The Intel Z690 Motherboard Overview (DDR4): Over 30+ New Models
by Gavin Bonshor on November 24, 2021 2:00 PM ESTASUS Prime Z690M Plus D4 (DDR4)
The ASUS Prime Z690M Plus D4 is essentially a micro-ATX sized version of the ASUS Prime Z690-P D4 model. It shares a very similar design, with silver heatsinks, a black and light grey patterned PCB, and it uses a small silver heatsink to keep the chipset cool. The Prime Z690M Plus D4 uses a modest feature set, with all the benefits of the 12th generation processors and the Z690 chipset, including PCIe 5.0 support, USB 3.2 G2x2 Type-C, but in a modestly affordable micro-ATX sized package.
Looking at PCIe support, ASUS includes one full-length PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, one full-length PCIe 4.0 x4 slot, and two smaller PCIe 3.0 x1 slots. In the top right-hand corner are four memory slots that have support for DDR4-5333, with a maximum combined capacity of 128 GB. Focusing on storage options, there are a total of three M.2 slots, with all three supporting PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 drives, while one of these also allows SATA-based M.2 drives to be used. For conventional SATA devices, ASUS includes four SATA ports, with two featuring right-angled connectors and two with straight angled connectors.
On the rear panel of the ASUS Prime Z690M Plus D4 is a variety of input and output. This includes one USB 3.2 G2x2 Type-C, one USB 3.2 G2 Type-A, four USB 3.2 G1 Type-A, and two USB 2.0 ports. ASUS includes an HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 video output pairing, with three 3.5 mm audio jacks powered by an unspecified Realtek HD audio codec. Last but not least is the board's networking connectivity, which consists of a single Intel I229-V Gigabit Ethernet controller.
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ikjadoon - Wednesday, November 24, 2021 - link
Gigabyte has done a better job this time around with mini-ITX DDR4. $290 for a very well-rounded board—shame HiCookie lied so blatantly in all their 8 GHz marketing.ASRock mini-ITX: people still use type-A ports. 5x ports only?!
Windows 11, DDR5 availability & perf-price, and hybrid quirks make ADL a much better 2022 purchase for me. DDR4 price-perf + availability are nice, but not enough to overcome Panos’ major missteps on his first (and hopefully last) Windows launch.
DigitalFreak - Wednesday, November 24, 2021 - link
Why does anyone pay attention to these "extreme overclockers"? He hit (or didn't in this case) 8Ghz. Big deal. You can't actually do anything with the CPU at that speed aside from run an e-peen benchmark.ikjadoon - Wednesday, November 24, 2021 - link
Nobody paid attention until.... Gigabyte plastered his faked validations all over their Z690 marketing material. Nobody cares what any "overclocker" does these days and that's why they got jobs with motherboard vendors: the only people that can still sell a motherboard for $$$ with exaggerated hardware.https://www.techradar.com/news/no-gigabyte-didnt-s...
0ldman79 - Tuesday, December 14, 2021 - link
5 ports is a bad idea but type-A?Yeah, like 99% of USB accessories use type-A. That is still the *primary* interface for USB devices.
StormyParis - Wednesday, November 24, 2021 - link
That last page is very useful, thank you. Wish I had a table to sum up the info ;-pFordGT550 - Wednesday, November 24, 2021 - link
I can't find the Z690 Aorus Pro DDR4 in stock anywhere.bug77 - Friday, November 26, 2021 - link
I don't think it's available yet. Notice there's no price listed for it either (yeah, I've got my eyes on the same board).HLuna52180 - Friday, November 26, 2021 - link
Agreed! This is the model mobo that I want. It best fits my needs yet it's currently only available in Australia. Hope they make it into the states. I have all the other parts on order or with me already to make my Alder Lake build. Frustrating!MatarM0 - Saturday, November 27, 2021 - link
i see it in stock but it seems like it cant run any memory with 1.42v or higher depending on what newegg reviewer said and some others in the internet so hopefully they can fix it and it will be a good dealmeacupla - Wednesday, November 24, 2021 - link
I can understand mobo makers not wanting to allocate too many resources into the dead end DDR4 platform, but these lineups seem excessively weak to me.Like, really? there's not a single Z690 DDR4 mobo with thunderbolt?
And then with Z690 DDR5 mobos, there's way too much overlap in features and functionalities.