[Hardware]NZXT N7 Z490 Motherboard Review: Shrouds Everywhere

[Revo]

 

NZXT is a company better known for cases, coolers and power supplies, but the company previously released a Z390 motherboard, and now it’s back with its first on Intel’s latest platform, the N7 Z490. Like the previous generation (N7 Z390), it’s adorned with all-metal covers hiding the PCB and all but the necessary slots, headers and buttons, akin to much-more expensive (even flagship class) motherboards. While the N7 matches NZXT’s cases really well, the black or white versions should fit in well with most build themes and other cases as well. Will NZXT’s offering find a place on our best motherboards list?

With an MSRP of $229.99, the N7 lands in the value-oriented Z490 realm, yet is still well-equipped. NZXT says it worked with ASRock as their vendor for the N7 Z490 to “...ensure we were able to create a motherboard that supports the newest generation of Intel’s CPUs with the proper connectivity and strong BIOS support,” and they have delivered on that front. The N7 includes premium Realtek audio, 2.5 Gb Ethernet, integrated AX200 Wi-Fi, and more. About the only thing it’s missing is integrated RGB lighting -- though it’s hard to see where it would go given the vast majority of the board is covered.

On the performance front, our review sample did well in most tests, and on the MS Office section in particular. It was a bit slower in Handbrake, adhering to Intel’s specifications a bit more closely on these longer-running multi-threaded loads. 3DMark and gaming performance was indistinguishable from the other Z490 models we’ve tested so far. Overclocking was a breeze, with the 10-phase VRM running our Intel Core i9-10900K at 5.2 GHz and memory at DDR4 4000 without issue.

In addition, the N7 Z490 sports dual M.2 sockets, four SATA ports, onboard power/reset buttons, and several 4-pin fan/pump headers. For those who are yearning for RGB lighting, the board includes multiple headers for standard RGB (3/4-pin) as well as two of NZXT’s headers. Below is a complete list of specifications from NZXT. Read on for details!