ASUS Z590 motherboard guide: ROG Maximus XIII, ROG Strix, TUF Gaming, and Prime bring power to the core

Prime Z590 boards get down to business

Our Prime series of motherboards has an important mission: execute the basics with aplomb. This series is the clear-cut choice for prosumers, freelancers, small businesses, and anyone else who just wants a solid foundation for their system.

Z590 Prime boards get substantial upgrades from their Z490 predecessors, including increased M.2 slot counts, faster Ethernet and WiFi, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 ports, and additional Gen 2 addressable RGB headers. Their white and silver color palettes look great both on their own or under RGB LED lighting.

The Prime Z590-A’s clean looks hide enthusiast DNA

Prime boards may be focused on essential features for users who need to get stuff done, but we know that even builders with work to do can harbor a rebellious streak in their off hours. The Prime Z590-A incorporates many of our latest enthusiast features to go with its squeaky-clean style.

Starting from the top, you’ll find a 14+2 stage VRM built with the same teamed power stage design used in our enthusiast boards. This board’s DIMM slots benefit from our OptiMem II design, enabling RAM overclocks of 5333MHz with suitable modules. Three M.2 slots are available for easy storage expansion: one PCIe 4.0, the other two PCIe 3.0. Two of these slots include heatsinks for high sustained performance.

The back panel contains a full range of modern connectivity. Networking comes courtesy of an Intel 2.5G Ethernet controller. For high-speed peripherals, we serve up five USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, including a 20Gbps Gen 2×2 Type-C connector. Internal headers for three USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (including a Type-C connector) and four USB 2.0 ports let you broaden the board’s connectivity for auxiliary devices. Thunderbolt 4 support is a mainstay of our entire Z590 series, and the Prime Z590-A offers support for a TB4 add-in card down the line with its onboard header.

Pristine sound comes courtesy of a Realtek S1220A codec with an integrated headphone amplifier for its front-panel outputs. DTS:X Ultra sound enhancements let you tweak audio to your liking, and the utility includes equalization presets for the best sound from hundreds of headphones and headsets. Business meetings and game comms will stay crystal clear thanks to Two-way AI Noise Cancelation.

For a dash of flair, the Prime Z590-A provides three Gen 2 addressable RGB headers and a standard RGB strip connector. For those after-hours enthusiast forays, this board offers one-click AI Overclocking support, and you can be confident of quiet operation with AI Cooling tech.

The Prime Z590-P WiFi covers the essentials with PCIe 4.0 in tow

The Prime Z590-P WiFi provides builders with a totally no-nonsense foundation for getting work done. Its 10+1 teamed power stages come capped with sizable heatsinks for high sustained performance, and the main heatsink extends above the back-panel I/O for increased surface area. Even though this board is all business, the primary eight-pin EPS connector uses our ProCool solid-pin design to ensure stable power delivery.

PCIe 4.0 connectivity comes standard on the Prime Z590-P WiFi, too. The main PCIe x16 slot, reinforced with our SafeSlot Core+ design, taps this next-generation interconnect for use with graphics cards or storage arrays, and the main M.2 slot also supports four lanes of this cutting-edge standard for high performance with the latest storage devices. A heatsink on this slot ensures that these drives can perform to their full potential.

The plentiful rear port selection includes a 20Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C connector, and five more USB ports ensure plenty of options for expansion. Internal headers provide attachments for another nine USB ports, including a Type-C connector.

For network packets, the Z590-P uses a Realtek 2.5G Ethernet adapter along with Intel WiFi 6 wireless adapter with Bluetooth 5.1 support. Five onboard fan headers and four RGB LED strip headers (two addressable, two standard) round out the main specs.

If you have an Ethernet cable running to your favorite work-from-home spot, you can save a little cash by going with the Prime Z590-P instead. This model is a verbatim copy of the Prime Z590-P WiFi save that it lets go of wireless connectivity.

The Prime Z590M-PLUS provides an ideal middle ground

The last of the Z590 boards we’re discussing today is by no means the least. The Prime Z590M-PLUS is ideal for budget builds or compact, reliable workhorses. Thanks to its microATX form factor, this motherboard can go into smaller cases that its ATX brethren can’t. Despite its compact size, this board still delivers power to the CPU through an 8+1 teamed power stage design and ProCool auxiliary power connectors. The VRM enjoys a high-surface-area heatsink upgrade for sustained performance even in smaller cases. Five available fan headers help move air through your system.

The Prime Z590M-PLUS offers a total of three M.2 slots, one of which can take advantage of direct PCIe 4.0 connectivity from 11^th Gen CPUs. That next-gen connectivity extends to the main PCIe slot, which is encased in our SafeSlot Core+ metal reinforcement for added peace of mind when a heavy graphics card is in play.

The cluster of I/O connectors includes a handy 20Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C port. In total, you’ll find eight USB ports at the back panel, and another seven by way of internal headers. An Intel Gigabit Ethernet adapter provides tried and true wired networking capabilities, while an E-key M.2 slot accepts an optional WiFi upgrade.

Even the most affordable build should be able to enjoy a touch of style, so we added two Gen 2 addressable and two standard RGB LED strip headers so you can add color to your build. For a clean, classy, and productive microATX build, the Prime Z590M-PLUS is an ideal choice.