GIGABYTE Z490 Aorus Ultra DDR4 Intel Motherboard

The Gigabyte Z490 Aorus Ultra is an ATX-form-factor motherboard built on the Intel Z490 Express Chipset, designed to accommodate 10th Generation Intel Core processors — including Core i9, Core i7, Core i5, Core i3, Pentium, and Celeron lines — in the LGA1200 socket. Its direct 12-phase digital VRM solution, equipped with 50 A DrMOS power stages, delivers stable power delivery to support both stock and overclocked CPU configurations. Shielded memory routing helps maintain signal integrity across the four DDR4 DIMM slots, which together support up to 128 GB of system memory (32 GB per slot) and speeds ranging from 2133 MHz up to DDR4 5000 MHz with overclocking and XMP profiles enabled. Storage flexibility is a core strength of this board. Two M.2 Socket 3 connectors — each with thermal guards — support drives in 2242, 2260, 2280, and 22110 form factors over both SATA and PCIe x4/x2 interfaces, complemented by six SATA 6 Gb/s ports and RAID 0/1/5/10 support. Networking is handled by a Realtek 2.5 GbE LAN chip with the Realtek 8125 bandwidth management utility bundled in software. Audio is powered by the Realtek ALC1200 codec with WIMA audio capacitors, offering High Definition Audio output in 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel configurations plus optical S/PDIF out. The back panel delivers 2 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (red), 4 × USB 3.2 Gen 1, 4 × USB 2.0, one HDMI 1.4 port (up to 4096×2160 @ 30 Hz for iGPU output), and an RJ-45 Ethernet jack. Internally, two Thunderbolt add-in card connectors and a Q-Flash Plus button (enabling BIOS updates without a CPU, memory, or GPU installed) add convenience for builders. RGB Fusion 2.0 manages multi-zone addressable LED lighting through two ARGB headers and two standard RGB headers onboard. Smart Fan 5 provides granular thermal control across five fan/pump headers — including a dedicated water-cooling CPU header — with voltage/temperature/fan-speed/flow-rate monitoring via the iTE I/O Controller Chip. Gigabyte’s APP Center software suite includes EasyTune, Game Boost, @BIOS, Smart Backup, and System Information Viewer. Verified Specifications: – Socket: LGA1200 | Chipset: Intel Z490 Express – Form Factor: ATX — 30.5 cm × 24.4 cm – Memory: 4 × DDR4 DIMM, up to 128 GB; DDR4-2133 to DDR4-5000 (O.C.); XMP supported – Storage: 2 × M.2 PCIe x4 NVMe (with thermal guards); 6 × SATA 6 Gb/s; RAID 0/1/5/10 – Expansion: 1 × PCIe x16 (x16), 1 × PCIe x16 (x4), 2 × PCIe x1 (all PCIe 3.0) – Audio: Realtek ALC1200; 7.1-channel HD Audio; S/PDIF optical out – LAN: Realtek 2.5 GbE (2.5G/1G/100M) – USB (rear): 2 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 4 × USB 3.2 Gen 1, 4 × USB 2.0 – BIOS: AMI UEFI; 256 Mbit flash; Q-Flash Plus – Warranty: 3 Years