ASUS’ entry-level line-up has never stopped being entry-level by the turn of the last decade. At this point-in-time, what used to be the DELUXE line, an offshoot of their mainstream P-series boards from the older 2000’s has evolved to a sort of entry line for ASUS. With the debut of their PRIME line, ASUS has create a sub-series of boards dedicated for their entry model motherboards and following their mantra of making everything premium, the PRIME board series became a respectable product family eventually evolving to what is today.
With the Z690 release, the ASUS PRIME motherboards will follow the status elevation of the entire product stack. With ROG, ROG STRIX, TUF GAMING and PROART all receiving a price tier increment, the ASUS PRIME actually breaks out as the entry-series, now sharing that distinction with the TUF GAMING line sub-series.
The ASUS PRIME Z690 will consist of five motherboards on launch and they are as follows:
| PRIME Z690-A | PHP 15,630 |
| PRIME Z690-P WIFI | PHP 13,540 |
| PRIME Z690-P | PHP 12,510 |
| PRIME Z690-P WIFI D4 | PHP 13,200 |
| PRIME Z690-P D4 | PHP 12,160 |
This article will be our formal review of the ASUS PRIME Z690-A, the top-shelf board of the PRIME family. Contents from our preview has been lifted for this review so contents prior to the benchmarks are reflective of the same content of that article. Back to our review, ASUS has deemed it time to really dress out the PRIME boards and with this release, we’re not getting any slim board with a light PCB, ASUS is now decking out the PRIME to look its price. With this generation inspired by an astro theme, we finally now get a themed look for the PRIME boards but is the new look just for show or is ASUS bringing the good stuff? Find out more as we take a closer look at the ASUS PRIME Z690-A.
| ASUS PRIME Z690-A Specifications | |
|---|---|
| CPU Support | Intel 12th-generation Core CPU (LGA1700) |
| Power Delivery Design | 16+1 |
| Chipset | Intel Z690 |
| Memory Support | 4 x DIMM, Max. 128GB, DDR5-6000 (OC) |
| Expansion Slots | 1x PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU) 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 1x PCIe 3.0 x4 2x PCIe 3.0 x1 |
| Storage Interface/s | 4x M.2 4x SATA |
| Networking | Intel 2.5GbE |
| Audio | Realtek S1220A |
| Fan Headers | 7x 4-pin 1x pump header |
| Dimensions | ATX 30.5cm x 24.4cm |
| Rear I/O Ports | 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 port(s) (1 x USB Type-C) 3 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 port(s) (2 x Type-A, 1 x Type-C) 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port(s) (4 x Type-A) 1 x DisplayPort 1 x HDMI port 1 x Intel 2.5Gb Ethernet port 5 x Audio jacks 1 x Optical S/PDIF out port |
| Features | ASUS 5X PROTECTION III
ASUS Q-Design
ASUS Thermal Solution
ASUS EZ DIY
AURA Sync
|
ASUS’ entry-level line-up has never stopped being entry-level by the turn of the last decade. At this point-in-time, what used to be the DELUXE line, an offshoot of their mainstream P-series boards from the older 2000’s has evolved to a sort of entry line for ASUS. With the debut of their PRIME line, ASUS has create a sub-series of boards dedicated for their entry model motherboards and following their mantra of making everything premium, the PRIME board series became a respectable product family eventually evolving to what is today.
With the Z690 release, the ASUS PRIME motherboards will follow the status elevation of the entire product stack. With ROG, ROG STRIX, TUF GAMING and PROART all receiving a price tier increment, the ASUS PRIME actually breaks out as the entry-series, now sharing that distinction with the TUF GAMING line sub-series.
The ASUS PRIME Z690 will consist of five motherboards on launch and they are as follows:
| PRIME Z690-A | PHP 15,630 |
| PRIME Z690-P WIFI | PHP 13,540 |
| PRIME Z690-P | PHP 12,510 |
| PRIME Z690-P WIFI D4 | PHP 13,200 |
| PRIME Z690-P D4 | PHP 12,160 |
This article will be our formal review of the ASUS PRIME Z690-A, the top-shelf board of the PRIME family. Contents from our preview has been lifted for this review so contents prior to the benchmarks are reflective of the same content of that article. Back to our review, ASUS has deemed it time to really dress out the PRIME boards and with this release, we’re not getting any slim board with a light PCB, ASUS is now decking out the PRIME to look its price. With this generation inspired by an astro theme, we finally now get a themed look for the PRIME boards but is the new look just for show or is ASUS bringing the good stuff? Find out more as we take a closer look at the ASUS PRIME Z690-A.
| ASUS PRIME Z690-A Specifications | |
|---|---|
| CPU Support | Intel 12th-generation Core CPU (LGA1700) |
| Power Delivery Design | 16+1 |
| Chipset | Intel Z690 |
| Memory Support | 4 x DIMM, Max. 128GB, DDR5-6000 (OC) |
| Expansion Slots | 1x PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU) 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 1x PCIe 3.0 x4 2x PCIe 3.0 x1 |
| Storage Interface/s | 4x M.2 4x SATA |
| Networking | Intel 2.5GbE |
| Audio | Realtek S1220A |
| Fan Headers | 7x 4-pin 1x pump header |
| Dimensions | ATX 30.5cm x 24.4cm |
| Rear I/O Ports | 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 port(s) (1 x USB Type-C) 3 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 port(s) (2 x Type-A, 1 x Type-C) 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port(s) (4 x Type-A) 1 x DisplayPort 1 x HDMI port 1 x Intel 2.5Gb Ethernet port 5 x Audio jacks 1 x Optical S/PDIF out port |
| Features | ASUS 5X PROTECTION III
ASUS Q-Design
ASUS Thermal Solution
ASUS EZ DIY
AURA Sync
|
What does it mean that this is not gaming board? What does it miss?
It states that it “not a gaming or creator motherboard… and that is fine” which means its not particularly geared for both BUT honestly, it works well for either. Board makers tune gaming boards for higher performance e.g. higher boosts versus Intel stock but that’s pretty marginal. Other than that, not so much in “gamer”-ey features like a ton of RGB connectors and boosted audio or LAN.
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