The Asus ROG Strix Z690-I Gaming WiFi Leak Reveals a PCB Stacked Design

It appears that the ROG Strix Z690-I Gaming WiFi (Alder Lake) is pushing its Mini ITX design to the next level, look closely and you'll see no fewer than three stacked layers on top of the main circuit board.

One of the most intriguing aspects of this leak is the design of the daughterboards, which were put directly on top of the space that would normally be dedicated for an M.2 slot. Even though it's difficult to tell from this angle, this appears to be ASUS' method for attaching numerous M.2 slots, along with extension connectors and an audio chipset, to such a small form factor. As seen from the side, there appears to be at least one PCB for audio, as well as what appears to be an ARGB and a fan header, as well as what appears to be two layers for M.2 NVMe SSDs with related heat sinks. The boards also appear to include two layers for M.2 NVMe SSDs with associated heatsinks.

Even though we can see a USB type-C and USB 3.0 front panel connector, the rest of the images of the board have been processed using some sort of filter, making it difficult to discern any specifics about it. We'll have to wait until the official debut, which should take place early next month.