The Intel Z690 Motherboard Overview (DDR5): Over 50+ New Models
by Gavin Bonshor on November 9, 2021 9:00 AM ESTGIGABYTE Z690 Aorus Ultra (DDR5)
Out of all of the ambiguously named Aorus series models such as the Elite, the Master, the Pro, the entry-level model in the GIGABYTE Aorus series is the Ultra. Known as typically one of the more affordable entry points onto GIGABYTE's more premium gaming-focused series, the GIGABYTE Z690 Aorus Ultra has plenty of premium features that solidify its position as a bridging gap between the more advanced models and its baseline models. Looking at the aesthetics, GIGABYTE has gone with a modern design with a blend of black and silver heatsinks throughout, with a funky Aorus logo embedded onto the top section of the rear panel cover.
Focusing on expansion support, the GIGABYTE Z690 Aorus Ultra includes one full-length PCIe 5.0 x16, while the other two full-length slots are electronically locked down to PCIe 3.0 x4. For storage, the Ultra has four PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots, with six SATA ports capable of supporting RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 arrays. Located in the top right-hand corner are four memory slots, with support for DDR5-6200. and a combined total of 128 GB.
Featured on the rear panel is a single USB 3.2 G2x2 Type-C port, along with four USB 3.2 G2 Type-A, four USB 3.2 G1 Type-A, and four USB 2.0 ports. Networking options include a single Intel I225-V 2.5 GbE controller with an Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 CNVi. For onboard audio, GIGABYTE includes just two 3.5 mm audio jacks and S/PDIF optical output powered by a Realtek ALC4080 HD audio codec, while users looking to use integrated graphics will find a single DisplayPort video output rather useful.
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Duwelon - Tuesday, November 9, 2021 - link
Asus' prices are completely bananas. If I build a new rig with Z690 it'll probably be my first non-Asus build in a very long time.Sivar - Tuesday, November 9, 2021 - link
That caught my eye, too. I bought an Asus Hero-branded board for my current system last year at approximately $200 USD.I suspect Asus is shifting their marketspeak because the word "Maximus" (used for the z690 board but not mine) usually applies to their most expensive boards.
blppt - Tuesday, November 9, 2021 - link
This. $2000 for a consumer grade motherboard? WTF are they smoking?Also, I'm pretty sure ASUS will be releasing some TUF Z690s at some point, probably at a lower price point than the primes. My experience with the TUF series has been very positive for the price.
DigitalFreak - Tuesday, November 9, 2021 - link
They know they're not going to sell many of those. Those boards are either for LN2 e-peen competitions or people with more money than sense.Wrs - Wednesday, November 10, 2021 - link
TUF is historically just a bit more expensive than Prime. They already have a TUF DDR4 version - ordered the Wifi one for $290 the other day. If worried about price DDR5 is the first mistake.blppt - Wednesday, November 10, 2021 - link
The X570 TUF was cheaper than the X570 Prime when I went shopping for an AMD board.COtech - Tuesday, November 9, 2021 - link
Subtitle - "Intel Z690 Chipset: Like Z590, But Now With Native PCIe 4.0"I think "But Now With Native PCIe 5.0" is intended.
gavbon - Thursday, November 18, 2021 - link
The Z690 chipset doesn't have PCIe 5.0, this comes from the CPU. The Z690 chipset does, however, now include PCIe 4.0 lanes, whereas Z590 did not.Someguyperson - Tuesday, November 9, 2021 - link
I don't get the "DP IN" ports on the ASUS ProArt Z690 Creator WIFI. I see the author just wrote what was on the ASUS website, but that doesn't really explain anything. Are they passthrough to the Thunderbolt out ports? Is there a capture card built into this motherboard? I'm very confused by the labeling here.uwsalt - Tuesday, November 9, 2021 - link
Those are passthrough to the Thunderbolt port. Add-in Thunderbolt cards work the same way. You slot in your discrete GPU, send the output from both DP ports to the Thunderbolt controller, and then use Thunderbolt to output to a Thunderbolt monitor or hub.