MSI Z490-A PRO Motherboard

MSI Z490-A PRO

Brand
MSI
Model
Z490-A PRO
$247–$273estimated range · from catalog price Sep 1, 2026

MSI Z490-A PRO is a 2020 ATX Z490 LGA1200 board for Intel 10th Gen, high_end tier with DDR4, dual M.2, 2.5G LAN, and a Thunderbolt add-in header.

TierHigh end?GixCore tierWhat a part was built to do — not what it costs.EntryBudgetMainstreamHigh endEnthusiastFlagship A part can be cheap because it is an ageing flagship, or because it is a current entry-level model. The tier tells you which.
Released2020
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SocketLGA1200
ChipsetZ490
MemoryDDR4
Max RAM speed4800 MHz
Form factorATX
RAM slots4
M.2 slots2
PCIe x162
GixCore Editorial

Product overview

Released in 2020 alongside Intel’s 10th‑gen Comet Lake platform, MSI’s Z490‑A PRO is an ATX LGA1200 motherboard built on the Z490 chipset. On our scale it’s a high_end Z‑series board: it exists to unlock CPU overclocking and fuller I/O versus B‑series while keeping the PRO line practical. It’s a good fit for ATX builds that need four DDR4 DIMMs (up to 128 GB), dual PCIe 3.0 NVMe M.2, six SATA ports, two PCIe x16 plus three x1 slots, plenty of USB including rear USB‑C Gen2, integrated DP/HDMI for iGPU, and 2.5G Ethernet—solid for creators, office rigs, or expansion‑friendly desktops. Notable: a Thunderbolt add‑in‑card header for future connectivity.

Best for
  • overclocking
  • expansion/multi-M.2
  • first-time builders

Specifications

At a glance iEach dot represents a catalog model. Farther right means a higher measured value, not necessarily a better fit.Measured against the motherboards catalog
Current modelCatalog models
Max RAM speed4800 MHz
Higher than 32% of motherboards
RAM slots4
Higher than 93% of motherboards
M.2 slots2
Higher than 45% of motherboards
Socket
LGA1200
Memory
DDR4
WiFi
Yes
Integrated Graphics
Yes
USB
3.2
Max Memory Size
128 GB
ECC Support
No
Chipset
Z490
Max RAM speed
4800 MHz
Form factor
ATX
RAM slots
4
M.2 slots
2
PCIe x16
2
Processor Generation
10, 11
Pci E
3.0
M 2
PCI-E
Sata Slots
6
Sata Speed
6 Gb/s
Pci E Slots
2
Tdp
50 W
Nvme
Yes
Pci E X1
3
Cpu Brand
Intel
Pairing fit

Compatible CPUs

Compatible options ranked for this part's performance class.

Budget pairings6 lower-tier compatible options
Pairing fit

Compatible RAM kits

Compatible options ranked for this part's performance class.

Budget pairings6 lower-tier compatible options
Pairing fit

Compatible Cases

Compatible options ranked for this part's performance class.

Budget pairings6 lower-tier compatible options
Pairing fit

Compatible Power supplies

Compatible options ranked for this part's performance class.

Budget pairings6 lower-tier compatible options