ASUS TUF Gaming Z490 Plus Wifi DDR4 Intel Motherboard

The ASUS TUF Gaming Z490-Plus (Wi-Fi) is an ATX-form-factor motherboard built around the Intel Z490 chipset and LGA 1200 socket, designed to support 10th Generation Intel Core, Pentium Gold, and Celeron processors with 14 nm architecture. Its 12+2 DrMOS power stages integrate high-side and low-side MOSFETs with drivers in a single package, delivering efficient voltage regulation suited to high-core-count 10th Gen CPUs. Memory support spans four DIMM slots accommodating up to 128 GB of non-ECC, unbuffered DDR4 in dual-channel configuration. Native speeds run from DDR4-2133 through DDR4-2933 on Core i9/i7 processors, while Intel XMP and ASUS OptiMem II enable overclocked profiles reaching up to DDR4-4800. Storage is handled by two M.2 Socket 3 slots—M.2_1 supporting 2242/2260/2280/22110 devices (SATA and PCIe 3.0 x4), and M.2_2 supporting 2242/2260/2280 devices (SATA and PCIe 3.0 x4)—alongside six SATA 6 Gb/s ports with RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 support plus Intel Rapid Storage Technology and Intel Optane Memory readiness. Note that M.2_1 shares bandwidth with SATA6G_2, and M.2_2 shares bandwidth with SATA6G_56. Connectivity is anchored by an Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 module offering 802.11ax dual-band (2.4/5 GHz) operation with 2×2 MU-MIMO, OFDMA, and 1024-QAM for theoretical peak rates up to 2.4 Gbps, paired with Bluetooth 5.1. Wired networking relies on an Intel I219-V Gigabit Ethernet controller with TUF LANGuard surge protection. Audio is delivered by a Realtek ALC S1200A codec supporting 7.1-channel surround sound at up to 24-bit/192 kHz, backed by dedicated audio PCB layers, audio shielding, premium Japanese capacitors, and an optical S/PDIF output. Expansion slots include one PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 mode, from the CPU), one PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 mode, from the chipset), and three PCIe x1 slots, with AMD 2-Way CrossFireX multi-GPU support. Rear I/O provides one DisplayPort 1.4 (max 4096×2304 @ 60 Hz) and one HDMI 1.4b for integrated graphics output. USB connectivity totals 12 ports: rear panel delivers two USB 3.2 Gen 2 (one Type-A, one Type-C) and four USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A; front headers add one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, and five USB 2.0 Type-A ports. ASUS protection features include ESD Guards, SafeSlot reinforced PCIe, overvoltage and DRAM overcurrent protection, and a stainless-steel back I/O panel. Two Aura RGB headers and one Addressable Gen 2 RGB header enable lighting customisation via Armoury Crate with Aura Sync. Verifiable Specifications: - Chipset: Intel Z490 - Socket: LGA 1200 (10th Gen Intel Core / Pentium Gold / Celeron) - Form Factor: ATX, 305 mm × 244 mm (12 in × 9.6 in) - Memory: 4× DIMM, DDR4, max 128 GB, dual-channel, XMP support - Storage: 2× M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4 / SATA), 6× SATA 6 Gb/s, RAID 0/1/5/10 - Wireless: Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (802.11ax), up to 2.4 Gbps theoretical; Bluetooth 5.1 - LAN: Intel I219-V 1 Gb Ethernet - Audio: Realtek ALC S1200A, 7.1-channel, 24-bit/192 kHz - VRM: 12+2 DrMOS power stages - Rear USB: 2× USB 3.2 Gen 2, 4× USB 3.2 Gen 1 - Display Out: 1× DisplayPort 1.4, 1× HDMI 1.4b - BIOS: 192 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI - Warranty: 3 years