Courtesy of an anonymous tipper, VideoCardz has shared our first look at one of the world’s first Rocket Lake-S motherboards, the Z590 AORUS XTREME. Designed specifically for Intel’s 11th Gen Core processors, GIGABYTE has improved upon its predecessor by incorporating a VRM design comprising not 16+1 but 20+1 digital power phases, as well as some of the latest connectivity standards such as Thunderbolt 4 and Wi-Fi 6E.
GIGABYTE’s Z590 AORUS XTREME will also reportedly be the first motherboard to feature Realtek’s new ALC 4080 audio codec. This isn’t much of a selling point for enthusiasts who have wisely transitioned over to external DACs, but it should provide some level of improvement over the Z490 AORUS’ ALC 1220-VB for users who wish to take advantage of onboard solutions.
Aside from completely black chipset shielding, GIGABYTE’s Z590 AORUS XTREME motherboard looks rather similar to its predecessor, which is good news for prospective buyers who want a cleaner look with slightly less RGB. Users can expect three PCIe x16 slots, two of which are Gen4 compatible.
“This motherboard represents the ultra-premium segment and is not expected to be cheap,” VideoCardz warns. “The Z490 version is currently available for around 600 USD, thus the Z590 motherboard is not expected to cost any less.”
