ASRock Z490 Aqua Motherboard Review: The $1100 LC Monoblock Flagship
by Gavin Bonshor on October 2, 2020 10:00 AM ESTBoard Features
The ASRock Z490 Aqua uses an E-ATX sized frame and is aimed at enthusiasts and users looking to run Intel's 10th Gen desktop processors with custom water cooling. Aside from the custom monoblock which cools the CPU, power delivery, and chipset, there are a large array of premium features, the highlights of which include an integrated Thunderbolt 3 controller and 10 gigabit Ethernet.
ASRock Z490 Aqua E-ATX Motherboard | |||
Warranty Period | 3 Years | ||
Product Page | Link | ||
Price | $1100 | ||
Size | E-ATX | ||
CPU Interface | LGA1200 | ||
Chipset | Intel Z490 | ||
Memory Slots (DDR4) | Four DDR4 Supporting 128 GB Dual-Channel Up to DDR4-4700 |
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Video | 1 x HDMI 2 x mDP (via TB3) |
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Network Connectivity | Aquantia AQC107 10 GbE Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5 GbE Intel AX201 Wi-Fi 6 |
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Onboard Audio | Realtek ALC1220 ESS Sabre9128 DAC (Front Panel) |
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PCIe Slots for Graphics (from CPU) | 2 x PCIe 3.0 (x16, x8/x8) | ||
PCIe Slots for Other (from PCH) | 1 x PCIe 3.0 x4 2 x PCIe 2.0 x1 |
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Onboard SATA | Six, RAID 0/1/5/10 (Z490) Two, (ASMedia) |
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Onboard M.2 | 1 x PCIe 3.0 2 x PCIe 3.0 x4/SATA |
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Thunderbolt 3 | 2 x USB Type-C (Rear panel) | ||
USB 3.2 (20 Gbps) | None | ||
USB 3.2 (10 Gbps) | 3 x USB Type-A (Rear panel) 1 x USB Type-C (Rear panel) 2 x USB Type-C (via TB3) 4 x USB Type-A (Two headers) 1 x USB Type-C (One header) |
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USB 3.2 (5 Gbps) | 4 x USB Type-A (Rear panel) 4 x USB Type-A (Two headers) 1 x USB Type-C (One header) |
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USB 2.0 | 4 x USB Type-A (Two headers) | ||
Power Connectors | 1 x 24-pin Motherboard 2 x 8-pin CPU |
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Fan Headers | 1 x 4-pin CPU 1 x 4-pin CPU/Water pump 6 x 4-pin Chassis |
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IO Panel | 1 x PS/2 Mouse/Keyboard 1 x HDMI output 2 x USB Type-C (Thunderbolt 3) 3 x USB 3.2 G2 Type-A 1 x USB 3.2 G2 Type-C 4 x USB 3.2 G1 Type-A 1 x RJ45 (Aquantia) 1 x RJ45 (Realtek) 5 x 3.5 mm audio jacks (Realtek) 1 x S/PDIF Optical output (Realtek) |
On the rear panel is an array of input and output with two very fast Type-C connectors due to the inclusion of an Intel Thunderbolt 3 controller. ASRock also includes two mini-DisplayPort inputs for users looking to leverage Thunderbolt 3's video capabilities. Other notable connections include a pair of Ethernet ports with one driven by an Aquantia AQC107 10 G controller and the other by a Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5 G controller. There's also a wireless capability with a pre-installed Intel AX201 Wi-Fi 6 and BT 5.1 CNVI interface. Other prominent features include an overclockers toolkit with a power, reset, and clear CMOS switch, as well as and OLED status light. The impressive OLED screen on the rear panel cover, unfortunately, cannot be customized with GIFs or images. For cooling, the Z490 Aqua includes eight 4-pin headers, with one designated to a CPU fan, one for an optional CPU fan or water pump, with six for chassis fans.
Test Bed
As per our testing policy, we take a high-end CPU suitable for the motherboard that was released during the socket’s initial launch and equip the system with a suitable amount of memory running at the processor maximum supported frequency. This is also typically run at JEDEC subtimings where possible. It is noted that some users are not keen on this policy, stating that sometimes the maximum supported frequency is quite low, or faster memory is available at a similar price, or that the JEDEC speeds can be prohibitive for performance. While these comments make sense, ultimately very few users apply memory profiles (either XMP or other) as they require interaction with the BIOS, and most users will fall back on JEDEC supported speeds - this includes home users as well as industry who might want to shave off a cent or two from the cost or stay within the margins set by the manufacturer. Where possible, we will extend out testing to include faster memory modules either at the same time as the review or a later date.
Test Setup | |||
Processor | Intel Core i7-10700K, 125 W, $374 8 Cores, 16 Threads 3.8 GHz (5.1 GHz Turbo) |
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Motherboard | ASRock Z490 Aqua (BIOS P1.60) | ||
Cooling | Corsair HydroX Custom Loop (360 mm radiator) | ||
Power Supply | Corsair HX850 850 W 80 PLUS Platinum | ||
Memory | G.Skill 2x8 GB TridentZ DDR4-2933 | ||
Video Card | MSI GTX 1080 (1178/1279 Boost) | ||
Hard Drive | Crucial MX300 1TB | ||
Case | Open bench Table (OBT) | ||
Operating System | Windows 10 1909 inc. Spectre/Meltdown Patches |
Readers of our motherboard review section will have noted the trend in modern motherboards to implement a form of MultiCore Enhancement / Acceleration / Turbo (read our report here) on their motherboards. This does several things, including better benchmark results at stock settings (not entirely needed if overclocking is an end-user goal) at the expense of heat and temperature. It also gives, in essence, an automatic overclock which may be against what the user wants. Our testing methodology is ‘out-of-the-box’, with the latest public BIOS installed and XMP enabled, and thus subject to the whims of this feature. It is ultimately up to the motherboard manufacturer to take this risk – and manufacturers taking risks in the setup is something they do on every product (think C-state settings, USB priority, DPC Latency / monitoring priority, overriding memory sub-timings at JEDEC). Processor speed change is part of that risk, and ultimately if no overclocking is planned, some motherboards will affect how fast that shiny new processor goes and can be an important factor in the system build.
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Oxford Guy - Saturday, October 3, 2020 - link
If you think that’s bad check out audiophile equipment.MDD1963 - Friday, October 2, 2020 - link
Yes, getting that extra 25-50 MHz sustained OC is so *well worth* the extra $900 cost in mainboard expense over a normal Z490! (<severe eyeroll partially suppressed!)StrangerGuy - Saturday, October 3, 2020 - link
Between the trend of borefest AAA games and overpriced hardware designed for youtuber epeen vanity, my propensity to spend on this hobby has never been lower for the past 20 years even as my wallet has grown a lot fatter.nandnandnand - Saturday, October 3, 2020 - link
If we're around for another 10 years, things should get interesting. By which I mean 100x performance increases, neuromorphic accelerators, etc.Gigaplex - Saturday, October 3, 2020 - link
What makes you think we'd get 100x the performance over the next 10 years? My new R5 3600 is definitely faster than my old i5-3570k. Given the 8 year gap, it's not even close to 10 times faster, let alone 100 times faster. Performance gains are much slower than they used to be.WaltC - Saturday, October 3, 2020 - link
Agreed that ten years is not enough...but 30 years...very likely! But this motherboard is meant for lazy people who want "water cooling" and who have more money than brains, imo. These days, not all that uncommon a combination...;)six_tymes - Saturday, October 3, 2020 - link
is it impressive design? well duh, obviously... is it worth it if you take into consideration socket 1700 will be out just a year from now, nope.Spunjji - Tuesday, October 6, 2020 - link
Yup. Even more of a waste of money than it would be if it were the same amount for an AM4 board, and that at least has another CPU release coming out for it.payec68490 - Saturday, October 3, 2020 - link
I get that ASRock probably sent this to you on the condition that you review it. It seems like reviews of motherboards people will actually buy might be a higher priority.VISIT HERE FOR FULL DETAIL ------->
techmar - Saturday, October 3, 2020 - link
Loop?