At $500 the NZXT N9 X870E has a fair amount of competition, but this and NZXT's other models for Intel's Z890 chipset all seem to have been received well, at least in terms of aesthetics. Even if this isn't all NZXT's own work, it's still a refreshing change from the usual four brands, and a unique design. The same price $500 bracket is occupied by the likes of the ASUS ROG Strix X870E-E Gaming Wi-Fi, Gigabyte X870E Aorus Master and MSI MPG X870E Carbon Wi-Fi. For a little less, the ASRock X870E Taichi—which along with the Nova, provided much of the DNA of this board—is also available.

The NZXT board does a decent job of standing out in its own way, especially in its white variant, and the addition of the RGB LED strip here is simple but effective. It's a far cleaner, simpler design than many other boards out there, which for many, likely adds to its appeal. Although some of those competing options—especially the Gigabyte X870E Aorus Master and MSI MPG X870E Carbon Wi-Fi—have a lavish premium air about them that the NZXT N9 X870E doesn't quite match with its minimalist aesthetic.

It's worth remembering that if white is your thing, Gigabyte has its X870E Aorus Master X3D Ice that will be available soon, which does a better job in sticking to the white theme, although the price isn't known yet. There's also has the much cheaper X870E Aorus Pro Ice, although it does cut a few features to get down to its $350 price tag.

As you'd expect, all the latest tech is here, from Wi-Fi 7, PCIe Gen 5 GPU and M.2 support to multiple high bandwidth USB4 ports. Speaking of USB, there's a generous 10 Type-A ports on the rear panel too, plus all the expected overclocking and testing tools from power and reset buttons to CMOS clear and USB BIOS Flashback buttons. The issue is that the other boards go the extra mile in a few areas, such as more granular fan control, more modern and usable EFIs, higher power delivery on the front panel Type-C port, or headers for thermistor probes, along with more tool-free features.

If it's still Socket AM5 but cheaper that you're looking for, then the NZXT N7 B650E is still available in a lot of areas, costing around $200 for the white model. It's a head turner, but the feature set is far less lavish, lacking RGB lighting, USB4, Wi-Fi 7, active-cooled VRMs and featuring inferior M.2 cooling. However, it still offers decent audio, PCIe Gen 5 GPU and M.2 support and has little to no bandwidth sharing.

The additional negative points need addressing too though, and there are several. Firstly, the EFI lacking the usual fan control section and user interface with fan curves does put you in a tight spot if you don't want to use NZXT's CAM software. We don't really see a reason for this other than trying to force you to use CAM, which then encourages you to look at other NZXT hardware, even providing direct links to buy it. While not that intrusive, the board lacking the flexibility to exclusively deal within the EFI here is a negative in our books, as a standard feature that has seemingly been stripped by NZXT. Most PC enthusiasts expect this feature, especially hardcore system tweakers.

At the opposite end of the scale, if you're a newcomer to the EFI—perhaps building your first PC—then the lack of a simplified front page with common useful options present is a shame too, as it makes it trickier and more time-consuming to set up a PC. Similarly, the potentially loud VRM fans, while an easy fix, will likely prove bothersome if you have an otherwise quiet PC. While they do result in some excellent VRM cooling, it's one more thing you'll need to manually deal with to get your PC running optimally and a steeper learning curve for newcomers.

Other minor gripes include the lack of an enhanced GPU release mechanism, which at this price has become standard, adding that little bit of polish and ease to the build process. Similarly, the larger lower heatsink means you'll need to remove it and your GPU to access any of the lower M.2 ports. A single heatsink is cleaner aesthetically of course, but this is still something to be aware of.

This board has its limitations, but there's nothing disastrous here and many of the issues can be easily overcome too with a little time invested. It still offers excellent cooling for the power delivery and M.2 ports, and NZXT's CAM software does make it very easy to take control of your PCs lighting and fans. Considering the board has all the other modern tech you'd expect at this price—if you're sold on the design, whether in black or white—the NZXT N9 X870E is a decent showing, being an attractive motherboard and a good performer. Just be aware of the quirks.