Holiday Shipping Details & Extended Holiday Returns 
Showcasing a state-of-the-art design, excellent functionality, an impressive thermal design, next generation network connectivity, a Hi-Fi level audio system, and AORUS aesthetics, the flagship Z490 AORUS XTREME motherboard dominates the competition.
- True 16-Phase Digital VRM
- 90A Smart Power Stage
- 8 Layer PCB
- PCIe 4.0 Ready Low Loss PCB
- 2X Cooper PCB
- Intel® WiFi 6 802.11ax 2T2R & BT 5 with 2X AORUS Antenna
- Intel® 2.5GbE LAN
- AQUANTIA® 10GbE BASE-T LAN
- Intel® Thunderbolt 3
- Watercooling Thermal Design
- Fins-Array II with NanoCarbon Coating
- Direct–Touch Heatpipe II
- 7.5 W/mK LAIRD Thermal Conductivity Pad
- NanoCarbon Baseplate
- 3X Enlarged M.2 Thermal Guard II
- Right-Angled Connectors
- 3* M.2 Connectors
- NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4
- Thermal Guards II
- AMP-UP Audio
- ALC 1220-VB Audio Codec
- ESS 9018K2M SABRE DAC
- TI Burr-Brown™ OPA
- Auto Impedance Sensing
- Audiophile Grade Capacitors
- Anti-pop Relay
- Gold Plated Audio Jacks
- Front Audio with ESS 9218 DAC
- Supports 10th Gen. Intel Core™ Processors
- Dual Channel DDR4, 4 DIMMs with Ultra Durable Memory Armor
- Solid Pin Power Connectors
- 24 Pin ATX Power Connector
- 8+8 Pin CPU Power Connector
- RGB FUSION 2.0
- Addressable LED Header*2
- RGB LED Header*2
- Front USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C™
- USB TurboCharger
- DualBIOS with Q-Flash Plus
EXTREME THERMAL DESIGN
To unleash the full potential of the new Intel 10-core CPU, the motherboard requires the best CPU power design. With the best quality components and GIGABYTE R&D design capability, Z490 AORUS XTREME is a true beast among motherboards.
- 90A Smart Power Stage for Each vCore Phase
- High Current Capacity MOSFET
- Tantalum Polymer Capacitors Array
- Lower Temperatures
- Improved Transient
Z490 AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE motherboard uses an pure digital CPU power design which includes a digital PWM Controller with Smart Power Stages and is capable of providing 90A of power from each phase for a total of 1440A. This 100% digital controller, new Tantalum Polymer Capacitors array, and additional 8+8 Solid-pin CPU Power Connectors offer incredible precision and stability in delivering power to the motherboard's most power-hungry and energy-sensitive components, allowing enthusiasts to get the absolute maximum overclocking performance from the new 10-core 10th Gen. Intel® Core™ processors.
Due to the lower resistance of the polymer materials, tantalum polymer caps generally have better ESR and ripple current specifications, as well as better performance at high frequency.
In order to unleash the full performance of the new high core count CPUs, GIGABYTE uses true power phases, a fully load-balanced VRM design with doublers, and a tantalum polymer capacitor array. By using doublers, the power design ensures that the high power draw of the CPU is fully balanced across all MOSFETs to achieve better efficiency and lower temperatures. In contrast, MOSFETs in competitors' traditional parallel power designs are not as well balanced which leads to lower efficiency and higher temperatures. For sudden changes between idle and high load states from the CPU, GIGABYTE utilizes a tantalum polymer capacitor array directly under the CPU socket as a buffer to improve transient response and stability under high CPU frequencies.
GIGABYTE POWER DESIGN | True Power Design
Due to the lower resistance of the polymer materials, tantalum polymer caps generally have better ESR and ripple current specifications, as well as better performance at high frequency.
TRADITIONAL PARALLEL POWER DESIGN | Parallel Power Design
Improved Transient Response
By using brand new VRM design and Tantalum Polymer Capacitor Array, Z490 AORUS motherboard transient response and stability is highly improved under overclocking and heavy loading condition.
Power Design Efficiency
GIGABYTE's exclusive 2X Copper PCBs design provides sufficient power trace paths between components to handle greater than normal power loads and to remove heat from the critical CPU power delivery area. This is essential to ensure the motherboard is able to handle the increased power loading that is necessary when overclocking.
THERMAL REACTIVE ARMOR
Z490 AORUS XTREME uses an unprecedented and innovative thermal design to ensure the best CPU, Chipset, SSD stability and low temperatures under full load application and gaming.
Fins-Array II use a new louvered stacked-fins design which not only increases surface area by 300% compared to traditional heatsinks but also improves thermal efficiency with better airflow and heat exchange.
2.Direct-Touch Heatpipe II
With an extra large 8mm heatpipe and made from a new manufacturing process that narrows the gap between the Heatpipe and heatsink, the new Direct-Touch Heatpipe II greatly help transfers heat on the MOSFET.
3.Aluminum Cover
IO Cover is made from aluminum and is connected with Fins-Array to help overall MOSFET heat dissipation.
4.3X M.2 Thermal Guard II
Enlarged double-sided M.2 heatsink prevents high-speed, large capacity PCIe 3.0 SSDs with double side flash from throttling due to overheating.
5.LAIRD 7.5 W/mK Thermal Pad
By using 1.5mm thicker 7.5 W/mK thermal conductivity pads, it can transfer 4x more heat compared to traditional thermal pads in the same time.
6.NanoCarbon Baseplate
A thin layer of NanoCarbon is coated on the baseplate through electrostatic adhesion to enhance thermal radiation capability.
7.Right Angled Connectors
Over 90% of connectors on Z490 AORUS XTREME are specifically designed to be right angled for easy cable management and clean airflow in the chassis.
Fins-Array II uses brand new louvered stacked fins technology which is usually only used on industrial equipment that need compact heat exchangers. It has a special secondary fins structure that enhances heat transfer performance.
Louver Directed Flow
Heat flow that goes through fins will enter from the leading edge of the louver and is then directed by other louvers or fins. This louver directed flow can greatly improve heat transfer performance.
Right-Angled Connectors
Z490 AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE uses revolutionary Right-Angled Connectors design, 90% of pin headers and connectors on motherboard are right-angled and relocated to one side of PCB. The never-seen-before design help easier cable management and better in-chassis air-flow when installing great amount of devices.
NanoCarbon Baseplate
- Base plate made of aluminum instead of traditional iron ensures 3X thermal conductivity.
- A thin layer of NanoCarbon is coated on the base plate through electrostatic adhesion to enhance thermal radiation capability.
- Transfer heat from the back side PCB to the base plate so the NanoCarbon base plate can dissipate heat passively.
- Effectively lowers backside PWM component temperature by 10%.
NanoCarbon Coated Fin Array Heatsink
As CPUs get more powerful, VRM modules get hotter under ultra high performance. Being the first adopters among industry using NanoCarbon as coating material to enhance thermal radiation speed up heat dissipation. Nanocarbon is coated onto the heatsink through electrostatic adhesion. The coating material covers the entire finned heatsink with 3mm in thickness. In that way, heat is dissipated more quickly. The tests show 10% cooler with the NanoCarbon coating.
AORUS M.2 Thermal Guard II
With durability in mind, GIGABYTE provides a new thermal solution for large capacity M.2 SSD devices with double side flash. The M.2 Thermal Guard II uses a double-sided heatsink design and prevents throttling and bottlenecks on high speed M.2 SSDs by dissipating heat before it becomes an issue.
Thermal Throttling As Temperature Rises
Smart Fan 5
With Smart Fan 5 users can ensure that their gaming PC can maintain its performance while staying cool. Smart Fan 5 allows users to interchange their fan headers to reflect different thermal sensors at different locations on the motherboard. Not only that, with Smart Fan 5 more hybrid fan headers that support both PWM and Voltage mode fans have been introduced to make the motherboard more liquid cooling friendly.
- 8 Fan / Water Pump Connectors
- 8 Temperature Sensors
- 2 External Temperature Sensors
- 1 Noise Detection Cable
- All Hybrid Fan Headers
- Interoperable Fans and Sensors
- Supports High Current Fans up to 24W(2A x 12V) with Over-Current Protection
- Intuitive UI for Fan Control
Hybrid Fan Pin Headers
Assume complete control over your liquid cooling setup! Smart Fan 5 receives up-to-the-second information on flow-rate and water-temperature through the Hybrid Fan Pin Headers or external thermistor sensors—giving you absolute mastery over your PC.- All Hybrid Fan Headers can automatically detect the type of cooling device whether it be fan or pump with different PWM or Voltage mode.
New Smart Fan 5 Software
Choose from different modes, Quiet to Full Speed, to match your system usage preferences. For each fan or pump, you can use the intuitive fan curve to define trigger thresholds and corresponding fan speeds.
Noise Detection
With the new Noise Detection function, you can monitor noise level of all devices including fans, CPU coolers, graphics card, etc. in real time, and you can determine how fast your fan speed needs to be. Our bundled Noise Detection cable doesn't include any sound recording function, it simply detects sound pressure while protecting your privacy.
UNPARALLELED PERFORMANCE
Hungry for better performance? Z490 AORUS XTREME has a full PCIe 4.0 hardware design, supports high frequency memory, and comes with full SSD thermal guards to make sure you get the maximum full system performance.
XTREME MEMORY
Z490 AORUS XTREME uses revolutionary "XTREME MEMORY" technology, which includes Shielded Memory Routing, SMT DIMM, and Tantalum Polymer Capacitors Array to minimize all noise and electrical interference and reach the highest memory clock.
Shielded Memory Routing
All memory routing is under the PCB inner layer shielded by a large ground layer to protect from external interference.
Tantalum Polymer Capacitors Array
Capacitors are placed directly underneath the memory DIMM to improve transient response.
SMT DIMM
Less external interference and shorter memory routing compared to traditional DIP design.
Memory Layout - Daisy Chain Design
With the optimized daisy-chain routing, the Z490 AORUS motherboard provides a proven speed of up to DDR4-4800+ MHz with high-density DESIGNARE Memory 32GB module*. Optimized daisy-chained routing eliminates the stub effect, pushes the one DIMM per channel in dual channel interleaving mode to hit higher memory frequencies, providing professional gamers a denser and faster system memory experience.
*Performance may vary in circumstances. Please refer to the QVL list for detail support information.
Support for DDR4 XMP Up to 4800MHz and Beyond*
AORUS is offering a tested and proven platform that ensures proper compatibility with profiles up to 4800MHz and beyond. All users need to do to attain this performance boost is to ensure that their memory module is XMP capable and that the XMP function is activated and enabled on their AORUS motherboard.
Broad DDR4 Compatibility with Support List of 1000+ DDR4 Validated!
AORUS partners very closely with memory vendors from around the world to ensure that modules offered by popular memory brands are compatible with AORUS Motherboards. AORUS has verified over 1000+ different modules to ensure performance in a AORUS built system.
EXTREME POWER DESIGN
To unleash the full potential of the new Intel 10-core CPU, the motherboard requires the best CPU power design. With the best quality components and GIGABYTE R&D design capability, Z490 AORUS XTREME WATERFORCE is a true beast among motherboards.
Broad DDR4 Compatibility with Support List of 1000+ DDR4 Validated!
AORUS partners very closely with memory vendors from around the world to ensure that modules offered by popular memory brands are compatible with AORUS Motherboards. AORUS has verified over 1000+ different modules to ensure performance in a AORUS built system.
2X PCIe 4.0 Slot
Reinforced PCIe 4.0 x16 or x8/x8 with lower impedance.M.2 PCIe 4.0 Slot
M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 slot with lower impedance.PCIe 4.0 Turbo B-Clock
External clock generator for PCIe 4.0 overclocking.PCIe 4.0 Switches
Switch PCIe 4.0 x16 into PCIe 4.0 x8/x8.PCIe 4.0 Re-driver
Boost & strengthen PCIe 4.0 signals to longer lengths.
Triple NVMe M.2 PCIe SSDs in RAID 0 Support
Extreme Performance with Gen3 x4 NVMe PCIe SSDsZ490 AORUS motherboards offer the industry's best compatibility in terms of NVMe storage for users who demand high capacity and seek the best performance. AORUS' unique design can be configured in RAID for record speeds of up to 3551 MB/s (Sequential Read), making AORUS the obvious choice for the ultimate PC.
Triple PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2
AORUS Gaming Motherboards are focused on delivering M.2 technology to enthusiasts who want to maximize their system's potential.
Next Generation Connectivity
A Flagship product needs to be future-proofed so your system stays up-to-date with the latest technology. Z490 AORUS XTREME provides all next generation network, storage, and WIFI connectivity to keep you up to speed.
AQUANTIA® 10GbE BASE-T Networking
Next Generation Multi-Gig Gaming
The AQUANTIA ® AQC107 is a high-performance, backward compatible with 10GBASE-T/ 5GBASE-T/ 2.5GBASE-T/ 1000BASE-T/ 100BASE-TX Ethernet Controller which is able to provide up to 10 GbE network connectivity, with 10 times faster transfer speeds compared to general 1GbE networking and is perfectly designed for media centers, workstations and gamers.
Multi-Gigabit Support
- Ultimate online gaming experience with faster connection speed
- Backward compatible with 5/2.5/1Gbps network
- No re-wiring needed
Next Generation 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt™ 3
Dual Thunderbolt™ 3 – The fastest 40Gb/s single-wire connection
Powered by Intel's own Thunderbolt controller the new Thunderbolt™ 3 protocol, which is available over two USB Type-C™ connectors on the back I/O of the GIGABYTE Z490 AORUS XTREME, brings an unprecedented single-wire bandwidth of up to 40 Gb/s -- twice more than the previous generation of Thunderbolt! This incredible increase in bandwidth is also accompanied with support for different protocols such as DisplayPort 1.2 and USB 3.1, which is backwards compatible with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0, opening up a world of new possibilities.
Support for DisplayPort 1.2 makes Thunderbolt™ 3 a must have for any enthusiast. The Z490 AORUS XTREME is able to support two displays in 4K resolution at 60 FPS or one display in 5K resolution. In addition, Thunderbolt™ 3 over USB Type-C™ has revolutionary industry-first features such as Power Delivery 2.0, and the ability to daisy-chain up to 12 devices thanks to the Z490 AORUS XTREME's dual USB Type-C™ ports.
Compatibility may vary according to system configuration and device specifications.
New Introduce Intel® WiFi 6 802.11ax + BT 5 Module
Intel Wireless solution supports 802.11ax, enables gigabit wireless performance, provides smooth video streaming, better gaming experience, few dropped connections and speeds up to 2.4Gbps*. Moreover, Bluetooth 5 provides 4X range over BT 4.2 and with faster transmission.Benefit of WiFi 6:
- 5.5X throughput than 802.11ac 1x1*
- 4X better network capacity, no traffic jams especially in those dense area with lots of devices
- Network efficiency increase for better user experience
AORUS Antenna
- All new antenna supported 802.11ac 2.4GHz & 5GHz, 4dBi signal gain
- 2x signal strength compared to traditional antenna design
- Two antenna with smart antenna function for the best WIFI signal transmitting
- Multiple angle tilt and magnetic base for the best signal strength direction and location
USB TurboCharger
GIGABYTE patent pending USB TurboCharger technology allows users to recharge their mobile devices with stunning speed, up to 50% in less than 30 minutes*. By connecting Front USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A cable of chassis to our motherboard, USB TurboCharger can recharge both Android devices with QC 3.0 and Apple devices with Apple Fast-Charge function.
HI-FI AUDIO
Still think motherboard audio is just "basic sound output"? We put a 100% full Hi-Fi sound card and all audio-grade components into the Z490 AORUS XTREME to ensure the best, crystal clear sound quality. Furthermore, an exclusive bundled ESSential USB DAC means users not longer have to endure bad audio quality from ancient Front Audio interfaces.
ESSential USB DAC
Complete Digital to Analog Signal processing on front-access USB Type-C ports gets rid of any possibility of distortions and provides superb sound stage recreation so users can experience the vocal cohesion. Enjoy the depth of the music and the immersive sound profile.
- USB Type-C for PC, Laptop and Android Devices
- Replace Ancient Front Audio Interfaces
- Powered by ESS SABRE HIFI DAC
- Premium Power Processing
- Left/Right Separation Routing
- Superior Sound Stage by WIMA Capacitors
- EMI Absorbent Material, Dual Grounding Protections
- Premium WIMA Audio Capacitors
- HDI (High Density Interconnect) PCB with layer separation L/R Routing
- Ultra Low-Noise Linear Power Design
- High Precision Passive Components
- ESS SABRE HiFi ES9280CPRO
| ESSential USB DAC | |
| Audio Format | Up To 32-bit/384KHz PCM data, DSD128 |
| Output | 2 Volts @ 300O / 1.4 Volts @ 32O |
| DAC Chip | ESS SABRE HiFi ES9280CPRO |
| Compatibility | Windows® 10 build 19021 (and later) Android 5.0 (and later) Apple OS Mojave 10.14.6 (and later) |
| Interface | Input: USB Type-C™ Output: 3.5mm, support impedance sensing |
| SNR | Up to -131dB (A-Weighting) |
| DNR | Up to 118dB (A-Weighting) |
| THD+N | Up to -118dB (1.4Vrms@300O load) up to -109dB (34mW@32O load) |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz~40kHz |
True Hi-Fidelity Music (Digital Audio)
Provides surround sound audio and enables DSD music playback
DTS :X® Ultra
Recreates an authentic, spatially accurate 3D audio experience for gaming over any headphones or speakers. Supports channel-based, scene based and object-based audio. Provides out-of-the-box calibration for a range of headphones and speakers. Provides post-processing enhancements and device level tuning for DTS® codecs.
DTS Sound Unbound* leverage Microsoft Spatial, enabling the the most believable, 3D audio experience for games. Immersion through DTS Headphone:X means in the sonic landscape, stationary and moving sounds can be heard from above, below or around the listener. Sounds pass around the listener with amazing externalization and accurate localization.
DTS:X Ultra Technology Video
DTS:X Ultra Experience Video
DEFINITIVE AESTHETICS
GIGABYTE ID team designs Z490 AORUS XTREME from the drawing board. After countless hours of conceptualizing ideas, fine tuning details, and engaging in discussion, GIGABYTE has produced a board that is equal parts beast and beauty.
Multi-Zone Light Show Design
Now offering more LED customizations than ever, users can truly adapt their PC to represent their lifestyle. With full RGB support and a redesigned RGB Fusion 2.0 application, the user has complete control over the LEDs which surround the motherboard.
With an integrated intuitive user interface, the RGB Fusion 2.0 provides you a better solution for customizing the lighting effects across all supported devices. From motherboards, graphics cards to the peripheral products, you can personalize your gaming rig with your own style and show off your build by sharing the profiles. In addition, the new gaming mode makes the lighting effects interactive with selected games to bring you the most immersive gaming experience.
ULTRA DURABLE
GIGABYTE is reputable for its product durability and high quality manufacturing process. Needless to say, we use the best components we can find for the Z490 AORUS XTREME and reinforce every slot to make each of them solid and durable.
Ultra Durable™ PCIe Armor
Industry Leading Ultra Durable™ PCIe Armor
The innovative one piece stainless steel shielding design from GIGABYTE reinforces the PCIe connectors to provide the extra strength required to support heavy graphics cards.
Ultra Durable™ Memory Armor
AORUS' exclusive one piece stainless steel shielding design prevents against PCB distortion/twisting and plate bending, in addition to preventing any possible ESD interference.
Solid Pin Power Connectors
Z490 AORUS motherboards feature solid plated ATX 24pin & ATX 12V 8pin + 8pin power connectors to offer a stable power supply during CPU overloading.
Solid Pin Power connector advantages
- Larger contact area for electricity
- More metal quantity to sustain higher power and generated heat
- Ultra durable and longer lifespan
Q-Flash Plus
Update the BIOS easily without installing the CPU, memory and graphics card.
With GIGABYTE Q-Flash Plus, you don't need to install the CPU, memory and graphics card nor enter the BIOS menu to flash the BIOS. Just download and save a new BIOS file (rename to gigabyte.bin) on the USB flash drive, then press the dedicated Q-Flash Plus button and you're good to go!
GIGABYTE BIOS & APP CENTER
Good software goes hand in hand with perfect hardware. Z490 AORUS XTREME bundled several useful and intuitive software to help users to control every aspect of motherboard.
BIOS
New User Interface
All new EASY MODE shows important hardware information in one page including CPU clock, Memory, Storage, Fan.
My Favorites
Add constantly used items into the favorite menu for quick access.
Storage Information
Show all kinds of storage information including SATA, PCIE and M.2 interface.
Changelog
List all changes before saving and exiting bios. Quickly review overall settings modification.
Intuitive Load Line Curve
Clearly show each loadline calibration setting in an intuitive curve graph.
APP CENTER
GIGABYTE APP CENTER is a useful portal of all GIGABYTE MB utilities and drivers, you can choose any utility you want to install from APP CENTER and keep updated with the latest utilities and drivers version.
EasyTune
GIGABYTE's EasyTune™ is a simple and easy-to-use interface that allows users to fine-tune their system settings or adjust system and memory clocks and voltages in a Windows environment. With Smart Quick Boost, one click is all it takes to automatically overclock your system, giving an added performance boost when you need it the most.
System Information Viewer
GIGABYTE System Information Viewer is a central location that gives you access to your current system status. Monitor components such as the clocks and processor, set your preferred fan speed profile, create alerts when temperatures get too high or record your system's behavior; these are the possibilities of the System Information Viewer.