When it comes to pushing hardware to its absolute limits, few names in the PC world carry as much weight as EVGA’s Dark series—and the Z690 Dark KingPin sits right at the top of that legacy. Designed in collaboration with world-famous overclocker Vince “K|NGP|N” Lucido, this board is less about flashy RGB and more about raw power, stability, and extreme overclocking potential.
A Layout Designed for Overclockers
The first thing you’ll notice is how different the Dark KingPin looks compared to a traditional motherboard. EVGA’s design places the DIMM slots at the top edge of the board, rotated 90 degrees for cleaner cable management and improved airflow. There are only two DDR5 slots, but that’s intentional—fewer slots mean shorter trace paths, which helps achieve much higher memory speeds with better stability.
Everything about the layout screams purpose-built for extreme cooling setups, from LN2 overclocking to custom water loops.
Power Delivery That Doesn’t Flinch
At the heart of the Z690 Dark KingPin is a monstrous 21-phase VRM design with top-tier components and active cooling. This ensures rock-solid stability even when pushing Intel’s unlocked 12th and 13th Gen Core CPUs well past their stock limits.
Overclockers who want to hit world records on liquid nitrogen will find all the switches, jumpers, and monitoring points they need directly built into the PCB. But even if you’re just a serious enthusiast, you’ll appreciate the overkill power delivery for daily use and heavy workloads.
Memory and Storage Support
Despite its unusual two-slot layout, the KingPin supports DDR5 memory over 6600 MHz (OC), depending on the modules and cooling. With the right setup, enthusiasts have already reported breaking past that number, which is exactly the kind of record-breaking headroom this board is built for.
For storage, you get:
- 3x M.2 PCIe 4.0 slots (with heatsinks)
- 6x SATA ports for additional drives
Not the most expansive storage support compared to mainstream boards, but plenty for a high-performance rig.
PCIe Expansion and Graphics Support
Naturally, the board comes with PCIe 5.0 support on the primary x16 slot for next-gen GPUs, along with additional PCIe slots for expansion cards. Since this is the “Dark” line, EVGA doesn’t clutter the board with unnecessary extras—you get exactly what you need for a high-performance gaming or benchmarking system.
Cooling and Build Features
The KingPin comes with massive heatsinks covering the VRMs, chipset, and M.2 drives. There’s also a suite of temperature sensors, fan headers, and pump connectors for custom loops. EVGA even includes dual 8-pin EPS connectors to make sure your CPU always gets clean, stable power.
Extreme overclockers will appreciate features like:
- Slow mode switch
- PCIe disable switches
- Probe headers for voltage monitoring
- Built-in BIOS switches
These make the board feel less like a “consumer product” and more like a lab tool designed for professionals.
Connectivity
Even though the Z690 Dark KingPin is all about performance, it doesn’t skimp on modern connectivity:
- WiFi 6E + Bluetooth 5.2
- 2.5G LAN + optional 10G add-in card support
- Plenty of USB 3.2 Gen2 and Gen2x2 ports, including USB-C
- Onboard audio with EVGA’s tuned implementation
It’s not overloaded, but it covers the essentials for gamers and power users alike.
Who Is It For?
The EVGA Z690 Dark KingPin isn’t for everyone—and that’s exactly the point. This board is built for:
- Extreme overclockers who want the best power delivery and layout
- Benchmark hunters chasing world records
- Enthusiasts who prefer function over flashy RGB
- Power users who want unmatched stability under heavy loads