EVGA Z690 Dark Kingpin Motherboard Review

The I/O panel is rather self-explanatory and quite sparse for any motherboard.  Starting at the left you will find the combo PS/2 port and two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports next to that is on the board WiFi and a CMOS reset button.  Dual Intel Ethernet consisting of a i225V 2.5GbE sitting atop four USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, you’ll find another USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C.  Onboard video support is absent on the Z690 Dark but you will get a full analog 8-channel audio offering with digital connections over optical.

The I/O cover is integrated with the I/O connections giving the Z690 Dark a fully polished feel and, unless you decide to take the motherboard apart you won’t accidently forget to install it before installing the motherboard. 

The audio solution found on the Z690 Dark is a new design based on the Realtek ALC1220 system supporting 7.1 channel audio and is matched with the SV3H615 headphone amplifier.  Like most of the high-end gaming motherboards you’ll find some specialized audio capacitors near the controller to help keep things clean.

Sadly, gone are the days of separated audio sections on the motherboard however EVGA is keeping it real by including a gold band where the separation would normally be located.

One of the benefits to buying high-end computer hardware is that you often get some pretty amazing goodies.  Some of these are required while others are nice to have.  The EVGA Z690 Dark comes with a number of accessories including what you see below.

In keeping with the current NVIDIA trends the board only supports 2-Way SLI + PhysX (using the last 4x PCI Express slot.  You won’t get a SLI connector so if you want to run the unsupported SLI you’ll need to bring the hardware with you.  The other items include WiFi antennas, Probe-lt test leads, four SATA cables and some replacement thermal pads for your M.2 drives.  Drivers can be found on an included EVGA branded flash drive along with a digital copy of the user’s manual. 

One of the coolest features of the EVGA Dark series of motherboards is the PCB bench table.  This wafer doubles as a visual aid for all of the components on the motherboard with the added benefit of holding your motherboard during a benchmark session.  Your expansion cards will be flopping in the wind but your board will be lifted while you overclock like a Kingpin.

EVGA has included longer standoffs to convert the blank PCB into a table.  It goes without saying that some assembly is required and, in my opinion, you shouldn’t bother using it.

It is always nice to have a printed manual or quick start guide to help you with the initial tasks required to setup your new EVGA motherboard.  You will find this manual in a small black envelope right as you open the box and the manual is located inside.