ASUS has started to roll our AGESA v1.2.0.0 compatible beta BIOS’, and MSI is not far behind. This drop add support for further CPU models, and per Patrick Schur and 1USMUS, possibly additional bug fixes, and updated SMU and improvements to Curve Optimizer. I’ve already loaded the latest Beta BIOS for the TUF GAMING X570-PRO (WI-FI), but haven’t seen any noticeable changes. I had already hit a stable 1900MHz FCLK, and that remains stable with this release. Front panel USB 3.0 ports are now running capped at USB 2.0 theoretical max (480Mb / 60MB), but that’s another story. Head over to MSI or ASUS to check for a BIOS update. X570, B550, A520 are generally rolling out first, with X470 and others to follow next month.
Intel Alder Lake-S Spotted Supporting DDR5
A popular source for leaked information, momomo_us on Twitter has dropped a screengrab of Intel’s Alder Lake-S processor sporting DDR5, running SiSoftware’s SANDRA. While DDR5 is nearly upon us, it will be interesting to see the new chipsets that come along with these new processors from Intel and AMD in the next year. The other “fun” part will certainly be the price premium these new processors, motherboards and DDR5 modules will pull. It’s no secret we’re already dealing with mass shortages and ridiculous prices. Time will tell how this plays out. Until then, here are the scores.
Intel Z590 Motherboards Detailed @ AnandTech
Due to the size of the core being used, the newest Rocket Lake flagship is only 8 cores compared to the previous generation’s 10, but by contrast, Intel has put a few new features onto the leading flagship chipset, and a number of vendors are straight out of the gate with a wide variety of models and price points. There are two (or three)big differences between the new Z590 and the previous flagship Z490.
First up is the CPU-to-chipset link, which has been doubled from a DMI x4 link to a DMI x8 link. This means an effective CPU-to-chipset bandwidth of a PCIe 3.0 x8 link, and suggests that two PCIe 3.0 x4 drives can be attached and run at full speed. Out of all the 500-series chipsets, we are under the impression that Z590 is the only one that will do this, with all others forcing an x4 link. Also, the x8 link only works with Rocket Lake CPUs, and will downgrade to x4 with a previous generation processor.
Read more @ AnandTech
ASUS ProArt Z490-CREATOR 10G
ProArt is a niche lineup designed for creative professionals who need the very best in platform connectivity. This lineup aligns ASUS to offer a competing product against the GIGABYTE Designare lineup. It does that by providing a Z490 chipset design backed with integrated Thunderbolt 3, 2.5Gbe LAN, and additional 10GBe by way of an AIC.
A large part of the board’s design is quite similar to the Z490 Prime we most recently reviewed, sharing similar components and board design, including power stages, LAN controllers, and USB 3.2 design. We will run over the full specs of this board below.
Read more @ TweakTown
Memory Overclocking on Intel H570 and B560 Chipsets? Yep.
Now that the veil has been lifted on the Intel 500 motherboards, more details are coming out on what new features we’ll have to play with. In the past, memory overclocking was limited to the top-end Z series, but it looks like Intel is now going to allow that on both the H570, as well as B560 chipsets. While they lack CPU overclocking support, at least now we can have a little fun with boards based off of these lower cost chipsets.
The H570 and B560 chipsets now support memory overclocking (memory above DDR4-3200), but you still need to pair the respective motherboard with a Core i5 and above processor. Core i3 and below still stick to DDR4-2666. It’s not the full mile, but it’s something nonetheless. In the past, pairing a Core i9 chip on an H-or B-series chipset meant you were locked out from using faster memory.
Tom’s Hardware
GIGABYTE Launch Z590 VISION Motherboards
Taipei, Taiwan, January 14th, 2021 – GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today announced the new Z590 VISION series motherboards for creators which power the 11th Gen Intel® Core™ processors. The exclusive design of VisionLINK and VisionLINK TB enables the simple connection to pen displays with only one USB Type-C® cable, releasing creators from the mess of transmission cables and switches to a neat space. Featuring an optimized power design, thermal design, superior connectivity and high quality components, GIGABYTE Z590 VISION series motherboards provide the remarkable platform for creators.
The VisionLINK technology allows for data and video transmission based on USB Type-C® Interface and it provides power delivery up to 60W. VisionLINK technology lets creators not only without cable clutter, but also the benefit of data, video, and power charging at the same time. One USB Type-C® cable connected, turn the workspace into neat and tidy. VisionLINK TB is an advanced version of VisionLINK technology. It is based on Thunderbolt™ 4 delivers 40Gb/s high-bandwidth speeds, data transferring, video signal, 60W power charging, and daisy chain function to support up to 10 devices connection.
The Z590 VISION series motherboards keep the VISION white styling with exclusive hardware design to provide creators with an improved working efficiency. The Z590 VISION series motherboards inherit GIGABYTE’s leadership in motherboard power design and VRM thermal design, using up to 12-phase direct power design paired with highly durable DrMOS to provide the best power delivery. Solid power pin connectors on the Z590 VISION series motherboards ensure that the power delivery is stable while reducing excess heat during high workload to prevent throttling, and make the processor more stable to avoid downtime due to an unstable power supply. With the new design of the fins-array, direct-touch heat-pipe, large heat sinks and Smart Fan 6, it not only strengthens the thermal effect, but also takes into account the appearance design, allowing the GIGABYTE Z590 VISION motherboards to be both stylish and thermally efficient.
The memory circuits of GIGABYTE Z590 VISION motherboards are embedded within the PCB ground layers while the metal outer layer of the PCB reduces electromagnetic interference so those using dual channel configuration can enjoy high-speed, stable overclocked RAM performance boost above XMP 4800MHz. GIGABYTE Z590 VISION motherboards use PCIe 4.0 grade of PCBs, PCIe slots, M.2 slots, and controllers for the highest bandwidth quality. The select Z590 VISION motherboards equip with three PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots which the trace layout comes directly from CPU for the NVMe M.2 SSD, and offers and extreme sequential read speed of more than 20000 MB/s in Windows RAID 0 mode.
Besides taking the lead to implement Thunderbolt™ 4 onboard, GIGABYTE Z590 VISION motherboards also adopt robust expansion for content creators , which includes SuperSpeed USB3.2 Gen2x2, Intel® 2.5G Ethernet, and High Fidelity audio output expansion interface. The Intel® 2.5Gbps Ethernet controller brings ultra-fast connectivity that is 2.5X faster than Gigabit Ethernet. Also, the lineup implements an Intel® WiFi 6 802.11ax network adapter to provide Gigabit level wireless network, and paired with high-gain Wi-Fi smart antenna to deliver up to 2.4Gbps transmission speed which offers smoother streaming videos, fewer dropped connections, and more stability. To feature with dual Ethernet LAN and WiFi for creators to have a flexible configuration with high bandwidth and low latency access connectivity. The newest GIGABYTE VISION DRIVE perfectly matches the 20 Gbps high speed transfer of USB 3.2 Gen2x2 to meet the needs of ultra-fast storage from creators.
GIGABYTE Z590 VISION series motherboards are equipped with the high SNR audio engine ALC4080 and the WIMA FKP2 studio-grade audio capacitors to deliver studio-grade audio. GIGABYTE’s exclusive design with DTS：X® Ultra technology delivers high fidelity audio for the most immersive sound experience whether it’s for work or entertainment. From video editing to listening to music, the audio quality is indispensable.
Z590 VISION G features three PCIe x16 slots with one Gen4 x16 and two Gen3 x4 supported. There are four M.2 slots with PCIe 4.0/3.0 interface, and six SATA 6Gb/s ports. With the VisionLINK for connection of pen displays and the DP_In interface, the 3D performance of VGA cards can be shared to pen displays, which is suitable for enabling 2D design and entry-level 3D modeling.
Z590 VISION D holds two PCIe 4.0 slots of x16 and x8 interface, two PCIe 3.0 expansion slots of x4 and x1, three M.2 slots with PCIe 4.0/3.0 interface, and six SATA 6Gb/s ports. With the VisionLINK TB for connection of pen display and the DP_In interface, the performance of VGA cards can be shared to pen displays, which is more suitable for VFX, 3D compilation, 3D CAD, AI development, and edge deployment.
Z590I VISION D is the first ITX size motherboard of VISION series which is the top choice for mini PC to handle 2D and light-duty 3D computer-aided workloads in fields such as architecture and engineering. In addition to one PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, two PCIe 4.0/3.0 M.2 slots, and four SATA 6Gb/s ports onboard, Z590I VISION D also equips two Thunderbolt™ 4 ports which can deliver 40Gb/s high-bandwidth speeds, data transferring, video signal, 60W power charging, USB4™ specification compliance, and daisy chain function to support up to 10 devices connection. Heat dissipation is very critical to the mini PC. Z590I VISION D thermal’s solution provides a perfect balance between style and performance.
Z590 VISION series also implement the highly recognized durability and stability of GIGABYTE motherboards. The exclusive Q-Flash Plus feature allows users to flash a BIOS file without installing a CPU, RAM, GPU, and other peripherals. Creators now can concentrate on their creation under a stable system.
Hardware Review Roundup: 1/15/21
Graphics: EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 FTW3 Ultra @ Guru3D
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 2x16GB DDR4-2666 SODIMM @ [M]adShrimps
Storage: ADATA SE800 1TB USB 3.2 Gen 2 Portable SSD @ NikKTech, Samsung 980 Pro PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD @ ThinkComputers
Cases: Corsair 5000D @ Guru3D
Audio: EPOS Sennheiser GSX 300 Gaming Series @ NikKTech
Cooling: NZXT Kraken X63 RGB LCS @ Guru3D
MSI & ASUS Z590 Motherboard Pricing – EU MSRPs
MSRP’s are now listed for several Intel Z590 based motherboards destined for the EU market over at VideoCardz. Prices are, for many models, through the roof. The MSI Z590 GODLIKE, the flagship product, is listed with an MSRP of 999 EUR, or over $1,000. The only board rolling in under the 200 EUR / $200 line is the Z590-A PRO, a board destined for more reserved rigs.
On the ASUS front, we have the ROG MAXIMUS XIII EXTREME GLACIAL coming in with an astounding MSRP of $1516 EUR. The PRIME and TUF lines are at more reasonable price levels, as you would expect. Still, all of these boards will command a premium. Boards are slated to show up during Q1.
Supermicro Intel Z590 Motherboards Revealed
AS CES continues, we now have details available on Supermicro’s Intel Z590 motherboards. Two models have been revealed, the C9Z590-CG and the C9Z590-CGW. Both boards are equipped similarly, with the -CGW featuring an integrated Wi-Fi 6 + Bluetooth 5.1 solution. Similar to other Z590 motherboards, they feature both a 1GbE and 10GbE onboard, support three M.2 devices (1 @ PCIe 4.0, 2 @ PCIe 3.0), 4 SATA ports and more. While not top-of=mind for most enthusiasts, Supermicro is known for making high quality products. Head on over to their website to read more on both of these boards.
Threadripper Pro, 8-Channel Motherboards Coming
AMD will bring its eight-channel Threadripper Pro systems to the retail market, opening up the segment. Previously, the eight-channel Threadripper Pro variant was only available to OEMs (we’ve got a review coming on one of these Lenovo systems, with comparison against the 3990X).
AMD’s Threadripper and Threadripper Pro platforms are both designed for professionals who need more horsepower than a typical desktop platform can provide. Where AMD’s top-end Ryzen 9 5950X offers 16 cores, a TR or TR Pro system can pack as many as 64. Additionally, Threadripper Pro uses the WRX80 chipset, which packs up to eight memory channels
Read more @ ExtremeTech