Supermicro unveils two Intel Z490 boards, here they are

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 platforms from Intel. Today we look at the offerings from Supermicro and what they have to offer.

C9Z490 Series

The Supermicro C9Z490 series of boards only consists of two boards at the time of launch. The two boards are functionally and visually identical, except for Wi-Fi. The two models are C9Z490-PG, and C9Z490-PGW, where the W suffix denotes Wi-Fi inclusion.

C9Z490-PGW

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First up, we have the C9Z490-PGW, which is the version of the Supermicro board with Wi-Fi. Being Supermicro, you know they have a history of building rock stable server platforms and proper component integration for high density and heavy workload servers and workstations. Now entering the consumer space, we expect the same level of build quality as we have seen before, along with a UEFI that is maturing to a less server and more consumer level. Unfortunately, information on this board pair is limited, so many areas will be TBD until we get the board in hands, at which point we will share all fo the details with you in a full review.

• Price: $TBA
• Form Factor: ATX
• VRM Configuration TBD
• VRM controller: TBD
• VRM power stages: TBD - TBD
• Memory slots: 4
• Memory Speed (MHz): 4000+
• Memory Topology: Daisy Chain
• M.2 Slots: 1x 2280 + 1x 22110
• LAN 1: (LAN chip not listed) - 10Gb
• LAN 2: (LAN chip not listed) - 1Gb
• Wi-Fi: (Wi-Fi chip not listed)Wi-Fi 6 AX

Special Features:

• PLX chip for x16/0/x16/0 or x8/x8/x8/x8 PCIe slot allocation

As I stated in the onset, the information on a lot of the detailed components was not provided in the documentation, but I should have the board soon, and when we do, you can bet that we will tear into all the bits to find out what makes it tick.

C9Z490-PG

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No, your eyes do not deceive you, this is indeed the same board just minus the Wi-Fi. This is for users who are planning a rig that will be hard-wired and have no need for wireless connectivity. This could also be used for government or professional entities where wireless connectivity is barred or not desirable.

• Price: $TBA
• Form Factor: ATX
• VRM Configuration TBD
• VRM controller: TBD
• VRM power stages: TBD - TBD
• Memory slots: 4
• Memory Speed (MHz): 4000+
• Memory Topology: Daisy Chain
• M.2 Slots: 1x 2280 + 1x 22110
• LAN 1: (LAN chip not listed) - 10Gb
• LAN 2: (LAN chip not listed) - 1Gb
• Wi-Fi: N//A

Special Features:

• PLX chip for x16/0/x16/0 or x8/x8/x8/x8 PCIe slot allocation

This board, much like its Wi-Fi enabled brother could be a diamond in the rough. We will have to dig into the details once it's in hand and share with you, not just how it performs, but how does it stack up to the other more conventional options in the consumer space.

That wraps up what Supermicro has to offer, and while I know its not a lot, I will admit it is exciting to see someone with the engineering prowess such as Supermicro enter the consumer scene with some robust looking and quality boards.