Asus TUF Gaming Z690-Plus ATX - motherboard

Durable. Stable. Reliable.
ASUS TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS takes all the essential elements of the latest Intel® processors and combines them with game-ready features and proven durability. Engineered with military-grade components, an upgraded power solution and a comprehensive cooling system, this motherboard offers rock-solid and stable performance for marathon gaming. Aesthetically, TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS sports the new TUF Gaming logo and incorporates simple geometric design elements to reflect the dependability and stability that defines the TUF Gaming series.

Rock-Solid Performance
With upgraded power delivery and comprehensive cooling options to drive the 12th Gen Intel Core™ processors, plus support for faster memory and storage, TUF GAMING Z690 motherboards are the perfect foundation for your next high-core-count battle rig.

Power Design

DrMOS
The onboard VRMs feature 14+1 DrMOS power stages that combine high-side and low-side MOSFETs and drivers into a single package, delivering the power and efficiency that 12th Gen Intel Core processors demand.The power stages are each rated to handle 80 amperes to provide stable performance for current and future Intel processors.

Six-Layer PCB Design
Multiple PCB layers optimize heat management for critical components, providing more headroom to push CPUs beyond stock speeds.

ProCool Connectors
Enhanced EATX 8-Pin and 4-Pin Connectors
・ Provide extreme durability
・ Prevent hotspots and connector failure

Compared to traditional power inputs, ASUS ProCool connectors are built to tight specifications to ensure full contact with PSU power cables. The resulting lower impedance helps prevent hotspots and connector failure.

TUF Components

TUF Chokes
Certified military-grade TUF chokes deliver rock-solid power to the CPU, improving system stability.
TUF Capacitors
Proprietary capacitors provide up to 20% wider temperature tolerance and five times longer lifespan.

Digi+ VRM
The integrated Digi+ voltage-regulator module (VRM) is one of the finest in the industry, optimized for ultra-smooth and ultra-clean power delivery to the CPU at all times.

COOLING

Cooler by design
1. Enlarged VRM heatsink
The extensive surface area of the massive heatsink covers the VRMs and chokes to improve heat dissipation.

2. Enlarged PCH heatsink
An expanded surface area for the chipset cooler maximizes performance and heat dissipation.

3. Three M.2 slots with heatsinks
Three out of four M.2 slots have dedicated heatsinks, keeping M.2 SSDs at optimal operating temperatures to ensure consistent performance and reliability.

Comprehensive Fan Controls
TUF GAMING Z690 motherboards feature comprehensive fan controls that can be configured via the Fan Xpert 4 utility or the award-winning ASUS UEFI BIOS.

MEMORY & STORAGE

DDR5 Overclocking Strength
ASUS Enhanced Memory Profile
TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS motherboards enhances DDR5 performance by providing overclocking options for not only high-speed kits, but even entry-level memory modules that have a locked power management IC (PMIC).
- A dedicated circuit on the motherboard safely circumvents DDR5 memory PMIC restrictions, allowing you to step past the default 1.1-volt limit and push frequency and timings to the max.
- Ordinarily, a restricted PMIC that has been unlocked requires the system to be fully power-cycled each time memory voltage is adjusted. TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS motherboards leverages onboard hardware and firmware to cleverly work around this irksome limitation, enabling voltage adjustments to be applied through the same soft system-reset process employed for previous generations of DDR memory.

For users new to memory overclocking, TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS motherboards includes the exclusive ASUS Enhanced Memory Profile (AEMP) firmware feature for PMIC-restricted memory modules. AEMP automatically detects the memory chips on your kit and then presents optimized frequency, timing and voltage profiles that you can effortlessly apply to unleash performance.

Four PCIe 4.0 M.2
The four PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots support up to two 22110 devices and also provide NVMe SSD RAID support for incredible performance potential. Create a RAID configuration with up to four PCIe 4.0 storage devices to enjoy the fastest data transfer speeds.

CONNECTIVITY

PCIe 5.0
The 12th Gen Intel processors bring PCIe 5.0 support to the market. PCIe 5.0 offers twice the data transfer speed of PCIe 4.0, making it robust enough to handle new data-heavy tasks. PCIe 5.0 also brings other benefits, such as electrical changes to improve signal integrity, backward-compatible CEM connectors for add-in cards, and backward compatibility with previous versions of PCI Express

Front USB Port
A full complement of USB ports support high-end rigs loaded with peripherals, including a front-panel USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C® connector that provides data transfer speeds of up to 10 Gbps.

USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C
Extensive USB support ensures connections to a wide array of peripherals. TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS includes a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C® port on the rear I/O panel that delivers increased bandwidth and transmission speeds of up to 20 Gbps.

Thunderbolt™ 4 Support
TUF GAMING Z690 series features Thunderbolt™ 4 support via an on-board header. With an Intel-certified ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 add-on card* TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS can also enable bi-directional speeds of up to 40 Gbps on a single cable. Additionally, this card has a daisy-chain function for multi-screen connection and supports up to an 8K resolution display. It can also provide up to 100 watts of power to fast-charge devices.
* ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 add-on card is sold separately.

40 Gbps via Thunderbolt 4
Consistent, superfast performance

Easy PC DIY
TUF GAMING motherboards are designed to be easy to set up and configure just the way you want — even for first-time builders. The TUF GAMING Alliance ecosystem makes selecting compatible parts easy, while Armoury Crate software provides Fan Xpert 4 and hardware information and offers full full control of Two-Way AI Noise Cancellation, RGB lighting and peripheral settings. The TUF GAMING platform gives you the arsenal you need to build and optimize your dream gaming rig, without unnecessary complexity.

Build with Confidence
TUF GAMING Alliance is a collaboration between ASUS and trusted PC component brands to ensure compatibility across a wide range of parts, such as PC cases, power supplies, CPU coolers, memory kits and more. With new partnerships and components being added regularly, the TUF Gaming Alliance will continue to grow even stronger.

TUF PROTECTION

SafeSlot & SafeDIMM
PCIe 5.0 is 2x faster than PCIe 4.0, so we adapted our SMT manufacturing process for the faster SafeSlot, to ensure the highest data speeds. SafeSlot is a reinforced metal sheath added to a PCIe slot to keep a card firmly installed. Meanwhile, strong ASUS SafeDIMM sheathes support and protect memory modules on select ASUS motherboards, empowering you to insert your modules with speed, accuracy and confidence.

ESD Guards
ESD Guards prolong the life of components while preventing damage from electrostatic discharge, providing protection for up to +/- 10 kV of air discharge and +/- 6 kV of contact discharge — greatly surpassing the respective industry standards of +/- 6 kV and +/- 4 kV. Surface-mounted TVS diodes in a dual in-line package help protect your PC from voltage spikes.

TUF LANGuard
TUF LANGuard is a military-grade innovation that integrates advanced signal-coupling technology and premium surface-mounted capacitors to improve throughput, protecting the motherboard from lightning strikes and static electricity.

DRAM Overvoltage Protection
Onboard resettable fuses prevent overcurrent and short-circuit damage. This extends beyond I/O ports to DRAM to safeguard the lifespan of your system and connected devices.

Stainless Steel Back I/O Panel
TUF GAMING motherboards have a corrosion-resistant stainless steel back I/O panel bonded with chromium oxide to provide a lifespan that’s three times longer than traditional panels. With this protective feature, TUF GAMING motherboards passed 72-hour salt fog testing, while other brands only passed 24-hour testing.

EASY CONFIGURATION

M.2 Q-Latch
The innovative Q-Latch makes it easy to install or remove an M.2 SSD without the need for specific tools. The design employs a simple locking mechanism to secure the M.2 SSD, neatly eliminating the need for screws.

Removable Captive Screws
Specialized M.2 slot screws reduce the risk of dropping or losing a screw somewhere in your case during M.2 heatsink removal.

Q-LED
The on-board Q-LED troubleshooting lights give PC builders a quick indicator to confirm that key components ― CPU, RAM, graphics card, storage devices ― are functioning normally during startup.

Armoury Crate
Armoury Crate is exclusive ASUS software that gives you centralized control of supported gaming products. From a single intuitive interface, Armoury Crate lets you easily customize RGB lighting and effects for every compatible device in your arsenal and synchronize them with Aura Sync for unified system lighting effects. It also provides hardware information and control of settings for a select and growing number of products, including keyboard and mouse preferences, Fan Xpert 4 and Two-Way AI Noise Cancelation, making it easier to tune the look and feel of your system. Armoury Crate even features dedicated product registration and news sections to help you stay in touch with the gaming community.​

Immersive Gaming
TUF GAMING Z690 motherboards provide a high-performance gaming package with a long list of features to improve your experiences, including ultrafast networking for smoother online gameplay, pristine audio with positional cues for FPS gaming, and onboard RGB lighting that syncs with attached accessories to help you create a personalized gaming atmosphere.

Networking
Intel® 2.5 Gb Ethernet
Onboard 2.5 Gb Ethernet gives your wired connection a boost with speeds that are up to 2.5x faster than standard Ethernet connections. This translates to incredibly fast file transfers, low-lag online gaming, and high-res video streaming.

Two-Way AI Noise Cancelation
This powerful ASUS-exclusive utility leverages a massive deep-learning database to reduce background noise from the microphone* and incoming audio while preserving voices. Distracting keyboard clatter, mouse clicks and other ambient noises are removed so you can hear and be heard with perfect clarity while gaming or during calls.

Gaming Audio
Realtek 7.1 Surround Sound

1.TUF Gaming audio chip protection
Enhanced electrical shielding preserves the integrity of audio signals to ensure the best quality.

2. High-definition audio
Premium audio capacitors provide warm, natural and immersive sound.

3. Audio shielding
Our specialized audio path design separates analog and digital signal domains to significantly reduce multi-lateral interference.

DTS Audio Processing
DTS Audio Processing enhances gaming headset and speaker audio experiences by reducing distortion and by providing deeper bass, so games, movies and music sound better. It also allows you to customize audio settings.

Outshine the Competition
A well-tuned system deserves a matching aesthetic. TUF Gaming Z690 series features edge lighting to enhance its rugged look, and now the PCH heatsink gets RGB lighting to take the style even further. ASUS Aura offers full RGB control with a variety of functional presets for built-in LEDs as well as third-party strips you can connect to onboard RGB headers. And it can all be synced with an ever-growing portfolio of Aura-capable hardware.

Addressable Gen 2 RGB Header
The addressable Gen 2 RGB header is now capable of detecting the number of LEDs on second-gen addressable RGB devices, allowing the software to automatically tailor lighting effects to specific devices.