Articles by Joe Shields, Staff Writer, Components

Joe has been playing with computers since the early 1980s with a Radio Shack Tandy TRS-80. After college in the late 90s/early 2000s, he built his first custom PC and got into modding, overclocking, and eventually extreme overclocking, competing at Hwbot.org. Joe started writing around 2010 for Overclockers.com, covering the latest news and reviews that include video cards, motherboards, storage, and processors. In 2018, he went ‘pro’ writing for Anandtech.com, covering news and motherboards. Eventually, he landed here at Tom’s Hardware, where he writes news, covers graphics card reviews, and currently writes motherboard reviews. If you can’t find him benchmarking and gathering data, Joe can be found working on his website (Overclockers.com), supporting his two kids in athletics, hanging out with his wife, catching up on Game of Thrones, watching sports (Go Browns/Guardians/Cavs/Buckeyes!), or playing PUBG on PC.

Articles by: Joe Shields

ASRock B660 Steel Legend Review: Solid Features and Affordability

By Joe Shields published 25 April 22

Reasonable features for the price ($159), but this board struggles with heavily multi-threaded loads

Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme and Extreme Glacial Motherboard Review

By Joe Shields published 16 April 22

Editor's Choice

To water cool, or not to water cool, that is the question.

Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Tachyon Review: Born to Overclock

By Joe Shields published 25 March 22

Editor's Choice

Designed for overclocking, but a well-rounded performer for $549.99.

MSI MPG Z690 Carbon EK X Motherboard Review: EK Block Included

By Joe Shields published 19 March 22

MSI’s Z690 Carbon EK X is a feature-rich board that includes a custom EK monoblock for $629.99.

ASRock Z690 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB4 Review: Thunderbolt, but Limited Expandability

By Joe Shields published 10 March 22

Two M.2 sockets, Thunderbolt 4, and Killer-based networking in a Mini-ITX form factor for $349.99.

MSI MEG Z690I Unify Review: ITX Dark Horse

By Joe Shields published 7 March 22

Editor's Choice

Three M.2 sockets, 4 SATA ports, and flagship audio in a Mini-ITX package for $399.99

EVGA Z690 Classified Review: Declassified Class

By Joe Shields published 3 March 22

Robust power delivery, horizontal connectors, three M.2 slots, and eight SATA ports for $629.99.

Asus Prime Z690-A Review: More USB, Please

By Joe Shields published 28 February 22

Four M.2 sockets, capable power delivery and quality audio at a reasonable $279.99.

Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Ultra Review: Ports and Value Aplenty

By Joe Shields published 21 February 22

Editor's Choice

The best Z690 board for around $349

ASRock Z690 PG Velocita Review: Expensive, but Capable

By Joe Shields published 19 February 22

ASRock’s Z690 PG Velocita offers PCIe 5.0 x2 M.2, Killer Networking, capable power delivery and more for $469.99.

Asus ROG Strix Z690-E Gaming WiFi Review: PCIe 5.0 M.2 and 12 USB Ports

By Joe Shields published 8 February 22

Good looks and connectivity aplenty for $469.99

Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master Review: Overbuilt, M.2 Abundance

By Joe Shields published 1 February 22

Upper Mid-range pricing ($469.99), with matching features and good looks

MSI X570S Carbon EK X Review: Carbon Under Water

By Joe Shields published 26 January 22

Easiest and cheapest entry into custom watercooling for your AMD Ryzen-based build.

MSI MAG B660M Mortar WIFI DDR4 Review: B660 Chipset Bliss?

By Joe Shields published 4 January 22

An inexpensive entry into Alder Lake, with full (stock) performance.

MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WIFI Review: Stealth Mode

By Joe Shields published 28 December 21

MSI’s Z690 Tomahawk brings a stealthy black appearance, four M.2 ports and other updates to Alder Lake for $309.99.

Asus TUF Gaming Z690-Plus WIFI D4 Review: Is DDR4 Good Enough?

By Joe Shields published 23 December 21

At $289.99, the Asus Z690-Plus WIFI D4 is a well-rounded board that will let you jump into Alder Lake for a lot less money by using DDR4.

Gigabyte Z690 Aero G DDR4 Review: Budget Board for Creators

By Joe Shields published 20 December 21

A well-rounded board for Creators, with plenty of storage and a low price

Biostar Z690 Valkyrie Review: Capable but Overpriced

By Joe Shields published 6 December 21

The Biostar Z690 Valkyrie has four M.2 sockets and eight SATA ports, 105A VRMs, a last-gen premium audio codec and 2.5 GbE. At $599.99, it’s capable but overpriced.

ASRock Z690 Taichi Review: More M.2, Please

By Joe Shields published 22 November 21

ASRock’s Z690 Taichi offers familiar cog styling, three M.2 ports, robust power delivery and Thunderbolt 4 capability for $589.99.

Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Pro Review: Mid-Range, Full-Featured

By Joe Shields published 17 November 21

Editor's Choice

Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Pro has a good mix of the right features and good performance for $329.99.

MSI MEG Z690 Unify Review: Back in Black

By Joe Shields published 7 November 21

MSI’s Unify brings stealthy black appearance, five M.2 ports and other updated hardware to Alder Lake for $489.99.

Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero Review: DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 Arrive

By Joe Shields published 4 November 21

The Z690 Hero sports a powerful VRM, PCIe 5.0 storage, and Thunderbolt 4 connectivity for $599.99.

Intel Z690 Motherboard and Chipset Overview: 60-Plus Alder Lake Boards Detailed

By Joe Shields published 27 October 21

Z690 motherboards hit the scene with DDR5 (or DDR4) slots, plus native PCIe 5.0 support.

MSI MAG Z590-A Pro Review: Z590 on the Cheap

By Joe Shields published 18 October 21

A full-featured, budget-class motherboard for $199.99

Asus ProArt X570-Creator WIFI Review: Thunderbolt 4 Meets Bandwidth Galore

By Joe Shields published 15 October 21

Designed for creators, with Thunderbolt 4, ultra-fast Ethernet/Wi-Fi and plenty of M.2 storage

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