ASUS TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WIFI Motherboard Review: Is $260 Mid-Range or High-End?
by Gavin Bonshor on August 10, 2021 10:00 AM ESTBoard Features
The ASUS TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WIFI is a mid-range ATX motherboard that caters to gamers and sits as one of the ASUS core gaming series. It includes plenty of features and specifications, including plentiful storage options consisting of one PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slot, two PCIe 3.0 x4/SATA M.2 slots, and six SATA ports with support for RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 arrays. ASUS includes plenty of expansion support which consists of one full-length PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, one full-length PCIe 3.0 x4 slot, and two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. In regards to memory support, users can install DDR4-5133 with a combined capacity of up to 128 GB across four memory slots.
Cooling options on the Z590-Plus WIFI include six 4-pin headers, with two designated to CPU fans, one for an AIO water pump, and three for chassis fans.
ASUS TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WIFI ATX Motherboard | |||
Warranty Period | 3 Years | ||
Product Page | Link | ||
Price | $259 | ||
Size | ATX | ||
CPU Interface | LGA1200 | ||
Chipset | Intel Z590 | ||
Memory Slots (DDR4) | Four DDR4 Supporting 128 GB Dual-Channel Up to DDR4-5133 |
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Video Outputs | 1 x HDMI 2.0 1 x DisplayPort 1.4 |
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Network Connectivity | Intel I225-V 2.5 GbE Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 |
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Onboard Audio | Realtek ALC S1200A | ||
PCIe Slots for Graphics (from CPU) | 1 x PCIe 4.0 (x16) | ||
PCIe Slots for Other (from PCH) | 1 x PCIe 3.0 x4 2 x PCIe 3.0 x1 |
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Onboard SATA | Six, RAID 0/1/5/10 (Z590) | ||
Onboard M.2 | 1 x PCIe 4.0 x4 2 x PCIe 3.0 x4/SATA |
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Thunderbolt 4 (40 Gbps) | N/A | ||
USB 3.2 (20 Gbps) | 1 x USB Type-C (Rear panel) | ||
USB 3.2 (10 Gbps) | 2 x USB Type-A (Rear panel) | ||
USB 3.1 (5 Gbps) | 2 x USB Type-A (Rear panel) 2 x USB Type-A (One header) 1 x USB Type-C (One header) |
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USB 2.0 | 2 x USB Type-A (Rear panel) 4 x USB Type-A (Two headers) |
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Power Connectors | 1 x 24-pin Motherboard 1 x 8-pin CPU 1 x 4-pin CPU |
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Fan Headers | 2 x 4-pin CPU 1 x 4-pin AIO Pump 3 x 4-pin Chassis |
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IO Panel | 2 x Antenna Ports (Intel) 1 x PS/2 Combo port 1 x USB 3.2 G2x2 Type-C 2 x USB 3.2 G2 Type-A 2 x USB 3.2 G1 Type-A 2 x USB 2.0 Type-A 1 x RJ45 (Intel) 1 x HDMI 2.0 output 1 x DisplayPort 1.4 output 5 x 3.5 mm audio jacks (Realtek) 1 x S/PDIF Optical output (Realtek) |
Connectivity has been a big focus over the years for ASUS, and the TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WIFI benefits from one USB 3.2 G2x2 Type-C, two USB 3.2 G2 Type-A, two USB 3.2 G1 Type-A, and two USB 2.0 ports on the rear panel. Users can add to this via the front panel headers, which include one USB 3.2 G1 Type-C, one USB 3.2 G1 Type-A header (two ports), and two USB 2.0 headers (four ports).
Looking at networking options, ASUS is using an Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 CVNi, with a single Intel I225-V 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet controller. Users planning on using Intel's integrated graphics can do so via the HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4 video output pairing on the rear panel. Onboard audio is provided by a Realtek ALC S1200A HD audio codec, which powers five 3.5 mm audio jacks and one S/PDIF optical output on the rear panel.
Test Bed
With some of the nuances with Intel's Rocket Lake processors, our policy is to see if the system gives an automatic option to increase the power limits of the processor. If it does, we select the liquid cooling option. If it does not, we do not change the defaults. Adaptive Boost Technology is disabled by default.
Test Setup | |||
Processor | Intel Core i9-11900K, 125 W, $374 8 Cores, 16 Threads 3.5 GHz (5.3 GHz Turbo) |
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Motherboard | ASUS TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WIFI (BIOS 1017) | ||
Cooling | Corsair iCue H150i Elite Capellix 360 mm AIO | ||
Power Supply | Corsair HX850 80Plus Platinum 850 W | ||
Memory | G.Skill TridentZ DDR4-3200 CL 14-14-14-34 2T (2 x 8 GB) | ||
Video Card | MSI GTX 1080 (1178/1279 Boost) | ||
Hard Drive | Crucial MX300 1TB | ||
Case | Corsair Crystal 680X | ||
Operating System | Windows 10 Pro 64-bit: Build 20H2 |
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23 Comments
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Holliday75 - Tuesday, August 10, 2021 - link
I have not used a soundcard in almost 15 years. Have not seen the point. If I want audiophile sound I'll go listen to my $3200 tower speakers.MDD1963 - Wednesday, August 11, 2021 - link
Intel's 845G chipset for the Pentium III/850 (I bought it around Christmas of the year 2000) has usable onboard sound for gaming. Have not bought a sound card since 1999 or so...Qasar - Wednesday, August 11, 2021 - link
i still use soundcards, mosty because onboard sound, doesnt have dd live or dts connect, and if it does, it isnt as good as the sb z or the sb ae-5 plus i now have. the last on board sound i used, was with the n force 2, and briefly with the a64 i had.blppt - Thursday, August 12, 2021 - link
I think the vast majority use the sound over the HDMI/DP out on the video card (then from the monitor/line out), at least in most setups i've seen.Then, if you want higher quality sound for your cans, people buy outboard DACs/headphone amps like the FiiOs, which are far superior to any motherboard solution anyways.
Leeea - Wednesday, August 11, 2021 - link
I doEveryone I know does.
Oxford Guy - Wednesday, August 11, 2021 - link
‘In our overclock testing, the board’s inability to hit 5.2 GHz all-core stable with our Core i9-11900K processor was somewhat disappointing. Even with a hefty 1.45 V on the CPU VCore, it just didn’t want to play ball’Overclocking Rocket Lake?
I hope you had one of those Intel freezer units the company used to demo some time ago.
Overclocking is dead. It has zero relevance, zero practicality. Modern turbo has eliminated the point.
Moreover, Rocket Lake’s critical flaw is its 14nm power hog process. Overclocking magnifies that.
Finally, it’s a mistake to entice people to pump reckless amounts of voltage into expensive hardware. It’s hilarious, too, given this site’s defense of its use of JEDEC RAM speeds to hobble Zen 1 and 2 in reviews.
Most people, you claimed, don’t open BIOS to switch on XMP. But, apparently trying to overclock Rocket Lake (with or without reckless levels of voltage) is so much more relevant.
The amount of effort, expertise, and time involved in overclocking to obtain stability, rather than useless Cinebench scores, is vastly vastly more than what is needed to switch on a single BIOS setting (XMP).
Nfarce - Monday, August 16, 2021 - link
That is one of the most ignorant things I've read here in my 20 years of being on AT. You do realize that turbo boost is rated around CORES USED right? So for example that hot 5.3 "turbo" boost on this i9 is for TWO cores not ALL EIGHT. And there are countless examples of why overclocking for ALL CORES is still relevant today. Stop spreading FUD because you don't know how to successfully overclock.Oxford Guy - Thursday, August 19, 2021 - link
The laws of physics disagree with your rant.As for the ad hom at the end, I’m quite sure that’s the reason — not that overclocking is dead.
Nfarce - Friday, August 27, 2021 - link
So you don't refute that your "point" is without merit (or benchmarks, or any other back up proof). Keep talking and showing your ignorance. The facts and benchmarks on overclocking on ALL cores for productivity alone prove you wrong.Oxford Guy - Wednesday, August 11, 2021 - link
So... Did ‘14 nm’ appear anywhere on the first page or did 1.45 volts appear instead?The relevance... the priorities...