According to a report by VideoCardz, we have our first look at Gigabyte's Z690 Xtreme E-ATX motherboard supporting Intel's future Alder Lake processors. This board will be tiered right above the Z690 Master and appears to be jam-packed full of features, including a large RGB Memory cover, and dual PCI-E 5.0 x16 slots for the future SSDs and graphics cards.
The most pronounced feature of the board is the large Aorus branded RGB panel that covers all four of the DDR5 slots located next to the LGA 1700 socket. This is the first time we've seen a full RGB cover included with any motherboard and could be optimal for DDR5 modules that lack heat spreaders or RGB lighting to keep the motherboard aesthetically appealing.
The cover could also provide some sort of cooling but we won't know for sure until the board's release.
As far as actual memory performance is concerned, we only know the board is compatible with DDR5's 4800MHz JEDEC standard. The board's maximum supported memory frequency with overclocking still remains a mystery.
The most interesting feature of the Z690 Xtreme is the inclusion of dual PCIe Gen 5 x16 slots on the motherboard. This is the first motherboard we've ever seen to come with two Gen 5 slots and should be optimal for the select number of power users who need to run two Gen 5 devices at the same time. For now, this feature will remain relatively unused until PCIe Gen 5 drives, graphics cards, and other cards become mainstream.
Aesthetically the Z690 Extreme has a couple of design changes compared to its predecessor, the board now comes with a matte black finish with gold-colored accents instead of silver, and the RGB lights now show a purple and blue finish. The memory cover in particular makes this board stand out from the rest of its brethren, giving the motherboard a very premium feel.
The remaining features Videocardz revealed include support for 10Gb ethernet, WiFi 6 connectivity, and Thunderbolt 4 with display support of up to 5K resolutions at 60Hz. Everything else remains unknown at this time.
But, with the Z690 Xtreme being one of Gigabyte's flagship boards, we can expect it to have one of the best power delivery setups in the 600 series lineup, which will be optimal for overclocking Alder Lake's unlocked SKUs. Boar
Videocardz says the board will be out on November 4th. So we expect Alder Lake to arrive around that time as well, if true.
