Intel Z690 Motherboard VRM, Entry-Level Roundup

[Steve]

We test VRM thermal performance of nine Intel Z690 motherboards priced between $220 and $300. If you're aiming for best value, these are budget motherboards to pair with new Alder Lake 12th-gen Core CPUs.

Permalink to review.

https://www.techspot.com/review/2381-intel-z690-motherboard-vrm/

 

[Geralt]

Poor TS, because all the efforts made to write this type of articles are always useless for people like me. Why? Because I always buy the most expensive mobo for the high-end CPU I want to buy and that's it.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

I can wait till prices for Z690 board falls and till DDR5 is back in stock. No need to be building anything right now at these prices/ availability.

 

[Wrinkle]

Poor TS, because all the efforts made to write this type of articles are always useless for people like me. Why? Because I always buy the most expensive mobo for the high-end CPU I want to buy and that's it.

I prefer cheaper motherboards with features I actually use. A board that costs €600 won’t perform twice as well as a €300 one.

 

[Ludak021]

Looks like heavy price fixing is going on here atm

edit: this is bad for Gigabyte. for $220, user should pick anything but Gigabyte. Now, it's their own fault for agreeing to fix the prices. That should be a $140 board, and sell well. If we look at the only measurable differences here, we can see that:
1. Asus
2. MSI
3. Gigaabyte

There is ZERO sense in having them all priced the same since obviously value isn't the same, whatever price may be.
This only benefits Asus and no one else. I expect the manufacturers will adjust these prices soon.

 

[Geralt]

I prefer cheaper motherboards with features I actually use. A board that costs €600 won’t perform twice as well as a €300 one.

No only about performance, but also about "features", friend. No way to compare them.

 

[Ludak021]

No only about performance, but also about "features", friend. No way to compare them.

Honestly, cheaper motherboards last longer.

 

[Steve]

Poor TS, because all the efforts made to write this type of articles are always useless for people like me. Why? Because I always buy the most expensive mobo for the high-end CPU I want to buy and that's it.

Yet here you are, not only viewing the article but also commenting on it. It's almost like you don't know how TS works

(at minimum it got you active on the forum)

 

[Irata]

Nice review as always, thanks. It‘s good to see that there were no unpleasant surprises.

One thing though - since when is a $220 board considered ‚budget‘ ? A year and a half ago that was considered mainstream for the top chipset board range.

 

[Emu81]

I can wait till prices for Z690 board falls and till DDR5 is back in stock. No need to be building anything right now at these prices/ availability.

I doubt the price of Z690 boards is going to fall anytime soon. DDR5 and PCIe gen 5 have tight signaling requirements which increases the cost of the BoM and apparently the LGA1700 socket is 4 times the price of LGA1200 which again adds more cost to the boards. We saw the same thing for x570 boards, the increased signalling requirements for PCIe gen 4 boosted the price and those boards haven't really come down in price even now 2 years later.

 

[Fastturtle]

Nice review as always, thanks. It‘s good to see that there were no unpleasant surprises.

One thing though - since when is a $220 board considered ‚budget‘ ? A year and a half ago that was considered mainstream for the top chipset board range.

I have to agree on that one as I consider a budget board to be anything under $100 USD with $200+ being in the Premium range. Guess it's the damn GPU pricing going to hell in a Dump Truck that's pushing our thinking on price upwards.

Think about it, When I bought my GTX 1060 replacement in 2019, I only paid $300 for it. Now the same card is going for at least $650 for a new one and I'm considering a 1050 Ti being reasonable at $300 now. W???

 

[Alfatawi Mendel]

Expensive setup. Does Alder Lake need a $300 cooling solution, or would a say, Noctua, air cooler suffice?

 

[Alfatawi Mendel]

I have to agree on that one as I consider a budget board to be anything under $100 USD with $200+ being in the Premium range. Guess it's the damn GPU pricing going to hell in a Dump Truck that's pushing our thinking on price upwards.

Think about it, When I bought my GTX 1060 replacement in 2019, I only paid $300 for it. Now the same card is going for at least $650 for a new one and I'm considering a 1050 Ti being reasonable at $300 now. W???

The new paradigm mate. Margins have to be in the stratospheric range now, otherwise it's a failing company.