Synchronized RGB lighting technology: Works with a vast portfolio of Aura Sync-capable PC gear and includes support for Philips Hue. The MSI does have plenty of fan connectors and four on-board USB connectors, and it has reasonable USB 3.1 connectivity at the rear.

System and Maximum TDP is based on worst case scenarios. Actual TDP may be lower if not all I/Os for chipsets are used. The table turns in applications, though. It’s consistently behind the Asus in application benchmarks, and its storage pace wasn’t brilliant. It was further behind the Asus in gaming tests, too. Intel Z390 AORUS Motherboard with 6 Phases Digital VRM solutions, Extended Heatsink, HDMI 2.0 & DisplayPort onboard, 802.11ac Wireless, RGB Fusion 2.0, Dual M.2 with Single Thermal Guard, Front USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C, Intel ® GbE LAN with cFosSpeedImproved Audio Algorithm The new Sonic Radar III audio algorithm offers improved accuracy that helps you Its networking and audio are suitably entry-level, but that’s still absolutely fine for most mainstream builds. The MSI MAG Z390 Tomahawk is the cheapest board in this Z390 group, and it has a specification that’s capable of handling decent single-GPU gaming rigs – but not much more than that. The MSI did deliver poor application performance in most of the benchmarks, and its gaming results were mediocre. Every motherboard will have the ability to run a single graphics card, but you’ll have to pay closer attention if you want to run two GPUs, or if you want to use a lot of M.2 or PCI-based SSDs in your machine. Some motherboards won’t have sufficient bandwidth to go around all of these components. That means their performance will be reduced.

Many motherboards have been audio chipsets that are enhanced with DACs, and a lot of them have wireless internet. Plenty also have beefed-up wired networking connections that prioritise gaming traffic or allow for higher speeds. Intel Z390 Gaming motherboard with 16 Phases IR Digital VRM, Fins-Array Heatsink, RGB Fusion 2.0, 802.11ac Wireless, Intel Thunderbolt 3, ESS SABRE 9018K2M DAC, AQUANTIA ® 10GbE LAN, RGB FAN COMMANDER, OC TouchIntel classifications are for general, educational and planning purposes only and consist of Export Control Classification Numbers (ECCN) and Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) numbers. Any use made of Intel classifications are without recourse to Intel and shall not be construed as a representation or warranty regarding the proper ECCN or HTS. Your company as an importer and/or exporter is responsible for determining the correct classification of your transaction.

Intel Z390 AORUS Motherboard with 12 Phases Digital VRM Solutions, Multi-cuts Heatsinks with Heatpipe, RGB Fusion 2.0, 802.11ac Wireless, Dual M.2 with Thermal Guards, Intel ® GbE LAN with cFosSpeedMotherboards that use the older Z370 chipset support 8th-generation chips, but they’ll need firmware updates to support 9th-generation hardware. Similarly, you’ll need to use a BIOS update if you want to run an eight-generation CPU on a Z390 board. So, what can this chipset handle – and what’s changed since Z370? The Gigabyte is an expensive board for enthusiastic gamers and tweakers, and it delivered with reasonable gaming pace and loads of relevant features. The MSI board is better for work and creative tasks, though, and you need to make sure you’re going to actually use these features before you buy. Read the full review This board has reasonable features, with PCI connectivity and storage being particular highlights. Other boards do sometimes offer more, though, and it couldn’t outpace rivals in either application or gaming benchmarks. This subdued board isn’t awful, especially for storage or work, but the Gigabyte is a better all-rounder. Read the full review The Gigabyte’s gaming performance was mid-table in the wider Z390 group, but it did consistently outpace its expensive rival in gaming tests – the MSI MEG Z390 Godlike was slower here.

As usual, there’s support for 64GB of DDR4 memory, a solid Realtek ALC1220 audio codec and entirely normal wired networking. On board you get reasonable USB connectivity, and average allocations of fan connectors and CPU power plugs. The Realtek audio hardware is beefed-up with an eight-channel, 32-bit DAC, and you get dual Gigabit Ethernet and 802.11ac wireless. The motherboards are put through a demanding suite of benchmark tests. We run Geekbench 4 to test single- and multi-core application speed, and Maxon’s Cinebench R15 to test CPU and OpenGL GPU performance. We use CrystalDiskMark to test NVMe and SATA storage speeds, and SiSoft Sandra to evaluate memory performance and processor arithmetic speeds. The various extra durability features included and shown off on this board can often be found elsewhere, though, and rival products feature USB 3.1 Type-C connectors, better audio kit and improved support for dual-graphics protocols.

Intel® Boot Guard

Intel Z390 GAMING Motherboard with 10+2 Digital PWM Design, ALC1220-VB, 2-Way SLI™ / 2-Way CrossFire™ Multi-Graphics, USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A, M.2 Thermal Guard, Intel GbE LAN with cFosSpeed, Smart Fan 5, Dual M.2, Dual Armor with Ultra Durable™ Technology, CEC 2019 However, it’s worth remembering that Z370 builds are still perfectly fine, and that Z390 only offers an incremental upgrade over its immediate predecessor – so it may not be worth upgrading if you have a relatively modern system. There’s a lot to like about the specification of the Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Pro. A mid-range Z390 motherboard, it has solid PCI options that match its rivals, and few others at this price have steel supports around both PCI and memory slots.