Before us is an ATX motherboard. Its dimensions do not differ from the classic ones and are 305 x 244 mm. The external design is also recognizable and resembles other devices from this series. However, there are still changes in the external appearance, even though a white plastic casing is used and all radiators are silver.
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Behind, we are already seeing a more familiar picture. At the very top, we again see the inscription in large letters ASUS TUF Gaming B550M ZAKU II WIFI. Below are two photos of the device. One is straight on top and the other is angled so that you can see the rear panel connectors. On the left and right are tables that compose the detailed specification of the device. Below you can see four inserts describing the key features of the device.
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Now we come to the board itself. At first glance we’re not sure about the look Asus has chosen, particularly the large dotted ROG logo atop the I/O section. But it’s hardly a deal breaker. There are two RGB sections, one inside the main VRM heatsink, plus another ROG logo incorporated into the chipset heatsink. It comes packed with OC switches and buttons including various LN2 modes, slow mode, BIOS switch, and voltage read points. There are even moisture detectors that will let you know if your CPU or DRAM area is getting a little soggy.
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ASUS continues to expand its ProArt series of motherboards. With the release of the Intel Z690 chipset, the manufacturer introduced a new model of the series, called the ProArt Z690-Creator WiFi, which has fully replaced the WS series – the new product has great expansion possibilities, and the power and cooling safety margins are also impressive, and the design is strict and devoid of any built-in RGB elements. But today we will talk about her younger sister – ProArt B660-Creator D4.
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The sound comes from the hand of the Realtek ALC4080 codec that turns out to be very standardized. Offers 7.1 high-definition audio with support for optical output. On this occasion we did not find a Debug LED screen, however we have the witnesses that will notify us of errors in the boot or its status. The stack situation does not make it ideal for doing a clear CMOS while under the installed GPU. Luckily we have a jumper located next to the front audio connector, simply by activating it we will clear CMOS.
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About two months behind the flagship Intel Z690 released in November last year. Three new chipsets for the 12th generation Intel Core processor have debuted. This time, we will take up “MAG B660M MORTAR WIFI DDR4” by Micro-Star Int’l Co., Ltd. (MSI / Headquarters: Taiwan) , which adopts the Intel B660 in the middle . While in the middle range, we will thoroughly verify the attention model with abundant functions comparable to the high end.
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January 6th 2022 – Leading global motherboard manufacturer, ASRock, is proud to announce its latest Z690 flagship motherboard, the ASRock Z690 AQUA. Designed to unlock the best of Intel® 12th Generation Core ‘K Series’ processors, the AQUA incorporates almost every leading feature imaginable. Looking as good as it cools, the Z690 AQUA truly stands out from all others.
“After the critical acclaim of our previous AQUA limited-edition motherboard, we’re extremely excited to launch the Z690 AQUA, which features our most impressive and innovative tuning and cooling technologies that are designed to break the boundaries of what PC performance is capable of.” Said Chris Lee, Vice President of ASRock motherboard and gaming monitor business unit.
The Z690 AQUA features a water-cooling mono-block that efficiently cools both CPU and VRM, ensuring maximum performance while keeping the system completely chilled. ASRock includes a digital water leak detector in the package to ensure PC builders can create a legendary water-cooled machine in full confidence. Every PC builder demands addressable RGB effects that sync to their favorite colors and reflects their personal style, and the Z690 AQUA offers ARGB lighting and a built-in informational OLED display that can really draw the eye.
To complement its impressive water-cooling hardware, underneath, a powerful 19+1 phase VRM design with 105 Amp SPS ensures the Intel® 12th Generation Core CPU always has enough power, even when highly overclocked. An unprecedented 12-layer PCB with 2oz copper layers ensures the Z690 AQUA is a flagship-grade motherboard through-and-through.
Ensuring maximum performance beyond the motherboard, two Thunderbolt4 ports give 40Gbps of performance are available, plus not just one, but two USB 3.2 Gen2x2 front panel connectors give an extra 20Gbps USB connectivity at the front of a PC chassis. Featuring 10Gbps AQUANTIA LAN, plus 2.5Gbps LAN and WiFi 6E, the Z690 AQUA ensures the widest variety of the fastest multi-gigabit connectivity is on hand to use, whatever your home networking needs.
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ASUS Prime H610M-D D4 comes in a box with an updated Prime design, which is also relevant for some other motherboards based on the Intel Z690 chipset. The manufacturer changed the design from the black and blue color scheme to gray. The name of the board, its image, as well as a set of logos of the technologies used are placed on the front side of the box.
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MSI MAG B660M Mortar WiFi DDR4 is a low-cost mATX motherboard based on the Intel B660 chipset, focused on building a mid-sized system, but without the special restrictions, as would be the case with a mini-ITX board. The heroine of this material offers us the possibility of assembling a gaming or working system from high-performance components, but taking into account the limitation in the form of the lack of overclocking of the processor (there are practically no limitations in memory) and a somewhat smaller (relative to ATX solutions) set of slots and interfaces.
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The board has 17 USB ports of different types (including 2 USB 3.2 Gen2×2), 2 PCIe x16 slots (including one PCIe x16 5.0), 4 M.2 slots, 6 SATA ports and 8 fan connectors. The board has a competent cooling system for each potentially heated element, including drives in M.2 slots. Networking capabilities include a fast wired 2.5 Gbps controller and one state-of-the-art wireless controller. Among the advantages of the board can be mentioned a good backlight. Note and improved audio codec Realtek ALC4080.
Read more @ iXBT (Russian)