CONCLUSION

   Judging by all the numbers in this review the Z590 may not be worlds apart compared to its predecessor but the performance gap between the Z490 and the Z590 is actually larger in many tests compared with that between the Z390 and the Z490. This is especially surprising when we take into account that the new Core I9-11900K CPU sports 8 cores compared to the 10 cores of the I9-10900K which I used for Z490 tests. Single core performance is obviously a lot better but even in multi-core scenarios the 11900K does very well against the 10900K. This of course also has a lot to do with the motherboard at hand and since the Z590 DARK by EVGA arrived here with 5 more Z590 models I can say that this is a more complete choice for my taste (especially when it comes to overclocking / 21-phase digital VRM, actively cooled at that), at least compared to the others I have here. Yes, I didn’t like the fact that EVGA decided to only equip it with 3 PCIe slots (2xPCIe 4.0 x16/x8 and 1xPCIe 3.0 x4) since many people including myself use multiple cards, nor did I like that it only comes with a single Gen 4x4 M.2 NVMe port (don’t know if it’s a chip limitation but for my job 2 would be best) but other than that this model has it all (and yes, it’s very easy to climb to 5.5GHz with this model, if temperatures are not an issue).

   The DARK line of motherboards by EVGA has always been targeted towards overclockers and enthusiasts and so they are among the most expensive models in the market something which obviously applies for the Z590 model as well since it currently retails for USD549.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 579.84Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). Of course, if you want the best there is then this is it, but if you are simply put not interested in overclocking at all then an EVGA model might not be the right one for you. For people however who are into overclocking (or people who just want the best) the Z590 DARK by EVGA sits at the top currently and for that it gets the Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- OC Potential (Actively Cooled 21 Phase Digital VRM)
- 2 Reinforced & EMI Shielded PCIe 4.0 slots
- OC Features (PCIe Disable Switches / Slow Mode / Safe Boot / Triple BIOS / Dual Clear CMOS Buttons / USB BIOS Update Port)
- M.2 PCIe 4.0 Port
- DisplayPort v1.4 & HDMI v2.0 Video Outputs
- ARGB Lighting
- Available BIOS Settings
- NU Audio Amplifier
- U2 Port
- Angled Connectors
- Dual 2.5GbE Ports
- Bundle
- 3 Year Limited Warranty

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Dual DIMM Design
- Only 3 PCIe Slots