INTRODUCTION

   Z690 motherboards based on the new LGA 1700 socket are finally here and with them they bring DDR5 compatibility and support for the latest consumer 16-core flagship CPU by Intel, the Core i9-12900K. Still the fact is that real world gains over the previous flagship CPU by Intel (the 8-core Core i9-11900k) are far from enticing, at least not for most consumers out there. On top of that many Z690 motherboards are equipped with DDR4 DIMM slots (due to current DDR5 availability and prices) so i really believe Z590 motherboards will remain a great choice for consumers even throughout next year. So today I’ll be posting yet another LGA 1200 motherboard review and more specifically one about one of the least popular models out there (probably because it's not really aimed towards overclockers, enthusiasts and gamers), the Z590 Vision G by GIGABYTE.

   GIGABYTE offers a comprehensive product lineup that aims to “Upgrade Your Life.” With expertise encompassing consumer, business, gaming, and cloud systems, GIGABYTE established its reputation as a leader in the industry with award-winning products including motherboards, graphics cards, laptops, mini PCs, and other PC components and accessories. As a perennial developer in PC and server hardware and solutions, GIGABYTE is poised to extend our scope in business servers and cloud systems with hardware and software solutions that integrate AI and AloT applications to allow customers to capture, analyze, and transform digital information into economic data, accelerating businesses' success from edge to cloud.

   The Z590 Vision G may not be aimed towards gamers and overclockers but that doesn't mean GIGABYTE has left things to chance. So, this time over we see a 13 phase digital VRM design (cooled by their direct-touch heatpipe and fins-array cooling solution), 4 DDR4 DIMM slots (dual-channel configuration – 128GB total supported with speeds up to 4800MHz), 3 full-length (PCIe 4.0 x16/PCIe 3.0 x4/x4 - top is EMI shielded and reinforced), 4 M.2 SSD slots (3xGen4x4/1xGen3x4) complete with thermal guard heatsinks, 6 native SATA 6Gb/s ports (with RAID 0/1/5/10 support), Realtek ALC4080 audio codec, Intel 2.5GbE LAN, VisionLINK output, 5 RGB headers and a Thunderbolt add-in connector (extra TB card required to use this). In terms of connectivity the Z590 Vision G offers a single DisplayPort v1.2 video output, HDMI v1.4 video output, PS2 keyboard/mouse port, 6 USB 2.0 ports (4 internal header/2 rear panel), 2 Type-C USB 3.2 Gen2x2 ports (1 external and 1 internal), 1 type-C USB 3.2 Gen 1 port, 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, 6 USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports (2 internal / 4 rear panel), Intel 2.5GbE Ethernet port and the Realtek ALC4080 High Definition Audio onboard audio card outputs (five 3.5mm jacks). So even though it's clear that the GIGABYTE Z590 Vision G is not aimed at gamers and overclockers it still looks interesting so let's see what results it can produce.