The Intel Z690 Motherboard Overview (DDR5): Over 50+ New Models
by Gavin Bonshor on November 9, 2021 9:00 AM ESTColorful iGame Z690 Ultra D5
Colorful which primarily targets the Asian market also have a model ready for the launch of Alder Lake. Typically Colorful's options are limited but very funky in design and the latest Colorful iGame Z690 Ultra D5 is no exception to this. Equipped with a very modest range of features and controllers, it's aimed at the entry-level, but it has plenty of pizazz. On the design side, Colorful has gone with a white, silver, and grey aesthetic, with multiple areas of integrated RGB LED lighting. The iGame Z690 Ultra D5 features a wave-themed design on its power delivery heatsinks, with a U-shaped M.2 and chipset heatsink combined. Colorful is also advertising a 19-phase (18+1) power delivery, with dual 8-pin 12 V ATX CPU power inputs.
Looking at the feature set, Colorful isn't clear here on the expansion slots, as they sent us details with PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 3.0 slots, despite Alder Lake and the Z690 chipset offering PCIe 5.0 support. The top two full-length slots (PCIe 5.0/4.0) can operate at x16 and x8/x8, while the board also includes a half-length PCIe 3.0 x4 and two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. Storage options include three PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots, with six SATA ports capable of supporting RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 arrays. Looking at memory support, Colorful has only given us compatibility of speeds of DDR5-4800, which could mean it has yet to QVL list various memory kits, but we do know the four memory slots can accommodate 128 GB of capacity.
While we don't currently have a rear panel image for the Colorful iGame Z690 Ultra D5, we know that it includes one USB 3.2 G2x2 Type-C, four USB 3.2 G2 Type-A, and two USB 2.0 ports. Networking is handled by an Intel I225-V 2.5 GbE controller and unspecified Wi-Fi 6 CNVi, while Colorful lists an 8-channel HD audio codec for the onboard audio.
We will update this page when we receive more information.
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mode_13h - Friday, November 12, 2021 - link
I was really disappointed not to see more discussion of costs and why the price distribution of these boards tends to skew so high.However, I was most surprised to see how much lower some of the entry-level models are priced. Do we think these will be produced in sufficient volume, or are they primarily there as a means of upselling would-be buyers who, out of frustration at seeing them always out-of-stock eventually end up buying one of the more expensive models?
mikk - Saturday, November 13, 2021 - link
MSI Pro Z690-A WIFI, MSI Pro Z690-A and many more have the cheaper Realtek ALC897 Codec, the audio table is not accurate and it says Z490 instead of Z690.ajollylife - Sunday, November 14, 2021 - link
Wtf is with the PCIe 3.0 slots? I'm looking at the Gigabyte Aorus Master, has 10gig onboard, great, but then the other two pcie slots are pcie 3.0 So confused.mode_13h - Sunday, November 14, 2021 - link
From what I've read, PCIe 4.0 tends to require retimers, which adds cost and takes space. Those could be reasons why we don't see more PCIe 4.0 slots.back2future - Monday, November 15, 2021 - link
maybe mainboards start getting reshaped/redesigned (vertical m.2, backside slots/connectors, ?) instead of using retimers (chipset TDP includes retimer power?, cooling power for peripherals on PCIe 5.x speeds on 4GB/(s*lane)=~2 lanes sufficient for fastest available (2021, consumer) SSDs )?ecclesiastes121314 - Wednesday, February 23, 2022 - link
2 ram slots? I've seen this on a few of these new DDR5 boards. Most people here are talking about Thunderbolt 4 and USB4. Yes these are very useful to a select group of people yet these can be achieved with add on cards. Then you can pay for the devices to take advantage of these technologies. Reducing ram slots from 4 to 2. Wow. Yes you can buy high density ram. But this is forcing you that direction. What is wrong with 4x16 or 4x32 ram kits? If you (me) are interested in high performance video then affordable and available ram is a huge consideration. Is it just me?