Looking for an affordable motherboard option for Intel’s new platform? The Z490 Extreme4 is placed in the lower-tier, ready for Intel’s 10th Gen.
Product on Review: Z490 Taichi
Manufacturer: ASRock
Street Price: GBP £187 | USD $185 | AUD $379
Moving over to the Intel Z490 chipset will force system builders to purchase a new Intel Comet Lake CPU (10th Generation). The initial cost of buying a new CPU (especially if it’s the i9-10900K) may push the budget up for many system builders and therefore it’s understandable that many who are seeking to move to this new platform will be trying to keep the overall cost to a minimum. Today we’ll be looking to ASRock and their lower-tier range as we test out the Z490 Extreme4 motherboard.
The Extreme4 slots right into the lower segment but isn’t quite the cheapest Z490 out there. As such as there are a handful of features which are omitted, however this model still seeks to strike a good balance of features and performance.
About ASRock
ASRock Inc. was established in 2002, specialized in the field of motherboards. ASRock strives to build up its own brand. With the 3C design concept, “Creativity, Consideration, Cost-effectiveness”, the company explores the limit of motherboards manufacturing while paying attention on the eco issue at the same time, developing products with the consideration of eco-friendly concept.
Technical Specifications
Below are the technical specifications concerning the Z490 Extreme4.
Processor
Supports 10th Gen Intel® Core™ and Pentium® Gold /Celeron® processors for LGA 1200 socket1
Chipset
Intel® Z490 Chipset
Memory
4x DDR4 memory slots, support up to 128GB
Supports: 2133-4266+ MHz (OC)
Supports Dual-Channel mode
Supports non-ECC mode, un-buffered memory
Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
Expansion Slots
2x PCIe 3.0x 16 slots – Modes: x16, x4
3x PCIe x1 slots
Multi-GPU
Supports 2-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 (10 Gb/s) (ReDriver) (Supports ESD Protection)
– 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C Port (20 Gb/s) (ASMedia ASM3242) (Supports ESD Protection)
– 5 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports (Supports ESD Protection)
Front USB Port ( Total 9 )
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 front panel header
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 front panel headers
2 x USB 2.0 front panel headers
Audio
– 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC1200 Audio Codec)
– Premium Blu-ray Audio support
– Supports Surge Protection
– 110dB SNR DAC with Differential Amplifier
– PCB Isolate Shielding
– Individual PCB Layers for R/L Audio Channel
– Gold Audio Jacks
– Nahimic Audio
LAN
1x 2.5 Gigabit LAN (Dragon RTL8125BG)
WiFi & Bluetooth
M.2 WiFi Socket – Key E
Internal connectors
– 1 x SPI TPM Header
– 1 x Power LED and Speaker Header
– 2 x RGB LED Headers*
– 2 x Addressable LED Headers**
– 1 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin)***
– 1 x CPU/Water Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
– 5 x Chassis/Water Pump Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
– 1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector)
– 1 x 8 pin 12V Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector)
– 1 x 4 pin 12V Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector)
– 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector
– 1 x Thunderbolt™ AIC Connector (5-pin) (Supports ASRock Thunderbolt™ 3 AIC R2.0 Card only)
– 2 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 4 USB 2.0 ports) (Intel® Z490) (Supports ESD Protection)
– 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Headers (Support 4 USB 3.2 Gen1 ports) (ASMedia ASM1074 hub) (Supports ESD Protection)
– 1 x Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen1 Header (Intel® Z490) (Supports ESD Protection)
Back panel ports
– 2 x Antenna Mounting Points
– 1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
– 1 x HDMI Port
– 1 x DisplayPort 1.4
– 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
– 2 x USB 2.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection)
– 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A Port (10 Gb/s) (ReDriver) (Supports ESD Protection)
– 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C Port (10 Gb/s) (ReDriver) (Supports ESD Protection)
– 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports (Intel® Z490) (Supports ESD Protection)*
– 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED LED)
– HD Audio Jacks: Rear Speaker / Central / Bass / Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone (Gold 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 socket1
Chipset
Intel® Z490 Chipset
Memory
4x DDR4 memory slots, support up to 128GB
Supports: 2133-4266+ MHz (OC)
Supports Dual-Channel mode
Supports non-ECC mode, un-buffered memory
Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
Expansion Slots
2x PCIe 3.0x 16 slots – Modes: x16, x4
3x PCIe x1 slots
Multi-GPU
Supports 2-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 (10 Gb/s) (ReDriver) (Supports ESD Protection)
– 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C Port (20 Gb/s) (ASMedia ASM3242) (Supports ESD Protection)
– 5 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports (Supports ESD Protection)
Front USB Port ( Total 9 )
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 front panel header
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 front panel headers
2 x USB 2.0 front panel headers
Audio
– 7.1 CH HD Audio with Content Protection (Realtek ALC1200 Audio Codec)
– Premium Blu-ray Audio support
– Supports Surge Protection
– 110dB SNR DAC with Differential Amplifier
– PCB Isolate Shielding
– Individual PCB Layers for R/L Audio Channel
– Gold Audio Jacks
– Nahimic Audio
LAN
1x 2.5 Gigabit LAN (Dragon RTL8125BG)
WiFi & Bluetooth
M.2 WiFi Socket – Key E
Internal connectors
– 1 x SPI TPM Header
– 1 x Power LED and Speaker Header
– 2 x RGB LED Headers*
– 2 x Addressable LED Headers**
– 1 x CPU Fan Connector (4-pin)***
– 1 x CPU/Water Pump Fan Connector (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
– 5 x Chassis/Water Pump Fan Connectors (4-pin) (Smart Fan Speed Control)
– 1 x 24 pin ATX Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector)
– 1 x 8 pin 12V Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector)
– 1 x 4 pin 12V Power Connector (Hi-Density Power Connector)
– 1 x Front Panel Audio Connector
– 1 x Thunderbolt™ AIC Connector (5-pin) (Supports ASRock Thunderbolt™ 3 AIC R2.0 Card only)
– 2 x USB 2.0 Headers (Support 4 USB 2.0 ports) (Intel® Z490) (Supports ESD Protection)
– 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Headers (Support 4 USB 3.2 Gen1 ports) (ASMedia ASM1074 hub) (Supports ESD Protection)
– 1 x Front Panel Type C USB 3.2 Gen1 Header (Intel® Z490) (Supports ESD Protection)
Back panel ports
– 2 x Antenna Mounting Points
– 1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard Port
– 1 x HDMI Port
– 1 x DisplayPort 1.4
– 1 x Optical SPDIF Out Port
– 2 x USB 2.0 Ports (Supports ESD Protection)
– 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A Port (10 Gb/s) (ReDriver) (Supports ESD Protection)
– 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C Port (10 Gb/s) (ReDriver) (Supports ESD Protection)
– 2 x USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports (Intel® Z490) (Supports ESD Protection)*
– 1 x RJ-45 LAN Port with LED (ACT/LINK LED and SPEED LED)
– HD Audio Jacks: Rear Speaker / Central / Bass / Line in / Front Speaker / Microphone (Gold 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: ASRock Z490 Extreme4
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 Extreme4.
We were pleasantly surprised that Extreme4 managed to equal that of other much more expensive boards by taking our 10900K up to 5.3GHz with 1.35v. So, even with a cheaper motherboard like this, you can still get excellent results if you want to overclock.
Conclusion
We’ve have a strong affection for the Extreme4 over the generations that it’s been a fixture for ASRock as, in the past, it has supplied an excellent balance of features for the price-tag. Have we been impressed by this latest Z490 Extreme4? In one word, yes!
While the styling on any motherboard is highly subjective, we feel that the Z170 Extreme4 was the best looking we’ve seen for this class of product and it’s a shame that ASRock has departed from the distinct black/gold theme they were once known for. There is plenty of integrated RGB lighting across Extreme4 for those who are interested in applying some colour and we even get four headers dedicated to lighting strips and other devices.
Storage is well balanced, providing sufficient SATA and PCI-Express driven M.2 slots. Much like other offerings we’ve encountered, while the current Intel 10th Gen. processors don’t support PCIe 4.0, Extreme4 has hardware support for it, which is a good future-proofing. In terms of USB, while there is plenty of allocation for the front panel, the back panel does appear to be quite sparsely populated. It also doesn’t help that what little USB ports we have are taken up by 2x USB 2.0 ports which we expect to see phased out in 2020.
In terms of overall performance ASRock’s Extreme4 performs very well and even managed to ascend to overclocking prowess seen on much more expensive models. Extreme4 managed to nudge all cores on our i9-10900K to 5.3GHz with 1.35v which is an impressive achievement.
This model is placed within the lower price bracket for Intel Z490s and comes in at: GBP £187 | USD $185 | AUD $379. For that asking price we would expect to see WiFi included and some extra USB 3.2 ports on that back panel.
The Z490 Extreme4 provides a good balance of features, performs very well and won’t break the bank!
Pros
+ Equipped with plenty of RGB lighting
+ Excellent overclocking ability
+ Offers great performance
+ Features three front panel USB headers
+ Has future support for PCIe 4.0
+ Uses strengthened PCI Express slots
+ M.2 slots feature thermal cooling
Cons
– No standoff support on right-edge due to shape/design
– Needs more USB on back panel
– No WiFi included out of the box
+ Equipped with plenty of RGB lighting
+ Excellent overclocking ability
+ Offers great performance
+ Features three front panel USB headers
+ Has future support for PCIe 4.0
+ Uses strengthened PCI Express slots
+ M.2 slots feature thermal cooling
Cons
– No standoff support on right-edge due to shape/design
– Needs more USB on back panel
– No WiFi included out of the box
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