Intel Z490 motherboard pre-orders start at $150

Those looking to upgrade to Intel's newest desktop platform will need to buy a new motherboard. The Comet Lake-S processor uses the LGA1200 socket and is not compatible with previous chipsets. The future upgrade path also looks bleak as it appears just two architectures will use LGA1200; the soon-to-be-out Comet Lake-S and Rocket Lake-S (which is expected later this year).

Anyway, if you're interested in an Intel Z490 based motherboard, AnandTech has some coverage about the pre-order pricing over here. It seems the cheapest Z490 motherboards will cost around $150. Flagship motherboards like hte GIGABYTE Z490 Aorus Xtreme WaterForce on the other hand will set you back a whopping $1,299.

At present MSI's flagship model the MEG Z490 Godlike is a reasonably priced flagship when compared to other vendors, and includes 10 G + 2.5 G Ethernet at $750. The most interesting models from MSI, the MEG Z490 Unify and Z490I Unify haven't been announced at present. The EVGA Z490 Dark has a whopping price tag of $926, which does include a U.2 port, but is focused more towards hardened enthusiasts and extreme overclockers with its range of features including two memory slots on an E-ATX PCB for better memory overclocking and performance.

Availability is expected on May 20.