Z690 Hero is an ideal motherboard for the 12th generation Alder Lake processors released by Intel. But is it worth to buy it right now?
At a glance
Provided below is an overview of what one would expect from using the Z690 Hero motherboard:
| PROS | CONS |
| DDR5-6400 support | Basic RGB aesthetics |
| Thunderbolt 4 ports | Hardwired Ethernet is 2.5Gbps LAN |
| Good CPU overclocking | A bit expensive |
| Asus Z690 Hero Motherboard | |
| Memory | DDR5 |
| Maximum Capacity | 128 GB |
| Memory Speed | 6400 MHz |
| Connectivity | USB Type C Header, USB 2.0/3.0/3.1/3.2 ports |
| M.2 | 5 slots |
| SATA | 6 |
| Expansion Slot | 3 PCI Express x 16 |
Specs Drawback
The novelty with using the Z690 Hero is of course the DDR5 memory which ideally fits with the Alder Lake processors. In addition, this motherboard has Intel LGA 1700 socket.
In terms of memory, it supports DDR5 memory and its Maximum Supported Memory is up to 128GB with memory speed of 6400 MHz.
Next, it has 6 SATA connectors, 5 M.2 slots, and 3 PCI Express x16 Slots. It has a bunch of USB ports that makes it easy for connectivity.
However, this motherboard has several drawbacks on its features.
First, it only comes with the basic RGB aesthetics. There are no voltage readouts. It’s hardwired ethernet is only 2.5 Gbps LAN.
Not a cheap variant
As we know Asus is not the only manufacturer of motherboards. The offer is great but Asus keeps fairly high prices.
Currently, the price of the Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero is $600, which makes it $130 more expensive than its competitor, Gigabyte.
In general, the Asus model is more sophisticated and better, but not by much.
Can potentially catch fire
We should not expect any serious problems from a motherboard that has all the bells and whistles on it. But there are newly discovered problems that users report.
Many users have reported that the motherboard catches fire. The motherboard is literally on fire and that it caught it in the postcode section.
The problem was noticed while the motherboard was connected to 12700K processor and 12900K processor. This could suggest that the DDR5 memory module or the voltage on the motherboard has a problem.
It should be an advantage to have a good power supply, but it is certainly not a guarantee for this kind of issue. We still do not have an official explanation for this problem from Asus.
Honestly, I am not expecting an explanation from Asus during the holidays, but eventually, we should be able to get an explanation after the new year.
Verdict
Overall, I would not recommend buying this motherboard right now. Aside from it being a bit expensive, it’s mostly because of the safety issues that comes with using it.
As we still don’t know what the specific cause of it catching fire, it’s better to stay clear of Z690 until we receive confirmation from Asus that the issue has been resolved.
If you already own it, just be careful while using it. Do not leave the PC turned on when you are not next to it or even while you sleep.
