MSI Z490M-S01 Intel Z490 LGA 1200 128GB DDR4 Micro ATX motherboard

Compact Z490 platform for 10th Gen builds

This Micro-ATX board pairs the Intel Z490 chipset with an LGA 1200 socket to support 10th Gen Intel Core, Pentium Gold and Celeron processors. Dual-channel DDR4 slots accept speeds from 2133 up to 4800 MHz and a maximum capacity of 128 GB. A single PCIe 3.0 x16 slot from the CPU, a second x16 slot running at x4 from the PCH and three x1 slots give enough expansion room for a graphics card plus add-in cards.

Thermals noise and power draw in normal use

The Realtek ALC892 codec delivers 7.1-channel high-definition audio without active cooling on the audio section. Network traffic runs through an Intel I219-V Gigabit LAN controller that operates passively. Rear I/O includes two USB 3.2 Gen 2 10 Gbps ports, one Type-A and one Type-C, while seven USB 3.2 Gen 1 5 Gbps ports are split between the back panel and internal headers. Six SATA III ports and two M.2 interfaces provide storage connectivity with no additional fans required.

Behaviour under sustained load

The CPU power delivery uses a straightforward phase layout that keeps voltage stable during extended workloads on supported 10th Gen processors. Chipset heatsinks dissipate heat from the Z490 PCH when multiple PCIe and storage devices are active for long periods. PCIe 3.0 signalling on the primary x16 slot and the secondary x4 slot maintains consistent bandwidth for graphics and high-speed add-in cards throughout heavy sessions.