gigabyte z490 upgrades
Released 2020 · on sale
'Gigabyte Z490' is a chipset family, not a single board: surveyed models (AORUS ELITE / ELITE AC, GAMING X, VISION D/G, MASTER/MASTER WF, UD AC) share the LGA1200 + 4x DDR4 + 2x M.2 + 6 SATA platform. Differences: rated XMP speed (5000 vs 4600 vs 3200), M.2 lengths on slot 2 (22110 on ELITE-class, 2280-only on GAMING X), thermal guards, Wi-Fi/Thunderbolt extras. Verify the exact model's spec sheet before buying modules or long/heatsinked SSDs.
Upgrade guide → What fits, step by step, and official documents.
- 4x DDR4 DIMM (dual channel), 128 GB max: 4 × DDR4 DIMM · up to 128 GB total · 5000 MT/s
- 2x M.2 (M key) + 6x SATA 6 Gb/s: 8 × SSD M.2 2242 / M.2 2260 / M.2 2280 / M.2 22110 (NVMe / SATA)
- LGA1200 socket (10th/11th Gen Intel Core): LGA1200 · Core 10th gen, Core 11th gen, Core 11th gen
Slot map
4x DDR4 DIMM (dual channel), 128 GB max 4 × DDR4 DIMM · up to 128 GB total · 5000 MT/s
All 4 slots are socketed; nothing soldered. Max 5000 MT/s is the XMP-validated figure on Z490 AORUS ELITE (GAMING X 4600, VISION D/manuals list 3200 native). i5/i3/Pentium/Celeron CPUs cap at DDR4-2666 regardless. ECC UDIMMs physically fit but run in non-ECC mode; RDIMMs unsupported. 32 GB modules need 16 Gb-density chips.
| $/GB | Price | Capacity | Product | Condition | Store | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.75 | $21.99 | 8 GB | Micron 8GB DDR4-2400 UDIMM DDR4-2400 DIMM | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $4.67 | $149.48 | 2 × 16 GB | Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB Kit (2 × 16GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 DDR4-3200 CL16 DIMM | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $4.81 | $77.00 | 2 × 8 GB | Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB Kit (2 × 8GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 DDR4-3200 CL16 DIMM | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $5.57 | $44.59 | 8 GB | Lenovo 8GB DDR4-2400 UDIMM (FRU) DDR4-2400 DIMM | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $5.86 | $375.00 | 2 × 32 GB | Crucial 64GB Kit (2 × 32GB) DDR4‑3200 SO‑DIMM (260‑pin) DDR4-3200 CL22 DIMM | Used | eBay US +1 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $6.12 | $195.99 | 2 × 16 GB | Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB Kit (2 × 16GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 DDR4-3200 CL16 DIMM | New | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $6.44 | $102.99 | 2 × 8 GB | Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB Kit (2 × 8GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 DDR4-3200 CL16 DIMM | New | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $7.19 | $114.99 | 2 × 8 GB | Crucial 16GB Kit (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 CL22 UDIMM DDR4-3200 CL22 DIMM | New | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $7.27 | $464.99 | 2 × 32 GB | Crucial 64GB Kit (2 × 32GB) DDR4‑3200 SO‑DIMM (260‑pin) DDR4-3200 CL22 DIMM | New | eBay US +1 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $7.81 | $500.00 | 2 × 32 GB | G.Skill Ripjaws V 64GB Kit (2 × 32GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 DDR4-3600 CL18 DIMM | New | eBay US | View deal Amazon Price alert |
All compatible memory with filters → · Compare prices: DDR4 desktop RAM (DIMM)
2x M.2 (M key) + 6x SATA 6 Gb/s 8 × SSD M.2 2242 / M.2 2260 / M.2 2280 / M.2 22110 (NVMe / SATA)
2x M.2 Socket 3 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4/x2 or SATA) plus 6 SATA ports. 22110 length fits both M.2 slots on AORUS ELITE/ELITE AC/MASTER; on GAMING X the second slot stops at 2280. Using a SATA M.2 drive disables one SATA port. All slots are Gen3 — a Gen4 NVMe drive works but at Gen3 speed. GAMING X has only one M.2 thermal guard. No documented per-port capacity limit; no drive bays on a bare board.
| $/TB | Price | Capacity | Product | Condition | Store | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $75.00 | $299.99 | 4 TB | Crucial P3 Plus 4TB M.2 2280 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD · NVMe Gen4 | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $95.68 | $48.99 | 512 GB | PM981A 512GB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD (Lenovo FRU 00UP735) M.2 2280 SSD · NVMe | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $97.56 | $49.95 | 512 GB | SC401 512GB M.2 2280 SATA SSD M.2 2280 SSD · SATA | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $97.64 | $49.99 | 512 GB | XG7 512GB M.2 2280 NVMe Gen4 SSD (Lenovo) M.2 2280 SSD · NVMe Gen4 | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $98.75 | $395.00 | 4 TB | Crucial P3 Plus 4TB M.2 2280 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD · NVMe Gen4 | New | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $101.52 | $25.99 | 256 GB | Samsung PM981a 256GB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD (Lenovo FRU) M.2 2280 SSD · NVMe | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $105.00 | $209.99 | 2 TB | Crucial P3 Plus 2TB M.2 2280 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD · NVMe Gen4 | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $105.00 | $419.99 | 4 TB | Kingston FURY Renegade 4TB (no heatsink) M.2 2280 SSD · NVMe | Used | eBay US +1 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $107.40 | $54.99 | 512 GB | SC401 512GB M.2 2280 SATA SSD M.2 2280 SSD · SATA | Refurbished | eBay US | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $109.99 | $109.99 | 1 TB | Crucial P3 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe (Gen3) M.2 2280 SSD · NVMe Gen3 | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
All compatible storage with filters → · Compare prices: NVMe M.2 2280 SSD
LGA1200 socket (10th/11th Gen Intel Core) LGA1200 · Core 10th gen, Core 11th gen, Core 11th gen
Replaceable CPU. Supports 10th Gen Core/Pentium/Celeron (Comet Lake) natively; 11th Gen (Rocket Lake) works but requires a BIOS update - check the CPU Support List or buy with a confirmed BIOS. No max TDP documented; the platform accepts 125 W K-series parts, but budget boards (GAMING X, UD) have marginal VRMs for unlocked i9 turbo (~250 W PL2). Dead-end socket: no 12th Gen+ upgrade path.
| Price | Cores | Product | Condition | Store | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $72.61 | 6 cores / 12 threads | Intel Core i5-10500 LGA1200 · 3.1–4.5 GHz · 65 W · iGPU · cooler included | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $74.50 | 6 cores / 12 threads | Intel Core i5-10400F LGA1200 · 2.9–4.3 GHz · 65 W · cooler included | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $76.00 | 6 cores / 12 threads | Intel Core i5-10400F LGA1200 · 2.9–4.3 GHz · 65 W · cooler included | New | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $92.99 | 6 cores / 12 threads | Intel Core i5-10500 LGA1200 · 3.1–4.5 GHz · 65 W · iGPU · cooler included | Refurbished | eBay US +1 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $94.50 | 6 cores / 12 threads | Intel Core i5-11400F LGA1200 · 2.6–4.4 GHz · 65 W · cooler included | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $120.25 | 8 cores / 16 threads | Intel Core i7-10700 LGA1200 · 2.9–4.8 GHz · 65 W · iGPU · cooler included | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $148.00 | 6 cores / 12 threads | Intel Core i5-11400F LGA1200 · 2.6–4.4 GHz · 65 W · cooler included | New | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
All compatible storage with filters → · Compare prices: LGA1200 processors