ASUS Prime Z390M Plus DDR4 Intel Motherboard

The ASUS Prime Z390M Plus is a Micro-ATX motherboard built around the Intel Z390 chipset for Socket LGA 1151, supporting 8th and 9th Generation Intel Core, Pentium Gold, and Celeron processors. Its compact 9.6 x 9.6 inch footprint makes it well suited to small-form-factor builds without sacrificing connectivity or feature depth. Memory capacity is generous for a mATX board: four DIMM slots accept up to 64 GB of DDR4 in dual-channel configuration. Native speeds of 2133, 2400, and 2666 MHz are complemented by XMP overclocking profiles reaching up to 4266 MHz (O.C.), subject to processor support. ASUS OptiMem II trace routing and ground-layer optimisations help preserve signal integrity at higher frequencies. Storage is handled by two onboard M.2 Socket 3 slots. The first supports type 2242/2260/2280 devices over PCIe 3.0 x4, while the second also accommodates type 22110 devices over both SATA and PCIe 3.0 x4, delivering up to 32 Gb/s throughput. Four SATA 6 Gb/s ports provide additional drive capacity, and the board supports RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10, Intel Optane Memory, and Intel Rapid Storage Technology. Expansion is covered by one PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 primary slot (configurable x16/x8+x4+x4), a second PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 slot limited to x4 bandwidth, and two PCIe 3.0/2.0 x1 slots. AMD CrossFireX multi-GPU configurations are supported. Rear I/O includes HDMI (up to 4096×2160 @ 30 Hz) and DVI-D (up to 1920×1200 @ 60 Hz) for integrated-graphics output. Connectivity highlights include two USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A ports and four USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports on the rear panel, with additional internal headers supporting four more Gen 1 and four USB 2.0 ports. Networking uses an Intel I219V Gigabit LAN controller with ASUS LANGuard surge protection. Audio is handled by a Realtek ALC887 8-channel HD CODEC with audio shielding, dedicated PCB layers for left/right channel separation, and Japanese audio capacitors. Cooling management is provided by Fan Xpert 4 via four-pin headers for CPU fan, two chassis fans, and one AIO pump connector. The fanless heatsink covers the MOS power circuitry. ASUS 5X Protection III incorporates SafeSlot Core, LANGuard, Overvoltage Protection, and a stainless-steel back I/O panel. A single 4-pin RGB header enables 5050 RGB strip lighting. The UEFI BIOS (128 Mb Flash ROM, AMI, SMBIOS 3.1, ACPI 6.1) includes EZ Flash 3, CrashFree BIOS 3, and a searchable interface for fast navigation. The board ships with a 3-year manufacturer warranty. Verified Specifications: – Form Factor: Micro-ATX, 9.6 x 9.6 in (24.4 x 24.4 cm) – Socket: Intel LGA 1151 (8th & 9th Gen Core / Pentium Gold / Celeron) – Chipset: Intel Z390 – Memory: 4 x DIMM, max 64 GB, DDR4 2133–4266 MHz (XMP O.C.), dual-channel, non-ECC unbuffered – Storage: 2 x M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 (one also SATA); 4 x SATA 6 Gb/s; RAID 0/1/5/10 – USB: 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 + 8 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 + 4 x USB 2.0 – LAN: Intel I219V Gigabit – Audio: Realtek ALC887 8-ch HD – Display: HDMI + DVI-D – BIOS: 128 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI – Warranty: 3 Years