SuperO C9Z390-PGW Motherboard Review – Server Level Design & More PCIe Lanes on a Gaming Motherboard

SuperO C9Z390-PGW Motherboard- Unboxing

The SuperO C9Z390-PGW comes in the standard cardboard packaging. The front is themed in black and has the large branding in the middle. The quote below the SuperO logo reads "Server Quality, Built for Gaming". SuperO rids the box of additional marketing materials or logos which are usually present on gaming-eqsue motherboards from other manufacturers.

The back side of the package lists down the specifications and special features of the motherboard such as the 10G LAN, Gigabit Wireless and Bluetooth v5.0 module, Double PCI-e 3.0 M.2 slots, and USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A + Type-C connectors. A full picture of the motherboard along with key points is also provided on the back.

There are several accessories included in the package such as an IO shield, a Quick Reference Guide, 4 SATA cables, a Driver Disk, a Metal Badge, a Cable Sticker, and two antennas for the WiFi and Bluetooth module.

The full list of accessories in the package include:

• Quick Installation Guide, Support CD, I/O Shield
• 4 x SATA Data Cables
• 1 x Metal Badge
• 2 x WiFi + Bluetooth Antennas
• 1 x Cable Sticker

The motherboard is housed underneath the accessories and has the anti-static wrapping to protect it from any built up electrical resistance that can affect the board.

The Supermicro SuperO C9Z390-PGW really stands out from the rest of the Z390 motherboards I have tested so far. It has a really rigid design layout with block heatsinks which look to be solid in function. SuperO is going for functionality over aesthetics for this product and I guess if it performs well, it should make for a worthy competitor in the mass array of Z390 offerings that are out in the market.

Looks are one thing but I am very curious to find out how this performs against the other Z390 boards we have tested in the past few months.

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9.4

WCCFTECH RATING

The SuperO C9Z390-PGW is really a server-grade board designed for both, the gaming and entry-level workstation builders, providing one of the best OC support, a large number of PCIe lanes for additional graphics cards or storage and an impressive list of features which only a flagship tier motherboard could provide.

Pros

• Support for Intel 8th and 9th Generation Coffee Lake CPUs
• Up To 8 Core Processor Support
• Excellent Overclocking Support on Unlocked Intel CPUs
• Excellent Design Scheme With Solid Heatsink Solution
• Excellent Build Quality With High-Quality VRM and PCB
• Broadcom PLX PCIe Switch For 16 Extra PCIe Lanes
• Aquantia 10Gb Ethernet LAN Port
• 10 Phase Server-Quality Grade VRM
• Tons of Connectivity Options
• Tons of USB 3.1 Gen 2 and Gen 1 Ports
• Intel Wireless-AC 9560 With 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi + Bluetooth v5.0 Support
• Up To 4000 MHz (OC+) DDR4 Memory Support
• Dual M.2 Slots With full coverage heatsinks
• Lots of Software Support

Cons

• Extremely Expensive Motherboard ($374.99 US)
• Very Generic BIOS layout
• Only Two M.2 slots

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