ASRock Z690 Aqua OC Motherboard Review Ft. Corsair’s Hydro X Series Liquid Cooling

ASRock Z690 Aqua OC Motherboard - Unboxing

The ASRock Z690 Aqua OC being a premium motherboard comes in a rather huge box. The front is themed in a white and blue color theme. The front side also lists down support for Intel's 12th generation Core processors and DDR5 memory. The Aqua emblem is engraved on the inner layer of the package in the same color theme as the box.

The backside of the package lists down the specifications and special features of the motherboard such as the Reinforced DIMM Slot and DDR5 memory design, PCIe Gen 5 with surface mount tech, and a 20 Phase Smart power stage design.

Flipping over the front cover reveals an inner layer with the Aqua emblem and a greeting message saying 'Meet The Aqua'. The motherboard also comes with a special signed card which has our own 'Wccftech' logo imprinted on it. The naming is only for media and consumers will get standard 500 numbered variants of the board. There are only going to be 500 variants of the Aqua OC produced throughout its life cycle.

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Underneath the motherboard tray is the accessories area and I like how ASRock has given each specific accessory its own label.

There are several accessories included in the package such as a Wi-Fi antenna module, four SATA III cables, screws for the M.2 storage devices,  a driver disk, a manual for the board, and even a few stickers. Following is the full list of accessories in the package:

• - Quick Installation Guide, Support CD
• - 4 x SATA Data Cables
• - 1 x Digital Leak Detector
• - 1 x ASRock WiFi 2.4/5/6 GHz Antenna
• - 1 x Thermal Compound
• - 9 x Spare Thermal Pads
• - 4 x Spare Screws for MOS
• - 4 x Spare Screws for CPU Sockets
• - 3 x Screws for M.2 Sockets

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The most interesting accessory within the package is the Water Leaking detector which features a digital pressure gauge and air pump and offers a fast and safe way to test whether there is leakage in your water cooling system. Before filling with water, just install the digital leak detector into your water cooling system, pressurize the system with an air pump, and keep the system in a closed state. If the pressure is kept constant, there is no leakage. ASRock is also supplying the board with extra pair of M.2 thermal pads and a thermal syringe for application on the CPU.

With all the accessories done, it's time to put that box aside and open up the top holder that contains the Z690 Aqua OC.

The ASRock Z690 Aqua OC is a surprisingly good-looking motherboard. It stands out from the rest with its futuristic styling and a design that looks like something straight out of NASA!

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