We have reached the end of the review, and it is once again time to consolidate everything into a few talking points. As with previous reviews, I will start with what Gigabyte could improve upon to make this an even better product, before finishing out on a positive note.

First, let's discuss the motherboards intended market, and who it is really for. The Gigabyte Z690I AORUS Ultra Plus DDR4 main selling point is its size. The board is designed for Small Form Factor (SFF/ITX) computers, where every bit of space inside the case is used. SFF already falls into a niche market, which has a host of hurdles to overcome. ITX motherboards generally cost the same as the mid-range offerings, but have fewer overall features. The saying "less is more" does not apply here. You are essentially paying more because the small form factor is a premium feature in and of itself. That being said, Gigabyte does keep their offering competitive with ASUS, ASRock and MSI, which all offer at least one Z690 ITX motherboard.

The limited space available for components does not excuse Gigabyte for the lack of any Post LEDs or a Debug readout. This is a major disappointment, and really hurts my ability to recommend this motherboard for the casual user. If for any reason the motherboard gets stuck during the boot process, you may have no indication as to what step the startup stalled on. The board could just be taking its sweet time training the memory, not actually stuck in a boot loop. Besides waiting it out, there isn't much one can do in this situation. The only real solution to this problem I've found is to attach a speaker and listen to the beeps, which is also not included in the accessories, might I add. Even a single LED that could change color, or just flash during booting would be equally or more helpful compared to a beeping speaker. To make things even more frustrating to the user, is that the manual doesn't list what type of beeps are for which error code. All it says is "One single short beep will be heard if no problems are detected at system startup".

To coincide with the lack of of a good way to check the boot status, overclocking was a mixed bag. While the VRM is fully up to the task of handling any realistic overclock for daily computer use, the Vcore voltage and subsequently Vdroop hand major swings in both directions depending on the Load Line Calibration setting used. Auto LLC was the worst to use because a 100 MHz manual increase could introduce a 0.100 V swing, but for example, 200 MHz increase changed nothing. It doesn't sound like a lot of voltage, but 1.3 V to 1.4 V. is the difference between a CPU overheating under load, and a stable overclock. Those who are going to perform a bit of CPU overclocking will want to set the LLC first, and then adjust the CPU voltage accordingly during a load test. Find a happy medium and just accept this motherboard isn't designed for serious overclocking adventures.

The criticism continues as we shift to CPU cooler capability. Looking at the user reviews on e-tailers websites, the main complaint found is how the customer's air or AIO cooler of choice didn't fit due to the VRM heatsink being so close to the socket, thus preventing installation. For more context, Just to install the EKWB waterblock for this review, the heatsink had to be completely removed because my fingers couldn't squeeze into the corner to screw in the post. These types of issues are common with SFF builds, and those who are familiar with the process may shrug this complaint off. The point here is to make sure consumers are aware that not every AIO or air-cooler is compatible. Unfortunately, Gigabyte doesn't offer a list of coolers guaranteed to fit. The compatibility issue seemly stems from how Gigabyte follows Intel "Keep out zone" specifications to the letter. This title is misleading as components are allowed to be next to the socket, they just can't be over a certain height, based on a set distance from the socket. Any CPU cooler that does not consider how the mounting may violate these rules as well, could extend right into the heatsink causing it to become incompatible.

The upside to having lower overall compatibility among various CPU coolers, is the top-tier VRM heatsink Gigabyte has implemented for the Z690I AORUS Ultra Plus. While the Prime95 torture test put the VRM power stages in the high 80s (°C), this is still acceptable when put into context. The i7 12700K used was reporting 320 watts under load. This amount of power draw is well outside what a normal overclock would look like. Unless you delid the CPU and replace it with liquid metal TIM like I have, this level of power draw is unlikely to occur without reaching 100 °C core temperature first. Speaking practically here, regardless of the overclock, any amount of airflow around the VRM will drastically lower the temperature. In a SFF build, at least one fan is often close to the socket, and that is all it takes for better results.

Each concerning issue above only applies to a specific user group. Those who are unfamiliar with SFF builds are often unaware that not everything will go to plan. If it's not a cooler compatibility problem, it is the power supply or graphics card instead. Being an ITX form factor by design, a few things can be forgiven in terms of connectivity and storage options. The small form factor is the main selling point after all. Things aren't all bad here, as Gigabyte does a number of things right, starting with excellent memory support. Installing 64 GB (2x 32 GB) DDR4-4000 was flawlessly executed. The system booted up first try, and when it comes to tinkering with the memory, Gear 1 mode worked using just the BIOS auto settings for everything else related to memory. I am confident that DDR4-3600 in dual or single rank configuration in Gear 1 mode will work flawlessly for everyone who prefers not to play around with different settings in the BIOS.

Part of the good memory support is from the Gigabyte engineering teams choice to use a 12-layer PCB, in conjunction with the DIMM slots being physically close to the CPU socket. These shorter traces tremendously help with memory support in general. This principle is also why the top, full size ATX overclocking motherboards also only have two DIMM slots as opposed to the usual four.

Even though simply being SFF compliant is the biggest selling point, the board still has to meet certain requirements to be considered a good option. By providing the latest technologies, Gigabyte has done just that, even if some of these features may be underutilized for a number of years. In any case, providing support for PCIe Gen5 is just part of the LGA 1700 package, and will likely never be fully utilized on this specific Intel platform. However, the inclusion of Wi-Fi 6E and a number of high speed USB ports gives it more versatility and has a likely real use-case. Desktop computers are pretty much only in one place, while SFF computers can be moved freely with limited hassle. To wrap this review up, the Gigabyte Z690I AORUS Ultra Plus DDR4 overall, is far from perfect, but many users will find the potential pitfalls a non issue for them. As with all SFF systems, use case varies wildly and so does cost. This is one of the better priced Z690 based ITX motherboards which gives Gigabyte a lead amongst the competition.