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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Oxford Guy - Wednesday, November 10, 2021 - link
Creating more fiat bills has consequences. Congress literally printed money to give to lobbyists as part of ‘Covid relief’.fcth - Wednesday, November 10, 2021 - link
Sad to see only one mATX board, though at least it looks like a decent (if expensive) option.Mite - Wednesday, November 10, 2021 - link
Can ASUS Z690 Maximus Extreme run PCIe 5.0 x16 GPU and PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 SSD concurrently? Will the GPU (PCIe 5.0 x16 slot 1) drop to PCIe 5.0 x8 instead when SSD is installed on the PCIe 5.0 x4 (M2 slot)?Kakkoii - Wednesday, November 10, 2021 - link
MSI does show the Audio Codec... just not on the simplified summary. You guys have to click the "Detail" tab on the Specifications page for a given board. All the boards show which audio they're using.The Carbon for example has ALC4080.
gavbon - Thursday, November 18, 2021 - link
At the time of writing, even the detail sections of the specifications didn't show them. On top of this, all of the information we received prior to launch mentioned no specific HD audio codecs. I will update this though :)JackNJ - Friday, November 12, 2021 - link
The GIGABYTE Z690I Aorus Ultra is not DDR5 I think?chavv - Friday, November 12, 2021 - link
5 m2 slots?How is this useful for a normal user?!
Or 600$ mobo for desktop usage?!
World gone mad
mode_13h - Saturday, November 13, 2021 - link
For RAID, obviously. That borderline makes sense. If you're running a 4 or 5-drive RAID of SSDs in a consumer rig, it's more cost-effective and still plenty fast to use SATA. And I think it's not unreasonable to expect anyone using M.2 drives to put them in a PCIe carrier card, which will have better cooling potential anyhow.sunmobo - Friday, November 12, 2021 - link
You've included MSI's ITX variant in the list (MEG Z690I Unify) but I can't seem to find it on their website. Although if you google you'll find a few mentions on some shops, without pics. Is this because MSI is still working on the board, or?gavbon - Thursday, November 18, 2021 - link
It's likely to launch soon, but it does and will exist.