EVGA Z590 FTW WIFI User manual

EVGA Z590 FTW WIFI (121-RL-E597)
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User Guide
EVGA Z590 FTW WIFI
Specs and Initial Installation

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Table of Contents
User Guide...............................................................................................................- 1 -
Before You Begin… .................................................................................................- 4 -
Parts NOT in the Kit............................................................................................................. - 5 -
Intentions of the Kit.............................................................................................................. - 5 -
Motherboard.............................................................................................................- 6 -
Motherboard Specifications.................................................................................................. - 6 -
Unpacking and Parts Descriptions...........................................................................- 8 -
Intel®Z590 FTW WIFI Motherboard LED reference .......................................................... - 9 -
Intel®Z590 FTW WIFI Motherboard Component Legend ................................................ - 11 -
PCIe Slot Breakdown ......................................................................................................... - 23 -
M.2 Slot Breakdown........................................................................................................... - 23 -
Installing the CPU .............................................................................................................. - 24 -
Installing the CPU Cooling Device .................................................................................... - 25 -
Installing System Memory (DIMMs) ................................................................................. - 26 -
Installing the I/O Shield...................................................................................................... - 27 -
Installing the Motherboard......................................................................................- 27 -
Securing the Motherboard into a System Case................................................................... - 28 -
Installing M.2 devices.............................................................................................- 30 -
Installing M.2 Key-M Socket 3 Devices ............................................................................ - 30 -
Tested CPU......................................................................................................................... - 34 -
Tested Memory................................................................................................................... - 35 -
Tested M.2 Key-M ............................................................................................................. - 36 -
Tested M.2 Key-E............................................................................................................... - 37 -
Connecting Cables.............................................................................................................. - 38 -
Onboard Buttons................................................................................................................. - 51 -
First Boot................................................................................................................- 52 -

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M.2 SSD, PCIe SSD, and NVMe SSD Installation steps ................................................... - 54 -
Configuring RAID Through M.2 SSDs.............................................................................. - 56 -
Internal SATA RAID Controller...............................................................................- 59 -
Fan Header and PWM Setup.................................................................................- 91 -
Setting Up SLI and PhysX......................................................................................- 95 -
Realtek HD Audio Manager............................................................................................. - 100 -
EVGA NU Audio...................................................................................................- 118 -
The NU Audio Control Panel ........................................................................................... - 121 -
NU Audio Custom Settings:............................................................................................. - 129 -
Installing Drivers and Software ............................................................................- 140 -
Windows 10 Driver Installation........................................................................................ - 140 -
Warranty and Overclocking.............................................................................................. - 142 -
Troubleshooting ...................................................................................................- 143 -
Flashing the BIOS ............................................................................................................ - 143 -
Flashing the BIOS Without a CPU................................................................................... - 146 -
SSD / HDD is not detected ............................................................................................... - 147 -
System does not POST, and POST code indicator reads “C”........................................... - 149 -
System does not POST, and POST code indicator reads “55” ......................................... - 150 -
System does not POST, and POST code indicator reads “d7” ......................................... - 150 -
Have a question not covered above, or want some online resources? .............................. - 151 -
Multifunction LED Indicator............................................................................................ - 152 -
POST Beep codes............................................................................................................. - 153 -
POST Port Debug LED .................................................................................................... - 154 -
POST Codes........................................................................................................- 155 -
EVGA Glossary of Terms ................................................................................................ - 160 -
Compliance Information.......................................................................................- 163 -

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Before You Begin…
The EVGA Z590 FTW WIFI is what you’ve been waiting for to bring out the
best of the 11th Gen Intel®Core™ i9 processors, which features support for
PCIe Gen4 graphics cards and NVMe SSDs. This motherboard redefines what
it means to be For The Win with a completely updated aesthetic; a rededication
to maximizing the features on an ATX form factor; and an unrelenting desire to
give enthusiasts all the power, performance, and stability they can handle with a
17-Phase VRM and 8-layer PCB. In addition to blazing fast 5100MHz+
memory support, WiFi 6/BT 5.2, DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0, and an
excessive number of USB options, the EVGA Z590 FTW WIFI also features
multiple ARGB headers to customize your system lighting, a gigabit NIC, and
7.1 Channel HD Audio. The EVGA Z590 FTW WIFI is truly the next
generation of FTW motherboards.
Furthermore, this board is designed not only for overclockers, but also for
gamers by being NVIDIA®SLI®Ready and featuring three M.2 Key-M slots
and much more!
Lastly, a motherboard is only as good as its BIOS, and the EVGA Z590 FTW
WIFI features EVGA’s latest UEFI/BIOS GUI with a focus on overclocking
and functionality in a lean, straightforward package. You don’t need to be an
expert to configure your motherboard, but if you are, you’ll find features
unavailable anywhere else.
Combining the best of current technology with the latest innovations, EVGA is
further refining motherboard performance!

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Parts NOT in the Kit
This kit contains all the hardware necessary to install and connect your new
EVGA Z590 FTW WIFI Motherboard. However, it does NOT contain the
following items, which must be purchased separately in order to make the
system fully-functional and install an Operating System:
Intel® Socket 1200 Processor
DDR4 System Memory
CPU Cooling Device
PCI-Express Graphics Card
Power Supply
Hard Drive or SSD
Keyboard / Mouse
Monitor
(Optional) Optical Drive
EVGA assumes you have purchased all the necessary parts needed to allow for
proper system functionality. For a full list of supported CPUs on this
motherboard, please visit https://www.evga.com/support/motherboard.
Intentions of the Kit
When replacing a different model motherboard in a PC case, you may need to
reinstall your operating system, even though the current HDD/SSD may
already have one installed. Keep in mind, however, you may sometimes also
need to reinstall your OS after an RMA even if your motherboard remains the
same due to issues that occurred prior to replacing the motherboard.

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Motherboard
Motherboard Specifications
Size:
ATX form-factor of 12 inches x 9.6 inches (305mmx243.8mm)
Microprocessor support:
Intel®Socket 1200 Processor
Operating Systems:
Supports Windows 10 64-Bit
Contains Intel®Z590 chipset
System Memory support:
Supports up to 128GB Dual channel DDR4 at up to 5100MHz+ (OC).
USB 2.0 Ports:
2x internal from 1 FP headers via Intel®Z590
1x from Update Port for flashing the BIOS without CPU
Supports hot plug/wake-up from S3 mode
USB 3.2 Gen.1 Ports:
4x from Intel®Z590 PCH –2x external (Type-A), 2x internal via 1 FP header
Supports transfer speeds up to 5Gbps
Backwards-compatible USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 support
USB 3.2 Gen.2 Ports:
3x from Intel®Z590 PCH –2x external (Type-A), 1x internal header
2x from ASMedia ASM 3142 –2x external (Type-A)
Supports transfer speeds up to 10Gbps
Backwards-compatible USB 3.2 Gen.1, USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 support
USB 3.2 Gen.2x2 Port:
1x from Intel®Z590 PCH –1x external (Type-C)
Supports transfer speeds up to 20Gbps
Backwards-compatible USB 3.2 Gen2/1, USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 support
Display Outputs:
Display Port 1.4 / HDMI 2.0

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SATA Ports:
6x SATA 6Gb/s data transfer rate / Intel®Z590 PCH Controller
- Support for RAID0, RAID1, RAID5, AND RAID10
- Supports hot plug
Onboard LAN:
Intel®i219V Gigabit NIC | Intel®Dual-Band WiFi / BT
Onboard Audio:
Realtek ALC1220 HD Audio 7.1 Channel/Optical Out + EVGA NU Audio
Power Functions:
Supports ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface)
Supports S0 (normal), S3 (suspend to RAM), S4 (Suspend to disk - depends
on OS), and S5 (soft - off)
PCI-Express Expansion Slots:
1x PCIe x16/8 slot (PCIe Gen4), 1x PCIe x8 (PCIe Gen4)
1x PCIe x4 slot (PCIe Gen3)
PCIe 4.0 Support:
Low power consumption and power management features
SLI and Crossfire Support:
NVIDIA®SLI®Ready, 2-Way Crossfire
Additional Expansion Slots:
1x M.2 Key-M 110mm slot (Gen4)
1x M.2 Key-M 110mm slot /1x M.2 Key-M 80mm slot (Gen3)
1x M.2 Key-E 32mm slot
Pump Header:
1x Pump Header (3A)
Fan Headers:
2x 4-pin PWM controlled headers / 5x 4-pin PWM/DC controlled headers
ALL FAN HEADERS HAVE A MAXIMUM POWER LIMIT
OF 2 AMP @ 12 VOLTS (24 WATTS) EXCEDING THIS
LIMIT WILL CAUSE IRREPARABLE DAMAGE TO THE
BOARD.

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Unpacking and Parts Descriptions
The following accessories are included with the EVGA Z590 FTW WIFI
Motherboard:

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Intel®Z590 FTW WIFI Motherboard LED reference
The EVGA Z590 FTW WIFI Motherboard has an LED to indicating power, connectivity,
and activity. Below is the location of the LED and its function.
1. Power / Reset Buttons 3. +5VSB 5. Onboard ARGB LED
2. POSTLED Indicator / Monitor 4. CATERR_LED 6. Active BIOS LED
LED Component Legend

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1. Power / Reset Buttons
a. Power Button
i. RED: Motherboard is turned on and running
b. Reset Button
i. White: Reset button will typically flash in conjunction with
HDD/SSD LED. Depending on load, the button may flash or
appear solid white at times.
ii. NVMe SSDs cannot be read for the purposes of the Reset LED.
2. Multifunction POST Indicator
a. During boot it will cycle many different hexadecimal post codes with a
range of 00-FF and this indicates what aspect of the Power On Self Test
(POST) is currently running.
i. For a list of POST Codes, please see Page 155.
ii. After boot, these LEDs will show the current CPU temperature,
or your choice of temperatures after configuration in the
motherboard BIOS. See Page 152 for more information.
3. +5VSB
a. White: Voltage present (Does not mean PSU is outputting in-spec, only
that this specific voltage is detected)
4. CATERR_LED - Catastrophic Error on the processor
a. RED: Processor error has occurred.
b. OFF: No error state detected in the CPU.
5. Onboard ARGB LED
a. Located on the I/O cover, the LEDs can be directly controlled via
EVGA ELEET X1. Choose the LED colors and patterns, or turn off in
the software.
6. Active BIOS LED
a. BIOS 1
i. WHITE: BIOS 1 chip is active
ii. OFF: BIOS 2 chip is active
b. BIOS 2
i. WHITE: BIOS 2 chip is active
ii. OFF: BIOS 1 chip is active

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Intel®Z590 FTW WIFI Motherboard Component Legend
The EVGA Z590 FTW WIFI Motherboard with the Intel®Z590 PCH Chipset.
Figure 1 shows the motherboard and Figure 2 shows the back panel connectors.
FIGURE 1. Z590 FTW WIFI Motherboard Layout
**For a FULL description of the above legend, please see Page 14.

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1. CPU Socket 1200 12. M.2 Socket 3 Key-M80mm 23. Front Panel Audio Connector
2. Intel Z590 PCH 13. PCIe Slot x16/x8 24. PC Speaker
3. PWM Fan Headers (2 Amp) 14. PCIe Slot x8 25. Front Panel Connectors
4. DC / PWM Fan Headers (2 Amp) 15. PCIe Slot x4 26. CMOS Battery
5. Pump Header (3 amp) 16. ARGB LED Controller Header 27 USB 3.2 Gen2 Header (Type-C)
6. DDR4 Memory DIMMSlots 17. RGB LED Controller Header 28 USB 3.2 Gen1 Header
7. 24-pin ATX power connector 18. Power Button 29. BIOS SafeBoot Button
8. 8-pin EPS Connector 19. Reset Button 30. BIOS Selector Switch
9. 4-pin Supplemental ATX Connector 20. USB to SPI for BIOS Flash 31. Rear Panel Connectors (Figure 2)
10. Intel® SATA6Gb/s 21. POST Indicator / HW Monitor
11. M.2 Socket 3 Key-M110mm 22. USB 2.0 Header
Component Legend

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Figure 2. Chassis Rear Panel Connectors
1. BIOS /CMOS Reset 5. USB 3.2 Gen1 Ports 9. USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Port
2. Display Port 1.4 6. Intel i219V NIC 10. Optical Out
3. HDMI 2.0 7. USB 3.2 Gen2 Ports 11. Analog Audio Jacks
4. PS/2 Port (KB +Mouse) 8. Integrated WiFi Module
I/O Hub Legend
Analog Audio
Port Breakdown
2/2.1 Channel
4.0/4.1 Channel 5.1 Channel 7.1 Channel
Blue Line In *Rear Speakers Out Line In
* Rear Speakers Out
Front Speakers Out /
Front Speakers Out /
Front Speakers + Sub
Front Speakers + Sub
Pink Mic In Mic In Mic In
Mic In
Black Side Speakers Out Side Speakers Out
Orange Center / Sub Out Center / Sub Out
Front Speakers Out
*Only used in 7.1 and is changed via Realtek Software from within Windows.
3.5mm Audio Jack Legend
Front Speakers Out
Green

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Component Legend Descriptions
1. CPU Socket 1200
This is the interface for the Central Processing Unit (CPU), and supports Core
i5, Core i7, and Core i9 models compatible with the Intel®1200 Socket and
Comet Lake-S architecture.
2. Intel®Z590 PCH (Southbridge)
The Platform Controller Hub (PCH) handles the role that was previously held
by the South Bridge. The PCH has 8x DMI lanes (3.0) with a Rocket Lake-S
CPU (4x with Comet Lake-S) and 4x Gen 3 lanes to allocate bandwidth to
smaller PCIe slots, M.2, USB, audio, etc. In simplified terms, the PCH works as
a hub for peripherals that are less bandwidth-intensive.
3. PWM Fan Headers (CPU1 and CPU2)
4-pin fan headers control the fan speed based on a configurable curve or static
percentage. PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation) works by pulsing power to the fan
at a constant rate and sending the RPM signal to the fan’s controller via a Sense
cable, rather than adjusting fan speed by increasing and decreasing voltage.
PWM control is preferable because it eliminates voltage-based fan stall points.
See Page 91 for an in-depth breakdown of the PWM controls within the BIOS.
These headers also support 12V. DC fans. However, DC fan speed is controlled
by decreasing voltage to the fan, starting from the default of 100%, or 12V.
When using a 12V. fan, the minimum speed before stall will vary because most
fan motors have a minimum voltage threshold for operation.
4. PWM/DC Fan Headers
These ports may be used with both PWM and DC fans, and may be controlled
via Smart Fan or manually from within the BIOS.
5. Pump Header (3A)
This header is designed for use with AIO coolers and pumps designed for PC
watercooling. Providing up to a solid 3A of power to the connected device, this
header should help to avoid a common issue where certain AIO or pumps are
not recognized by the system due to insufficient power. This header may be
controlled via Smart Fan or manually from within the motherboard BIOS.
6. DDR4 Memory Slots
The memory slots support up to four 288-pin DDR4 DIMMs in Dual-Channel
mode. Dual-Channel mode will be enabled only when using two or four sticks
of supported memory. Using one or three sticks of memory will lower the

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board to Single-Channel mode, which may significantly lower performance.
128GB of RAM is supported in a 4x32GB configuration. At the time of this
manual’s release, this motherboard officially supports up to 5100MHz+ speeds.
These speeds cannot be guaranteed, however, because Intel®only certifies the
speed of the memory controller up to 3200MHz for Rocket Lake-S processors,
and 2933MHz for Comet Lake-S processors.
7. 24-pin ATX power connector
The main power for the motherboard is located on the right side of the board
and parallel to the PCB; this is also described as a “right-angle” connector (See
Page 39 for more specifics to the connector itself, and associated
wiring/pinouts). The 24-pin connector is directional and the tab on the
connector must line up with the release clip located on the related 24-pin
connector from the power supply. This connector pulls the bulk of the power
for all components. Other connectors, such as EPS and ATX, reduce the load
and increase longevity despite challenges caused by wiring and trace limitations.
8. 8-pin EPS Connector
The EPS is dedicated power for the CPU (See Page 40 for more specifics to the
connector itself, and associated wiring/pinouts). Carefully choose the correct
power cable by consulting with the installation manual for your power supply.
This connector is designed to only work with an EPS or CPU cable. System
builders sometimes make the mistake of plugging in a PCIe 8-pin or 6+2-pin
connector, which will prevent the board from completing POST and possibly
short or damage the board. Although PCIe and EPS cables appear similar, they
are wired differently and attaching the wrong connector may cause damage to
the motherboard.
Alternatively, if no power cable is connected or detected, the system will not
POST and will hang at POST code “C.”
9. 4-pin Supplemental ATX Connector
The ATX power connector on the Z590 FTW WIFI provides additional power
to the CPU. This connector requires the appropriate 4-pin ATX cable provided
by your power supply –often as part of a 4+4-pin CPU connector. (See Page 41
for more specifics to the connector itself, and associated wiring/pinouts). This
connector is not essential to running the system, but may provide additional
power to the CPU under a heavy load, overclocking, and/or benchmarking. The
4-pin power connector may be installed in addition to the 8-pin EPS connector;
it may not be installed in place of the 8-pin EPS connector.

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10. Intel®SATA 6Gb/s Ports
The Intel®Z590 PCH has a 6-port SATA 6Gb/s controller (See Page 50 for
specifics on the connectors). This controller is backwards compatible with
SATA and SATA II devices, and supports SSDs, HDDs and various types of
optical devices (CDROM, DVDROM, BD-ROM, etc.). The controller also
supports NCQ, TRIM, hot swap capability (provided the proper HDD/SSD
bays/racks are installed), and RAID levels 0/1/5/10.
11. M.2 Socket 3 Key-M 110mm
M.2 is an SSD standard, which uses up to four PCIe lanes and utilizes either up
to Gen4 (PM1) or Gen3 (PM3) speeds. Most popularly paired with NVMe
SSDs, this standard offers substantially faster transfer speeds and seek time than
SATA interface standards. All M.2 devices are designed to connect via a card-
bus style connector, secured by bolting into place, and powered by the
connector –rather than a dedicated data cable and power cable.
The M.2 Key-M 110mm connectors (PM1 and PM3) support PCIe M.2 devices.
This socket will support Key-M devices of 110mm, 80mm, 60mm, and 42mm
length.
12. M.2 Socket 3 Key-M 80mm
M.2 is an SSD standard, which uses up to four PCIe lanes and utilizes up to
Gen3 (PM2) speeds. Most popularly paired with NVMe SSDs, this standard
offers substantially faster transfer speeds and seek time than SATA interface
standards. All M.2 devices are designed to connect via a card-bus style
connector, secured by bolting into place, and powered by the connector –rather
than a dedicated data cable and power cable.
The M.2 Key-M 80mm connector (PM2) supports PCIe and SATA devices.
This socket will support Key-M devices of 80mm, 60mm, and 42mm length.
13. PCIe Slot x16/x8
PCIe x16/x8 slots are primarily for video cards. These full-length slots will
provide 8 or 16 lanes of bandwidth to a full-size card, and are backwards-
compatible with x8, x4, and x1-length cards.
Rocket Lake-S processors have 20 PCIe lanes available for routing, and Comet
Lake-S Socket 1200 processors have 16 PCIe lanes available for routing.
The 20 RKL Gen4 PCIe lanes are pulled from the CPU and shared with the x16
PCIe slot 2 (PE2) and M.2 Key-M 110mm (PM1). Lanes automatically switch
from x16/x0 to x8/x8 when the motherboard detects a card in slot PE2.

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The 20 CML Gen3 PCIe lanes are pulled from the CPU and shared with the
x16 PCIe slot (PE2).
14. PCIe Slot x8
PCIe x16/x8 slots are primarily for video cards. These full-length slots will
provide up to 8 lanes of bandwidth to a full-size card, and are backwards
compatible with x8, x4, and x1 length cards.
This slot is limited to a maximum of 8 lanes as it shares bandwidth with the
primary PCIe x16 slot 1 (PE1). This slot is primarily recommended for
secondary video cards, such as the 2nd card in a SLI configuration, a capture
card, audio card, etc.
* Please see the description for Physical (length) vs Electrical (lanes) on Page 21.
15. PCIe Slot x4
PCIe x4 is a smaller form-factor PCIe card slot. These can be used for low-
bandwidth products, such as a PCIe SSD card, capture card, audio card, etc.
16. ARGB LED Controller Header
The ARGB header is a 5V. 3-pin header with a current limit of 2A; anything
above 2A will trigger overcurrent protection and lock at 2A. This header allows
for far more flexible options to configure your RGB lighting via software-based
control within Windows via EVGA ELEET X1, and supports up to 125 LEDs.
Please see Page 44 for header specifics, and Page 138 for control options in
ELEET X1.
17. RGB LED Controller Header
The RGB header is a 12V. 4 pin header with a current limit of 2A; anything
above 2A will trigger overcurrent protection and lock at 2A. This header allows
for software-based control within Windows for RGB devices via EVGA
ELEET X1. Please see Page 45 for header specifics, and Page 138 for control
options in ELEET X1.
18. Power Button
This is an onboard power button, and may be used in place of, or in
conjunction with, a front panel power button wired to the board.
Benching systems, or test benches before final assembly, are best served by
using the onboard power because it removes the need to wire a Power/Reset
button or cross posts with a screwdriver, which is a semi-common practice.
This button provides a safer and easier option than jumpering the Power posts.

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19. Reset Button
This is an onboard system reset button, and may be used in place of, or in
conjunction with, a front panel system reset button wired to the board.
Benching systems, or test benches before final assembly, are best served by
using the onboard power because it removes the need to wire a Power/Reset
button or cross posts with a screwdriver, which is a semi-common practice.
This button provides a safer and easier option than jumpering the Power posts.
20. USB to SPI for BIOS Flash
This USB Update Port is designed to connect directly to the motherboard to
allow the motherboard BIOS to be flashed, even if no CPU is installed. For
more information on how to flash your BIOS using this method, please see
Page 146.
21. Debug POST Indicator / Hardware Monitor
This is a four-digit POST code reader, which displays in sets of 7-digit LED.
The display can be configured to show data in regular decimal format, or
hexadecimal, which means the characters available (when working as intended)
are 0-9, A-F and has a cap of 255 characters.
During POST, the LEDs will display the various POST codes as they cycle
through the Power On Self-Test. The POST codes are listed in the
troubleshooting section on Page 155.
After the system boots, these same set of LEDs will display the CPU
temperature in Celsius. This temperature is specifically for the CPU socket,
which will read slightly higher than a given CPU core. To read this temp in
Fahrenheit, take the value in Celsius, multiply by 9/5 (or 1.8) and add 32.
22. USB 2.0 Header
The USB2.0 header is used to connect additional USB interface plugs to the
motherboard; these headers are most often used to connect the motherboard to
the chassis to enable the USB2.0 ports on the chassis. These will function
similarly to the USB2.0 ports found on the motherboard’s hardwired I/O hub,
but these can also be used for the chassis’ front panel USB, auxiliary ports that
mount in the card slots, and certain devices that directly connect to the header.
USB 2.0 standard is 500ma @ 5V per port (header total is 1000ma) for
unpowered devices. If your USB device requires more power, it is
recommended to attach a powered USB Hub.

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23. Front Panel Audio Connector
This motherboard header is used to plug in the audio cable included with most
PC chassis. This connector is required for audio recording and/or playback via
the audio connectors on the chassis. This header has a connector that looks
similar to the USB2.0 header and uses the standard “HD Audio” jack. Some
chassis may provide two headers: one labeled HD Audio, and one labeled
AC’97; however, an AC’97 cable is not compatible with this header on the
Z590 FTW WIFI.
24. PC Speaker
This is a small mono low-fidelity speaker, which is permanently attached to the
motherboard. Its primary use is for debugging purposes. A POST beep may
indicate a successful POST or various tones for USB initialization, while other
beeps may indicate an issue during the POST process. Please see Page 153 for
more details.
25. Front Panel Connectors
The Front Panel Connectors are the four main chassis connections. These
include the Power Switch, Power LED, Reset Switch, and HDD LED. The
Power and Reset switches are “Momentary Switches,” rather than “Latching
Switches,” which means the connection between two posts only needs a brief
moment to turn on the device, as opposed to requiring a constant connection.
For example, the Power and Reset switches can be triggered instantly with a
screwdriver by simultaneously touching the + and - posts.
The Power LED will power on with the system, indicating the system is on and
can blink in conjunction with CPU activity.
HDD LED will blink during access to the SATA ports; this is not activated for
M.2 SSDs.
26. CMOS Battery
The CMOS battery backup provides uninterruptable power to the BIOS/UEFI
to store its settings; otherwise, each power on would act as if the BIOS was just
reset. These batteries typically last several years and rarely need to be replaced.
27. USB 3.2 Gen2 Header (Type-C)
The USB 3.2 Gen2 header is used to connect additional USB interface plugs to
the motherboard; these headers are most often used to connect the
motherboard to the chassis to enable the USB 3.2 Gen2 ports on the chassis.
These will function similarly to the USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port sometimes
found on a motherboard’s rear I/O hub, but can also be used for the chassis’

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front panel USB, auxiliary ports that mount in the card slots, and certain
devices that directly connect to the header. The USB 3.2 Gen2 Header on the
Z590 FTW WIFI is a shielded USB 3.2 Gen2 Header and supports up to
10Gb/s with USB 3.2 Gen2.
This USB 3.2 Gen2 Header has a power limit of 3000ma (3A) @ 5V.
28. USB 3.2 Gen1 Header
The USB 3.2 Gen1 header is used to connect additional USB interface plugs to
the motherboard; these headers are most often used to connect the
motherboard to the chassis to enable the USB 3.2 Gen1 ports on the chassis.
These will function similarly to the USB 3.2 Gen1 ports found on the
motherboard’s rear I/O hub, but can also be used for the chassis’ front panel
USB, auxiliary ports that mount in the card slots, and certain devices that
directly connect to the header.
USB 3.2 Gen1 standard is 900ma @ 5V for unpowered devices. If your USB
device requires more power, it is recommended to attach a powered USB Hub.
USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A (found on the I/O Hub) shares the power limit of USB
3.2 Gen1 at 900ma @ 5V.
Note: USB 3.2 Gen1 is more commonly referred to as USB 3.0.
29. BIOS SafeBoot Button
Pressing this button while the system is running will reboot the motherboard
directly into the BIOS without clearing CMOS. This feature is very useful for
situations where the motherboard is unable to complete boot due to a failed
overclock and the user does not want to erase the previous settings used.
30. BIOS Selector Switch
This switch toggles between physical BIOS chips. This board has 2 BIOS chips
as a permanent fixture. Each chip holds only the settings and profiles that have
been saved to the BIOS chip while active. This allows you to swap between two
physically different BIOS chips. This also makes it substantially easier to
hotflash a BIOS if needed. If instructions are needed for hotflashing a BIOS,
please contact EVGA Customer Service (Page 151 for contact info).
31. Rear Panel Connectors (Figure 2)
This is the section referred to as the I/O Hub. This panel contains the
hardwired USB, Sound, and Ethernet connections. Please see Page 13 for a
component level breakdown.