MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk, Intel Z490 motherboard - socket 1200 [7C80-004R]

Since the "Comet Lake-S" processors require a new socket due to the optimized power supply, the Intel series LGA1200 socket is used on the 400 series mainboards. Despite the increased number of pins, the actual size of the socket remains identical to older sockets, so that CPU coolers for socket LGA 115x can also be mounted on the mainboard.

The features of the MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk motherboard at a glance:
- 2x PCIe (3.0) x16 and 2x PCIe (3.0) x1
- 1x USB 3.2 Gen. 2x2 with fast 20 Gbit / s & 1x USB 3.1 type A
- A total of 7x USB 3.0 and 6x USB 2.0 (internal & external)
- 2x M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4) / 6x SATA 6G
- Supports max. 128 GB DDR4 RAM up to 4,800 MHz
- Integrated RGB LED lighting with RGB LED headers
- Dual LAN with fast 1 Gbit LAN & 2.5 Gbit LAN

The MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk in detail
The MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk is a motherboard in the ATX form factor and offers two PCIe x16 slots, one of which is connected to the CPU via 16 lanes and the other to the chipset via four lanes, as well as two PCIe x1 slots for plug-in and expansion cards. As a high-end mainboard, the MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk also supports multi-GPU setups via AMD Crossfire / XDMA.

Other features of the mainboard also include a striking cooler design and integrated RGB LED lighting. Additional RGB LED components can be connected and controlled via two 4-pin RGB headers (12V) and two digitally addressable 3-pin RGB headers (5V), provided they are compatible with the RGB software of the mainboard.
RAM and drives
Up to 128 GB DDR4 RAM in dual-channel mode can be used in the four DIMM slots. The Z490 chipset supports clock rates up to 2,933 MHz, but the OC enables the MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk to operate RAM kits with up to 4,800 MHz!

Two M.2 slots and six SATA 6G connectors are available for storage drives. The M.2 slots support the NVMe protocol, which enables data transfer rates of just under 4 GB / s. This means that M.2 PCIe SSDs are up to eight times faster than SATA 6G SSDs!

External connections
The MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk has a USB 3.2 port on the I / O panel. The socket of the same design as USB-C is particularly thin and plugs can be inserted on both sides. USB 3.2 gen. 2x2 achieves very high transmission speeds of up to 20 Gbit / s. br>
In addition to a USB 3.1 port and four USB 3.0 type A ports, the board also offers two USB 2.0 ports, a classic PS / 2 port for mouse or keyboard, and one HDMI and one DisplayPort output each. The MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk offers dual LAN with 1 Gbit / s (Intel I219V) and 2.5 Gbit / s (Realtek 8125B).

When it comes to audio, the manufacturer relies on the Realtek ALC1200 audio codec. This provides a total of five 3.5 millimeter jack sockets and an optical S / PDIF output on the I / O panel and supports 7.1 surround sound. Internally, the mainboard provides a large selection of connections and headers.

Overclocking features
The MSI MAG Z490 Tomahawk offers a total of eight 4-pin PWM connections for fans and / or pumps on the main board. For the power supply, there is a 24-pin ATX connector as well as an 8-pin and a 4-pin ATX connector on the mainboard. Overclockers also enjoy the extensive power supply with 12 + 1 + 1 phases, which is generously equipped with heat sinks.

The expansion slot for the graphics card is reinforced to counteract wear and tear under frequent use, for example when the mainboard is used in test systems and benchtables. PCB and heat spreader are kept in a monochrome design in black, white and dark gray, so that color accents come into their own.

Compatible only with 10th generation Intel CPUs!

Technical details:
Format:
- ATX
- Chipset:
- Intel Z490
- Base:
- 1200 (for 10th-generation Intel CPUs)
- R.A.M:
- 4x DDR4 (2,933 MHz, up to 4,800 MHz using OC)
- Dual channel
- 128 GB max
- Slots (physical):
-1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (electrical 16x)
-1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (electrical 4x)
- 2x PCIe 3.0 x1
- Compatible multi-VGA configurations: 2-way CrossFireX (Quad-GPU)
- Internal connections:
- 6x SATA 6G
- 1x M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4, 2242-22110)
- 1x M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4, 2242-2280)
- 1x USB 3.0 Type C (USB 3.2 Gen. 1, one header)
- 2x USB 3.0 (USB 3.2 Gen. 1, one header)
- 4x USB 2.0 (two headers)
- 1x front panel connector
- 1x front panel audio connector
- 1x TPM header
- 1x chassis intrusion header
- 1x Clear CMOS jumper
- 1x serial port connector

Fan header:
- 1x CPU fan (4-pin PWM)
- 1x water cooling / CPU fan (4-pin PWM)
- 6x case fan (4-pin PWM)
- RGB header:
- 2x 4-pin RGB headers (12V)
- 2x 3-pin A-RGB header (5V)
- External connections:
- 1x PS / 2 (keyboard / mouse)
- 1x USB 3.2 (USB 3.2 Gen.2x2, max. 20 Gbit / s)
- 1x USB 3.1 (type A, max. 10 Gbit / s)
- 4x USB 3.0 (type A, max. 5 Gbit / s)
- 2x USB 2.0
- 1x 1 Gigabit LAN (Intel I211-AT)
- 1x 2.5 gigabit LAN (Realtek 8125B)
- 5x 3.5 mm jack (Realtek ALC1220, 7.1 audio)
- 1x optical S / PDIF
Power supply:
- 1x 24-pin ATX 12V
- 1x 8-pin ATX 12V
- 1x 4-pin ATX 12V