ASRock Z490 Motherboard Features 10-Pin Intel ATX12VO Power Connector

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By Zhiye Liu
published

ASRock embraces the ATX12VO.

ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4SR (Image credit: ASRock)

A giant wave of Z490 motherboards flooded headlines yesterday, accompanying Intel's 10th Generation Comet Lake-S CPU launch. It's no wonder that motherboards, such as the Z490 Phantom Gaming 4SR, went unnoticed. But as spotted by hardware detective @KOMACHI_ENSAKA, ASRock's Z490 Phantom Gaming 4SR comes with Intel's ATX12VO power connector.

The ATX12VO specification is Intel's invention to deviate from the standard 24-pin ATX power connector that has been with us for ages. Basically, Intel's connector removes the 3.3V and 5V rails and only retains the 12V rail. The new standard reduces the bulky 24-pin connector to just a 10-pin connector. 

ASRock didn't touch the 8-pin EPS power connector. Although the motherboard manufacturer has sacrificed the 24-pin power connector, there are still a bunch of components that still depend on the 5V rail, and a handful need 3.3V. As such, ASRock placed two 4-pin power connectors on the top right corner of the motherboard that should be used to power SATA drives.

There's also a 6-pin PCIe power connector, which we suspect is there to feed graphics cards in a multi-GPU setup.

ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4SR (Image credit: ASRock)

Besides the ATX12VO power connector, the Z490 Phantom Gaming 4SR has a modest featureset. The ATX motherboard features the LGA1200 CPU socket and is based on the high-end Z490 chipset. It's sporting a 10-phase power delivery subsystem and four conventional DDR4 RAM slots. The maximum supported capacity is 128GB with memory speeds surpassing DDR4-4400.

For storage, the motherboard provides four SATA III ports and a M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 port that supports M.2 drives with a length up to 110mm, whether they're SATA or PCIe-based. The board isn't PCIe 4.0-ready and comes with two PCIe 3.0 x16 slots. There are also three PCIe 3.0 x 1 slots and an M.2 socket housing a Wi-Fi 802.11ac module with Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity.

The motherboard's rear panel exposes one PS/2 combo port, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports. Two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 headers are situated on the motherboard as well. There's just a single HDMI 1.4 port for video ouput. 

A standard Gigabit Ethernet port, which is based of Intel's I219V controller, provides wired access to the internet. On the audio side, Realtek's ALC1200 audio codec offers 7.1-channel audio through the trio of 3.5mm audio jacks.

ASRock didn't reveal the pricing or exact release date for its Intel 400-series motherboards, but we expect the new products to hit the shelves in the coming weeks.

Zhiye Liu
Zhiye Liu
RAM Reviewer and News Editor

Zhiye Liu is a Freelance News Writer at Tom’s Hardware US. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.

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14 Comments Comment from the forums
  • mdd1963
    So , assuming at least some other Z490 mainboards adopt this new connector scheme, now new PSUs are required as well...(short of some adapter harnesses of some type being included, perhaps...)
    Reply
  • Alvar "Miles" Udell
    Pray this stupidity doesn't catch on...
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    mdd1963 said:
    So , assuming at least some other Z490 mainboards adopt this new connector scheme, now new PSUs are required as well...
    12VO is mainly for OEMs and the main reason for its creation is increased power-efficiency, I wouldn't expect it to become a mainstream aftermarket thing for many more years.

    For 12VO to really take off, there will need to be 12VO updates to every major IO so most intermediate DC-DC converters and their additional losses can be completely eliminated. The most difficult intermediate rail to get rid of will be 5V since all modern external interfaces use 5V power by default.
    Reply
  • Deicidium369
    Alvar Miles Udell said:
    Pray this stupidity doesn't catch on...
    And what exactly make this stupid? Because it's from Intel? IF Intel mandates the move to motherboard manufacturers, it will be done. This type of thing has happened several time over the course of Intel/PC history.
    Reply
  • Deicidium369
    mdd1963 said:
    So , assuming at least some other Z490 mainboards adopt this new connector scheme, now new PSUs are required as well...(short of some adapter harnesses of some type being included, perhaps...)
    Initially an adapter harness - would be most likely - and some most PS are modular- would be trivial top have a 10p to 10p included in the cable pack.
    Reply
  • setx
    Deicidium369 said:
    And what exactly make this stupid? Because it's from Intel? IF Intel mandates the move to motherboard manufacturers, it will be done. This type of thing has happened several time over the course of Intel/PC history.
    Getting rid of -12V and 3.3V makes sense, but for 5V none whatsoever. Too many things use 5V and they are not going anywhere. For example 5V is main voltage for USB (and the only USB voltage excluding Type-C PD and non-standard extensions).
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    setx said:
    Too many things use 5V and they are not going anywhere. For example 5V is main voltage for USB (and the only USB voltage excluding Type-C PD and non-standard extensions).
    Sooner or later, we'll need completely new connectors to support higher speeds and that will be the opportunity to scrap intermediate voltages. Yes, that won't happen until 10+ years after those 12VO IOs become mainstream and we'll have legacy IO hubs along the way too for people who don't want to ditch their legacy stuff.
    Reply
  • nofanneeded
    InvalidError said:
    12VO is mainly for OEMs and the main reason for its creation is increased power-efficiency, I wouldn't expect it to become a mainstream aftermarket thing for many more years.

    For 12VO to really take off, there will need to be 12VO updates to every major IO so most intermediate DC-DC converters and their additional losses can be completely eliminated. The most difficult intermediate rail to get rid of will be 5V since all modern external interfaces use 5V power by default.

    Actually 5V on motherboards with 12V only Power supply are obtained from onboard DC to DC 12 to 5V converters on the motherboard itself ... notebooks already use that for the USB ports , the power in is 19V in most notebooks.
    Reply
  • nofanneeded
    Alvar Miles Udell said:
    Pray this stupidity doesn't catch on...

    I Pray all mothebroard makers ditch the old useless technology and use minimal power plug designs .. it is about time we leave the 20 and 24 pins behind forever.
    Reply
  • InvalidError
    nofanneeded said:
    Actually 5V on motherboards with 12V only Power supply are obtained from onboard DC to DC 12 to 5V converters on the motherboard itself.
    I know. Still need to get rid of those extra DC-DC conversions or at least move them closer to the point-of-load for increased efficiency. Moving legacy IO to case modules as more native IO goes PCIe would also reduce motherboard clutter.

    In an ideal world, the next-gen bus power specs should mandate 10-23V absolute limits with 12-20V nominal so systems can simply provide whatever is convenient and most efficient. It would also pave the way for an eventual switch to 20VO.
    Reply