• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Z490 motherboard VRM list

Joined
Mar 31, 2014
Messages
1,533 (0.42/day)
Location
Grunn
System Name Indis the Fair (cursed edition)
Processor 11900k 5.1/4.9 undervolted.
Motherboard MSI Z590 Unify-X
Cooling Heatkiller VI Pro, VPP755 V.3, XSPC TX360 slim radiator, 3xA12x25, 4x Arctic P14 case fans
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16GB 4000 16-19-19 (b-die@3600 14-14-14 1.45v)
Video Card(s) EVGA 2080 Super Hybrid (T30-120 fan)
Storage 970EVO 1TB, 660p 1TB, WD Blue 3D 1TB, Sandisk Ultra 3D 2TB
Display(s) BenQ XL2546K, Dell P2417H
Case FD Define 7
Audio Device(s) DT770 Pro, Topping A50, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Røde VXLR+, Modmic 5
Power Supply Seasonic 860w Platinum
Mouse Razer Viper Mini, Odin Infinity mousepad
Keyboard GMMK Fullsize v2 (Boba U4Ts)
Software Win10 x64/Win7 x64/Ubuntu

Hi all, since the other day I could not find any VRM lists that provided a satisfactory overview of the VRM situation on LGA1200 motherboards, I decided to start one myself... I have put in most of the boards already, will probably go fish for some sources next week for the few that are missing...

Credits:
  • asdkj1740@OCN for compiling a shortlist with many sources
  • Cautilus, Sinhardware, and all the other people who have previously made VRM lists for making useful starting points and giving me many ideas
  • Buildzoid from AHOC for pioneering useful metrics for VRM performance
  • All the sources for taking their time to look under the heatsinks and/or test the VRMs themselves
Some key points:
  • Format based on older VRM lists such as those by Sinhardware (Haswell and earlier) and Cautilus (AM4).
  • Quick and useful reference for approximate VRM performance, where possible checked against real test results...
  • Most useful figures taken from datasheets (e.g maximum efficiency current of powerstages)
  • Links to datasheets and reviews where possible.
  • Additional sheets for individual component quality to be able to better estimate performance of untested VRMs.
To Do (in no particular order):
  • Finish formatting
  • More test results
  • Non Z490 boards
  • Add secondary VRM info
  • Finish VRM performance/efficiency figures
  • Find datasheets for TDA214xx and ISL993xx powerstages
  • Expand powerstage, drmos, and mosfet ratings sheets
  • Info on capacitor arrangement (?)
  • Warnings for bad performance (?)
  • AHOC ripple measurements (?)
  • Memory OC performance info (?)
  • General OC performance info (?)
 

Space Lynx

Astronaut
Joined
Oct 17, 2014
Messages
15,800 (4.58/day)
Location
Kepler-186f
+rep well done! I did see a video this morning from Hardware UNboxing with z490 mobo comparisons. MSI Z490 A Pro at $159 is best bang for buck... beats out a lot of the more expensive motherboards from other brands even.

picture courtesy of youtube hardware unboxed channel:

 
Joined
Mar 31, 2014
Messages
1,533 (0.42/day)
Location
Grunn
System Name Indis the Fair (cursed edition)
Processor 11900k 5.1/4.9 undervolted.
Motherboard MSI Z590 Unify-X
Cooling Heatkiller VI Pro, VPP755 V.3, XSPC TX360 slim radiator, 3xA12x25, 4x Arctic P14 case fans
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16GB 4000 16-19-19 (b-die@3600 14-14-14 1.45v)
Video Card(s) EVGA 2080 Super Hybrid (T30-120 fan)
Storage 970EVO 1TB, 660p 1TB, WD Blue 3D 1TB, Sandisk Ultra 3D 2TB
Display(s) BenQ XL2546K, Dell P2417H
Case FD Define 7
Audio Device(s) DT770 Pro, Topping A50, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Røde VXLR+, Modmic 5
Power Supply Seasonic 860w Platinum
Mouse Razer Viper Mini, Odin Infinity mousepad
Keyboard GMMK Fullsize v2 (Boba U4Ts)
Software Win10 x64/Win7 x64/Ubuntu
Thanks, currently I've only put the TPU and HUB results for the VRM performance... I'll probably go around and look for more good tests next week.
 

dgianstefani

TPU Proofreader
Staff member
Joined
Dec 29, 2017
Messages
3,969 (1.74/day)
Location
Swansea, Wales
System Name Silent
Processor Ryzen 7800X3D @ 5.15ghz BCLK OC, TG AM5 High Performance Heatspreader
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix X670E-I, chipset fans removed
Cooling Optimus AMD Raw Copper/Plexi, HWLABS Copper 240/40+240/30, D5, 4x Noctua A12x25, Mayhems Ultra Pure
Memory 32 GB Dominator Platinum 6150 MHz 26-36-36-48, 57ns AIDA, 2050 FLCK, 160 ns TRFC
Video Card(s) RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition, Conductonaut Extreme, 18 W/mK MinusPad Extreme, Corsair XG7 Waterblock
Storage Intel Optane DC P1600X 118 GB, Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB
Display(s) 32" 240 Hz 1440p Samsung G7, 31.5" 165 Hz 1440p LG NanoIPS Ultragear
Case Sliger SM570 CNC Aluminium 13-Litre, 3D printed feet, custom front panel with pump/res combo
Audio Device(s) Audeze Maxwell Ultraviolet, Razer Nommo Pro
Power Supply Corsair SF750 Platinum, transparent custom cables, Sentinel Pro 1500 Online Double Conversion UPS
Mouse Razer Viper Pro V2 Mercury White w/Tiger Ice Skates & Pulsar Supergrip tape
Keyboard Wooting 60HE+ module, TOFU Redux Burgundy w/brass weight, Prismcaps White & Jellykey, lubed/modded
Software Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 19053.3803
Benchmark Scores Legendary
Z490 Ace is very nice, especially for the price. I have their x570 Ace and it's great.
 
Joined
Aug 6, 2017
Messages
7,412 (3.05/day)
Location
Poland
System Name Purple rain
Processor 10.5 thousand 4.2G 1.1v
Motherboard Zee 490 Aorus Elite
Cooling Noctua D15S
Memory 16GB 4133 CL16-16-16-31 Viper Steel
Video Card(s) RTX 2070 Super Gaming X Trio
Storage SU900 128,8200Pro 1TB,850 Pro 512+256+256,860 Evo 500,XPG950 480, Skyhawk 2TB
Display(s) Acer XB241YU+Dell S2716DG
Case P600S Silent w. Alpenfohn wing boost 3 ARGBT+ fans
Audio Device(s) K612 Pro w. FiiO E10k DAC,W830BT wireless
Power Supply Superflower Leadex Gold 850W
Mouse G903 lightspeed+powerplay,G403 wireless + Steelseries DeX + Roccat rest
Keyboard HyperX Alloy SilverSpeed (w.HyperX wrist rest),Razer Deathstalker
Software Windows 10
Benchmark Scores A LOT
aorus elite seems very good for the price
elite2.jpg
 
Joined
Jun 14, 2020
Messages
2,678 (1.93/day)
System Name Mean machine
Processor 13900k
Motherboard MSI Unify X
Cooling Noctua U12A
Memory 7600c34
Video Card(s) 4090 Gamerock oc
Storage 980 pro 2tb
Display(s) Samsung crg90
Case Fractal Torent
Audio Device(s) Hifiman Arya / a30 - d30 pro stack
Power Supply Be quiet dark power pro 1200
Mouse Viper ultimate
Keyboard Blackwidow 65%
Joined
Aug 6, 2017
Messages
7,412 (3.05/day)
Location
Poland
System Name Purple rain
Processor 10.5 thousand 4.2G 1.1v
Motherboard Zee 490 Aorus Elite
Cooling Noctua D15S
Memory 16GB 4133 CL16-16-16-31 Viper Steel
Video Card(s) RTX 2070 Super Gaming X Trio
Storage SU900 128,8200Pro 1TB,850 Pro 512+256+256,860 Evo 500,XPG950 480, Skyhawk 2TB
Display(s) Acer XB241YU+Dell S2716DG
Case P600S Silent w. Alpenfohn wing boost 3 ARGBT+ fans
Audio Device(s) K612 Pro w. FiiO E10k DAC,W830BT wireless
Power Supply Superflower Leadex Gold 850W
Mouse G903 lightspeed+powerplay,G403 wireless + Steelseries DeX + Roccat rest
Keyboard HyperX Alloy SilverSpeed (w.HyperX wrist rest),Razer Deathstalker
Software Windows 10
Benchmark Scores A LOT
Z490 Ace is very nice, especially for the price. I have their x570 Ace and it's great.
for the price ?
it costs a big premium over unify and it's the same thing with leds.can't run igpu either,neither for display output nor any quicksync accelerated workloads.

it's an exceptional board for oc,but just get unify and a kf sku.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jan 5, 2006
Messages
17,693 (2.66/day)
System Name AlderLake / Laptop
Processor Intel i7 12700K P-Cores @ 5Ghz / Intel i3 7100U
Motherboard Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master / HP 83A3 (U3E1)
Cooling Noctua NH-U12A 2 fans + Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut Extreme + 5 case fans / Fan
Memory 32GB DDR5 Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 6000MHz CL36 / 8GB DDR4 HyperX CL13
Video Card(s) MSI RTX 2070 Super Gaming X Trio / Intel HD620
Storage Samsung 980 Pro 1TB + 970 Evo 500GB + 850 Pro 512GB + 860 Evo 1TB x2 / Samsung 256GB M.2 SSD
Display(s) 23.8" Dell S2417DG 165Hz G-Sync 1440p / 14" 1080p IPS Glossy
Case Be quiet! Silent Base 600 - Window / HP Pavilion
Audio Device(s) Panasonic SA-PMX94 / Realtek onboard + B&O speaker system / Harman Kardon Go + Play / Logitech G533
Power Supply Seasonic Focus Plus Gold 750W / Powerbrick
Mouse Logitech MX Anywhere 2 Laser wireless / Logitech M330 wireless
Keyboard RAPOO E9270P Black 5GHz wireless / HP backlit
Software Windows 11 / Windows 10
Benchmark Scores Cinebench R23 (Single Core) 1936 @ stock Cinebench R23 (Multi Core) 23006 @ stock
Joined
Aug 6, 2017
Messages
7,412 (3.05/day)
Location
Poland
System Name Purple rain
Processor 10.5 thousand 4.2G 1.1v
Motherboard Zee 490 Aorus Elite
Cooling Noctua D15S
Memory 16GB 4133 CL16-16-16-31 Viper Steel
Video Card(s) RTX 2070 Super Gaming X Trio
Storage SU900 128,8200Pro 1TB,850 Pro 512+256+256,860 Evo 500,XPG950 480, Skyhawk 2TB
Display(s) Acer XB241YU+Dell S2716DG
Case P600S Silent w. Alpenfohn wing boost 3 ARGBT+ fans
Audio Device(s) K612 Pro w. FiiO E10k DAC,W830BT wireless
Power Supply Superflower Leadex Gold 850W
Mouse G903 lightspeed+powerplay,G403 wireless + Steelseries DeX + Roccat rest
Keyboard HyperX Alloy SilverSpeed (w.HyperX wrist rest),Razer Deathstalker
Software Windows 10
Benchmark Scores A LOT
dualbios.jpg



aorus elite ac seems the best price/perf to me.
just beware it can overvolt the cpu on auto.

chart.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jan 5, 2006
Messages
17,693 (2.66/day)
System Name AlderLake / Laptop
Processor Intel i7 12700K P-Cores @ 5Ghz / Intel i3 7100U
Motherboard Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master / HP 83A3 (U3E1)
Cooling Noctua NH-U12A 2 fans + Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut Extreme + 5 case fans / Fan
Memory 32GB DDR5 Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 6000MHz CL36 / 8GB DDR4 HyperX CL13
Video Card(s) MSI RTX 2070 Super Gaming X Trio / Intel HD620
Storage Samsung 980 Pro 1TB + 970 Evo 500GB + 850 Pro 512GB + 860 Evo 1TB x2 / Samsung 256GB M.2 SSD
Display(s) 23.8" Dell S2417DG 165Hz G-Sync 1440p / 14" 1080p IPS Glossy
Case Be quiet! Silent Base 600 - Window / HP Pavilion
Audio Device(s) Panasonic SA-PMX94 / Realtek onboard + B&O speaker system / Harman Kardon Go + Play / Logitech G533
Power Supply Seasonic Focus Plus Gold 750W / Powerbrick
Mouse Logitech MX Anywhere 2 Laser wireless / Logitech M330 wireless
Keyboard RAPOO E9270P Black 5GHz wireless / HP backlit
Software Windows 11 / Windows 10
Benchmark Scores Cinebench R23 (Single Core) 1936 @ stock Cinebench R23 (Multi Core) 23006 @ stock
Joined
Jan 27, 2015
Messages
1,642 (0.49/day)
System Name Legion
Processor i7-12700KF
Motherboard Asus Z690-Plus TUF Gaming WiFi D5
Cooling Arctic Liquid Freezer 2 240mm AIO
Memory PNY MAKO DDR5-6000 C36-36-36-76
Video Card(s) PowerColor Hellhound 6700 XT 12GB
Storage WD SN770 512GB m.2, Samsung 980 Pro m.2 2TB
Display(s) Acer K272HUL 1440p / 34" MSI MAG341CQ 3440x1440
Case Montech Air X
Power Supply Corsair CX750M
Mouse Logitech MX Anywhere 25
Keyboard Logitech MX Keys
Software Lots
Asus Prime Z490M Plus is technically 4+4 teamed, other Asus designs follow this pattern until you get to the really pricey ones .

This means you have one PWM that powers up two MOSFETS at the same time in a single phase, allowing double the power in the phase. This requires a more complex PWM that is designed to control two MOSFETS. So this would have 4x PWMs, 8 MOSFETS, and 8 chokes.

Doubling is when you have one PWM going through a doubler which alternates firing one MOSFET, then a 2nd MOSFET for 2 phases. The PWM doesn't know this is happening as it's designed to fire one MOSFET. This decreases the number of PWM modules (4 PWMs for 8 phases) and allows using cheaper/simpler PWMs, but adds a doubler in the line, also makes the PWM that is designed to drive one phase work twice as hard as it has to fire twice per cycle. A doubled 8-phase would have 4 PWMs, 4 doublers, 8 MOSFETS, 8 Chokes.

Standard phase is one PWM firing a MOSFET and then a choke.

Asus teamed design looks superior to doubling to me as far as power delivery, because at any given time they have 2 mosfets online (double the power). In theory this could cause heat issues with the MOSFETS, but in testing it hasn't. Techspot stated that it should be able to run a 10600K OC to 5Ghz in the mid 60C peak range:


"The vcore portion of the VRM packs eight 50A power stages, configured as a teamed 4-phase. We grabbed this board and after some quick tests, the results are quite impressive. It runs around 4C hotter than the Prime Z490-P and that means with a Core i5-10600K overclocked to 5 GHz with 1.35v, you’re looking at a peak operating temperature of just 66 degrees with a reasonably well ventilated case in a 21C climate. "
 
Joined
Oct 22, 2014
Messages
13,210 (3.83/day)
Location
Sunshine Coast
System Name Black Box
Processor Intel Xeon E3-1260L v5
Motherboard MSI E3 KRAIT Gaming v5
Cooling Tt tower + 120mm Tt fan
Memory G.Skill 16GB 3600 C18
Video Card(s) Asus GTX 970 Mini
Storage Kingston A2000 512Gb NVME
Display(s) AOC 24" Freesync 1m.s. 75Hz
Case Corsair 450D High Air Flow.
Audio Device(s) No need.
Power Supply FSP Aurum 650W
Mouse Yes
Keyboard Of course
Software W10 Pro 64 bit
"The vcore portion of the VRM packs eight 50A power stages, configured as a teamed 4-phase. We grabbed this board and after some quick tests, the results are quite impressive. It runs around 4C hotter than the Prime Z490-P and that means with a Core i5-10600K overclocked to 5 GHz with 1.35v, you’re looking at a peak operating temperature of just 66 degrees with a reasonably well ventilated case in a 21C climate. "
21C is Winter temps here, so teamed 4 phase is useless here, especially with 50A power stages.
I would have to run airconditioning all year round to keep the system cool.
 
Joined
Mar 31, 2014
Messages
1,533 (0.42/day)
Location
Grunn
System Name Indis the Fair (cursed edition)
Processor 11900k 5.1/4.9 undervolted.
Motherboard MSI Z590 Unify-X
Cooling Heatkiller VI Pro, VPP755 V.3, XSPC TX360 slim radiator, 3xA12x25, 4x Arctic P14 case fans
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16GB 4000 16-19-19 (b-die@3600 14-14-14 1.45v)
Video Card(s) EVGA 2080 Super Hybrid (T30-120 fan)
Storage 970EVO 1TB, 660p 1TB, WD Blue 3D 1TB, Sandisk Ultra 3D 2TB
Display(s) BenQ XL2546K, Dell P2417H
Case FD Define 7
Audio Device(s) DT770 Pro, Topping A50, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Røde VXLR+, Modmic 5
Power Supply Seasonic 860w Platinum
Mouse Razer Viper Mini, Odin Infinity mousepad
Keyboard GMMK Fullsize v2 (Boba U4Ts)
Software Win10 x64/Win7 x64/Ubuntu
The PWM doesn't know this is happening as it's designed to fire one MOSFET.
Depends on the controller and other components used in the VRM... Most modern (think last decade) controllers were designed with potential doubling schemes in mind.
There are many different ways you can trade operating parameters in the VRM, to tune the performance characteristics... You can change inductances, capacitance, operating frequency, power plane characteristics, and tons more... Doubling or teaming phases is only a very small aspect of overall design.
at any given time they have 2 mosfets online (double the power).
The mosfets are switched at hundreds of kHz, the average current load is the only thing that matters temperature wise, any momentary state the VRM is in is basically irrelevant.

The main thermal problem that can arise with teamed phases is that one mosfet/powerstage has different thermal characteristics than the next (either due to production factors, or other things to do with the board and/or thermal solution) and the components that are teamed together heat up at different rates. While with certain dual drivers and doublers you can current balance between the different parts within a teamed phase, you can not do this with simple teaming. However if you have a well designed cooling solution and/or are not operating near the limits of the components of the VRM this is basically never going to be an issue.
 
Joined
Jan 27, 2015
Messages
1,642 (0.49/day)
System Name Legion
Processor i7-12700KF
Motherboard Asus Z690-Plus TUF Gaming WiFi D5
Cooling Arctic Liquid Freezer 2 240mm AIO
Memory PNY MAKO DDR5-6000 C36-36-36-76
Video Card(s) PowerColor Hellhound 6700 XT 12GB
Storage WD SN770 512GB m.2, Samsung 980 Pro m.2 2TB
Display(s) Acer K272HUL 1440p / 34" MSI MAG341CQ 3440x1440
Case Montech Air X
Power Supply Corsair CX750M
Mouse Logitech MX Anywhere 25
Keyboard Logitech MX Keys
Software Lots
21C is Winter temps here, so teamed 4 phase is useless here, especially with 50A power stages.
I would have to run airconditioning all year round to keep the system cool.

That doesn't make any sense. More phases actually generate more heat overall, all else being equal (quality of components is critical, probably the biggest factor even over the design chosen). More phases will generate less heat per phase (individual components can be smaller and run cooler), but the overall VRM is still supplying the same power and with more phases there are switching losses which means power waste.

The mosfets are switched at hundreds of kHz, the average current load is the only thing that matters temperature wise, any momentary state the VRM is in is basically irrelevant.

That's nonsensical. One of the main reasons for using multiple stages in the first place is to spread the heat load out. Another reason is size of components, and a last reason is transient response time. The fact is a MOSFET that is in a true 8 phase VRM spends 7/8ths of its time powering nothing. It doesn't really matter that it did nothing 260,000 intervals and did something 40,000 intervals in that second. When it's doing nothing, it's not creating heat.
 
Joined
Mar 31, 2014
Messages
1,533 (0.42/day)
Location
Grunn
System Name Indis the Fair (cursed edition)
Processor 11900k 5.1/4.9 undervolted.
Motherboard MSI Z590 Unify-X
Cooling Heatkiller VI Pro, VPP755 V.3, XSPC TX360 slim radiator, 3xA12x25, 4x Arctic P14 case fans
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16GB 4000 16-19-19 (b-die@3600 14-14-14 1.45v)
Video Card(s) EVGA 2080 Super Hybrid (T30-120 fan)
Storage 970EVO 1TB, 660p 1TB, WD Blue 3D 1TB, Sandisk Ultra 3D 2TB
Display(s) BenQ XL2546K, Dell P2417H
Case FD Define 7
Audio Device(s) DT770 Pro, Topping A50, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Røde VXLR+, Modmic 5
Power Supply Seasonic 860w Platinum
Mouse Razer Viper Mini, Odin Infinity mousepad
Keyboard GMMK Fullsize v2 (Boba U4Ts)
Software Win10 x64/Win7 x64/Ubuntu
More phases actually generate more heat overall
The efficiency is not constant. As you pass over the peak efficiency of per phase current the conduction losses begin to dominate over the switching losses and in most cases the lower phase count systems will end up being less efficient at the 200-300A range because the individual mosfet current goes past 15-20A (depends on the specific phase count obviously.

The point about the momentary states is that it is irrelevant whether you switch 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 or (1+2)-(3+4)-(5+6)-(7+8) because the mean current per component remains the same.

Also when the PWM signal is "off" the phase is still conducting, it is just conducting from the ground plane as the inductor is "pulling" current with the energy stored in its magnetic field. In the "on" signal state the 12v is being "pushed" through the inductor which increases the energy stored in its magnetic field. The former has the low side or sync mosfet conducting, and the latter has the high side or control mosfet conducting. In any buck converter the duty cycle of each of the mosfets depends on the change in voltage you are trying to achieve across the converter, for 12v to 1.2v, you operate at 1/10 duty cycle on the high side, and 9/10 on the low side, for 12v to 6v it would be 50/50. Because of this, components designed for computer VRMs where the output voltage is several times lower than the input voltage the low side mosfet is optimised towards conduction performance while the high side is optimised towards switching performance because it spends a lot less time conducting.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Oct 1, 2014
Messages
1,837 (0.53/day)
Location
Calabash, NC
System Name The Captain (2.0)
Processor Ryzen 7 7700X
Motherboard Asus Crosshair X670E Hero (soon to be replaced by Gigabyte X670E AORUS Master)
Cooling 360mm Be Quiet! Pure Loop 2 FX, 4x Be Quiet! 140mm Silent Wings 4 (1x exhaust 3x intake)
Memory 32GB (2x16) G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo (6000Mhz)
Video Card(s) MSI GeForce RTX 3070 SUPRIM X
Storage 1x Crucial MX500 500GB SSD; 1x Crucial MX500 500GB M.2 SSD; 1x WD Blue HDD, 1x Crucial P5 Plus
Display(s) Aorus CV27F 27" 1080p 165Hz
Case Phanteks Evolv X (Anthracite Gray)
Power Supply Corsair RMx (2021) 1000W 80-Plus Gold
Mouse Varies based on mood; is currently Razer Basilisk V3; Basilisk Ultimate for gaming
Keyboard Varies based on mood; currently HyperX Alloy Origins 65
Asus Prime Z490M Plus is technically 4+4 teamed, other Asus designs follow this pattern until you get to the really pricey ones .

This means you have one PWM that powers up two MOSFETS at the same time in a single phase, allowing double the power in the phase. This requires a more complex PWM that is designed to control two MOSFETS. So this would have 4x PWMs, 8 MOSFETS, and 8 chokes.

Doubling is when you have one PWM going through a doubler which alternates firing one MOSFET, then a 2nd MOSFET for 2 phases. The PWM doesn't know this is happening as it's designed to fire one MOSFET. This decreases the number of PWM modules (4 PWMs for 8 phases) and allows using cheaper/simpler PWMs, but adds a doubler in the line, also makes the PWM that is designed to drive one phase work twice as hard as it has to fire twice per cycle. A doubled 8-phase would have 4 PWMs, 4 doublers, 8 MOSFETS, 8 Chokes.

Standard phase is one PWM firing a MOSFET and then a choke.

Asus teamed design looks superior to doubling to me as far as power delivery, because at any given time they have 2 mosfets online (double the power). In theory this could cause heat issues with the MOSFETS, but in testing it hasn't. Techspot stated that it should be able to run a 10600K OC to 5Ghz in the mid 60C peak range:


"The vcore portion of the VRM packs eight 50A power stages, configured as a teamed 4-phase. We grabbed this board and after some quick tests, the results are quite impressive. It runs around 4C hotter than the Prime Z490-P and that means with a Core i5-10600K overclocked to 5 GHz with 1.35v, you’re looking at a peak operating temperature of just 66 degrees with a reasonably well ventilated case in a 21C climate. "


My board got picked as the best m-ATX board in that article, woop! That being said, I think ASUS got their pricing mixed up or something, because my board costed $240, yet the SMALLER Strix ITX board costs $300 and doesn't seem to offer quite as much as my board :wtf:
 

tabascosauz

Moderator
Supporter
Staff member
Joined
Jun 24, 2015
Messages
7,457 (2.33/day)
Location
Western Canada
System Name ab┃ob
Processor 7800X3D┃5800X3D
Motherboard B650E PG-ITX┃B550-I Strix
Cooling PA120+T30┃AXP120x67
Memory 64GB 6000CL30┃32GB 3600CL14
Video Card(s) RTX 4070 Ti Eagle┃RTX A2000
Storage 8TB of SSDs┃1TB SN550
Display(s) 43" QN90B / 32" M32Q / 27" S2721DGF
Case Caselabs S3┃Lone Industries L5
Power Supply Corsair HX1000┃HDPlex
My board got picked as the best m-ATX board in that article, woop! That being said, I think ASUS got their pricing mixed up or something, because my board costed $240, yet the SMALLER Strix ITX board costs $300 and doesn't seem to offer quite as much as my board :wtf:

I mean, BZ has a soft spot for the Z490-G and it's for sure the most well-rounded mATX board, but with 50A SiC63x Vishays it's nowhere near the ITX boards in component price and segment. Ever since X570 became a thing, these vendors have been trying (for better or worse) to make their ITX boards fight their flagship ATX boards for some reason. So 60A/70A/90A SPSes galore, and even with those top parts there's only so much surface area you can put on those tiny ITX heatsinks and the VRM density is insane. And Asus is hiding a VRM fan under there too; it might be overkill if there are TDA21472s or ISL99390s under those heatsinks, but given what the 10900K can be pushed to draw, they're probably right to err on the safe side.

It just honestly sucks that up until now the expensive Gene was probably the only respectable mATX board on any mainstream platform, and even the Gene went AWOL for two generations. I'm guessing that if Asus wants it to make a return, it'll be at the end of LGA1200 and without a Strix SKU like the G to steal its thunder. Or it's just not coming back at all.

Sometimes I wonder if mATX is so well and truly dead as they say that it's entirely financially unfeasible to make a decent upper mid range board with a POST code without going into Gene-land and it's la-la-land features like DIMM.2.
 
Joined
Feb 20, 2020
Messages
9,162 (6.11/day)
Location
Louisianna
System Name Ghetto Rigs z490|x99|Acer 17 Nitro 7840hs/ 5600c40-2x16/ 4060/ 1tb acer stock m.2/ 4tb sn850x
Processor 10900k w/Optimus Foundation | 5930k w/Black Noctua D15
Motherboard z490 Maximus XII Apex | x99 Sabertooth
Cooling oCool D5 res-combo/280 GTX/ Optimus Foundation/ gpu water block | Blk D15
Memory Trident-Z Royal 4000c16 2x16gb | Trident-Z 3200c14 4x8gb
Video Card(s) Titan Xp-water | evga 980ti gaming-w/ air
Storage 970evo+500gb & sn850x 4tb | 860 pro 256gb | Acer m.2 1tb/ sn850x 4tb| Many2.5" sata's ssd 3.5hdd's
Display(s) 1-AOC G2460PG 24"G-Sync 144Hz/ 2nd 1-ASUS VG248QE 24"/ 3rd LG 43" series
Case D450 | Cherry Entertainment center on Test bench
Audio Device(s) Built in Realtek x2 with 2-Insignia 2.0 sound bars & 1-LG sound bar
Power Supply EVGA 1000P2 with APC AX1500 | 850P2 with CyberPower-GX1325U
Mouse Redragon 901 Perdition x3
Keyboard G710+x3
Software Win-7 pro x3 and win-10 & 11pro x3
Benchmark Scores Are in the benchmark section
Hi,
Going from asus formula returned then to apex z490 sure don't need a vrm water block and i just saved 100.us and got dual bios too plus a lot more perks :)
 
Joined
Dec 31, 2009
Messages
19,366 (3.72/day)
Benchmark Scores Faster than yours... I'd bet on it. :)
these vendors have been trying (for better or worse) to make their ITX boards fight their flagship ATX boards for some reason.
Because people want to be able to, and expect to, run every chip in the stable no matter what shortcomings are inherent on these tiny boards. Since power use is going up and the way these chips use 'tdp' they have to be beefy to support it.

Hi,
Going from asus formula returned then to apex z490 sure don't need a vrm water block and i just saved 100.us and got dual bios too plus a lot more perks :)
Hello! :D

Need.. of course not. Bling and better temps, yes.
 
Last edited:

ppn

Joined
Aug 18, 2015
Messages
1,231 (0.39/day)
is there any evaluation of the cost per phase.

how much did asrock save by soldering 88% efficient Mosfets instead of the 94% efficient Intersil and Infineon S+ rating.

This is preposterous, Z490 should all be S+ power delivery and memory overclock top to bottom. And let other factors decide. like layout and colors.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Mar 31, 2014
Messages
1,533 (0.42/day)
Location
Grunn
System Name Indis the Fair (cursed edition)
Processor 11900k 5.1/4.9 undervolted.
Motherboard MSI Z590 Unify-X
Cooling Heatkiller VI Pro, VPP755 V.3, XSPC TX360 slim radiator, 3xA12x25, 4x Arctic P14 case fans
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16GB 4000 16-19-19 (b-die@3600 14-14-14 1.45v)
Video Card(s) EVGA 2080 Super Hybrid (T30-120 fan)
Storage 970EVO 1TB, 660p 1TB, WD Blue 3D 1TB, Sandisk Ultra 3D 2TB
Display(s) BenQ XL2546K, Dell P2417H
Case FD Define 7
Audio Device(s) DT770 Pro, Topping A50, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Røde VXLR+, Modmic 5
Power Supply Seasonic 860w Platinum
Mouse Razer Viper Mini, Odin Infinity mousepad
Keyboard GMMK Fullsize v2 (Boba U4Ts)
Software Win10 x64/Win7 x64/Ubuntu
is there any evaluation of the cost per phase.
This is a good idea however it's hard to really get an accurate number on the component costs as they tend to fluctuate with time. Additionally, western suppliers generally deviate (to varying amounts) from prices large companies like the mobo guys are able to get on bulk orders, the costs associated with the different distribution methods are different and hard to quantify. The other components in the VRM also make it a balancing game as you will need different amounts of capacitance and different inductors depending on how you set up the VRM, again costs and tradeoffs which are hard to quantify as an outside observer.

Also you have to remember that the different components have different efficiencies depending on the current load. The 88% figure is at 30A per phase (for the 10 phase VRM), which is significantly above the peak efficiency of any of these components. While for a 16 phase with 99390s, 300A is just under 20A per powerstage which is pretty close to where the peak efficiency of those parts lies (according to buildzoids numbers it's around 17-19A for the 99390s). On the 3rd sheet I have some of the components compared and you can see the peak efficiency differs by only around 2-3%...

You can see that the 8phase 99390 setup of the ITX unify performs much below the 16phase ones in the ATX boards, since the lower phase count shifts you away from the peak efficiency. And knocking off 2 powerstages of the SiCs on the low end Asus boards also cuts your 300A efficiency from 88% to only 85% since the current per powerstage has gone from 30 to 37.5A...
 
Joined
Jan 27, 2015
Messages
1,642 (0.49/day)
System Name Legion
Processor i7-12700KF
Motherboard Asus Z690-Plus TUF Gaming WiFi D5
Cooling Arctic Liquid Freezer 2 240mm AIO
Memory PNY MAKO DDR5-6000 C36-36-36-76
Video Card(s) PowerColor Hellhound 6700 XT 12GB
Storage WD SN770 512GB m.2, Samsung 980 Pro m.2 2TB
Display(s) Acer K272HUL 1440p / 34" MSI MAG341CQ 3440x1440
Case Montech Air X
Power Supply Corsair CX750M
Mouse Logitech MX Anywhere 25
Keyboard Logitech MX Keys
Software Lots
My board got picked as the best m-ATX board in that article, woop! That being said, I think ASUS got their pricing mixed up or something, because my board costed $240, yet the SMALLER Strix ITX board costs $300 and doesn't seem to offer quite as much as my board :wtf:

I'm really liking my Asus board. It's much cheaper than yours (Prime 490M) but it's running solid with a 10400 with BCLK 1.25 and has my DDR4-3200 running at 3280. Had the RAM at 3366 before increasing the BCLCK and it was solid. All that on stock Intel cooling, and I get the #8 highest PCMark10 score for a 10400, on a $150 motherboard. I don't even really consider this to be much tweaking as I haven't messed with voltages and such, this is mostly just an automatic setting. A really solid board so far.

Capture.PNG
 
Joined
Mar 31, 2014
Messages
1,533 (0.42/day)
Location
Grunn
System Name Indis the Fair (cursed edition)
Processor 11900k 5.1/4.9 undervolted.
Motherboard MSI Z590 Unify-X
Cooling Heatkiller VI Pro, VPP755 V.3, XSPC TX360 slim radiator, 3xA12x25, 4x Arctic P14 case fans
Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16GB 4000 16-19-19 (b-die@3600 14-14-14 1.45v)
Video Card(s) EVGA 2080 Super Hybrid (T30-120 fan)
Storage 970EVO 1TB, 660p 1TB, WD Blue 3D 1TB, Sandisk Ultra 3D 2TB
Display(s) BenQ XL2546K, Dell P2417H
Case FD Define 7
Audio Device(s) DT770 Pro, Topping A50, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Røde VXLR+, Modmic 5
Power Supply Seasonic 860w Platinum
Mouse Razer Viper Mini, Odin Infinity mousepad
Keyboard GMMK Fullsize v2 (Boba U4Ts)
Software Win10 x64/Win7 x64/Ubuntu
Joined
Jan 27, 2015
Messages
1,642 (0.49/day)
System Name Legion
Processor i7-12700KF
Motherboard Asus Z690-Plus TUF Gaming WiFi D5
Cooling Arctic Liquid Freezer 2 240mm AIO
Memory PNY MAKO DDR5-6000 C36-36-36-76
Video Card(s) PowerColor Hellhound 6700 XT 12GB
Storage WD SN770 512GB m.2, Samsung 980 Pro m.2 2TB
Display(s) Acer K272HUL 1440p / 34" MSI MAG341CQ 3440x1440
Case Montech Air X
Power Supply Corsair CX750M
Mouse Logitech MX Anywhere 25
Keyboard Logitech MX Keys
Software Lots
How much BCLK? The locked CPUs shouldn't take anything over around 103...

Sorry, 1.025 or 2.5% boost. Doing that and lowering DDR4 speed about 80Mhz actually gave me another 130 points on PCMark 10. Pretty sure if I OC my GPU and claw back 150Mhz or so on my RAM I can break into the top 2 or 3 for a 10400.
 

leank1

New Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2020
Messages
8 (0.01/day)
Hi guys!

Im sorry but this question must be offtopic, hope u can help me! :)

Which one of this boards will you choose to pair with 10700k:

Aorus Elite AC
Aorus Pro AX
Asus Z490-E (worried about cpu cooler and ram clearance)




Im not an extreme overclocker, just a little bit.


Thanks in advance!
 
Top