The Intel Z690 Motherboard Overview (DDR5): Over 50+ New Models
by Gavin Bonshor on November 9, 2021 9:00 AM ESTGIGABYTE Z690 Aero G (DDR5)
Similar to GIGABYTE's Z690 Aero D, GIGABYTE has also launched a content-creator-focused model for users on a tighter budget and without the need for Thunderbolt 4. The GIGABYTE Z690 Aero G has a more simplistic design, with a contrasting black and silver look throughout. The Z690 Aero G does include integrated RGB LED lighting, including a strip built into the rear panel cover, and more RGB LED lighting going diagonally across the chipset heatsink.
Focusing on PCIe support, the GIGABYTE Z690 Aero G includes one full-length PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, with two full-length PCIe 3.0 x4 slots. Storage options include three PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots, with six SATA ports capable of supporting Intel RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 arrays. In terms of memory support, there are four memory slots located in the top right-hand corner, which can support up to DDR5-6000, with a combined capacity of up to 128 GB.
The rear panel of the GIGABYTE Z690 Aero G is spearheaded by dual USB 3.2 G2x2 Type-C, two USB 3.2 G2 Type-A, four USB 3.2 G1 Type-A, and two USB 2.0 ports. Networking options consist of an Intel I225-V 2.5 GbE controller and Intel AX-AX201 Wi-Fi 6 CNVi, with two 3.5 mm audio jacks and S/PDIF optical output providing basic audio access. Finishing off the rear panel is a single HDMI 2.1 video output and a DisplayPort video input.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
126 Comments
View All Comments
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.