Intel Z690 – Motherboard Review

GIGABYTE Z690I AORUS ULTRA PLUS – PC Gamer

July 9, 2022 by Stephen

The Z690I Aorus Ultra Plus is a relatively new offering, launching back in May 2022. It’s also available in both DDR4 and DDR5 versions, and I have the DDR5 version on hand for my review. It serves as a replacement for the Z690I Aorus Ultra which was recalled after reports of PCIe 4.0 compatibility issues. The Ultra Plus’ only PCIe 16x slot supports up to PCIe 5.0. In my testing with a PCIe 4.0 card, I didn’t experience any issues as I’d expect from an updated model. In addition, the Ultra Plus has been upgraded with Wi-Fi 6E support, too.

EVGA Z690 DARK K|NGP|N – Tom’s Hardware

July 9, 2022 by Stephen

Performance-wise, the Dark Kingpin lit up the charts as one of the fastest boards across our multi-threaded tests, and nearly did a clean sweep as the best-performing board in our Procyon Office tests. Single-threaded portions of our tests didn’t fare as well, but the board was still average across most of those tests. Gaming performance was also above average. Overall, this is a well-performing board out of the box, especially when pushed with heavy multi-threaded loads.

MSI MAG Z690 TORPEDO – Hardware-Inside

July 9, 2022 by Stephen

With the MAG Z690 TORPEDO, MSI has another mainboard with DRR5 support in its portfolio that tries to set itself apart from the competition with its numerous features. With the TORPEDO, MSI relies on a plain and simple design and does without RGB lighting on the board. Four M.2 slots and a generous power supply with 18 phases should give the user a secure feeling to fire up Intel’s Core i7 or Core i9 processors. In the following, we don’t want to withhold from you the numerous features, any overclocking potential of the CPU and the working memory as well as the temperatures.

ASRock Z690 Pro RS – CowcotLand

July 9, 2022 by Stephen

But we can’t help but think that we could have hoped for a little better. Because finally, a few more USB ports on the back would make it more attractive to the general public who will see a limit. One or two more heatsinks for SSDs would have been welcome as well. So, for office or gaming use we will then turn to other models that will have better cooling or better connectivity in this price segment, especially when we know that some B660 also have a PCIe Gen 5.0 port.

ASUS TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI D4 – Overclocking

July 9, 2022 by Stephen

When the first Z690 DDR4 motherboards were released, Asus and MSI dominated the sales. Despite some initial memory compatibility issues, BIOS updates have corrected the issues over time. The latest, namely version 1504, was released in early June 2022. With a manufacturer follow-up still ongoing, the board certainly hasn’t said its last word, despite the upcoming launch of Z790 motherboards. Let’s see if like a good wine, the TUF Gaming for Intel Alder Lake has improved over time.

MSI MEG Z690I UNIFY – Hardware-Inside

July 9, 2022 by Stephen

Today the MSI MEG Z690I UNIFY arrived at our editorial office shortly before the editorial deadline. MSI relies on the simple and completely dispenses with RGB lighting on the mainboard itself, which may sometimes be a welcome change for the end user. It starts with 12 phases and not only offers WIFI 6E and three M.2 slots, according to the manufacturer it also supports DDR5 6800 MHz+. In the following, we don’t want to deprive you of the numerous features, temperatures and possible overclocking potential of the CPU and RAM. MSI provided us with the test sample for our test.

ASUS ROG STRIX Z690-I GAMING WIFI – Comptoir Hardware

July 9, 2022 by Stephen

After ASRock’s version , it’s Asus’ turn to show us what it can do best in the mini-ITX format – the only representative in this format – with its ROG Strix Z690-I Gaming WiFi. The manufacturer is particularly targeting players with its motherboard, hence the term “Gaming” in its name (yes, yes). Intended for Alder Lake processors in LGA 1700 socket, this ROG Strix Z690-I Gaming WiFi appears in any case to be very complete, at least on paper: DDR5 and PCI-Express 5.0 are thus in the spotlight, alongside a multitude other state-of-the-art features. Head to the test bench to dissect this mobo.

ASRock Z690 Taichi Razer Edition – HardwareCooking

July 9, 2022 by Stephen

To speak technically, we are on a card in the standard ATX format. You will have guessed it from its name, it is based on the Intel Z690 chipset which is the top of the range and which allows a pushed OC. For the socket, it is the LGA1700 and it is therefore compatible with 12th and 13th generation Intel Core processors such as the i9-12900K, i7-12700K or even 12600K and upcoming 13900K, 13700K, etc. As for a few generations in the mainstream sector, this motherboard is capable of managing a maximum of 128 GB of memory. On the other hand, we are here on a DDR5 card, DDR4 is not backward compatible.

ASRock Z690 Taichi – OCInside

July 9, 2022 by Stephen

In the first of two boxes we find the lush accessories for the motherboard. Included are cloth cable ties, the manual, a driver CD, SATA connection cables, two WiFi antennas, a slot bracket with 2 USB ports, mounting screws for the M.2 interfaces, an ASRock Taichi button, a bottle opener in Taichi design and a graphics card holder.

ASRock Z690 Taichi – Comptoir Hardware

July 9, 2022 by Stephen

Standard bearer at ASRock, the Taichi range and its recognizable design among all represent what the manufacturer knows how to do best in terms of motherboards. The Z690 Taichi that interests us today is no exception to the rule: intended for Intel’s Alder Lake processors, this LGA 1700 socket mobo is overflowing with features, expansion ports and connectors… and RGB. But who says technological showcase and high-end features also says very high price, and here too this ASRock Z690 Taichi respects this rule to the letter.