MSI MAG Z490 TOMAHAWK Motherboard (10th/11th Generation Intel)...ATX Form Factor

Description: MSI MAG Z490 TOMAHAWK Motherboard for 10th/11th Generation Intel Processors...ATX Form Factor Thank you for your interest in this item and please visit our store for other offerings. We have very reasonable shipping terms and combine orders to save money (for customers) on shipping costs. We also maintain customer friendly return/refund/exchange policies. Product Description: Listing Update #1...This is not so much an update as it is a brief comment about the computers and related parts I have available for sale. Personal computers (and in particular desktop computers) have always been a hobby of mine. I've enjoyed tinkering with this stuff over the years and have accumulated a number of items during this time...some new and some used. I am not an expert on the subject...more of an enthusiast...but I will still do my best to answer any questions as it relates to my computer related listings. Thank you. Listing Update #2...I want to draw your attention to the last two pictures included above. You will see that I have pulled the motherboard out of the retail packaging and taken two (2) close-up pictures of the LGA 1200 socket (one with the factory cover secured over the pins and another with the factory cover flipped up to show the pins). I will now do this for every factory new Intel motherboard I sell on eBay. I understand the last picture that shows all the socket pins is somewhat distorted from the camera lens, but you can still see there are no "squashed" or "rogue" pins that stand out from the others. In other words, I can confirm there are no bent pins in the socket on this factory new motherboard. I've been fortunate in that I've built many Intel computers over the years and never had a new motherboard come to me with bent socket pins. Unfortunately, since I've started selling factory new Intel motherboards on eBay, I've had some customers return them with bent pins. I've trusted the customers and accepted the returns for a full refund (or exchange), because that is the right thing to do. Although, since my eBay customer experience has been worse than mine when it comes defective sockets from bent processor pins, I'm taking the extra step to inspect each LGA 1200 socket on my factory new motherboards. So please understand, I've confirmed this next motherboard for sale has no bent socket pins and I cannot take it back on a return if you accidentally bend some pins. I guess what I am trying to say is please be careful, as I am not skilled enough to straighten pins and the motherboard manufacturers charge too much to repair a motherboard with bent pins. Original Listing... This offering is for a new MSI MAG Z490 TOMAHAWK motherboard with a LGA 1200 socket for 10th/11th generation Intel processors. It's spec'd to the ATX form factor, includes a respectable feature set and the power delivery capabilities are impressive (as would be expected on a TOMAHAWK model). My research indicates this motherboard has a large 6 (Vcore) + 1 (Vsoc) phase VRM (Voltage Regulator Module) with two power stages per phase that include excellent quality MOSFETs, inductors and capacitors. Then there are the massive heatsinks that are seated over both VRMs, along with decent heat shields over the M.2 slots and the chipset. One other important point...the VRM heatsinks are anchored with screws and not push-pins. This is important because it allows for better contact between the heatsinks, thermal pads and the VRM components they are cooling. It's a design that is usually reserved for good quality motherboards, and with an MSRP of nearly $200, I suspect this motherboard "lands" in this category. As a result (and not surprisingly), this motherboard can handle any of the Intel 10th/11th generation processors, even the top-end Intel Core i9-10900K or i9-11900K. The VRM should also be capable of handling some overclocking scenarios. Notwithstanding the power delivery discussion above, this motherboard appears to distinguish itself from some of the competition with its aesthetics and respectable feature set. From a marketing standpoint, the TOMAHAWK name is well respected and is probably best known for its very competitive power delivery at this price point. I don't that its VRM is "best in class" at this price point, but this MSI offering is certainly in the conversation. Aesthetically, this branding is somewhat understated with the black/gray PCB and modest labeling on the chipset shield and VRM. This is complimented by some built-in addressable LEDs around the chipset. Then there are the two M.2 slots, both of which have mostly black heat shields that match the overall theme of the motherboard. I should also mention the dual LAN (2.5 GB and 1.0 GB) and the fast USB Type-C port (3.2 Gen 2x2 running at 20 Gb/s), as well as 1200 series audio that is an upgrade over the 800 series audio spec'd to many other motherboards. There is also the built-in i/o shield that shares the same color scheme as the rest of the motherboard...so another nice touch to be expected on a higher-end Z490 motherboard (and MSI did not disappoint). Finally, there is the upgrade to PCIe 4.0 as it relates to the first/top expansion slot running at x16 lanes and the first/top M.2 socket running at x4 lanes (assuming an Intel 11th generation processor...10th generation processors only support PCIe 3.0). Having said the above, I thought it might also be helpful if I shared a specifications sheet of sorts that provides more details.... Chipset / Socket Type: Z490 chipset that supports the LGA 1200 socket for 10th/11th generation Intel processors. Size: ATX form factor that measures 12" x 9.6" Memory: 128 GB (max) of DDR4 memory (4 x 288 pin slots)...dual channel supported and max clock speed of 5000 MHz. Note: the max clock speed is coming from the MSI website and seems a bit optimistic to me). Audio: Integrated Realtek ALC1200-VD1 Codec that supports up to 7.1 (8 channel) surround sound w/8 speakers (integrated means the sound card is built onto the motherboard) LAN: Integrated Dual LAN (Realtek RTL8125B-CG chipset w/transfer rate up to 2500 Mbps or 2.5 Gbps and Intel 1219V chipset w/transfer rate up to 1000 Mbps or 1.0 Gbps) Wireless LAN (aka WiFi) and Bluetooth: Not applicable on this motherboard. So if desired, will need to be added via a PCIe expansion card or a USB adapter. Input/Output ports (rear shield): one PS/2 (mouse or keyboard), two video (HDMI and DisplayPort), two black USB Type-A (2.0 running at 480 Mb/s), four blue USB Type-A (3.2 Gen 1 running at 5 Gb/s), one red USB Type-A (3.2 Gen 2 running at 10 Gb/s) and one USB Type-C (3.2 Gen 2x2 running at 20 Gb/s), a RJ-45 Network (LAN) with LED indicator, first black audio output (center/sub woofer speaker), second black audio output (rear speakers), S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format) audio output, third black audio input (various devices), red audio output (headphone, two-channel speakers or front speakers), fourth black audio input (microphone) Storage ports/sockets: six SATA 3.0 ports, one M.2 Socket 3 with Type M key that will accommodate sizes 2242/2260/2280/22110 (11th GEN CPU mode: PCIe 4.0/3.0 support up to x4 lanes for SSD) or (chipset mode: SATA 3.0 or PCIe 3.0 support up to x4 lanes for SSD) and one M.2 Socket 3 with Type M key that will accommodate sizes 2242/2260/2280 (SATA 3.0 or PCIe 3.0 support up to x4 lanes for SSD). Note1: PCIe 4.0 requires an 11th generation processor. Note2: data transfer rates are as follows...SATA 3.0 is stated at 6 Gb/s (750 MB/s, but it's actually less due to the overhead caused by the 8b/10b SATA encoding scheme. This lowers the actual transfer rate to about 80%, or 4.8 Gb/s, which when divided by 8 bits gives us 600 MB/s.), PCIe 3.0 is 8 Gb/s (1 GB/s) per lane and PCIe 4.0 is 16 Gb/s (2 GB/s) per lane. So as it relates to PCIe supported sockets, just multiply the number of lanes available by the applicable PCIe transfer rate and this will give you the theoretical maximum bandwidth for that socket (FYI: PCIe overhead is about 3%, due to a more efficient encoding scheme. So PCIe transfer rates are closer to their theoretical maximums relative to SATA transfer rates.). Note3: SATA SSDs are usually B+M keyed and this hybrid key design will fit in either a B or M keyed socket. Note4: We generally use bits-per-second to measure transfer speeds, but bytes-per-second to measure data, because it takes 8 bits (or 1 byte) to encode a single character of text. Expansion slots: one PCIe 4.0/3.0 x16 slots running at x16 lanes (from the CPU), one PCIe 3.0 x16 slot running at x4 lanes and two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots running at x1 lane. Note1: PCIe 4.0 requires an 11th generation processor. Note2: data transfer rates are as follows...PCIe 3.0 is 8 Gb/s (1 GB/s) per lane and PCIe 4.0 is 16 Gb/s (2 GB/s) per lane. So just multiply the number of lanes available in a particular slot by the applicable PCIe transfer rate and this will give you the theoretical maximum bandwidth for that slot. Other: There are other available headers/connectors on the motherboard and I can try to answer related questions or refer you to the manufacturer's website for a full motherboard description. As I mentioned above, this is a factory new motherboard and it will come to you in it's original retail box/packaging. I opened the box to confirm all the accessories and literature/manuals were present (and they are). I also pulled the motherboard out of its anti-static packaging to further inspect the LGA 1200 socket, as discussed in Listing Update #2 above. So this is truly a factory new motherboard that has been removed from it's anti-static packaging on just the one occasion (for the aforementioned inspection purposes). Finally, I want to emphasize the importance of the discussion in Listing Update #2. Please be so very careful when handling one of these factory new Intel motherboards. I've taken the time to inspect the LGA 1200 socket on this motherboard and can confirm there are no bent socket pins. So I won't be able to take it back on a return if a customer accidentally bends some of the socket pins. Supplemental Discussion Regarding Intel 10th Generation Improvements... Intel has been designing processors with 14nm micro-architecture since their 6th generation Skylake release in 2015. At that time, the top of the Intel Core product stack was an i7-6700K, with 4 cores / 8 threads and a "boost" clock of 4.2 GHz. Fast forward to the end of 2018 and Intel released their first 9th generation Coffee Lake processors on a similar 14nm node. This was significant and slightly concerning because the top of the Intel Core product stack had changed dramatically, even if the manufacturing process had not. Of course, I am referring to Intel's first Core i9 processor. At the end of 2018, Intel shipped their first of many i9-9900K processors with 8 cores / 16 threads and a "boost" clock of 5.0 GHz. So the question became, how could Intel double the size of the processor and increase the clocks speed, while still effectively using the same die size and manufacturing process. Even though there were design and manufacturing improvements on the margins, the truth was the processors just ran hotter (and especially the i9-9900K). This brings us to the 10th and 11th generation Intel processors (code named Ice Lake and Tiger Lake, respectively) that are compatible with this motherboard. When I learned that Intel was going to remain on the 14nm die size, while expanding the core/thread count on their top end 10th generation processor, I immediately thought there was "no way to effectively cool that beast". I was wrong, as the top-of-the-product-stack Core i9-10900K, with its 10 cores / 20 threads and a "boost" clock of 5.3 GHz, actually runs cooler than the venerable Core i9-9900K. I don't pretend to understand all the technological advancements, but I was interested enough to provide an image (below) that highlights the design and manufacturing improvements. Note: The image highlights Intel 9th generation technology on the left and 10th generation improvements on the right. According to Intel, their 10th generation processors incorporate a redesigned substrate with better supporting materials that allow for a thinner die (i.e., the small piece of a silicon wafer on which a microprocessor is fabricated). Then there is the more advanced and thinner STIM (solder thermal interface material) that improves thermal dissipation. Intel also made a thicker IHS (integrated heat spreader), which is the metal "lid" that seats over and protects the delicate processor. The IHS was also made with better heat dissipating materials to compensate for its added thickness. The critical technological improvements were Intel's ability to design and make certain components thinner (i.e., the die and STIM). These advancements improved heat dissipation to the heat spreader, which was then able to more effectively transfer the heat to the external cooler seated over it. The thicker heat spreader was a necessary compromise, because Intel wanted to maintain the same overall processor height (to allow for better compatibility with existing coolers). You may visit our store by clicking on this "Store Home Page" link. Note to international customers regarding shipping... We apologize to those that feel some of our international shipping charges are too high. We only charge actual shipping rates, but once an order exceeds a certain amount, we hesitate to use the least expensive US Postal Services First Class International service. We feel this way, because this service is not trackable or insurable...so more risk of loss. We prefer the US Postal Services Priority Mail International service for more expensive orders, because this service is trackable at USPS.com and insurable...so less risk of loss. Unfortunately, this service is more expensive, especially for smaller/lighter packages, relative to the First Class International service. We are sorry about these higher shipping costs, but hopefully our notes help to explain why this is the case. Note to international customers regarding customs... We also apologize to those that feel their country import taxes, duties and brokerage fees are excessive. As a small US business, we are required by customs' laws to declare each order as a retail sale. Additionally, the declared order value must be equal to total store purchases and/or winning auction bids (less any shipping costs, as these are not considered in the declared value). As a result, each customer will be responsible for paying his/her own country taxes, duties and brokerage fees, which will be collected upon delivery. Again, we apologize for these additional costs, but we cannot afford the penalties and fines that come with breaking customs' laws...so we have to strictly abide by them.

Price: 179.99 USD

Location: Argonia, Kansas

End Time: 2024-02-24T23:07:54.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD