Rumors about Intel’s next generation of CPUs have been going around for a while but we recently saw that BIOS support for the future CPUs have been hitting some motherboards including Asus’s Z690 boards. This means that for those who are looking to build a high-end PC right now you can go with one of those Z690 boards with at least some confidence that an upgrade later will be possible. As far as Z690 boards go there is a HUGE range in features and pricing but there are a few cool options up on the high end. A good example of this is the ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme that we have been using on our test bench going back to the Z690 launch and it is high time that I take a close look at it so let’s check out what it has going on.
Product Name: Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme
Review Sample Provided by: Asus
Written by: Wes Compton
Amazon Affiliate Link: HERE
Specifications |
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CPU |
Intel® Socket LGA1700 for 12th Gen Intel® Core™, Pentium® Gold and Celeron® Processors Intel® Socket LGA1700 for 12th Gen Intel® Core™, Pentium® Gold and Celeron® Processors* Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 and Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0** * Refer to www.asus.com for CPU support list ** Intel® Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 support depends on the CPU types. |
Chipset |
Intel® Z690 Chipset |
Memory |
4 x DIMM, Max. 128GB, DDR5 6400+(OC)/ 6200(OC)/ 6000(OC)/ 5800(OC)/ 5600(OC)/ 5400(OC)/ 5200(OC)/5000(OC)/4800 Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory* Dual Channel Memory Architecture Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) OptiMem III *Supported memory types, data rate(Speed), and number of DRAM module vary depending on the CPU and memory configuration, for more information refer to www.asus.com for memory support list. |
Graphics |
2 x Intel® Thunderbolt™ 4 ports (USB Type-C®) support DisplayPort 1.4 and Thunderbolt™ video outputs * Graphics specifications may vary between CPU types. Please refer to www.intel.com for any updates. ***Support 4K@60Hz as specified in HDMI® 2.1. |
Expansion Slots |
Intel® 12th Gen Processors* 2 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slots (supports x16 or x8/x8 modes)** Intel® Z690 Chipset*** 1 x PCIe 3.0 x1 slot * Please check PCIe bifurcation table in support site. ** M.2_1 shares bandwidth with PCIEX16(G5)_2. When M.2_1 is enabled, PCIEX16(G5)_2 will be disabled. *** Support Intel® Optane Memory H Series on PCH-attached PCIe slot. |
Storage |
Supports 5 x M.2 slots and 6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports Total supports 5 x M.2 slots and 6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports* Intel® 12th Gen Processors M.2_1 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280/22110*** - Intel® 12th Gen processors support PCIe 5.0 x4 mode. M.2_2 slot (Key M), type 2280 - Intel® 12th Gen processors support PCIe 4.0 x4 mode. Intel® Z690 Chipset** M.2_3 slot (Key M), type 2280 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 & SATA modes) DIMM.2_1 slot (Key M) via ROG DIMM.2, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode) DIMM.2_2 slot (Key M) via ROG DIMM.2, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode) 6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports**** * Intel® Rapid Storage Technology supports NVMe RAID 0/1/5, SATA RAID 0/1/5/10. ** Intel® Rapid Storage Technology supports Intel® Optane Memory H Series on PCH attached M.2 slots. ***M.2_1 shares bandwidth with PCIEX16(G5)_2. When M.2_1 is enabled, PCIEX16(G5)_2 will be disabled. ****RAID configuration and boot drives are not supported on the SATA6G_E1-2 ports. |
Ethernet |
1 x Intel® 2.5Gb Ethernet 1 x Marvell® 10Gb Ethernet TUF LANGuard |
Wireless & Bluetooth |
Intel® Wi-Fi 6E |
USB |
Rear USB:Total 10 ports 1 x Thunderbolt™ 4 port (1 x USB Type-C®) 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 port (1 x USB Type-C®) 8 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (7 x Type-A + 1 x USB Type-C®) Front USB:Total 10 ports 1 x Thunderbolt™ 4 connector (1 x USB Type-C®) 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 connector (supports USB Type-C®) 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 headers support additional 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports 2 x USB 2.0 headers support additional 4 USB 2.0 ports |
Audio |
ROG SupremeFX 7.1 Surround Sound High Definition Audio CODEC ALC4082 - Impedance sense for front and rear headphone outputs - Supports: Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking - High quality 120 dB SNR stereo playback output and 113 dB SNR recording input - Supports up to 32-Bit/384 kHz playback Audio Features - SupremeFX Shielding Technology - ESS® SABRE9018Q2C DAC/AMP - LED-illuminated audio jacks - Rear optical S/PDIF out port - Premium audio capacitors - Audio cover |
Back Panel I/O Ports |
1 x Thunderbolt™ 4 USB Type-C® port 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 port (1 x USB Type-C®) 8 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (7 x Type-A + 1 x USB Type-C®) 1 x HDMI® port 1 x ASUS Wi-Fi Module 1 x Intel® 2.5Gb Ethernet port 1 x Marvell® AQtion 10Gb Ethernet port 5 x LED-illuminated audio jacks 1 x Optical S/PDIF out port 1 x BIOS FlashBack™ button 1 x Clear CMOS button |
Intrernal I/O Connectors |
Fan and Cooling related 1 x 4-pin CPU Fan header 1 x 4-pin CPU OPT Fan header 2 x 4-pin Chassis Fan headers 2 x 4-pin Radiator Fan headers 2 x W_PUMP+ headers 1 x WB_SENSOR header 1 x 2-pin Water In header 1 x 2-pin Water Out header 1 x 3-pin Water Flow header Power related 1 x 24-pin Main Power connector 2 x 8-pin +12V Power connector 1 x 6-pin PCIe Graphics Card connector Storage related 3 x M.2 slots (Key M) 1 x DIMM.2 slot supports 2 x M.2 slots (Key M) 6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports USB 1 x Intel® Thunderbolt™ 4 port (USB Type-C®) 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 connector (supports USB Type-C®) 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 headers support additional 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports 2 x USB 2.0 headers support additional 4 USB 2.0 ports Miscellaneous 1 x 6-pin ARGB Gen 2 header to support 2 x ARGB Gen 2 headers 1 x Addressable Gen 2 header 1 x AURA RGB header 1 x BIOS Switch button 2 x BCLK button 1 x FlexKey button 1 x Front Panel Audio header (AAFP) 1 x LN2 Mode jumper 1 x Osc sence header 12 x ProbeIt Measurement Points 1 x ReTry button 1 x RSVD switch 1 x RSVD header 1 x Safe Boot button 1 x Slow Mode switch 1 x Start button 1 x V_Latch switch 1 x 10-1 pin System Panel header 1 x Thermal Sensor header |
Special Features |
Extreme OC Kit - FlexKey button - LN2 Mode - Probelt - ReTry button - Safe boot button - Start button - Slow Mode Extreme Engine Digi+ - 10K Black Metallic Capacitors - MicroFine Alloy Choke ASUS Q-Design - M.2 Q-Latch - PCIe Slot Q-Release - Q-Code - Q-Connector - Q-DIMM - Q-LED (CPU [red], DRAM [yellow], VGA [white], Boot Device [yellow green]) - Q-Slot ASUS Thermal Solution - M.2 heatsink backplate - M.2 heatsink - Steel backplate - VRM heatsink design ASUS EZ DIY - BIOS FlashBack™ button - Clear CMOS button - CPU Socket lever protector - ProCool II - Pre-mounted I/O shield - SafeSlot - SafeDIMM AURA Sync - ROG AURA sync backplate - AURA RGB header(s) - Addressable Gen 2 header(s) Dual BIOS OLED 2" Front Panel USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 with Quick Charge 4+ Support - Support: up to 60W charging* - Output: 5/9/15/20V max. 3A, PPS:3.3–21V max. 3A - Compatible with QC 4.0/3.0/2.0, PD3.0 and PPS * To support 60W, please install the power cable to 6-pin PCIe Graphics Card connector or can only support 27W ASUS HYDRANODE - 2 x Chassis fan support* (CHA_FAN1P,CHA_FAN2P) * Visit ASUS Website for the latest compatibility list. |
Software Features |
ROG Exclusive Software - GameFirst VI - ROG CPU-Z - ROG True Voltician - Sonic Studio III + Sonic Studio Virtual Mixer + Sonic Suite Companion - Sonic Radar III - DTS® Sound Unbound - BullGuard Internet Security (1-year full version) ASUS Exclusive Software Armoury Crate - AIDA64 Extreme (1-year full version) - AURA Creator - AURA Sync - Fan Xpert 4 - Two-Way AI Noise Cancelation - OLED Display - AniMe MatrixTM LED Display AI Suite 3 - Easy Optimization with AI Overclocking TPU EPU DIGI+ Power Control Turbo app MyAsus WinRAR UEFI BIOS AI Overclocking Guide ASUS EZ DIY - ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 - ASUS EZ Flash 3 - ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode MemTest86 |
BIOS |
2 x 256 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS |
Manageability |
WOL by PME, PXE |
Accessories |
Cables 1 x 1-to-3 ARGB splitter cable 1 x 1-to-2 ARGB splitter cable 2 x 1-to-4 fan splitter cables 1 x RGB extension cable 3 x ROG weave SATA 6G cables 4 x SATA 6Gb/s cables 1 x 3-in-1 Thermistor cables pack ROG Fan Controller 1 x ROG Fan Controller 1 x Fan EXT PWR cable 1 x ARGB input cable 1 x USB input cable 1 x ROG Fan Controller 3M Mounting tape 1 x Fan Controller manual ROG DIMM.2 with Heatsink 1 x ROG DIMM.2 with heatsink 1 x M.2 pad for ROG DIMM.2 2 x M.2 screw package for ROG DIMM.2 ROG True Voltician 1 x ROG True Voltician 4 x cables for ROG True Voltician Miscellaneous 1 x ASUS Wi-Fi moving antennas 1 x M.2 SSD screw package 1 x Q-connector 1 x ROG CLAVIS DAC 1 x ROG graphics card holder 1 x ROG key chain 1 x ROG logo plate stickers 1 x ROG screwdriver 1 x ROG stickers 1 x ROG thank you card 1 x Thermal pad package for M.2 heatsink Installation Media 1 x USB drive with utilities and drivers Documentation 1 x User guide |
Form Factor |
EATX 30.5cm x 27.7cm |