The Box and Packaging
Inside the box, you’ll find the instructional manual, software setup guide, postcard, drivers disc, 1 pack of SATA data cables, M.2 screws for you SSDs, a pair of velcro cable straps and a sheet of Steel Legend stickers.
The Motherboard
The new LGA1200 socket is designed specifically for Intel’s 10th Gen (Comet Lake) processors. If you own an older generation of CPU such as the 8th or 9th Gen processor … you’re out of luck. You’ll need to upgrade both your CPU and motherboard.
A Closer Look
I love the silver, white, grey camo design of the Steel Legend series from ASRock. It really makes the Z490 Steel Legend motherboard stand out from the rest. I do like the etched Steel Legend logo and the contoured outer edge of the board. It’s unique and looks great for any PC build.
For connectivity, you’ll find a PS/2 keyboard and mouse port, USB 2.0, DisplayPort, HDMI, USB 3.2 Gen2, both Type-A and Type-C). The Dragon 2.5GB LAN port, more USB 3.2 Gen1 ports and the usual array of connectors for 7.1 HD audio.
However, there’s no onboard wifi and no buttons for power-on, reset or clear CMOS … something I wished they could have included.
