With Intel’s Comet Lake-S release, several manufacturers are showcasing their new motherboards which will support the Intel Z490 chipset.
We’ve already seen some motherboards from manufacturers like MSI and ASUS so we will give you a rundown of what we can expect from these new motherboards.
MSI has announced several new motherboards which are due to go on sale over the next few weeks. ASUS announced six new Z490 motherboards which are due for release by the end of May.
MSI Z490 Motherboards
We don’t have a huge amount of information on MSI’s new Z490 motherboards. However, we do know that they will sit in four tiers from entry-level models to high-end ones.
At the moment, we know the models are listed under:
- MSI MEG Z490
- MSI MPG Z490
- MSI MAG Z490
- MSI Z490-A PRO
These motherboards will feature M.2 slots, front-panel USB-C ports, active cooling, and Gbps networking speeds with Gigabit Ethernet ports and WiFi 6.
We have already seen leaked images of the MSI MEG Z490 GODLIKE motherboard as well as a few others in the MSI range. The GODLIKE version appears to be the flagship motherboard and features three reinforced PCIe x16 slots, a tripe M.2 slot, and an extra M.2 “Xpander-Z Gen 4” card slot.
Rumors price this motherboard at a steep 960€ but we don’t have confirmation of that. We don’t know how much these motherboards will go on sale officially or the official release date yet. However, when we find out more, we will keep you updated closer to their launch date.
ASUS Z490 Motherboards
We know a bit more about ASUS’ upcoming Z490 motherboards including the names of the new series these motherboards will fall under:
- ASUS ROG Maximus XII
- ASUS ROG Strix Z490 E-Gaming
- TUF Gaming Z490 Plus
ASUS ROG Maximus XII Hero
In the Maximus series, there’s the ROG Maximus XII Hero which will be the first to go on sale on May 27th.
This will be priced at $399 and will feature four DDR4 4700+ memory slots, three PCIe 3.0×16, and three PCIe 3.0×1 expansion slots. There’s also two M.2 22110 and an M.2 2280 slot as well as an HDMI 1.4b port. This motherboard will also support ThunderBolt 3.
Also featured on this motherboard is a hybrid cooling compatibility and AI features that aim to make overclocking and thermal dissipation more efficient. Faster networking will also be available through the use of WiFi 6.
ASUS ROG Strix Z490 E-Gaming
This ROG Strix model will be priced at $299 and features four DDR4 4600 memory slots. Also included are three PCIe 3.0×16 and three PCIe 3.0×1 expansion slots.
The motherboard has a further two M.2 22110 slots, HDMI 1.4b, and a DisplayPort 1.2 port for onboard graphics.
This motherboard has the same WiFi 6 support and makes use of a similar cooling system with AI overclocking as the Maximus XII Hero.
ASUS TUF Gaming Z490
The TUF Gaming Z490 motherboard will be the budget one of the lineup, priced at $199. It will feature four DDR4 4600+ memory slots, two PCIe 3.0×16, and three PCIe 3.0×1 expansion slots. There’s also M.2 22110 and M.2 2280 slots, an HDMI 1.4b port, and a DisplayPort 1.4 for onboard graphics.
When it comes to the AI features and WiFi 6, we’re not sure if this motherboard will have the same features as the previous two listed. However, it would make sense for it to be missing something in this area due to the drop in price.
We’re expecting some more details on some of these motherboards to follow in the next few weeks, particularly with the MSI motherboards. If we hear any more updates, we will keep you in the loop.