Today, we’re discussing the motherboard built for creators in our ASUS ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi motherboard review.
It’s packed with tons of notable elements like PCIe 5.0, DDR5 support, and Thunderbolt 4 to name a few. Plus, it offers future-proof connectivity, next-generation performance, advanced security management, comprehensive thermal arrangements and more.
This board has excellent expandability, notable power, and cooling safety margins.
And, its design strictly lacks any form of integrated RGB elements.
So if you need this kind of motherboard and want to get more insights about it, we’ve got your back. We’ll talk about its design, features, specifications, functions, and see if it’s a real performer. But before we get into those, let’s check out what’s inside the package.
ASUS ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi Motherboard Packaging
We were excited to receive this board for our ASUS ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi motherboard review. And when it arrived, it was packed in a tough yet elegant-looking cardboard box with a case-like opening on it.
What we liked about it is it has its own screen printing of the series which is great for creators. Plus, it even comes with a complete description of its features on the box’s rear. The front of the box doesn’t display much, except for ASUS ProArt, the motherboard’s name and its key features.
Inside, the box features a double-deck design for storing all the included accessories. We appreciate how ASUS keeps everything neat and organised so we can easily find what we need. Plus, all items were packed securely, so worrying about these breaking or getting damaged while being shipped won’t be necessary.
The bundle comes with a number of items and these are the following:
The ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi motherboard itself, four SATA 6 Gbps cables, an external WiFi antenna, and an installation disc. You’ll find two rubber mounts for the M.2 SSD, the Q-Latch and regular screws for the M.2 too.
Then, there’s an SSD installation, a front panel Q-Connector, a user’s guide, and an ACC Express activation card.
Now, let’s continue this ASUS ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi motherboard review and look into the product’s design and functions.
ASUS ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi Motherboard Review – Design and Functionality
ASUS decided to redesign the appearance of their ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi motherboard from ground up. They decided to keep the straight lines yet took a couple of premium design treatments from their ROG and Strix motherboards.
This is most evident in the I/O shroud that sports a translucent plastic overlapping its metallic portion. It actually gives off a subtle look to the motherboard and it’s something good, in our opinion. And to note, the metal I/O cover and plastic panel sits at the top of the VRM heatsink.
The motherboard also sports a 16-phase power delivery design with 70 amp smart power stages created in teaming mode. There’s some coating on the CPU release mechanism’s lever to protect the upper-VRM area from rubbing against it.
Another slight upgrade in its appearance is the stacked acrylic which is on its metal heatsink on the PCH.
When it comes to its colour scheme, the motherboard mainly sports a black theme. It even has hints of white contrasting lines and goldish colours on the heatsinks. However, ASUS opted to do away with their RGBs for this product and went for a more subtle style instead.
We’re also looking into the motherboard’s connectivity options in this ASUS ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi motherboard review. We’re making it as informative for you to see if the motherboard is adequate for your needs.
Connectivity
In use, the ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi motherboard has a wide collection of connectivity options you can take advantage of. For those who are on network systems, it features a 10GbE Marvell LAN and 2.5GbE Intel LAN.
It’s then further backed by WiFi 6E that covers the 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz range. And, the most vital I/O option here is for the local I/O. It includes Thunderbolt 4 that has video output support.
The motherboard supports Thunderbolt 4 type-C which can do video output from the two DisplayPort passthrough feeds. It’s on the upper side of the rear I/O ports.
SATA and M.2 Ports
The ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi also supports eight SATA ports. Six of these are side-facing while the rest is located on the lower portion of the motherboard, facing forward.
M.2_4 shares bandwidth with the SATA ports 5 – 8. That means, you’ll only have four SATA ports if you opt to use that port.
Additionally, the ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi motherboard supports four M.2 slots, one of which shares the SATA bandwidth. However, this can run in PCIe mode.
ASUS actually has M.2 PCIe cards that can hold two PCIe M.2 devices. These add to the cost, and four M.2’s are already a lot. So, wanting more is already considered a special build.
Key Features of the ASUS ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi Motherboard
This time, let’s talk about the motherboard’s different key features. In our ASUS ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi motherboard review, see what the product has to offer. And, we’ll also check out what makes it stand out from the crowd.
An Efficient Tool for Creativity
The ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi motherboard allows creators of all levels to do what they do best. That’s because it maximises the 12th Gen Intel Core processors’ performance with excellent hardware and software. Plus, it offers efficient cooling and extremely fast connectivity including onboard 10Gb and 2.5Gb Ethernet, Thunderbolt 4, and WiFi 6E.
Future-Proofed Connectivity
An all-inclusive collection of powerful I/O ports allow for quick data transfers and broad storage options. And what’s great about it is that you can enjoy hassle-free and flexible connectivity when using the motherboard.
The Thunderbolt 4 ports offers bi-directional bandwidth of up to 40 Gbps for the newest drives and devices. Also, Thunderbolt 4 supports up to two external 4K displays while extending PCIe bandwidth up to 32 Gbps.
Fast Charging USB for the ASUS ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi Motherboard
The USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 increases type-C data transfers with up to 20 Gbps of speed. Additionally, the port features the Quick Charge 4+ that can instantly charge devices up to 60W. This is with the help of a PCIe power supply cable plugged into a 6-pin connector.
Ultra-fast Transfer Speed
Four PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots support up to 22110 while providing NVMe SSD RAID compatibility for performance boost.
Also, you can create a RAID setup with up to two PCIe 4.0 storage devices. With this, you can take advantage of fast data transfer speeds.
M.2 Q-Latch
The ingenious Q-Latch makes it easier to remove or install the M.2 SSD without requiring any specific tools. Its design uses a simple locking system that secures the drive, thus, eliminating the need for classic screws.
Comprehensive Cooling Design
Maintaining the stability of your system under heavy loads is vital. That’s why the motherboard features all-inclusive cooling with a huge VRM and chipset heatsinks. These provide the ideal balance between mass and surface area.
Other important designs include built-in premium components and multiple fan headers that offer the best foundation for content creation. Plus, you can set each header to monitor and react to user-configurable thermal sensors.
You can manage all of these settings with ease via the motherboard’s UEFI or Fan Xpert 4.
Offering the Next-Gen Performance
The motherboard supports the latest high-performance memory and features a tailored CPU power delivery. With that, it can handle 12th Gen Intel Core processors’ demands. It features carefully selected components, memory layout optimisations for multithreaded tasks, and a smart VRM design rate for 70 amps.
DDR5 Performance Boost
The ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi motherboard boosts DDR5 performance by offering overclocking options. These are available for both high-speed and entry-level memory kits with locked power management IC.
The motherboard has a dedicated circuit that safely circumvents the DDR5 memory PMIC restrictions to exceed the 1.1V limit. This will push frequency and timings to their maximum capacity. With ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi, onboard hardware and firmware are leveraged to enable voltage adjustments.
16 + 1 Power Stages for Maximum Efficiency
The ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi’s 16+1 power stages rated for 70 amps combine low-side and high-side MOSFETs and drivers. This delivers the power and efficiency that the latest Intel processors need.
PCIe 5.0 Ready
The ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi is PCIe 5.0 ready and delivers faster data transfer speeds than PCIe 4.0. With that, it’s robust enough to handle today’s data-heavy tasks.
PCIe 5.0 also brings more benefits like backward-compatible CEM connectors and enhanced signal integrity. Plus, it offers support for previous PCIe versions.
Intelligent Optimization
With its simple yet flexible tools. ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi significantly enhances your content creation system. As a result, you can enjoy faster and more intuitive control which is essential for efficient workflow.
This motherboard offers automated tuning with AI overclocking and AI cooling. Also, CreationFirst software optimises and prioritises your network traffic for seamless online performance.
Reliable Stability of the ASUS ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi Motherboard
The ProArt Z690-Creator WiFi is engineered and thoroughly tested. That’s why it offers superior quality, stability and compatibility. With all of these in one package, your creativity will be empowered for a long period of time.
Free Three Months – Adobe Creative Cloud Membership
Purchasing selected ASUS products like this motherboard gives you free complimentary membership for Adobe Creative Cloud for three months. This membership offers over 20 Adobe apps including Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and Spark.
Another inclusion is Adobe Fonts, which gives you access to thousands of Fonts within your Creative Cloud apps.
Additionally, the membership gives you access to Behance, where you can find inspiration from the world’s biggest creative community. You can also share assets across apps and devices with your team.
Finally, all users who get this membership can take advantage of the provided 1TB cloud storage.
Specifications
Our ASUS ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi motherboard review will now discuss its specifications. And to begin, it supports Intel’s 12th Gen CORE LGA-1700 and has a 16+1 power delivery design. For its chipset, it makes use of the Intel Z690 hence the Z690 in its name.
For memory support, it has four DIMM slots and a maximum of 128GB DDR5-6000. When it comes to expansion slots, there’s two PCI3 5.0 x16 or x8/x8 and PCIe 3.0 x16.
You’ll also find a PCI3 3.0 x4, two PCIe 3.0 x1, and storage interface/s 4x M.2. Then, there are eight SATA ports too.
Under networking, it’s Bluetooth 5.2 hardware-ready and has Intel 2.5 GbE, Marvell 10 GbE, and 2×2 WiFi 6E.
Audio, Fan Headers, and Dimensions
The ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi motherboard uses the Realtek S1220A and has seven 4-pin fan headers plus one pump header. When it comes to its measurements, the ATX is 30.5 x 24.4cm.
Rear I/O Ports
For the rear I/O ports, there are two Thunderbolt 4 USB-C and six USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports. There are two input-only DisplayPorts, an HDMI port, and an ASUS WiFi module. Additionally, there’s a Marvell AQtion 10Gb & Intel 2.5Gb Ethernet port, five audio jacks, and a BIOS FlashBack button.
Hands-on with the ASUS ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi Motherboard
Let’s go ahead and discuss the motherboard’s performance. But before that, our ASUS ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi motherboard review will look into the product’s UEFI BIOS.
UEFI BIOS
The UEFI BIOS for the ProArt line offers the same foundation as their PRIME series. The boards feature both the Easy and Advanced modes for users, whether they’re newbies or experts.
In Easy mode, key features with clear toggles are displayed, and these can be altered based on your needs. Some of the settings that can be changed include XMP and Fan Control.
It’s rich in OC options which is a smart move since ASUS placed most of their Z690 boards for enthusiasts. For managing further board options, the Advanced menu allows you to change a variety of features on it too.
Speaking of the Advanced mode, its interface showcases a bigger menu that is familiar to long-time ASUS users. This specific interface is what the company utilises in all their modern boards.
The BIOS’ Main section holds the basic details about the system. Then you can add the parameters that you like in the My Favourites menu to easily access them whenever necessary.
For its AI Tweaker, it has all the settings used for overclocking the system. Different types of settings for the base frequency, processor frequencies, RAM, and processor cache are adequate for home overclocking.
The Monitor section is designed for fan controls and system monitoring. Its system boot parameters are all collected in the Boot section. For the Tool section, it has some programs that function with the motherboard.
CreationFirst Software
This software lets users prioritise applications for assigning more bandwidth for vital apps and tasks. For the latest software, drivers, manuals, and firmware, you can get these from the ASUS Download Centre.
CreationFirst puts content creation apps on the front of the queue, improving network traffic for efficient workflow. Also, AI mode analyses the usage patterns while identifying apps that are currently being used. Then, it applies foreground acceleration to guarantee a smoother online experience when multitasking.
Performance of the ASUS ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi Motherboard
The performance of this motherboard is the most vital part of this ASUS ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi motherboard review. And we’ve let it go through numerous tests to see how it fared.
We performed a stress test on the CPU in stock configuration. Here, we didn’t modify or alter the voltages on default and here are the results we received.
For the VRM temps, the temperatures we got on idle stock was 32-degrees Celsius. Then, we received 65-degrees Celsius at load.
Under stress and heavy loads, we were expecting temperatures to get higher. But instead, the heatsinks and VRM performed well and gave us good temperatures.
Overall, everything went well and the ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi motherboard performed excellently. We didn’t encounter any issues with it and it didn’t heat up during our tests.
ASUS ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi Motherboard Review Summary
The ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi from ASUS is an excellent motherboard for a professional content creator’s workstation. It supports Intel’s newest generation of processors and is great for creators or anyone who wants to upgrade their system.
With its impressive features, storage options, and high-speed connectivity, it’s the best option for productivity among the latest motherboards. Aside from these, it offers eye-appealing aesthetics which is a bonus for us.
Overall, the ProArt Z690 Creator WiFi is an exceptional motherboard that targets a specific market. Its performance during our tests proved that it’s an excellent solution to meet the needs of modern creators. We were satisfied with this product and we highly recommend it for professional creators’ systems built on Intel’s latest processors.
If you think this motherboard is for you, check out ASUS’ store locator for authorised sellers near you.
