The Intel Z690 Motherboard Overview (DDR5): Over 50+ New Models
by Gavin Bonshor on November 9, 2021 9:00 AM ESTGIGABYTE Z690 Aorus Pro (DDR5)
The GIGABYTE Z690 Aorus Pro offers a solid entry point into the Aorus series, with a more modest feature set when compared to the Z690 Aorus Master. The design is also similar, but the Z690 Aorus Pro opts for a simpler design that consists of black and silver heatsinks throughout. GIGABYTE does include a small amount of integrated RGB LED lighting that can be found built into the rear panel cover. Having a simplistic design and slightly more feature light specifications also makes it one of the cheapest Aorus branded models at launch.
Looking at the feature set, the GIGABYTE Z690 Aorus Pro includes one full-length PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, with two full-length PCIe 3.0 x4 slots. The Pro also includes plenty of storage options, including three PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots and one PCIe 3.0 x4 slot, with six SATA ports with support for RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 arrays. In the top right-hand corner are four memory slots, with support for DDR5-6000, and a combined capacity of up to 128 GB.
On the rear panel, GIGABYTE includes one USB 3.2 G2x2 Type-C, four USB 3.2 G2 Type-A, four USB 3.2 G1 Type-A, and four USB 2.0 ports. The board is using an Intel I225-V 2.5 GbE controller with an Intel AX200 Wi-Fi 6 CNVi for its networking capability, while the integrated audio consists of two 3.5 mm audio jacks and S/PDIF optical output powered by a Realtek ALC4080 HD audio codec.
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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.