AORUS Z390 Master
October, 2018Type
MotherboardPrice
$289.99 USTest Setup
For testing, we used the latest Intel Core i9-9900K which was sent to us by Intel. The Intel 9th Gen Coffee Lake Refresh family comes with a higher core count on the mainstream platform but prices are close to the predecessors in the same segment. The Core i9 SKU wasn't available last time but the Core i7 price matches around the same as what you paid for the Core i7-8700K. The CPUs was tested on the AORUS Z390 Master in this review.
Intel Core i9-9900K and Z390 AORUS Master Test Bed:
| Processor | Intel Core i9-9900K |
|---|---|
| Motherboard | Z390 AORUS Master |
| Power Supply | Corsair AX1200i PSU |
| Solid State Drive | Samsung SSD 960 EVO M.2 (512 GB) |
| Memory | G.SKILL Trident Z RGB Series 32 GB (4 x 8GB) CL16 3600 MHz |
| Video Cards | MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Lightning X |
| Cooling Solutions | Corsair H115i GTX |
| OS | Windows 10 64-bit |
Our test rig includes the Samsung 960 EVO 500 GB SSD that boots up our main OS while a 2 TB Seagate HDD is used for demonstration purposes for the Intel Optane memory. In addition to these, we are running an MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Lightning X graphics card, a Corsair AX 1200i power supply and 32 GB of G.Skill provided Trident Z RGB series memory which runs with a clock speed of DDR4-3600 MHz. For cooling, we used the Corsair H115i PRO cooler.
We won't be focusing on Intel's Core i7-8086K architecture in this review since it is entirely the same chip as Skylake along with minor improvements. The Skylake / Kaby Lake architecture analysis can be seen in detail here. For overclocking, I made the following tweaks to the CPUs:
- Intel Core i9-9900KK @ 5.3 GHz With 1.352V (100 x 53)
Contents
The AORUS Z390 Master is a really beautiful motherboard with a powerful stack of features backing it that helps gamers and enthusiast get the most out of their PCs through overclocking. The BIOS can get some refinements but aside from that, the Z390 Master from AORUS is one of our top recommended Z390 motherboards for 9th Gen PC builders.
Pros
- Enthusiast Grade Motherboard Design
- Full Support For 8 Core Intel CPUs
- Excellent Design and Build Quality
- Excellent VRM Cooling With Direct Touch heatpipe and fin array heatsink
- Excellent Overclocking Performance
- Backplate with thermal pads integration
- High-Quality Components With 12 Phase IRDigital PWM
- Intel CNVi WiFI + BT5.0 Capabilities
- Triple M.2 slots With Full Coverage heatsinks + Thermal Pads
- Tons of USB 3.1 Gen 2 and Gen 1 Ports
- AORUS RGB Fusion Digital LEDs System Looks Stunning
- ALC1220 + ESS Sabre HIFI DAC Premium sound system
- Durable PCIe and DDR4 DIMM Slot Metal Armor
- Integrated Rear Panel I/O Shield
Cons
- Pricing could be slightly lower
- BIOS needs refinement (Advanced Mode settings don't usually save in profiles, can't tune fan curve properly, lot's of experience required for entry-level overclockers)
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Further Reading
