We have reached the end of the review, and it is once again time to consolidate everything and summarize what this motherboard has to offer. As with previous reviews, I will start with what I think Gigabyte could improve upon before finishing on a positive note.

The Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Xtreme WaterForce is not a run-of-the mill product. It represents Gigabyte's entire Z690 product line as the flagship motherboard designed around giving users a premium experience without compromise. This of course extends to the price of entry. When it comes to the ultra-high-end, If you think the Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Xtreme WaterForce costs too much, you are not the targeted consumer.

With that in mind, Gigabyte's Z690 AORUS Xtreme nearly offers every bit of tech available for this LGA 1700 socket. Due to the cost and targeted market, expectations are set tremendously high. Gigabyte's lack of an M.2 Gen5 socket is a questionable design choice for such a product. It must have not been without consideration during the design phase because for an additional M.2 socket to function, either extra space is needed or a Gen4 sockets converted. Either choice would disable the second PCIe Gen 5.0 slot so that bandwidth could be allocated to the M.2 Gen5 socket. Given that two graphics cards aren't as prevalent anymore due to lack of driver and game-engine support, it isn't something to be ruled out here. Losing the second PCIe slot may not be worth compromising for, but while not ideal, a solution could have been to include a PCIe add-on card for more M.2 NVMe SSDs at a later date to keep the second PCIe slot open for different configurations.

As mentioned previously, excellence and attention to detail are required for a flagship product. Superficial problems become just as important as everything else, and one of these "problems" is the lack of built-in HDMI output. DisplayPort can pass through the Thunderbolt 4 ports, but HDMI will need an active converter if used. This is nitpicking because it's far from a deal breaker. Those who require iGPU output and cannot use DisplayPort will need to buy an adapter or rely on a Thunderbolt 4 hub with HDMI. A minor inconvenience nonetheless.

So far, the complaints are topical in nature, easily solved by the customer for an additional fee. However, there is an issue that is utterly unacceptable. Those who skipped the overclocking and VRM testing section of this review will be surprised to hear that the monoblock—the main attraction—is flawed. At least with the sample I received. The monoblock looks fantastic and plays its role in a luxurious computer build. The appearance is not the problem. It simply comes down to a z-height and mounting pressure issue. Because of this, the CPU is not being properly cooled and cannot be overclocked. The main appeal to owning such a motherboard is for the premium design and limited edition, but system performance is a big factor as well. To be clear on the subject, without proper contact between the CPU and monoblock, the i9-12900K was limited to 270 watts for overclocking. This is the thermal tipping point before jumping to 100°C T.j Max within a matter of seconds with a CPU stress benchmark. This means an all-core overclock of 5.1 GHz or higher was out of the question. In my testing, the system ended up producing better benchmark scores with the CPU at stock. As such, be watchful of CPU thermal issues related to this all-in-one monoblock. Hopefully, this is limited to my sample unit.

If you find yourself free of monoblock problems or just are not interested in overclocking, this motherboard still has fantastic memory support that should not be overlooked. That being said, the limit is still 6600 MT/s for two DIMMs as all Z690 4-DIMM motherboards have a hard time going above this value. Because the Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Xtreme WaterForce has four DIMM slots, installing and reaching DDR5-5600 speeds with single-rank memory is possible. Install single-rank memory in all slots and it ranks at the top of 4-slot motherboards, as expected from such a premium product.

Given this is indeed an ultra-high-end motherboard, it has no shortage of high-speed storage options and connectivity. The rear I/O alone is brimming with USB 3.2 Type-A ports all rated for 10 Gbps. It is equipped with dual LAN, one for 10 Gb, with a secondary 2.5 Gb for those who may need to connect to separate networks at the same time. For even greater throughput, Thunderbolt 4 is available as well. Combined, it sets the Z690 AORUS Xtreme above every other entry in the AORUS lineup for connectivity options.

Considering the price point, Gigabyte's attention to detail is outstanding, with a emphasis on design and layout. It comes as little to no surprise that this motherboard looks the part in a computer built to perfection. Having all the connections on one side makes for a clean build without wires sticking out in every direction. This lends itself to being a showpiece in the gaming room as a prized computer worthy of jealousy among friends. It certainly can be a show of wealth, and with the right components, the Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Xtreme WaterForce becomes a computer without any compromises for those commanding and expecting the best from Gigabyte.