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When it comes to motherboards, it might be difficult to understand the product names of hardware providers unless you have extensive knowledge of chipsets and brand names in your head. Most of the time, exciting words like “Extreme” and “FTW” are used in place of significant names and numbers (extra credit to MSI for “Godlike”).

The ASUS  Prime Z690-P D4 Motherboard Supply ($299.99) is the modest name of Asus’ most recent Intel motherboard, which doesn’t reveal anything other than the chipset, which is the most advanced one for 12th Generation CPUs.

The “A” designation is reserved for the highest model in a given series, and Asus marketing its Prime boards as all-purpose platforms. Given that the Prime is priced competitively, we’re delighted to report that it cruises “Alder Lake” without going overboard. But it also fails to wow us.

The motherboards of the ASUS Prime series are skillfully designed to maximize the performance of 12th Generation Intel processors. The ASUS Prime Z690-P D4 Motherboard Supply offers users and PC DIY builders a variety of performance tuning options via easy software and firmware features. It has a reliable power design, extensive cooling solutions, and intelligent tuning options.

ASUS Prime Z690-P D4 Motherboard Supply Specs & Overall look

The ASUS Prime Z690-P D4 Motherboard Supply is a low-cost alternative to the costly Z690 platform, delivering space shuttle styling combined with adequate cooling and power delivery. On its Z690 SKUs, Asus made cosmetic changes to the Z590 Prime boards of the previous generation, upgraded connections, and enhanced power delivery. The result, specifically with the Prime Z690-P, is an ATX motherboard for your Alder Lake processor that is well-equipped and reasonably priced.

The Prime Z690-P has a 20 Gbps Type-C interface, 2.5 GbE, four M.2 sockets with Q-Latch, compatibility for PCIe 5.0 and DDR5, a last-generation flagship audio codec, but no integrated Wi-Fi. It’s a full-featured motherboard at a fair $279 price, although some people might not like the space-shuttle design or the few (six) USB Type-A ports on the rear IO.

In most tests, the Prime Z690-P performed average to slightly above average. Both the RAM tests with AIDA and our gaming benchmarking results were standard. Even though you probably won’t notice it on your electric bill, power utilization was lower than it was for the majority of the Z690 boards we examined.

In other words, during our testing, performance on the Prime wasn’t a problem. In keeping with this, overclocking worked flawlessly with this budget board running our premium Core i9-12900K processor way outside of specifications with a few BIOS adjustments. Continue reading to learn more about the board’s characteristics, our assessment based on testing and use, and how it compares to the finest motherboards. Here is a full list of the Asus Prime Z690-P D4 Motherboard Supply specifications, taken from the Asus website.

CPU	Intel Socket LGA1700 for 12th Gen Intel Core, Pentium Gold, and Celeron Processors Supports Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 and Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 **Intel Turbo Boost Max Technology 3.0 support depends on the CPU type.
Chipset	Intel Z690 Chipset
Memory	4 x DIMM, Max. 128GB, DDR4 5333(OC)/5133(OC)/5000(OC)/4800(OC)/4600(OC)/4400(OC)/4266(OC)/4133(OC)/4000(OC)/3866(OC)/3733(OC)/3600(OC)/3466(OC)/3400(OC)/3333(OC)/3200/3000/2933/2800/2666/2400/2133 Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory*Dual Channel Memory ArchitectureSupports Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)OptiMem II*Actual Memory data rate depends on the CPU types and DRAM modules.
Graphics	1 x DisplayPort**1 x HDMI Port****Graphics specifications may vary between CPU types.Supports max. 4K@60Hz as specified in DisplayPort 1.4.*** Supports 4K@60Hz as specified in HDMI 2.1.
Expansion Slots	Intel 12th  Gen Processors* 1 x PCIe 5.0/4.0/3.0 x16 slot Intel Z690 Chipset** 1 x PCIe 4.0/3.0 x16 slot (supports x4 mode)2 x PCIe 3.0 x16 slots (supports x4 mode)1 x PCIe 3.0 x1 slot * Please check the PCIe bifurcation table on the support site. ** Supports Intel® Optane Memory H Series on PCH-attached PCIe slot
Storage	Total supports 3 x M.2 slots and 4 x SATA 6Gb/s ports* Intel® 12th Gen ProcessorsM.2_1 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280/22110- Intel 12th Gen processors support PCIe 4.0 x4 mode.Intel Z690 Chipset**M.2_2 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode)M.2_3 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 & SATA modes)4 x SATA 6Gb/s ports* Intel® Rapid Storage Technology supports NVMe RAID 0/1/5, SATA RAID 0/1/5/10.** Intel Rapid Storage Technology supports Intel® Optane Memory H Series on PCH attached M.2 slots
Ethernet	1 x Realtek 2.5Gb Ethernet
Wireless & Bluetooth	V-M.2 slot only (Key E, CNVi & PCIe)** Wi-Fi module and vertical M.2 Key E bracket set are purchased separately.
USB	Rear USB (Total 6 ports)1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 port (1 x USB Type-C®)1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 port (1 x Type-A)2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (2 x Type-A)2 x USB 2.0 ports (2 x Type-A)  Front USB (Total 9 ports) 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 connector (supports USB Type-C)2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 headers support additional 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports2 x USB 2.0 headers support additional 4 USB 2.0 ports** USB_E1 port, USB_E2 port, USB_E3 port and USB_E4 port share the bandwidth.
Audio	Realtek 7.1 Surround Sound High Definition Audio CODEC- Supports: Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking- Supports up to 24-Bit/192 kHz playback Audio Features– Audio Shielding- Rear optical S/PDIF out port- Premium audio capacitors- Dedicated audio PCB layers
Back Panel I/O Ports	1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 port (1 x USB Type-C)1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 port (1 x Type-A)2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (2 x Type-A)2 x USB 2.0 ports (2 x Type-A)1 x DisplayPort1 x HDMI® port1 x V-M.2 slot (Key E)1 x Realtek 2.5Gb Ethernet port5 x Audio jacks1 x Optical S/PDIF out port1 x PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse combo port
Internal I/O Connectors	Fan and Cooling related1 x 4-pin CPU Fan header1 x 4-pin CPU OPT Fan header1 x 4-pin AIO Pump header3 x 4-pin Chassis Fan headers Power related1 x 24-pin Main Power connector1 x 8-pin +12V Power connector1 x 4-pin +12V Power connector Storage related 3 x M.2 slots (Key M)4 x SATA 6Gb/s portsUSB1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 connector (supports USB Type-C®)2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 headers support additional 4 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports2 x USB 2.0 headers support additional 4 USB 2.0 ports Miscellaneous 3 x Addressable Gen 2 headers1 x AURA RGB headers1 x Clear CMOS header1 x COM Port header1 x Front Panel Audio header (AAFP)1 x SPI TPM header (14-1pin)1 x 20-5pin System Panel header1 x Thunderbolt header
Special Features	ASUS 5X PROTECTION III– DIGI+ VRM (- Digital power design with DrMOS)- LANGuard- Overvoltage Protection- SafeSlot- Stainless-Steel Back I/O ASUS Q-Design– Q-DIMM- Q-SlotASUS Thermal Solution– Flexible M.2 heatsink- VRM heatsink design ASUS EZ DIY– ProCoolAURA Sync– AURA RGB header- Addressable Gen 2 headers
Software Features	ASUS Exclusive SoftwareArmoury Crate- AURA Sync- Fan Xpert 4AI Suite 3- Performance And Power Saving Utility  TurboV EVO  EPU  DIGI+ VRMASUS CPU-Z Norton Anti-virus software (Free Trial version)WinRAR UEFI BIOS ASUS EZ DIY- ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3- ASUS EZ Flash 3- ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode
BIOS	192 (128+64) Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS
Manageability	WOL by PME, PXE
Accessories	Cables2 x SATA 6Gb/s cables Miscellaneous1 x I/O Shield1 x M.2 Rubber Package2 x M.2 SSD screw packages Installation Media1 x Support DVD Documentation 1 x User guide
Operating System	Windows® 11 64-bit, Windows 10 64-bit
Form Factor	ATX 30.5cm x 23.4cm

Conclusion on ASUS Prime Z690-P D4 Motherboard Supply 

The ASUS Prime Z690-P D4 Motherboard Supply is a board that offers platform enhancements such as support for Alder Lake processors and PCIe 5.0 for graphics. It is largely full-featured. Four PCIe 4.0 x4 M are included with the board’s $279.99(opens in new tab) price.

Two sockets, 2.5 GbE (no Wi-Fi), a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20 Gbps) Type-C connector, a flagship audio codec from the most recent generation, improved power supply, and a redesigned design. Overclocking wasn’t an issue, and performance on our Prime board was normal to above average. Overall, it’s a strong SKU that offers a number of upgrades over the Z590 variant.

That is not to suggest that it is without flaws. The Prime color palette might be divisive, to start. You’ll need to search elsewhere if you don’t want white in your construction theme. Outside of that, it appears to be a less expensive motherboard because the shrouds and heatsinks don’t completely enclose the bottom of the board like they do on more expensive models.

The absence of USB ports on the rear IO is the other drawback. There are only six Type-A ports, despite the fact that you gain access to a 20 Gbps Type-C port and a second 10 Gbps Type-C port. You may not agree with me, but I could use all of those right now. Additionally, you’ll need an add-in card if you want to use more than four SATA ports. Not to mention, other boards with comparable prices include wifi connectivity, whereas this one does not.

The ASUS Prime Z690-P D4 Motherboard Supply is a good choice if you want to buy a Z690 motherboard for less than $300 and don’t want Wi-Fi or more than four SATA ports. But at this price, it’s not the most complete.

The Prime Z690-A is a good choice if you need Wi-Fi but don’t need more than four SATA ports or a Z690 motherboard for less than $300. However, it isn’t the most complete at this price range.