The Intel Z490 Overview: 44+ Motherboards Examined
by Gavin Bonshor on April 30, 2020 10:00 AM ESTASRock Z490 PG Velocita
The ASRock Z490 PG Velocita is one of two Phantom Gaming branded models for Z490 at launch and is very well versed for enthusiasts and gamers. It includes a decent 10-phase power delivery for the CPU, support for Intel Rocket Lake with a PCIe 4.0 clock generator, as well as two full-length PCIe 3.0 slots, support for up to 128 GB of DDR4-4666 memory, and it also includes a 2.5 G Ethernet controller.
The design is similar to previous Phantom Gaming models with black and grey heatsinks, with red accents. ASRock has included two zones of integrated RGB LEDs onto the PG Velocita, with an RGB ASRock logo and backlit area on the rear panel cover, as well as an RGB Phantom Gaming logo on the chipset heatsink. All the boards RGB including the two aRGB and two RGB LED connectors can be customized via the ASRock Polychrome RGB software.
It has two full-length PCIe 3.0 slots which operate at x16+4, with three PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. ASRock's spec sheet isn't very clear on support, but it does state support for 10th generation Comet Lake desktop processors and 'future' Intel Core processors which is Rocket Lake. The top full-length PCIe slot is PCIe 4.0 ready, as well as the PCIe M.2 slots, with an onboard PCIe 4.0 clock generator. Touching on the storage, there's two PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots, with six SATA ports from the chipset, and a further two SATA ports provided which are controlled by an ASMedia ASM1061 controller. This means six of the eight available SATA ports support RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 arrays.
For the power delivery, ASRock is using a 10+2+1 power delivery, with 50 A DrMOS power stages and 12K DIP capacitors. Providing power is a pair of 8-pin 12 V ATX CPU power inputs. The power delivery itself is cooled by a pair of large finned heatsinks which are joined together by a single heat pipe. On the top heatsink, ASRock has included two small cooling fans to aid in dissipating heat from the power delivery, while the rear panel cover incorporates a single fan into the design of the other heat sink. ASRock recommends users cool this model with water cooling to avoid mechanical conflicts with certain air coolers, for optimal cooling performance on Intel's 10th Gen processors.
On the rear panel is one USB 3.2 G2 10 Gbps Type-C, one USB 3.2 G2 10 Gbps Type-C, and four USB 3.2 G1 ports. Included on the board is a PCIe Key-E M.2 slot with two antenna ports on the rear panel, but doesn't include a wireless interface. Users can opt to purchase their own wireless interface providing it is M.2 Key-E 2230. Included for networking, it has two Ethernet ports, one powered by a Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5 G, and the other by an Intel I219-V Gigabit controller. The five 3.5 mm color-coded audio jacks and S/PDIF optical output are controlled by a Realtek ALC1220 HD audio codec, while the board also has a pair of video outputs including a DisplayPort 1.4, and an HDMI port. Finishing off the rear panel is a PS/2 keyboard and mouse combo port.
The ASRock Z490 PG Velocita is a new model in its line-up, with similar aesthetics to its existing Phantom Gaming range, and caters to the mid-range. Primarily targeting gamers, it has plenty about it to make it a premium mid-range offering with 2.5 G Ethernet, a Realtek ALC1220 HD audio codec, and support for two-way AMD Crossfire support. ASRock hasn't yet unveiled a price for the Z490 PG Velocita, but we will update this as more information is available.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
52 Comments
View All Comments
Andrew LB - Saturday, May 9, 2020 - link
So these boards bring Wifi6, PCI-Express 4.0, gigabit 2.5, and for people like myself who are upgrading from a Z87 board.... just about everything is a huge leap.... yet you think there is just 'more of the same'? I guess if you're one of those idiots who buys a new CPU every year, then clearly this is not the release for you. Nor would AMD's latest offerings if that same metric is applied.So what's your problem with Capitalism? Do incremental design improvements offend you? Or is it profit that does? Hate to break it to you, but its profit motive that fuels innovation. Collectivism is a cancer and by its very nature hinders progress due to it not rewarding exceptionalism. It's why countries like China don't innovate. Otherwise they wouldn't need forced technology transfers from those who manufacture goods in their country.
Zenzdeluxe - Wednesday, September 2, 2020 - link
Thanks for that. The hypocrisy of these people. Imagine imbibing in the fruits of the capitalist system which besides continuing innovation, provides more spoils at lower price points for everyone than ever before. The audacity of such entitlement and seemingly collectivist / marxist based criticism is mind boggling. Cognitive dissonance off the scale indeed.ilkhan - Friday, May 1, 2020 - link
Details page for GIGABYTE Z490 Aorus Pro AX (copy and paste because who can keep them straight otherwise) makes a big deal of no usb-C, but it's there in the picture...ecjp - Friday, May 1, 2020 - link
Yeah, I noticed that too. Gigabytes site shows same picture and lists "1 x USB Type-C™ port on the back panel, with USB 3.2 Gen 2 support" in the specs, so I assume its an error in the article.gavbon - Friday, May 1, 2020 - link
Thanks for picking that up. I must have been writing about the wrong board. Apologies, it's updatedregsEx - Friday, May 1, 2020 - link
"Integrated into the Z490 chipset is an Intel Wi-Fi 6 CNVi which allows motherboard vendors to integrate its AX200 wireless solutions directly from the chipset with a CRF module."CNVi is an old generation 802.11ac controller. Here it is CNVio2. CRF module is AX201. AX200 is a standalone controller that can work on any system. X570 motherboards with 802.11ax support, for example, packs with AX200 card.
lunaticbunny - Friday, May 1, 2020 - link
There are no boards under $200. Seems like this Z490 chipset got the X570 inflation treatment as well.drexnx - Friday, May 1, 2020 - link
just like the X570 boards, they've all got seriously beefed up VRMsand maybe the pcie4 tax wasn't just a cash grab? we'll really see when AMD B550 comes out, where those board prices land
Andrew LB - Saturday, May 9, 2020 - link
Plenty of boards under $200.ASUS Prime Z490M-PLUS
GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS Elite
ASUS TUF Gaming Z490-Plus
ASUS TUF Gaming Z490-Plus wifi
GIGABYTE Z490 UD
MSI Z490-A PRO ProSeries
A bunch of Asrock boards will be under $200 as well. You can see many prices already on Amazon.
dgingeri - Friday, May 1, 2020 - link
It looks like, potentially, at least Gigabyte has decided to include a decent number of USB ports. I can't tell with the Asus board, but all the rest look to have only 6 USB ports, an annoyingly small number. I have been really annoyed with the lack of USB ports on boards for the last 5 years. Heck, with the old 440BX boards, we had 2 ps2, 4 or 6 USB, 1 or 2 serial, and a parallel port. We've lost the other ports, and internal drives in most computers, and not gained USB ports to compensate for it. External hubs aren't going to do it, either, as those stupid things keep dying in a matter of months.