ASUS Launches New Intel Z490 Motherboards Ahead of Upcoming Intel 10th Gen CPU Launch

For many enthusiasts, new CPU generation launches are every bit as exciting for the new motherboards coming out as they are for the chips themselves. I mean, what good is a new flagship CPU if you don't have an awesome motherboard to put it in? ASUS has quite the lineup in store for Intel's upcoming 10th gen chips with a slew of new boards from your favorite ROG, STRIX, TUF, and Prime product families. If you care a little more about productivity, you might also be excited to see the new ProART family which replaces the WS series workstation oriented boards. No matter your needs or budget, ASUS has you covered! Intel 10th Generation 'Comet Lake-S' Before we get Into the new boards, we first need to cover what we know of the upcoming generation of chips these boards are meant for. Intel's Comet Lake-S is the mainstream desktop version of the already released Intel 10th Gen mobile processors. Based on the highly refined 14nm process, it is expected to be the last such generation to use 14nm before Intel transitions to a 10nm node. While the overall block diagram hasn't changed much from the last few generations, there are a few notable updates. The first is the actual socket. Intel 10th gen will be based on the new LGA1200 socket with 49 more pins. Physical keying prevents backward compatibility as does electrical changes. The Z490 chipset supports Intel Wi-Fi 6 Gig+ 802.11AX over the optional CNVi interface and Asus has opted to use this on most of its upcoming boards for maximum wireless performance. While many enthusiast boards, like the ones we are about to cover below, are built far beyond minimum spec, Intel is planning on TDP's of 125W with this generation, and for good reason. 10th gen chips hit the street with 10 cores, up from 8 last generation. With today's creation heavy workloads, from at-home professionals to content creators to E-sports players streaming their latest matches, the need for more and more cores is apparent. Gaming, along with many other workloads, is still heavily dependent on raw clock speed. Intel still holds a decisive edge here and isn't interested in giving this up to team red just yet and that shows in single and lightly threaded workloads, like most games. We'll have more detailed coverage of Intel's upcoming chips soon, so let's get back to the main feature here, all that ASUS goodness! Asus is planning a staggered launch with six boards landing launch day and the rest following afterward. Boards Available at Launch: ROG Maximus XII HERO (Wi-Fi) ROG STRIX Z490 E-Gaming TUF GAMING Z490 PLUS (Wi-Fi) PRIME Z490-A PRIME Z490-P ProArt Z490 Creator 10G Boards Coming Soon: ROG MAXIMUS XII FORMULA ROG MAXIMUS XII EXTREME ROG MAXIMUS XII APEX ROG STRIX Z490-H GAMING ROG STRIX Z490-G GAMING ROG STRIX Z490-G GAMING (WiFi) ROG STRIX Z490-A Gaming ROG STRIX Z490-I Gaming ROG STRIX Z490-F Gaming TUF GAMING Z490-PLUS Let's take a closer look at each family's offerings! ROG Maximus XII ROG Strix TUF Gaming Prime ProART ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XII In the updated ASUS ROG Maximus XII family, we see the 4 products we expect, the Extreme, Formula, Hero, and Apex, but we see a hint of a new 'Glacial' version of the Maximus XII Extreme. I've you've been watching ASUS's recent push of all-white versions and dreaming of a new all-white build, keep an eye on this one. With up to TEN very fast cores available, you're going to need some beefy power delivery. Asus is up to the task and can not only handle it, but leaves a LOT of room for heavy overclocking. High-current teamed power phases improve stability without the normal latency from phase doublers to provide better transient response. ProCool II power connectors with solid pins ensure you can get every watt you need into the board without worrying about hot spots and melted connectors. Premium thermal pads, Large diameter heatpipes and aluminum heatsinks keep the ROG Maximus XII boards cool under pressure. If that isn't enough for you, The ROG Maximus XII Formula employs a hybrid cooling solution with Cooling legends EK Waterblocks. ASUS's OptiMEM III and proprietary memory layout using daisy-chain topology enables maximum performance in all scenarios. Whether pushing for extreme speeds of 4700MHz+ or massive 128GB memory kits to be used at full speeds and low latencies. Besides massive amounts of memory, you can also use massive amounts of storage. All ROG Maximus XII boards support at least THREE M.2 slots. Network connectivity is the best of the best across the board. Every board in the ROG Maximus XII family supports at least 2.5Gbps Wired LAN with Gig+ WiFi 6 AX201. You'll never want for USB ports with the ROG Maximus XII family with up to a staggering 22 USB ports and speeds up to 20gbps. ASUS ROG Maximus XII Extreme: Standout features include LiveDASH OLED Display, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20Gbps, Included Thunderbolt 3-TR card, and Fan Extension Card 2. ASUS ROG Maximus XII Formula: Standout features include LiveDASH OLED Display, Full Coverage ROG Armor, and EK Waterblocks designed hybrid cooling solution. ASUS ROG Maximus XII Apex: Standout features include Non-square PCB design, Sub-ambient cooling optimizations such as on-board Condensation Detection, and voltage test points. Built to break records and chew bubblegum, and it's all out of bubblegum. ASUS ROG Maximus XII Hero: ASUS ROG STRIX ASUS's ROG Strix family targets gamers with a smorgasbord of features at a more friendly price point. The STRIX family includes no less than 7 members from the pint-sized Strix Z490-I Gaming mini-ITX up to the full-featured Strix Z490-E Gaming, although only the latter will be available from day one. Similar to the ROG Maximus family, the ROG Strix boards have very capable digital power delivery systems to cope with the upcoming higher core count chips. To go along with this, you also need good cooling and the ROG Strix family has optional active cooling included for the VRM and heatsinks for your M.2 drives. An embedded Heatpipe helps distribute the thermal load around the board to the aluminum heatsinks for increased cooling surface area. ROG STRIX Z490-E GAMING ROG STRIX Z490-H GAMING ROG STRIX Z490-G GAMING ROG STRIX Z490-A Gaming ROG STRIX Z490-I Gaming ROG STRIX Z490-F Gaming ASUS TUF Gaming Designed with military-grade components, Heavy-duty power delivery and extensive cooling options, TUF gaming boards are designed for rock-solid performance. More than just a motherboard, ASUS has partnered with 20+ industry partners to build an entire TUF Gaming Ecosystem. The first two TUF Z490 boards to hit the street are the ASUS TUF Gaming Z490-PLus and it's WI-FI equipped sibling. Both sport the same 12+2 VRM with DrMOS on a 6-layer heavy-duty 2oz Copper PCB with military-grade components for maximum reliability. TUF Gaming includes the latest in connection from USB 3.2 Gen2 10Gbps front panel connections to support for Thunderbolt 3 AiC's to Intel Gig+ WiFi 6 802.11AX (on the TUF Z490-Plus Wi-Fi only). ASUS TUF Gaming Z490-Plus (Wi-Fi) ASUS Prime Z490 ASUS Prime series is expertly engineered to unleash the full potential of 10th Gen Intel Core processors. Boasting a robust power design, comprehensive cooling solutions and intelligent tuning options, Prime Z490 series motherboards provide daily users and DIY PC builders a range of performance tuning options via intuitive software and firmware features. Robust Power delivery, a heavy-duty PCB, and massive VRM heatsinks combine with Ai-powered automatic overclocking for maximum performance with the touch of a button. The latest in connectivity includes Intel 2.5Gb LAN, USB 3.2 Gen2 10gbps, and support for Thunderbolt 3. PRIME Z490-A PRIME Z490-P Prime Z490M-Plus ASUS ProART Z490 With everything seemingly gaming related, it's easy to forget that a good many users actually do work on the PC. Whether it's a hobby or your profession, sometimes you need the latest hardware to help you get more accomplished in a shorter period of time. Asus's ProART Z490 board combines the can-do attitude of past WS (Workstation) family boards with the features creative professionals' demand. Creative users need the very best in connectivity and the ProART Z490-Creator 10G delivers. It includes onboard Intel 2.5Gb LAN as well as an included 10Gb LAN card, as well as DUAL on-board Thunderbolt 3 ports with display pass through. A slew of intuitive programs helps optimize your experience. Creation first optimizes network traffic, CreationFirst prioritizes traffic based on your current tasks, and ProART Creator Hub tunes the rest of your system. Add in Ai-powered automatic overclocking and you can get your job done faster!