ASROCK Z690 Steel Legend Wifi 6E DDR4 Intel Motherboard

The ASRock Z690 Steel Legend WiFi 6E DDR4 is a full-size ATX motherboard designed for Intel's 12th Generation Core processors using the LGA1700 socket. Powered by the Intel Z690 chipset, it delivers a robust platform for gaming builds, content creation workstations, and enthusiast PC configurations. At the heart of its power delivery is a 13-phase Dr.MOS design, featuring 50A Dr.MOS stages paired with premium 60A power chokes and Nichicon 12K Black Caps — Japan-made high-quality conductive polymer capacitors — to ensure clean, stable power to the CPU even during sustained workloads. The 6-layer PCB with 2oz copper inner layers aids thermal management and signal integrity, particularly relevant for memory overclocking. For storage, the board provides eight SATA3 6.0 Gb/s connectors alongside three M.2 slots: two Hyper M.2 sockets supporting PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) and one Ultra M.2 socket supporting both PCIe Gen3x4 (32 Gb/s) and SATA3. All M.2 slots are covered by full-coverage heatsinks. Memory support extends to four DDR4 DIMM slots capable of holding up to 128GB total, with native DDR4-3200 support and overclocking headroom up to DDR4-5000+ via XMP 2.0 profiles. The primary PCIe x16 slot (PCIE2) runs at PCIe 5.0 x16, while additional x16 slots operate at PCIe Gen4x4 and Gen3x4 respectively, accompanied by two PCIe Gen3 x1 slots. Connectivity is a standout feature: onboard 802.11ax WiFi 6E with Bluetooth is complemented by a Dragon RTL8125BG 2.5 Gigabit wired LAN port. Rear I/O includes one USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A and one Type-C (both at 10 Gb/s with ReDriver), four USB 3.2 Gen1 ports, HDMI 2.1 (up to 4K@60Hz), DisplayPort 1.4 (up to 8K@60Hz with DSC), optical S/PDIF output, a PS/2 port, and a BIOS Flashback button. The front panel adds a USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C header running at 20 Gb/s. Audio is handled by the Realtek ALC897 7.1-channel HD codec with Nahimic Audio software and gold-plated audio jacks with surge protection. RGB enthusiasts will find one standard RGB LED header (12V/3A, 36W) and three addressable RGB headers (5V/3A, 15W each), all manageable via ASRock Polychrome SYNC software. Verifiable Specifications: - Socket: LGA1700 (Intel 12th Gen Core) - Chipset: Intel Z690 - Form Factor: ATX — 30.5 cm x 24.4 cm (12.0 in x 9.6 in) - Memory: 4x DDR4 DIMM, dual channel, max 128GB, DDR4-3200 native / up to DDR4-5000+(OC), XMP 2.0 - PCIe Slots: 1x PCIe 5.0 x16, 1x PCIe 4.0 x16 (x4 electrical), 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 electrical), 2x PCIe 3.0 x1 - M.2: 2x Hyper M.2 PCIe Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s), 1x Ultra M.2 PCIe Gen3x4 / SATA3 - Storage: 8x SATA3 6.0 Gb/s - LAN: Realtek Dragon RTL8125BG 2.5 Gigabit - WiFi: 802.11ax (WiFi 6E) + Bluetooth - Audio: Realtek ALC897, 7.1 CH HD, Nahimic Audio - Rear USB: 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C, 4x USB 3.2 Gen1 - Front USB: 1x USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C header (20 Gb/s), 2x USB 3.2 Gen1 headers (4 ports), 2x USB 2.0 headers (4 ports) - Display: HDMI 2.1 (4K@60Hz), DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC (8K@60Hz) - BIOS: 256Mb AMI UEFI, BIOS Flashback support - Power: 24-pin ATX + dual 8-pin 12V EPS - OS: Windows 10 / 11 64-bit - Certifications: FCC, CE