ASRock has launched the limited-edition “Z690 AQUA” series of Intel Z690 motherboards that feature DIY water cooling. There will be two variants of the series motherboards will be available including the conventional “Z690 AQUA” with four memory slots and the overclocked “Z690 AQUA OC” with only two. There is quite a little difference in both variants.
The key highlight of the new motherboard is the custom AQUA water cooling block, which is designed to dissipate the heat of the CPU, VRM as efficiently as possible. The ASRock Z690 AQUA motherboard also features an OLED display that provides a clear status of the motherboard. The display can also be configured from the BIOs to get a more user-friendly application.
Talking about the slots and the connectivity options, the Z690 AQUA motherboard features x4 DDR5-6400 (up to 128GB) memory slots, SATA3.0 (6Gbpps) x8 storage ports (4 of which are ASMedia ASM1061), Hyper M.2 x 3, and an expansion slot. PCI-Express5.0 (x16 shape) x2, PCI-Express4.0 (x4 / x16 shape) x1, PCI-Express3.0 (x1) x1, M.2 2230 x 1. It also includes a 2x Thunderbolt 4/USB4 USB Type-C port with lightning-fast data transfer up to 40Gbps.
Additionally, the new ASRock Z690 AQUA motherboard includes Marvell AQC113CS 10 Gigabit LANs, Killer E3100G 2.5 Gigabit LANs, and Killer AX1675 Wi-Fi 6E wireless LANs. The audio circuit is 7.1 channel HD audio by Realtek ALC 1220 + ESS SABER 9218.
ASRock Z690 AQUA Motherboard Specs and Features
- Supports 12th Gen Intel Core Processors (LGA1700
- 20 Phase SPS Dr.MOS Power Design
- Supports DDR5 6400MHz (OC)
- 2 PCIe 5.0 x16, 1 PCIe 4.0 x16, 1 PCIe 3.0 x1
- Graphics Output Options: HDMI, 2 Thunderbolt Type-C
- Realtek ALC1220 7.1 CH HD Audio Codec, ESS SABRE 9218 DAC,
WIMA Audio Caps, Nahimic Audio - 8 SATA3
- 1 Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4 x4)
- 2 Hyper M.2 (PCIe Gen4 x4 & SATA3)
- 2 Thunderbolt 4/USB4 Type-C
- 2 USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Front Type-C
- 2 Rear USB 3.2 Gen2 Type A
- 8 USB 3.2 Gen1 (4 Rear, 4 Front)
- AQUANTIA / Marvell 10G LAN, Killer E3100 2.5G LAN
- Killer AX1675 802.11ax (WiFi 6E) + Bluetooth
- Status OLED + Polychrome SYNC