ASUS Z490 motherboards start from RM849 in Malaysia

ASUS has just announced the pricing for their lineup of Intel Z490 motherboards. Available from RM849, the latest ASUS Z490 boards offer support for the 10th Gen Intel Core processors, and overclocking on the unlocked K-SKUs too.

ASUS ROG Maximus XII Series

As the premium lineup for ASUS’ product stack, we are looking at an absolutely overkill set of features with the ROG Maximus XII Series. That includes up to 16 90A power stages and MicroFine Alloy chocks to deliver stable power to the 10th Gen Intel Core processors. ASUS also implemented ASUS OptiMem III and its daisy-chain topology to deliver higher memory clocks of 4800 MHz and above.

ASUS Malaysia will be bringing in the ASUS ROG Maximus XII Extreme, ROG Maximus XII Formula and ROG Maximus XII Hero (WiFi).

ASUS ROG Maximus XII Extreme

As the flagship of the ROG Maximus XII family, it comes with the aforementioned 16 90A power stages. All of that feeds the CPU cores, as there is no support for the integrated graphics on the ROG Maximus XII Extreme. There are also a slew of on-board buttons, allowing you to overclock on open benches without breaking a sweat.

For connectivity, you get a nice assortment of ports including a next-gen USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C port that can deliver up to 20 Gbps of bandwidth. There is also a Marvell 10 GbE LAN controller along with an Intel Ethernet I225-V for 2.5 Gb Ethernet. The ROG Maximus XII Extreme will also be bundled with a ThunderboltEX 3-TR card to enable you to take advantage of Thunderbolt 3 devices. The ROG Maximus XII Extreme is priced at a whopping RM4379 here in Malaysia.

ROG Maximus XII Formula

For those who want to setup a custom liquid cooling system, well the ROG Maximus XII Formula is the board to get. It offers a CrossChill EK III waterblock over its VRM developed in partnership with EK Water Blocks. This allows the 16 70A power stages on the ROG Maximus XII Formula to be cooled a lot more effectively than on regular air-cooled designs.

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Most of the overclocking features are similar to the ROG Maximus XII Extreme, and the connectivity options are similar too. You even get an OLED display on the  You don’t get the Thunderbolt 3 add-in card though, which might be a bummer for those who just prefer the sleeker aesthetic of the ROG Maximus XII Formula. The ROG Maximus XII Formula will be available for RM2529.

ROG Maximus XII Hero (WiFi)

The “baby” of the ROG Maximus XII family, the ROG Maximus XII Hero (WiFi) is the entry-level ROG board for this generation. Of course, an entry-level ROG board is equivalent to many premium boards from the competition, so don’t overlook this one just yet. Power delivery is courtesy of 14 +2 power stages, with the two going to the integrated graphics. Yes, the ROG Maximus XII Hero (WiFi) also stands out as the only ROG board to support the integrated graphics on the 10th Gen Intel Core processors.

Connectivity is pared back a little, with a 1GbE Intel I219-V controller paired with a Marvell AQC111C 5GbE controller. You still get WiFi 6 with an Intel WiFi 6 AX201, so I guess all is well? It is the most affordable ROG Maximus XII board thus far, priced at RM2089.

ASUS ROG Strix Z490 Series

Moving further down the stack we see the ROG Strix boards. We will be getting two models here as part of the first wave, with the ASUS ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming and the ROG Strix Z490-G Gaming (WiFi).

All the ROG Strix Z490 boards offer support for integrated graphics which will let you take advantage of the integrated graphics for some basic computing without a dedicated GPU or QuickSync. The ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming serving up 14+2 power delivery system, while the mATX ROG Strix Z490-G Gaming offering a 12+2 power stage design. The ROG Strix Z490 motherboards are priced as follows:

• ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming – RM1876
• ROG Strix Z490-G Gaming (WiFi) – RM1209

ASUS TUF Gaming Z490-Plus (WiFi)

Designed for endurance, the ASUS TUF Gaming Z490-Plus (WiFi) features 12+2 teamed power stages with DrMOS components, TUF capacitors and ProCool solid-core power connectors. The LAN port comes with TUF LanGuard too to protect it from surges damaging it over the LAN connection. You can also use WiFi with WiFi 6 built into the ASUS TUF Gaming Z490-Plus (WiFi). The ASUS TUF Gaming Z490-Plus (WiFi) is priced at a pretty affordable RM999.

ASUS ProArt Z490-Creator 10G

The ASUS ProArt Z490-Creator 10G is a creator’s dream motherboard, with additional connectivity features baked into the motherboard. Two Thunderbolt 3 Type-C are integrated into the rear I/O, powered by Intel’s latest “Titan Ridge” controller. Each port is capable of handling 40 Gbps speeds, which lets you connect all kinds of peripherals including external GPUs and high resolution displays.

Then there’s the LAN connectivity. One 2.5 GbE is integrated into the board, with a 10 GbE add-in card included with the ASUS ProArt Z490-Creator 10G. Unfortunately WiFi 6 is not a part of this package. This creator-centric board will be offered for RM1742.

ASUS Prime Z490M-Plus

ASUS’ most affordable Intel Z490 board yet comes in at RM849. The ASUS Prime Z490M-Plus makes do with an 8+1 DrMOS power delivery system. But make no mistake, ASUS made sure that this is sufficient to power the latest 10th Gen Intel Core processors. Optimem trace allows you to push memory speeds up to 4400 MHz, letting you take full advantage of the improved memory speed support on the 10th Gen processors. The rear I/O offers DisplayPort, HDMI and DVI outputs, letting you connect almost any modern display directly to the motherboard.

ASUS Z490 Specs and Pricing in Malaysia

Which of these ASUS Z490 boards would be your pick? Let us know!

Pokdepinion: Wow is the ROG Maximus XII Extreme setting a new pricing record for motherboards in the mainstream Intel platform?