ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming Review

The Strix Z590-E is positioned in the centre of ASUS’ product line and at the front of the Gaming series of motherboards. ASUS characterises all of them as AI 2.0 motherboards “engineered to extract every ounce of performance from the newest 11th Generation Intel Core CPUs.“

The board has been upgraded with new power designs, the most recent connectivity possibilities, and proprietary software and firmware applications that take advantage of Artificial Intelligence. The Strix Z590-E, which comes from the higher tier of their gaming line, is fully loaded with fresh hardware and seems ready to take on any competitor on the virtual battlefield. Let’s put this board through its paces and see how it compares to our other competitors!

Read more: ROG Maximus XIII Hero (WiFi 6E) Z590 Review

Design

The ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming WiFi has a sleek design with a matte black PCB and black metal heatsinks. ASUS has adorned the I/O covering with an exotic purplish-pink ROG logo. A smaller one may be found on the PCH heatsink and a black canvas tag like one found on blue trousers.

This tag, which is glued to the heatsink, also displays the ROG logo. The top M.2 heatsink features a cutout of the word STRIX that glows with AURA lights. Each M.2 cover also features discreetly carved lettering, indicating that the top two are PCIe Gen4 and the bottom is Dual M.2.

Specifications and Features

The LGA 1200 socket-compatible 10th and 11th gen Intel CPUs are supported by the Strix Z590-E. The board contains a 16-phase (14+2) power section to accommodate the energy demands of the premium eight-core i9-11900K and the previous generation’s 10-core 10900K.

The Strix Z590-E is provided with two massive metal heatsinks connected by a heat pipe and an additional included 40 mm “helper” fan for the VRM to keep that powering portion cool even when overclocking. A 6-layer PCB also aids in heat dissipation.

128 GB for double non-ECC memory may be installed in the Strix-four E’s DRAM slots. ASUS’ Optimum III innovation, which includes improved traces and segregated circuitry, offers speeds of up to 5333 MHz. The most excellent kit on the QVL is graded at 4800 MHz. Memory capability varies throughout 10th and 11th generation processors, but some abilities are only available in Gear 2, where the IMC runs at approximately half the speed of memories in 11-series Units.

The motherboard has 3 full-length PCIe x16 connectors for PCIe extension, and only the upper one is electrically x16. In PCIe 4.0 configuration with an eleventh Gen CPU or PCIe 3.0 with a tenth gen Processor, the top two slots (from the CPU) will operate. Despite the CPU, the lowest comprehensive PCIe port (from the PCH) is always Gen 3.0. ASUS’s Secure Slot concept is also used in the top two full-length PCIe slots for increased robustness and EMI shielding.

Storage and Connectivity

The ROG Strix Z590-E is well-equipped for storage, with six SATA 6 Gb/s ports that offer RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10. The Strix-E features four M.2 slots that all accept PCIe 3.0 x4, with the top two enabling PCIe 4.0 x4 with an 11th Gen CPU. SATA-based M.2 drives will only be supported in the M.2 4 slots, deactivating one of the SATA 6 Gb/s connections.

The M.2 Q-Latch is a new feature this time, and each of the M.2 drive slots includes appropriate heat spreaders. The Q-Latch eliminates the need for those tiny little screws readily dropped when mounting M.2 drives. 

The dual Intel I225-V 2.5 Gb LAN connectors on this board have ASUS LANGuard for honour and integrity, clear signals with a better spike tolerance, and static electricity prevention. The Strix-E also supports Intel’s CNVi-based WiFi 6E 802.11 axe, which uses the newly accessible 6 GHz spectrum, which has three times the bandwidth of 5 GHz. For wireless communication, we also have the latest Bluetooth 5.2.

Audio

As is customary, ASUS has carefully considered the audio, beginning with the Realtek 7.1 channel, a High Definition ALC4080 processor at the top of the integrated audio market. The ROG SupremeFX cover blocks EMI disturbance from the system, add-ons, and PCB improvements like Audio-Line Shielding. Other hardware enhancements include the Savitech SV3H712 Amplifier and superior Japanese-made Nichicon audio capacitors.

Finally, ASUS has included a choice of RGB LED connectors on the Strix Z590-E Gaming. The first is a typical RGB LED connector for 12 V, 5050 RGB strips with a maximum current of 3 A. Additionally, three Gen2 Configurable RGB headers for 5 V WS2812B independently controllable LED strips with a 3 A rating that, following ASUS, may support 500 LEDs. RGB LEDs are also included in the I/O cladding, top M.2, and processor heatsinks on the Strix-E. These and all of the headers are within your control via the ASUS AURA programme.

Pros

• Capable 14-phase VRM
• Premium audio implementation
• ROG good looks

Cons

• Higher price than the similarly equipped competition
• No onboard buttons for power/reset

Conclusion

Begin with a robust 14+2-phase main supply, 6-layer PCB, and massive effective heatsinks, the ASUS ROG Strix Z590-E gaming WiFi has a lot to offer any user. The Strix-E also supports multi-card configurations with NVIDIA SLI capability on the gaming or benching side.

The Strix-E is also well-equipped for data storage, with four M.2 slots, six SATA connectors, 17 USB connections, and Thunderbolt 4 capability. RGB LED support is strewn around the motherboard, with a big iridescent ROG logo on the IO casing and enough RGB/ARGB connections for an extension to satisfy any RGB LED enthusiast.