We have the visual details of the first Z690. Surprisingly, it is a mini-ITX card (the ROG STRIX Z690-I) that is the first to really reveal itself. It is Videocardz who unveiled this leak which is supposed to come from a non confidential Chinese newsgroup. There are three pictures here, including the packaging, the card itself and the amazing design of the M.2 slot.
The “little” ROG STRIX Z690-I in pictures
It is clearly on the side of this M2 slot that the main curiosity lies. We are dealing with dual daughter cards installed right on top of the space usually reserved for an M.2 slot. Of course, it is almost impossible to get an idea with this picture alone, but this could be ASUS’ solution to get multiple M.2 slots as well as expansion ports and an audio chipset, all on such a small design.
The Z690s are starting to reveal themselves and for the moment, the prices seem coherent considering what we found until now with the Z590 but also the situation (rising dollars and shortage). A few hours ago, we mentioned the leak of the Asus range from a French retailer, which eventually allowed us to get an idea.
The launch of Alder Lake is still scheduled for November 4 but CPUs and motherboards should be available for pre-order a week earlier.
