The Intel Z490 Overview: 44+ Motherboards Examined
by Gavin Bonshor on April 30, 2020 10:00 AM ESTASUS ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming
Moving down the ASUS product stack from the Maximus XII series to the more affordable Strix range, the ASUS ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming is the most equipped from its mid-range gaming-centric options. The ASUS ROG Strix Z490-E includes a Thunderbolt 3 header, with two PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots, six SATA ports, and an Intel 2.5 G Ethernet controller and AX201 Wi-Fi 6 wireless interface pairing. It also features a 14+2 power delivery with a broad set of heatsinks and has plenty of integrated RGB LEDs and RGB headers to allow users to make their systems pop.
Looking at the design, ASUS Strix has an edgy look with its branding on the large rear panel cover and chipset heatsinks, with do include integrated RGB LEDs. The power delivery and chipset heatsinks are connected via a heat pipe, and also helps to keep the two PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots running cool. The power delivery consists of a 14+2 design, which is using a teamed setup with an ASP1405I PWM controller in a 7+2 configuration. As mentioned, the ROG Strix Z490-E has two PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots, with six SATA ports, and has three full-length PCIe 3.0 slots. These operate at x16, x8/x8, and x8/x8/+4, with three PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. Memory compatibility is decent with support for up to DDR4-4600 with a maximum capacity of up to 128 GB across four memory slots.
For the rear panel, ASUS has included a single USB 3.2 G2 20 Gbps Type-C, three USB 3.2 G2 10 Gbps Type-A, two USB 3.2 G1 Type-A, and four USB 2.0 ports. A small BIOS Flashback button is present, with a pair of video outputs consisting of an HDMI 1.4b, and DisplayPort 1.4. Controlling the onboard audio composed of five 3.5 mm jacks and S/PDIF optical output is a SupremeFX S1220A HD audio codec. At the same time, networking options include an Intel I225-V 2.5 G Ethernet controller and Intel AX201 Wi-Fi 6 wireless interface.
The ASUS ROG Strix Z490-E has an MSRP of $300 and caters to uses looking for a mixture of premium controllers with lots of rear panel USB connectivity. It targets the upper segment of the mid-range and is ASUS's premium Strix model. The Intel 2.5 G Ethernet port and Wi-Fi 6 wireless interface pairing offer plenty of quality networking options, while the pair of PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots with heatsinks offer support for hot running NVMe SSDs.
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DanNeely - Thursday, April 30, 2020 - link
I really hate when new articles are inserted below the lead spot because it's hit or miss if I ever notice them. I missed this one during several visits to the site and only found it when Google suggested it in response to a search I made.Jedibeeftrix - Friday, May 1, 2020 - link
agreed, i found this by accident, and check AT twice or more a day.sunshinerevans55 - Sunday, May 3, 2020 - link
I basically make about $12,000-$18,000 a month online. It’s enough to comfortably replace my I was amazed how easy it was after I tried it . This is what I’ve been doing old jobs income, especially considering I only work about 10-13 hours a week from home… www.iⅭash68.ⅭomYB1064 - Monday, May 4, 2020 - link
This must have taken some writing. Kudos to the author(s). A good one stop article for anybody planning on going the Intel route. Intel seem to be adept at packaging old milk (not wine) in a new bottle. At least increase the number of PCIe lanes...boozed - Monday, May 4, 2020 - link
I recommend using the RSS feed, then you get everything and you get it chronologically.Exodite - Wednesday, May 6, 2020 - link
+1 on RSS!The "magazine layout" that plagues many sites and makes it impossible to distinguish between old articles, new articles and commercials can thankfully still be avoided through RSS.
Wardrop - Friday, May 1, 2020 - link
Funny that ASRock are the only manufacturers to have a mATX X570 motherboard for AMD's platform, yet for Intel they're the only one's NOT to have a mATX motherboard.Beaver M. - Saturday, May 2, 2020 - link
You mean they are relevant again, because they have fixed their stereotypical USB issues?Marlin1975 - Friday, May 1, 2020 - link
So in other words a re-spin of previous chipset with little to no real useful extra features but will require a new board. Classic intel. This is one of many reasons my last system was Intel and my new system is AMD now.Unless you are a intel fanboy why keep supporting this?
regsEx - Friday, May 1, 2020 - link
New networking controllers, support for PCIe 4 CPUs (RKL-S that will be released in future).Some boards also have USB Gen 2x2 support with external ASMedia controller. I know no any X570 board with USB Gen 2x2 support. Only Gen 2x1.