H610 is a junior chipset for motherboards based on the LGA 1700 socket. It only supports two RAM slots. So if you don’t have enough money for 2x16 GB right away, then it’s better to take 1x8 than 2x4 so that there is room to upgrade. The maximum amount of RAM can reach 64 GB. Compatible with any graphics cards: PCIe 3.0, 4.0 and even future 5.0. After all, the x16 video card slot works through the processor, not the chipset. But the M.2 SSD in the case of H610 motherboards is already divorced through the chipset, therefore it is limited by the speed of PCIe 3.0 x4.

H610 does not support manual overclocking of either the processor or the RAM. And the automatic continuous overclocking of Velocity Boost (a further development of the Turbo Boost short-term auto-overclocking technology) will most likely run into a small number of power phases on the motherboard and the absence of a heatsink on them. Therefore, H610 motherboards are suitable only for Pentium Gold and Core i3 processors with moderate power consumption. Fast USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb/s) ports are supported, but not ultra-fast Gen 2x2 (20Gb/s).

B660 is perhaps the most balanced chipset for Intel Core 12 processors and probably the upcoming 13th generation too. It already has four RAM slots, with support for both cheap DDR4 and progressive DDR5, with a total capacity of up to 128 GB, and with official overclocking. Overclocking of the processor by the multiplier is blocked by Intel, but on some B660 motherboards it is still possible to overclock the CPU via the BCLK bus. With this in mind, it pairs well with Core i5 and Core i7 processors. Video cards are compatible up to PCIe 5.0 x16 inclusive, M.2 SSDs up to 4.0 x4, and SATA drives can be combined into a RAID array. There can be up to two ultra-fast USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 in Type-C, one on the back panel of the motherboard and the front panel of the case.

The H670 and Q670 are consumer and enterprise versions of the same chipset. The second is supported by Intel vPro technology, which allows the system administrator of the company to remotely configure employees' computers. Both chipsets have more PCIe lanes than the aforementioned B660. This makes it possible to create a bundle of two AMD CrossFireX, NVIDIA SLI or NVLink video cards, as well as a RAID array of M.2 SSDs. Intel Optane smart caching is also supported. They consume the H670 and Q670 chipsets, like their other counterparts in the 600-series Intel, only 6 watts of electricity.

Z690 and W680 - again custom and semi-server variations of the same chipset. The second stands out in addition to Intel vPro technology, and also the ability to work with server RAM with ECC error correction. They support official overclocking of processors with indices K and KF by multiplier. They are wired for the Wi-Fi adapter Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX with a frequency of 6 GHz and speeds up to 4.8 Gbps. Motherboards with Z690 and W680, as a rule, are equipped with the most powerful power phases, sometimes even on dividers (when there are two mosfets per phase to reduce their heating). They are able to pull out even the most power-hungry CPU, like the Core i9-12900K with 24 threads, UHD 770 integrated graphics and 240W TPD.

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Biostar H610MH DDR4 
Medium format Micro-ATX, 10-phase VRM, reinforced CPU power connector, two VGA + HDMI video outputs.
Only one connector for case fan.
Price from 2 825 up to 3 445 ₴
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Biostar H610MH is one of the most affordable motherboards for 12th generation Intel Core processors. It is built on the younger H610 chipset and received 12 power phases, however, without heatsinks. But the processor power connector is reinforced 4 + 4-pin. It is made in the medium format Micro-ATX, so it will be perfectly combined with the medium Mini-Tower case.

There are two RAM slots, with support only for DDR4 with a frequency of up to 3200 MHz. You cannot increase the frequency, but you can lower the timings, which will also have a positive effect on the speed of the video card built into the processor. The image from it is proposed to be output via an analog VGA interface or digital HDMI. By the way, integrated graphics are the last video cards that still support analog video.

The sound subsystem is represented by a 7.1-channel Realtek ALC897 audio chip, and Ethernet is a gigabit Intel I219V. There are 6 USB ports available on the rear panel, and only 2 of them are relatively fast 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps). But perhaps the only significant drawback of the Biostar H610MH is only one connector for a case fan, which, incidentally, is typical of all budget motherboards.

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Biostar B660GTN 
Compact Mini-ITX format, VRM heatsinks, reinforced video card slot, two M.2 slots for SSD and one for Wi-Fi, Ethernet 2.5 Gbps.
The second M.2 SSD slot is on the back of the board.

Biostar B660GTN is the most compact Mini-ITX motherboard with LGA 1700 socket. It has a number of limitations caused by the form factor (only two RAM slots, no PCIe x1), but otherwise it is quite richly equipped. In addition to heatsinks on both knees of the VRM, there is also a decorative casing for the interface panel and a paired heatsink for the chipset and the first M.2 SSD slot with PCIe 4.0 x4 support.

The second similar slot is located on the back of the PCB, so you need to install a solid state drive there before mounting it into a PC case. The frequency of RAM is declared up to 5000 MHz, this is really the ceiling of DDR4 capabilities, and only in Gear 2 asynchronous mode. The PCIe x16 slot is reinforced with steel to protect against fracture by a weighty discrete graphics card.

The audio path is built on the basis of the already more advanced Realtek ALC1220 codec, and wired Internet is represented by Realtek RTL8125B at a speed of 2.5 Gbps. In addition, an M.2 Key-E connector is provided, immediately with antennas removed, for a Wi-Fi adapter, but it will have to be purchased separately. There are also two video outputs, but both are digital: DisplayPort and HDMI 2.0, with the ability to connect 4K monitors.

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Biostar Z690 VALKYRIE 
Full ATX format, digital VRM with active cooling, steel backplate, DDR5-6000+ MHz memory, two USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 ports, ARGB lighting.
No Wi-Fi adapter included.

Biostar Z690 Valkyrie is the flagship motherboard based on the Intel Z690 overclocker chipset. Allows you to overclock both the processor by a multiplier and DDR5 RAM over 6000 MHz. There is also a version of the motherboard with index A, adapted for DDR4. The digital power subsystem is based on 105-amp mosfets and, in addition to passive radiators, also has small fans.

And there are two 4-pin connectors for cooling the processor at once: for fans and a CBO pump separately. The decorative IO Shield is adorned with synchronized ARGB lighting, which can be configured through Biostar's proprietary Vivid DJ app. The back side of the printed circuit board, which is made of 8-layer textolite, is reinforced with a steel plate (backplate) to protect it from bending.

There are two x16 video card slots, three connectors for M.2 SSD (immediately with radiators), and eight SATA ones. There are also a couple of ultra-fast USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) ports: one on the back, the second inside for output to the face of the PC case. Four video outputs, two HDMI and two DP. The audio jacks, in addition to analog Mini-Jacks, include digital S/PDIF.