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ASUS PRO WS W790E-SAGE SE WORKSTATION MOTHERBOARD
The Asus Pro WS W790-Sage SE Workstation is without a doubt the most complete motherboard we have EVER had in our hands…but there is a caveat. We can’t cover all of this boards features but there are seven (7) PCIe 5.0 x 16 Safe slots to start.
There are also 2 x Gen 5×4 M.2 SSD slots along with another Gen 4×4 M.2 SSD slot for an added touch. This motherboard does not come with Wifi/BT and there is a 2230 form factor SSD slot in the center of the motherboard specifically for that purpose. If you look at the top right of the board, you will see ATX connections for two power supply units, as well as eight slots for DDR-5 ECC R-DIMM memory, four covered with a label that explains how one might go about connecting two PSU’s. Simply peel that off.
This I/O Panel is self explanatory but we wanted to comment that we never expected the 10/20Gbps USB-C slots. Also, the socket in the W790-Sage is a LGA4677 socket that requires special care when installing.
In the packaging of this motherboard, you will find two different CPU carriages, the E1B/64L and the E1A/112L. This motherboard accomodates both Xeon W-3400 and W-2400 Series Processors and the E1B/64L is required for our w7-2595x. Extreme care has to be taken because the CPU has to be fitted into the carriage and it will only fit one way although one might think otherwise. Only then do you gently lift the protective CPU cover off of the motherboard, exposing the CPU contacts.
You then carefully slide the carriage over the posts, ensuring the triangle of that carriage matches up with the triangle on the motherboard. The CPU only fits in one way and the next thing is to apply thermal paste, slide your cooler over and then tighten. The CPU does not secure into the board like a typical desktop CPU as one might think. We suggest any of a number of installation videos for this CPU.
Now for the caveat… First off… a huge kudos to Intel for including both the Xeon 2400 and 3400 Series CPUs in the same LGA4677 socket. The key differences, however, are that the PCIe 5.0 x16 sockets are reduced from 7 to 4 when not using the 3400 Series CPU (1/3/5/7). As well, the two MM.2 PCIe 5.0 x4 SSD sockets are disabled with 2400 series processors and memory sockets are cut from eight to four. For our needs, this does not affect our testing whatsoever, however, we thought it a valid point to mention for future buyers of this WS/CPU.
At the time of this report, we could find the ASUS Pro WS W790E-Sage SE Workstation for $1049.99US. Check Amazon.
CORSAIR WS DDR5 ECC RDIMM 64GB 6000MHZ CL40 MEMORY
This ECC registered memory is Intel XMP 3.0 compatible and is a high-performance memory for high-end workloads and applications. It is available in kits from 64GB to 256GB and comes with a lifetime limited warranty.
At the time of this report, we could find the Corsair W5 DDR5 ECC RDIMM 64GB 6000MHz CL40 memory package priced at $623.32US. Check Amazon.
CORSAIR HX1200I PLATINUM ATX POWER SUPPLY
The Corsair HX1200i is a fully modular Platinum ATX power supply that we chose because of its zero RPM mode and low noise fluid bearings.
This PSU is ATX 3.1 certified with PCIe 5.1 support and is ready for high end 50 series GPUs with two PCIe 5.1 12V-2×6 GPU power cables.
At the time of this report, we could find the Corsair HX1200i Platinum PSU for $299.99. Check Amazon.