Packaging and Contents

Gigabyte has given this Z690 AORUS Xtreme WaterForce the premium treatment starting with the exterior box design. Leaving behind the bright oranges used for some AORUS products, Gigabyte is using foil for the lettering. It is sure to catch the attention of anyone walking by and is something worth keeping as a display item as well if you are into collecting.

The back of the box keeps it simple in terms of presentation, with six highlighted features. Most notable would be the all-in-one monoblock with details about M.2 socket coverage and built-in leak and temperature sensors, which we will cover in more detail later in this review.


After opening the outer box, you are greeted with a smaller box on top. This is the AORUS RGB fan controller. It has eight headers that are dual-purpose. Each port uses a specialty Y-cable for a fan and RGB lighting. This is great news if you have a lot of case fans that each require a connection instead of being daisy chained.


Because this is Gigabyte's flagship product, more accessories are included, some of which are specific to this motherboard.

The full list of accessories includes:

• 1x Water-cooling kit
• 1x AORUS USB flash drive with drivers
• User manual
• Quick installation guide
• 2x Antennas
• 4x SATA cables
• 2x Integrated extension cables for addressable and RGB LED strips
• 1x AORUS RGB FAN Commander
• 1x Front panel extension cable
• 1x Front USB header extension cable
• 1x Noise detection cable
• 1x ESSential USB DAC
• 2x Velcro cable ties
• 2x Thermistor cables
• M.2 screws
• 1x G Connector
• 1x AORUS RGB Memory Armor