ASUS PRIME Z590M-PLUS LGA 1200 Intel Z590 SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

The ASUS PRIME Z590M-PLUS is a versatile and feature-packed motherboard designed to support Intel’s 10th and 11th generation Core processors, featuring the LGA 1200 socket and the Intel Z590 chipset. As part of ASUS’s PRIME series, this motherboard is built for users who seek solid performance, expandability, and stability for their systems. Whether you are assembling a mid-tier gaming PC, a productivity workstation, or a compact system with a smaller footprint, the PRIME Z590M-PLUS offers a broad array of features to meet your needs.

With a Micro-ATX form factor, the PRIME Z590M-PLUS is designed for builders who want a smaller chassis without sacrificing essential features, like PCIe 4.0 support, fast memory overclocking, and a wide range of connectivity options. It comes equipped with enhanced cooling solutions, high-speed I/O options, and robust power delivery, making it a solid foundation for gaming, content creation, or general-purpose computing.

Let’s take an in-depth look at the features and specifications of the ASUS PRIME Z590M-PLUS motherboard.

Key Features

1. Processor Support (Intel 10th and 11th Gen)

The PRIME Z590M-PLUS motherboard is compatible with Intel 10th Gen (Comet Lake) and 11th Gen (Rocket Lake) Core processors, supporting Core i9, Core i7, Core i5, Core i3, and Pentium Gold series chips. This LGA 1200 socket ensures that you can harness the full potential of Intel’s multi-core and single-threaded performance for demanding tasks like gaming, video editing, and productivity.

With support for Intel Turbo Boost and Hyper-Threading, users can achieve higher processing speeds and multitasking efficiency, while the motherboard’s 12+1 DrMOS power phase design provides clean and stable power to the CPU, ensuring stability during heavy workloads and overclocking.

2. Memory Support and Performance

The PRIME Z590M-PLUS supports up to 64GB of DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration across 4 DIMM slots. With support for overclocked memory speeds up to 5333MHz (OC), this motherboard is built to take advantage of high-performance memory for demanding applications, such as gaming and content creation.

It also supports Intel XMP (Extreme Memory Profiles), allowing users to easily overclock their memory modules by enabling pre-configured settings in the BIOS. For users looking for higher memory bandwidth, the Z590 chipset provides enhanced memory support, allowing users to push their memory performance further.

3. PCIe 4.0 and Expansion Slots

One of the standout features of the PRIME Z590M-PLUS is its support for PCIe 4.0 when paired with 11th Gen Intel CPUs. The motherboard has:

• 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (for a graphics card) providing increased bandwidth for high-performance GPUs, ideal for gaming or GPU-intensive tasks like rendering or video editing.
• 1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 slot (running at x4 mode) for additional high-speed expansion cards.
• 2 x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots for adding various expansion cards like sound cards, network adapters, or storage controllers.

With PCIe 4.0 support, the motherboard offers faster data transfer rates (up to 16 GT/s) and better bandwidth, particularly for NVMe SSDs or high-end graphics cards, ensuring your system is ready for the latest hardware and performance demands.

4. Storage – M.2 and SATA Support

The PRIME Z590M-PLUS motherboard offers plenty of storage options:

• 2 x M.2 slots (one supports PCIe 4.0 x4 speeds, and the other supports PCIe 3.0 x4 or SATA) for high-speed NVMe SSDs. M.2 devices installed in the PCIe 4.0 x4 slot can achieve speeds up to 7000 MB/s, ensuring fast load times for games, large media files, or applications.
• 6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports for connecting traditional hard drives or SATA SSDs, providing ample storage space for larger files, video libraries, or backups.

The M.2 and SATA configurations provide a great balance between high-speed storage for performance and larger-capacity drives for mass storage, making this motherboard ideal for both enthusiasts and everyday users.

5. Networking and Connectivity

The PRIME Z590M-PLUS features a high-speed Intel I225-V 2.5Gb Ethernet port, which provides significantly faster networking speeds than traditional gigabit Ethernet. This is perfect for gamers or users who rely on large file transfers or streaming high-resolution media.

Additionally, the motherboard comes with Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) support (with an optional Wi-Fi add-on card) for fast wireless connectivity, ensuring lower latency, higher bandwidth, and better stability in congested environments, such as busy households or shared offices.

For wired connectivity, the motherboard features Intel’s 2.5Gb Ethernet port, which offers a more stable, faster connection for low-latency tasks such as gaming, video conferencing, or large file transfers.

6. Cooling Solutions – Efficient Thermal Management

To handle the heat generated by powerful CPUs and GPUs, the PRIME Z590M-PLUS is equipped with several cooling options:

• Multiple fan headers with Fan Xpert 2+ software support for precise control of CPU and case fan speeds based on system temperatures.
• Heatsinks on the VRM and chipset to ensure efficient cooling, particularly during heavy workloads, gaming, or overclocking.
• M.2 heatsink to keep M.2 SSDs cool during intensive read/write operations.

Together, these features ensure that your system maintains a low temperature under heavy usage, improving both stability and longevity of the components.

7. Audio – Realtek ALC897 Codec

The PRIME Z590M-PLUS is equipped with the Realtek ALC897 audio codec, which delivers high-definition 7.1-channel audio. It provides crisp, clear sound for immersive gaming, music production, or media consumption. With capacitors designed for high-quality audio, you can expect a richer sound experience with low noise and distortion.