The Intel Z490 Overview: 44+ Motherboards Examined
by Gavin Bonshor on April 30, 2020 10:00 AM ESTASUS ROG Maximus XII Hero Wi-Fi
Moving onto the ASUS ROG Maximus XII Hero Wi-Fi, we know this model will be available at launch, with a wide variety of features which targets enthusiasts and gamers. With a solid looking 14+2 power delivery, large heat-pipe connected power delivery heatsinks, and a Thunderbolt 3 header onboard, it offers plenty of variety. Also present is an Intel 5 G Ethernet controller, an Intel Wi-Fi 6 wireless interface, three PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots, and six SATA ports.
For the design, ASUS has included PCIe slot armor, with a large rear panel cover and chipset heatsink, both with integrated RGB LEDs. It has three full-length PCIe 3.0 slots which operate at x16, x8/x8, and x8/x8/+4, with three PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. For the storage is three PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots, each covered with its own M.2 heatsinks, with six SATA ports with support for RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 arrays. A total of four memory slots are present which has support for DDR4-4700 memory, with a maximum capacity of up to 128 GB. It is using a 14-phase power delivery for the CPU with 60 A power stages operating in teamed mode, by an ASP1405I PWM controller running in a 7+2 configuration.
On the rear panel is one USB 3.2 G2 20 Gbps Type-C, three USB 3.2 G2 10 Gbps Type-A, four USB 3.2 G1 Type-A, and two USB 2.0 ports. It includes a single HDMI 1.4b video output allowing users to use Intel integrated graphics, with a clear CMOS button and BIOS Flashback button. It is using two Ethernet ports, one controlled by an Aquantia AQC111C 5 G controller, with the other powered by an Intel I219-V Gigabit controller. Offering support for both Wi-Fi 6 wireless connectivity and BT 5.1 is an Intel AX201 wireless interface. Finishing off the rear panel is five 3.5 mm audio jacks and S/PDIF optical output which is powered by a SupremeFX S1220 HD audio codec.
The ASUS ROG Maximus XII Hero Wi-Fi has an MSRP of $399 which puts it in the upper area of mid-range, although it does have a premium controller set onboard. It represents the entry-level ROG Maximus XII model in a current stack of high-end models and is the only one of the currently announced Maximus XII models to be available at launch. With a Thunderbolt 3 header, three PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots, and support for both two-way NVIDIA SLI and up to three-way AMD CrossFire multi-graphics card setups, the Hero Wi-Fi could be the hero you've been looking for to use as a solid foundation for a powerful gaming-focused setup.
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GardenSausage - Monday, September 21, 2020 - link
Looking for any help. I just bought the Z490 Gaming X AX. 9/20/20. I got it up and running but can not figure out how to get any of my video cards to work. Have gotten it to post once but defaulted to the onboard. I have updated my BIOS of F3 I belive. Run threw many settings and still no life to my GPU. I get 5 Brapps then a power down. The MP gets to the GPU illumination boot light and cant get past it. I have tries my GTX 770sc and 980ftw with no luck. Both are EVGA. Please any ideas on how to get my BIOS stable.Win 10 Home
i5- 10400
16gb G.Skill @3200
M.2 1tb
800w PSU (Coolermaster I think)
Atty57 - Monday, June 28, 2021 - link
I liked the fact that the motherboard has more than one nvme (gen 4) slots. The capacitors used are of high quality and cooling material used is also of high grade. The RGB could have been better along the edges though it does the work well . There are multiple fan headers so you won't have any problems regarding that. And the water pump header is also a nice touch. Great ram frequency too.At this price point couldn't have asked for anything more.