The ASRock Z490 PG Velocita Motherboard Review: It Means SPEED

Conclusion

When Intel launched the Z490 chipset to support its 10th Generation Comet Lake processors, the biggest differences came in the new LGA1200 socket, and also the promise of additional supported components, such as Intel 2.5G ethernet and updated Wi-Fi. The Z490 chipset spawned a wide variety of new models, including ASRock, who gave us the PG Velocita, with a mid-range feature set at a mid-range price. The $250 to $300 price point is a highly contested market, where vendors have to get it right as mid-ranged motherboards are on now on the level of what high-end models were a good few years ago. 

Catering the gamers among us, the ASRock Z490 PG Velocita is visually pleasing with multiple areas of customizable RGB zones, with red and grey accents on a primarily black background. It includes a solid feature set with dual PCIe 3.0 x4/SATA M.2 slots and plenty of support for SATA devices with eight ports available in total. Only six of these include support for RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 support, while the other two are powered by an ASMedia SATA controller, which makes them useful for non-storage devices such as optical disc drives. Included on the rear panel is a pair of USB 3.2 G2 ports, including one Type-C and one Type-A, with four USB 3.2 G1 Type-A ports. Users can add more ports with a USB 3.2 G1 Type-C front panel header, two USB 3.2 G1 Type-A headers for four points, and two USB 2.0 headers, which can be used for RGB controllers, as well as providing an extra four ports.

ASRock makes a point of marketing future support for PCIe 4.0, which Intel's next-generation Rocket Lake processors look to bring to the table, so ASRock includes PCIe 4.0 re-drivers and clock generator for the top full-length PCIe slot and the top-mounted PCIe M.2 slot. Focusing on the now, there are two full-length PCIe 3.0 slots that operate at x16/+x4, with three PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. The x16/x4 combination is a bit odd, normally we would expect an x8/x8 split for users that want to add in extra high-bandwidth PCIe devices, such as a dual M.2 card or similar. For onboard audio, ASRock includes a Realtek ALC1220 HD audio codec, with a Texas Instruments NE5532 amplifier, which gives the front panel header a better range, with support for up to 600 Ohms.

In our performance testing, the ASRock Z490 PG Velocita breezed through our suite competitively, with a couple of wins in our system tests. For out of the box DPC latency at default settings, the PG Velocita is the best performer in this test, while it also has the lowest power consumption at full load with default CPU settings. We saw good performance in our overclock testings, too, with tight VDroop control thanks to the firmware reverting the LLC to level 1 when any alterations to the CPU VCore were made. The PG Velocita also uses an active design for its power delivery, which is effective at cooling but comes at the cost of extra noise.

A PG (Velocita) Tip: Add Wi-Fi 6 

Looking at the PG Velocita's networking support, it includes a pair of RJ45 Ethernet ports, one powered by a premium Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5 G Ethernet controller, while the other is driven by an Intel I219-V Gigabit controller. Surprisingly at the price point, ASRock decided not to include Wi-Fi capability, although it includes a Key-E M.2 slot and space on the rear panel I/O shield should users wish to install their own. Due to the Z490's native support for Wi-Fi 6 CNVi, this would have been nice to see included on a model at this price point, given most of the competition does at this price point. The thing to consider isn't just the Wi-Fi 6 capability, but the BT 5.0/5.1 support which allows users to connect wireless controllers such as Scuf game pads. In speaking to other vendors, adding Wi-Fi support typically adds $10-$15 to the end-user pricing.

To conclude things, the ASRock Z490 PG Velocita has an MSRP of $260, while when on sale it is usually around $245 at both Amazon and Newegg. This makes it an even sweeter deal despite not including a wireless interface. Other models at a similar price point, including GIGABYTE, MSI, and ASUS, all include Wi-Fi 6 on its models, but if wireless capability isn't a requirement, the Z490 PG Velocita is a solid option with very competitive performance throughout.