The ASRock Z490 PG Velocita is a worthy addition to the Phantom Gaming family. With an integrated I/O shield, solid RGB implementation, the now classic Phantom Gaming aesthetic, and even PCIe 4.0 compatibility with future CPU generations, the ASRock Z490 PG Velocita has speed in its very name, so while it looks good and has a solid feature set, it needs to perform as well.

Performance out of the box was good. Memory overclocking was great as well, as I reached 4000 MHz CL16 stable with my Trident Z Neo quad-channel kit. For CPU overclocking, I was able to achieve 5.3 GHz on all cores. The largest limitation to overclocking with Z490 is going to come down to dealing with the heat produced by the incredibly dense Intel Core i9-10900K. Still, the ASRock Z490 PG Velocita performed as well as any board I have tested, and that's no small feat.

When it comes to VRM thermals, the ASRock Z490 PG Velocita did very well. However, the aggressive stock fan curve for the three VRM cooling fans made the Velocita louder than I would have liked in my VRM torture testing. While the board was silent during all standard testing, it quickly ramped up the fans after hitting 50 °C. Testing with the fans disabled proved that a much more subtle fan curve is perfectly feasible.

The active VRM cooling might be a turn-off for some, but it is flexible and has more than enough thermal headroom to be tuned to your liking. The ASRock Z490 PG Velocita is a solid board with good aesthetics, performance, and overclocking. If you are shopping for a Z490 board in the US$250 price range, the ASRock Z490 PG Velocita is a great choice.