EVGA Z690 Dark Kingpin Motherboard Review

The EVGA Z690 Dark is an extended ATX motherboard featuring a matte black PCB with copper and gold accents scattered around the board and along the edges.  

There are three things you will notice right away.  The first is a full coverage shroud that starts with the I/O connections and extends over almost the entire motherboard.  The second is the absence of expansion slots.  I kid you not this board only comes with three PCI Express slots and one of them is hidden behind a removable cover.

The third and, most important is the position of the memory sockets and main power connections.  They are basically rotated 90 degrees from their normal location to not only gives this motherboard a very unique look but also solves some very unique challenges that we will cover later in this review.

Turning the motherboard over we are welcomed by a brushed and black anodized aluminum backplate that is actually quite thick in comparison to some of the others I have seen.  The area around the CPU socket features a large hole for installing heatsinks along with an indentation that is likely for additional support and decoration.

Towards the bottom of the motherboard, you’ll find the Z690 logo silkscreened directly to the backplate along with a large cutout to expose the large “DARK” graphic that has been screened on the PCB.  It is details like these that express the effort that EVGA has put into designing this motherboard and project quality in the marketplace.

The EVGA Z690 Dark features the same rotated socket design that was established with the Z390 which places the memory modules across the top of the motherboard while pushing the VRM towards the I/O section and exposing the Main 24-Pin and two CPU 8-pin power connectors along the same edge.   

EVGA claims the Z690 Dark to have a 21 phase VRM however, I count 20 chokes around the CPU socket and two more near the main power sockets.  Despite the mismatched count this number is really impressive and likely more than anyone will ever need for this platform.

Rotating the CPU socket affords a number of benefits in a modern enthusiast build.  Incoming air can pass unobstructed over the CPU and VRM heatsinks.  It also places all of the CPU and motherboard power connectors to the same location.  Per the EVGA standard these are rotated 90 degrees thus helping with cable management and airflow. Of the many motherboards I have tested this design is by far the best for keeping cables organized until you have to route them in a case.

A nice addition to the Z690 Dark VRM cooler is two small cooling fans under the I/O cover to help ensure that the VRM cooler is getting some airflow, especially when this motherboard is operated on an open test bench.