GIGABYTE Z690 Aorus Elite AX DDR5 Intel Motherboard

The Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Elite AX DDR5 is an ATX-form-factor motherboard built on Intel’s Z690 Express Chipset and designed for 12th Generation Intel Core, Pentium Gold, and Celeron processors via the LGA1700 socket. It represents Gigabyte’s mid-to-high-tier AORUS gaming lineup and combines next-generation memory technology with a broad connectivity feature set for enthusiast desktop builds. Memory support centres on DDR5 via four DIMM slots running in dual-channel configuration, with a maximum capacity of 128 GB. The board includes XMP 3.0 compatibility for straightforward memory overclocking beyond stock DDR5 speeds, alongside Gigabyte’s own DDR5 tuning utilities for users who want deeper manual control. Storage flexibility is provided by six SATA 6 Gb/s ports supporting RAID modes 0, 1, 5, and 10, complemented by multiple M.2 slots for NVMe SSDs (slot count not confirmed in source data). Expansion is handled by one full-bandwidth PCIe x16 slot for the primary graphics card, plus two additional PCIe x16 physical slots wired at x4 electrical bandwidth. Connectivity is a strong point. The rear I/O features a Realtek 2.5 GbE LAN port (2.5 Gbps / 1 Gbps / 100 Mbps), Wi-Fi with an AX (Wi-Fi 6E) module indicated in the product name, and a broad USB complement: one USB Type-C with USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20 Gbps), two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (10 Gbps), three USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and four USB 2.0/1.1 ports. Display outputs include one HDMI and one DisplayPort for use with processors carrying integrated graphics. Audio is handled by a Realtek ALC1220-VB codec with two rear audio jacks and one optical S/PDIF output. The board measures 30.5 cm × 24.4 cm (standard ATX), fitting most full-tower and mid-tower cases. Gigabyte’s bundled software suite enables RGB lighting customisation and system monitoring. Verified Specifications: – Socket: LGA1700 – Chipset: Intel Z690 Express – CPU Support: 12th Gen Intel Core, Pentium Gold, Celeron – Memory: 4 × DDR5 DIMM, Dual Channel, max 128 GB, XMP 3.0 – PCIe Slots: 1 × x16 (x16), 2 × x16 physical (x4 electrical) – Storage: 6 × SATA 6 Gb/s; RAID 0/1/5/10 – LAN: Realtek 2.5 GbE – Audio: Realtek ALC1220-VB; 2 audio jacks + optical S/PDIF – USB (rear): 1 × USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2, 2 × USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 3 × USB 3.2 Gen 1, 4 × USB 2.0 – Video Out: 1 × HDMI, 1 × DisplayPort – Form Factor: ATX (30.5 cm × 24.4 cm)