Asus Z690 ProArt Creator WiFi (Thunderbolt 4) + i7-12700K + AMD RX 6800 XT

[gandem]

Hello all.
If there is anyone interested, I'm going to give this 5600MT/s 64Gb DDR5 kit a try. It is on the approved list from Asus for the ProArt and for $383.99, this looks to be a very good price. I'll report back my experience after I receive it.

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[CaseySJ]

I have the Gigabyte Z690 Aero G with RX6800XT and 12700K. Is there much benefit in getting the Z690 Pro Art and DDR5? other then having Thunderbolt 4

The Asus ProArt features on-board 10GbE and Maple Ridge Thunderbolt 4. This allows the PCIe slots to be used for other purposes. So it’s primarily a decision based on features that are built-in versus add-in.

 

[nottooshabby]

I have a case that fits Mini ATX or smaller and I am using the Z390 M Gaming currently. Is there an equivalent Z690 board that someone has successfully built? I am using 3 PCIe slots currently, one for my RX590, one for the Fenvi wifi/blutooth card and one for my flash TR card(used with an Apple TBD).

 

[Leesureone]

I have a case that fits Mini ATX or smaller and I am using the Z390 M Gaming currently. Is there an equivalent Z690 board that someone has successfully built? I am using 3 PCIe slots currently, one for my RX590, one for the Fenvi wifi/blutooth card and one for my flash TR card(used with an Apple TBD).

As far as I’ve found there is no Mini ATX 690 board with more than two usable PCIe slots available. Currently I’m using an ASUS Rog Strix Z690 G Gaming which is Mini ATX that has three but only two usable because the graphics card covers the short slot. I also have a flashed Titan Ridge 2 card in the bottom slot which the OS sees but I’m fighting it initializing any devices. Because of that I can’t recommend it at this time. Not many (or any other boards I’ve found) fit your criteria but feel free to search yourself.
I think if you are still interested in small form factor then the ASUS Rog Strix Z690 I Gaming ITX is a solid choice. It has onboard Thunderbolt with Hot Plug capability and if you swap out the onboard intel wireless card for the Fenvi M2 module you get the same native support. https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...k-amd-rx-6800-xt.318311/page-109#post-2321018
@CaseySJ has a write up on it earlier in this thread and I am thinking hard about switching back to it. I actually just bought an MSI Z690i Unify ITX board which delivers today, we will see how that goes.

One downside to making those changes is being unable to use the existing hardware you already have but aside from that it’s a excellent, if not a little pricey, choice.

 

[CaseySJ]

... I actually just bought an MSI Z690i Unify ITX board which delivers today, we will see how that goes....

I was torn between the Asus ROG Strip Z690-i and the MSI Z690i Unify. The MSI has two DP-In ports for channeling DisplayPort from a GPU to a Thunderbolt port.

Quite interested to hear how the MSI fares...

 

[nottooshabby]

I was torn between the Asus ROG Strip Z690-i and the MSI Z690i Unify. The MSI has two DP-In ports for channeling DisplayPort from a GPU to a Thunderbolt port.

Quite interested to hear how the MSI fares...

That makes two of us. Keep us posted.

 

[Leesureone]

I was torn between the Asus ROG Strip Z690-i and the MSI Z690i Unify. The MSI has two DP-In ports for channeling DisplayPort from a GPU to a Thunderbolt port.

Quite interested to hear how the MSI fares..

First impressions, I think the ASUS board is more aesthetically pleasing (which shouldn’t really matter being the Silverstone Alta G1M case I’m putting it in you won’t be able to see anything but the back I/O plate) seems to be constructed similarly to some of the Gigabyte ITX boards I’ve used. Maybe a little more basic construction than the Asus. I've just started getting the board ready to install and it seems like there is good clearance around the CPU socket for the BeQuiet Pure Loop 360MM AIO I'll be using. To install the BCM94360NG M2 card for native wireless/bluetooth I removed the rectangular bracket on the back of the board, very much like Gigabyte ITX boards, and also the four little screws holding the I/O shield in place. From there it's easy enough to separate the heat sinks from the board so the housing for the WIFI/BT card be unscrewed from the board and removed. The thermal material that helps conduct heat to the heat sinks stays in place well enough, the stuff on the back of the board just needed a minor adjustment before reassembly (sometime it falls off).

 

[trs96]

First impressions, I think the ASUS board is more aesthetically pleasing ( which shouldn’t really matter being the Silverstone Alta G1M case I’m putting it in you won’t be able to see anything but the back plate seems to be constructed similarly to some of the Gigabyte ITX boards I’ve used.

Interesting how large that CPU socket looks compared to the small ITX board with all the heatsinks.

 

[steve20677]

Thunderbolt NAS drives require Thunderbolt Bus so you’re correct about needing to have a flashed controller.

A flashed GC-Titan Ridge is recommended. If you want to save a PCIe slot by replacing the Fenvi with a Thunderbolt PCIe card and not using one of the first 2 slots (to give full 16 PCIe lanes to GPU) then it makes sense to remove the Fenvi and install a BCM94360NG.

If you fully remove the motherboard from the case you will find several screws on the back that will allow you to remove the VRM heat sink. That will reveal a small thin metal cage that houses the Intel WiFi/BT module. That module can be replaced with the Fenvi version of BCM94360NG.

Hi Casey,

So I got the GC-Titan Ridge, flashed. However after the computer restart, it takes a minute on the ASUS bootup page before it gets to opencore. I am not sure why it takes so long to boot up and get to bootloader.
Also I have aded the 2 SSDTs as per your tutorial, but the NAS is not recognizing the thunderbolt connection (shows TB disconnected). Also in network, the thunderbolt Bridge is 'not connected'.
The NAS is recognized in system information with the UUIDs. Hope you can help me gain. Thank you

 

[maxxx]

** New Build: Asus ROG Strix Z690-i Gaming WiFi mini-ITX **
Please do not quote this post in its entirely. Post a link or excerpt instead.

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Very good job CaseySJ, I'd like to share my finding as well.

I'm using Cooler Master NRP200, and I got almost all USB 2.0 and 3.0 working. The USB 2.0 hub actually covers 4 USB 2.0 on the back, its kinda nice since 1 port that cover 4 ports. (saving 3 ports on the 15 port limit). I don't use the SSDT table, instead I use USB mapping. (kext attached). One of the best system so far, smooth and fast.