New $110 Intel Z790 motherboard with DDR4 support is a Christmas gift to the world amid the memory pricing crisis — an affordable home for Alder Lake, Raptor Lake, and Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs

In the fast-moving world of computer hardware, taking a step backward is almost unheard of, but the global memory shortage has changed the rules. With DDR5 kits scarce and prices skyrocketing, frustrated consumers are stampeding back to DDR4 in droves. Spotted by VideoCardz, Chinese manufacturer Onda has unveiled the Z790PRO WiFi B4, an LGA1700 motherboard packing four DDR4 slots, ready for the best DDR4 RAM.

Fueled by Intel’s top-tier Z790 chipset, Onda’s latest motherboard is engineered for seamless compatibility with the 12th-Gen Alder Lake, 13th-Gen Raptor Lake, and 14th-Gen Raptor Lake Refresh chips. These processors mark the end of DDR4 support from Intel, as the new Core Ultra 200S (codenamed Arrow Lake) series and beyond have made the full leap to DDR5.

Raptor Lake and its refresh remain a compelling upgrade for anyone moving up from an older system. Arrow Lake delivers only modest performance gains over Raptor Lake, and the sky-high price of DDR5 memory makes last-generation chips even more appealing. With Raptor Lake CPUs now more affordable than ever — even after a minor 10% price bump — they stand out as the smart, value-packed choice for many upgraders.

To put the DDR4 vs. DDR5 price gap into perspective, consider today’s most affordable 16GB (2x8GB) kits: a basic DDR5-5600 C46 kit costs $151, while a DDR4-2666 C19 kit costs $87. That’s a staggering difference: DDR4 could save you up to 42%.

(Image credit: Onda)

(Image credit: Onda)

The Z790PRO WiFi B4 packs a serious punch in a compact microATX form factor, boasting a robust 12-phase power subdelivery system, and four DDR4 slots supporting up to DDR4-3600 speeds and a massive 128GB capacity (4x32GB). For storage, it offers three blazing-fast PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots and four SATA III ports, which is plenty of room for high-speed drives.

The trade-off? With all those M.2 slots, expansion is limited to a single PCIe x16 and one PCIe x1 expansion slot. If you plan on using integrated graphics, the motherboard offers two HDMI ports and one DisplayPort output.

Connectivity is top-notch: you get a high-speed 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port for wired networking, plus Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 for cutting-edge wireless connections. The secret sauce? The motherboard features a MediaTek MT7902 Wi-Fi card that fits right into an M.2 slot, delivering fast, reliable wireless performance.

Onda’s Z790PRO WiFi B4 is priced at an appealing $110.83 in China—a price point that undercuts most competitors. While Onda isn’t a household name in the U.S., some of its budget boards do pop up on e-commerce sites like eBay. Price-wise, this Z790 board stands out: the cheapest Intel 700-series model with DDR4 support stateside is a budget B760 board at $89, while premium Z790 motherboards can cost $209 or more. If Onda had a stronger reputation and wider availability, the Z790PRO WiFi B4 would be an absolute steal.