Best Z690 motherboard in 2023: top 5 Motherboards for high performance PCs
We look at the best Z690 motherboards from all major manufacturers, so you've got a reliable base for your Intel Core i9-12900K, Core i7-12700K, & Core i5-12600K processor
- 01The best, high-end Z690 motherboardASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero WiFi
- 02The best Z690 motherboard for the enthusiastsGIGABYTE Z690 AORUS Master
- 03A solid mid-range Z690 motherboardASUS TUF Gaming Z690-Plus WiFi
Whilst this article contains hardware released in 2022, we assure you that this hardware is still relevant. As soon as anything changes we will update the article.
Z690 motherboards were released on the 4th of November 2021 alongside Intel 12th-gen CPUs and DDR5 RAM. And you can find out which we think is the best z690 motherboard below. We’ve outlined a few of the best Z690 motherboards to suit your new 12th-generation CPU.
The next generation is finally here, with Intels Alder Lake CPUs, the Z690 chipset, and DDR5 RAM all launching simultaneously, giving the enthusiast a lot to think about. For the first time in years, we are getting Intel processors that can potentially compete with AMD but it doesn’t stop there. The Z690 chipset brings about support for PCIe gen 5.0 for your GPU and storage needs, and more importantly, on the high-end motherboards, we have support for DDR5 memory.
This is truly an exciting time in the hardware world, so to celebrate, we are going to be finding the best Z690 motherboard, whether it’s for overclocking, or a new budget 12th-gen system, ensuring you’re well prepared for the shiny-new tech along the way too. We’re really excited about what the 12th-generation CPUs bring to the table, and of course, we need a capable motherboard to harness all the abilities of these fantastic CPUs.
The Z690 is the new flagship board for 12th gen processors, with amazing features and unparalleled performance, let’s take a closer look.
Best Z690 motherboard: motherboards at a glance
ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero WiFi
Form Factor
ATX
Socket
LGA 1700
Chipset
Z690
DDR5?
Yes
GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS Master
Form Factor
ATX
Socket
LGA 1700
Chipset
Z690
DDR5?
Yes
ASUS TUF Gaming Z690-Plus WiFi
Form Factor
ATX
Socket
LGA 1700
Chipset
Z690
DDR5?
No, DDR4
ASUS ROG Strix Z690-I Gaming WiFi
Form Factor
Mini-ITX
Socket
LGA 1700
Chipset
Z690
DDR5?
Yes
ASUS Prime Z690-P
Form Factor
ATX
Socket
LGA 1700
Chipset
Z690
DDR5?
Yes
Best Z690 motherboard: In-depth review
Here we will take a closer look at some of the Best Z690 motherboards.
Editors Pick – Best Z690 motherboard 2023
ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero WiFi
Form Factor
ATX
Socket
LGA 1700
Chipset
Z690
DDR5?
Yes
- Dual Thunderbolt 4 USB-C
- PCIe Slot Q-Release
- 20+1 power stages (90A)
- No 10Gb Ethernet
- Less power stages than more premium models
The ASUS ROG Maximus Hero is one of the best Z690 motherboards on the market. While it may lack the extra power stages and 10Gb we see in ASUS top SKUs, this is still an incredible option.
The design of the new Z690 Hero is slightly different from the previous generation, now featuring some lovely personalization with the Polymer Lighting I/O cover and accompanying RGB lighting. On to the important stuff, this Z690 comes with 20+1 power stages, Intelligent Control, which is ASUS’ AI overclocking, networking, and two-way noise cancellation tools. Taking care of cooling, we have a large VRM heatsink and integrated aluminum I/O cover, with a high-conductivity thermal pad. There are also three M.2 heatsinks, two M.2 backplates, plus a ROG water cooling zone.
A very handy Clear CMOS button means you won’t have to fiddle around trying to extract the CMOS battery when it’s time to clear the system. It’s all handled by one convenient button.
Aside from the above, we obviously have fast DDR5 RAM and PCIe 5.0 support, along with Dual Thunderbolt 4 USB-C and a ROG Hyper M.2 card with Gen 5 M.2 support, giving you some serious connectivity.
GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS Master
GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS Master
Form Factor
ATX
Socket
LGA 1700
Chipset
Z690
DDR5?
Yes
- 20+1+2 Direct Digital VRM Design
- AQUANTIA 10 GbE BASE-T LAN
- Intel Thunderbolt 4
- Very expensive
Gigabyte’s line of Aorus Master motherboards are to be marveled at, they are amazing. Sure most of us will never even consider buying one of these but the Z690 Aorus Master is a sublime option for the enthusiast.
The design of this new chipset looks even nicer than the previous gen with an incredible-looking I/O cover and matching M.2 sink. This board features a commanding 20+1+2 Direct Digital VRM Design, tantalum polymer capacitors, and cutting-edge thermal design. The thermal reactive ‘armor’ uses NanoCarbon fins-array III and we also see a direct touch heat pipe II and NanoCarbon baseplate too.
Not only that, the Aorus Master comes with a BIOS flashback utility, so you can easily and confidently rectify any BIOS-related issues.
With the Z690 chipset comes DDR5 support and what is most impressive about the Master board is the fact you can drive your RAM kit up to 6600MHz. This obviously depends on your memory modules but that is some going.
ASUS TUF Gaming Z690-Plus WiFi
ASUS TUF Gaming Z690-Plus WiFi
Form Factor
ATX
Socket
LGA 1700
Chipset
Z690
DDR5?
No, DDR4
- 14+2 power stages
- Thunderbolt 4
- 4xM.2/NVMe SSD
- DDR4
The ASUS TUF Gaming motherboard is a fan favorite, offering incredible price to performance and solid value for those on tighter budgets.
The TUF Gaming Z690 features an enhanced power solution, with 14+2 DrMOS power stages and Digi+ VRM for maximum durability and performance. As expected the cooling solution is more than sufficient, with a VRM heatsink, PCH fanless heatsink, M.2 heatsink, hybrid fan headers and Fan Xpert 4 utility. The TUF also features Realtek audio.
Unfortunately, this is a DDR4 memory model, so no advantages of the latest blistering DDR5 memory speeds here, however, it can go up to 5333MHz, which is not too bad.
ASUS ROG Strix Z690-I Gaming WiFi
ASUS ROG Strix Z690-I Gaming WiFi
Form Factor
Mini-ITX
Socket
LGA 1700
Chipset
Z690
DDR5?
Yes
- 14+2 power stages
- Thunderbolt 4
- 4xM.2/NVMe SSD
- DDR4
The ASUS ROG Strix Z690-I is easily one of the best Mini-ITX motherboards for this chipset, it’s feature-packed, designed to perfection, and incredibly reliable.
This board obviously has DDR5 RAM and PCIe support but also comes with two Thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C ports. We see 10+1 power stages with a ProCool II power connector and durable capacitors to support multi-core CPUs. The thermal design has been optimized, with an Integrated I/O cover and VRM heatsinks that feature high-conductivity thermal pads.
This board supports HDMI 2.1 and industry-leading gaming audio, giving your next small form factor system everything it needs.
ASUS Prime Z690-P
ASUS Prime Z690-P
Form Factor
ATX
Socket
LGA 1700
Chipset
Z690
DDR5?
Yes
Our budget pick is about as low as we would recommend for this chipset (DDR5 compatible) and yes, it’s another ASUS board. The ASUS Prime Z690-p is an updated version of a very affordable and reliable option.
With PCIe 5.0, DDR5, and Thunderbolt 4 support, we have the makings of a quality board here and it doesn’t stop there. This features 14+1 Power Stages, Wi-Fi6, and 2.5Gb Ethernet, giving enthusiasts everything they need on a budget.
- 14+2 power stages
- Thunderbolt 4
- 4xM.2/NVMe SSD
- DDR4
Best Z690 motherboard for 12th gen intel 12700K & 12600K
The 12th gen 12700K and 12600K are mid to mid-high-tier gaming CPUs and don’t require a whole lot in the way of power delivery to get the job done. Of course, you can choose to pump more money into the motherboard to increase your CPU overclocking potential and expand the features available to you. But beyond that, there’s not much need for something extremely high-end.
For that, we recommend the Asus TUF Gaming Z690-plus Wifi
Asus TUF Gaming Z690-plus Wifi
ASUS TUF Gaming Z690-Plus WiFi
Form Factor
ATX
Socket
LGA 1700
Chipset
Z690
DDR5?
No, DDR4
- 14+2 power stages
- Thunderbolt 4
- 4xM.2/NVMe SSD
- DDR4
This motherboard has everything you would need to support a mid-range or budget CPU. The power delivery system is more than enough and the features are expansive. This motherboard is slightly higher than the mid-range motherboards and doesn’t break the bank. See above for a full description.
Best Z690 motherboard for DDR5
Most of the Z690 chipset motherboards out there in the wild have a DDR5 variant, Intel wanted to incorporate everybody in this transition into DDR5 and made both DDR5 and DDR4 versions to accommodate. DDR5 is expensive, hence why the DDR4 versions of the motherboards exist. The DDR5 version of the Z690 chipset is considered to be the standard, whilst the DDR4 version is considered the variant.
It depends entirely on your budget, but some of the Z690 motherboards have different memory tolerances, for example, the GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS MASTER has a supported DDR5 memory speed of 6400 MHz. While the MSI MPG Z690 Gaming Motherboard, only has a supported speed of 5600 MHz.
That does not mean that the motherboards cap out at that speed, it just means that that is what the motherboard manufacturer tested them extensively on, and what is officially supported as 100% stable and ideal. The higher the rated motherboard tolerance, the more likely you’ll be able to run ridiculous speeds on it.
translation, aim for the highest memory speed you can support that fits into your budget.
Best Z690 motherboard for gaming
The best Z690 motherboard for gaming centers mostly around the CPU that you have selected, as the motherboard can’t really do much by itself without being paired with a CPU. For the “best” motherboard, it will have t have PCIe Gen 5, a great deal of connectivity, and good M.2 storage. As well as having a great power delivery system to keep the CPU supplied under pressure.
All of these factors point toward all of the high-end motherboards on the market, such as the ASUS Z690 Maximus Hero.
ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 hero
ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero WiFi
Form Factor
ATX
Socket
LGA 1700
Chipset
Z690
DDR5?
Yes
- Dual Thunderbolt 4 USB-C
- PCIe Slot Q-Release
- 20+1 power stages (90A)
- No 10Gb Ethernet
- Less power stages than more premium models
This motherboard has all of the connectivity you could ever need, and supports the latest PCIe generation, meaning storage and GPU data transfer will be blisteringly fast. A good gaming motherboard has to support the whole system, as it is at the heart of any PC, you really should,t neglect your motherboard, since it’s solely responsible for carrying the data around your system. The connectivity is especially great, with fast Wi-Fi, plenty of USB ports, many PCB layers, and sturdy pins that will plenty more than enough for gamers needs.
Best Z690 motherboard: Things to consider
Here are our things to consider when shopping for the best Z690 motherboard
What budget do I need for a Z690 motherboard?
The Z690 chipset is regarded as the premium line, a flagship option, with the best features money, can buy. For this reason, you really only want to be incorporating this into PC builds with an Intel Core i9-12900K/KF, Core i7-12700K/KF, and at a push the i5-12600K/KF.
All this means the cost of your PC upgrades is going to be significant, so if you have any budgetary constraints, you may want to wait and see what the more affordable H670 and B660 chipsets bring to the table.
The hike in cost from the Z690 mainly comes from its impressive onboard features. They obviously support the new Alder Lake processors with the LGA 1700 socket but they bring in the next generation of high-speed computing, thanks to PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 memory support.
Intel’s flagship chipset has always come with a premium cost and these are best reserved for those that want the very best hardware.
Z690 Vs Z590
The older Z590 featured PCIe 4.0, while the new Z690 brings in Gen 5, doubling the bandwidth. This means that while PCIe x16 4.0 can access up to 16 GT/s, 5.0 can hit 32 GT/s.
The Z690 chipset brings 12x PCIe 4.0 lanes and 16x 3.0 lanes, improving compatibility and adding faster transfer speeds for devices that use gen 4.0 lanes.
One of the major comparisons between the Z690 and Z590 is the next generation of RAM. DDR5 support is now here and with that comes incredible speeds that Z590 and DDR4 could only dream of.
This line of boards aims to extract every ounce of performance from your new CPU, now supporting RAM with speeds up to 6400MHz and giving you a powerful platform to build upon.
Form factor
Regardless of which chipset you buy, you need to consider its form factor when building out a PC. Motherboards come in a wide variety of sizes, from large E-ATX models, all the way down to the smaller Mini-ITX. Which you go for largely coincides with your choice of case, however, the vast majority of builders tend to find themselves in the mid-tower, ATX range.
We generally recommend ATX, as they aren’t restricted in terms of features and you can really push your new hardware with this form factor, without overspending on an E-ATX. If you are tight on budget, you probably aren’t going to be shopping for a Z690 period, so it is worth checking out the other chipsets and looking for an mATX form factor board.
LGA 1700 socket
With a new generation chipset, comes a new socket. The LGA 1700 socket replaces the LGA 1200, now featuring an additional 500 contact points. This has increased the size of the socket from a square 37.5mm x 37.5mm (LGA 1200) to 45mm x 37.5mm.
This means that your current cooler will not fit with your new setup unless you get yourself an LGA 1700 mounting bracket from the manufacturer. Luckily, as long as you can show proof of purchase, most manufacturers are giving away the supporting bracket for free on compatible coolers.
For those who may have lost their receipt or cannot be bothered waiting don’t worry, the LGA 1700 mounting bracket kits are now largely on sale. They can cost anywhere between 1 cent and $5.
Motherboard headers
Most Z690 motherboards will come equipped with more overall headers than Z590 motherboards. This is because Z690 boards are designed with the use of high-end components in mind. Not only that, but with the extended feature set of the Z690 chipset, you will find more USB headers and connectors on average – including SATA ports
Z690 and memory
Z690 motherboards typically support DDR5 memory, which is a newer type of RAM that provides faster speeds and lower power consumption than DDR4. However, it’s important to note that DDR5 is not backward compatible with DDR4 or any other previous generation of memory, so you will need to use DDR5 RAM specifically designed for use with Z690 motherboards.
However, Intel has been kind enough to provide the market with DDR4 versions of Z690 motherboards, this means you can negate the cost of upgrading to DDR5 and wait for a little. Whenever you’re ready, though, you’ll have to buy RAM and a motherboard. This is because DDR4 and DDR5 memory, do not fit in the same slots.
Is the Z690 ideal for 13th gen intel CPUs?
The Z690 chipset is designed specifically for the 12th generation Intel CPUs, such as the Intel Alder Lake-S processors. While it is technically possible to use a 13th-generation Intel CPU with a Z690 chipset, it is not fully recommended as it may not be fully compatible or optimized for the new architecture and may limit the CPU as a result. However, it’s okay in a pinch.
Is a Z690 motherboard worth it?
In short, yes. This is the new generation we are talking about here and if the performance lives up to the expectation, we are all in for a serious treat. Whether it’s for gaming or multitasking, we are potentially looking at the best of the best (until AMD’s anticipated parry).
The main reason to opt for a Z690 is obviously for the Alder Lake 12th Gen i9-12900K/KF and i7-12700K/KF processors, with Intels hybrid architecture now coming to the x86 desktop world.
So if you are after the best modern hardware or you’re an enthusiast who loves to push their system to its theoretical limits, a Z690 is certainly the way to go at the moment. We have top-tier features and performance across several SKUs and manufacturers, giving you everything you need to take things to the next level.
Does motherboard choice affect PC performance?
A motherboard is the backbone of a PC and it affects the performance of the computer in several ways. The type of processor socket and the memory (RAM) compatibility are two important factors that are determined by the motherboard. A motherboard with a socket type that is compatible with your processor will ensure that your processor can perform at its best. Similarly, choosing a motherboard with support for faster memory types, such as DDR4, can provide a performance boost compared to a motherboard with support for slower memory types, such as DDR3.
Additionally, the number and type of expansion slots on the motherboard can affect performance. For example, if you want to use multiple graphics cards in your system, you’ll need a motherboard with multiple PCI Express slots. On the other hand, if you need multiple storage devices, you’ll want a motherboard with multiple SATA ports.
Another important aspect that is determined by the motherboard is the power delivery system. A high-end motherboard will typically have a more robust power delivery system, which is important for high-performance CPUs and GPUs. A good power delivery system will ensure that the components receive the power they need to perform at their best, which can improve overall system performance.
What CPUs are compatible with the Z690 motherboards?
As we mentioned earlier on, the Z690 motherboards belong to the LGA 1700 CPU socket, this is the same socket type as both the Intel 12th and 13th generation CPUs. This means that ANY of the 12th or 13th generating CPUs will work correctly with the Z690 motherboard.
Best Z690 motherboard FAQs
Here we will hammer through some of the most frequently asked questions regarding Z690 motherboards.
Is a Z690 a good motherboard?
The Z690 is the second most recent motherboard chipset generation, part of the 600 families that were released alongside the Intel 12th-gen CPUs. Intel Z690 has support for PCIe Gen 5, and plenty of connectivity to choose from. And since the Z690 runs on the LGA 1700 socket, the Z690 motherboards are also compatible with the latest 13th-generation Intel CPUs, if you’re trying to save some money, but want a good CPU.
Is Z690 only DDR5?
No, although DDR5 is the main version of Z690 motherboards as DDR5 had just become the new memory standard. There are DDR4 variants of most major Z690 variants. Intel wanted to ease the transition to DDDr5 as much as possible, as DDR5 memory was incredibly expensive upon launch.
Final word
Intel’s 12th generation of processors coinciding with a new chipset and DDR5 memory is a very exciting time for the PC community. It is still early days but if Intel can show impressive performance over their AMD counterparts, we may finally start to see a shift back in the blue direction. Finding the best Z690 is fairly easy, they come with incredible features and support the latest and greatest the hardware world has to offer.
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