ASUS TUF Gaming Z690-Plus WiFi D4 Motherboard Preview

ASUS is one of the coolest names in the business, and while their ROG hardware may be a prime choice for the enthusiast PC builder, I must admit, I'm more of a fan of the TUF Gaming range. You often get all the features you could possibly need, and the price isn't quite as extreme as their ROG motherboards. However, TUF literally means TOUGH too, and ASUS build these boards very well and also subject them to more robust testing protocols. Furthermore, thanks to the TUF Gaming Alliance, all TUF hardware from ASUS and their partner brands is thematically compatible, so you can make a TUF Gaming PC build with different brands hardware, and it'll all look stunning together, which I love! ASUS TUF Gaming Z690-Plus WiFi D4 Motherboard Interesting, Z690 can use either DDR4 or DDR5, and the ASUS TUF Gaming Z690-Plus WiFi D4 is the first one we've got in the office that uses the current DDR4 hardware. Not only does this bring the price down quite a bit, but you can use your existing memory. That being said, it's no slouch, offering support for 4 x 5133 MHz memory (OC). You get the latest PCIe 5.0 on the top slot, ensuring you're future proof for upcoming expansion/graphics cards. However, there are a few Gen 3.0 connectors too for additional devices. As if that didn't fill out the range enough, the M.2 storage all runs on the super-fast PCIe Gen 4.0 standard. Beyond that, the board features a plethora of USB connections, HDMI, DisplayPort, ASUS WiFi, and Intel 2.5 GbE LAN with LANGuard. Overall, connectivity isn't going to be an issue! Features Intel Z690 ChipsetLGA 1700 SocketDDR4 (Max 128GB)4 x M.2 and 4 x SATA 6Gb/sIntel 2.5 GbE LANWiFi 6Display Port 1.4HDMI 2.1Realtek 7.1 Surround Sound24-bit/192 kHzJapanese Audio CapacitorsDedicated PCB LayersJack Detection/RetaskingTwo-Way AI Noise CancelationUSB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C Check out the official ASUS TUF Gaming Z690-Plus WiFi D4 product page here for more information. Packaging & Accessories The box features a stylish photo of the motherboard, showing off most of the design. Furthermore, there are badges littering the bottom row, letting you know most of the key features; DTS sound, WiFi 6, Windows 11 Rady, PCIe 5.0, etc. Around the back, it's a full technical breakdown of the motherboard, really in-depth and nerdy too. Every supported memory speed, every storage configuration and M.2 mount size, all the PCIe speeds, USB ports and more. Honestly, it's pretty impressive, especially so given how little detail I found on some of the ROG motherboard boxes! In the box, you'll find all the usual documentation, but there's also a cool bundle of stickers, a CD, some M.2 screws, and the WiFi antenna. Motherboard Overview We actually reviewed the old Z590 version of this motherboard earlier in the year, and absolutely loved it. However, this new model keeps much of the same design, but there's a lot of refinements taking place here too. For starters, it's been murdered out, with the two-tone light grey and black replaced with a black and slightly darker black design. The decals are all smartened up too, and it just looks cooler overall. The ASUS TUF Gaming Z690-Plus WiFi D4 features a 14+1 80A Power Stage design with DrMos, with upgraded heatsinks vs the last generations model. There's also a newer 6-layer PCB design, which they say has double the copper layers to ensure better power delivery from PSU connectors to the CPU. Those huge heatsinks have some chunky fins stacked vertically, but also some angled horizontal slots to allow for better airflow. Furthermore, the board is littered with all-black 10K caps, which give it a more premium look overall, and add to the overall build quality. The CPU draws power from the ProCool headers, which offer up an 8+4 PSU configuration, ensuring some more power and more stable voltages to the CPU; especially when overclocking. The board features four DDR4 DIMM slots, with some small metal reinforcements on the ends and the mid-pin. It'll support up to DDR4 5133 MHz (OC) Non-CC, Un-buffered memory. The top PCIe lane is fully armoured and comes with the latest PCIe 5.0 x16 configuration, ensuring its future proof for upcoming expansion cards and GPUs. However, below it, you'll find 2 x PCIe 3.0 x1 slots, a PCIe 3.0 x4 slot, and a PCIe 3.0 x16 slot (supports x4 mode) at the bottom. That's quite a mixture, but great if you have a lot of PCIe devices. There are two massive heatsinks too, offerings protection and cooling for the built-in M.2 mounts, which all support the PCIe 4.0 standard. The board features two SATA ports on the right side, and there are two more along the bottom edge of the board. Audio comes from the Realtek 7.1 Surround Sound chipset, which supports up to 24-Bit/192 kHz playback and uses those lovely Japanese Audio Capacitors. I'm not 100% of the chipset model yet though, but I'll find that out for the full review. The rear I/O is well equipped, offering up six USB 3.2 ports, as well as a 2x2 Type-C port. There's an HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 at the top, 2.5 GbE LAN and WiFi 6 too, giving you some pretty great connectivity overall. Finally, there's some RGB built into the right side of the board, it's kept fairly minimal and tasteful though. My guesstimated price for this motherboard is - Mid-Range