The Intel Z490 Overview: 44+ Motherboards Examined
by Gavin Bonshor on April 30, 2020 10:00 AM ESTGIGABYTE Z490 Aorus Master
Sitting just below the flagship Z490 Aorus Xtreme, the GIGABYTE Z490 Aorus Master still represents itself as one of its premium offerings. Featuring the same shielded memory routing and a 14-phase power delivery with 90 A power stages and tantalum polymer capacitors, this enthusiast offering includes an Intel 2.5 G Ethernet controller and Intel Wi-Fi 6 wireless interface. It also includes triple PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots, six SATA ports, and support for up to DDR4-4800 memory.
It follows a clear Aorus inspired design with a funky rear panel cover, armor around the PCIe slots for a cleaner look, with three PCIe 3.0 x4 slots each with its own individual heatsink. GIGABYTE is using three full-length PCIe 3.0 slots which run at x16, x8/x8, and x8/x8+x4. Other storage options include six SATA ports with RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 array support. A total of four memory slots include support for up to DDR4-4800, with a maximum capacity of 128 GB, operating in dual channel. The 14-phase power delivery is cooled by a pair of aluminium fin array heat sinks, with two 8-pin 12 V ATX CPU power inputs designed to deliver power to the processor.
On the rear panel is 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. There is a single Ethernet port powered by an Intel i225 2.5 G controller, with antenna ports for the Intel AX201 Wi-Fi 6 wireless interface which also includes support for BT 5.1 devices. The onboard audio consists of five 3.5 mm audio jacks and S/PDIF optical output and is powered by a Realtek ALC1220 HD audio codec and ESS 9118 DAC. A clear CMOS button, HDMI video output, and a BIOS Flashback button which allows users to update the firmware without memory, CPU, and graphics card finish off an impressive rear panel offering.
The GIGABYTE Z490 Aorus Master has an MSRP of $389 which is reasonable for the level of features and support on offer. Aimed at gamers and enthusiasts with features including triple PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2, 2.5 G Ethernet, and plenty of USB connectivity, the GIGABYTE Z490 Aorus Master is another example of good value, even in the mid to high-end market segment. The Z490 Aorus Master also benefits from future PCIe 4.0 support with Intel's Rocket Lake processors when they eventually do land, which adds some extra longevity to Z490.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
52 Comments
View All Comments
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.