Page 4 - BIOS and Test System
Once I fired up my PC, I mashed "Delete" on my keyboard until I entered the BIOS. You can also hit F2 if you want, as both enter the BIOS menu. This will always enter into the EZ Mode, as seen in the above screenshot. Here, you will find quick hardware monitoring data such as motherboard information, temperatures, CPU voltage, and fan speeds. The boot order can be modified on the side. You cannot adjust voltage and fan speed here. This is saved for users who wish to enter Advanced Mode only, which is a standard GUI version of the American Megatrends BIOS. We will go over that in just a moment.
Before we begin, I updated the BIOS using ASUS' EZ Flash 3. EZ Flash 3 is an integrated feature for the user to flash their BIOS safely and easily. You can update using an image from any USB flash drive. With the ProArt Z690-Creator WiFi, you can also flash the BIOS without needing a CPU installed, which is handy. This method uses the Flashback button on the back of the motherboard. The sample we received came with the launch BIOS, and I have updated it to the 1505 BIOS without any issues.
It should be no surprise the ASUS ProArt Z690-Creator WiFi's BIOS looks exactly the same as the one with the ProArt B660-Creator D4, as well as most other ASUS motherboards. However, you will notice there is even more tweaking you can do with the BIOS here, as we have the ability to overclock both the CPU and memory. If you have used ASUS products in the past, you will be quite familiar with the Ai Tweaker, as shown in our series of screenshots above. There is quite a bit you can play with. Changing anything can be done by inputting the values directly from your keyboard, so you will not need to scroll through a long list of numbers to find what you need. Alternatively, you can also hit the "+" or "-" keys on your keyboard to increase or decrease the selected value, respectively. The allowed voltage range and increments are shown at the bottom of your screen as you highlight the option you want to modify, which I find very helpful.
The following voltage ranges and increments are allowed:
Actual VRM Core 0.600V to 1.700V @ 0.005V increments
Global Core SVID 0.600V to 1.700V @ 0.001V increments
Cache SVID 0.600V to 1.700V @ 0.001V increments
CPU L2 0.700V to 1.800V @ 0.001V increments
CPU System Agent 0.700 to 1.800V @ 0.001V increments
CPU Input 1.500V to 2.100V @ 0.010V increments
DRAM 0.800V to 2.070V @ 0.005V increments
IVR Transmitter VDDQ 0.700V to 2.200V @ 0.005V increments
Memory Controller 1.000V to 2.000V @ 0.00625V increments
I have included more screenshots from sections under Ai Tweaker, which is DIGI+ VRM, Tweaker's Paradise, and Internal CPU Power Management. From Tweaker's Paradise, the following voltage ranges and increments are allowed:
Core PLL 0.900V to 1.845V @ 0.015V increments
GT PLL 0.900V to 1.845V @ 0.015V increments
Ring PLL 0.900V to 1.845V @ 0.015V increments
System Agent PLL 0.900V to 1.845V @ 0.015V increments
Memory Controller PLL 0.900V to 1.845V @ 0.015V increments
CPU 1.8V Small Rail 1.500V to 2.300V @ 0.010V increments
PLL Termination 0.800V to 1.800V @ 0.010V increments
CPU Standby 0.800V to 1.800V @ 0.010V increments
PCH 1.05V 0.800V to 1.600V @ 0.010V increments
PCH 0.82V 0.700V to 1.300V @ 0.010V increments
CPU Input Voltage Reset 1.500V to 2.100V @ 0.010V increments
Other overclocking specific submenus are found under Ai Tweaker, including AVX Related Controls, Auto Voltage Caps, Thermal Velocity Boost, and V/F Point Offset. Each of these are useful in providing more fine-tuning to voltages and frequencies. Overall, the usage experience of ASUS' UEFI BIOS is excellent. The control interface is smooth and screen transitions are flawless. I am quite happy with the amount of voltage control the ProArt Z690-Creator WiFi provides.
Our test configuration using the ASUS ProArt Z690-Creator WiFi is as follows:
CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K
CPU Cooling: Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black
RAM: Kingston FURY Beast DDR5-5200 2x16GB
Graphics: EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti XC3 ULTRA GAMING
Chassis: Thermaltake Core P6 TG Snow
Storage: XPG Atom 30 1TB
Power: FSP Hydro PTM Pro 1200W
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro
I did not include any other motherboards for results comparison, because any minor motherboard performance differences can usually be attributed to manufacturers giving slight overclocks to the CPU at default settings. Instead, I have included the results of all benchmarks, including testing of various subsystems, to verify the ASUS ProArt Z690-Creator WiFi is within the expected performance range.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Bundle and Chipset
3. Physical Look - Hardware, Board Layout
4. BIOS and Test System
5. Benchmark: AIDA64
6. Benchmark: Cinebench R23
7. Benchmark: PassMark PerformanceTest 10
8. Benchmark: PCMark 10
9. Benchmark: 3DMark
10. Onboard Sound Frequency Analysis
11. Thermal Measurements and Overclocking
12. Conclusion
