Should you buy the ASUS Z690-E or Z690-F Gaming WiFi motherboard?

There are plenty of choices for Z690 chipset motherboards, and ASUS joins this range with two very similar ATX boards using the LGA 1700 socket. Comparing the ASUS Z690-E vs. Z690-F Gaming Wi-Fi shows them with closely matched features, so what’s the real difference? We’ve broken down the specs to help you decide which motherboard is better for your next PC build.

ASUS Z690-E Gaming WiFi vs Z690-F: Specs

	Z690-E	Z690-F
Socket	LGA1700	LGA1700
Chipset	Z690	Z690
RAM	4x DIMM 128GB DDR5 6400MHz max	4x DIMM 128GB DDR5 6400MHz max
Graphics	1x DisplayPort 1x HDMI	1x DisplayPort 1x HDMI
Expansion	1x PCIe 5.0 x16 1x PCIe 4.0 x16 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 1x PCIe 3.0 x1	1x PCIe 5.0 x16 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 1x PCIe 3.0 x1
Storage	3x M.2 (key M) 2x ROG Hyper M.2 6x SATA 6GB/s	4x M.2 (key M) 6x SATA 6GB/s
Ethernet	1x 2.5Gb	1x 2.5Gb
Wireless	2×2 Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.2	2×2 Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.2
USB	Rear x12 Front header x7	Rear x10 Front header x7
Audio	ROG SupremeFX 7.1	ROG SupremeFX 7.1
Fan IO	1x 4-pin CPU fan 1x 4-pin CPU OPT fan 1x 4-pin AIO pump 5x 4-pin chassis fan	1x 4-pin CPU fan 1x 4-pin CPU OPT fan 1x 4-pin AIO pump 5x 4-pin chassis fan
Power IO	1x 24-pin main power 2x 8-pin +12V	1x 24-pin main power 2x 8-pin +12V
Power stages	18+1	16+1
Misc IO	3x addressable Gen 2 headers 1x AURA RGB header 1x CPU over voltage jumper 1x front panel audio 1x SPI TPM header (14-1 pin) 1x 20-3 pin system panel header 1x thermal sensor header 1x Thunderbolt header	3x addressable Gen 2 headers 1x AURA RGB header 1x BMC header 1x CPU over voltage jumper 1x front panel audio 1x SPI TPM header (14-1 pin) 1x 20-3 pin system panel header 1x thermal sensor header 1x Thunderbolt header

ASUS Z690-E Gaming WiFi vs Z690-F: Storage options

Source: Windows Central
At a glance, these boards seem almost identical. There’s very little separating the two, and the differences will cater specifically to your needs during a build. With Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 covered by both boards, what matters more is your choice of storage and PCI components. The comparison above shows the extra M.2 slots on the Z690-E, using the bundled ROG Hyper M.2 PCIe card, versus the four standard M.2 sockets on the Z690-F. It connects to PCIe x16 and provides two additional M.2 slots backed up with an extra heatsink, so anyone looking for extra storage will be over the moon.

(The Z690-E PCIe 5.0) will slow down from x16 to x8 when an SSD is in the adjacent M.2_1 socket.

The PCIe 5.0 x16 slot on the Z690-E is attractive, but ASUS points out that it will slow down from x16 to x8 when an SSD is in the adjacent M.2_1 socket if you want to use a PCIe 5.0 M.2 drive. It’s not a huge problem given the abundance of choices for M.2 storage on the Z690-E, but something to bear in mind if you often jump straight into building a PC without reading the motherboard manual like me. The potential for a high-end GPU running with four M.2 SSDs at full strength is fantastic, especially with six 2.5GB/s SATA ports still available for even more solid-state drives.

The Z690-F can match the above scenario, with a GPU and four M.2 SSD connected in tandem. The downside is the removal of one PCIe, lacking the 4.0 slot seen on the Z690-E. USB options drop slightly on the Z690-F, with 10 ports on the rear instead of 12, but you only really lose two USB-A 2.0 ports, which is no big deal considering the aging tech. The Z690-E pinches the top spot for storage options and VRM, even if both boards can provide almost the same setup. The beauty is in the choice. Using the included ROG Hyper card gives you those double M.2 slots should you need them and can be neatly packed away if not.

ASUS Z690-E Gaming WiFi vs Z690-F: What about overclocking?

The Z690-E is one of the best motherboards available for good reason, given the 18+1 power phase delivery provides better VRM than its Z690-F counterpart. For a board that can handle the top-end 12th Gen Intel processors like the Core i9-12900K combined with super-fast DDR5 RAM, it’s comforting to know you can push its limits without worrying about a meltdown.

Both motherboards include identical headers for liquid cooling and chassis fans, so your options for cooling are plentiful. The Z690-F offers 16+1 power stages, which is nothing to sniff at, but considering the relatively small difference in price, I would aim towards the Z690-E just for increased peace of mind during overclocking. The extra storage options and additional USB ports provide enough incentive for the Z690-E, but the Z690-F offers a slightly cheaper alternative for anyone who would rather avoid overclocking altogether.