Intel Z690

Welcome to the Intel Z690 Chipset News & Reviews Database. Looking for something specific? Use the search utility, tags, or just explore through using the drop-down menu. From there, you can select your preferred motherboard manufacturer to find a listing of Intel Z690 motherboards that have reviews available.

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ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z690 APEX – PC Gamer

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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.

Read more @ PC Gamer

MSI MAG Z690 TORPEDO – NewEsc

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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.

Read more @ NewEsc (Spanish)

ASRock Launches Limited Edition Z690 AQUA and Z690 AQUA OC

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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.

Liquid-cooling, ARGB and OLED built-in

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.

Extreme 19+1 phase 105A SPS Dr.MOS VRM design

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.

Extensive connectivity including Thunderbolt4

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.

Read more @ ASRock

ASUS ROG STRIX Z690-F GAMING WIFI – iXBT

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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)

MSI MPG Z690 EDGE WIFI DDR4 – Chiphell

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The difference is the upgrade of PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 memory, and today’s review is the MPG Z690 Edge Ti WIFI DDR4 motherboard from MSI. The product line is positioned at high-end performance. From the name, it can be seen that it supports WIFI and DDR4 memory, but there is no choice. DDR5 memory is not necessarily a bad thing, at least in terms of price, and now DDR4 may be a better choice for non-flagship motherboards. As for other configurations, let’s take a look.

Read more @ Chiphell (Chinese)

ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z690 APEX – GreenTech_Reviews

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One of the key features of ASUS motherboards (any series based on the Intel Z690 chipset) is the presence of holes for mounting cooling systems that are compatible not only with LGA1700, but also with LGA1200 / 115x. But you need to be careful – the height of the new processor is different from the previous one, so not all cooling systems can be installed with the proper pressure level.

Read more @ GreenTech_Reviews (Russian)

ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z690 EXTREME GLACIAL – Overclocking

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We will end our tour of Asus motherboards from the “ROG Maximus Z690” series with the ultimate version, the Extreme Glacial model. If last week, we offered you the test of the ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme, this “Glacial” model also benefits from a full water block designed by the company EK. This waterblock will be responsible for keeping your CPU, the power supply stage, your SSD as well as the chipset cool . This model will therefore use the excellent PCB as well as the many connectors of the Extreme version while optimizing the cooling of the various components. A collaboration between

Read more @ Overclocking (French)

ASUS ROG DDR5 to DDR4 Converter – A Current Z690 Need?

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As Tweeted by @9550pro, a new ROG DDR5 to DDR4 adapter appears to be in development by Asus. Chinese YouTuber 林大餅Bing made a video discussing this new DDR5 conversion card and how it works.

According to the video, this is an experimental DDR5 to DDR4 card. The YouTuber explains that the card can successfully convert a DDR5 slot to communicate DDR4 signaling to both the CPU and memory module. However, due to the card’s immense size, the traces connecting the DDR4 module to the DIMM slot are very long, which can make running high-speed memory modules problematic.

Read more @ Tom’s Hardware

GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS MASTER – TechPowerUp

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The Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master features a dedicated VRM design with an insane nineteen 105 A power stages for some serious overclocking headroom. To round out the experience, the Aorus Master also offers great connectivity with the newest WiFi 6E technology and 10G LAN for those who need to transfer data quickly. There is a lot to cover in this review, so let’s take a closer look!

Read more @ TechPowerUp

BIOSTAR Z690 VALKYRIE – Guru3D

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Meet the Biostar Z690 Valkyrie motherboard. This product is from a series that already appeared using the Z590 chipset in the past. What does this name mean? It’s the name of Odin’s twelve handmaids who conducted the slain warriors of their choice from the battlefield to Valhalla. The series was introduced with Z590 Valkyrie. But coming back to the reviewed board – it is very expensive, as the MSRP is 599 USD (about 150 USD more than its predecessor), so it’s aimed at the high-end range of the market (and it’s rather crowded there). 

Read more @ Guru3D