The Intel Z590 Motherboard Overview: 50+ Motherboards Detailed
by Gavin Bonshor on January 19, 2021 10:15 AM ESTMSI Z590 Pro WiFi & Z590 A Pro
Moving down to the more professional and basic Pro series, the MSI Z590 A Pro and the Z590 Pro WiFi blend basic with stylish. It uses a black ATX sized PCB, with white straight lines patterning, and black/silver accented heatsinks. The only difference between both models is the inclusion of a Wi-Fi 6E CNVi.
The MSI Z590 Pro WiFi motherboard
Dominating the lower portion of the board are two full-length PCIe slots, with the top slot operating at PCIe 4.0 x16, a second full-length slot locked down at PCIe 3.0 x4, and two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. MSI includes plenty of storage connectivity, with one PCIe 4.0 x4 and two PCIe 3.0/SATA M.2 slots. There are also six SATA ports in total, with four straight angled with a cut-out into the PCB for better cable management and two straight-angled ports located at the bottom edge of the board. For memory, MSI includes four memory slots capable of installing up to 128 GB, with speeds of up to DDR4-5333.
On the rear panel is a single USB 3.2 G2 Type-C, one USB 3.2 G2 Type-A, two USB 3.2 G1 Type-A, and four USB 2.0 ports. The Wi-Fi variant includes an Intel AX210 Wi-Fi 6E CNVi, while both models include an Intel I225-V 2.5 GbE controller. MSI also includes a DisplayPort and HDMI video output pairing for users that intend to use Intel's integrated graphics. A PS/2 combo keyboard and mouse port and a small clear CMOS switch finish off the rear panel.
The MSI Z590 Pro WiFi has an MSRP of $209, while the Z590 A Pro has an MSRP of $189 which is currently the cheapest Z590 model we know about. Both models include a decent feature set for the price, and the Z590 Pro WiFi even includes 2.5 GbE and Wi-Fi 6E networking; the Z590 A Pro is the same board but without the Wi-Fi capability.
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WaltC - Wednesday, January 20, 2021 - link
If my x570 Aorus Master fan is "active", it has sure fooled me...;) It is not audible.Makaveli - Wednesday, January 20, 2021 - link
I'm on a Asus Prime X570-Pro for just over a year now and I've not heard the chipset fan once totally overblown issue. Drama queens!Samus - Thursday, January 21, 2021 - link
I think it's impressive Intel kept a PCIe4.0 chipset down to 6w TDP. Definitely doesn't need active cooling.Slash3 - Sunday, January 24, 2021 - link
The chipset isn't Gen4.Spunjji - Wednesday, January 20, 2021 - link
Not surprised if they're expecting users to overclock chips that will exceed 200W at stock settings. 😬YB1064 - Thursday, January 21, 2021 - link
Is it just me or are the MSRPs listed utterly insane? Intel has been relegated to a poor man's AMD, yet these crazy prices? As they say, a fool and his money are soon parted.Samus - Saturday, January 23, 2021 - link
I don't think it's actually the chipset costs that are inflating the price of the boards, but the ridiculous power circuit and components required to deliver over 200w of power to the CPU's in order for these board makers to take advantage of PL2.fundead - Wednesday, August 4, 2021 - link
I thought the active fan is for the 10 gig networking chip. It is facing that heatsink which is right next to the vrm heatsink.damianrobertjones - Tuesday, January 19, 2021 - link
Looking at the prices, I'm really, REALLY glad that I bought an AORUS Z490 Elite (£154, new) from eBay. I just don't understand the prices.aidan - Wednesday, January 20, 2021 - link
I've just done exactly the same, no regrets whatsoever