Aorus Z690 Pro Motherboard Review

The Z690 Aorus Pro Gaming motherboard deviates slightly from what you would normally expect when looking at a gaming ready full ATX motherboard.  Sure, you have the CPU socket at the top, memory to the right and expansion towards the bottom.  However, what changes is the PCI Express layout.  At the top you will fid a single PCI Express 16x slot with a white center, at the very bottom of the motherboard you will find two more full length slots and how each of these is wired up is interesting.

In terms of overall design, I am impressed that all of the decorative lines merge to create a flowing pattern from the I/O cover to the PCB and down to the M.2 and MCP heatsinks.  Sadly, this didn’t translate to the upper VRM heatsink or some of the other lines on the PCB but, they get an A for effort.

Looking at the back of the motherboard can tell you a lot about how any particular board is constructed.  Typically, you’ll see things like how the PCI Express slots are wired up and where the major components are.  With the advent of PCI Express 5.0 many mfgs have started to use surface mount expansion slots in an attempt to reduce EMI and is what you will find on this motherboard as well.

Sadly, there is no backplate on this motherboard, which is good since it will save money but, unfortunate since it indicates that Aorus is looking to fill a price point with tis offering.

When looking around the CPU socket you’ll find the extra tall LGA 1700 CPU socket and what appears to be a 19 Phase VRM.  According to the documentation that is 16+1+2 Phase design leaving 16 Phases for the CPU with the others likely for Memory and PCI Express. 

You will need to have an approved LGA 1700 CPU cooler for this motherboard as the mounting holes are following the new standard without provision for LGA 1200.

The 8+4 CPU power plugs are located behind the VRM heatsinks with easy access for installation and removal of the power cables.