What you need to know
- NZXT launches its new N7 Z490 Intel motherboard for 10th Gen processors.
- Excellent performance combined with stellar looks makes this one awesome PC build foundation.
- The new NZXT N7 Z490 is available now for $229.99.
NZXT today launched the company's third Intel N7 motherboard, utilizing Intel's current flagship Z490 chipset. The N7 Z490 is built for 10th Gen Intel processors with expected support for 11th Gen down the road. It's a full ATX board that follows the same design language of previous iterations, which was received well by the PC building community.
The previous N7 Z390 wasn't the best release and had some teething issues as NZXT grew accustomed to designing motherboards. Teaming up with ASRock to vendor the new N7 Z490, there's plenty to like here, including full NZXT CAM support with integrated RGB and fan controls, rock-solid BIOS support, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, and 2.5Gb LAN.
Other highlights include a revamped metal cover with screws that hold it to the main board — previous N7 motherboards used plastic clips that often broke. The 8+2 DrMOS power phase design — with beefy passive cooling — works well with the BIOS from ASRock to offer overclocking support for even more beefy Intel processors like the Core i7-10700K.
| Category | NZXT N7 Z490 |
|---|---|
| Size | ATX |
| CPU | 10th Gen Intel |
| Socket | LGA1200 |
| RAM | 4x DDR4 DIMM (up to DDR4 4266) |
| Chipset | Intel Z490 |
| Expansion | 2x PCIe x16 slot (dual at x16/x4) 3x PCIe x1 slot |
| Storage | 4x SATA (6Gbps) 2x M.2 (x4/x2 SSD support) |
| Audio | Realtek ALC1220 |
| Rear ports | 1x HDMI 2x SMA antenna connectors (2T2R) 2x USB 2.0 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 port 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports 1x 2.5Gb 1x S/PDIF 5x audio jacks |
| NVIDIA SLI | - |
| AMD CrossFire | ✓ |
| Launch price | $230 |
The aesthetics were the main selling pojn ts for the N7 series of motherboards from NZXT, but now it has the performance to match. For system-builders, the N7 offers immense customization potential with the removable metal cover shroud, allowing one to paint and apply designs to fit into a PC build.
The new N7 Z490 is available right now from the official NZXT store for $229.99.
The best-looking motherboard for custom Intel builds
If looks matter as much as performance, give the N7 Z490 from NZXT a browse for your next PC build. The unique design makes it possible to create some truly breathtaking builds, and the rock-solid ASRock foundations allow for considerable performance.
