GIGABYTE Z690 Aorus Elite DDR4 Intel Motherboard

The GIGABYTE Z690 Aorus Elite DDR4 is an ATX-form-factor motherboard designed for Intel 12th Generation Core, Pentium, and Celeron processors using the LGA 1700 socket. Built on the Intel Z690 chipset, it delivers a well-rounded platform for gaming and productivity builds that demand robust power delivery, fast storage, and versatile connectivity. At the heart of the power subsystem sits a Direct 16+1+2 digital VRM design with 70 A power stages and tantalum polymer capacitors. Fully covered MOSFET heatsinks spread heat across the VRM area, helping maintain stable CPU frequencies during sustained workloads. Memory support spans four DDR4 DIMM slots wired for dual-channel operation, accommodating up to 128 GB of non-ECC unbuffered RAM. Native speeds start at DDR4-2133 and reach up to DDR4-5333 via XMP/OC profiles. Shielded memory routing reduces signal interference between traces. Storage options are extensive: four M.2 connectors (one CPU-direct PCIe 4.0 x4, plus three chipset-side PCIe 4.0 x4 — one of which also supports SATA) are joined by six SATA 6 Gb/s ports with RAID 0/1/5/10 support. All M.2 slots feature enlarged thermal guards. Expansion is handled by one PCIe 5.0 x16 slot for the primary graphics card and two PCIe 3.0 x16 slots running at x4 electrical (PCIEX4_1, PCIEX4_2). The rear I/O panel includes one USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C (20 Gb/s), two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, three USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, and four USB 2.0 ports, plus HDMI, DisplayPort, and RJ-45 for Realtek 2.5GbE LAN. Onboard audio is powered by a Realtek ALC1220-VB CODEC with WIMA audio capacitors, delivering 2-channel analog output and up to 7.1-channel digital signals via the optical S/PDIF output. RGB Fusion 2.0 controls multi-zone addressable (ARGB) and standard RGB LED headers — two of each — for system lighting customisation. Smart Fan 6 manages six fan/pump headers with hybrid FAN STOP capability. Q-Flash Plus allows BIOS updates without a CPU or memory installed. Verified Specifications: • Chipset: Intel Z690 • Socket: LGA 1700 • Form Factor: ATX (12.0″ × 9.6″) • Memory: 4× DDR4 288-pin DIMM, dual channel, up to 128 GB, DDR4-2133 to DDR4-5333 (OC) • VRM: 16+1+2 digital phases, 70 A power stages • PCIe: 1× PCIe 5.0 x16, 2× PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 electrical) • M.2: 4× (PCIe 4.0 x4; one chipset slot also supports SATA) • SATA: 6× SATA 6 Gb/s; RAID 0/1/5/10 • LAN: Realtek 2.5GbE (10/100/1000/2500 Mbps) • Audio: Realtek ALC1220-VB CODEC, optical S/PDIF out • Rear USB: 1× USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C, 2× USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 3× USB 3.2 Gen 1, 4× USB 2.0 • Display out: 1× HDMI, 1× DisplayPort (via CPU iGPU only) • LED: RGB Fusion 2.0 — 2× ARGB headers, 2× RGB headers • OS: Windows 11 Ready • Power: 24-pin ATX + 8-pin ATX 12V + 4-pin ATX 12V