Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Vulgar overview: Aesthetic, luxurious motherboard excess

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Intel has within the extinguish rejoined the aggressive panorama against AMD with its Z690 platform, matching excessive-discontinue muscle with the ferocious Core i9-12900K CPU. With powerful vitality comes now not-so-powerful pricing, alternatively. The Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Vulgar’s $1,099 ticket designate eclipses the $649 ticket of previous juggernaut motherboards just like the X299 Asus Rampage VI Vulgar, recasting what a excessive-discontinue motherboard should still ticket.

We’ll discuss about the specs, parts, and efficiency it is best to still quiz from a motherboard of this caliber, and whether it delivers ample to justify your snatch.

The specs

The Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Vulgar is packed with an growth of parts and an spectacular spec listing, including DDR5 reminiscence toughen and Thunderbolt 4. Place in thoughts that it’s an extended dimension, or E-ATX, meaning it’s greater than a conventional ATX motherboard and might well now not slot in all instances. You’ll get an integrated I/O defend, too—no worries about forgetting this step of the construct course of!

You’ll earn Wi-Fi 6E alongside with 10GB ethernet. Thunderbolt 4 accompanies the many USB Gen 2 ports on the abet. You’ll agree with 5 slots for M.2, and two of them are on the integrated ROG Dimn2 card that attaches subsequent to the RAM.

Here are some major specs to be attentive to:

• E-ATX 12×13 inches, or 305x330mm (wider than an ATX motherboard)
• Intel 12th-gen Alder Lake CPU toughen with 24+1 vitality stages  (LGA 1700)
• DDR5 RAM easiest, 4 slots
• PCI-E 5.0
• Five M.2 slots
• Thunderbolt 4
• USB-C Gen 2
• Wi-Fi 6E
• 10GB LAN (Wonder AQtion and an Intel 2.5GB LAN)
• ROG SupremeFX ALC4082 With ESS ES9018QC2 DAC
• 2-run OLED Are living Traipse, and AniMe Matrix demonstrate
• 3- and 4-pin RGB headers
• Particular CMOS and BIOS flashbacks buttons
• ROG Dimn2 M.2 adapter card
• Multiple fan and water cooling headers
• HDMI port for integrated graphics (when GPU now not available)
• Six SATA 6GB/S ports
• M.2 latch, and PCI-E button for releasing GPUs
• CPU cooler backwards compatibility with LGA 1200 or 1700

Place

Vulgar. That observe describes why many would like this motherboard, devoted? Minimalist, RGB-agnostic afficionados needn’t apply; this motherboard packs some extreme “Times-Sq.-Stage” lights. With a 2-run OLED and intelligent Matrix demonstrate, it might well perchance furthermore furthermore be configured to demonstrate anything from CPU stats to animations. Whereas you’re paying for further parts, that entails glimpse candy.

Additionally, it’s heavy. Esteem, in point of truth heavy, but in a legitimate plot. Weighing in at over six kilos, it’s mighty to retain. The construct quality is spectacular, with an armor abet plate and numerous conceal for the entrance areas. The VRM heatsinks are big too, and naturally you’ll get a lot of M.2 cooling with the coated plates a properly.

It’s a in point of truth pleasing motherboard overall, with powerful regulate over the RGB lights through Asus Charisma software, so it might well perchance furthermore furthermore be personalized alternatively you’d like.

One major explain to agree with in thoughts is that the discontinue M.2 conceal does preserve a exiguous bit raised, so whilst you’re doing a water-cooled graphics card with a thick backplate, equivalent to those with active cooling, have in mind of clearance concerns. Likewise, whilst you’re doing a GPU on the underside PCI-E slot, a thick GPU cooler can intervene with just among the cables, combating a solid connection. (This came about to me with an Asus Strix GPU cooler and the RGB and USB ports on the underside of the motherboard.)

Irregular parts

Many motherboards agree with weird parts, but what units apart a board at this level, and ticket, is the sheer number and combination of parts. Let’s break down just a few of basically the most though-provoking:

1. Real networking alternatives with 10GB, 2.5GB LAN, and Wi-Fi 6E for optimum flexibility
2. Connectivity alternatives continue to label, with Thunderbolt 4 and numerous USB ports, including model C, and 60W charging potential
3. Fantastic M.2 SSD toughen, though agree with in thoughts easiest the discontinue M.2 is PCI-E Gen 5, but that can near with some restrictions
4. DDR5 is here, but agree with in thoughts it’s more dear than DDR4 for minimal efficiency positive aspects. There’s also a gigantic project with running quad RAM sticks—they received’t variety XMP profiles—so that that that you would possibly perchance perchance furthermore are attempting to follow two RAM sticks of increased potential
5. M.2 latch and PCI-E slot easy free up/get correct of entry to—we hope to glimpse this on a ways more motherboards in due course!
6. Immense VRM and CPU efficiency, but that that you would possibly perchance perchance furthermore get same or better with some more cost-effective motherboards equivalent to the Asus Z690 Apex (it received’t be as feature packed, alternatively)
7. Have to variety two GPUs, for either better spacing to toughen thermals when doing impart material creation, or even…gasp…the already defunct SLI/NV Hyperlink? Which that you would possibly perchance perchance variety that here, with 4-slot NVlink toughen
8. OLED demonstrate is terribly icy (PC lovers will delight in it!)
9. Asus software has an spectacular suite with Armoury Crate, permitting fan regulate, Ai overclocking, and RGB customization
10. LGA 1700 will require a new bracket for many coolers, but Asus motherboards are like minded with LGA 1200 out of the field, too
11. You’ll get some clear gadgets within the field, like an RGB controller that can screen functional in unique builds

Efficiency and BIOS

With an spectacular CPU equivalent to the Intel Core i9-12900K, you’ll are attempting to get definite you’re maximizing its doable with a board like this.

The Asus BIOS continues to be one in every of basically the most beautiful and intuitive to spend, and whilst you’re doing any overclocking, you’ll undoubtedly spend a bunch of time here. Which that you would possibly perchance perchance tweak many CPU settings, and your RAM has big doable as properly.

Let’s get the DDR5 project out of the manner—you’ll are attempting to follow two RAM modules whilst you love to favor to spend the XMP profile and get basically the most rated tempo. It might well perchance furthermore be a legitimate recommendation to get increased potential when that that you would possibly perchance prefer it, as going to four RAM sticks will restrict your DDR5 speeds to the inferior 4800Mhz. This is…now not low, but it undoubtedly’s the plot in which it is at recent. Memory is continuously Twin Channel, obviously.

VRM temperatures with the vitality stage parts are more than ample for even an spectacular, sizzling-running 12900K.

It feels like noteworthy of recent overclocking is more CPU restricted, as they near running rather sizzling from the factory as is—so any minor enhancements with manual tinkering will agree with diminishing returns.

Asus has an very just appropriate suite of AI overclocking and optimization tools, as properly. You will earn these each and each within the BIOS, as properly as the Armoury Crate Draw.

Particular CMOS and BIOS flashback will most seemingly be available, making overclocking makes an try more straightforward to enhance from. You’ll even get LN2 Mode switch for users attempting to push it further with liquid nitrogen; plus a retry button, thermal headers, and loads others. (Don’t in point of truth feel left out; we’re now not doing any liquid-nitrogen cooling either!)

Final analysis

Are there more cost-effective alternatives on the marketplace for Z690, equivalent to the Asus ROG Strix or Gigabyte Aorus Grasp? Particular, and so they even pack most of the same parts as the ROG Maximus Z690 Vulgar. The magic is within the details when that that you would possibly perchance perchance furthermore belly the cost, alternatively. Here, you’ll get all the parts packed together—now to not point out a in point of truth spectacular and top price agree with. Which that you would possibly perchance furthermore furthermore are attempting to envision out the Asus ROG Apex or Formula motherboards, which agree with most of the parts, but less of a ticket top price. (Take a look at out Alaina Yee’s guidelines on what to gaze in a motherboard to your 12th-gen CPU.)

It’s now not even the most dear option on the market, either. Whereas you love to agree with a water-cooled solution, that that you would possibly perchance stumble on the liquid cooling-centered Glacial version of this motherboard for plenty more—and MSI’s luxurious Godlike nowadays made an look for Z690 as properly.

This motherboard is for the actual person that desires an extremely excessive-discontinue construct and to tick all the efficiency and beautiful alternatives. With PC parts all skyrocketing in ticket the outdated couple of years, it used to be easiest a topic of time sooner than motherboards got an increasing number of dear, too.

This might well furthermore run well with each and each impart material creators, with its big connectivity suite, as properly as fanatic PC builders and avid gamers, with a plethora of efficiency and beautiful niceties.

Tiny quirks and the excessive ticket designate preserve it from being a 5-big name product and highly commended motherboard, especially when alive to about that one other motherboards with same (but now not all) parts near in at many of of bucks less. Whereas you love the agree with and can must agree with all of its many parts, alternatively, it’s an improbable product for the discerning excessive-discontinue fanatic who doesn’t thoughts shelling out the cash.

Editor’s demonstrate: This article used to be printed on March 22, but used to be updated so that you would perhaps add the video overview.