ASUS' Intel Z490 motherboards detailed, all 17 of them

With the official announcement and release of the new Comet Lake CPU's, we can now showcase all of the new Z490 boards made for the new up to 10 Core mainstream processors from Intel. Today we look at the offerings from ASUS and what they have to offer.

ROG Maximus Series

First up is the Maximus series, which signifies the peak of engineering and performance form ASUS. If you are looking for an ASUS board with the latest and greatest features, the Maximus lineup is where you should start.

Maximus XII Extreme

The Maximus XII Extreme is the peak top of the top-end series of boards for ASUS. While the Extreme used to be the top XOC board (That title now rests with the APEX models), it now has become the board with everything including the kitchen sink included and is well-targeted for extreme enthusiasts.

• Price: $750
• Availability: TBA
• Form Factor: EATX
• VRM Configuration 16 + 0
• VRM controller: ASP1405I
• VRM power stages: 16x TDI21490 - 90A
• Memory slots: 4
• Memory Speed (MHz): 4700+
• Memory Topology: Daisy chain
• M.2 Slots: 2x 22110, 2x 2280
• LAN 1: AQtion AQC107 - 10Gb
• LAN 2: Intel I225-V - 2.5Gb
• Wi-Fi: Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201

Special Features:

• DIMM.2
• Thunderbolt EX 3-TR card included
• Dual USB 3.2 Gen 2 headers

As we see here, there are tons of features, and probably, even more, we will discover when review time comes. This, while not the XOC awesomeness of the APEX, deserves the halo positioning.

Maximus XII Formula

The Maximus XII Formula is the extreme gamers board, with integrated VRM liquid cooling via a partnership with EK along with several high-end features that make it a solid board on paper, and deserving of inclusion in the Maximus series.

• Price: $500
• Availability: TBA
• Form Factor: ATX
• VRM Configuration 16 + 0
• VRM controller: ASP1405I
• VRM power stages: 16x 70A
• Memory slots: 4
• Memory Speed (MHz): 4700+
• Memory Topology: Daisy chain
• M.2 Slots: 1x 22110, 2x 2280
• LAN 1: AQtion AQC107 - 10Gb
• LAN 2: Intel I225-V - 2.5Gb
• Wi-Fi: Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201

Special Features:

• Hybrid Air/Liquid-cooled VRM by EK

The Formula is a board that adds the ability for liquid cooling enthusiasts to integrate their VRM into their liquid-cooled rig. IT has all of the bells and whistles while not quite tipping the scales as the Extreme does.

Maximus XII Apex

The Maximus XII APEX is the XOC champion form ASUS. This is the board some of the top XOC enthusiasts competitors may consider when pushing for world record memory and CPU clocks. Its dual DIMM design ensures optimal memory performance tuning and overclocking.

• Price: $TBA
• Availability: TBA
• Form Factor: ATX
• VRM Configuration 16 + 0
• VRM controller: ASP1405I
• VRM power stages: 16x - 70A
• Memory slots: 2
• Memory Speed (MHz): 5000+
• M.2 Slots: 2x 22110, 1x 2280
• LAN: Intel I225-V - 2.5Gb
• Wi-Fi: Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201

Special Features:

• XOC layout (integrated controls for XOC features at top right)
• Optimized dual DIMM layout for memory OC

The APEX is truly deserving of the name as it is the APEX of ASUS performance engineering and edge overclocking capabilities.

Maximus XII Hero (Wi-Fi)

The Maximus XII Hero, is the entry position for ROG Maximus series boards, with only the Code model traditionally falling below this in the stack. As of now, the Hero will be the entry point for the Z490 stack, but things can change as the platform matures and another wave of boards could come along.

• Price: $399.99
• Availability: 5/27/2020
• Form Factor: ATX
• VRM Configuration 14 + 2
• VRM controller: ASP1405I
• VRM power stages: 16x - 60A
• Memory slots: 4
• Memory Speed (MHz): 4700+
• Memory Topology: Daisy chain
• M.2 Slots: 2x 22110, 1x 2280
• LAN 1: AQtion AQC111C - 5Gb
• LAN 2: Intel I219-V - 1Gb
• Wi-Fi: Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201

Special Features:

• HDMI 1.4b port for iGPU

ROG STRIX Series

Next up, we have the STRIX series, which is the more mainstream gamer-focused parts. STRIX series tend to normally have many of the most popular features while omitting some of the more bleeding edge bells and whistles to offer a better value performance option for gamers. One thing to note is that we only have select information at this time, so we will fill in whatever information e have on hand, but rest assured, we will cover the boards in detail as we get them in for review.

STRIX Z490-E Gaming

The Strix Z490-E Gaming is the top of the STRIX categories stack. It is the only board with a Q-code display and also the most robust VRM and USB count.

• Price: $299
• Availability: 5/27/2020
• Form Factor: ATX
• VRM Configuration 14 + 2
• VRM controller: TBA
• VRM power stages: 14x - TBA
• Memory slots: 4
• Memory Speed (MHz): 4600
• Memory Topology: Daisy chain
• M.2 Slots: 2x 22110
• LAN: Intel I225-V - 2.5Gb
• Wi-Fi: Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201

Special Features:

• HDMI 1.4b port for iGPU
• DP 1.2 port for iGPU

STRIX Z490-F Gaming

The Strix Z490-F Gaming is next below the stack in positioning and price. It loses two power stages, and we will see that carry across most of the STRIX lineup.

• Price: $269
• Availability: TBA
• Form Factor: ATX
• VRM Configuration 12 + 2
• VRM controller: TBA
• VRM power stages: 12x - TBA
• Memory slots: 4
• Memory Speed (MHz): 4600
• Memory Topology: Daisy chain
• M.2 Slots: 2x 22110
• LAN: Intel I225-V - 2.5Gb
• Wi-Fi: N/A (M.2 E-key)

Special Features:

• HDMI 1.4b port for iGPU
• DP 1.2 port for iGPU

STRIX Z490-A Gaming

The Strix Z490-A Gaming is the next step down and one of the first we have seen with the white and silver heat sink design we have gotten used to from the Prime series. This is also one o the first boards to omit SLI inclusion and only support CrossFire X configurations.

• Price: $TBA
• Availability: TBA
• Form Factor: ATX
• VRM Configuration 12 + 2
• VRM controller: TBA
• VRM power stages: 12x - TBA
• Memory slots: 4
• Memory Speed (MHz): 4600
• Memory Topology: Daisy chain
• M.2 Slots: 2x 22110
• LAN: Intel I225-V - 2.5Gb
• Wi-Fi: N/A (M.2 E-key)

Special Features:

• HDMI 1.4 port for iGPU
• DP 1.4 port for iGPU

STRIX Z490-H Gaming

The Strix Z490-H Gaming takes us back to the ROG black and red but is still the next move down the stack. The STRIX Z490-H Gaming board also omits the SLI support, much like the preceding Z490-A model. The Z490-H also reduces the cost a bit more by removing the USB 3.2 Gen 2 header form the board.

• Price: $TBA
• Availability: TBA
• Form Factor: ATX
• VRM Configuration 12 + 2
• VRM controller: TBA
• VRM power stages: 12x - TBA
• Memory slots: 4
• Memory Speed (MHz): 4600
• Memory Topology: Daisy chain
• M.2 Slots: 2x 22110
• LAN: Intel I225-V - 2.5Gb
• Wi-Fi: N/A (M.2 E-key)

Special Features:

• HDMI 1.4 port for iGPU
• DP 1.4 port for iGPU

STRIX Z490-G Gaming (Wi-Fi)

The Strix Z490-G Gaming (Wi-Fi) is the next notch down the STRIX totem pole. This is the first mATX inclusion into the ASUS Z490 lineup we have looked at thus far. This time we lose the Thunderbolt header, and SLI is still off the table. However, this being the Wi-Fi model, we do pick up the same Wi-Fi AX as the other top tier boards have employed. Strangely enough, this board also adds the USB 3.2 Gen 2 onboard header back into the mix.

• Price: $TBA
• Availability: TBA
• Form Factor: mATX
• VRM Configuration 12 + 2
• VRM controller: TBA
• VRM power stages: 12x - TBA
• Memory slots: 4
• Memory Speed (MHz): 4600
• Memory Topology: Daisy chain
• M.2 Slots: 1x 22110, 1x 2280
• LAN: Intel I225-V - 2.5Gb
• Wi-Fi: N/A (M.2 E-key)

Special Features:

• HDMI 1.4 port for iGPU
• DP 1.4 port for iGPU

STRIX Z490-G Gaming (Wi-Fi)

The Strix Z490-G Gaming is the same as the previous board, but without Wi-Fi, so while we do not have the cost at this time, we will assume it must be at least a little bit cheaper. Unlike the other STRIX models which omitted Wi-Fi, but included an M.2 E-key slot for those who wanted to add it, the Z490-G does not appear to offer this. If you want Wi-Fi or think you may need it, get the Wi-Fi version.

• Price: $TBA
• Availability: TBA
• Form Factor: mATX
• VRM Configuration 12 + 2
• VRM controller: TBA
• VRM power stages: 12x - TBA
• Memory slots: 4
• Memory Speed (MHz): 4600
• Memory Topology: Daisy chain
• M.2 Slots: 1x 22110, 1x 2280
• LAN: Intel I225-V - 2.5Gb
• Wi-Fi: N/A

Special Features:

• HDMI 1.4 port for iGPU
• DP 1.4 port for iGPU

STRIX Z490-I Gaming

The Strix Z490-I Gaming is the first ITX board for Z490 we have seen from ASUS. While I would love to see an Impact model, and we very well may see one down the road, for now, this will be the top ITX based Z490 gaming board you can get from the ASUS team. This is the first board we have seen with an active VRM cooling solution in the STRIX lineup. This is likely due to the fact that the board being ITX will be quite limited on VRM size, and to push a deca-core 10900K, it will need to be properly cooled.

• Price: $299
• Availability: TBA
• Form Factor: ITX
• VRM Configuration 8 + 2
• VRM controller: TBA
• VRM power stages: 8x - TBA
• Memory slots: 2
• Memory Speed (MHz): 4800
• M.2 Slots: 2x 2280
• LAN: Intel I225-V - 2.5Gb
• Wi-Fi: Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201

Special Features:

• HDMI 2.0a port for iGPU
• DP 1.4 port for iGPU
• Active VRM heat sink

ASUS TUF Gaming Series

Next up, we have the TUF Gaming series, which is ASUS more budget-oriented gaming line of boards. Originally TUF was the "military class themed" boards a while back, but TUF has moved forward in the stack focusing more around the mainstream gaming arena. Expect these would be the next step feature and Gamer styling-wise below the STRIX options.

TUF Z490-Plus (Wi-Fi)

The TUF series only has one board with two variations, with or without Wi-Fi. The TUF series is where we see the Thunderbolt header and the USB 3.2 Gen 2 header return. The TUF Series does not support SLI and have a more basic aesthetic and heat sink design. Think function over form for the TUF series.

• Price: $199
• Availability: 5/27/2020
• Form Factor: ATX
• VRM Configuration 12 + 2
• VRM controller: TBA
• VRM power stages: 12x - DrMOS
• Memory slots: 4
• Memory Speed (MHz): 4600+
• Memory Topology: Daisy chain
• M.2 Slots: 1x 22110, 1x 2280
• LAN: Intel I219-V - 1Gb
• Wi-Fi: Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201

Special Features:

• HDMI 1.4 port for iGPU
• DP 1.4 port for iGPU
• Aesthetric PCB cutouts and lighting

TUF Z490-Plus (Wi-Fi)

The TUF sZ490-PLUS is the same as the previous board just sans Wi-Fi. This board does not have a listed M.2 E-key slot, so we must assume that like the STRIX-G board, if you want Wi-Fi on a TUF Z490, just get the one with Wi-Fi, unless you plan to add it via a PCIe or USB solution.

• Price: $TBD
• Availability: TBD
• Form Factor: ATX
• VRM Configuration 12 + 2
• VRM controller: TBA
• VRM power stages: 12x - DrMOS
• Memory slots: 4
• Memory Speed (MHz): 4600+
• Memory Topology: Daisy chain
• M.2 Slots: 1x 22110, 1x 2280
• LAN: Intel I219-V - 1Gb
• Wi-Fi: N/A

Special Features:

• HDMI 1.4 port for iGPU
• DP 1.4 port for iGPU
• Aesthetric PCB cutouts and lighting

ASUS Prime Series

One of the last series we will look at will be the Prime series from ASUS. This series is your most mainstream option form the ASUS camp. These boards are still plenty capable for your everyday gaming rig or even basic workhorse. However, if you are into twisting the knobs and tweaking away on your system, the Prime series may not be your best option.

Prime Z490-A

The Prime Z490-A shows the return of SLI support, which is nice for a builder series of boards, which essentially is what Prime has become. We also see the return of 2.5G networking on the top model and even the Thunderbolt header.

• Price: $229.99
• Availability: 5/27/2020
• Form Factor: ATX
• VRM Configuration 12 + 2
• VRM controller: TBA
• VRM power stages: 12x - DrMOS
• Memory slots: 4
• Memory Speed (MHz): 4600+
• Memory Topology: Daisy chain
• M.2 Slots: 2x 22110
• LAN: Intel I225-V - 2.5Gb
• Wi-Fi: N/A (M.2 E-key)

Special Features:

• HDMI 1.4b port for iGPU
• DP 1.4 port for iGPU

Prime Z490-P

The Prime Z490-P is the more value-oriented version of the Prime Z490-A variant. This board omits the fancy heat sink designs and shrouds to reduce cost. Also omitted here would be the 2.5G LAN, replaced by a Realtek Gigabit unit. Also, the Audio now swaps form a Realtek ALC 1220/A variant to a more basic ALC 887. Another notable omission is SLI support, as CrossFire X is the only Multi-GPU tech, supported for this board variant.

• Price: $159.99
• Availability: 5/27/2020
• Form Factor: ATX
• VRM Configuration 10 + 1
• VRM controller: TBA
• VRM power stages: 10x - DrMOS
• Memory slots: 4
• Memory Speed (MHz): 4600+
• Memory Topology: Daisy chain
• M.2 Slots: 1x 22110, 1x 2280
• LAN: Realtek 8111H - 1Gb
• Wi-Fi: N/A (M.2 E-key)

Special Features:

• HDMI 1.4b port for iGPU
• DP 1.4 port for iGPU

Prime Z490M-PLUS

The Prime Z490M-PLUS is an entry-level mATX option that like the prime series does is made to be a builder option for users. This is not going to win any overclocking awards, but if you are looking to enter the Z490 platform and want a rig that will simply run and game with reliability and stability, the Z490M-PLUS from ASUS may very well meet your feature and simplicity needs. A few things worth noting is the absence of a USB 3.2 Gen 2 onboard header, and the use of a more basic ALC887 audio codec, same as we saw on the Prime Z490-P.

• Price: $TBD
• Availability:TBD
• Form Factor: mATX
• VRM Configuration 8 + 1
• VRM controller: TBA
• VRM power stages: 8x - DrMOS
• Memory slots: 4
• Memory Speed (MHz):4400+
• Memory Topology: Daisy chain
• M.2 Slots: 1x 22110, 1x 2280
• LAN: Intel I219-V - 1Gb
• Wi-Fi: N/A (M.2 E-key)

Special Features:

• HDMI 1.4b port for iGPU
• DP 1.4 port for iGPU
• DL DVI port for iGPU

ASUS ProArt Series

The final entry we will be looking at is the new ProArt series of motherboard. The ProArt series is well-known from ASUS as being a solution for creators and those who have specific content creation focused needs. The ProArt series will be less aesthetic focused and more designed around the concept of heavy lifting and getting work done, with appropriate features to accomplish that goal.

ProArt Z490-Creator 10G

I know the ProArt board is at the bottom of the list, but it truly is a well-appointed and feature-rich solution. The board is focused on creators omits some of the normal styles in favor of integrated solutions that make sense for the creator space. One of those being integrated onboard dual Thunderbolt 3 ports. Then we have the 10G portion, which instead of installing an Aquantia 10G chipset on the board, ASUS opted to include the chipset on an add-in card while the onboard Intel 2.5G LAN can serve many creators who do not need the extra LAN bandwidth taking up valuable PCIe lanes. SLI once again is absent on this board, as it is not targeted for this usage.

• Price: $TBD
• Availability: 5/27/2020
• Form Factor: ATX
• VRM Configuration 12 + 2
• VRM controller: TBA
• VRM power stages: 12x - DrMOS
• Memory slots: 4
• Memory Speed (MHz): 4600+
• Memory Topology: Daisy chain
• M.2 Slots: 2x 22110
• LAN: Intel I225-V - 2.5Gb
• Wi-Fi: N/A (M.2 E-key)

Special Features:

• HDMI 1.4b port for iGPU
• DP 1.4 port for iGPU
• Dual Thunderbolt 3 ports
• 10Gb AIC network card included
• Suport for up to three GPUs to accelerate production

And there we have it; we look forward to getting hands-on with most of the boards soon and filling in some of the blanks we simply could not sort form the material we have provided to us. ASUS has a potent stack for Z490, and if they follow their normal release cadence, we could see more coming down the pipe as the platform matures.