ASUS Z590

The ASUS ROG STRIX Z590-I Gaming WiFi is an exemplary premium ITX Z590 board. With WiFi 6E, 2.5 Gb/s LAN, and an integrated I/O shield, as well as both M.2 slots cleverly located on the front of the board and lots of storage connectivity, all the feature boxes are checked. When it comes to looks, the ASUS ROG STRIX Z590-I Gaming WiFi is classically ASUS by featuring an excellent RGB implementation and a design that is neutral enough to make for easy parts matching.

Pricing sees the Strix Z590-I in the middle of the pack, and that's to be expected considering how much has to be trimmed to squeeze all the Z590 features on to a PCB that would fit in the palm of your hand. What is surprising, beyond the performance, is how much of the new feature set the Strix ITX manages to have. PCI Express 4.0 slot, PCIe 4.0 M.2 NVMe support and even Thunderbolt 4 is all present and correct. It runs our Core i9-11900K - a CPU that is absolute overkill for a motherboard in this format - as quick as any other and, surprisingly, cooler than most too. Maybe paradoxically the reduced power phases meant that the Rocket Lake flagship processor ran a little cooler and thus the Adaptive Boost Technology could keep it running faster for longer. Whatever the case if you're worried that the ITX format is going to cripple the performance of your new system then fear not, the ROG Strix Z590-I is a beast. Clearly you have to make some connectivity concessions to achieve an ITX footprint, and the Strix Z590-I Gaming WiFi is no exception. However, like the TUF it has all the headline features present and correct, so you're getting enough to run a blazing gaming system should you so choose. The ASUS ROG Strix Z590-I Gaming WiFi is an affordable, high performance, total surprise packet and puts a smile on our face every time we think of it. It wins the OC3D Performance Award.

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!

Das ASUS ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming WiFi ist aktuell zu einem Preis von ca. 350 € im Handel erhältlich. Es überzeugt vor allem durch seine üppige Ausstattung, wie die PCIe 4.0 Unterstützung, die sehr gute Spannungsversorgung den vielen USB-Anschlüssen, einem Grafikkartenhalter, den vier M.2 Anschlüssen samt cleverer Einspannvorrichtung und einigem mehr.Das Mainboard eine ganz klare Empfehlung.

It is usual for motherboard manufacturers to increase the price of boards from one generation to the next, even if the socket and general CPU support remains largely unaffected. Asus duly does this with the Z590-E Gaming WiFi, now costing £330, but the improvement in specifications more than makes up for the price uptick. Dual 2.5G Ethernet, class-leading WiFi, improved audio, four M.2 slots - two of which are PCIe 4.0 - 20Gbps USB, and heightened power delivery are all positive points. In fact, there's little reason to spend more than this as there's little scope to overclock 11th Gen chips further. We're not fans of the head-inducing shield display and Z590 has a limited shelf life, but if you want to buy a high-quality board for 10th/11th Gen Core desktop processors right now, the Asus ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming WiFi is a fine choice. Recommended.

The ASUS ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming WiFi continues the long established trend of the Strix hitting the price performance sweet spot, and we see no reason at all why this doesn't fly off the shelves in the same quantities as its predecessors. It wins our OC3D Gamers Choice Award.

Wer sich für einen Z590-Unterbau von ASUS entscheidet, dabei aber auch auf das vorhandene Budget achten muss, für den hat das Unternehmen abseits der Prime-Mainboards die TUF-Gaming-Bretter im Sortiment. Flaggschiff der TUF-Gaming-Serie mit Intels Z590-Chipsatz ist dabei das TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WiFi, das dem genügsamen Gamer durchaus ausreichen könnte. Wir haben hinter die Kulissen geschaut und das Mainboard durch den Test-Parcours geschickt.

Overall the ASUS TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WIFI offers a good package, but we feel the non-Wi-Fi model offers much better value.

The ASUS TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WiFi is a great mid-range Z590 motherboard. With WiFi 6, 2.5 Gb/s LAN, and an integrated I/O shield, as well as a reasonable storage complement, the ASUS TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WiFi has all the necessities for a modern system. When it comes to looks, the ASUS TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WiFi is a more grown-up take on the classic TUF Gaming aesthetic. Featuring a reasonable, if limited, RGB implementation and a design that is neutral enough to make for easy parts matching, the ASUS TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WiFi is more approachable than past TUF Gaming boards.

Honestly, if it's a better value than you're after, then the TUF Z590 Plus WIFI has got a lot to offer. The performance levels are close and or similar to the expensive premium boards. The tradeoff is a slightly downgraded product, but it's still really good. One 2.5 GigE jack, WIFI6 opposed to WIFI6E, one M2 less and other than that you can argue the relevance of two dozen USB ports etc. The product has nice looks as well, in that dark design. The 50A power stages are fine, the 14+2 phases as well recommended, of course. I'd have no hesitation if I'd be on the lookout for a Z590 motherboard that's done right and one that's not too expensive.

As mentioned, the price alone is one of the biggest selling points for this board. Being able to upgrade to the latest and greatest hardware without making your wallet cry is always a nice feeling. While the performance may not be quite as good as the more expensive options, this won’t really be noticeable in the real world. If you are looking to dip your toes into the water that is Intel’s 11th Gen CPUs and the Z590 chipset, Ihave no issues with recommending this board on a budget basis.

Mainboards im vierstelligen Euro-Bereich sind seit einigen Jahren vereinzelt im Desktop-Segment anzutreffen, nehmen jedoch klar eine Luxus-Stellung ein und klammern jegliche Vernunft aus. Hohe Absatzzahlen können die Hersteller somit nicht generieren. So wird es auch dem ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Extreme Glacial ergehen, das wir von ASUS für einen Test erhalten haben. Lohnt sich die Platine für den enorm hohen Anschaffungspreis?

Das ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XIII EXTREME Z590 ist aktuell zu einem Preis von ca. 875 € im Handel erhältlich. Es überzeugt in jeder Hinsicht, außer vielleicht beim Preis. Aber bei dieser Ausstattung ist dieser kaum verwunderlich. Denn die massive Spannungsversorgung, die Möglichkeit, fünf M.2 SSDs anzuschließen, der 10 Gbit Netzwerkanschluss oder auch die beiden Thunderbolt 4 Anschlüsse haben ihren Preis.

Asus’ ROG Maximus XIII Extreme and Extreme Glacial are full-featured Z590 motherboards that include robust power delivery, premium audio with a DAC, five M.2 sockets, 10 GbE and integrated Wi-Fi 6E. The Glacial includes a custom waterblock. While pricing is tough to take, the Extreme ($899) and Extreme Glacial ($1499) represent what flagship-class motherboards should be.

As I have said, this board is not designed for your everyday user. It is designed for professional overclockers that want to make their 11th Gen CPUs bleed and cry! ASUS have added all the hardware and customization need to control the board exactly how you want, allowing you to push your components to their limits. ASUS has also included software and AI enhancements to make sure you are getting every single ounce of performance out of your 11th Gen CPU that is possible. While expensive, if you want to push your components to be mere millimetres away from death, this is the board that will help you do so!

Clearly to get down to this price point some elements aren't quite as good as the other Z590s we're reviewing today. We're never keen on vertical SATA ports, there are only two USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports and one USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C, and the aesthetics are utilitarian at best. Throughout our performance results it was, generally, at the lower end of the graphs although it is always worth bearing in mind the actual numbers involved where even the worst isn't all that far behind the best. The Z590 is nothing if not consistent. However, these are all areas that you understand will be what you have to put up with when you're getting a product significantly cheaper than the competition. If you're the type of person who primarily games and wants a platform they can put a 11th Gen Core i5-10600K into along with a good GPU and just get on with the business of gaming then the ASUS Z590-Plus TUF is the most affordable entry point and wins our OC3D Gamers Choice Award.

Overclocking-focused Z590 boards from ASRock, Asus and Aourus contend for clock speed supremacy.

After almost a decade of total market dominance, Intel has spent the past few years on the defensive. AMD's Ryzen processors continue to show improvement year over year, with the most recent Ryzen 5000 series taking the crown of best gaming processor: Intel's last bastion of superiority. Now, with a booming hardware market, Intel is preparing to make up some of that lost ground with the new 11th Gen Intel Core Processors. Intel is claiming these new 11th Gen CPUs offer double-digit IPC improvements despite remaining on a 14 nm process. The top-end 8-core Intel Core i9-11900K may not be able to compete against its Ryzen 9 5900X AMD rival in heavily multi-threaded scenarios, but the higher clock speeds and alleged IPC improvements could be enough to take back the gaming crown. Along with the new CPUs, there is a new chipset to match, the Intel Z590. Last year's Z490 chipset motherboards are also compatible with the new 11th Gen Intel Core Processors, but Z590 introduces some key advantages. First, Z590 offers native PCIe 4.0 support from the CPU, which means the PCIe and M.2 slots powered off the CPU will offer PCIe 4.0 connectivity when an 11th Gen CPU is installed. The PCIe and M.2 slots controlled by the Z590 chipset are still PCI 3.0. While many high-end Z490 motherboards advertised this capability, it was not a standard feature for the platform. In addition to PCIe 4.0 support, Z590 offers USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 from the chipset. The USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 standard offers speeds of up to 20 Gb/s. Finally, Z590 boasts native support for 3200 MHz DDR4 memory. With these upgrades, Intel's Z series platform has feature parity with AMD's B550. On paper, Intel is catching up to AMD, but only testing will tell if these new Z590 motherboards are up to the challenge.

Nachdem wir mit MSIs und EKWBs MPG Z590 CARBON EK X das erste Z590-Mainboard begutachtet haben, geht es nun mit einem beliebten Modell weiter. Denn egal, ob es sich um eine Intel- oder AMD-Plattform handelt, die ROG-Oberklasse- und High-End-Mainboards stehen bei vielen Interessenten hoch im Kurs. So steht ein Test des neuen ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero natürlich fix auf unserem Programm.

On our test bench today is one of ASUS ROG's mid-range models designed for Intel's Rocket Lake processors. The ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero brings plenty of premium controllers and connectivity to the table including dual 2.5 GbE, dual Thunderbolt 4 Type-C, Wi-Fi 6E, four M.2 slots, and a robust 14-phase power delivery capable of pushing Rocket Lake above its capabilities. We have put the Z590 Hero through its paces to see if it is the champion model in the sub $500 Z590 market.

Performance across all of the Z590s we've tested is broadly the same. We think that the ABT that is one of the key parts of the Core i9-11900K isn't entirely helping this situation, being hotter than trading in Gamestop shares. It feels like Intel have gone all in on that big 5.3GHz on all cores headline without necessarily thinking about the long-term ramifications of that. Namely, it gets really hot, really fast, and then clocks down to its rated speed, which means that all of our Z590s end up performing basically the same because the clock speed is basically the same. This isn't for want of cooling, as with 3000 RPM Noctua fans on a 360mm AIO we think it's got enough cooling.

Honestly, if you asked me on the spot what I would buy, the Z490 HERO or the Z590 HERO ... I would not know the answer immediately. Personally, I have little use for Thunderbolt, and the Z490 model does offer a 5 GigE LAN jack (2.5GigE on the Z590), as well as you now miss out on the small OLED screen. The differences otherwise are trivial at best. With a price tag hovering in the 450~500 USD range, this board is out of my comfort zone. It does offer four M2 slots, six SATA3 slots, AX WIFI6E, and a duo of 2.5 GigE LAN jacks. We would have liked to see the latter replaced by a 5 or 10 GigE jack at this price level. Of course, we should not forget to mention the motherboard has Thunderbolt 4. Armed with a Rocket Lake proc, Intel brings the platform much-desired PCIe Gen 4.0 lanes, of which four you can utilize for a super-fast NVMe SSD. Aside from double DMI link bandwidth and USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps), there is little gain from Z590 overall. A multitude of Z490 motherboards will even support PCIe Gen 4.0 after a BIOS update (Gen 11 proc mandatory). How important the rest is to you is for you to decide. VRM wise we can't complain at all, you can tweak as far as your proc can go, but with the power signature of Rocket-lake and the corresponding thermals, you'll likely reach something close to 5200~5300 MHz on all cores but will need to arm yourself with a kilowatt PSU and really proper cooling. In the end, the new HERO isn't a HERO, but more of the same at a high price level. It has some delightful BIOS features, though, and is a pleasure to work with. We had no stability issues or anything weird whatsoever. The board is feature-packed has good aesthetics, proper performance, and overclocking options. But this all comes delivered at a hefty price tag. If you find it worth the price tag, recommended, of course.

The ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero is an exemplary high-end Z590 board. With WiFi 6E, Dual 2.5 Gb/s LAN, and an integrated I/O shield, as well as four M.2 slots and lots of storage connectivity, all the feature boxes are checked. When it comes to looks, the ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Hero is classically ASUS by featuring an excellent RGB implementation and a design that is neutral enough to make for easy parts matching—all while looking interesting enough to still catch the eye.

Coming packed full of all the newest features thanks to Intel’s 11th Gen CPUs and the Z590 chipset, the MAXIMUS XIII offers everything most anyone could need in a new motherboard. If you want to get the most out of your system, this is definitely a surefire way to do so.

Die ROG-Strix-Platinen sind weiterhin unverändert fester Bestandteil in ASUS' Mainboard-Portfolio und ordnen sich unterhalb der Premium-ROG-Modelle ein. So ist es natürlich wenig überraschend, dass die Taiwaner auch mit der neuen Intel-500-Chipsatzserie zahlreiche ROG-Strix-Varianten im Angebot haben. Von ASUS haben wir für einen ausführlichen Test das ROG Strix Z590-F Gaming WiFi erhalten und schauen es uns einmal genauer an.