EVGA And Gigabyte Unleash Intel Z390 Enthusiast Motherboards For 9th Gen Core CPUs
EVGA has announced two Z390 motherboards: the Z390 Dark and the Z390 FTW. Starting off with the former, EVGA says that the Z390 Dark is designed for "ultra-enthusiasts" and includes a 17 Phase VRM design, two right-angle 8-pin high current connectors, Optane Memory support, dual SMT DIMMs and a 10-layer PCB. There are dual LED displays, Creative Audio + EVGA Nu Audio, dual Intel GbE, Triple BIOS, 8 smart fan headers, and an onboard mini-DisplayPort connection.
The Z390 FTW brings a wealth of features at a more reasonable price point, but still manages to include Optane support, 7.1 Channel Audio with EVGA NU Audio, a single Intel GbE NIC, 11 Phase VRM, 2-way SLI support, and "metal-reinforced everything".
EVGA hasn't announced pricing for the Z390 Dark and Z390 FTW yet, but both should be available shortly from the usual suspects (a la, Amazon, Newegg).
Not to be left out, Gigabyte has announced six Z390 motherboards ranging in price from the $164.99 Z390 I Aorus Pro WiFi to the $289.99 Z390 Aorus Master. Although you can see the specs for the six most potent members of Gigabyte's Z390 Aorus family in the table below, we'll specifically zero in on the flagship Z390 Aorus Master. Gigabyte says that the motherboard was designs for all-core overclocks to 5GHz+ and makes use of a True 12 Phase VRM design (which is all-new for Intel's 9th generation Core processors). To keep heat in check, there's a Fins-Array Heatsink, Direct Touch Heatpipe to wick heat away from the MOSFET, and a thermal backplate.
The Z390 Aorus Master supports dual-channel DDR4 memory (4 slots), is Intel Optane ready, features onboard Intel CNVI 802.11ac 2x2 Wave 2 Wi-Fi, onboard Intel GbE, multi-zone RGB Fusion lighting, and support for three NVMe PCIe Gen 3 x4 M.2 SSDs.
Gigabyte Z390 Aorus family will be available to purchase in the coming days, and you can read more about the entire motherboard family right here.
