The Ultimate Z590 Motherboard Guide

ASUS

There are two things we come to expect from an ASUS motherboard these days, it’ll be packed with more features than any consumer could use, and it’ll likely be pretty darn expensive. However, it’ll also likely be one of the best motherboards hitting the market, and that certainly looks true glancing over the six boards they’re launching. The ROG Maximus XIII Extreme Glacial and the ROG Maximus XIII Extreme certainly tick all the enthusiast market boxes.

The ROG Maximus XIII Extreme (and the Glacial) come with an E-ATX design, 18+2 power stages, five M.2 slots, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 front-panel connector, USB 3.2 Gen 2 front-panel connector, dual Thunderbolt 4, Marvell AQtion 10 Gb Ethernet, Intel® 2.5 Gb Ethernet, PCIe® 4.0, onboard WiFi 6E (802.11ax) and Aura Sync RGB lighting. Of course, one comes with an integrated full-coverage EK water block, and the other has to make do with an enormous heatsink array and armoured design.

Further down the range, we have the ROG MAXIMUS XIII HERO, and while it may not be the flagship, it’s still going to be one of the most advanced boards for the Z590 launch. It still offers up a huge range of features such as quad M.2 and Dual 2.5Gb Ethernet. Furthermore, it’s certainly one of the most attractive ATX boards in the ASUS range, not that the others aren’t!

Next up, what’s likely to be one of their biggest sellers, the ROG STRIX Z590-E GAMING WIFI, another ATX, feature-packed beast that’s highly tuned towards high-performance gaming builds. It comes with many overclocking features, dual LAN, quad M.2, RGB, AI noise-cancellation, and so much more. It’ll still be an expensive board but gives you most of the flagship boards’ thrills at a much lower price.

Finally, we have both the TUF GAMING Z590-PLUS WIFI and the PRIME Z590-A. Again, not exactly trimming many of the more high-end boards’ features, but still ticking all the right boxes even for enthusiast-grade workstation and gaming builds. Both have fast networking, lots of storage options and even Thunderbolt 4.

What’s strange is that there isn’t a single mATX or mini-ITX board in the line up… something we hope to see change in the coming months.

Check out the ASUS Z590 official product page here.

ROG Maximus XIII Extreme Glacial

The rear I/O keeps that silver and white theme too, with exceptional high-end connectivity from top to bottom.

Features

• Intel® Socket LGA 1200 for 11th Gen Intel® Core™ processors and 10th Gen Intel Core, Pentium® Gold and Celeron® processors
• Optimized Thermal Design: Integrated EK water block that cools VRM, CPU and PCH; high-conductivity thermal pads, five M.2 heatsinks with embedded backplates and ROG Water-Cooling Zone
• Intelligent Control: ASUS-exclusive software and firmware utilities that simplify setup and improve performance: AI Overclocking, AI Cooling, AI Networking and Two-Way AI Noise-Cancelation
• Robust Power Solution: 18+2 teamed power stages – each rated at 100 Amps, ProCool II power connectors, MicroFine alloy chokes and 10K Japanese-made black metallic capacitors
• High-Performance Networking: Onboard WiFi 6E (802.11ax), Marvell® AQtion 10 Gb Ethernet, Intel® 2.5 Gb Ethernet, and ASUS LANGuard
• Fastest Gaming Connectivity: PCIe® 4.0, five M.2 slots, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 front-panel connector, dual Thunderbolt™ 4 USB-C®
• Industry-Leading Gaming Audio: ROG SupremeFX ALC4082 with ESS® ES9018Q2C DAC for high-fidelity sound
• Unmatched Personalization: 2” LiveDash colour OLED, ASUS-exclusive Aura Sync RGB lighting, including one RGB header and three addressable Gen 2 RGB headers
• DIY-Friendly Design: Pre-mounted I/O shield, V_Latch switch, BIOS FlashBack™, Q-Code, FlexKey, Q-Connector, SafeSlot and Graphics Card Holder
• Renowned Software: Bundled 1-year AIDA64 Extreme subscription and intuitive UEFI BIOS dashboard with integrated MemTest86

ROG Maximus XIII Extreme

Features

• Intel® Socket LGA 1200 for 11th Gen Intel® Core™ processors and 10th Gen Intel Core, Pentium® Gold and Celeron® processors
• Intelligent Control: ASUS-exclusive software and firmware utilities that simplify setup and improve performance: AI Overclocking, AI Cooling, AI Networking and Two-Way AI Noise-Cancelation
• Robust Power Solution: 18+2 teamed power stages – each rated at 100 Amps, ProCool II power connectors, MicroFine alloy chokes and 10K Japanese-made black metallic capacitors
• Optimized Thermal Design: Enlarged VRM heatsinks plus integrated aluminum I/O cover, high-conductivity thermal pad, five M.2 heatsinks with embedded backplates and ROG Water-Cooling Zone
• High-Performance Networking: Onboard WiFi 6E (802.11ax), Marvell® AQtion 10 Gb Ethernet, Intel® 2.5 Gb Ethernet, and ASUS LANGuard
• Fastest Gaming Connectivity: PCIe® 4.0, five M.2 slots, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 front-panel connector, dual Thunderbolt™ 4 USB-C®
• Industry-leading Gaming Audio: ROG SupremeFX ALC4082 with ESS® ES9018Q2C DAC for high-fidelity sound
• Unmatched Personalization: 1.77” LiveDash OLED, ASUS-exclusive Aura Sync RGB lighting, including one RGB header and three addressable Gen 2 RGB headers
• DIY-Friendly Design: Pre-mounted I/O shield, V_Latch switch, BIOS FlashBack™, Q-Code, FlexKey, Q-Connector, SafeSlot and Graphics Card Holder
• Renowned Software: Bundled 1-year AIDA64 Extreme subscription and intuitive UEFI BIOS dashboard with integrated MemTest86

ROG MAXIMUS XIII HERO

Features

• Intel^® Socket LGA 1200 for 11th Gen Intel^® Core™ processors and 10th Gen Intel Core, Pentium^® Gold and Celeron^® Processors
• Intelligent Control: ASUS-exclusive software and firmware utilities that simplify setup and improve performance: AI Overclocking, AI Cooling, AI Networking and Two-Way AI Noise-Cancelation
• Robust Power Solution: 14+2 teamed power stages rated for 90 Amps, ProCool II power connectors, MicroFine alloy chokes and 10K Japanese-made black metallic capacitors
• Optimized Thermal Design: Enlarged VRM heatsinks plus integrated aluminium I/O cover, high-conductivity thermal pad, quad M.2 heatsinks with embedded backplates and ROG Water-Cooling Zone
• High-performance Networking: Onboard WiFi 6E (802.11ax), dual Intel^® 2.5 Gb Ethernet and ASUS LANGaurd.
• Fastest Gaming Connectivity: PCIe^® 4.0, quad M.2, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 front-panel connector, dual USB Type-C^® ports with Thunderbolt™ 4 USB-C^®
• Industry-leading Gaming Audio: ROG SupremeFX ALC4082 with ESS^® ES9018Q2C DAC for high-fidelity audio
• Unmatched Personalization: ASUS-exclusive Aura Sync RGB lighting, including one RGB header and three addressable Gen 2 RGB headers
• DIY-friendly Design: Pre-mounted I/O shield, BIOS FlashBack™, Q-Code, FlexKey, Q-Connector, SafeSlot and Graphics Card Holder
• Renowned Software: Bundled 1-year AIDA64 Extreme subscription and intuitive UEFI BIOS dashboard with integrated MemTest86

ROG STRIX Z590-E GAMING WIFI

Features

• Intel® Socket LGA 1200 for 11th Gen Intel® Core™ processors and 10th Gen Intel Core, Pentium® Gold and Celeron® processors 
• Optimal Power Solution: 14+2 power stages with ProCool II power connector, high-quality alloy chokes and durable capacitors to support multi-core processors  
• Optimized Thermal Design: VRM and aluminum I/O heatsink, L-shaped heatpipe, Trio onboard M.2 heatsinks, including an M.2 backplate for improved cooling for PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot 
• High-performance Networking: On-board Intel® WiFi 6E AX210 (802.11ax) and dual Intel® 2.5 Gb Ethernet with ASUS LANGuard  
• Best Gaming Connectivity: Supports HDMI® 2.0 and DisplayPort™ 1.4 output, and featuring quad M.2 and USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A and Type-C® connectors  
• Intelligent Control: ASUS-exclusive software and firmware utilities that simplify setup and improve performance: AI Overclocking, AI Cooling, AI Networking and Two-Way AI Noise-Cancelation 
• DIY Friendly Design: M.2 Q-Latch, Pre-mounted I/O shield, BIOS FlashBack™, Clr CMOS button, Q-Code and FlexKey 
• Unmatched Personalization: ASUS-exclusive Aura Sync RGB lighting, including RGB headers and Gen 2 addressable headers 
• Industry-leading Gaming Audio: High fidelity audio with ALC4080 with Savitech SV3H712 amplifier, along with DTS^® Sound Unbound and Sonic Studio III  
• Renowned Software: Bundled 60 days AIDA64 Extreme subscription and intuitive UEFI BIOS dashboard with integrated MemTest86

TUF Gaming Z590-PLUS WIFI

Features

• Intel^® LGA 1200 socket: Ready for 11th and 10th Gen Intel^® Core™ processors
• Enhanced power solution: 14+2 DrMOS power stages, six-layer PCB, ProCool sockets, military-grade TUF components and Digi+ VRM for maximum durability
• Comprehensive cooling: Enlarged VRM heatsink, PCH fanless heatsink, M.2 heatsink, hybrid fan headers and Fan Xpert 4 utility
• Next-gen connectivity: PCIe^® 4.0, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C^®, front panel header for USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C^® and Thunderbolt 4™ support
• Made for online gaming: Intel^® WiFi 6, Intel^® 2.5 Gb Ethernet, TUF LANGuard and TurboLAN technology
• Two-way AI Noise Cancelation: Reduces background noise from the microphone and audio output for crystal-clear communication in games or video conferences
• Realtek S1200A codec: Pristine audio quality with unprecedented 108 dB signal-to-noise ratio for stereo line out and 103 dB SNR for line in

PRIME Z590-A

Features

• Intel^® LGA 1200 socket: Ready for 10th and 11th gen Intel^® Core™ processors
• Enhanced power solution: 14+2 DrMOS power stages, six-layer PCB, ProCool sockets, alloy chokes and durable capacitors for stable power delivery
• AI Overclocking: Optimizes CPU performance based on the CPU and cooler, achieving results that are extremely close to manual tuning by experts
• AI Cooling: Manages and controls all motherboard fans, automatically optimizing settings based on current system load and temperature
• Two-way AI Noise Cancelation: Reduces background noise from the microphone and audio output for crystal-clear communication in games or video conferences
• Comprehensive cooling: Large VRM heatsink, M.2 heatsink, hybrid fan headers and Fan Xpert 4
• Next-gen connectivity: PCIe^® 4.0, Intel^® 2.5 Gb Ethernet, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C^®, front panel USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C^®, Thunderbolt™ 4 header support