Over the past six months since Intel launched the 12th Generation Core Series processors, we’ve looked at several Alder Lake desktop CPUs to see how competitive they are, not only in performance but also in price. However, there are many options for Z690 motherboards to harness the power of Alder Lake. Today we are introducing one of ASUS’s more premium models, the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero.
They say they don’t produce heroes during difficult times, but ASUS has been doing well for many years. With many top-notch features such as Thunderbolt 4, Intel’s Wi-Fi 6E CNVi, and support for up to DDR5-6400 memory, it’s enough to be a solid choice for gamers and enthusiasts. It’s time to see if the Z690 Hero option can compete with the competition and shine in the highly competitive LGA1700 market.
ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero Overview
Currently, ASUS has a fairly large stack of Z690 motherboards for multiple markets. This includes the Prime series for entry-level users looking to build a great system at an affordable price. In contrast, the ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) series is primarily aimed at gamers and enthusiasts. The ASUS ROG motherboard series is divided into two main areas: the ROG Strix series for gamers and the high-end ROG Maximus series for enthusiasts looking for the best performance and the best feature set. , Aesthetics inspired by the fairly modernized RGB.
To make things easier for users, ASUS has chosen to simplify the Maximus series naming scheme. Use Roman numerals to represent past models, such as the ASUS ROG Maximus X for Z370 and Maximus XII for Z490. At least for now, and hopefully in the future, I’ve replaced the Roman numerals and put them back in the chipset to make things easier to distinguish.
The styles of the ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero and the previous ROG Maximus XIII (Z590) Hero aren’t very similar, but ASUS has moved forward and slightly jazzed up Alder Lake’s design. It includes a large I / O Polymo rear panel cover pixelated with ASUS Aura RGB LED lighting. This adds a slightly more modern taste to the overall design. ASUS has further unified the design by embedding a cool pixelated ROG logo in the shiny black part of the chipset heatsink. The majority of the board has a matte black finish and is compatible with most color schemes. For users who want to add more styles, there are three 3-pin and 4-pin addressable Gen2 RGB headers.
Focusing on the core of what makes ROG Maximus Z690 Hero stand out, it has many features to talk about, including a solid array of support and features. Dominating the bottom of the board are three full-length PCIe lanes. This includes two tops coated with metal armor reinforcements that support PCIe 5.0 x16 and x8 / x8, and a bottom full-length slot that is electronically locked down to PCIe 4.0. x4.
For storage, ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero has many options to take advantage of, including support for up to 5 PCIe M.2 drives and up to 6 SATA ports. There is one PCIe 5.0×4 and PCIe 4.0×4 M.2 slot pair available via the included ROG Hyper M.2 add-in card, and one integrated PCIe 4.0×4 M.2 slot with a processor. ASUS has two more PCIe 4.0×4 M.2 slots, one of which supports SATA drives, and this pairing is powered directly from the chipset. The six SATA ports in the lower right corner include support for RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 arrays.
One of the most important factors enthusiasts want from a motherboard is power supply, and the ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero has a rugged and well-laid-out design. The power supply consists of a 21-phase design, with the Renesas RAA22913 120-channel PWM controller roaring the workload. For the CPU section, the Z690 Hero has 20 Intersil ISL99390 90 A smart power stages with a total output of up to 1800 A. This is impressive for a non-flagship model, but there is one Intersil ISL9939090A power stage in the SoC section. VCCGT voltage processing.
Keeping the power supply cool is a large pair of bulky VRM heatsinks with lots of channels to guide the air flow through them. A single heat pipe interconnects these to cover all power supplies on the board. The longest section fits snugly under a large ASUS Polymo-enabled rear panel cover.
As is often the case with these premium models, ASUS includes a premium integrated audio solution consisting of the ROG SupremeFX ALC4082 HD audio codec and an assist ESS Sabre9018Q2C DAC and headphone amplifier. Insert the audio cap details.
The back panel of ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero offers a variety of connection options. It is led by two Thunderbolt 4 Type-C ports with an additional USB 3.2 G2 Type-C port. Other USB options include 6 USB 3.2 G2 Type-A ports and 2 USB 2.0 ports, which users can add further from the front panel header. One USB 3.2 G2x2 header (1 port), 2 USB 3.2 G1 Type-A headers (4 ports), and 2 USB 2.0 headers (4 ports).
ASUS includes a single HDMI 2.1 video output, users can use DisplayPort 1.4 via Thunderbolt 4 Type-C port, but onboard audio has 5 3.5mm audio jacks and Supreme FX ALC4082 and Provided via a single S / PDIF optical output with ESS Sabre9018Q2CDAC pairing. For networking, ASUS uses one Intel I225-V 2.5 GbE controller and Intel AX211 Wi-Fi 6EC NVi with support for both the latest 6GHz band and BT5.2 devices.
The accessory bundle includes a variety of ROG-themed stickers and regular suspects such as four braided SATA cables, M.2 mounting screws, RGB extension cables, Intel AX211 Wi-Fi 6E antenna kit, and front. It is. Panel Q connector. If users aren’t keen on installing drivers using ASUS’s built-in Armory Crate software, there’s also a user manual and a supported USB drive.
Perhaps the most important of the accessory bundles is the ROG Hyper M.2 PCIe card. Which users can install and add to the second full-length PCIe slot Two PCIe M.2 slots. One of these supports PCIe 5.0×4 drives, but one that takes advantage of the additional bandwidth is not yet on the market. The other is PCIe 4.0×4 speed.
ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero’s suggested retail price Get it out of the box for $ 600 at the same price on Newegg.. The Z690 Hero represents a solid selection of ASUS models on the Z690, including both DDR5 and DDR4 compatible models. When it comes to competing in the upper tier of the mid-range to premium LGA1700 models on the market, there’s the ASRock Z690 Taichi ($ 590) with many similar features like the Thunderbolt 4 and Wi-Fi 6E. Previously reviewed GIGABYTE Z690Aorus Master ($ 470). It’s cheaper in the end, but it doesn’t include Thunderbolt 4, but instead includes 10 GbE, which gives it a clear advantage over the Z690 Hero in terms of network functionality.
The biggest question about the ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero, which has a high $ 600 price tag, is simple, but can it work as powerfully as it looks? That’s what we’re trying to find. We’ve seen what the Z690 Hero offers on the surface, but what about the internals and support packages? Let’s take a look at the software bundled with the BIOS and then see how it works in various tests. Can ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero continue the previous trend with the successful series of Hero-branded ROG boards, or is $ 600 the villain’s way to eat your wallet? Let’s check.
