ASUS’ leaked Z690 PCIe Q-RELEASE feature is a Godsend

Have you ever gotten a PCIe card stuck on a motherboard? Perhaps a graphics card with a thick backplate covers your PCIe slot’s release mechanism or other PCIe-connected components that make accessing your PCIe slot’s release mechanism more challenging. Either way, sometimes it’s hard to remove PCIe cards, making hardware replacement more of a chore than it needs to be. Presenting, ASUS’ new Q-RELEASE feature. 

Leaked images from ASUS’ ROG Z690 motherboard lineup (via Videocardz and @momomo_us) have revealed a new motherboard feature designed to make the removal of PCIe cards easier. With a simple button push, you can safely remove your graphics card from your PCIe slot, negating the need for tools or awkward hand placements.

Have you ever tried to remove a GPU when you have a large heatsink installed? If you have, you will see the benefits of Q-RELEASE. As someone who frequently benchmarks hardware, the appeals of Q-RELEASE are hard to understate. If you need to test 10 or more graphics cards, easily removing and replacing those graphics cards is a huge luxury. No more searching for tools that can push down your PCIe slot latch; just press a button. 

While I understand that this tool has a niche appeal, luxuries like this help make high-end motherboards more appealing than their lower-end counterparts. It is also an exclusive feature that ASUS can use to differentiate itself from its competitors.