Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero Motherboard Review
Up for another motherboard review is the Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero. This is one of the higher-end Intel Z690 chipset based motherboards from Asus ROG, bearing legendary Maximus moniker – reserved for the best of the best.
The Maximus Z690 Hero is no slouch as its model name implies. This is a full size ATX motherboard equipped with a robust power solution, excellent thermal design, high performance networking and powerful connectivity options to name a few.
Disclosure: Asus sent the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero for the purpose of this review. The company did not ask me to say anything particular about it.
Technical Specifications
| CPU Support | Intel 12th-generation Core, Pentium Gold, Celeron Processors |
| Chipset | Intel Z690 |
| Socket | Intel Socket LGA1700 |
| SDRAM | DDR5 |
| Slot | 4x DIMM |
| Channel | Dual Channel |
| Frequency | 6400MHz (OC) |
| Capacity | 128GB (max) |
| GPU | — |
| Multi-GPU | AMD CrossFire Technology |
| PCI Express | 2X PCIe 5.0 x16, 1x PCIe 4.0 x4, |
| Bifurcation | — |
| SATA | 6x SATA III |
| M.2 | 1x PCIe 5.0 x4, 4x PCIe 4.0 x4 |
| RAID | RAID 0/1/5/10 (SATA III), RAID 0/1/5 (PCIe) |
| LAN | Intel 2.5Gb Ethernet |
| WLAN | Intel Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth Version 5.2 |
| DAC | Realtek ALC4082, ESS SABRE9018Q2C |
| ADC | Realtek ALC4082, ESS SABRE9018Q2C |
| Amplifier | ESS SABRE9018Q2C |
| Channel | 7.1 (Realtek), Stereo (ESS) |
| USB | 7x USB 3.2 Gen 2, 2x USB 2.0 |
| eSATA | — |
| Thunderbolt | 2x Thunderbolt 4 |
| LAN | RJ-45 |
| Audio | 5x 3.5mm, S/PDIF |
| Display | DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.1 |
| USB | USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, 2x USB 3.2 Gen1, 2x USB 2.0 |
| SATA | 6x SATA III |
| M.2 | 3x M.2, 2x M.2 (ROG Hyper M.2) |
| Audio | AAFP |
| Fan | 8x 4-Pin, 1x 3-pin, 2x 2-Pin, |
| LED | 4-Pin RGB, 1x 3-Pin RGB |
| Length | 305mm |
| Width | 244mm |
| Height | 45mm |
| Weight | — |
Packaging and Accessories
Asus had the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero packed inside a huge double compartment motherboard packaging.
The packaging should come with the following items inside:
- Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero
- ARGB RGB extension cable
- RGB extension cable
- 4x SATA 6Gb/s cables
- ROG Hyper M.2 Card with heatsink
- 2x M.2 screw packages for ROG Hyper M.2 Card
- Asus Wi-Fi moving antennas
- M.2 Q-Latch package
- 2x M.2 Q-Latch packages for M.2 backplate
- M.2 Rubber Package
- Q-connector
- ROG Graphics card holder
- ROG stickers
- ROG key chain
- ROG thank you card
- USB drive with utilities and drivers
- User Guide
Pretty awesome bundle of accessories we got here which is something I expect with a model accompanied by a higher-end price point.
Design, Build and Connectivity
Edgy but still classy is the name of the game with the Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero. This is a motherboard cladded in alloy with a dash of elegance. One would think it’s all for show but thermal design is also a priority here with thick heatsinks for the majority of its parts. That includes proper cooling solution for the VRM, chipset and even the M.2 slots. This thing is beefy top to bottom.
The back shows more about the soldering job involved into making the motherboard. Surprised there’s no brace here – a feature usually found on higher-end motherboards to help aid heat dissipation and structural rigidity.
Feeding the CPU is a 211 power stage design via dual 8-pin CPU power connectors. PCB is a little warped so I have contacted Asus about it and they said it shouldn’t be an issue with retail boards. Still, this is where the brace could come in handy so it could be alleviated without me fussing about it. Anyway, we got a slew of 4-pin headers here for the fans and water pumps.
Internal storage ports are plenty enough this side of the board with much appreciated angled headers. We have 6x SATA III ports here, an internal USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C header and 2x USB 3.2 Gen1 headers. part of its exclusive feature is the inclusion of a 6-pin GPU power for the internal USB 3.2 header. This should allow you to charge or power compatible devices with a maximum output of 60W.
We have the usual assortment of headers down below along with the remaining 4-pin and LED headers. It’s nice to see the CMOS battery here for ease of maintenance.
Rear I/O port configuration is just shy of excellence or at least on my own opinion since I prefer dual USB 3.2 Gen2x2 ports instead of Thunderbolt 4 ports. We have a 2.5GbE LAN and a Wi-Fi 6E NIC though for blazing fast networking along with the now standard USB 3.2 Gen2 ports. For convenience, the Asus also included a BIOS flashback and a clear CMOS button here.
The Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero is jam packed with interfaces and there’s only a few to scrutinize. That includes the possible QC issue with the warped PCB and the internal only USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 interface.
Firmware Interface
The Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero comes with the good old UEFI BIOS Utility. It comes with two modes, EZ and Advanced. The former is an easy enough way to configure the most important options such as setting up XMP and the AI Overclocking profiles.
Of course, more options could be configured with the Advanced Mode. The Extreme Tweaker is the star of the show here with multitude of settings to play with.
The Tools sub menu is usually reserved for flashing and mundane stuff but we have a few goodies here deserving of your attention. That includes the ability to setup what the onboard ROG Flexkey (button) does, a standalone copy of MemTest86 built-in and the ability to disable the Asus Armoury Crate.
Nothing to complain with this UEFI expect for the now universally accepted 4:3 aspect ratio. Can’t take screenshots too with an NTFS formatted storage device.
Test Setup and Methodology
Our test setup relies on the measurements taken from industry standard benchmark tools and real-world applications. It is important to note that we are testing the review sample after burn-in, with at least 24-hours of uptime. This is done so to negate the FOTB (fresh out the box) state of the DUT (device under test), yielding better benchmarking consistency.
| CPU | Intel Core i9-12900K |
| Motherboard | Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero |
| Cooler | Noctua NH-U12S Redux |
| Memory | Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 5200MHz 32GB |
| GPU | GALAX RTX 2060 EX White 6GB |
| Storage | Kingston FURY Renegade 2TB |
| Case | Mechanical Library JXK-K2 |
| PSU | Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 850W |
| Display | LG UF680T |
| OS | Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64-bit |
The DUT is tested with the following configuration from our test system:
Arithmetic
Pi calculation speed is measured in Seconds (s). This is done via SuperPI.
Roots calculation speed is measured in Seconds (s). This is done via WPrime.
At SuperPI, the Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero bested the motherboards tested. At wPrime though, the Asus ROG Strix Z690-I Gaming Wi-Fi is still the king.
D Rendering
Cinema 4D score is measured in Points (pts). This is done via Cinebench R20.
V-Ray 5 score is measured in V-Ray samples (vsamples). This is done via V-Ray 5 Benchmark.
Pretty close results between the two boards but our ITX based Asus motherboard won still.
Digital Content Creation
Image editing speed is measured in Seconds (s). This is done via RealBench and its built-in GIMP benchmark.
Video encoding speed is measured in Seconds (s).This is done via RealBench and its built-in HandBrake benchmark.
Pretty close results we got here. Nothing fancy to report.
Web Browsing
Web browsing speed is measured in Seconds (s). This is done via PCMark 10 and its built-in Chromium benchmark.
Web browsing speed is measured in Seconds (s). This is done via PCMark 10 and its built-in Firefox benchmark.
Again, nothing fancy here. Let us move on with the other benchmarks.
Office Productivity
Productivity speed is measured in Seconds (s). This is done via PCMark 10 and its built-in LibreOffice Writer benchmark.
Productivity speed is measured in Seconds (s). This is done via PCMark 10 and its built-in LibreOffice Calc benchmark.
Pretty close results here still.
Compression
Compression speed is measured in Kilobytes per Second (KB/s). This is done via WinRAR and its built-in benchmark.
Instruction speed is measured in Giga-Instructions per Second (GIPS). This is done via 7-Zip and its built-in benchmark.
Now we see bits of performance gain with the Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero at the compression benchmarks.
Gaming
Frame rate is measured in Frames per Second (FPS). This is done via Final Fantasy XVI: Endwalker and its official benchmark.
Frame rate is measured in Frames per Second (FPS). This is done via Sid Meier’s Civilization VI and its built-in benchmark.
1% percentile performance is the best but the average FPS crown still goes to the Asus ROG Strix Z690-I Gaming Wi-Fi.
POST Speed
Time to finish POST is measured in Seconds (s) at warm and cold boot. This is done via Windows Task Manager and its Last BIOS Time feature.
Last BIOS Time performance is acceptable yet it is definitely the slowest here out of the Z690 motherboards tested.
DPC Latency
Kernel timer latency is measured in Microseconds (μs) at current and highest. This is done via LatencyMon.
DPC latency is the best out of the bunch. This could be due to the latest updates but it is definitely commendable.
Memory Latency
Memory latency is measured in Nanoseconds (ns). This is done via AIDA64 Extreme and its Cache and Memory Benchmark.
Memory latency is good but the ITX and the DDR4 motherboard are definitely better due to their inherent design advantages.
Storage Performance
Storage throughput is measured in Megabytes per second (MB/s) at read and write. This is done via CrystalDiskMark and its sequential benchmark.
Pretty good storage write performance we got here. Nothing unusual to see.
Audio Performance
Sound level is measured in decibels, A-weighting (dB, A). This is done via the RightMark Audio Analyzer and its Test Report.
Best so far tested and it shows – but with a small caveat particularly at the line-out. This comes with a 20Hz roll off, usually indicating that it has some sort of protection for speakers. Enabling the full range options at the Windows Sounds Settings does nothing so this is most likely a built-in safety feature you cannot switch off. This is fine for budget speaker setups but not really for full range options – unless you’ve got a dedicated sub you could plug into the appropriate port. For headphones, the rear panel is mediocre at best. Must be due to the output impedance, the lack of power or a combination of both.
The ESS based DAC/ADC and amplifier combo is nothing like the back panel option though. I have tested it subjectively and it could satisfy my needs to power up both the Sennheiser HD600 and the HiFiMan HE400SE to elevated levels without audible distortion and clipping. A shame I didn’t have enough time to measure it objectively. If you are interested to see benchmarks of the front panel audio just let me know.
Network Performance
Network throughput is measured in Megabits per second (Mbps) at download and upload. This is done via LAN Tester.
Good results here. Nothing to complain about.
Thermals
VRM temperature is measured in degree Celcius (ºC) at system idle and load. This is done via AIDA64 Extreme and its System Stability Test.
VRM’s thermal performance checks out just on the warmer side.
Power Consumption
System power consumption is measured in Watts (ºC) at system idle and load. This is done via AIDA64 Extreme and its System Stability Test.
Now power consumption is just not the best but somewhat still understandable with the Intel Core i9-12900K onboard along with the motherboard’s amount of I/O.
Software, Lighting and Special Features
Asus bundled the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero with the Armoury Crate. Love it or hate it, I guess it will have to stay as a centralized software platform for Asus devices.
Some UEFI options could also be configured here. That includes the AI Overclocking feature and the FanXpert4. There are more options here though compared to the UEFI based QFan Control.
While I’ve had table flipping moments with the Armoury Crate, I like that they’ve included deals with it. The board also comes with a month long trial of Adobe Cloud.
Another feature worth mentioning is the inclusion of the Asus ROG Hyper M.2 card. this supports PCIe 5.0 x4 interface. It is certainly one of the reasons why this board comes with a hefty price tag.
We also got a GPU support, an ROG keychain and the much appreciated USB thumb drive filled with utilities and drivers.
Now this motherboard also comes with the Q-Release. It is a physical button that unlocks the first PCIe slot’s security latch with one tap. Greatly appreciated feature!
Also got some buttons here for open air platform loving power users. That includes dear me, so it’s a nice feature to have.
Final Thoughts
What we actually have here is an excellent flagship motherboard with tons of features crammed in an ATX form factor. Little there is not to like with the Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero and that includes its price point. If performance is what compels you alone, then be my guess and judge this board based on that merit alone.
The way I see it though, this motherboard stands above the rest by featuring everything a power user could ask for. Just make sure you’re going to use every bit of its real estate along with the accompanying features to get your money’s worth. This motherboard is just not for the faint hearted.
In closing, the Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero definitely deserves the ROG Maximus namesake. It is expensive but if it checks out all that’s on your list then it is totally worth it.
Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero Motherboard
There are cheaper motherboards but none comes close to what the Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero could offer. Make sure you have the means to use every bit of its feature for a sound investment.
Partner this board up with an Intel Core i9 CPU for one insane PC.
Intel’s Alder Lake processors are performing extremely well in tests compared to previous generation CPUs and what AMD has to offer, but there’s also the addition of new 600-series Intel chipsets, including the flagship Z690. Given that this is the range-topping chipset SKU, you can expect premium motherboards and high prices.
This includes the Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero, which retails for 600. Compared to its predecessor, there are some notable changes as we make way for Alder Lake features like DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 support. The Maximus series from Asus has been a solid foundation for PC builds, and this latest entry won’t be any different.
We’ve taken the motherboard for a spin to see what it offers, if it’s a contender for best motherboards, how good of a match it is to an Intel Core i9-12900K processor, and whether you should use it for your Intel Alder Lake-powered PC.
Bottom line: Asus was able to throw the Z690 chipset, as well as DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 support onto the Maximus Hero to make one feature-rich Intel 12th Gen motherboard. If you want to tinker with your PC with stable results, look no further than this board.
For
- Stunning board design
- Plenty of I/O
- Custom water cooling loop support
- DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 support
- Excellent performance
- Easy PCIe release button
Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero: Price and availability
Asus launched the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero in October, which means you can expect to pay full MSRP for the luxury of owning one. At 600, this isn’t an affordable motherboard and sits comfortably in the “premium” segment. That said, for what’s on offer in terms of features, you could do much worse for value.
This motherboard comes with full support for all Intel 12th Gen processors, DDR5 RAM, PCIe 5.0, has 2.5Gb LAN (which we’d love to see bumped up to 10Gb), and a 201 power stage design for stable overclocking. It’s a great place to start for building a powerful PC, so long as you don’t mind paying a little more.
Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero: Hardware design
Asus motherboards generally sport clean designs with little aggressive styling, at least compared to other brands with their “gamer” themes. The ROG Maximus Z690 Hero is no exception. It’s an all-black PCB with a mirror finish plate atop the I/O shroud. The Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero is one good-looking motherboard.
The Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero is one good-looking motherboard.
Along with the board inside the packaging, you’ll find an M.2 PCIe card that offers one PCIe 5.0 and one PCIe 4.0 slot. There’s also a USB drive that can be used for storing UEFI BIOS updates or other files, an antenna for Wi-Fi 6E, and various cables for hooking up other components inside the PC.
Since this is a Z690 motherboard, there’s full support for 12th Gen Intel processors. It’s capable of handling up to 128GB of DDR5 RAM at speeds of up to 6.4GHz (3.2GHz x2). There are three full-size x16 PCIe slots with two at 5.0, and one additional slot at 4.0. Both AMD and NVIDIA GPUs can be configured into a dual-GPU configuration.
For storage, there are six 6.0Gb/s SATA ports and a further three M.2 slots on the motherboard (all are PCIe 4.0). The optional (but included) M.2 PCIe expansion card can be installed to open up two additional M.2 slots, one PCIe 5.0 and another PCIe 4.0. Other highlights on the specification sheet include the Realtek ALC4082 audio codec, and plenty of USB ports on the rear.
| ATX |
| Intel 12th Gen |
| LGA 1700 |
| 4x DDR5 DIMM (up to DDR5-6400), 128GB limit |
| Intel Z690 |
| 2x PCIe 5.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8)1x PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| 6x SATA (6Gbps)2x M.2 2242/2260/2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4, SATA)1x M.2 2242/2260/2280 (PCIe 3.0 x4)ROG Hyper M.2 expansion card (1x M.2 2242/2260/2280 (PCIe 5.0, SATA)ROG Hyper M.2 expansion card (1x M.2 2242/2260/2280 (PCIe 4.0, SATA) |
| Realtek ALC4082 |
| BIOS FlashBack ButtonClear CMOS button1x 2.5G LAN1x Asus Wi-Fi2x Thunderbolt 46x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 (up to 10Gbps)1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 22x USB-A 2.01x HDMI1x Optical S/PDIF out5x Gold-plated audio jack |
| ✓ |
| ✓ |
| 305 x 244 mm |
| 600 |
And this wouldn’t be an Asus motherboard without some RGB lighting. It’s actually subtle on the Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero and is only present within that mirror plate on the I/O shroud — it looks pretty good. The black heatsinks attached to the VRMs are beefy and look as though they would do well to dissipate some heat.
Tucked away in the top-left corner of the board are dual 8-pin CPU ProCool II power connections that are present on most premium Asus AMD and Intel motherboards. Then there are four fan headers for CPU blowers, system fans, and AIO. Next to these is an Asus error code display and LEDs for troubleshooting failed system boots (always good to see this on a board).
There are four DDR5 DIMMS next to the LGA 1700 socket, which is then followed by a power button and flex key (used for system reset but can be programmed for other use). A full 24-pin ATX power socket is north of a PCIe connection to provide power to a 60W fast-charge-capable front-panel USB-C.
You may have noticed a small button next to this internal USB-C port and that would be the PCIe slot release. Have you ever found removing your GPU to be a little tedious? That’s no longer the case on the Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero thanks to this very small button. Simply push it and the GPU can be safely removed once the bracket screws have been extracted.
If you’ve had the pleasure of using an Asus motherboard in recent years, you’ll already know the UEFI BIOS interface. It’s among the best in the business, allowing you to quickly fiddle with settings without having to look at a manual. Using an Intel Core i9-12900K, you can have the BIOS configure all the necessary settings automatically.
The processor is impressive without applying an overclock, but if you happen to have an AIO with at least a 240mm radiator, you should be able to push this CPU a little further and hit upwards of 5.4GHz without encountering any problems. We set up a test bench with the Maximus Z690 Hero, Intel Core i9-12900K, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, 32GB of DDR5 RAM from XPG, and an NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD.
Motherboards are fairly boring when it comes to performance and such since most of them will perform roughly the same. It’s only when comparing boards from different price brackets will you see any notable difference. The Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero is a solid foundation for a 12th Gen Intel PC, both stock and overclocked.
We ran multiple synthetic tests and played a handful of games (including Mount Blade II, GTA V, and Ashes of a Singularity), the motherboard performed admirably with the power-hungry processor drawing upwards of 250W at peak in benchmark tests. The motherboard appears to have adequate passive cooling for components on the surface and we encountered no issues.
Overclocking the Intel Core i9-12900K was a painless process with the Asus BIOS. Simply activate its AI Overclocking feature and let the system handle the rest. Boot into Windows to run a few tests and make sure everything is running stable. It was possible to hit 5.4GHz, which made a notable difference in synthetic benchmarks.
The motherboard handled this boost well and we encountered no issues with power draw, which was up to 290W, according to software monitoring. If you’re into overclocking or want to push 12th Gen Intel Core processors to their limits, this is the board for you.
Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero: Competition
There’s plenty of competition for the Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero. Even though it’s priced at 600 and is part of the company’s premium range of Intel consumer-grade motherboards, you can find countless products from other brands with similar specifications. Where Asus has an edge here is how the company manages to fuse together great design, features, and a stable BIOS.
The MSI MPG Z690 Carbon Wi-Fi is a fine example of a DDR5 motherboard with similar power delivery, though it comes in at 200 less, which may swing those who aren’t looking for features like a 60W front panel USB-C port, multiple USB 3.0 headers, and water-cooling loop flow monitoring support.
You should buy this if.
You have a 12th Gen Intel CPU
So long as you have already purchased (or plan to) a 12th Gen Intel processor, you’re already set to build a PC with the latest Intel processors. Simply slot it into the Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero with DDR5 RAM and you’re good to go.
You plan to overclock your PC
Asus provides numerous tools and features to help make overclocking your PC a seamless process with stable results. The impressive 201 power stage delivery design and rock-solid UEFI BIOS allow you to really push the limits.
You want to use DDR5 and PCIe 5.0
Want the very latest memory technology? DDR4 will be a thing of the past soon enough with the emergence of DDR5 RAM kits. It’s pricier, but you’ll be able to enjoy some ridiculous clock speeds.
You should not buy this if.
You aren’t going to overclock your PC
A more affordable Z690 motherboard or Intel chipset would be a better option if you won’t be doing any overclocking. Even an Intel Core i9-12900K can comfortably run on motherboards with less capable Intel chipsets.
You are building a budget-friendly PC
600 isn’t “budget-friendly” when spent on any one component and the motherboard is no exception. You can find great options at between 100 and 200 so you can really drive home some savings.
You won’t be using DDR5 RAM
This motherboard requires DDR5 RAM and you won’t be able to use DDR4 modules. If you’d rather not splash out on new RAM as well as a motherboard for Intel Alder Lake, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
You should shortlist the Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero if you can afford it. For 12th Gen Intel processors, especially the Core i7 12700K and Core i9-12900K, this board will let you push these already very powerful CPUs even further with excellent power delivery and BIOS support. The DDR5, PCIe 5.0, and other top-level features are like icing on a very tasty cake.
There’s more I/O than you’ll likely require on the rear panel, but it’s the small touches that really stand out on this board. The PCIe release button is magical, so too is the locking mechanism for M.2 drives. The custom water-cooling loop flow header is a nice touch for those who are into DIY, and the optional expansion card lets you pack the PC full of NVMe SSDs.
A couple of things we didn’t like with this board were the 2.5Gb LAN port, which could have been faster at this price, and well. the price itself. If you feel comfortable spending 600 on a motherboard alone, you’ll have no issues running the latest from Intel on this platform — it’s one of the best motherboards available for Alder Lake.
Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero Review — getting what you pay for?
Asus drew elements from their other successful product lines to come up with the all-new design language of the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero. The overall aesthetics ends up putting the competition to shame with their traditional designs that looks downright drab when compared to the modern design of the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero. We haven’t even talked about the features yet. Q-Latch? Q-Release? Godsends.
ROG Hyper M.2 Card comes included Finally no more driver DVDs! Refreshing new design language makes the competition look boring 60W USB-PD from front panel is interesting Well-cooled VRM and PCH! Q-Latch and Q-Release are must-have QoL improvements Ease to use BIOS and software convenient layout of buttons and debug for overclocking
The ROG Maximus Z690 Hero design and features are so far ahead of the competition that it almost makes the premium pricing worth it. Almost.
The newest Intel Z690 motherboards from Asus tout a very distinctive design language, and my personal favorite is the Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero. I guess it also helps that it is the most affordable ROG Maximus Z690 motherboard, so that’s always a plus. Having used multiple ROG Maximus Hero motherboards in the past, let’s see if the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero continues the legacy of its predecessors, offering a nice balance of features, aesthetics and value.
Unboxing
The packaging of the Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero continues the design language that Asus decided to adopt with the Maximus XIII series. It is quite interesting that they decided to not name this the ROG Maximus XIV though. Perhaps Intel wanted them to feature the Intel Z690 branding more prominently than before? In any case, the cybertext and diagonal lines contrast each other very well, making this the perfect box to keep on a shelf in your mancave after you have completed your build.
The back of the box is once again reminiscent of earlier ROG motherboards. The highlighted features along with a clear image of the motherboard itself are all presented here, letting you know what you are getting into.
And as with all previous Asus ROG motherboards, there a sumptuous spread of included cables, accessories and even a graphics card support stand. A pretty nice addition, considering that graphics cards seem to be only growing larger as time passes. And yes, you get a keychain and stickers as the obligatory ROG swag that comes with just about every product from the Republic of Gamers.
What’s new is the ROG Hyper M.2 Card, which is included with the full ROG Maximus Z690 motherboard lineup. While previously the ROG Maximus Hero series didn’t come with this, the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero comes with one to give you support for PCIe 5.0 SSDs, while also ramping up the total number of M.2 slots to five. Also, instead of the useless driver DVDs, you now get a thumb drive containing all the utilities and drivers you need. Finally!
While I do love the expansion options that the ROG Hyper M.2 card brings to the table, I don’t know why Asus decided to print this text on it. It sort of “cheapens” the entire aesthetic… However you will most probably not see it once it is installed in your PC, so it’s just me being extra nitpicky here. The thumb drive appears to be clad in an aluminum shell, and also supports USB 3.0, so this is definitely something that will end up being useful, even after you are done with the initial setup. Unlike the driver DVDs which are useless from the get go.
Appearance
Asus has clearly went back to drawing board for the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero, and made huge changes to the design. While ROG Maximus XIII Hero was by no means bad looking, the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero seems to borrow from the aesthetics established by the ROG Phone 5 series. Heavy use of diagonal lines and dots help to create a very modern look that just makes every other motherboard vendor’s offering look drab and boring in comparison.
Instead of a large heatsink that also doubles as the I/O cover, Asus went with something they call the Polymo lighting display, which we will get into in a bit. But fret not, as the overall size of the heatsink appears to be still similar, so it should do its job cooling the VRM pretty well, while also looking absolutely stunning.
The lower portion of the board is also heavily covered, and the PCH cover is probably the most interesting one I have seen yet. The ROG logo is created by silver metal bumps, contrasting against the glossy plastic. This is definitely One interesting change coming from the ROG Maximus XIII Hero is that the area beside the ROG logo is actually a part of the PCH heatsink itself, and there are no M.2 slots underneath. Does it mean that Asus actually found it necessary to use a lot more surface area and mass to cool the Intel Z690 chipset? Or will it just mean that we will see cooler temperatures on the chipset this time around? Well, we will see.
Moving on to the rear of the board, we see a nice smattering of USB-A ports. This is essentially unchanged coming from the Asus ROG Maximus XIII Hero, with six USB 3.2 Gen2 (10Gbps) ports and two USB 2.0 ports. The ROG Maximus Z690 Hero gets an additional USB-C port that delivers 10Gbps speeds too, in addition to the two Thunderbolt 4 ports. Those who actually make use of the dual LAN ports on the ROG Maximus XIII Hero will have to look elsewhere though, as the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero only comes with a single 2.5GbE port. Last but not least, you get a HDMI port, giving you the ability to use the iGPU when you need to.
There isn’t much to see here, but you might notice the presence of the PCIe redrivers near the PCIe 5.0 slots. Asus has also adopted SMD DDR5 DIMM slots and PCIe 5.0 slots, which should improve the signal integrity. The other advantage is a slightly cleaner looking rear side, although unlike the ROG Strix motherboards which often have more complex silkscreened designs on the rear side of the board, I doubt anyone will actually actively try to showoff this side of the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero.
Now, let’s talk RGB. Unlike most of the previous motherboards, the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero lacks any form of RGB over the PCH. All of that RGB is now focused on the I/O shroud, which is probably for the better. The PCH is rarely visible when a GPU is installed, and since the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero is targeting the enthusiast market, you will rarely build a system with the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero without a GPU anyway. So yes, I like this design. When the lighting is disabled is off, it has this sleek mirrored finish that blends into the overall dark aesthetic featured across the rest of the board.
I would definitely keep it running though, as it looks downright amazing. The Polymo lighting panel essentially gives you two different visuals in one panel. Seeing it in static images doesn’t really do the Polymo lighting justice. It looks a lot better in real life as it transitions between each animation. This gives you a more dynamic look, although one tiny flaw is that it seems that you can’t choose one over the either. At least not yet in Armoury Crate. Hopefully this option will be added soon.
The smoothness could also be improved, as it doesn’t flow nearly as smoothly as most ARGB lighting. I believe that the complexity of the Polymo lighting might be a reason why we can’t get it as smooth, but I am willing to sacrifice a few CPU clock cycles to enjoy smoother transitions.
Specifications
ROG Maximus Z690 Hero
| CPU support | LGA1700 12th Gen Intel Core, Pentium Gold, Celeron Processors |
| Power | 1 x 24-pin ATX 2 x 8-pin EATX 12V, ProCool II Renesas RAA229131 PWM controller (20-phase) 20 x Intersil ISL99390 (90A) powerstage for VCore 1 x Intersil ISL99390 (90A) powerstage for SoC |
| Chipset | Intel Z690 |
| Memory | 4 x DDR5 DIMM, max. 128GB un-buffered memory Up to DDR5-6400 (OC) |
| Multi-GPU Support | 2 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slots (no official support for NVIDIA SLI/ AMD CrossFire) |
| Expansion slots | PCIe 5.0 x16 (x16 electrically – from CPU) PCIe 5.0 x16 (x8 – from CPU) PCIe 4.0 x16 (x4, x4/x4 – from chipset) |
| Storage | 6 x SATA 6 Gb/s, supports RAID 0,1,10 Onboard 1 x M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 – from 12th Gen CPU 1 x M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 / SATA – from chipset 1 x M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 – from chipset ROG Hyper M.2 Card 1 x M.2 PCIe 5.0 x4 – when connected to CPU PCIe lanes 2 x M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 – when connected to chipset PCIe lanes |
| Network | Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210 1 x Intel I225V 2.5GbE LAN |
| USB | Rear I/O: 2 x Thunderbolt 4 Type-C 1 x USB 3.2 Gen2, USB-C 6 x USB 3.2 Gen2, USB-A 2 x USB 2.0 On-board headers: 1 x USB 3.2 2×2 Type-C (20Gbps) 2 x USB 3.0 (5Gbps) (2 ports each) 2 x USB 2.0 (2 ports each) |
| Audio | ROG SupremeFX Realtek ALC4082 CODEC ESS SABRE9018Q2C DAC amp 5 x gold-plated audio jacks (rear) 1 x Optical S/PDIF out 1 x front panel audio connector |
| Display output | 1 x HDMI (4K60) 2 x Thunderbolt 4 |
| Other onboard connectors | 1 x CPU fan header 1 x CPU_OPT fan header 1 x AIO Pump fan header 4 x Chassis fan headers 1 x Water Pump fan header 1 x Waterflow sensor 1 x Water In header 1 x Water Out header 1 x RGB headers 3 x ARGB Gen 2 headers 1 x TPM module connector 1 x Temperature sensor header |
| Overclocking features | Q-LED debug LEDs Q-CODE POST code LED readout BIOS Flashback button On-board power button FlexKey button ReTry button Clear CMOS button |
| Included accessories | User’s manual Support USB drive Asus Wi-Fi moving antenna ROG Hyper M.2 Card 2 x M.2 screw package for ROG Hyper M.2 Card 1 x ARGB extension cable 1 x RGB extension cable 4 x SATA 6Gbps cables 1 x M.2 Q-Latch set 2 x M.2 Q-Latch for M.2 backplate 1 x M.2 rubber Q-connector ROG Graphics card holder ROG stickers ROG thank you card ROG key chain |
| Form factor | ATX (30.5 x 24.4 cm) |
Test System
| CPU | Intel Core i9-12900K |
| Cooler | ROG Ryujin II 360 |
| Motherboard | Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero (BIOS ver.0702) |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition |
| Memory | 2 x 16GB Kingston FURY Beast DDR5-5200 CL40 |
| Storage | Kingston NV1 1TB Kingston UV500 1TB Seagate FireCuda SSHD 1TB Kingston KC2500 1TB |
| Power Supply | Cooler Master V850 Platinum |
| Case | Vector Bench Case |
| OS | Windows 11 Pro 21H2 (22000.282) |
A Closer Look
As much of the board hidden away under the heatsinks and sexy I/O shroud, we will have to take it apart to get a closer look at what the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero offers. One thing worth mentioning is that just about everything on the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero is metal, except for the cover over the Polymo lighting panel. Even the branding on the PCH heatsink is actually made of a thin sheet of metal with a glossy coating over it.
VRMs
Instead of the curvy lines that we saw with the ROG Maximus XIII Hero, we have some flat, no-nonsense design here. Probably it is meant this way, so that it doesn’t draw your attention away from the Polymo lighting panel. In any case, the heatsink actually extends under the Polymo panel, which means that there’s literally more to the heatsink than meets the eye.
Under the heatsink we find a total of 21 Intersil ISL99390 powerstages. These are pretty familiar, with them being used in quite a number of competitor boards before making their way into Asus’ lineup. This is set up in a 201 powerstage configuration. Instead of having 20 direct phases to the CPU, you get what’s essentially an extremely beefy 10-phase VRM for the Vcore, with two of these 90A ISL99390 powerstages per phase. In total, you would be looking at 1800A of power, which is just plenty of power, even if you plan on breaking some records with your CPU under some exotic extreme cooling solutions.
While earlier Asus ROG boards relied on the Teamed Power Architecture used PWM controllers that could handle fewer phases, the fact that Asus still decided to continue using this configuration here is definitely a bit more peculiar when the RAA229131 PWM controller. This controller is capable of handling 20 direct phases, so this is probably a waste of this powerful controller. This is a rather new controller, but it is apparently used in many of the other Intel Z690 motherboards as well, so Asus might have had to use this controller over their other existing controllers.
Audio
Not much has changed in the way of audio for the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero. It shares the same Realtek ALC4082 codec mated to an ESS SABRE9018Q2C DAC amp to improve the sound output. Asus also used Nichicon caps which are quite highly regarded in the audiophile world. All of the audio circuitry is separated from the rest of the board, preventing interference from turning up as noise in the output.
Storage
The storage situation on the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero is definitely a bit more interesting than previous generations of Intel motherboards, thanks largely in part to the ROG Hyper M.2 Card that comes included. This card allows you to use a PCIe 5.0 x4 SSD if you are willing to run your graphics card at PCIe x8, which is definitely something to look forward to if you find PCIe 4.0 SSDs to somehow bottleneck your PC experience.
One thing worth keeping in mind is that the ROG Hyper M.2 Card can only let you use one PCIe 5.0 x4 SSD, as the second slot will end up disabled if you plug it into a PCIe slot that’s connected to the CPU. If you connect it to the lowest PCIe slot that’s powered by the chipset, you can use two PCIe 4.0 SSDs, giving you support for a grand total of four M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 SSDs and one M.2 PCIe 3.0 SSD. The fastest configuration possible will be one PCIe 5.0 x4 SSDs, two PCIe 4.0 x4 SSDs and one PCIe 3.0 SSD. I kinda doubt anyone will need that many fast SSDs, but if you want, you can.
For more traditional storage options, you have the six SATA ports. Flanking the six SATA ports are two 90°-angled ports that seem to have been carried over from the ROG Maximus XIII Hero. Earlier ROG Maximus Hero boards usually came with a single USB 3.0 header, so I am glad to see that this gets carried over to the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero.
Connectivity
Along the same vein, we have a USB 3.2 Gen2x2 header, which gives you 20Gbps speeds on your front panel. I am not sure why this isn’t angled, as it would have been really good for cable management, since the cable for the USB-C headers are actually quite thick and difficult to bend. Beside it is a 6-pin PCIe power connector. Instead of just providing extra power for the PCIe slots, this enables 60W USB-PD and Quick Charge 4 support for the USB-C port on your case. It is optional to plug it in, and if you decide to not use it, you can still get 27W out of this USB-C header. I am not exactly sure if all cases with a USB-C port on their front panels are designed for 60W power delivery, but if yours is, this will let you charge everything from smartphones to even laptops. Pretty cool.
Now moving on to the rear I/O, we get the Intel JHL8540 Thunderbolt 4 controller. There are also multiple USB 3.2 Gen2 redrivers here, along with a ASM1543 mux to handle the USB-C port. There’s also a USB-PD controller here, which should be handling additional power delivery to the USB-C ports on the rear panel.
Interestingly enough, the packaging of the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero indicated that this board can come with either the Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210 or AX211 adapter. We got the Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210 with our sample. In any case, the only difference is that if you got the Wi-Fi 6E AX211 adapter, you can’t transplant it to a non-Intel motherboard due to it being a CNVio2 module, unlike with the Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210, which is a universal M.2 PCIe Wi-Fi adapter.
In case you are wondering where the Intel I225-V 2.5GbE NIC is located, it is actually on the back of the board. I guess the front side was just too jam-packed to fit this in there?
Performance
The highest temperatures we saw from the VRMs were just 57°C, while handling the Intel Core i9-12900K pulling an average of nearly 226W over 30 minutes, with a peak of up to 261W. I do believe that this is a pretty good result, and there’s definitely plenty of room to drive even more power to the CPU, provided you can cool it. With our test system already using the ROG Ryujin II 360, the next step up is probably exotic cooling, or maybe if Intel decides to revisit TEC cooling again for the 12th Gen Intel Core generation.
My sample here also seems to have a strip of thermal pads missing where it should be contacting the inductors on the row above the socket. I am not sure if this was intentionally left out or I was just unlucky, but I will be adding some there when I can get my hands on some thermal pads.
Meanwhile the PCH is also running pretty cool. Unlike the ROG Maximus XIII Hero, the PCH runs under 66°C at all times. I guess Asus learned their lesson after the ROG Maximus XIII Hero, which saw its Intel Z590 chipset hit 80°C while doing practically nothing. The sizeable heatsink probably really helps. I kinda wish that Asus made deeper grooves into the heatsink for more surface area, but it might also be counterintuitive to add more surface area, as it might expose the heatsink to more waste heat from the graphics card.
Speaking of which, Asus may have already thought of that. The PCH heatsink is actually made up of a thin metal sheet stuck on the actual heatsink itself. This might have provided additional isolation from the heat coming from a graphics card exhausting hot air above it. Pretty interesting design decision, when it might have been more cost effective to just mill the entire thing out of a single metal block.
User Experience
Build
The ROG Maximus Z690 Hero is a standard ATX motherboard, so as long as your case fits ATX motherboards, you won’t have any issues. But Asus definitely made some huge improvements to the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero to make it much easier for enthusiasts to upgrade and swap out hardware, essentially making it the perfect platform for enthusiasts and also reviewers, like yours truly.
Let’s start off this section with one of the biggest quality-of-life improvements ever: PCIe slot Q-Release. If you have ever tried to remove a graphics card from your build, chances are you were forced to squeeze a ruler or other thin objects to unlatch your graphics card. This is especially a problem with graphics cards that have thicker backplates. But that won’t be an issue with the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero, as you get this fancy little button to actuate the PCIe clip for the main PCIe slot. This means that you won’t have to damage the PCIe latch to swap out your graphics again!
Swapping out SSDs is also easier now with the M.2 Q-Latch. Instead of the tiny screws that will miraculously disappear when you drop them, you can secure your M.2 drives with the Q-Latch that turns around and latches onto the end of your SSD. When you want to remove your drive, you just twist it the other way. Once again, a really ingenious improvement by Asus.
Another rather interesting decision by Asus is also to support LGA1200 mounting holes across their Intel Z690 lineup. This essentially means that you can use your coolers dating back as far as the LGA1156 days, since Intel has used the same mounting holes from the LGA1156 socket, all the way up to the LGA1200 socket. There’s the caveat that some of the older coolers might not work perfectly, but at least you have the option to try and see if it works before going out to buy a new cooler, like you would have to with the Intel Z690 motherboard from other vendors.
BIOS
These here are your basic overclocking settings, all laid out in the Extreme Tweaker menu. XMP, multiplier, frequency adjustments and voltages are all available here. One nice touch is the fact that if you are approaching dangerous voltages, the voltage will change color from white, to yellow, pink and finally red. As this is the first Intel 7 processor I have played with, I kept it pretty safe. Not like I could push much higher voltages anyway with the cooling I have.
There are also more in-depth toggles, including more memory overclocking settings, the full suite of controls for the DIGI VRM to tweak the power delivery to your processor and RAM. There’s also AI overclocking, with a pretty nice amount of adjustability to help you squeeze more performance out of your processor without too much effort.
Along with the other settings that you can use to enable or disable the vast array of onboard devices, there’s a toggle to enable PCIe Gen 5 Redriver Driving to optimize performance for PCIe 5.0 SSDs. I am not exactly sure what’s the difference between enabling and disabling it though, as I don’t have a PCIe 5.0 drive to test anyway. Another interesting thing I noted was tahat the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero can communicate with the fan controller hub thingy that’s included with the ROG Ryujin II 360 to provide a fan speed readout. However it doesn’t give you the option to control the fans and pump speeds. I wish that it was able to do that, just so I can skip installing Armoury Crate on my bench systems.
I quite like these two last bits, as they are just tiny QoL improvements. Instead of having to dive deep into the settings to enable Resizable BAR, Asus added a toggle along the top of the UI. There’s also MemTest86 baked in here, so you don’t need to create your own bootable USB drive to test your memory stability. Quite a nice touch for an enthusiast-oriented board. And the FlexKey adjustments let you decide what you want to do with it, instead of just limiting you to its default function as a reset button. Pretty nice.
Overclocking
While previously Asus placed a ReTry button on the bottom edge of the motherboard, this time it is right up there along the other onboard buttons available on this motherboard. Essentially this tiny change makes this upper right corner is the de facto “overclocking corner”, with the power, FlexKey, ReTry buttons and also the Q-CODE POST code readout and Q-LED debug LEDs all located here. Pretty neat. As mentioned earlier, the FlexKey can be reconfigured as needed, with the best option being to assign it as a Safe Boot key to come back from failed overclocks.
As it stands, we managed to take our Intel Core i9-12900K to 5.2GHz without breaking a sweat, and the memory’s DDR5-5200 XMP profile was enabled without a hitch. The experience of overclocking on the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero is just like the boards before it, thanks to the very familiar BIOS interface and multiple ways of recovering from a bad overclock.
ROG MAXIMUS Z690 Hero w/ DDR5-4800, 7.1 Audio, 5x M.2, 2.5G LAN, Wi-Fi 6, BT, PCI-E 5.0, USB 3.2 Type-C
Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero (Wi-Fi 6E) designed for gaming enthusiasts and extreme overclockers built to unleash the maximum performance of 12th generation Intel Core processors. ROG Maximus Z690 Hero continues to build on the legacy of its predecessors by packing upgraded power and lightspeed connectivity under an all new ROG ID design exterior, the latest Hero is ready to take the helm of your high-end gaming build.
Features
- Intel LGA 1700 socket: Ready for 12th Gen Intel Core processors and Windows 11, support PCIe 5.0 and DDR5
- Robust Power Solution: 201 teamed power stages rated for 90 A, ProCool II power connectors, MicroFine alloy chokes and premium metallic capacitors
- Intelligent Control: Asus-exclusive tools including AI Overclocking, AI Cooling, AI Networking(GameFirst VI) and Two-Way AI Noise-Cancelation for easy configuration
- Optimized Thermal Design: VRM heatsinks plus integrated aluminum I/O cover, high-conductivity thermal pad, triple M.2 heatsinks and dual with embedded backplates, and ROG Water-Cooling Zone
- High-performance Networking: Onboard Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth V5.2, Intel 2.5Gb Ethernet, and Asus LANGaurd
- Fastest Gaming Connectivity: PCIe 5.0, dual Gen 4 M.2 onboard, ROG Hyper M.2 card with Gen 5 M.2 support, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 front-panel connector, 2xThunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C port)
- DIY-friendly Design: Pre-mounted I/O shield, PCIe Slot Q-Release, BIOS FlashBack Q-Code, FlexKey, Q-Connector, M.2 Q-Latch, SafeSlot, ROG Hyper M.2 card and Graphics card holder
- ROG Aesthetic: I/O cover with Polymo Lighting, Asus-exclusive Aura Sync RGB lighting, including one RGB header and three addressable Gen 2 RGB headers
- Renowned Software: Bundled 1 year AIDA64 Extreme subscription and intuitive UEFI BIOS dashboard with integrated MemTest86
Intel Processor Support:
This Asus Motherboard supports 12 th Gen Intel Core Processors for Socket LGA-1700.
Specifications
| Asus ROG MAXIMUS Z690 Hero ATX Motherboard |
| Intel Socket LGA1700 for 12th Gen Intel Core Pentium Gold and Celeron Processors Supports Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 and Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 Refer to www.Asus.com for CPU support list. Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 support depends on the CPU types. |
| Intel Z690 Chipset |
| 4 x DIMM, Max. 128GB, DDR5 6000(OC)/ 5800(OC)/ 5600(OC)/ 5400(OC)/ 5200(OC)/ 5000(OC)/ 4800 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory |
Dual Channel Memory Architecture Supports Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) OptiMem II Actual Memory frequency support depends on the CPU types and DRAM modules, for more information refer to www.Asus.com for the Memory QVL (Qualified Vendors Lists).
Total supports 5 x M.2 slots and 6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports
Intel 12th Gen Processors: 1 x M.2_1 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode). Intel 12th Gen processors support PCIe 4.0 x4 mode.
1 x Hyper M.2_1 slot (Key M) via ROG Hyper M.2 card, type 2242/2260/2280/22110. Intel 12th Gen processors support PCIe 5.0 x4 mode
Intel Z690 Chipset: 1 x M.2_2 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280 (supports PCIe 3.0 x4 mode) 1 x M.2_3 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 SATA modes) Hyper M.2_1 slot (Key M) via ROG Hyper M.2 card, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (suppports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode) Hyper M.2_2 slot (Key M) via ROG Hyper M.2 card, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (suppports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode) 6 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s) Intel Rapid Storage Technology supports NVMe RAID 0/1/5, SATA RAID 0/1/5/10. Intel Rapid Storage Technology supports Intel Optane Memory H Series on PCH attached M.2 slots. When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_1, Hyper M.2_1 slot can support PCIe 4.0 x4 mode. When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_2, Hyper M.2_1 slot can support PCIe 5.0 x4 mode. When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G4), Hyper M.2_1 and Hyper M.2_2 slots can support PCIe 4.0 x4 mode. When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_1 or PCIEX16(G5)_2, Hyper M.2_2 slot will be disabled. When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G4), Hyper M.2_1 and Hyper M.2_2 slots can support PCIe 4.0 x4 mode. RAID configuration and boot drives are not supported on the SATA6G_E1-2 ports
Intel 12th Gen Processors: 2 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slots (support x16 or x8/x8 modes)
Intel Z690 Chipset: 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (supports x4, x4/x4 modes)
Please check PCIe bifurcation table in Chapter 1. When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_1, PCIEX16(G5)_2 will run x8 only and if ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_2, PCIEX16(G5)_1 will run x8 only. Supports Intel Optane Memory H Series on PCH-attached PCIe slot.
Rear USB Port (Total 11) 2 x Thunderbolt 4 ports (2 x USB Type-C) 7 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (6 x Type-A 1 x USB Type-C) 2 x USB 2.0 ports (2 x Type-A)
Front USB Port (Total 9) 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 connector (supports USB Type-C) 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 headers support additional 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports 2 x USB 2.0 headers support additional 4 USB 2.0 ports
Package Contents
- Asus ROG MAXIMUS Z690 Hero ATX Motherboard
- 4 x SATA 6Gb/s Cable(s)
- 1 x ARGB RGB Extension Cable
- 1 x RGB Extension Cable
- 1 x ROG Hyper M.2 Card with Heatsink
- 2 x M.2 Screw packages for ROG Hyper M.2 Card
- 1 x Asus Wi-Fi Moving Antennas
- 1 x M.2 Q-Latch Package
- 2 x M.2 Q-Latch Packages for M.2 Backplate
- 1 x M.2 Rubber Package
- 1 x Q-Connector
- 1 x ROG Graphics Card Holder
- 1 x ROG Stickers
- 1 x ROG Key Chain
- 1 x ROG Thank You Card
- 1 x USB Drive with Utilities and Drivers
- User Manual
