Intel Z390 Motherboard Overview: 50+ Motherboards Analyzed
by Ian Cutress & Gavin Bonshor on October 8, 2018 10:53 AM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
- Intel
- MSI
- Gigabyte
- ASRock
- EVGA
- Asus
- NZXT
- Supermicro
- Z390
ASRock Z390 Pro4 & Z390M Pro4
The ASRock Z390 Pro 4 and Z390M Pro 4 are so similar in terms specification, design and aesthetic, the only real core differences between both models are the form factor, PCIe layout including M.2 compatibility and through the rear panel. Both Z390 Pro4 boards feature a black PCB with a similar grey colored patterning to the Z390 Phantom Gaming 4 model. Neither board has a rear panel cover and both also disregard a power delivery heatsink for the SoC sections; both boards seemingly incorporate the same 10-phase power delivery as per ASRock's marketing resources. Both models also include a total of four 4-pin fan headers, with the Z390 Pro4 offering one extra PCIe 3.0 x1 slot than the smaller mATX version.
ASRock Z390 Pro4 (left) and ASRock Z390M Pro4 (right)
On the ATX sized Z390 Pro4 and maTX Z390M Pro4, there are two full-length PCIe 3.0 slots with the top slot running at x16 and the bottom one at x4; this means two-way CrossFire is supported but no dice on SLI I'm afraid. The primary difference in PCIe which is a consequence to jumping from ATX to mATX is the Z390 Pro4 has three PCIe 3.0 x1 slots whereas the Z390M Pro4 has two.
With the storage, the Z390 Pro4 has a pair of PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA supported M.2 slots with a total of six SATA ports; the ports are split up into four right-angled and two straight-angled connectors. The Z390M Pro4 has a slightly different setup with one of the dual M.2 slots only offering PCIe 3.0 x4 with the other port allowing for both PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA drives to be used. The ASRock Z390M Pro4 also has six SATA ports with four featuring right-angled connectors and two with straight-angled connectors located between the right-angled ports and 24-pin ATX motherboard power input. Both boards have four RAM slots with a total capacity of up to 64 GB and have official support for DDR4-4300.
The rear panel on the ASRock Z390 Pro4 consists of two USB 3.1 Gen2 (Type-A and Type-C), two USB 3.0 Type-A and two USB 2.0 ports. A trio of video outputs including HDMI, DVI-D and D-sub, as well as a combo PS/2 port and thanks to an M.2 E-key socket, a compatible Wi-Fi adapter can be installed with a bracket currently sitting empty for this on the rear IO. The singe LAN port is controlled by an Intel I219V Gigabit chip and the three 3.5 mm audio jacks are powered by a Realtek ALC892 HD audio codec.
On the mATX sized ASRock Z390M Pro4 rear panel, a single USB 3.1 Gen2 Type and Type-C port are there, along with four additional USB 3.0 Type-A ports. Featured is a single Intel I219V Gigabit powered LAN port with the same Realtek ALC892 HD audio codec offering three 3.5 mm audio jacks, but the Z390M Pro4 drops the bracket and instead opts for two PS/2 ports; one for a mouse and the other for a keyboard. The same trifecta of video outputs is also featured which consist of a DVI-D, HDMI and D-Sub output.
Both the ASRock Z390 Pro4 and Z390M Pro4 have a suggested MSRP of $130 which are currently the cheapest boards ASRock offers so far on the Z390 chipset. The models trade off well with the extra PCB space on the Z390 Pro4 being used to include an extra PCIe 3.0 x1 slot and both M.2 slots on this model allow for both PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA drives to be used. The Z390M Pro4 marks itself as one of only a handful of mATX boards currently the on the Z390 chipset and on the whole, doesn't really lose anything of worth over the ATX model. Neither model supports RGB backlighting and there isn't even a single and basic 5050 RGB header in sight. The Pro4 boards as you would expect are more for professional users and although there are no obvious drawbacks for gaming, the lack of features means most will look elsewhere.
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gavbon - Tuesday, October 9, 2018 - link
Thank you Hickory, will update now; this information wasn't available to us at the timebill44 - Tuesday, October 9, 2018 - link
All this boards, but only 1 with Thunderbolt 3. Looks like Thunderbolt 3 is dead (free or not).Type C ports and HDMI 2.0 is in short supply too.
Hopefully next year, we can have two or more USB C (maybe even 3.2), HDMI 2.1, PCIe 4/5 and Thunderbolt 3/4 (Titan Ridge?). Or maybe not, just the same old things hoping for 2020/21.
DanNeely - Tuesday, October 9, 2018 - link
There's no licensing fee for TB, the controller chip itself still costs money (IIRC $20 or $30) and still eats 4 PCIe lanes. Worse, IIRC to make the video out feature work they need to be CPU lanes; meaning that adding it means your main GPU slot is an x8, and the secondary one only x4.gavbon - Tuesday, October 9, 2018 - link
Yeah it's a case of certain vendors opting to dismiss including TB3 ports, which only seems sensible on mini-ITX boards where PCIe lanes aren't too much of an issue. Consumer choice is important though and I'm still glad ASRock has included it; it could be a key buying decision for some!gamingkingx - Friday, October 12, 2018 - link
Just too bad it is only wired as a x2.. And it is wired into the chipset as far as I am aware, so you are gonna max out your I/Os pretty fast.bill44 - Wednesday, October 10, 2018 - link
Sure, anything you add will cost something. The are plenty of non-gamers who prefer TB3 vs x16.This also highlights how old current PC architecture is. Either we need more PCIe lanes, or faster lanes. Otherwise, all advances will be hindered.
Up to 6 USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports? You’ be lucky to get 4. Why can’t we have 6 Gen2 ports and the rest Gen1 an no antiquated USB 2.0? PCIe resources.
All new peripherals use Type C, but this boards generally give you only 1 (saving money on redrivers). USB 3.2 (20 Gbps)? When it comes around, ithis too will need more PCIe lanes. M.2. PCIe 3.0 x4? All lanes are maxed out; the only way forward is faster lanes.
In the past, Gigabyte was a TB3 champion including the functionality on many of their boards. Now, not a single one.
Cost saving by motherboard makers? Prioritising gamers? Or simply no demand for TB3.
The outcome is the same.
repoman27 - Thursday, October 18, 2018 - link
Intel merely said that they planned "to make the Thunderbolt protocol specification available to the industry under a nonexclusive, royalty-free license" sometime this year. This hasn't happened yet, and is referring to the protocol spec, not the silicon that Intel produces. If and when they decide to do this, ASMedia or whoever could then begin development of their own Thunderbolt controllers. This means that third-party controllers probably won't appear in shipping products until sometime in 2023.As for the currently available Thunderbolt 3 controllers, tray prices range from $6.45 to $9.10. But you also need a USB Type-C and PD controller, power switch, and high-speed mux which runs around $4.59, plus the connector and a few other bits. I don't believe Intel charges a royalty on finished Thunderbolt products, but they do require licensing and certification which are paid for by the OEM and may add significant cost to relatively low-volume products.
AFAIK, Windows PCs are still required to connect Thunderbolt controllers via the PCH. Apple is the only one using PEG lanes for Thunderbolt, and they don't do that on the 27-inch iMacs where it might adversely impact the GPU.
Dug - Tuesday, October 9, 2018 - link
I hope it's not dead. Far more useful than USB C. I would be fine with USB C except there doesn't seem to be a good USB C to USB C hub, which really restricts how many devices you can use. I'm really glad to see it on ASRock itx board so I can attach a portable SSD array.imaheadcase - Wednesday, October 10, 2018 - link
Tons of monitors of USB-C, anker sells USB-C hubs, I don't think i've seen thunderbolt in a desktop PC to date though. That best part of USB-C is being able to just plug phone into it and copy paste to desktop files (no Microsoft didn't invent that, it was always that way by default in windows)Valantar - Wednesday, October 10, 2018 - link
TB3 is far from dead, it just has little use in desktop PCs. Have you looked at laptop lineups recently? TB3 is _everywhere_. My workplace (a major university here in Norway) has moved entirely to TB3 docking solutions as they're the only full-featured and universal(-ish) solution.eGPUs are useless on desktops. Desktops don't need docks. USB 3.1 is plenty fast for external storage, and if you need faster storage, desktops can fit that internally. The only real use cases for TB3 on a desktop are TB3 networking (for fast direct transfers between PCs) and adding things like extra NVMe or >GbE networking on ITX boards that don't have room for that and a GPU.