The Intel Z690 Motherboard Overview (DDR4): Over 30+ New Models
by Gavin Bonshor on November 24, 2021 2:00 PM ESTASRock Z690M-ITX/ax (DDR4)
Out of all the vendor's mini-ITX sized options, ASRock is typically hot off the press on providing a varied selection of small form factor offerings at the launch of a new chipset. While the ASRock Z690 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB4 caters primarily to the higher end of what's available on Z690, the ASRock Z690M-ITX/ax offers incredible value, specifications, and features for users looking to use DDR4 over DDR5 memory. Focusing on the design, the Z690M-ITX/ax follows a black and silver theme, with a black PCB and silver heatsinks, with the power delivery heatsink doubling up as a rear panel cover.
As it's a mini-ITX sized motherboard, it has just one full-length PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, but it does include two M.2 slots. One of the M.2 slots operates at PCIe 4.0 x4, while the second slot supports both PCIe 4.0 x4 and SATA drives. For conventional SATA-based storage and devices such as optical media, ASRock includes four SATA ports which include support for RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 arrays. There are just two memory slots available for users, with support for up to DDR4-5000 and a combined capacity of up to 64 GB.
On the rear panel is a single USB 3.2 G2x2 Type-C port, with a second G2x2 Type-C available via a front panel header. Also featured are four USB 3.2 G2 Type-A and two USB 2.0 ports. Networking support consists of two Ethernet ports, one powered by a Realtek RTL8125BG 2.5 GbE controller and a second by an Intel I229-V Gigabit controller. ASRock also includes a Wi-Fi 6E CNVi which offers support for both wireless and BT 5.2 devices. For users looking to use integrated graphics, there is an HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 video output pairing, while three 3.5 mm audio jacks are powered by a Realtek ALC897 HD audio codec. Finishing off the rear panel is a small BIOS Flashback button.
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ikjadoon - Wednesday, November 24, 2021 - link
Why on Earth are you replying to someone...that has nothing to do with you?Start your piss-poor rant in a new comment thread.
12345 - Sunday, November 28, 2021 - link
Not everyone can have their desktop right next to their modem/router/switch, or run ethernet through the house.ikjadoon - Wednesday, November 24, 2021 - link
I think you're right. Seemingly a typo or a brand-new revision already,>Supports MU-MIMO TX/RX, 2.4GHz/ 5GHz (160MHz) up to 2.4Gbps
On page 5 English, https://download.msi.com/archive/mnu_exe/mb/M7D25v...
12345 - Sunday, November 28, 2021 - link
I thought WIFI 6E was integrated into the CPU and just needs a physical interface.GreenReaper - Sunday, December 26, 2021 - link
Since 6E is basically a different frequency, they may not feel they can promote it until it is authorized to use in the jurisdictions they are selling it.sseemaku - Wednesday, November 24, 2021 - link
Considering DDR5 memory is out of stock everywhere, everyone who want to buy Alderlake cpu have to go with a ddr4 board.James5mith - Wednesday, November 24, 2021 - link
"Seemingly more affordable" ?Numbers shouldn't be presented as vague or uncertain. Is the cost of a 32GB DIMM of DDR4 cheaper than 32GB of DDR5? Then it's more affordable.
TristanSDX - Wednesday, November 24, 2021 - link
which mobos support AVX 512 ? tested it ?bug77 - Friday, November 26, 2021 - link
Asus, AsRock and Gigabyte support AVX-512 (at least until the next firmware update, waiting to see whether Intel has anything to say about this). MSI can't enable it. Idk about the others.TeddyBaeeer - Wednesday, November 24, 2021 - link
Are the ASRock mini itx boards, ddr4 or ddr5, ever going to come out in the US? They're still not at newegg, microcenter, best buy, amazon, anywhere!