Introduction

As the dust continues to settle from Intel's release of the 12th Gen Core processors, we now have a chance to look at yet another motherboard, one that is based around the Z690 chipset and makes use of this new LGA 1700 socket. With the newest generation of Intel CPUs codenamed Alder Lake, it has the privilege of being among the first to support PCIe Gen 5.0 and DDR5 in the consumer market.

Intel's and AMD's ongoing battle for king of the hill is great for the consumer as innovation is required for chipmakers to keep ahead of the competition. While nothing from Intel's camp comes close to AMD's Threadripper performance, the company has given gamers and some prosumers a reason to consider another Intel system when it comes time to upgrade. Being Intel, we can only suspect that the HEDT followup is in the works. For now, the 12th Gen Core processors are holding firm as top-tier gaming CPUs. Accompanying these new CPUs is the Z690 chipset that not only has set the stage for what is to come, but allows motherboard manufactures to showcase what makes a complete experience.

Besides offering native PCIe 5.0 support, the Z690 chipset has also been given a connection speed boost with a change to the DMI 4.0 interface at 16 GT/s, a doubling over DMI 3.0 found on the previous LGA 1200 socket. The next-biggest addition is dual support for either DDR4 or DDR5 memory modules by the CPU, which has motherboard manufacturers offering a variety of configurations. Bring all of these changes together and Intel has a platform packed with all the newest technologies and internal bandwidth to support it.


Gigabyte uses the Aorus naming convention to serve as the company's gaming-orientated line of Intel and AMD motherboards. These Aorus Z690 branded motherboards come in multiple models comprising of the Pro, Ultra, Elite, Tachyon, Master, and Xtreme, some of which overlap in features and suggested price points.

The Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master features a dedicated VRM design with an insane nineteen 105 A power stages for some serious overclocking headroom. To round out the experience, the Aorus Master also offers great connectivity with the newest WiFi 6E technology and 10G LAN for those who need to transfer data quickly. There is a lot to cover in this review, so let's take a closer look!

Specifications

Packaging and Contents

The Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Master box provides all the necessary information on the front and back. Across the front is the product name in bold lettering. Some important tidbits are shown on the side as well, such as the PCIe Gen 5 and DDR5 logos.

The back of the box does an excellent job highlighting the biggest features this motherboard has to offer, like WiFi 6E and massive VRM with a design around low thermals for long stretches of heavy overclocking. Below the depiction of the motherboard is a list of specifications, which is always welcome, and I was overjoyed when I saw Gigabyte actually correctly listed the lower PCIe slots as a x4 interface even though the slots are physically x16. Besides only finding a footnote that this motherboard has 10GbE LAN as well, this is a prime example of how to show a potential buyer what is being offered with clearly laid out sections of detailed specifications for those who need further confirmation.


The included accessories consist of necessary supporting hardware. This includes the manual, SATA and ARGB extension cables, and Wi-Fi antenna, to name a few. I did not see an installation disk or USB flash drive, which means all the software must be downloaded.

The full list of accessories includes:

• User manual
• Quick installation guide
• One antenna
• Six SATA cables
• One RGB LED strip extension cable
• One noise detection cable
• Two thermistor cables
• M.2 screws
• One G connector

Board Layout

Compared to its predecessor, the Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Master has been given a cosmetic facelift. The common Aorus themed orange accents are now replaced with a gray color pallet. This in turn allows for the user to set any desired colors for the I/O and chipset areas thanks to built-in RGB lighting.

Flip the motherboard around and there isn't much to talk about. The entire back is covered by a backplate designed to relieve stress in a uniform manner and provide additional cooling with thermal pads sandwiched in between. This isn't just for show and serves a purpose outside of being a hazard guard, which is a bit rare these days.


Gigabyte has given little room to work with for those planning to use air-coolers. While the conflict zone around the LGA 1700 socket is clear of capacitors, the surrounding heatsinks will pose a challenge due to their height in close proximity. Thankfully, the M.2 heatsink can be removed completely if necessary.


The Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Master offers three PCI Express x16 slots reinforced for extra stress support. Gigabyte opted for a single PCIe Gen5 with a total of x16 lanes coming from the CPU. The lower two slots are physically x16, but internally wired for x4 PCIe Gen3. These will also be disabled in certain storage configurations.


There are five M.2 sockets on the Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Master, four of which are Gen4 x4, and all of them feature full-coverage heatsinks. Gigabyte has gone the extra mile and placed thermal pads on the motherboard as well. While I appreciate the extra care put into cooling these M.2 drives, Gigabyte has made it incredibly hard to decipher which is Gen4 or Gen3 and which PCIe slots and/or SATA ports will be disabled.

After some information digging and looking at the block diagram inside the manual, it seems only the lowest PCIe slot will be disabled when the M.2 slot directly above it is in use. Two SATA ports will be disabled as well if the M.2 socket closet to the SATA ports is used. Note that none of this can be forced on or off in the BIOS.


Gigabyte has placed a number of voltage measuring points above the DIMM slots. These read points from left to right are VDD2_CPU, VCCIN_AUX_CPU, VCCGT, V1P8_CPU, V1P05_CPU, and V0P82_PCH. These are great for heavy precision CPU overclocking, but not for those looking for a more expanded view. Lacking VCCSA and VDDQ TX read points means the BIOS or software is the only way to know what those voltages are, and they are directly related to memory stability. Personally, I would have removed the i-GPU read point and replaced it with either of the two I mentioned.


The board has a total of six SATA 6 Gb/s ports on the side, angled 90 degrees from the board. These SATA ports are labeled as two through seven. I am still not sure why or what motherboard vendors are reserving the number one for, but this numbering keeps showing up in the products I receive. Regardless of the naming, ports two and three will be disabled if the M.2 socket closet to the SATA ports is populated.


The Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Master offers an assortment of ports for a lot of connectivity options. This includes an optical S/PDIF Out port, Wi-Fi 6E, and 10 GbE LAN. Gigabyte has included a number of USB ports, with the blue Type-A ports supporting 5 Gbps bandwidth. These can be used for peripherals like a keyboard, mouse, USB headphones or game controller. All of these generally do not consume enough bandwidth to warrant consuming the 10 Gbps ports on these devices.

• 1x Q-Flash Plus button
• 1x Clear CMOS button
• 2x SMA antenna connectors (2T2R)
• 1x DisplayPort
• 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port
• 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C port
• 5x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports (red)
• 4x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports (blue)
• 1x 10GbE LAN
• 5x audio jacks
• Optical S/PDIF Out port

VRM Overview