 GHz P Core 20 Core i9 12900KF 8 8 Cores 24 Threads 3 2 GHz P Core 20 Core i7 12700K 8...

Page 37: ...PCIE3 0 NVME M2 Kingston SKC1000240G Kingston SHPM2280P2H 240G PLEXTOR PX 128M8PeG M 2 128G PCIE Samsung MZ V7P512 970 PRO Samsung MZ V7E250 970 EVO Samsung MZ V6P512 960 PRO Samsung MZ V6E250 250G 9...

Page 38: ...EVGA Z790 DARK K NGP N 121 RL E799 38 Tested M 2 Key E INTEL 8260NGW INTEL 9260NGW INTEL 9560NGW Killer 1550 INTEL AX200 INTEL AX201 INTEL AX210 INTEL AX211 M 2 Key E WIFI...

Page 39: ...cations of these components can be found in the Component Legend on Pages 14 15 This section takes you through all the necessary connections on the motherboard This will include Power Connections 24pi...

Page 40: ...herboard Firmly plug the power supply cable into the connector and make sure it is secure The Z790 DARK K NGP N motherboard uses a right angle 24pin ATX connector 6 pin PCIe The 6 pin PCIe connector p...

Page 41: ...s not necessary for normal PC use including gaming Please remember to make sure that the tab on the EPS socket is aligned with the release clip on the cable NOTE If you can install the cable even thou...

Page 42: ...RSW Attach the power button cable from the chassis to these two pins Pressing the power button on your chassis turns the system on and off in place of the onboard button HD_LED Attach the hard disk dr...

Page 43: ...header is a 2 pin header that allows you to connect a thermistor cable to monitor temperatures that are not natively monitored by the motherboard This header consists of a Sensor and a ground pin Once...

Page 44: ...e headers have an absolute safe power limit of 2 Amp 12 Volts 24 Watts These headers are for your CPU heatsink and chassis cooling fans The Pump header on the motherboard supports up to 3 Amp 12 Volts...

Page 45: ...B LED strips or devices connected to this header compared to a standard 12V RGB Header This header supports up to a maximum of 2 Amps 5 Volts 10 Watts or up to 125 LEDs This will add control options t...

Page 46: ...ers This motherboard contains USB 3 2 Gen2 and USB 3 2 Gen1 ports that are accessible on the rear panel of the chassis The Z790 DARK K NGP N contains 1x 20pin internal header which can support 1 USB3...

Page 47: ...pin internal header connectors onboard that can be used to connect an optional external bracket or device containing up to two 2 USB 3 2 Gen1 ports Please note that these headers are often referred t...

Page 48: ...al bracket or devices containing up to four 4 USB 2 0 ports The Z790 DARK K NGP N also features an onboard USB 2 0 port header near the BIOS Select Switch This header has a specific purpose to allow y...

Page 49: ...EVGA Z790 DARK K NGP N 121 RL E799 49 Front Panel Audio Header Front panel audio supports HD Audio for stereo gaming headphones or 2 1 speakers and a Mic...

Page 50: ...ls 0 1 5 and 10 through the Intel controller and all ports retain full AHCI functionality in RAID mode The ASMedia SATA ports 6 7 are derived from the secondary SATA controller to provide additional s...

Page 51: ...Update button is an alternative option to update your motherboard BIOS in case you cannot update from within the BIOS or within Windows This option is convenient when you must update your BIOS for co...

Page 52: ...O NOT POWER OFF OR REBOOT THE SYSTEM DURING A BIOS UPDATE THIS WILL LIKELY RENDER THE ACTIVE BIOS UNBOOTABLE Once the BIOS is updated you will be greeted with the same screen as before denoting a chec...

Page 53: ...ither UEFI or Legacy Boot mode You must Save and Exit after making a change to the boot mode for the correct menu to appear a UEFI Boot Mode Enter the UEFI Hard Disk Drive BBS Priorities Select your p...

Page 54: ...with at least x4 Lanes available Gen5 and Gen4 are preferred for better speed a The Z790 DARK K NGP N will support PCIe SSDs in all PCIe slots 2 Attach the SSD s mounting bracket to the back of the ca...

Page 55: ...n the PC and enter the BIOS by tapping the Delete key repeatedly 2 Follow the steps above to verify that your M 2 PCIe SSD is seen in the BIOS 3 Once you ve confirmed that your device is seen go into...

Page 56: ...2 SSDs as shown above on Page 33 2 Next enter the BIOS by tapping the Delete key after the POST beep 3 Enter the Advanced menu and then the Onboard Device Configuration menu Make sure that your popul...

Page 57: ...After enabling the VMD controller you will see a new Advanced menu called Intel Rapid Storage Technology Enter the menu 2 Here you will see all available drives RAID volumes and have the option to Cr...

Page 58: ...case we will select all SSDs for the RAID so we will select each drop down and choose the X option After configuring your RAID Level disks Strip Size and RAID capacity select Create Volume 4 Once the...

Page 59: ...790 DARK K NGP N when spanned between the M 2 slots and SATA ports but this is strongly not recommended due to the significant difference in performance and the lack of device uniformity i e different...

Page 60: ...d in your system A logical drive is the drive created through RAID In other words this virtual drive is what Windows sees Performance considerations are based on arrays using the same drive model Arra...

Page 61: ...ata across drives and store configuration data Additional disk space will be subtracted as a result of formatting o RAID0 Sum of the drive capacity of all physical drives Math 3x 1TB drives 3TB RAID0...

Page 62: ...array and data is toast Although popular once newer SSDs and storage options significantly outperform or make RAID0 less relevant RAID1 RAID1 is also called Mirroring or a Mirrored Array RAID1 uses tw...

Page 63: ...umber of drives in the array The Bad Rebuilding an array can take a long time on a motherboard controller especially when using a very large capacity array with multiple drives If more than one drive...

Page 64: ...onal it greatly depends on which two drives fail If both physical drives from the same logical drive fail then half of the data is gone and the array has failed However every logical drive regardless...

Page 65: ...d 2 Once into the BIOS click on or navigate with your arrow keys the Advanced tab at the top and then on SATA Configuration You will see all attached SATA devices at this point Note The SATA Configura...

Page 66: ...to Enabled then Save and Reboot Upon entering the menu again you will notice that your SATA port information will be empty This mode includes both the RAID controls and the same options functions com...

Page 67: ...id Storage Technology menu 5 Once in the RAID controller you will see a list of all detected drives and a Create RAID Volume button To begin click on Create RAID Volume 6 Choose a name for the volume...

Page 68: ...Next select the drives you want to use for the array Select the down arrow and the X for each drive you want to include in the array 9 Strip size also called block size in other controllers can be sel...

Page 69: ...he size is not beneficial except in limited cases 11 To complete the setup process please select Create Volume at the bottom of the page Depending on the array type drive type and volume this can take...

Page 70: ...same as if a new replacement drive was added to a degraded array If a drive fails and the array becomes degraded you will typically see an alert in Windows or while checking the array status within t...

Page 71: ...ives currently configured in the RAID array When ready click Rebuild to start the process 2 Next you will see a list of all attached HDD SSDs that can be used to rebuild the array Select your preferre...

Page 72: ...mplicated arrays with redundancy may take several hours to rebuild The duration of the rebuild process can also be impacted by the usage of the array and system performance during the process 4 The re...

Page 73: ...his guide walks you through not only building but also repairing an array from within Windows All forms of RAID that can be built in the BIOS are available in IOMSM This guide will illustrate how to c...

Page 74: ...n click Create RAID Volume to begin the process For the purpose of this guide we are using a pair of SATA SSDs to create the RAID1 array If you were using PCIe M 2 based NVMe drives the same basic ste...

Page 75: ...keep the data on both drives Make sure to back up any sensitive data prior to beginning this process b You may lower the capacity used to create the array from the entire drive to a reduced size if yo...

Page 76: ...EVGA Z790 DARK K NGP N 121 RL E799 76 3 At this point the RAID manager will summarize the choices you ve made and request confirmation to delete data Click Create RAID Volume to begin the process...

Page 77: ...splayed on the Manage page Once the RAID is fully built the percentage will disappear and your array will be shown For further information about the array or your drives click on the array for more de...

Page 78: ...the controller but not currently in use Below you can see a degraded array and one of its drives reported as unknown failed The data on the other drive is still intact but the fault tolerance is offl...

Page 79: ...the IOMSM will explain why you need to repair your drive warn you that you will delete any data on the spare drive and ask you to select the disk where you want to rebuild the array After selecting th...

Page 80: ...y RAID array with Fault Tolerance the rebuilding time depends on several factors such as array size array type CPU etc You may keep track of the rebuilding progress in the Manage tab Once repairs are...

Page 81: ...not initially see your array in This PC This is expected because even though you have created the array you have not yet prepared the array to be used To begin you ll need to go into Disk Management W...

Page 82: ...a new drive or created a new array Generally it s recommended to select GPT unless you need backwards compatibility with an old OS or PC When you ve made your choice click OK Note If you previously i...

Page 83: ...y the New Simple Volume Wizard will automatically pop up If your drive or array is initialized but not partitioned the disk will appear in Disk Management as Unallocated as shown in the image below Ri...

Page 84: ...Note The drive letter does NOT have to be a consecutive letter with previous drive s Also the wizard will not allow you to accidentally select the letter of a drive in use The next step is to format t...

Page 85: ...rd a summary of the process then click Finish The drive is now usable To confirm go back to File Explorer in Windows Click on This PC and check the drives section You should have a new empty drive the...

Page 86: ...a SYS FAN PWM DC a PWR FAN PWM DC an AUX FAN PWM DC and two Pump headers PWM DC You can locate each header on Pages 14 and 15 component numbers 3 4 and 5 To configure the fans go into the motherboard...

Page 87: ...fan may stall Below the PWM fans you will see the six 6 PWM DC fans CHA_FAN SYS_FAN PWR_FAN AUX_FAN and PUMP1 and PUMP2 The fan controller will automatically detect and set the fan to either PWM or D...

Page 88: ...tant temperature in the system The exception is when you have 64GB of heavily overclocked RAM which may cause PWM temps to be a concern If this is a concern set the fan control to the PWM temp Once yo...

Page 89: ...buffer for all Fan Control By options This means that once your fan speed changes it will not change again until the temperature goes below 27C Advanced Smart Fan Mode To address problems with user co...

Page 90: ...n about your motherboard including the CPU per core CPU clock speed voltage temperature and memory information This information is displayed in real time and is available at all times regardless of wh...

Page 91: ...ive requires you to set both a Target Voltage and an Offset Voltage Start by setting your Target Voltage which represents the voltage necessary to run stable or close to it even under load One way to...

Page 92: ...an individual core basis This can be very useful if you find that one or more cores can be overclocked more or less than other cores or requires more or less voltage for stability When your changes ar...

Page 93: ...emory overclocking on the Z790 DARK K NGP N although this function is limited and determined by the installed processor In other words not all processors will be able to adjust memory timings on this...

Page 94: ...dynamically Temperatures and voltages are measured at fixed intervals which can often make the readings appear to jump back and forth Furthermore voltages on modern motherboards often closely respond...

Page 95: ...EVGA Z790 DARK K NGP N 121 RL E799 95 The System tab provides more detailed information on the motherboard CPU and memory Here you can find the motherboard specs and BIOS date and version...

Page 96: ...96 Additional CPU details are provided including the Stepping Revision Instructions and Cache layout Lastly additional memory information is available for secondary memory timings as well as the type...

Page 97: ...different modes patterns of lighting based on the header type and the number of LEDs connected through the ARGB headers The LED lighting can be synced together by enabling the link button located to t...

Page 98: ...tenna design that provides extended features The Wi Fi page will display typical information about your wireless connection and your signal strength including your Access Point name wireless band and...

Page 99: ...to check for new updates This has been the ELEET X1 utility overview which should give you a solid start to understanding and using the ELEET X1 software suite EVGA ELEET X1 is still undergoing final...

Page 100: ...vers and additional software The USB flash drive that has been shipped with the EVGA Z790 DARK K NGP N Motherboard contains the following software and drivers Chipset Drivers Audio Drivers Intel Rapid...

Page 101: ...and reboot 5 The Driver Utility Screen also contains helpful links to give you more information about your new EVGA motherboard and additional resources to get started The Z790 DARK K NGP N manual is...

Page 102: ...he warranty is void Similarly permanent changes to components or the PCB will void your warranty including the removal of pre attached components soldered to the board or the addition of components th...

Page 103: ...ed A To flash via Windows a Download the latest motherboard BIOS from the EVGA Download page b Unzip the downloaded file to your desktop c Make sure to close all open software and applications d Open...

Page 104: ...a window will pop up to show that the BIOS is updating DO NOT POWER OFF THE MOTHERBOARD WHILE THE BIOS IS UPDATING i Once the update is finished the motherboard will power off Power on the motherboar...

Page 105: ...Go into the extracted folder and rename the bin file to EVGAZ799 bin Move this file into the root of your USB disk 4 Turn off your system then switch your power supply to the Off position 5 Plug the...

Page 106: ...an error code E1 USB disk is still being read unable to be read correctly If this continues to occur try reformatting the USB disk and or trying a different USB disk E2 USB disk cannot be detected Ma...

Page 107: ...ext section If you do not see hear or feel this first try the cable on a device that you know works if the cable works then the issue is the device in question However if you replace the device and th...

Page 108: ...n However if the M 2 device is not fully inserted into the slot before fastening you can still have a bad connection Please refer to Page 33 for M 2 hardware installation and Page 53 for setup Device...

Page 109: ...ated issue This issue could occur due to a faulty or incompatible CPU bent pins in the CPU socket or simply that the CPU is not receiving power We suggest to first check that the CPU is receiving powe...

Page 110: ...ly installed new memory press the Reset CMOS button The system will power on when the Reset CMOS button is pressed This should allow the system to boot up When you see the EVGA Z790 DARK K NGP N scree...

Page 111: ...ay find the list of officially supported CPUs for your motherboard including the minimum required BIOS revision for compatibility at https www evga com motherboard BIOS updates are cumulative so they...

Page 112: ...during troubleshooting situations This debug LED will display a series of hexadecimal 0 F codes during the POST and will display current CPU socket temperatures by default after the system has fully b...

Page 113: ...VCORE after BIOS POST completion Volt CPU VCCIN AUX displays CPU Input Voltage after BIOS POST completion Volt CPU VDD2 displays CPU Memory Controller voltage after BIOS POST completion Volt CPU 1 8V...

Page 114: ...EVGA Z790 DARK K NGP N 121 RL E799 114...

Page 115: ...eep indicating that a password is required to boot If you incorrectly enter your BIOS password when prompted by the BIOS you will receive one beep 4 Beeps This is an error relating to some small recov...

Page 116: ...witching numbers after entering Windows the display is showing temperature or voltage information and is NOT reporting errors AMI POST Codes 1 Power on Reset type detection soft hard 2 AP initializati...

Page 117: ...CPU post memory initialization Application Processor s AP initialization 35 CPU post memory initialization Boot Strap Processor BSP selection 36 CPU post memory initialization System Management Mode...

Page 118: ...s loaded F5 F7 Reserved for future AMI progress codes F8 Recovery PPI is not available F9 Recovery capsule is not found FA Invalid recovery capsule FB FF Reserved for future AMI error codes 60 DXE Cor...

Page 119: ...Resources 97 Console Output devices connect 98 Console input devices connect 99 Super IO Initialization 9A USB initialization is started 9B USB Reset 9C USB Detect 9D USB Enable 9E 9F Reserved for fu...

Page 120: ...g DRAM final configuration C0 CF OEM BDS initialization codes D0 CPU initialization error D1 North Bridge initialization error D2 South Bridge initialization error D3 Some of the Architectural Protoco...

Page 121: ...OS Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor CPU Central Processing Unit DC Direct Current DDR Double Data Rate DIMM Dual In line Memory Module DMI Direct Memory Interface DP Display Port DRAM Dynamic r...

Page 122: ...ng MAC Media Access Control M 2 A card bus based standard commonly used for VERY fast SSD s and WiFi MCP Media and Communications Processor Intel ME Intel Management Engine MHz Megahertz mGPU Multi GP...

Page 123: ...Serial Attached SCSI SCSI Small Computer System Interface SPD Serial Presence Detect S PDIF Sony Philips Digital Interconnect Format SPP System Platform Processors SSD Solid State Drive TCP IP Transmi...

Page 124: ...nology Equipment EN 55024 1998 A1 2001 A2 2003 Trademark Copyright Information 2001 2022 EVGA Corp EVGA the EVGA logo and combinations thereof are trademarks of EVGA Corp All brand names company names...

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