Featuring support for running either DDR4 or DDR5 memory, the Z690 chipset will allow motherboard AIBs to offer motherboards with both the new and current DDR standards, easing the transition to the new DDR5 memory. As far as PCIe connectivity, this high-end chipset produces 12 PCIe Gen5 lanes, along with 16 PCIe Gen3 lanes. This is, of course, just an addition to the 16 PCIe Gen5 lanes that the Alder Lake processor provides, enabling a wide portfolio of PCIe lanes for connecting SSDs and graphics cards.

The Quim ReaperI thought DDR4 support will only be offered on the lower end motherboards, for the lower end Alder-Lake CPU's?

I think anyone hoping to get a high end 'K' chip and not have to buy some new DDR5 memory is in for a disappointment.

Of course, unless their is some physical difference on the high end Z690 boards which prevents DDR4 modules from fitting in the RAM slots, then I suppose the motherboard OEM's could offer DDR4 support unofficially via the BIOS.

I'm thinking of moving from my 9900K to a 12900K and would love to make use of my 32GB DDR4 RAM, but not really expecting to be able to do so.

TheLostSwedeAll the CPUs have dual memory controllers for DDR4/DDR5, this is very common for the "transition" CPU family.
Expect more DDR4 than DDR5 boards initially.
I guess you're not aware that DDR4 and DDR5 memory won't fit in the same slots? You have to buy a motherboard that takes one or the other.
It is possible we'll see some boards with two slots of each, it's been something of an ASRock special in the past.

ChaitanyaI remember Asus, MSI and Gigabyte also made dual Slot motherboards but with more slots for outgoing DDR and just a pair of Dual Channel slots for new Generation in many cases.
Few examples from past with ugly transitional frankenstein boards:
www.techpowerup.com/87587/msi-unveils-ddr2-ddr3-combo-motherboards
www.anandtech.com/show/1345/6

excessiveobserverCan't believe AMD has nothing but price drops to counter this.

TheLostSwedeYeah, you can't do that anymore though, as you're going to run into CRC issues due to the traces being too long relative to the speed of modern memory.
If you look at a bit more modern motherboards, you'll see the DDR3/DDR4 boards only have two slots of each.

excessiveobserverCan't believe AMD has nothing but price drops to counter this.

ZoneDymoTo counter what? a chipset? yeah...better get on that asap....

londiste- DDR4/DDR5 controller is in CPU and has nothing to do with chipset in this case.
- Z690 does not produce 12 PCIe Gen5 lanes but 12 PCIe Gen4 lanes, along with 16 PCIe Gen3 lanes.

Compared to Z590:
- PCIe lanes - Z590: 24 PCIe 3.0 - Z690: 12 PCIe 4.0 and 16 PCIe Gen3.
- CPU link - Z590: DMI 3.0 (8 lanes, 8GT/s each) - Z690: DMI 4.0 (8 lanes, 16GT/s each).
- USB ports - Z690 provides up to 2 more USB 3.2 2x2 ports and up to 2 more USB 2.0 ports.
- Slightly newer WiFi capabilities.
- Notably, TB4/USB4 is no longer there on the chart.

TardianDDR4 is cheap and fast.

looniampssst i bought intel because more boards had wifi/bluetooth . . .

bonehead123Which is EXACTLY what Intel does NOT want to continue..... cheap is NOT, and never has been, in their vocabulary, at least not until everything has been played out in the market for every milkin penny they can possibly get from the consumer... ONLY then have they ever lowered the prices for an outgoing gen of tech....