How Much Does it Cost?
Coming in at £336 on the day of writing, this is quite a bit more expensive than the other Z590 ITX board we have tested for Intel’s 11th Gen Launch day. However, for the added price, you are getting some features not found on the other board. Add in a little bit of ROG TAX for good measure and yeah, pricing sounds about right.
Overview
While this board is a bit more expensive than the AORUS variant we looked at, it does come with WiFi 6E and a unique M.2 triple-decker mount not seen on the AORUS alternative. These features aside, the ROG STRIX Z590-I GAMING WIFI is what we have come to know and love (or hate) from the ASUS ROG lineup of products. We get that premium look and feel and the performance to match and while the price might be a bit higher than some, you can guarantee you are getting a great product.
Build Quality & Design
It’s a ROG STRIX board, need I say more? Whether you love them or hate them, there is no denying the ROG STRIX lineup of products is comprised of quality components. The design is also second to none. I mean, just look at the triple-decker m.2 mount so you can keep both your M.2 drives on the main side of the motherboard. That is a pretty unique feature that I for one have not seen anywhere else at this current time.
Performance
I can not fault the performance at all. This ITX board hangs with the big boys when running everything as it comes. We always set BIOS to default for our testing then load the XMP profile for our RAM and that’s it. Doing this and the Z590I GAMING WIFI can keep up with most any of the 11 other boards we have tested. There is absolutely no need to be worried about the performance on offer as it is a top-notch 5* all in a mini-ITX form factor.
Added Value
The ROG branding always adds extra value to everything, right? The addition of WiFi 6E over some of its competitors is great to see. Also, the triple decker M.2 mount will make it so you don’t have to remove the whole motherboard to access your second drive, should you need to for any reason.
Should I Buy One?
The main thing to think of here is are a couple of extra features worth the almost £70 extra over the Gigabyte Z590I AORUS ULTRA? Or, do you just have to have a ROG ITX board? Well, if you can justify the price I would have absolutely no problem recommending this board as it looks amazing and offers some of the best performance we have seen so far from Z590!
