Intel – Page 5 – Motherboard Review

NZXT N7 Z690 – GameRevolution

June 2, 2022 by Stephen

As usual, NZXT hasn’t skimped on the packaging of its motherboards. The N7 Z690 comes in a bigger-than-you’d-expect box, providing ample protection. After removing the motherboard from the box, I readied it for installation.
My i7-12700K, 16 GB of RAM, and RTX 3070 joined the board and other components inside of the H7 Elite case without issue. Ports are placed thoughtfully and I was especially happy with the generous number of fan headers. After the installation was complete, I was left with a very good-looking system.

ASUS ROG STRIX Z690-I GAMING WIFI – PCWorld

June 2, 2022 by Stephen

Two more design elements that will make the DIY enthusiast happy: First, M.2 latches mean no more losing those tiny screws. Second, the integrated I/O shield makes sure it’s never forgotten—and comes in handy in cramped cases where it’d be more difficult to maneuver. This is a feature that’s been appearing on higher-end motherboards the last few years, so it’s great to see it here.

ASRock Z690 Taichi Razer Edition – Tom’s Hardware

June 2, 2022 by Stephen

At over $600, the ASRock Z690 Taichi Razer Edition is a pricey alternative to the Taichi that includes more RGBs and native integration with the Razer Synapse ecosystem. If customizing your board and the attached lighting is key, the Razer Edition is a great choice in the premium motherboard space. Otherwise, there are better equipped and less expensive options available.

NZXT N7 Z690 – Windows Central

June 2, 2022 by Stephen

With the release of Intel Alder Lake, it was only a matter of time for NZXT to give its N7 motherboard a refresh to support the latest 12th Gen Intel processors and other highlight features from the Z690 chipset. Enter the NZXT N7 Z690, the latest Intel flagship motherboard with full CAM support.
NZXT is still relatively new to the motherboard game, even though the company has a few boards already under its belt with its established partnership with ASRock. The Z690 is the third generation of NZXT N7 motherboards for Intel processors, and the company has improved upon feedback with each iteration.

NZXT N7 Z690 – Hardware Inside

June 2, 2022 by Stephen

With the N7 Z690, NZXT has brought a mainboard onto the market that not only impresses with its external appearance. It is also well equipped at the same time and comes with 12+1 phases, which ensure good power supply and stability of the processor. At first we were skeptical about the power stages, but then we were taught better, because the values we achieved speak for themselves.

GIGABYTE B660 AORUS MASTER DDR4 – TweakTown

May 31, 2022 by Stephen

As far as hardware goes on the B660 Master, it’s not far off its Z690 brethren with three PCIe express slots, the top x16 operating at Gen4 and the other two operating at x4 and x1 Gen3, respectively. Storage includes one m.2 slot coming off the CPU, this lives above the top PCIe slot. We also have two more m.2 slots to the left of the chipset heat sink, one operating at Gen4 and one at Gen3. SATA connectivity includes four ports at 6Gbps.

MSI MEG Z690 ACE – CowcotLand

May 31, 2022 by Stephen

The MSI MEG Z690 ACE is therefore a high-end motherboard intended in part for overclockers with competition VRMs: 19+1+2 phases at 105 A, excellent heatsinks, an LED display and even two BIOSes. But also to professionals by acquiring two Ethernet ports and a very complete Thunderbolt connection. It is a card in E-ATX format and not in ATX format, so it will not adapt to all cases. Pay attention!

ASRock Z690 Steel Legend WiFi 6E – TweakTown

May 31, 2022 by Stephen

As far as board hardware goes, this Steel Legend platform follows what we have seen across the entire 600 series chipset ecosystem when considering ATX motherboards. LGA1700 socket for 12th Gen Intel CPUs, four slot memory subsystem, this board taking advantage of the lower cost of DDR4. 128GB of memory is supported with speeds from 3200MHz to 5333MHz via XMP 2.0.

Intel H610/H670 w/Raptor Lake-S & SO-DIMM DDR5-5200 Support

May 30, 2022 by Stephen

The company lists Raptor Lake-S CPU support for its PH12ADI Mini-ITX industrial motherboard. The CPU allegedly supports up to 5200 MHz (or MT/s if you prefer) through non-EEC SO-DIMM memory. This speed is above JEDEC’s standard of 4800 MT/s, which may lead us to believe that this is the lowest frequency natively supported for SO-DIMM memory on Raptor Lake.

MSI B660 DDR4 BCLK Overclocking Support Incoming?

May 30, 2022 by Stephen

According to a new leak, MSI might soon release the MAG B660M Mortar Max WiFi DDR4 motherboard with an external clock generator made by Renesas.
A few months ago, der8auer discovered that motherboards with an external clock generator unlock BCLK overclocking of Intel’s non-K (locked multiplier) Alder Lake CPUs. With the right settings, even a Celeron G6900 could be overclocked from 3.4 GHz to over 5.3 GHz.
The MAG B660M Mortar Max WiFi DDR4 changes that, as can be inferred from its rather-lengthy name. Another advantage of the external clock generator is that it adds PCIe 5.0 support for the first expansion slot, something all of the other B660M Mortar models lack (confusingly, there are already four variations out with DDR4/DDR5 and each with/without WiFi).