ASUS Pro WS WRX80E-SAGE SE WIFI Announced: A Motherboard for AMD Threadripper Pro
by Dr. Ian Cutress on January 22, 2021 1:02 PM EST_678x452.png)
In the world of crazy motherboard names, I think ASUS might have won with this one. The new ASUS Pro WS WRX80E-SAGE SE WIFI is a motherboard built for AMD’s upcoming Threadripper Pro processors featuring enough added clout to make the most of 128 lanes of PCIe 4.0.
The extended-ATX (E-ATX) motherboard uses a transposed LGA4094 socket, capable of supporting the 64-core Threadripper Pro 3995WX at 280 W. The socket uses a 16 power stage VRM design with a massive finned heatsink designed to full air from the front of the motherboard to the back in line with the socket and the memory slots, ending in the rear panel which has its own air baffle. There are eight memory slots, enabling 512 GB or 1 TB of DDR4-3200.
The power delivery heatsink seems to be connected to the active chipset heatsink, which in turn has additional heatsinks for all three of the board’s PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots. Other storage options include two U.2 ports, eight SATA ports, and a bundled Hyper M.2 card capable of supporting another four M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 storage drives.
The board has seven full length supported PCIe 4.0 x16 slots for add-in cards, with these systems aimed at renderers and computational work that can add in additional compute cards. Additional controllers include an Intel X550-AT2 for dual 10 gigabit Ethernet, a baseband management controller (ASUS doesn’t say which one), and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, likely enabled through Intel’s AX201 or AX210.
Port wise there are nine USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports each with 10 Gbps, and a single USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C port capable of 20 Gbps. For the front panel, there are two USB 3.2 Gen 2 connectors, as well as USB 3.2 Gen 1 and USB 2.0. Also on the board is BIOS flashback, CMOS reset, what looks like a Realtek ALC1220 audio codec, a COM header, and a wide array of 5-pin fan headers. ASUS’ custom TPU chipset is also onboard.
Users should also be aware that this board appears to take three 12V CPU power connectors, whereas most power supplies only take two. There are also two additional 6-pin PCIe connectors to provide power to the PCIe slots. The rear of the board contains a backplate to assist with board rigidity.
The ASUS Pro WS WRX80E-SAGE SE Wi-Fi is expected to be available in North America from March. Price is as-yet unknown.
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ikjadoon - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
>Intel X550-AT2 for dual 10 gigabit EthernetThese add-in cards still retail for a few hundred dollars alone. Glad to see they didn't skimp out on 5 Gbps or a single 10 Gbps on what I expect is a four-digit price tag. The heatsinks are probably necessary; this chip has an 11W TDP on its own...
// type-C rant
I also appreciate the clear USB speed labels on the rear I/O. Still, I will forever advocate for an OS-based menu that numerates exactly what each type-C port is capable of. W/ this Threadripper Pro motherboard, I assume nothing but USB.
The half-baked manuals for motherboards are already confusing enough: just put it in the operating system.
gvantuyl - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
All one needs is a class 1, 10gb switch and a parallel file system. That last one comes at a very steep price.Slash3 - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
IPMI is via ASMB9-iKVM (AST2500).https://www.asus.com/Commercial-Servers-Workstatio...
gvantuyl - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
All this great advancement and no USB 4.POOR FORM ASUS
phoenix_rizzen - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
Are there any AMD chipsets that support USB4?Makaveli - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
None that I've seen.danjw - Saturday, January 23, 2021 - link
Some Asrock Ryzen Motherboards have Thunderbolt 3 ports which = USB 4. I know the Asrock X570 Creator has 2 Thunderbolt 3 ports.Eliadbu - Sunday, January 24, 2021 - link
If you want true compatibility with USB 4 you will need TB 4 since TB 3 and USB 4 have slightly different signaling scheme (god knows why they did so). With that being said, USB 4 can range greatly on speeds and capabilities, for the matter of fact a port can be certified as USB 4 and only support 10 Gbps of transfer speeds. And also USB 4 ports can support full speed communication with TB 3 port but this is optional, so other with intel and maybe Apple I don't see many manufacturers support this feature.Duwelon - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
I really like the general aesthetics of these Asus Pro boards, they a nice diversion from the usual flashy, gaudy gamer puke. They're a refreshing nod back to saner days when most motherboards didn't have gaudy gamer vomit on them yet.Eliadbu - Sunday, January 24, 2021 - link
RGB sells every company that makes consumer PC related product knows this and so they incorporate it.