ASUS Leaks PRIME Z490-P and Z490-A Motherboards for Intel's 10th Gen

[Raevenlord]

ASUS has inadvertently leaked images of their upcoming PRIME Z490-P and Z490-A motherboards, which will accompany the introduction of Intel's 10th Gen "Ice Lake" CPUs. As is usual with Intel, the new generation CPU release will be met with a new chipset launch, of which ASUS apparently has finalized designs: the company has uploaded Z490 pictures on their current Z390 PRIME webpage.

Like with previous ASUS designs, the PRIME Z490-P seems to target budget-conscious users, with a reduced feature set including a no-frills VRM heatsink design (which means the VRM itself isn't a top-tier one) and a pretty basic on-board sound processor. The motherboard still packs 2x M.2 slots and 2x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, though the rest of the expansion slots are of the 1x kind (4x slots in total). The Z490-A, though, boasts of a more premium construction, with oversized heatsinks (including for at least one of the M.2 slots) and 3x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots alongside 3x Pcie 3.0 1x slots. The sound processing subsystem has also been clearly beefed up in comparison.



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[Daven]

I will like to honestly know the difference between these boards and the 300 series versions. Is anything added of significance?

 

[TheLostSwede]

I will like to honestly know the difference between these boards and the 300 series versions. Is anything added of significance?

 

[efikkan]

Seems very comparable to the older models, except for the new platform of course.

Z490-P looks pretty okay except for the Realtek LAN controller. I guess they wanted to save that ~1$

 

[Ferrum Master]

Those motherboard USB3 headers besides each other is a greatest stupidity from cable management point of view.

 

[tabascosauz]

ASUS has inadvertently leaked images of their upcoming PRIME Z490-P and Z490-A motherboards, which will accompany the introduction of Intel's 10th Gen "Ice Lake" CPUs.

@Raevenlord I'm no stranger to daydreaming of better Intel products, but this is for Comet Lake-S. It's okay, I also wish Intel's 10nm was something more than dumpster-fire vaporware.

 

[R00kie]

Not sure if anyone's noticed, but there looks to be VRM's on 3 sides now, around the socket on the Z490-A....
That's stupendous.

 

[Ed_1]

Seems very comparable to the older models, except for the new platform of course.

Z490-P looks pretty okay except for the Realtek LAN controller. I guess they wanted to save that ~1$

Realtek LAN controller , That's a dealbreaker for me, I want Intel NIC, same if it came with Killer.

 

[E-curbi]

@Raevenlord I'm no stranger to daydreaming of better Intel products, but this is for Comet Lake-S. It's okay, I also wish Intel's 10nm was something more than dumpster-fire vaporware.

Did Raevenlord really type out the code name - Ice Lake?

So many lakes, so little time. lololol, I get confused too.

Set him straight tabascolovebrosauz.

June, July, August, September - goodbye CML, you've been replaced. Predicting an even shorter lifespan than Kaby Lake.

Believe RKL might turn out to be scorching hot, fingers and toes crossed for ADL.

 

[windwhirl]

Those motherboard USB3 headers besides each other is a greatest stupidity from cable management point of view.

I'm more surprised by the four USB 2.0 headers. Not one, not two but FOUR of them... seems like a lot.

 

[gamefoo21]

Not sure if anyone's noticed, but there looks to be VRM's on 3 sides now, around the socket on the Z490-A....
That's stupendous.

That honestly looks like the SOC VRM is getting beefed up.

It's definitely interesting.

 

[Animalpak]

Wow powerful VRM'S, if these are the entry level motherboards imagine the top end enthusiast how they will be. Interesting.

 

[heky]

So, on the last picture the board reads Z490, but the text talks about H470...what's that about?

 

[Eiswolf93]

I'm more surprised by the four USB 2.0 headers. Not one, not two but FOUR of them... seems like a lot.

On the pictures i just can see 2 ports. I think, they mean 2 x 2 USB 2.0.

So, nothing new.

 

[The Quim Reaper]

I'm more surprised by the four USB 2.0 headers. Not one, not two but FOUR of them... seems like a lot.

..for plugging in all those RGB lighting controllers, from multiple manufacturers.

 

[windwhirl]

..for plugging in all those RGB lighting controllers, from multiple manufacturers.

I'm not sure if that's for real or if you're pulling my leg (I've never bothered with RGB lighting stuff, so I don't know crap about it)

 

[Tigerfox]

Two things I noticed:

1) Prime Z490-P just has 4xSATA. I just realized, Z390-P and Z370-P are the same, while all other Z390 and Z370 from Asus have 6xSATA. Why?

2) Even the rather lowly Z490-P has 1x8-Pin + 1x4-Pin 12V ATX-Connectors. Before, only Maximus XI-Series had more than 1x8-Pin. That tells a lot about the requirements of the new 10-Core CPUs.

 

[NJM1564]

I'm not sure if that's for real or if you're pulling my leg (I've never bothered with RGB lighting stuff, so I don't know crap about it)

Could be true. Also could be that I never plug anything that would need more that the 2.0 standard in my front panel anyway.

 

[TheLostSwede]

So, on the last picture the board reads Z490, but the text talks about H470...what's that about?

Lazy copy/paste that someone forgot to edit? Happens all the time.

 

[Kokotas]

Believe RKL might turn out to be scorching hot, fingers and toes crossed for ADL.

Hotter than CML? What is that assumption based on though?

 

[E-curbi]

Hotter than CML? What is that assumption based on though?

Hotter than the 10core CML? I don't know.

Yet, assumption is the correct term in this case. My source is assuming a 20% increase in IPC for Rocket Lake and still running on the 14nm node.

Both factors in combination - the assumption is RKL may run hot. My source's term used was "fireballs".

But then, Intel may thin out the die and IHS once again, they might make efficient changes to the thermal transfer interface to improve and eliminate that assumption.

-------

I was inquiring only since I'm looking for the next replacement CPU and platform for my 8086K/Z390 delidded-liquid metal setup and would like to maintain low fan rpm (inaudible beyond 3-4inches) single bank of fins air-cooling while still running an above average overclock - without the need for a water loop.

It's a tricky objective for certain, many factors that need to fall into just the right place. So I may not upgrade until 2021 ADL or 2022 MTL, still don't know.

OR Intel's 7nm CPU series for 2023, which since we don't yet know the name, I'm just calling Mystery Lake. lol

 

[Deleted member 178884]

But then, Intel may thin out the die and IHS once again, they might make efficient changes to the thermal transfer interface to improve and eliminate that assumption.

HW News - Intel 10-Core Thermals & Packaging Change, DDR5-8400 RAM, NVIDIA Out of GDDR5 | GamersNexus

stub In this week's hardware news, we have an exclusive news item pertaining to Intel's 10-core CPU thermal packaging for the Z490 mainstream desktop part. We've verified the news as accurate and are working to verify additional information sent to GamersNexus by industry partners. In the...

www.gamersnexus.net

I was inquiring only since I'm looking for the next replacement CPU and platform for my 8086K/Z390 delidded-liquid metal setup and would like to maintain low fan rpm (inaudible beyond 3-4inches) single bank of fins air-cooling while still running an above average overclock - without the need for a water loop.

Problem is, the only top two bins are the 10600K and the 10900K, only way you'd achieve air on a 10900K is by disabling cores pretty much/HT. And then again the 10600K is supposedly very well binned but it's a 6/12 just like your 8086K.

 

[E-curbi]

HW News - Intel 10-Core Thermals & Packaging Change, DDR5-8400 RAM, NVIDIA Out of GDDR5 | GamersNexus

stub In this week's hardware news, we have an exclusive news item pertaining to Intel's 10-core CPU thermal packaging for the Z490 mainstream desktop part. We've verified the news as accurate and are working to verify additional information sent to GamersNexus by industry partners. In the...

www.gamersnexus.net

Problem is, the only top two bins are the 10600K and the 10900K, only way you'd achieve air on a 10900K is by disabling cores pretty much/HT. And then again the 10600K is supposedly very well binned but it's a 6/12 just like your 8086K.

Yea, already arrived at the realization Comet Lake has no improvements, nothing to offer me over my current setup. RKL? maybe - we'll see - probably not. ADL? Maybe only if I purchase the top 4-6% 96th percentile binned 8+8core CPU, which won't be cheap.

Keeping my ear to the ground - for any news.

RKL engineering samples showed up this last week. Wow, and Comet Lake hasn't even been officially announced. Hmmmm, maybe an indication Intel's willingness to short life Comet and get on with Rocket to compete with AMD asap - 7nm cannot arrive here soon enough.

Problem is, the only top two bins are the 10600K and the 10900K, only way you'd achieve air on a 10900K is by disabling cores pretty much/HT. And then again the 10600K is supposedly very well binned but it's a 6/12 just like your 8086K.

Problem is, there's no way of acquiring those top 4-6% 10600K 6-core bins, Intel internal binning and moving them all to laptops (says the rumor mill). And even if you could find someone binning the 10600K, would not offer any improvements over the top-binned 8086Ks, stock clock might be different, but would overclock exactly the same - no better no worse - it's the same architecture the same node.

TekTip Triple XXX is correct once again:

Coffee Lake - 6-core wafers only
Coffee Lake Refresh - 8-core wafers only
Comet Lake 10-core and 6-core wafers only

 

[efikkan]

Hotter than the 10core CML? I don't know.

Yet, assumption is the correct term in this case. My source is assuming a 20% increase in IPC for Rocket Lake and still running on the 14nm node.

Intel will only know that once they get the final stepping. Assuming this is an 8-core Sunny Cove/Willow Cove on 14nm, the heat will be spread over a much larger die (per core), and due to the substantial IPC gain they might not push the clocks as high as Comet Lake, so it's really hard to tell.

Both factors in combination - the assumption is RKL may run hot. My source's term used was "fireballs".

While it may be true, it still remains speculation. No one outside Intel have seen it yet.

 

[E-curbi]

Intel will only know that once they get the final stepping. Assuming this is an 8-core Sunny Cove/Willow Cove on 14nm, the heat will be spread over a much larger die (per core), and due to the substantial IPC gain they might not push the clocks as high as Comet Lake, so it's really hard to tell.


While it may be true, it still remains speculation. No one outside Intel have seen it yet.

Agree 100%.

One thing we don't need to speculate on is the beefed up VRMs on new Asus Z490 motherboards

Another leak.

Asus TUF Z490 Plus WiFi

Cut outs like the older Apex boards, looks nice. 16VRM chokes? On a TUF board?

That means the Maximus 12 Apex is gonna be so beyond AMAZING, hoping Asus moves it way up the product stack above the Extreme board, and throws in a kitchen sink load of cool features, and returns the Apex series to EATX form factor.