ASUS ROG STRIX-E Gaming Z490 Motherboard Review

How Much Does it Cost?

The ASUS ROG STRIX-E Gaming Z490 Motherboard is available now with an MSRP of £299.99 in the UK and $299 in the US. That sounds about right given the other motherboards we’ve tested recently, and matches the level of features on this board. It’s still fairly expensive, but it’s not exactly an affordable design with plenty of premium bells and whistles.

Overview

The price has stepped up since the Z390 model of this board too, at around £60 extra. However, it has seen some improvements that make it a worthy upgrade. Larger heatsinks, better power delivery, Gen4 ready (for Intel Rocket Lake), and improved connectivity. It’s also a got some pedigree, with both ROG and STRIX being synonymous with great gaming motherboards. However, it’s a far cry from the flagship EXTREME which is still more than double the price.

Build Quality & Design

ASUS has given this motherboard a super stealthy black and more black design. The black heatsinks on the black PCB, with black capacitors around it and just a bit of chrome on the armoured PCIe slots. Of course, that all goes out the window with the RGB on and the whole thing lights up. However, it does provide a strong contrast that looks fantastic. The larger heatsinks are functional, but also very nicely designed. The whole board flows with matching angles and grooves.

Performance

The ASUS ROG STRIX-E Gaming Z490 Motherboard uses an impressive 14+2 Power Stages and Digi+ VRM, pulling power through both an 8-pin and 4-pin EPS connector. This board has superb overclocking potential. The passive cooling of the VRM is fantastic too, with heatsinks on three sides of the CPU and a huge Heatpipe joining them all up. There’s even a small MOS fan and bracket that you can put over the VRM for those eager to toy with extreme overclocking runs.

Added Value

Much like most other Z490 motherboards, the connectivity is bloody fantastic. You get USB 3.2 Gen 2, Gen1, 2.0, Thunderbolt 3, HDMI and Display Port. Plus, networking can come through both the Intel i225-V 2.5G LAN or the 2 by 2 WiFi 6 configuration. I also appreciate the fantastic audio, powered by the Supreme FX chipset with uses a dual Op Amp configuration and Nichon Capacitors.

Should I Buy One?

This board is right in that sweet spot between the flagship boards and the budget ones. Actually, it’s price is a little bit lower than that. However, this is a LOT of motherboard for the money, offering enthusiast levels of overclocking hardware, huge heatsinks, armoured components and more, with plenty of connectivity thrown in to build your ideal gaming rig.