ROG Z690 Extreme Glacial Question – Hi everyone!
ROG Z690 Extreme Glacial Question – Hi everyone!
Hey there! It's been a long time since I've been here, so please give it a chance even if I might have missed some rules. I managed to snag a Maximus Z690 Extreme Glacial after waiting quite a while! I didn't find one from a big retailer directly, but today was the day! Amazon had it available for 2k before it dropped to 2.6 in the 3rdP. Honestly, I thought I'd have to wait months and I'm really excited now. Before anyone criticizes me for getting what felt like an overpriced card, I just wanted to explain that I was really drawn to the glacial design because of its style. I haven't seen anything built like that before, and back in September I actually wanted the Z590 Extreme Glacial but ended up with the non-glacial version. Feeling a bit left out when I missed out on the Z690 Extreme. But once the Z690 came out, it felt like the perfect reason to finally upgrade! Plus, I plan to keep this setup for a while so I can cover every detail (Startup was great this year, so I felt deserving!). Speaking of that, I didn't realize 32GB sticks were available. That's huge when you're running high-performance Java apps and juggling thousands of Chrome tabs. With DDR5 now, I could go from 4x16GB to 4x32GB—imagine the difference! It's wild thinking about how thrilled I was when I got a 128GB SSD for my OS and could fit 128GB RAM in four sticks. Thanks for the chat, everyone! I've been obsessed all day, and when I needed answers about the board, it felt like a great chance to reconnect with the hardware community. To be honest, I wouldn't have had these chances without what I learned here. I used to post when I was 12, trying to prove AMD FX 8350 was terrible (turns out it was just "shit"!). I also loved watching Linus's videos religiously.
Alternative approach. The Extreme is a board that takes PCIe lanes from the GPU to make way for PCIe Gen 5 M.2 slots, which means it doesn’t support x8 or x8. However, the formula still works. On both boards you can connect x16 to the GPU and x4 Gen 4 to the SSD (the bottom slot is fully connected to the chipset). Do this at your own risk. DDR5 and the Alder Lake memory controller are known for drastically reducing memory speeds when trying to run four DIMMs. Speed will usually default to 4000MHz, and any chance of exceeding 5200MHz is eliminated (even with a decent CPU at 5200MHz, four DIMMs might not work). Additionally, memory setup times and boot times become extremely slow. For most systems except workstations that require over 128GB of RAM, those extra two DIMM slots aren’t necessary. Unless you’re investing heavily in a motherboard, the Apex is likely a better choice—it offers superior VRM performance, better memory support, and more expansion options. If looks matter, the Extreme is fine, but it’s not worth the trade-offs.
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Hey there, thanks for getting back to me. I think I’ve come across something similar about the PCIe lanes, but I’m a bit fuzzy on which motherboard it applies to. Could you give me a bit more detail? From what I remember, the PCIEX16_1 connects to the CPU, and the PCIEX16_2 shares bandwidth with the M.2_1 slot (which is in the top M.2 position). The PCIe lanes are listed under the CPU section in the Glacial manual. Since I won’t be using any M.2 slots—because the SSD is PCIe-only—I’m wondering if it would still work on an x8 x8 setup connected to the CPU. Based on what I’ve researched, the Intel 12900K supports 20 lanes and can handle configurations like 1x16 + 1x4 or 2x8 + 1x4. If M.2 slots aren’t used, would it run fine with just an x8 x8 CPU setup? Also, regarding the Extreme board, does it take up extra PCIe lanes from the GPU? And about the 4x32GB DDR5 memory—didn’t realize that was a factor. I’m considering whether having a M.2 plus a GPU would be ideal, giving me more lanes than just an x8 x8 with a PCIe SSD. Since I haven’t opened the RAM yet, I’ll keep it safe in case the 128GB option doesn’t work. I’m planning to benchmark against a 2x32 DDR5 and 4x16 DDR4 setup if needed. Regarding the 4x32GB DDR5, I’m not sure what to expect. Thanks for clarifying—I appreciate your help!
So after reviewing the Extreme datasheet, I realized some details might be off. It does support x8/x8 mode, but there’s also a setting where using a specific M.2 slot restricts the GPU to 8x and disables the second PCIe lane. For your SSD setup, this approach could work better since the PCIe slot is fully managed by the chipset. Unless you really need extra storage, opting for a faster DDR5 kit would be smarter than trying to fit 128GB of slow DDR5 (around 5200MHz) in most tests. This usually isn’t much faster than 3200MHz CL16 due to the timing differences in DDR5. You might want to trade in your current kits for a DDR5 6200MHz model, which offers similar pricing and better overall speed. Posting time could be longer—some videos show it takes over a minute with 4 DIMMs. The memory controller on Alder Lake for DDR5 is still a first-gen design, so performance may be limited. If security isn’t a priority (since most users don’t use Bitlocker), the difference is minimal. For sensitive environments like hospitals, a TPM is advisable, but for home use it’s usually better to skip it. The Apex board is geared toward overclocking, but its 1DPC design can stabilize memory clocks well. Most 2DIMM boards now reliably hit 6600MHz+, making them a solid choice. If you’re building a DDR5 system, stick with 2DIMM options like the Apex, Unify-X, Tachyon, Aqua OC, Z690 Dark, and some ITX models—especially if a POST code is needed.
Hey there, glad you reached out! Speed matters less than storage capacity in this case. I haven’t really seen XMP work well either—my system runs at 2800Mhz and it’s not behaving as expected. Java and Chromium tend to use a lot of RAM, and I hit my 64GB limit today. Maybe a workstation board would be better.
For the TPM, I’m using BitLocker since I often switch between three locations. Previously I’d just copy data between machines at night, but it became cumbersome. Now I transfer my SSD back and forth, which is a bit of a hassle with varying hardware. I’m considering exploring TPM with PKCS11 for cryptography later—it could be useful.
Because I’m still learning about older-gen issues, I’ll probably pause this build until I understand more about the PCIe stuff. About your question: connecting components directly to the CPU seems faster. I might check out Gigabyte M.2 modules next.
I just verified and it looks like the CPU link is usually stronger. It seems an x8 x8 setup shouldn't create a bottleneck since the GPU is x16 4.0 (which would correspond to x8 5.0 or does it convert that way? Thanks for the last CPU I was familiar with—it was probably the 5960x. Right now I actually run at x8 4.0 because my Z590 has the same problem.)
It offers a slightly lower latency, though in real terms it’s not a major difference. Yes and no. The x8 PCIe Gen 5 provides the same bandwidth as x16 PCIe Gen 4, but since the GPU lacks Gen 5 support, it will operate at x8 PCIe Gen 4, which is the maximum speed available for that slot. x8 Gen 4 won’t become a bottleneck for most tasks, though it won’t unlock the full potential of the card. If you require 128GB of RAM now, consider a DDR4 system. Using 128GB in DDR5 is problematic—RAM speeds are slow and performance suffers. Compatibility is unreliable, and memory controllers struggle. DDR4 remains more stable, even if it’s less convenient than 32GB. Currently, 128GB DDR4 will outperform 128GB DDR5. Expect a shift once 64GB DIMMs become available (likely with 32Gb ICs already in development), so plan to wait for those and consider dual sticks if needed.
Interesting, thanks @RONOTHAN## I wasn't familiar with the PCI scaling part. Concerning the DIMM, I might keep my 64GB DDR4 and focus on setting up XMP instead. I don’t think I’ll have to wait much longer, hopefully. Maybe I can offload some testing to the cloud temporarily—no point getting frustrated over these details, you’re right. Sad though, I already have most of the components ready. LOL. The rest of the build should still function as I have that extra block. I’ll rethink the CPU+MBO+RAM upgrade in a few months, and just keep this set as a reminder not to rush the purchase. Argh, I wish the U2 could fit into the M.2 or DIMM slots somehow so I wouldn’t have to deal with those PCIe ports.