Intel Z490 Chipset Launches: 50 Comet Lake-S Motherboards Detailed

ASRock: 5 boards 

• ATX boards are PCIe 4.0 Ready (Requires Rocket Lake CPU)
• 2.5GbE LAN on all SKUs
• Actively Cooled VRM on the Taichi, Phantom Gaming-I TB3 and Velocita

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ASRock’s Z490 motherboard lineup consists of five SKUs -- four ATX and one Mini-ITX (mITX). The Taichi is currently the flagship, with the Velocita (a new name) slotting below it. Next, the familiar Extreme 4 and Steel Legend board fill in the entry-level spots. While there isn’t currently a Micro-ATX board in the lineup, the Mini-ITX Phantom Gaming-ITX TB3 covers the smaller motherboard market.

Each board features (up to) a Realtek Dragon RTL8125BG 2.5 GbE port with the Taichi and Velocita including a 1GbE port as well. The ASRock boards in the product stack support PCIe 4.0 with a Rocket Lake based CPU. If you plan on sticking with this platform and installing a Rocket Lake CPU later, these capabilities can extend the usefulness of the board when using PCIe 4.0-based cards and the faster PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 drives.

For those who need more than the native six SATA ports, the Z490 Taichi and Velocita carry two more, bringing their total to eight. The Taichi offers three M.2 slots (one of them a Hyper M.2 PCIe 4.0 slot as well). The smaller Phantom Gaming-ITX TB3 and the ATX size Taichi and Velocita include active cooling on the VRM heatsinks to keep temperatures down under heavy loads. ASRock chose the Realtek ALC1200 and ALC1220 codecs for audio, along with Nahimic software support. Like most boards these days, all will also have its share of integrated RGB lighting and headers, along with multiple fan headers.

Asus: 17 boards 

• Teamed Power Architecture (Maximus XII boards)
• Optimem III for High Frequency Memory Speeds (up to 4700+)
• AI Overclocking Based on CPU quality and Cooler Efficiency
• 2.5GbE and 10GbE NIC Available along with Wi-Fi 6

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Asus’ lineup consists of 17 boards, of which six will be released on May 27th. Out of the gate are samples from almost each of the company’s internal market segments, including the ROG Maximus XII Hero, ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming, TUF Gaming Z490-Plus (Wi-Fi), Prime Z490-A and Prime Z490-P and the ProArt Z490 Creator 10G. While many of these boards are feature-rich, it is worth noting none of these Z490 launch motherboards from Asus will not support PCIe 4.0 with Rocket Lake. That’s quite surprising considering multiple other board partners implemented this feature.

The premium gaming and overclocking-focused ROG Maximus XII (MXII) series brings the best of what the platform has to offer from Asus. Large passive heatsinks help cool the 16-phase teamed VRMs below. The MXII Formula includes an integrated EK water block for hybrid VRM cooling. Along those lines, Asus includes AI overclocking from the BIOS or the AI Suite that tests the processor to see which cores are best. Like ASRock, CPU quality and efficiency determine the outcome. All Maximus boards include at least a 2.5 Gb LAN with the Hero running 5 Gb, and the Formula and Extreme using Marvell AQtion AQC107 10GbE. You’ll also find up to 8 SATA ports and four M.2 slots in this lineup. 

The ROG Strix series spans several boards in various sizes, including ATX, Micro-ATX, and Mini-ITX. All employ a robust VRM design and most use a 12+2 configuration; the Z490-E implements a 14+2 setup (the same found in the Hero). Here 2.5GbE (Intel I225-V) with nothing slower or faster. You get six SATA ports and two M.2 slots, with Wi-Fi 6 capabilities on the E, G (mATX), and I (ITX) boards. The difference between these boards is mostly found in expansion slot configuration, thermal solutions, and appearance. All include the Supreme FX S1220A codec and will have multiple RGB LED headers for your audio and visual pleasure.

The Asus Prime motherboards (Z490-A, Z490-P) target gaming and productivity users. These boards use a solid VRM design along with employing some of the more high-end features including AI Overclocking, a pre-mounted IO shield, 2.5 Gb LAN, and front-panel USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Prime Z490-A).

The two TUF boards are geared more toward gamers with more modest budgets and needs. Users still get a solid VRM and heatsinks, integrated Wi-Fi 6 on the Plus (Wi-Fi), USB 3.2, and USB 3.2 Gen2 (10 Gbps) Type-C ports. Audio is handled by a Realtek ALC S1200A, though not the company’s flagship, is still going to be fine for most users.

Last is the ProArt Z490- Creator 10G. This board targets production, 2D/3D work, and rendering tasks including photograph/graphics, manufacturing/engineering, as well as games and animation/audio & video. Buyers of this board will receive multi-GPU support, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, three PCIe x16 slots, an Asus Hyper 10G LAN card and an Intel I225-V 2.5 GbE NIC. Since this sets up as more of a professional board, it does without the integrated RGB lighting.

 * Notes board is released on 5/27 (the rest “soon”) 

Biostar: 3 boards 

• Up to 16 Phase Power Design
• Wi-Fi 6 Capabilities on All Boards

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Biostar jumps headfirst into Z490, releasing three boards -- two ATX and one Micro-ATX. All boards include Wi-Fi 6 and a single 1 GbE (where others typically have 2.5 GbE). Both ATX boards sport a solid VRM phase count and will support stock operation and overclocking while the VRM on the mATX board was not listed. By sheer VRM count, the 16 and 14 phases on the GTA variants should be plenty for stock operation and any overclocking adventures. Also note that these Biostar boards will not support PCIe 4.0. 

Evga: 2 SKUs 

Evga Z490 boards consist of the familiar Z490 Dark, and Z390 FTW. The Dark is the flagship board in an EATX form factor stuffing an 18-phase VRM around the socket. The FTW model sports 14-phase power delivery. Both are plenty capable and will handle the flagship CPU without issue at both stock and overclocked operations. Memory support is listed as DDR4 4400 for the FTW and DDR4 4600 for the Dark which places it in the middle of most other boards.

On the storage front, the FTW has a total of six SATA ports four of which are sourced from the chipset while two come from an ASMedia controller. The Dark includes eight total SATA ports, six from the chipset and the other two from ASMedia. Both boards have two M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 (32 Gbps) ports and will fit up to 110 mm drives.

Audio is handled by the Realtek ALC12220 codecs on both boards with support from NU Audio. Both the FTW and Dark include a USB 3.2 Gen2 (2x2 20 Gbps) Type-C port along with several standard Gen2 and Gen1 ports.

Gigabyte: 14 SKUs 

• PCIe 4.0 Ready (Aorus and Vision boards)
• 32GB DIMM Support on All Boards
• Daisy Chain + Shielded Memory Routing
• 2.5 GbE on Most Models

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Gigabyte joins the Z490 fray with 14 different SKUs ranging from the gaming-centric Aorus line, featuring a similar naming convention (Xtreme, Master, Ultra, Elite, etc) to the standard and entry-level Gigabyte boards. Power delivery in the Aorus line ranges from 12 to 16 phases with up to 90A MOSFETs doing the dirty work. Cooling these are large heatsinks with an 8mm heat pipe hidden inside -- all passively cooled. Some of the major differences between the Aorus boards reside in VRM phase count and MOSFET capability, as well as the number of M.2 slots (2 or 3). The boards include six SATA ports, aside from the Ultra, which has four. 

Additionally, most Gigabyte boards we received information on use a 2.5 GbE (Gaming X is 1GbE - not sure about the entry-level UD boards). All Aorus-branded boards minus the Elite include Wi-Fi 6 as well. Overall, the Aorus boards have the most features, bug generally also come with a higher price tag.

The Vision D and Vision G motherboards also include the 12-phase VRM we see in some of the Aorus-labeled boards, so it is plenty capable on that front. Contrary to the Aorus and other designs, the Vision boards use white shrouds and silver brushed-aluminum heatsink accouterments as opposed to the black we are used to. Realtek ICs, the ALC1200, or premium ALC1220 manage audio for all boards. 

As far as the Xtreme Waterforce at the top, not much is known now, but it’s expected to be the Xtreme with hybrid cooling already installed and features should be similar to the Xtreme. The UD-based boards and Z490 M Gaming are in the product stack, however, the information isn't available at the time of this writing. The UD boards typically cover the entry side of things, while the Z490M is a Micro-ATX offering.

MSI: 8 SKUs

• 2.5 GbE LAN or Faster for All Models
• PCIe 4.0 support for ALL Z490 SKUs
• Front USB Type-C for All Models
• Active cooling for MEG Class Boards
• Tabbed Routing for Memory (support up to DDR4 5000)

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MSI hits the scene running with a total of eight SKUs across its MEG, MPG, MAG and Pro lines. Starting off with the MEG, there are two high-end SKUs in the MEG Godlike and MEG Ace--at least for now. Rumor has it we will see two other MEG boards as well. Both use a mirrored power arrangement and 16 phases for the CPU, plenty to handle the flagship part. 

Along with this, the MEG-class boards have the highest rated memory support at DDR4 5000 for the Godlike and DDR4 4800 for the Ace. Both sport six SATA ports and three M.2 slots and include 2.5 and 10 Gb NICs and integrated Wi-Fi 6. The MEG Ace includes a ‘Lightning’ USB 3.2 Gen 2 (20 Gbps) port as well--one of several that have incorporated this feature.

Moving down the product stack, the MPG line consists of four boards, all using a ‘duet’ rail power delivery with a 12+1+1 setup. Here we find the Gaming Carbon WiFi, Gaming Edge WiFi, the Micro-ATX Gaming Edge WiFi, and the Gaming Plus. The ATX-size boards sport six SATA ports (mATX is four) and have two M.2 slots. All MPG boards with “WiFi” in the name have integrated Wi-Fi 6 capabilities. If you need more speed out of your USB ports, both the Gaming Carbon WiFi and Gaming Edge WiFi boards include a USB 3.2 Gen2 (20 Gbps) port, too.

The MAG Tomahawk and A Pro serve different markets: gamer and creators respectively, and look different. However, their hardware configuration is similar, sharing the same 12+1+1 configuration for power and the same number of SATA ports and M.2 slots. Both sport 2.5 Gb NICs while the Tomahawk has a second Gigabit LAN.

Supermicro: 2 SKUs 

• 10 GbE + 1 GbE (WiFi 6/BT 5.0 - PGW only)
• PLX chip for x16/x16 PCIe lanes
• USB 3.2 Gen 2 port (20 Gb)
• PXE boot capable

As we saw from Supermicro with Z390, we’ll again see two SKUs, the C9Z490-PG and C9Z490-PGW. Hardware wise, there is no difference. Both use the same VRM and have the same port counts. The difference between them is the included Wi-Fi 6 in the PGW model. Outside of that, the Supermicro boards are some of the few (only?) boards with the ability to run two PCIe 3.0 x16 lanes (or x8/x8/x8/x8) thanks to the use of a PLX chip.

Both motherboards use a 10 GbE port to take care of all your high-bandwidth networking needs and a more standard Gigabit card for the more mundane tasks. The boards include two M.2 slots and four SATA ports for storage. Both SKUs also include the ultra-fast USB 3.2 Gen2 (2x2, 20 Gbps) port in case the four USB 3.2 Gen2 (10 Gbps) ports aren’t enough. PCIe 4.0 support is left out here as well.