Intel’s latest 12th gen Alder Lake processors and 600 series chipset are now released and available. So far, based on the reviews we have seen/read, it has been looking good for Intel. Now, we are currently on a transition phase, from DDR4 to DDR5 memory. So there are two types of Z690 motherboards in the market, Z690 with DDR4 memory and Z690 motherboards with DDR5 memory. There’s no DDR4 “and” DDR5 on a Z690 motherboard, unlike (way) before when we transitioned from DDR3 to DDR4. It’s not backward compatible as well. Here, we list the (initial) Z690 motherboards with DDR4 memory in the market. So, if you are looking for a Z690 motherboard with DDR4 memory, check out what’s available below.
List of Z690 Motherboards with DDR4 Memory Support
Some of you might not be ready to jump on the DDR5 memory bandwagon yet. Perhaps you are waiting for the DDR5’s price to go down and its supply and options to go up. Or maybe you find that Z690 motherboards with DDR5 memory are more expensive than Z690 DDR4 motherboards. Whatever the reason is, you have come to the right place if you are looking for a Z690 with DDR4 memory support.
There’s just one thing that you need to remember. DDR4 and DDR5 memory are NOT interchangeable and are not backward compatible. You cannot install a DDR5 memory on a DDR4 memory slot and vice versa. If you want to upgrade to DDR5 memory, you’ll have to change and upgrade the motherboard as well.
DDR5 vs DDR4 Z690 – What’s the Difference?
I will not be explaining the schematics and engineering behind the DDR5 memory in this article. We have published an article before explaining the difference and advantages of the DDR5 memory here.
But in a gist, DDR5 memory was significantly faster than DDR4 memory. DDR5 memory starts at 4800MHz speed and can reach up to 6600MHz. Right now, DDR5-4800MHz and DDR5-5200MHz are the “available” ones in the market.
Don’t be surprised if the CAS latency is also very high on DDR5 memory. Faster memory clock speed will result in higher latency. But, the engineering behind the DDR5 memory and how it works is different compared to DDR4. So, even though DDR5 memory has higher CAS latency, they are still generally faster than DDR4 memory.
Z690 DDR4 vs Z690 DDR5 – Which is the better deal?
Right of the bat, DDR4 memory kits are (obviously) the better deal right now. They are widely available, and since the market is quite saturated, the prices of these DDR4 memory kits are competitive. I think DDR4-3600MHz with a low CAS latency is (still) the sweet spot.
However, DDR5 memory can give a performance boost to some applications; usually, memory-intensive productivity workloads, where memory speed can directly affect the performance or output. When it comes to gaming, it is a different story. The DDR5 memory offers little to negligible difference, depending on the game. But the price difference between the DDR5 and DDR4 is substantial. Not to mention the motherboards with DDR5 are also more expensive.
So, value-wise, DDR4 memory and Z690 motherboards with DDR4 support are the cheaper options if you want to upgrade or build a new system powered by Intel’s Alder Lake processor.
Without further delay, let’s check out the Z690 DDR4 motherboards from the different motherboard manufacturers below.
Asus Z690 DDR4 Motherboards
Asus has released several Z690 motherboards with DDR4 memory support. However, most of these motherboards belong to its Prime series. There are a few higher-end, but the best they can do is the Asus ROG STRIX Z690-A. If you are looking for a Maximus motherboard with DDR4 memory support, unfortunately, there is none. Most of Asus’ mid to higher-end motherboards only have DDR5 memory.
One thing to note is that Asus uses “D4” on the motherboard’s name to indicate that it supports DDR4 memory. Below are currently the Z690 DDR4 motherboards that they offer.
| Model | Form Factor | |
|---|---|---|
 | Asus PRIME Z690M-PLUS D4 | mATX |
 | Asus PRIME Z690M-PLUS D4-CSM | mATX |
 | Asus PRIME Z690-P D4 | ATX |
 | Asus PRIME Z690-P D4-CSM | ATX |
 | Asus PRIME Z690-P WIFI D4 | ATX |
 | Asus PRIME Z690-P WIFI D4-CSM | ATX |
 | Asus ROG STRIX Z690-A GAMING WIFI D4 | ATX |
 | Asus TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS D4 | ATX |
 | Asus TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI D4 | ATX |
ASRock Z690 DDR4 Motherboards
ASRock is perhaps the only motherboard manufacturer where its Z690 motherboard lineup is composed majority of Z690 with DDR4 memory support. Just a precaution, be careful with ASRock Z690 motherboards. ASRock didn’t make it clear to the consumers whether the motherboard has DDR4 or DDR5 memory support.
There is no D4 or DDR4 word on the motherboard’s name. And you might think that since it’s an “Extreme” model, Gaming, or Pro, it’s probably a Z690 with DDR5. Unfortunately not. You’ll have to carefully check the specs to decipher whether it’s a Z690 DDR4 or DDR5. Below are ASRock Z690 motherboards with DDR4 support.
| Model | Form Factor | |
|---|---|---|
 | ASRock Z690 Extreme | ATX |
 | ASRock Z690 Extreme WiFi 6E | ATX |
 | ASRock Z690 PG Riptide | ATX |
 | ASRock Z690 Phantom Gaming 4 | ATX |
 | ASRock Z690 Pro RS | ATX |
 | ASRock Z690 Steel Legend | ATX |
 | ASRock Z690 Steel Legend WiFi 6E | ATX |
 | ASRock Z690M Phantom Gaming 4 | mATX |
 | ASRock Z690M-ITX ax | mITX |
MSI Z690 DDR4 Motherboards
While most ASRock Z690 motherboards have DDR4 support, MSI seems to be going in the opposite direction. MSI is perhaps the only major motherboard manufacturer with only a few Z690 motherboards with DDR4 memory support.
Currently, MSI only announced/released only four motherboards. Luckily, MSI labels their Z690 motherboard accordingly. They put “DDR4” at the end of the motherboard’s name to indicate that it supports DDR4 memory only. Below is the list of MSI’s Z690 motherboards with DDR4 memory support.
| Model | Form Factor | |
|---|---|---|
 | MSI MAG Z690 TOMAHAWK WIFI DDR4 | ATX |
 | MSI MPG Z690 EDGE WIFI DDR4 | ATX |
 | MSI PRO Z690-A DDR4 | ATX |
 | MSI PRO Z690-A WIFI DDR4 | ATX |
Gigabyte Z690 DDR4 Motherboards
Last but not least is Gigabyte and its Aorus lineup. Similar to Asus, Gigabyte released several Z690 motherboards with DDR4 memory support. They have several full ATX, a couple of micro-ATX, and a mini-ITX motherboard with DDR4. Gigabyte also labeled its motherboard accordingly, with the word “DDR4” at the end of the motherboard’s name.
Note, some of their motherboards have a DDR4 version and a DDR5 version. For example, the Gigabyte Z690I AORUS ULTRA DDR4 has a DDR5 variant called the Z690I Aorus Ultra, without DDR4 at the end. So you might want to make sure if the motherboard has DDR4 or DDR5 support if ever you plan on getting a Gigabyte motherboard.
Below are Gigabyte’s Z690 motherboards with DDR4 memory support.
| Model | Form Factor | |
|---|---|---|
 | Gigabyte Z690 AERO G DDR4 | ATX |
 | Gigabyte Z690 AORUS ELITE AX DDR4 | ATX |
 | Gigabyte Z690 AORUS ELITE DDR4 | ATX |
 | Gigabyte Z690 AORUS PRO DDR4 | ATX |
 | Gigabyte Z690 GAMING X DDR4 | ATX |
 | Gigabyte Z690 UD AX DDR4 | ATX |
 | Gigabyte Z690 UD DDR4 | ATX |
 | Gigabyte Z690I AORUS ULTRA DDR4 | mITX |
 | Gigabyte Z690M AORUS ELITE AX DDR4 | mATX |
 | Gigabyte Z690M AORUS ELITE DDR4 | mATX |
And there you have it! These are currently the Z690 motherboards that use DDR4 memory. Remember, you can’t install a DDR5 memory on these motherboards. It’s not physically possible since the location of the notch is different.
What motherboard are you planning to get? Or are you going straight to DDR5 instead? Also, if you find this article helpful, please consider sharing it with your friends.
