The Godlike from MSI is back, and for Z490 it is more feature packed than ever. With top of the line VRM, cooling, and storage, along a host of extras, the MSI MEG Z490 Godlike promises to do it all. Just how far can you get with a US$750 motherboard?
ASRock's award winning Taichi line is back, and aiming for the top of ASRock's Z490 stack. The cog and gear theme returns, along with a new VRM thermal solution that features a finned heat sink and active cooling. What other new tricks has ASRock included in the ASRock Z490 Taichi?
Focused on VRM power and thermals, as well as a sleek and stealthy aesthetic, the MSI MEG Z490 Unify is shaping up to be a serious contender for the best value enthusiast board. With sixteen 90 A power stages from Intersil and active VRM cooling, no CPU is too power hungry for the Unify.
Our first look at ASUS's Z490 lineup, the ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-E Gaming features a powerful VRM, optional active VRM cooling, lots of connectivity, and of course some killer good looks. If you are searching for a board that can do it all, the ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-E Gaming is a good place to start.
The ASRock Z490 PG Velocita is ready for Comet Lake with Socket LGA 1200. "Velocita" is ASRock's latest addition to the award-winning Phantom Gaming motherboard line and features 2.5 Gb/s LAN, PCIe 4.0 readiness, and an uncompromising VRM thermal solution with three fans.
MSI has stuffed a lot of power into a small package with the MSI MEG Z490I Unify. Featuring a stealthy black aesthetic and a VRM configuration with 90 A power stages, the MSI MEG Z490I Unify could be a top choice for overclockers. Just how much can MSI pack into the Mini-ITX footprint?
Focused on VRM power and thermals, as well as a sleek and stealthy aesthetic, the MSI MEG Z490 Unify is shaping up to be a serious contender for the best value enthusiast board. With sixteen 90 A power stages from Intersil and active VRM cooling, no CPU is too power hungry for the Unify.
MSI has packed a lot of power into a small package with the MSI MEG Z490I Unify. Featuring a stealthy black aesthetic and a VRM config with 90 A power stages, the MSI MEG Z490I Unify could be a top choice for overclockers. Just how much can MSI stuff into a Mini-ITX footprint?
ASRock's award winning Taichi line is back, and aiming for the top of ASRock's Z490 stack. The cog and gear theme returns, along with a new VRM thermal solution with a finned heat sink and active cooling. What other new tricks has ASRock included in the ASRock Z490 Taichi?
Our first look at ASUS's Z490 lineup, the ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-E Gaming features a powerful VRM, optional active VRM cooling, lots of connectivity, and of course some killer good looks. If you are looking for a board that can do it all, the ASUS ROG STRIX Z490-E Gaming is a good place to start.
The ASRock Z490 PG Velocita is ready for Comet Lake with Socket LGA 1200. "Velocita" is ASRock's latest edition to the award-winning Phantom Gaming motherboard line and features 2.5 Gb/s LAN, PCIe 4.0 readiness, and an uncompromising VRM thermal solution with three fans.
The ASUS Prime X299 Edition 30 is a celebration of 30 years of design innovation by one of the world's most prominent hardware manufacturers. Featuring active VRM cooling, 16 Vcore power stages, an OLED display, and a new Smart Control Console, can this flagship stand up to 30 years of high expectations?
ASUS aims to deliver the ultimate flagship Threadripper motherboard with the ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme. Every bit of their design expertise has been condensed into this E-ATX package. Twenty 70 A power stages? Check. Five M.2 slots, including two on a DIMM.2 expansion card? Check. Full color OLED display? Check. Performance? Let's find out!
The first TRX40 board to reach my test bench, and also the first motherboard to boast 90 A power stages from Intersil (16 of them!), the ASRock TRX40 Taichi promises serious overclocking potential for the new Ryzen Threadripper processors without resorting to an E-ATX form factor.
The small form factor market has gained a lot of traction over the past decade, and hardware vendors have engaged in an arms race to cram as many features as possible into SFF motherboards. ASUS has landed a decisive blow in that fight with the ROG Crosshair VIII Impact. ALL the features of a full ATX board have been put into a package slightly larger than Mini-ITX.
Intel fires back with an HEDT refresh that promises higher clocks and significantly lower prices! ASRock is ready with the new ASRock X299 Taichi CLX. The X299 Taichi CLX boasts a powerful VRM, 2.5 Gb/s LAN, and a sleek modern aesthetic! How will it perform when paired with a new Intel i9-10900X?
X570 has been the most comprehensive launch in recent AMD history, with dozens of motherboards available. From E-ATX to Mini-ITX, there are many options for every form factor, except Micro ATX, for which only two boards exist. Today I'm looking at one of them, the Biostar Racing X570GT!
With power hungry chipsets and powerful CPUs, the new X570 chipset has a slew of design challenges to overcome to squeeze the most out of the new platform. The ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming ITX/TB3 promises to harness that performance in a tiny Mini-ITX package.
Another high-end X570 board, this time from ASUS! The ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII HERO (WiFi) boasts a massive VRM and loads of overclocking aids. In such a competitive price bracket, this X570 board will have to bring something special to the table, so can it deliver?
The top board from ASRock's excellent Phantom Gaming line, the X570 Phantom Gaming X brings the signature 2.5 Gb/s Phantom Gaming LAN as well as a powerful VRM, excellent RGB lighting, and even a metal backplate! This is the most affordable of the high-end mainstream boards, so how does it stack up to the competition?
Need a break from the relentless AMD coverage? The ROG MAXIMUS XI HERO (WiFi) is a premium Z390 motherboard from ASUS that promises top-tier performance and a classic ROG aesthetic. AMD might have stolen the show this year, but Intel still carries an edge at the top end of gaming performance.
At the top of the mainstream stack, the MEG X570 ACE is competing in a tough bracket. With 2.5 Gb/s LAN, WiFi 6, and a VRM that is both sophisticated and overbuilt, the X570 ACE has a lot going for it. So does the competition, however, which is why MSI armed the ACE with a secret weapon: a heat pipe connection between the chipset and VRM heatsinks.
Another X570 board has entered the ring. The Gigabyte X570 AORUS Pro WiFi features WiFi 6 support, a sophisticated 14 phase VRM, and a classy refined aesthetic. Does it have what it takes to compete at its $270 price point?
Finally, the wait is over. Ryzen 3000 has landed, and with it, brand new X570 motherboards. The ASRock X570 Taichi features updated looks, brand new WiFi 6 support, and a VRM that promises to tame even the most power-hungry Ryzen CPU.
The Prime X570-Pro from ASUS may not have every bell and whistle, but with a powerful VRM, integrated I/O shield, and relatively competitive price, it promises a ticket to the new X570 platform that won't break the bank.
