Intel Z690 Chipset, Features, News and Comparisons

We keep calling the first as the second for the same reason that instead of saying UEFI, we keep saying BIOS. Not that this is wrong in itself, since the chipset was present until 2009 on motherboards and had another nickname at the time: South Bridge. The difference is that back in the days when the chipset had everything that was previously split into two separate and individual chips precisely called South Bridge and North Bridge, Intel joined them in that term and then split the tasks again to transfer. most important to the processor. and gain in performance by reducing consumption, leaving a chip (PCH) with secondary tasks.

The controversy has been cleared up and after a bit of motherboard and processor history, let’s meet the protagonist but not before allowing ourselves the luxury of continuing to call it a chipset for the good old days.

Intel Z690: what’s new

You could say the typical what’s new “old”? Because it’s convenient. The block diagram is really intuitive on its own, but we’re going to break it down and then calmly and in perspective compare what Intel is adding or taking away from its latest chipset.

First of all, we have to mention the processor support, because it is essential to know whether we can or should buy the model we are thinking of. In principle, this Z690 chipset supports the entire generation of Intel Core 12 processors, from i9-12900K as maximum exponent to i3-12100, as well as the successive and expected Celeron and Pentium which will arrive later once the platform is presented. .

It is expected and although at the time of this writing we are one year away, this chipset also supports the upcoming Intel Core 13 based on the Raptor Lake architecture with a simple BIOS / UEFI update, although this information is not confirmed. But that’s more than likely because they’ll be sharing a socket, something we can have for sure.

Having said that, the first thing to know is that although the diagram specifies the PCIe bus as such, the chipset only takes care of a minimal part, so the 16 PCIe 5.0 lanes are really intended. to the CPU and its controller. , although the chipset communicates them with various components and the property itself is therefore assigned (well specified in the diagram by the way).

The Z690, like its predecessors, has its own lines, but they are PCIe 4.0 distributed in 4 + 4 for M.2, because it does not directly support PCIe 5.0. This is only done by the CPU for a single x16 slot for the graphics card. As the chipset must communicate with the rest of the components, the 4 + 4 for M.2 SSDs and four more for USB 3.2 Gen 2 × 2, although these are specified in their segment, but they really go for PCIe.

That leaves us with 16 PCIe 5.0 lanes handled by the CPU, 12 PCIe 4.0 lanes by the chipset and 16 more with PCIe 3.0, which gives a total of 16+ 28, the latter being the most relevant to describe this Z690. Apart from these 28 lines, support is given to 8 SATA 6 Gb / s for HDD or SSD with this interface, something that will be appreciated by those who need to save a lot of information and do not want to spend too much money on hard drives.

Other features of the Z690

The rest of the specifications are completed by those mentioned 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 × 2, up to 10 USB 3.2 2 × 1 many others ten USB 3.2 1 × 1 and if that were not enough fourteen USB 2.0 which will be distributed among different types of USB connectors in each model of motherboard.

Saying that as usual, these specs are the maximum that the Z690 chipset supports, so each manufacturer will include those they deem appropriate depending on the lineup and model. To top it off we have a network card Intel 1000 MAC como Ethernet, which goes with a line PCIe x1 and SMBus, Intel Smart Sound Technology, Intel High Definition Audio and the new implementation of Wi-Fi 6E AX201 Gig +.

We cannot forget two important and rarely mentioned details: the inclusion of DMI 4.0 with 8 lines exclusive between this Z690 chipset and the rigorous CPU, as well as the SPI that unites it to the ME and PTT firmware, something much commented on in recent months.

As for the TDP, it consumes only 6 watts, costing for the end customer 51 dollars, so it is really expensive as such, although very efficient, nothing to do with the AMD X570 which doubles it in consumption. Its size, on the other hand, is larger, with dimensions of 28 mm x 25 mm, supports Boot protectors and supports overclocking to RAM with IA, BCLK.

Optional features

These characteristics do not have to be associated with the chipset if the manufacturer does not wish to include them, but they must be communicated to Intel to provide the correct version of the chipset. Thus, many cards integrate the new network card MAC / PHY Intel 2.5G Base-T how good this is for the company to the point that AMD is incorporating it into many models of manufacturers motherboards for their latest AM4 boards.

In addition, you can request assistance for Intel Extreme Tuning Utility, Intel Optane Memory, Intel Rapid Storage Technology with system RAID and finally Intel Rapid Storage Technology by PCI Express.

This Z690 chipset is the one that has had the most additional configuration options in the history of the company, in addition, these are really interesting for the consumer, whether it is a content creator or a player, so take into account the motherboard models to see their specifications and the additions they specifically include.