Consider the GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS Elite AX DDR4 motherboard if you’re in the market for a new one. This motherboard boasts some impressive features, including support for 12th Gen Intel Core Series Processors, PCIe 5.0, and WiFi 6. But is it worth the investment? In this review, we’ll dive into the details and share our personal experience with this product.
As someone who has been building PCs for over 30 years, I have a lot of experience with different motherboards. Recently, I decided to upgrade my system and chose the GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS Elite AX DDR4. I was impressed with the 16+1+2 Digital VRM Design and the fully covered thermal design, both of which have kept my system running smoothly. The quad NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 and SuperSpeed USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C ports have also been a game-changer for me. However, I did face a few hiccups during the installation process, including having to update the driver for the WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. Overall, I’m satisfied with my purchase and would recommend this motherboard to others.
z690 motherboard: Commanding Power Design
Featuring a commanding power design, the GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS Elite AX DDR4 motherboard has a 16 plus 1 plus 2 digital VRM design. This design includes 70A power stages with tantalum polymer capacitors, ensuring stable power delivery to the CPU even under heavy loads. The digital VRM design also allows for precise control of power delivery and reduces the risk of overheating or damage to the components.In addition to the digital VRM design, the motherboard also features enlarged thermal guards and a fully covered thermal design with high coverage MOSFET heatsinks. These features work together to dissipate heat efficiently, keeping the motherboard and its components cool even during intense gaming sessions or other demanding tasks.
z690 motherboard: Cutting-Edge Thermal Design
Boasting a cutting-edge thermal design, the GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS Elite AX DDR4 motherboard includes fully covered thermal design and high coverage MOSFET heatsinks. The thermal design is optimized to improve thermal efficiency by providing better airflow and heat exchange.The heatsinks on the motherboard use a fins array to stack design, which increases the surface area by 300% compared to traditional heatsinks. The result is improved thermal efficiency, which helps to keep the motherboard and its components cool even under heavy loads.
z690 motherboard: Next Gen Connectivity
Next-gen connectivity is a feature of the GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS Elite AX DDR4 motherboard with PCIe 5.0 and quad NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots. This allows for lightning-fast data transfer speeds, making it ideal for gamers, content creators, and power users who need to transfer large files quickly.In addition to PCIe 5.0 and quad NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots, the motherboard also includes a SuperSpeed USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C port, which provides up to 20Gb/s data transfer speeds. This port is ideal for connecting external storage devices or other high-speed peripherals.
z690 motherboard: Fast Networking
Fast networking is another standout feature of the GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS Elite AX DDR4 motherboard with 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet.5 GbE LAN and WiFi 6 802.11ax. This provides lightning-fast network speeds, making it ideal for online gaming, streaming, or other bandwidth-intensive tasks.The 2.5 GbE LAN provides up to 2.5 times faster network speeds compared to standard Gigabit Ethernet
Pros:
- The Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Elite AX DDR4 supports 12th Gen Intel Core Series Processors, allowing for high-level performance and speed.
- The motherboard features a 16+1+2 digital VRM design with 70A power stage with tantalum polymer capacitors, ensuring commanding power design.
- The cutting-edge thermal design with fully covered thermal design and high coverage MOSFET heatsinks, and enlarged thermal guards increases thermal efficiency and better airflow for heat exchange.
Cons:
- The motherboard is only compatible with Intel LGA1700 cooling brackets, limiting the options for cooling solutions.
- The board has a toned-down RGB lighting with only the AORUS logo on the rear I/O cover lighting up, which may not appeal to users who prefer more lighting.
- The design of the motherboard may not be as appealing as previous generations, with the heatsinks not extending as far down as in previous models.
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Conclusion
If you’re looking for a high-performance motherboard with cutting-edge features, the GIGABYTE Z690 AORUS Elite AX DDR4 is definitely worth considering. It has a commanding power design, next-gen connectivity options, and dynamic audio capabilities that make it a great choice for gamers and power users alike. While the installation process can be a bit tricky, the overall performance and features of this motherboard make it a worthwhile investment.
Questions & Answers:
Question: Is this motherboard compatible with Ryzen 9 with 3080 GPU?
Answer: No, this is an Intel motherboard and cannot be used with Ryzen CPUs.
Question: Does the motherboard come with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth?
Answer: Yes, it comes with Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax and BT5, but you need to update the driver before you can connect to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Question: Is the motherboard ATX or E-ATX?
Answer: It is an ATX form factor, not E-ATX.
