ASUS ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming DDR4 Intel Motherboard

The ASUS ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming is an ATX form-factor motherboard built on the Intel Z490 chipset, designed specifically for 10th Generation Intel Core, Pentium Gold, and Celeron processors using the LGA 1200 socket. Its 14+2 power stage design, paired with ProCool II power connectors, high-quality alloy chokes, and durable capacitors, ensures stable power delivery even under sustained multi-core workloads. Thermal management is handled by a U-shaped heatpipe MOS heatsink, extended VRM heatsink, and dual onboard M.2 heatsinks, with a bundled MOS fan bracket and 40 mm fan for additional airflow where it matters most. For connectivity, the board integrates an Intel I225-V 2.5 Gb Ethernet controller with ASUS LANGuard surge protection, alongside onboard Intel Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) with 2×2 MU-MIMO and OFDMA support for up to 2.4 Gbps wireless throughput, and Bluetooth 5.1. The rear I/O features 4 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (3 × Type-A + 1 × Type-C), 2 × USB 3.2 Gen 1, and 4 × USB 2.0, complemented by front-panel headers adding a further 7 USB ports including a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C header. Storage options include two M.2 slots with individual heatsinks — one supporting both SATA and PCIe 3.0 ×4, the other PCIe 3.0 ×4 NVMe only — plus six SATA 6 Gb/s ports with RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 support and Intel Optane Memory readiness. Memory capacity reaches 128 GB across four DDR4 DIMM slots, with overclocked speeds up to DDR4-4600 supported via OptiMem II trace-layout technology. Audio is handled by the ROG SupremeFX S1220A codec delivering 120 dB SNR stereo playback and 113 dB SNR recording input, dual op-amplifiers, LED-lit audio shielding, premium Japanese capacitors, and optical S/PDIF output. Expansion slots accommodate up to 2-way NVIDIA SLI or 3-way AMD CrossFireX configurations across two PCIe 3.0 ×16 slots. ASUS AI Overclocking, AI Cooling, AI Networking, and 5-Way Optimization simplify tuning, while Aura Sync RGB headers (2 × standard + 2 × Addressable Gen 2) enable full lighting customization. DIY-friendly features include a pre-mounted I/O shield, BIOS Flashback, Q-Code display, Q-LED indicators, and FlexKey. Verified Specifications: - Socket: Intel LGA 1200 (10th Gen Core / Pentium Gold / Celeron) - Chipset: Intel Z490 - Form Factor: ATX — 30.5 cm × 24.4 cm (12 in × 9.6 in) - Memory: 4 × DDR4 DIMM, max 128 GB, up to DDR4-4600 (O.C.), dual-channel, non-ECC unbuffered - Storage: 2 × M.2 (PCIe 3.0 ×4; M.2_1 also supports SATA), 6 × SATA 6 Gb/s, RAID 0/1/5/10 - Networking: Intel I225-V 2.5 Gb Ethernet; Intel Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) 2×2, Bluetooth 5.1 - Audio: SupremeFX S1220A, 8-channel HD, 120 dB SNR playback, 113 dB SNR recording - Rear USB: 4 × USB 3.2 Gen 2, 2 × USB 3.2 Gen 1, 4 × USB 2.0 - Display Output: 1 × DisplayPort 1.4, 1 × HDMI 1.4b (integrated graphics) - Multi-GPU: NVIDIA 2-Way SLI, AMD 3-Way CrossFireX - BIOS: 192 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI - Warranty: 3 Years