Are you looking for a mid-range Intel Z490 motherboard? We take a look at the Z490 AORUS PRO AX which offers a good blend of features with super-sleek visuals.
Product on Review: Z490 AORUS PRO AX
Manufacturer: GIGABYTE AORUS
Street Price: GBP £295 | USD $269| AUD $500
In our next Intel Z490 motherboard review we turn to GIGABYTE. In their portfolio for this particular chipset there are 17 models to choose from – which is phenomenal. Motherboards within this category span from entry-level through to the high-end, but today we will be taking a look at a mid-range solution.
Under analysis today is the Z490 AORUS PRO AX, which is a successor to the Z390 AORUS PRO AC. PRO AX adopts a sleek design, with a focus on keeping RGB and styling as subtle as possible. Placed around the board there are plenty of features and even support for up to 5000MHz DDR4.
How well can PRO AX handle the 10900K? Can it breach our 5.3GHz overclock record?
AORUS on the PRO AX
Z490 AORUS PRO AX motherboard uses an 12+1 phases digital CPU power design which includes both digital PWM Controller and DrMOS. These 100% digital controller and additional 8+4 Solid-pin CPU Power Connectors offer incredible precision in delivering power to the motherboard’s most power-hungry and energy-sensitive components, allowing enthusiasts to get the absolute maximum performance from the new Intel 10-core CPU.
Technical Specifications
Below are the technical specifications concerning the Z490 AORUS PRO AX:
Processor
Supports 10th Gen Intel® Core™ and Pentium® Gold /Celeron® processors for LGA 1200 socket
Chipset
Intel® Z490 Chipset
Memory
4x DDR4 memory slots, support up to 128GB
Supports: 2133-5000 MHz (OC)
Supports Dual-Channel mode
Supports non-ECC mode, un-buffered memory
Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
Expansion Slots
3x PCIe 3.0x 16 slots – Modes: x16, x8, x4 (2 from CPU, 1 from PCH)
2x PCIe x1 slots (from PCH)
Multi-GPU
Supports 2-Way NVIDIA® SLI™ Technology
Supports 3-Way AMD® CrossFire™ Technology
Storage
Intel® Z490 Chipset
6x SATA 6Gb/s ports
1x M.2 slots PCIe 3.0 x4 (Key M) 2242/2260/2280/22110
1x M.2 slots PCIe 3.0 x4 (Key M) 2242/2260/2280
Intel® Optane™ Memory Ready
Supports Intel® Smart Response Technology for Intel Core™ processors
USB
Rear USB Port ( Total 8 )
– 2 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A Ports
– 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C Port
– 3 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A Ports
– 4 x USB 2.0 Type-A Ports
Front USB Port ( Total 9 )
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 front panel header
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 front panel header
2 x USB 2.0 front panel headers
Audio
– 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC1220-VB Audio Codec)
LAN
1x 2.5 Intel Gigabit LAN
WiFi & Bluetooth
Intel® WiFi 6 – AX201
Supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, MU-MINO Rx, 2.4GHz-5GHz (160MHz) up to 2.4Gbps
Supports Bluetooth® 5.1
Internal connectors
1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
1 x 4-pin ATX 12V power connector
1 x CPU fan header
1 x water cooling CPU fan header
4 x system fan headers
2 x system fan/water cooling pump headers
2 x addressable LED strip headers
2 x RGB LED strip headers
6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
2 x M.2 Socket 3 connectors
1 x front panel header
1 x front panel audio header
1 x USB Type-C™ header, with USB 3.2 Gen 1 support
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 header
2 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers
2 x Thunderbolt™ add-in card connectors
1 x Trusted Platform Module header (For the GC-TPM2.0 SPI/GC-TPM2.0 SPI 2.0 module only)
1 x Clear CMOS jumper
2 x temperature sensor headers
1 x Q-Flash Plus button
Back panel ports
1 x USB Type-C™ port, with USB 3.2 Gen 2 support
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports (red)
3 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports
4 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
2 x SMA antenna connectors (2T2R)
1 x HDMI port
1 x RJ-45 port
1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector
5 x audio jacks
Dimensions
12 in. x 9.6 in. (30.5 cm x 24.4 cm)
ATX Form Factor
Supports 10th Gen Intel® Core™ and Pentium® Gold /Celeron® processors for LGA 1200 socket
Chipset
Intel® Z490 Chipset
Memory
4x DDR4 memory slots, support up to 128GB
Supports: 2133-5000 MHz (OC)
Supports Dual-Channel mode
Supports non-ECC mode, un-buffered memory
Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
Expansion Slots
3x PCIe 3.0x 16 slots – Modes: x16, x8, x4 (2 from CPU, 1 from PCH)
2x PCIe x1 slots (from PCH)
Multi-GPU
Supports 2-Way NVIDIA® SLI™ Technology
Supports 3-Way AMD® CrossFire™ Technology
Storage
Intel® Z490 Chipset
6x SATA 6Gb/s ports
1x M.2 slots PCIe 3.0 x4 (Key M) 2242/2260/2280/22110
1x M.2 slots PCIe 3.0 x4 (Key M) 2242/2260/2280
Intel® Optane™ Memory Ready
Supports Intel® Smart Response Technology for Intel Core™ processors
USB
Rear USB Port ( Total 8 )
– 2 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A Ports
– 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C Port
– 3 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A Ports
– 4 x USB 2.0 Type-A Ports
Front USB Port ( Total 9 )
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 front panel header
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 front panel header
2 x USB 2.0 front panel headers
Audio
– 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC1220-VB Audio Codec)
LAN
1x 2.5 Intel Gigabit LAN
WiFi & Bluetooth
Intel® WiFi 6 – AX201
Supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, MU-MINO Rx, 2.4GHz-5GHz (160MHz) up to 2.4Gbps
Supports Bluetooth® 5.1
Internal connectors
1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
1 x 4-pin ATX 12V power connector
1 x CPU fan header
1 x water cooling CPU fan header
4 x system fan headers
2 x system fan/water cooling pump headers
2 x addressable LED strip headers
2 x RGB LED strip headers
6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
2 x M.2 Socket 3 connectors
1 x front panel header
1 x front panel audio header
1 x USB Type-C™ header, with USB 3.2 Gen 1 support
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 header
2 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers
2 x Thunderbolt™ add-in card connectors
1 x Trusted Platform Module header (For the GC-TPM2.0 SPI/GC-TPM2.0 SPI 2.0 module only)
1 x Clear CMOS jumper
2 x temperature sensor headers
1 x Q-Flash Plus button
Back panel ports
1 x USB Type-C™ port, with USB 3.2 Gen 2 support
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports (red)
3 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports
4 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
2 x SMA antenna connectors (2T2R)
1 x HDMI port
1 x RJ-45 port
1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector
5 x audio jacks
Dimensions
12 in. x 9.6 in. (30.5 cm x 24.4 cm)
ATX Form Factor
Video: Unboxing – Overview – Review
For this motherboard review we’ve produced a video which provides you with the unboxing experience, a highly detailed overview of the board revealing all the features with a verdict. Check out the video review here or watch below:
Test Setup & Methodology
Notes: We’ve revamped our benchmark regime by removing a number of tests which reveal little, to no difference between each motherboard model. Gaming performance is one such area which has been removed due to the inability for each motherboard to offer any advantage over another. Instead, we have focussed on meaningful/tangible analysis which examines the VRM/chipset design, and the storage performance which will be far more informative to the end user.
TEST SETUP
CPU Intel Core i9-10900KCooling: Corsair Hydro Series H110i
Motherboard: GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS PRO AX
Memory: 32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 3000MHz
Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 480
Storage: Intel S3500 128GB SATA SSD + Samsung 960 Pro 512GB PCIe 3.0 SSD
PSU: Corsair HX1050 80 Plus Gold Certified PSU
Monitor: AOC U2879VF
BENCHMARKS
PCMark 10 – Overall Extended ScoreSiSoftware SANDRA – SATA/PCIe Storage Tests
SiSoftware SANDRA – Processor Image Processing
OTHER SOFTWARE
Temperature Analysis: HWMonitorStress Testing Software: AIDA64 Stability Test
CPU Specification Monitoring: CPU-Z
Benchmarks: Power Consumption
In this first test we analyse the power efficiency from the wall for each motherboard (Minus the GPU). While each model uses the same chipset/platform, energy results can fluctuate between manufacturers due to the features and specifications that are integrated. First of all, for the idle tests the system is cold booted into Windows and no additional applications are executed – wattage is noted on the external energy monitor we use and then we open Aida64 stability test and execute a stress test, noting the highest reading on the monitor. Below are the results of this energy test.
Benchmarks: VRM & Chipset Cooling
Each motherboard manufacturer designs their board with a unique set of heatsinks to cover key areas like the VRM/mosfets and the chipset itself. In these test we use HWMonitor to identify the minimum values for VRM and chipset and then we load up Aida64 stability test again and perform a 20 minute run, recording the maximum value for both attributes.
Benchmarks: PCMark 10
PCMark 10 features a comprehensive set of tests that cover the wide variety of tasks performed in the modern workplace. With a range of performance tests, custom run options, and the new Battery Life Profile, PCMark 10 is the complete PC benchmark for the modern office.
Benchmarks: SATA Performance
In order to ascertain the SATA performance for our motherboards we use SiSoftware SANDRA and the File System Bandwidth performance test. This allows us to obtain the sequential read/write transfer rates for the drive being tested – Intel S3500 128GB SSD.
Benchmarks: PCIe M.2 Performance
In order to ascertain the PCIe M.2 performance for our motherboards we use SiSoftware SANDRA and the File System Bandwidth performance test. This allows us to obtain the sequential read/write transfer rates for the drive being tested – Samsung 960 Pro 512GB.
Benchmarks: CPU Image Processing
AIDA64 Product Page
In our last test we observe the Image Processing performance from the CPU attached to the motherboard. For this we use SiSoftware SANDRA and the benchmark specifically designed for measuring the common algorithms associated with processing imagery.
Overclocking
For the overclocking phase, we already know that our CPU (Intel Core i9-10900K) is capable of having all cores operate at 5.3GHz so this is the target which we aimed for with PRO AX.
We’re pleased to report that PRO AX was able to configure all 10-cores on our 10900K to 5.3GHz, we did need considerable voltage though – at 1.35v. Such voltage nudges up the temperatures to the concerning levels (85-90C). We also experienced some vdroop – which does seem to be common with GIGABYTE motherboards.
Nonetheless, this is still a great achievement – highlighting how PRO AX can overclock Intel’s new flagship.
Conclusion
Against other motherboards in its segment, the PRO AX is a superb choice.
This particular board adopts a subtle approach to styling – choosing to reduce the integrated RGB lighting and instead settle for an all-black livery which seems to be an avenue that a few manufacturers are introducing. It’s nice to have this option, not everyone favours an all-singing, all-dancing light show!
Looking at PRO AX purely on the feature-set, it has a lot to offer. Across this board we have a plethora of fan headers and temperature sensors and even some extras like the Q-FLASH function, allowing you to update the BIOS without the presence of any core components such as CPU, memory or graphics card. PRO AX also supports up to 5000MHz DDR4 – the highest frequency we’ve yet come across, while this won’t be a necessity for most, it’s great to know that it is capable of such a feat.
Just like other Intel Z490 motherboards, PRO AX has the hardware support for PCIe 4.0, even though 10th Gen doesn’t provide it. This means that if there is a future CPU release which supplies PCIe 4.0, this model is able to take advantage.
While we do get a nice assortment of USB functionality, we were slightly disappointed to discover just USB 3.1 Gen 1 for the front panel connectivity. Likewise, the back panel has a row of USB 2.0 ports which manufacturers are beginning to phase out – GIGABYTE should have utilised the space in a better way by laying out USB 3.2 instead.
PRO AX is a great performer when placed into varying scenarios and in particular we were able to apply a 5.3GHz overclock to all 10-cores on the 10900K. We did need some extra voltage, which in turn resulted in high temperatures, but this is still a brilliant achievement.
Pricing sees this specific model appear on shelves at GBP £295 | USD $269| AUD $500 which places it into a mid-range slot. We believe it offers good value for money in its segment!
Offering stealthy aesthetics and a good blend of features, the PRO AX is one of our recommendations for the mid-range division.
Pros
+ Sleek, clean visual appearance
+ Can overclock well
+ Offers great performance
+ Loaded with fan headers and sensors
+ Includes Q-FLASH functionality
+ Has future support for PCIe 4.0
+ Uses strengthened PCI Express slots
+ Offers triple M.2 slots
Cons
– Numerous USB 2.0 ports on back panel
– No USB 3.2 Gen 2 front panel header
+ Sleek, clean visual appearance
+ Can overclock well
+ Offers great performance
+ Loaded with fan headers and sensors
+ Includes Q-FLASH functionality
+ Has future support for PCIe 4.0
+ Uses strengthened PCI Express slots
+ Offers triple M.2 slots
Cons
– Numerous USB 2.0 ports on back panel
– No USB 3.2 Gen 2 front panel header
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