All the Intel Z390 motherboards announced so far

Intel is finally fixing some of the glaring omissions in the Z370 chipset. On October 8, the chipmaker announced its new Z390 chipset, which will replace Z370 at the top of its line-up of mainstream chipsets. Z390 will work with Intel's new 9th-generation desktop chips – the Core i9-9900K, Core i7-9700K, and Core i5-9600K – providing a fitting conclusion to Intel's somewhat patchy rollout of its 300-series chipsets. 

When Intel first released its 8th-generation Coffee Lake desktop chips in September last year, you could only pair them with high-end Z370 motherboards. Intel didn't release more affordable offerings till April this year in the form of the B360, H310, and H370 chipsets, and the strange thing was that these cheaper chipsets came with features that Z370 lacked. 

This included native support for USB 3.1 (Gen 2) and integrated 802.11ac wireless capabilities, which put Z370 in an odd spot. Z390 rectifies this awkward situation somewhat. It will come with both of these features, even improving on them somewhat with support for up to six USB 3.1 (Gen 2) ports, compared to just four in the lower-end chipsets. 

In addition, Z390 motherboards will include integrated SDXC (SDA 3.0) support.

However, I should note that things like integrated Wi-Fi are optional, so not all motherboards will choose to implement it. 

ASRock

ASRock has a huge selection of Z390 boards, including everything from mini-ITX to ATX boards. Here's a look at what's been announced so far:

• ASRock Z390 Taichi Ultimate (S$499)
• ASRock Z390 Taichi (S$399)
• ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 9
• ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 6
• ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 4
• ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming SLI/ac
• ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming SLI
• ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming-ITX/ac
• ASRock Z390 Extreme4
• ASRock Z390 Pro4
• ASRock Z390M Pro 4
• ASRock Z390M-ITX/ac

Right now, it looks as if only the Z390 Taichi Ultimate and Taichi will be available to buy here, so I'll be focusing mainly on these two boards.

The Z390 Taichi Ultimate is ASRock's Z390 flagship, and it is bristling with a wide range of networking and connectivity options. For starters, it features eight SATA 6Gbps ports and three M.2 sockets (both SATA and PCIe drives are supported), so there are truly plenty of storage expansion options. 

On top of that, there are a total of five USB 3.1 (Gen 2) ports, comprising one front Type-C header and one Type-C and three Type-A ports at the back. In addition, there are a further eight USB 3.1 (Gen 1) ports, four for the front and four for the back. 

The integrated 2x2 Intel wireless solution supports a maximum throughput of up to 1.73Gbps, which means you'll need an 802.11ac Wave 2 router to take full advantage of it. In addition, the board boasts an Aquantia AQtion client controller for 10Gbps Ethernet, on top of dual Intel LAN, should you actually have the plan to support it. 

To help with overclocking, ASRock has gone with a 12-phase power design and 8+4-pin CPU headers to supply additional power to your processor. ASRock has also added the upgraded Hyper BCLK Engine II, its external base clock generator that provides a wider range of frequencies for manual overclockers. 

The Z390 Taichi is very similar, and the main difference is its lack of the Aquantia controller for 10Gbps Ethernet. It also comes with a 1x1 Intel Wi-Fi module that supports a maximum throughput of just 433Mbps. There's no support for Bluetooth 5.0 either, and it is compatible with just Bluetooth 4.2. 

But that aside, it shares the same PCIe slot layout and USB configuration as the Z390 Taichi Ultimate. 

ASRock has also introduced a new Phantom Gaming series for its Z390 motherboards, ditching the gaming-oriented Fatal1ty branding. The Phantom Gaming range is ASRock's new gaming series, and the overall design language is more subtle than the stark red and black of the Fatal1ty boards. 

The Phantom Gaming 9 actually shares a lot in common with the Taichi Ultimate, and it comes with three LAN ports as well, although the third port is supplied by a Realtek 2.5G LAN controller. It also has an 802.11ac Wave 2-capable Wi-Fi adapter.

Finally, there a total of eight SATA 6Gbps ports and three M.2 sockets, so storage connectivity is as rich as ever. 

ASUS

ASUS has readied quite a selection of Z390 boards, ranging from its high-end Maximus XI range to the more affordable Prime series. 

Here's a look at the boards and their prices: 

• ASUS ROG Maximus XI Extreme (S$739)
• ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula (S$689)
• ASUS ROG Maximus XI Code (S$609)
• ASUS ROG Maximus XI Hero (Wi-Fi AC) Call of Duty Edition (S$559)
• ASUS ROG Maximus XI Hero (Wi-Fi AC) (S$559)
• ASUS ROG Maximus XI Hero (S$529)
• ASUS ROG Maximus XI Gene m-ATX (S$519)
• ASUS ROG Strix Z390-E Gaming (S$429)
• ASUS ROG Strix Z390-F Gaming (S$389)
• ASUS ROG Strix Z390-H Gaming (S$359)
• ASUS ROG Strix Z390-I Gaming m-ITX (S$419)
• ASUS TUF Z390 Plus Gaming (Wi-Fi) (S$345)
• ASUS TUF Z390M Pro Gaming (Wi-Fi) m-ATX (S$349)
• ASUS Prime Z390A (S$369)
• ASUS Prime Z390P (S$289)
• ASUS Prime Z390M (S$269)

All the boards are available to buy now, with the exception of the ROG Maximus XI Hero (Wi-Fi AC) and ROG Maximus XI Extreme.

ASUS is introducing a bunch of new and updated features on its Z390 motherboards. First and foremost is AI Overclocking and the new 5-way Optimization software, which offers an alternative to one-click tuning. It simulates manual overclocking by gradually increasing clock speeds, adjusting voltages, and testing stability, which ASUS says should be relatively on par with what you'll be able to achieve manually. 

The software also intelligently monitors your system temperature, fan speeds, and power draw to evaluate cooling performance. You can supposedly train it over time as well, and it will adapt to upgrades, ambient temperature changes, and even dust buildup. 

AI Overclocking is available on all ROG models (except the ROG Strix Z390-H Gaming) and the Prime Z390-A. However, while TUF Gaming and the cheaper ROG Strix and Prime models lack 5-way Optimization, they still have OC Tuner, which lets you overclock your CPU using preset profiles. 

In addition, the Z390 motherboards now feature OptiMem II, which is ASUS' name for its memory trace design. It uses a dedicated ground plane and a surrounding ground trace with via stitching to reduce interference for the traces connecting the CPU and memory slots. Traces are also routed through different PCB layers to reduce crosstalk. The whole point of this is to enable higher memory frequencies, to the tune of over 4,266MHz, according to ASUS. 

A dedicated AIO pump header is also arriving on all of ASUS' Z390 boards, should you want to install a closed loop liquid cooler. Mid-range boards and up will feature a second header for the standalone pumps used in custom loops, while the ROG boards are further equipped with sensors for monitoring coolant temperature and flow rate.

ASUS has upgraded the connectivity and networking options across the board as well. At least two M.2 sockets are present across the entire Z390 line-up, so you can install two SSDs without connecting any cables. M.2 heatsinks are also installed on a greater number of boards.

Higher-end boards like the ROG Maximus XI Extreme and the mini-ITX Gene also support up to four M.2 drives, two of which are sandwiched between heatsinks on ASUS' new DIMM.2 module. The latter slots into a dedicated socket beside the RAM slots, but you don't have to use it if you don't require that many drives.

Intel Gigabit Ethernet controllers are used on just about every board, while the ROG Maximus XI Extreme and Formula also come with Aquantia controllers for speeds of up to 5Gbps. 

Other features common to the entire range are digital VRMs and overvoltage and ESD protections. The TUF Gaming series and up also feature metal-reinforced PCIe slots for heavier GPUs. 

Finally, ASUS has gone with a blacked-out aesthetic on its new ROG Maximus XI series, which really looks quite slick. There's RGB lighting in familiar places like the VRM and PCH heatsink, but you'll also be able to achieve a more stealthy look with the black PCB.

Gigabyte

On Gigabyte's end, the company has prepared no fewer than 11 motherboards:

• Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Xtreme (S$799)
• Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Master (S$459)
• Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Ultra (S$379)
• Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro WiFi (S$319)
• Gigabyte Z390 I Aorus Pro WiFi (S$279)
• Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Elite (S$279)
• Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro
• Gigabyte Z390 Gaming SLI
• Gigabyte Z390 M Gaming (S$235)
• Gigabyte Z390 Gaming X (S$240)
• Gigabyte Z390 UD

The Z390 Aorus Xtreme was announced separately, and you can read more about it in a separate article here. 

Gigabyte has also changed the way it brands its motherboards, moving away from a numbered naming scheme – such as with the former Gaming 9 and Gaming 7 boards – in favor of descriptors like Master, Ultra and Elite. 

The Aorus Master comes with a bevy of high-end features, including a backplate, triple M.2 sockets, and a 12+2-phase power design. It even has an 8+8-pin CPU power connector to supply additional power to your CPU. Furthermore, the finned VRM heatsink provides more surface area for heat dissipation to keep the vital components running cool.

It also has three full-length PCIe slots, all of which are reinforced by metal. They run in x16, x8, and x4 modes, and the board will support up to 3-way CrossFire or 2-way SLI.

In addition, there is a debug LED and dual BIOS switch at the bottom of the board, which should come in handy during troubleshooting. Another nice touch is the pre-installed rear I/O shield, so installation should be a tad easier. 

On the rear panel, there are three USB 3.1 (Gen 2) Type-A, one USB 3.1 (Gen 1) Type-C, and four USB 2.0 ports. In addition, there are two more USB 3.1 (Gen 1) Type-A ports which utilize Gigabyte's DAC-UP 2 technology. These ports supposedly provide a cleaner signal for your audio devices, in case you're picky about sound quality. 

MSI

MSI has readied a total of 10 Z390 motherboards: 

• MSI MEG Z390 Godlike (S$859)
• MSI MEG Z390 Ace (S$485)
• MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon AC (S$345)
• MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon (S$319)
• MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC (S$299)
• MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Plus (S$229)
• MSI MPG Z390M Gaming Edge AC (S$289)
• MSI MPG Z390I Gaming Edge AC (S$269)
• MSI MAG Z390 Tomahawk (S$255)
• MSI Z390-A Pro (S$209)

The company has also given its naming scheme a fresh coat of paint with a rebranding of sorts. There are now three different categories of boards – MEG, MPG, and MAG – that correspond to its Enthusiast, Performance, and Arsenal Gaming segments respectively. This roughly matches up with MSI's conception of enthusiast, mid-range, and entry-level boards, and there's now a much clearer indicator as to where a board stands in the product line-up.

We first saw a MEG board in the form of the MEG X399 Creation, which in hindsight was an indicator of MSI's intentions for its motherboards going forward. 

The crowning glory of MSI's Z390 series is the MEG Z390 Godlike. It's crammed full of features, including an M.2 Xpander card for two additional M.2 drives (for a total of five) and a dedicated capture card for streamers. This is also an E-ATX board, so MSI has had plenty of space to add whatever it wants, including four full-length PCIe slots with three M.2 sockets in between them. Each M.2 socket also has its own dedicated heatsink to prevent thermal throttling. 

This is basically the only MSI Z390 board to support four-way CrossFire. There's also an extra 6-pin PCIe input to supply additional power to your graphics cards. 

There are a further six SATA 6Gbps ports and a U.2 port. The latter probably won't see much use, but MSI clearly wanted to cover all its bases. 

Another nice feature is the dual Realtek ALC1220 codecs, one each for the rear panel and front panel audio. In addition, there's dual LAN ports powered by two Killer E2500 Gigabit networking controllers. You also get 802.11ac Wi-Fi, courtesy of a Killer Wireless-AC 1550 adapter. 

To cap things off, it is equipped with a 18-phase VRM power design, which makes it quite an overclocking beast, on paper at least.

However, it's probably the mid-range MPG Z390 Gaming Pro Carbon AC that will draw the largest audience. It's the top model in the MPG series though, so you still get plenty of premium features at a more palatable price tag. This means Intel Gigabit LAN and a 2x2 Intel Wireless-AC 9560 networking adapter, in addition to metal-reinforced PCIe and DIMM slots. 

It has two M.2 sockets, which will work with both PCIe and SATA SSDs, on top of six SATA 6Gbps ports. It also has more USB connectors than the rest of the MPG range, including three USB 3.1 (Gen 2) Type-A and one USB 3.1 (Gen 2) Type-C port on the rear I/O. You'll also find a further two USB 2.0 ports at the back. 

There's also a version of the board without Wi-Fi, so you can save some money if you don't need that feature.

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