Motherboards

By Hilbert Hagedoorn @ GURU3D

To be precise, ASUS is back in the game, this time with another HERO, in the form of a Z690 motherboard. This Alder Lake motherboard is loaded with features and gadgets, and it’s dressed to impress with its dark design. The Z690 motherboards from ASUS will be plentiful, with some of the models offering a choice between DDR5 and DDR4 memory configurations. It all starts with the flagship ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme motherboard, which is followed by the FORMULA, HERO, and APEX motherboards, all of which will include DDR5 memory and only DDR5 memory — and that’s all there is to it. In total, there will be three ROG STRIX Z690 motherboards, one TUF GAMING Z690 motherboard, and a slew of PRIME Z690 motherboards, all of which will have differing degrees of technological sophistication, features, and sizes. ProART Z690-Creation 10G motherboard, which sounds like it’ll be a “content creator” motherboard with 10GbE LAN connectivity and, I’m sure, a ton of I/O connectivity, will be sandwiched between the rest of the ASUS Z690 lineup. The ASUS Maximus Z690 Hero, as tested today, rocks a 20-phase power design with 90A PowerStages.

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By Tarinder Sandhu @ Hexus

More famous for chassis and coolers, NZXT strikes divisive aesthetic notes with its latest range of motherboards. Using almost full-coverage shrouds for a smooth, minimalist look, we took a look at the AMD B550 chipset version recently.

It follows that NZXT would extend the range to encompass Intel’s Z590 chipset, so without further ado, here’s the N7 Z590.

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By Sebastian Peak @ PC Perspective

Positioned below the Z590 OC Formula in ASRock’s current Intel Z590 lineup, this latest Taichi builds on the Z490 version that we looked at last year. Besides the distinctive styling, the Z590 Taichi offers robust power delivery, a trio of Intel Killer networking products, the latest in high-speed connectivity including Thunderbolt 4, and what should be some impressive audio with both Realtek ALC1220 (rear multi-channel) and ESS ES9218 (front panel stereo) DACs.

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By Tarinder Sandhu @ Hexus

The Intel Z590 chipset is the go-to solution for anyone looking to get the most out of the 11th Gen Core desktop processors. Enticing those with deeper pockets, contemplating mating the Core i9 models to premium motherboards, MSI puts forward the MEG Z590 Ace.

The regular Ace retails for £430 and is presented in traditional black livery. Announced earlier this week, MSI debuts a Gold Edition for those looking for more board bling. Pricing is undetermined but expect a reasonable premium over the bog-standard Ace; we reckon it’ll cost closer to £500.

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By Joe Shields @ Tom’s Hardware

The Gigabyte Z590 Aorus Pro AX positions itself as a mid-range SKU with a modest (for recent motherboard generations) price of $289.99. For that price, you get the most USB ports — thirteen, including USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C port — we’ve seen on any motherboard in quite a while. Additionally, the board includes the latest audio codec, extreme overclocking-capable power delivery and four M.2 sockets. This, coupled with a reasonable price tag, yields a great option fory new Intel-based builds.

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By Gavin Bonshor @ AnandTech

AMD’s AM4 socket has been consistent throughout the entirety of its Ryzen processor’s lifespan, and the latest Zen 3 processors are best suited for the X570 range of motherboards. Today it’s time to see what the mid-range ASUS ROG Strix X570-E Gaming has to offer. Some of its main features include Intel 2.5 GbE and Wi-Fi 6, with dual PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2, with plenty of USB 3.2 G2 connectivity. The ROG Strix X570-E Gaming looks strong and we examine it to see how it stacks up.

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By Nate @ TechPowerUp!

The Z490 board I have the privilege to introduce is the ASRock Z490 Velocita. The widely successful Phantom Gaming line is back, and with a new member. ASRock’s Phantom Gaming family of motherboards was introduced with the Z390 platform not much more than a year ago. The product line features black, red, and gray styling, 2.5 Gb/s LAN, and an emphasis on performance. This newest member of the Phantom Gaming family is no exception, even the name “Velocita” translates to “speed.”

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Refreshing the Upper Mid-Range

By Joe Shields @ Tom’s Hardware

In our first of four upper-midrange Z490 motherboard review, we take a close look at the Gigabyte Z490 Aorus Master to see what sets it apart from the competition around this price point. The $389.99 Gigabyte board is pointed squarely at the enthusiast and gaming markets, and is priced about $130 higher than the ASRock Z490 PG Velocita, the first Z490 board we reviewed.

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RGB-less, all-black and very impressive

By Hilbert Hagedoorn @ Guru3D

Meet the MSI Z490 UNIFY, a new series targeted to be a high-end solution. Interesting to see that this is an RGB-less all-black design. Priced at 299 USD, it comes with AX WIFI and has a 2.5 Gbps ethernet jack and a 16-phase power design. And that makes it one of the cheapest enthusiast-class boards with 16 CPU phases backed by 90A power stages.

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By Morry Teitelman @ PC Perspective

As part of ASUS’ TUF (The Ultimate Force) product line, the TUF Gaming X570-Plus motherboard was designed for stability and longevity under the most grueling conditions. The board offers support for the latest AMD Ryzen 3000 series processor line as well as Dual Channel DDR4 memory running at up to 3200MHz speeds in stock configuration, featuring full RGB support and active cooling provided for the X570 chipset integrated into the chipset overlay. Further, ASUS integrated PCIe 4.0 slot support into the board’s dual PCIe x16 slots for support of the latest in graphics technologies.

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