Asus Z690 motherboards for 12th generation Intel processors are facing incompatibility issues with CPU coolers

Asus Z690 series motherboards from the company’s ROG Strix hardware portfolio are reportedly incompatible with some of the most popular CPU coolers in the industry. According to multiple industry reports, including those from PC Gamer and WCCFtech, popular CPU cooler options from companies such as Noctua are claimed to be incompatible with the above motherboards, as well as other Asus boards, as well as some boards from other manufacturers, such as Fine.

Given the industry standardization around socket sizes, this is a little surprising. Asus Z690 series motherboards are specially designed for 12th generation Intel Alder Lake processors. While some may argue that this incompatibility issue may be due to some changes in the design of new generation CPU sockets, such a change may seem rather strange, since companies usually receive information about such design changes in advance – during the development stages.

Such changes are usually shared and coordinated between companies to ensure peripheral compatibility during the PC build process. The companies, in turn, issue newsletters to notify customers of design changes and prominently disclose compatibility data to ensure that customers do not choose the wrong product. In this case, Noctua has notified its customers of the design changes and those who choose the wrong products can also claim a free replacement.

Some CPU coolers from other manufacturers, such as Be Quiet and Arctic, are reportedly also affected by the incompatibility issue. While it is not clear why such conflicts have arisen, buyers are advised to exercise caution when it comes to purchasing new equipment. Worldwide customers should check the latest news and compatibility lists before purchasing CPU coolers for their new generation boards.

Going forward, it will be interesting to see if the respective companies, including Asus and Intel, issue notices explaining why this incompatibility was reported.