Intel High end
Check on Amazon Intel Core i7-10700K
$351–$388
LGA1200 platform match
MSI Z490-A PRO
- Brand
- MSI
- Model
- Z490-A PRO
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
As an Amazon Associate, GixCore earns from qualifying purchases.Pricing note?This range is based on our last recorded catalog price and is not a quote. Check Amazon for the current price.
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
Pairing fit
Compatible CPUs
Compatible options ranked for this part's performance class.
Intel High end
Check on Amazon Intel Core i7-10700F
$351–$388
LGA1200 platform match
Intel High end
Check on Amazon Intel Core i7-11700F
$204–$226
LGA1200 platform match
Intel High end
Check on Amazon Intel Core i7-11700K
$418–$462
LGA1200 platform match
Intel High end
Check on Amazon Intel Core i7-11700KF
$361–$399
LGA1200 platform match
Intel Enthusiast
Check on Amazon Intel Core i9-10900K
$550–$608
LGA1200 platform matchBudget pairings6 lower-tier compatible options
Intel Mainstream
Check on Amazon Intel Core i5-10600KF
$213–$236
LGA1200 platform match
Intel Mainstream
Check on Amazon Intel Core i5-10400
$153–$169
LGA1200 platform match
Intel Mainstream
Check on Amazon Intel Core i5-10400F
$214–$236
LGA1200 platform match
Intel Mainstream
Check on Amazon Intel Core i5-10600
$503–$556
LGA1200 platform match
Intel Mainstream
Check on Amazon Intel Core i5-10600K
$189–$209
LGA1200 platform match
Intel Mainstream
Check on Amazon Intel Core i5-11400
$124–$137
LGA1200 platform matchPairing fit
Compatible RAM kits
Compatible options ranked for this part's performance class.
PNY High end
Check on Amazon XLR8 Gaming 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 4000MHz
$120–$133
DDR4-4000 memory match
PNY Enthusiast
Check on Amazon XLR8 Gaming 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-4600
$120–$133
DDR4-4600 memory matchPNY Enthusiast
Check on Amazon XLR8 Gaming 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-4400
$120–$133
DDR4-4400 memory matchPNY Enthusiast
Check on Amazon XLR8 Gaming 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-4200
$120–$133
DDR4-4200 memory matchBudget pairings6 lower-tier compatible options
G.SKILL Mainstream
Check on Amazon RipjawsV Series DDR4 32GB (2x16GB) 3600MT/s F4-3600C16D-32GVKC
$237–$262
DDR4-3600 memory match
G.SKILL Mainstream
Check on Amazon Trident Z Neo DDR4 3600MT/s 64GB (4x16GB)
$532–$588
DDR4-3600 memory match
Corsair Mainstream
Check on Amazon Vengeance RGB PRO 32GB DDR4-3600
$261–$289
DDR4-3600 memory match
Corsair Mainstream
Check on Amazon CMW16GX4M2C3200C16 32GB DDR4-3200
$243–$269
DDR4-3200 memory match
Crucial Mainstream
Check on Amazon CT2K32G4DFD832A 64GB DDR4-3200
$474–$524
DDR4-3200 memory match
G.Skill Mainstream
Check on Amazon RipJaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200
$128–$142
DDR4-3200 memory matchPairing fit
Compatible Cases
Compatible options ranked for this part's performance class.
NZXT High end
Check on Amazon H9 Flow Black
$114–$126
ATX motherboard fit
be quiet! High end
Check on Amazon Silent Base 802 Window Black
$190–$210
ATX motherboard fit
Corsair Enthusiast
Check on Amazon 7000D Airflow full-tower for big builds
$256–$283
ATX motherboard fit
Cooler Master Flagship
Check on Amazon Cosmos C700M Black
$534–$590
ATX motherboard fit
Cooler Master Flagship
Check on Amazon HAF 700 EVO Black
$579–$640
ATX motherboard fit
Cooler Master Enthusiast
Check on Amazon MasterFrame 600 Black
$255–$281
E-ATX, ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX motherboard fitBudget pairings6 lower-tier compatible options
Corsair Mainstream
Check on Amazon 3000D Airflow White
$94–$104
ATX motherboard fit
NZXT Mainstream
Check on Amazon H7 Flow RGB Black
$142–$157
ATX motherboard fit
Corsair Mainstream
Check on Amazon iCUE 220T White
$100–$110
ATX motherboard fit
Corsair Mainstream
Check on Amazon iCUE 220T RGB Airflow Black
$114–$126
ATX motherboard fit
Lian Li Mainstream
Check on Amazon LANCOOL 216 RGB Black
$95–$105
ATX, mATX, Mini-ITX motherboard fit
Cooler Master Mainstream
Check on Amazon MasterBox TD500 Mesh
$197–$218
ATX motherboard fitPairing fit
Compatible Power supplies
Compatible options ranked for this part's performance class.
NZXT High end
Check on Amazon C850 Gold ATX 3.1 (2024)
$114–$126
850W capacity for headroom
MONTECH High end
Check on Amazon Century II 850W (2025)
$85–$94
850W capacity for headroom
XPG High end
Check on Amazon Core Reactor II VE 650W (2024)
$66–$73
650W capacity for headroom
Seasonic High end
Check on Amazon Focus GX-750 (2024)
$144–$159
750W capacity for headroom
FSP High end
Check on Amazon Hydro G PRO 850W (2022)
$190–$210
850W capacity for headroom
Super Flower High end
Check on Amazon Leadex III 850W (2024)
$114–$126
850W capacity for headroomBudget pairings6 lower-tier compatible options
EVGA Mainstream
Check on Amazon 500 BQ (2017)
$142–$157
500W capacity for headroom
Antec Mainstream
Check on Amazon Earthwatts Gold Pro Series EA750G Pro 750W Semi-Modular (2017)
$116–$128
750W capacity for headroom
Rosewill Mainstream
Check on Amazon VSB 650W (2025)
$47–$52
650W capacity for headroom
EVGA Budget
Check on Amazon 500 W1 (2013)
$84–$92
500W capacity for headroom
ASRock Budget
Check on Amazon PRO 750G
$52–$58
750W capacity for headroom
XPG Budget
Check on Amazon PYLON450B-BKCUS PYLON 450W
$124–$137
450W capacity for headroomSpecifications
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 28% of motherboards
RAM slots4
Higher than 97% of motherboards
M.2 slots2
Higher than 50% 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 drives
- PCIe
- Sata Slots
- 6
- Sata Speed
- 6 Gb/s
- Pci E Slots
- 2
- Tdp
- 50 W
- NVMe support
- Yes
- Pci E X1
- 3
- Cpu Brand
- Intel