ASRock Z490, the new motherboards between ATX12VO and Base Frequency Boost (BFB)
Let’s take a look at the range of ASRock Z490 motherboards, made up of models for all needs and pockets. There are two features that stand out from the others: the ATV12VO connector on the Phantom Gaming 4SR and the Base Frequency Boost (BFB).
ASRock presented the Z490 motherboard range, revealing twelve models in which we find two mini-ITX and one micro ATX, the rest is made up of ATX solutions. There is also a thirteenth extreme model coming, but on which the company has not yet revealed details. The two top solutions are currently the Z490 Taichi, and the Z490 PG Velocita followed a step below by the Z490 Steel Legend and Z490 Extreme4 models.
The ASRock Z490 Taichi has a 14-phase Dr.MOS VRM (60A) powered by two 8-pin connectors. The card is characterized by a large cooling system interconnected with heat pipes near the VRM. The card is also equipped with active cooling in the form of three PWM fans with 0dB technology designed to dissipate heat more quickly from the MOSFET section.
According to ASRock, this solution reduces the temperature between 10 and 15°C compared to pure passive dissipation. The motherboard has three M.2 slots, is called ” PCI Express 4.0 ready,” and offers 2.5G and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, as well as Wi-Fi 6.
The ASRock Z490 PG Velocita seems to take the place of the Phantom Gaming 7 and appears less elaborate than the Taichi, although it remains with full rights in the high end. The PG Velocita has a VRM with 12 Dr.MOS phases and has a double 8-pin power connector. The VRM is cooled by two large heatsinks connected by a heat pipe and, even in this case, there is also an active triple fan dissipation system. The card, unlike the Taichi, does not support Wi-Fi 6 at the factory.
Scrolling the range, among the interesting models, there is the Z490 Phantom Gaming-ITX / TB3, compact solution equipped with a 7-phase VRM, Thunderbolt 3 ports, a 2.5G Ethernet and support for Wi-Fi 6. The rest of the range and the detailed characteristics of all ASRock motherboards you can view them at this address.
Speaking of the ASRock range of motherboards, it is interesting to focus on two aspects. First of all, there is a model called Z490 Phantom Gaming 4SR, not present in the linked page, equipped with an ATX12VO connector instead of the classic 24-pin ATX.
The ATX12VO specification aims to improve the efficiency of the power supplies, especially in idle. Consequently, the power supplies lose control of some voltage channels (precisely +3.3 V and 5 V and -12 V and +5 VSB) that move on the motherboard. Removing the channels allows the transition to a smaller 10-pin connector. According to Intel, the new specification reduces idle power consumption by 27% compared to the classic multi-channel ATX design. The Z490 Phantom Gaming 4SR is the world’s first consumer ATX12VO motherboard.
Another novelty developed by ASRock engineers is a proprietary technology called Base Frequency Boost (BFB). The name already says it all: ASRock’s solution allows you to increase the base frequency of standard Intel processors (i.e., non-K, with locked multiplier), even on motherboards with non-Z chipsets (H470, B460, etc.).
This is possible because BFB allows the chips to set a higher PL1: as we reported in the article dedicated to the new Intel chips, for the new CPU, this value is equivalent to the TDP. In the case of lower-end processors with TDP of 65W, the PL1 can be raised, and this is precisely the increase in this value to give ASRock the margin to increase the base frequency.
The base clock increment is variable, as you can see from the examples made by ASRock in the slide. The functionality can be activated by the user and depends very much on the temperature, that is, on the presence of a good heat sink. Pending more details, it remains to be understood how Intel will evaluate this technology: in the past, the company has shown that it does not like solutions of this kind, requiring its removal.
In the specific case, BFB seems to operate within the mesh of what is established by Intel: if the chip manufacturer does not intervene, other OEMs could follow in the footsteps of ASRock.
- Supports 10 th Gen and future generation Intel Core TM Processors (Socket 1200)
- 10 Phase Dr.MOS Power Design
- Supports DDR4 4266MHz+ (OC)
- Supports 10 th Gen and future generation Intel Core TM Processors (Socket 1200)
- 14 Phase Dr.MOS Power Design
- Supports DDR4 4666MHz+ (OC)
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