Z490 Motherboards At A Glance
14 May 2020
Launching soon are the latest Z490 motherboards designed to support Intel’s upcoming 10th Gen CPUs.
Z490 vs Z390 Compared
Perhaps the most defining upgrade to Z490 is the support for 10th Gen Intel CPUs (Comet Lake-S) via the use of the new LGA 1200 socket. Previous Z390 motherboards utilise the LGA 1151 socket which supports only up to 9th Gen Intel Core CPUs. Otherwise, the Z490 chipset also provides improved memory speed support with many Z490 motherboards supporting even higher memory speeds (even up to DDR4 5000). Z490 carries over integrated Intel Wi-Fi 6 support from Z390 (dependent on the specific motherboard).
Feature |
Z490 |
Z390 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | LGA1200 | LGA1151 |
| Max PCH PCIe 3.0 Lanes | 24 | 24 |
| PCIe Configuration | x16, x8/x8, x8/x4/x4 |
x16, x8/x8, x8/x4/x4 |
| Max PCIe Lanes | 24 | 24 |
| Max USB 3.1 (Gen2/Gen1) | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Total USB | 14 | 14 |
| Max SATA 3.0 Ports | 6 | 6 |
| Memory Support | DDR4 (up to 2933MHz) | DDR4 (up to 2666MHz) |
| DIMMs per channel | 2 | 2 |
| Integrated Wireless* | Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201* | Intel Wireless-AC* |
| TDP | 6W | 6W |
*Integrated Wi-Fi is dependent on the specific motherboard model
Additional Features
Many of the new Z490 motherboards include features over-and-above Intel’s feature set. Some Z490 motherboards include support for PCIe 4.0; however, to fully support the use of PCIe 4.0 devices, future CPUs must also support PCIe 4.0. USB 3.2 Gen 2 (20Gbps) is also featured on some motherboards - these ports typically managed by a third-party ASMedia controller. Other changes also include beefier VRMs and VRM heatsinks to provide power for the new 10th Gen Intel CPUs.
Intel Z490 Chipset Block Diagram
ASUS Z490 Motherboards
At launch, ASUS is offering Z490 motherboards catering for all 3 of the most common form factors - mini-ITX, microATX and ATX.
Model |
Form Factor |
DRAM Slots |
SATA Ports |
M.2 Storage Slots |
NIC |
Wi-Fi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASUS PRIME Z490M-PLUS | mATX | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1Gb | No |
| ASUS PRIME Z490-P | ATX | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1Gb | No |
| ASUS TUF GAMING Z490-PLUS WI-FI | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1Gb | Yes |
| ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-H GAMING | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2.5Gb | No |
| ASUS PRIME Z490-A | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2.5Gb | No |
| ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-G GAMING WI-FI | mATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2.5Gb | Yes |
| ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-A GAMING | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2.5Gb | No |
| ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-F GAMING | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2.5Gb | No |
| ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-I GAMING | mITX | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2.5Gb | Yes |
| ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-E GAMING | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2.5Gb | Yes |
| ASUS PROART Z490-CREATOR 10G | ATX | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2.5Gb + 10Gb (AIC) |
No |
| ASUS ROG Z490 MAXIMUS XII HERO WI-FI | ATX | 4 | 6 | 3 |
1Gb + |
Yes |
| ASUS ROG Z490 MAXIMUS XII APEX | ATX | 2 | 8 | 2 | 2.5Gb | Yes |
| ASUS ROG Z490 MAXIMUS XII FORMULA | ATX | 4 | 6 | 3 | 2.5Gb + 10Gb |
Yes |
| ASUS ROG Z490 MAXIMUS XII EXTREME | E-ATX | 4 | 8 | 4 | 2.5Gb + 10Gb |
Yes |
GIGABYTE Z490 Motherboards
Gigabyte is also providing mini-ITX, microATX and ATX Z490 motherboards at launch. Gigabyte is also debuting their new VISION series of motherboards targeted at content creators. You can read more about their Z490 motherboards in our showcase article.
Model |
Form Factor |
DRAM Slots |
SATA Ports |
M.2 Storage Slots |
NIC |
Wi-Fi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gigabyte Z490M | mATX | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1Gb | No |
| Gigabyte Z490 UD | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1Gb | No |
| Gigabyte Z490M GAMING X | mATX | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1Gb | No |
| Gigabyte Z490 UD AC | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1Gb | Yes |
| Gigabyte Z490 GAMING X | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1Gb | No |
| Gigabyte Z490 VISION G | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2.5Gb | No |
| Gigabyte Z490 AORUS ELITE | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2.5Gb | No |
| Gigabyte Z490 AORUS ELITE AC | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2.5Gb | Yes |
| Gigabyte Z490 AORUS PRO AX | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2.5Gb | Yes |
| Gigabyte Z490I AORUS ULTRA | mITX | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2.5Gb | Yes |
| Gigabyte Z490 VISION D | ATX | 4 | 6 | 3 | 2.5Gb + 1Gb |
Yes |
| Gigabyte Z490 AORUS ULTRA | ATX | 4 | 6 | 3 | 2.5Gb | Yes |
| Gigabyte Z490 AORUS MASTER | ATX | 4 | 6 | 3 | 2.5Gb | Yes |
| Gigabyte Z490 AORUS XTREME | E-ATX | 4 | 6 | 3 | 10Gb + 2.5Gb |
Yes |
| Gigabyte Z490 AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE | E-ATX | 4 | 6 | 3 | 10Gb + 2.5Gb |
Yes |
MSI Z490 Motherboards
ATX, microATX and mini-ITX MSI Z490 motherboards will also be available.
Model |
Form Factor |
DRAM Slots |
SATA Ports |
M.2 Storage Slots |
NIC |
Wi-Fi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSI Z490-A PRO | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2.5Gb | No |
| MSI MPG Z490 GAMING PLUS | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2.5Gb | No |
| MSI MAG Z490 TOMAHAWK | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2.5Gb + 1Gb |
No |
| MSI MPG Z490M GAMING EDGE WIFI | mATX | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2.5Gb | Yes |
| MSI MPG Z490 GAMING EDGE WIFI | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2.5Gb | Yes |
| MSI MEG Z490i UNIFY | mITX | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2.5Gb | Yes |
| MSI MPG Z490 GAMING CARBON WIFI | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2.5Gb | Yes |
| MSI MEG Z490 UNIFY | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2.5Gb | Yes |
| MSI MEG Z490 ACE | ATX | 4 | 6 | 3 | 2.5Gb + 1Gb |
Yes |
| MSI MEG Z490 GODLIKE | E-ATX | 4 | 6 | 3 | 10Gb + 2.5Gb |
Yes |
ASRock Z490 Motherboards
Just like the other brands, ASRock will also be providing Z490 motherboards for mini-ITX, microATX and ATX form factors.
Model |
Form Factor |
DRAM Slots |
SATA Ports |
M.2 Storage Slots |
NIC |
Wi-Fi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4 | ATX | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1Gb | No |
| ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4/2.5G | ATX | 4 | 6 | 1 | 2.5Gb | No |
| ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4/ac | ATX | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1Gb | Yes |
| ASRock Z490M Pro4 | mATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1Gb | No |
| ASRock Z490M-ITX/ac | mITX | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2.5Gb | Yes |
| ASRock Z490 Pro4 | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1Gb | No |
| ASRock Z490 Steel Legend | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2.5Gb | No |
| ASRock Z490 Extreme4 | ATX | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2.5Gb | No |
| ASRock Z490 PG Velocita | ATX | 4 | 8 | 2 | 2.5Gb | No |
| ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3 | mITX | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2.5Gb | Yes |
| ASRock Z490 Taichi | ATX | 4 | 8 | 3 | 2.5Gb | Yes |
Browse Mwave’s full range of Z490 Motherboards on our online store.
