• ASUS X99-E WS Workstation Motherboard Review

This article is a review of the ASUS X99-E WS Workstation motherboard recently announced by ASUS. This post consists of the announcement along with an overview of the motherboard and its specifications. Firstly, the announcement was as follows:

ASUS Announces X99-E WS

X99 chipset-based workstation motherboard supports PCI Express 3.0 x16 four-way graphics power, leading connectivity and premium components for premium efficiency

2014/09/10

ASUS today announced X99-E WS, a new Compact Electronics Bay (CEB) workstation motherboard based on the Intel® X99 chipset and with support for four-way multi-GPU setups at full PCI Express 3.0 x16 speed for extreme graphics power.

X99-E WS is engineered with premium components for premium efficiency, including an integrated Driver-MOSFET (Dr. MOS), exclusive Beat Thermal Chokes II, ultra-durable 12K capacitors and ProCool power connector.

X99-E WS offers industry-leading storage opportunities with onboard M.2 x4 and support for the exclusive ASUS PIKE II (Proprietary I/O Kit Expansion) and ThunderboltEX II expansion cards. It also has many simple, efficient and ASUS-exclusive easy-maintenance tools, including Q-Code Logger and Dr. Power.

Ultimate PCI Express 3.0 four-way graphics power

X99-E WS is equipped with seven PCI Express 3.0 slots and is able to accommodate up to four dual-slot graphics cards at x16 speed. Both four-way (quad-GPU) NVIDIA® GeForce® SLI™ and AMD® CrossFireX™. are supported, making X99-E WS an excellent choice for graphics professionals who depend on powerful graphics in areas such as design and modeling, or medical research. It is also ideal for processing-intensive simulation and rendering applications. X99-E WS also has ample room for RAID cards, PCI Express-based solid-state drives (SSDs), video-capture cards and other components.

Premium components for premium efficiency

X99-E WS benefits from premium components hand-chosen and carefully arranged by ASUS engineers to provide premium efficiency. These include an integrated Dr. MOS to save space and reduce operating temperatures for more efficient operation, and ASUS-exclusive Beat Thermal Chokes II. The new-design Beat Thermal Chokes II deliver greater durability and up to 94% power efficiency under normal operation. A special fin design results in up to 5°C-lower choke temperatures for added stability, further bolstered by use of a highly-conductive gold coating. This translates into minimal-loss power delivery.

ASUS is the world’s first server manufacturer to introduce 12K solid capacitors — X99-E WS has these ultra-resilient components on board. These Japanese-made capacitors are able to withstand up to 12,000 hours of temperatures as high as 105°C, far exceeding everyday demands. At a typical operating temperature of 65°C, our 12K capacitors have an expected lifespan of 1.2m hours — or well over a century of real-world use.

X99-E WS also employs ProCool, the ASUS-exclusive reinvented power connector. ProCool eliminates the hollow areas associated with traditional power connectors, ensuring an exceptionally close and secure connection with the motherboard. This design is much stronger, and it also benefits power efficiency: the flush connection enables lower impedance and better heat dissipation, allowing cooler operating temperatures.

Flexible storage and quick and easy troubleshooting

X99-E WS has superb storage flexibility, with onboard M.2 x4 and support for both ASUS PIKE II and ThunderboltEX II cards. M.2 is an increasingly popular choice for operating system drives, with M.2 solid-state drives (SSDs) able to get a system up and running in just moments — and X99-E WS’s M.2 x4 connector supports 2260 (60mm) and 2280 (80mm) devices. The new motherboard also has two SATA Express ports, for data-transfer speeds of up to 6Gbit/s.

With PIKE II fitted, X99-E WS becomes high-performance, high-reliability enterprise 12Gbit/s SAS solution, with multiple host bus adapters (HBAs) on a single board for performance-driven applications. X99-E WS is also compatible with ThunderboltEX II, the first Intel-certified Thunderbolt™ 2 add-on card from ASUS, which offers the flexibility to upgrade to Thunderbolt 2 at any time for bi-directional transfer speeds up to 20Gbit/s — that's four times (4X) faster than USB 3.0.

X99-E WS also benefits from ASUS Q-Code Logger, an easy-maintenance button that records four-digit port 80 code logs to a flash drive with one touch, so administrators can diagnose problems quickly and easily. Similarly, the conveniently-located Dr. Power LED displays messages to clearly indicate any unusual power statuses.  

ASUS X99-E WS Workstation Motherboard Overview

 Genuine 4-way x16 graphic power

• Quad Strength Graphic Power – 4-Way PCI-E Gen3 x16 link supporting NVidia GeForce SLI and AMD CrossFireX on demand
• Supreme Power Solution – Premium components deliver industry-leading power efficiency
• 5-Way Optimization by Dual Intelligent Processors 5 – One click, total system optimization
• Superb storage flexibility– onboard M.2 x4 and support for both ASUS PIKE II and ThunderboltEX II cards
• Easy maintenance–ASUS Q-Code Logger, an easy-maintenance button and Dr. Power LED displays unusual power statuses

ASUS X99-E WS Workstation Motherboard Specifications

• CPU
  Build in Intel® Socket 2011-v3 Core™ i7 Processors
  Supports Intel® 22 nm CPU
  Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
  * The Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 support depends on the CPU types.
  Intel® Socket 2011-v3 for Intel® Xeon® processor E5-1600 v3 product family
  Intel® Socket 2011-v3 for Intel® Xeon® processor E5-2600 v3 product family
• Chipset
  Intel® X99
• Memory
  8 x DIMM, Max. 128GB, DDR4 3200(O.C.)/3000(O.C.)/2800(O.C.)/2666(O.C.)/2400(O.C.)/2133 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory *¹
  8 x DIMM, Max. 128GB, DDR4 2133/1866 MHz ECC, Un-buffered, Register Memory *²
  Quad Channel Memory Architecture
  Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)
  * Hyper DIMM support is subject to the physical characteristics of individual CPUs.
  * Refer to www.asus.com for the Memory QVL (Qualified Vendors Lists).
• Multi-GPU Support
  Supports NVIDIA® 4-Way SLI™ Technology
  Supports AMD 4-Way CrossFireX Technology
• Expansion Slots
  40-Lane CPU-
  7 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (single x16 or dual x16/x16 or triple x16/x16/x16 or quad x16/x16/x16/x16 or seven x16/x8/x8/x8/x8/x8/x8)
  28-Lane CPU-
  7 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (single x16 or dual x16/x16 or triple x16/x16/x16 or quad x16/x16/x16/x16 or seven x16/x8/x8/x8/x8/x8/x8)
• Storage
  Intel® X99 chipset : *³
  1 x SATA Express port, gray, compatible with 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports
  1 x M.2 x4 Socket 3, gray, , with M Key, type 2260/2280 storage devices support (PCIE mode)
  8 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), gray, *⁴
  Intel® Rapid Storage Technology supports*⁵
  ASMedia® SATA Express controller : *⁶
  1 x SATA Express port, gray, compatible with 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports
  ASMedia® SATA 6Gb/s controller :
  2 x eSATA 6Gb/s port(s)compatible with 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports
• LAN
  Intel® I210-AT, 1 x Gigabit LAN Controller(s)
  Intel® I218LM, 1 x Gigabit LAN, Dual interconnect between the Integrated Media Access Controller (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY)
• Audio
  Realtek® ALC1150 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC featuring Crystal Sound 2
  - Supports : Jack-detection, Multi-streaming, Front Panel Jack-retasking, Front Panel MIC Jack-retasking
  - High quality 109 dB SNR stereo playback output (Line-out at rear) and 104 dB SNR stereo playback input (Line-in)
  - High-fidelity audio OP AMP(s)
  Audio Feature :
  - DTS Ultra PC II
  - DTS Connect
  - Optical S/PDIF out port(s) at back panel
  - BD Audio Layer Content Protection
  - Audio Shielding: Ensures precision analog/digital separation and greatly reduced multi-lateral interference
  - Dedicated audio PCB layers: Separate layers for left and right channels to guard the quality of the sensitive audio signals
  - Audio amplifier: Provides the highest-quality sound for headphone and speakers
  Premium Japanese-made 12K hours capacitors
  - Absolute Pitch 192khz/24bit true BD lossless sound
  Separate layer for left and right track, ensuring both sound deliver equal quality
• USB Ports
  Intel® X99 chipset :
  4 x USB 3.0/2.0 port(s) (4 at back panel, , 4 at mid-board)
  Intel® X99 chipset :
  4 x USB 2.0/1.1 port(s) (4 at mid-board)
  ASMedia® USB 3.0 controller : *⁷
  2 x USB 3.0/2.0 port(s) (2 at back panel, blue)
  ASMedia® USB 3.0 controller : *⁸
  8 x USB 3.0/2.0 port(s) (4 at back panel, , 4 at mid-board)
• Workstation Feature
  7 x PCIe x 16 slot(s)
  ASUS Dr. Power
  12K hours Capacitors
  ProCool Power Connector
  Q-Code Logger
• Special Features
  5-Way Optimization by Dual Intelligent Processors 5
  - Whole system optimization with a single click! 5-Way Optimization tuning key perfectly consolidates TPU, EPU, DIGI+ Power Control, Fan Xpert 3, and Turbo App together, providing better CPU performance, efficient power saving, precise digital power control, whole system cooling and even tailor your own app usages.
  ASUS TPU :
  - Auto Tuning
  - GPU Boost
  - TPU switch
  ASUS EPU :
  - EPU
  - EPU switch
  ASUS Digital Power Design :
  - Industry leading Digital 8 Phase Power Design
  - Industry leading Digital 4 Phase DRAM Power Design
  - CPU Power Utility
  - DRAM Power Utility
  ASUS Exclusive Features :
  - MemOK!
  - AI Suite 3
  - Ai Charger+
  - USB Charger+
  - M.2 & SATA Express
  - ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode featuring friendly graphics user interface
  - USB 3.0 Boost
  - Disk Unlocker
  - Turbo LAN
  - Crystal Sound 2
  Interactive HomeCloud
  - Media Streamer
  ASUS EZ DIY :
  - Precision Tweaker 2
  - ASUS O.C. Tuner
  - ASUS CrashFree BIOS
  - ASUS EZ Flash
  - ASUS USB BIOS Flashback
  - ASUS UEFI BIOS EZ Mode
  - Push Notice
  ASUS Q-Design :
  - ASUS Q-Shield
  - ASUS Q-Code
  - ASUS Q-LED (CPU, DRAM, VGA, Boot Device LED)
  - ASUS Q-Slot
  - ASUS Q-DIMM
  - ASUS Q-Connector
  Media Streamer
  Special Memory O.C. Design
  Turbo App
  Fan Xpert 3
• Operating System Support
  Windows® 8.1
  Windows® 8
  Windows® 7
• Back I/O Ports
  2 x eSATA
  2 x LAN (RJ45) port(s)
  10 x USB 3.0 (blue)
  1 x Optical S/PDIF out
  8 x Audio jack(s)
  1 x USB BIOS Flashback Button(s)
  1 x Q-Code Logger button
• Internal I/O Ports
  2 x USB 3.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 3.0 port(s) (19-pin)
  2 x USB 2.0 connector(s) support(s) additional 4 USB 2.0 port(s)
  2 x SATA Express connector: gray, compatible with 2 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports
  1 x M.2 Socket 3 for M Key, type 2260/2280 devices
  1 x TPM connector(s)
  8 x SATA 6Gb/s connector(s)
  1 x CPU Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin)
  1 x CPU OPT Fan connector(s) (1 x 4 -pin)
  4 x Chassis Fan connector(s) (4 x -pin)
  1 x S/PDIF out header(s)
  1 x Thunderbolt header(s)
  2 x 8-pin EATX 12 V Power connector
  1 x 6-pin EATX 12 V_1 Power connector(s)
  1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)
  1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)
  1 x EZ XMP switch
  1 x Front panel connector(s)
  1 x System panel(s) (Q-Connector)
  1 x DRCT header(s)
  1 x MemOK! button(s)
  1 x Thermal sensor connector(s)
  1 x TPU switch(es)
  1 x CPU/DRAM overvoltage jumper(s)
  1 x Power-on button(s)
  1 x Reset button(s)
  1 x Clear CMOS button(s)
  1 x Dr.Power switch(es)
  1 x 3-pin CHASSIS(Chassis intrusion) connector
• Accessories
  User's manual
  ASUS Q-Shield
  1 x COM port cable(s)
  12 x SATA 6Gb/s cable(s)
  1 x 3-Way SLI bridge(s)
  1 x 4-Way SLI bridge(s)
  1 x Q-connector(s) (2 in 1)
  1 x 2-port USB 2.0 module(s)
• BIOS
  128 Mb Flash ROM, UEFI AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.7, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.7, ACPI 5.0, Multi-language BIOS,
  ASUS EZ Flash 2, CrashFree BIOS 3, F11 EZ Tuning Wizard, F6 Qfan Control, F3 My Favorites, Quick Note, Last Modified log,
  F12 PrintScreen, F3 Shortcut functions and ASUS DRAM SPD (Serial Presence Detect) memory information.
• Manageability
  WfM 2.0, DMI 2.7, WOL by PME, PXE
• Support Disc
  Drivers、ASUS Utilities、EZ Update 、Anti-virus software (OEM version)
• Operating System
  Windows® 8.1 32/64-bit
  Windows® 8 32/64-bit
  Windows® 7 32/64-bit
• Form Factor
  CEB Form Factor
  12 inch x 10.5 inch ( 30.5 cm x 26.7 cm )
• Note
  *1 When installing Intel® Socket 2011-v3 Core™ i7 Processors
  *2 When installing Intel® Xeon® E5-1600 v3/2600 v3 Processor
  *3 Intel® X99 Express Chipset with RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 and Intel Rapid Storage Technology 13 support
  *4 8 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s ports* (4 x gray from controller 1, 4 x black from controller 2)
  *5 These functions will work depending on the CPU installed
  *6 These SATA ports are for data hard drivers only. ATAPI devices are not supported
  *7 ASMedia® USB 3.0 controller- supports ASUS USB 3.0 Boost
  *8 ASMedia® USB 3.0 Hubs- supports ASUS USB 3.0 Boost

Source:

http://www.asus.com/News/gZVmccj11bFrop5N/

http://www.asus.com/Commercial_Servers_Workstations/X99E_WS/

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