The Intel Z690 Motherboard Overview (DDR5): Over 50+ New Models
by Gavin Bonshor on November 9, 2021 9:00 AM ESTASUS ROG Strix Z690-F Gaming WIFI (DDR5)
Sitting just below the ASUS ROG Strix Z690-E Gaming WIFI in terms of features and price, the ASUS ROG Strix Z690-F Gaming WIFI keeps things competitive for around $70 less than the Strix-E model. Focusing on the design, ASUS has gone with a brushed aluminum effect rear panel cover, with a graffiti-styled chipset heatsink, and a nice graffiti-enabled RGB design built into the rear panel cover. A lot of the board is covered up due to the large rear panel cover, the power delivery heatsinks, numerous M.2 heatsinks, and a nice-looking white and black chipset heatsink.
Essentially a cut-down version of the E-series Strix model, the ROG Strix Z690-F Gaming WIFI has one full-length PCIe 5.0 x16, one full-length PCIe 3.0 x4, and one PCIe 3.0 x1 slot. Storage options include four PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots, with six SATA ports capable of supporting RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 arrays. On the memory front, there are four memory slots, with support for DDR5-6400 and a combined capacity of 128 GB.
On the rear panel is one USB 3.2 G2x2 Type-C, one USB 3.2 G2 Type-C, two USB 3.2 G2 Type-A, four USB 3.2 G1 Type-A, and two USB 2.0 ports. Similar to the E model, the F also includes an HDMI and DisplayPort video output pairing. There are also five 3.5 mm audio jacks and S/PDIF optical output are powered by a SupremeFX ALC4080 HD audio codec and Savitech SV3H712 amplifier pairing, while networking is handled by an Intel I225-V 2.5 GbE controller and Intel Wi-Fi 6E CNVi.
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Dahak - Tuesday, November 9, 2021 - link
Will there be a list of DDR4 only board as well?Ryan Smith - Wednesday, November 10, 2021 - link
Yes, we're also putting together a guide for DDR4 boards.jh20001 - Wednesday, December 1, 2021 - link
Any news on the DDR4 story? Would be nice to know what model is the best for performance/features in the eyes of others.Flunk - Tuesday, November 9, 2021 - link
Intel's actually released a compelling new chipset? I'm surprised to see DDR5 and PCIe 5 support, but USB 4 seems to be notably absent, despite there being no reason at all to omit it. Intel is finally one-upping AMD after a few years of playing #2.Exotica - Tuesday, November 9, 2021 - link
Thunderbolt4 is usb4 capable…CharonPDX - Tuesday, November 9, 2021 - link
Yep, the only thing USB4 adds over "USB 3.2 2x2" is Thunderbolt support. Therefore any Thunderbolt 4 device is automatically USB4. In fact, essentially any board with "Thunderbolt 3" along with USB 3.2 2x2 basically get "USB4" status for free.DigitalFreak - Tuesday, November 9, 2021 - link
USB 3.2 2x2 is 20 Gbps. USB 4 is 40 Gbps.12345 - Wednesday, November 10, 2021 - link
That's why they mentioned TB3. 40Gbps support is also optional for USB4.12345 - Wednesday, November 10, 2021 - link
DP 2.0 is mandatory for USB4 so TB3 support isn't good enough.KarlKastor - Wednesday, November 10, 2021 - link
That is only the name. The question is, with what speed you can run USB devices.