When choosing a motherboard, there are a number of features you’ll want to consider to ensure it provides a good foundation for your PC. Voltage delivery is an important factor for Intel CPUs which are still relatively power hungry. However, for the Z690, manufacturers have largely provided good solutions that are more than capable of running i5 12600K GPU to its full potential.
Intel’s latest CPUs are the 12th Gen ‘Alder Lake’ CPUs, and they are a radical departure in design and implementation. In this article, PC Power Up take a look at some of the factors you’ll need to consider when choosing a motherboard, and show you our current picks for the best options across a variety of budgets and purposes for the i5-12600K.
MSI Z690-A DDR4:-
If you’re looking for a board that ‘just works’ and doesn’t care about bells and whistles, the MSI Z690-A DDR4/Wi-Fi is a strong choice. This ATX board has a strong feature set and good connectivity. There are 4 M.2 slots, including three that support PCIe 4.0, 6 SATA ports, and 3 PCIe x16 slots with the main slot supporting PCIe 5.0. Network options include a 2.5Gbe LAN port and there’s a version with built-in Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth. The VRM is strong with a 14-phase design and good heat sink, and this board will support even the most demanding Alder Lake CPUs. There’s a good variety of fan headers, including AIO pump headers, the USB 3.2 Gen 2 front panel header, and some troubleshooting LEDs.
Asus TUF Gaming Z690-Plus Wi-Fi:-
This ATX motherboard from ASUS continues its TUF line with mid-range options aimed squarely at gamers. This Z690 motherboard, the Asus TUF Gaming Z690-Plus Wi-Fi D4, has everything you could want at a reasonable price. There’s strong power delivery configured with 14 Phase VRM for the CPU core and a sizable heatsink. There are 7 AIO and fan pump heads in total, allowing for extensive cooling configurations.
The DDR4 model means you can start gaming right away without spending too much on hard-to-find DDR5 RAM. 4 PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots let you take advantage of affordable high-capacity NVMe drives to reduce load times, while 4 SATA ports provide extended storage options. USB connectivity is good with 8 rear USB ports, 7 USB-A and one USB-C. Also on the rear panel is Wi-Fi, 2.5 GB Ethernet LAN, and a full suite of audio outputs including optical SPDIF. Aesthetics are a strong point with a striking heatsink design and attractive RGB reflections.
ASRock Z690 Steel Legend:-
The ASRock Z690 Steel Legend is the cheapest option at $250, with silver highlighted heat-sinks and a decent but uncomplicated list of features. It has a strong 13-phase Dr.MOS power VRM configuration, three full-length PCIe slots, and three M.2 slots. There are 8 SATA ports for storage. There’s an additional M.2 dongle slot to fit a Wi-Fi card without using a PCIe slot if you need that functionality, and onboard 2.5Gbe LAN. The rear IO only has 5 USB Type-A connectors, but there’s also an internal USB 3.2 Gen 2 header for front panel connectivity.
