The AMD X570 Motherboard Overview: Over 35+ Motherboards Analyzed
by Gavin Bonshor on July 9, 2019 8:00 AM ESTASUS Pro WS X570-Ace
The ASUS Pro WS X570-Ace is one of the more interesting models from the launch day X570 models. Firstly it's aimed primarily at professional and workstation users, which is signified in the model number (WS). What makes the ASUS Pro WS X570-Ace so interesting is that its X570 chipset fed bottom full-length PCIe 4.0 slot is wired at x8, and not the conventional PCIe 4.0 x4 as seen on other X570 models. The WS X570-Ace also includes dual Gigabit networking, a premium Realtek ALC1220A HD audio codec, and a PCIe 4.0 U.2 port.
The ASUS Pro WS X570-Ace follows a different design from the rest of its motherboard line-up, with straight angled finned heatsinks, following a uniformed black design with the horizontally placed fins. Compared with the other ASUS X570 models, the overall feature set is a little thin due to its workstation focused design. One of the main focal points of the ASUS WS X570-ACE ATX motherboard includes three full-length PCIe 4.0 slots which operate at x16, x8/x8, and x8/x8/x8, with that last x8 coming from the chipset. with a single PCIe 4.0 x1 slot also present. For most X570 models announced, this is one of the only models to optimize all three full-length slots at a minimum of x8.
Storage options on the Pro WS X570-Ace consist of two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots with a single U.2 port and four SATA ports that feature support for RAID 0, 1, and 10 arrays. As with other ATX sized ASUS X570 models, the Pro WS X570-Ace has four memory slots with support for a total capacity of up to 128 GB. Users can also have the option to use either ECC and non-ECC memory which is dependant on the processor installed.
The two Ethernet ports on the rear panel are controlled by an Intel I211-AT and Realtek 8117 which are both Gigabit NICs, while the onboard audio is powered by a Realtek S1220A HD audio codec; this provides five 3.5 mm audio jacks and a S/PDIF optical output. Super fast connectivity is strong with four USB 3.1 G2 Type-A, one USB 3.1 G2 Type-C, and two USB 3.1 G1 Type-A ports. For users looking to utilize compatible Ryzen APUs, ASUS has included a pair of video outputs consisting of HDMI and a DisplayPort.
The ASUS Pro WS X570-Ace has an MSRP of $380 and shifts focus directly on users looking to create a Ryzen 3000 powered workstation. Its subtle and straight-forward design also makes this a good option for users looking to avoid the more gaming-themed RGB splattered models, and create a somewhat elegant looking system.
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Tunnah - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
I really love how advanced motherboards are nowadays. I can pick up the most "basic" model and it'll cover everything I need, and even include stuff I won't. Gone are the days frantically trying to find a motherboard that ticks all the boxes for even the most basic of needs.Plus having such a competent board as my soon-to-be secondary system means I can leave all my drives in that and put it in a nice quiet place. I'm fairly certain the 8 HDDs in this one are what caused my tinnitus :/
Jansen - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
The ASUS Pro WS X570-Ace has officially validated ECC support. This is a really big deal, as Ryzen has usually only had unofficial ECC support. It opens up a whole other revenue steam for AMD that Intel has deliberately cut off in order to drive Xeon sales.Micron is ramping up its 16GB 3200MHz DDR4 ECC modules MTA18ADF2G72AZ-3G2 specifically for this market.
JoeyJoJo123 - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
I'd much sooner get a Ryzen platform for their value and unbuffered ECC support for an upgrade for my NAS box running FreeNAS, but it's well documented that FreeBSD still has teething issues with Ryzen chips, scheduling, and overall reliability... FreeBSD is what powers FreeNAS OS.So I'm kind of stuck with Intel workstations/server CPUs and ECC ram for a FreeBSD machine (assuming I don't want to do the legwork of trying to get it stable first, and even so, I may not always have the same stability that mature FreeBSD+Intel support...)
I'll very likely be moving to Ryzen for my main PC, though.
quorm - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
I agree with the general sentiment. Core i3 is another option if you don't need a lot of cpu power.teldar - Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - link
I used a ryzen 1600 for my bad. Rock solid after updating board bios.danjw - Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - link
I built a file server on Ubuntu Server. You might try that.BillC - Saturday, October 31, 2020 - link
You might want to check out Open Media Vault which uses Debian Linux for the OS, it can be installed as a NAS only installation or on top of the full Debian OS.spikebike - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
Wow, pricey board. Sad that AMD handles ECC in such a half assed way. Intel's price premium for low end servers is approximately $0. Xeon E3's were priced very similarly or even cheaper to the similar desktop parts. In particular the cheapest hyperthreading E3 was often cheaper than the cheapest i3/i5/i7 with 4 cores/8 threads. Similar with the HEDT, the intel premium for a better socket/additional memory busses is much less than the low end Eypc/Threadripper.So you either have the luck of the draw trying to buy a reliable AMD with ECC (not just physically compatible, but actually corrects memory errors), or you pay a substantial price premium.
Aikouka - Thursday, July 11, 2019 - link
ASRock Rack has a Ryzen motherboard that officially supports ECC and also has IPMI support (X470D4U). They're also developing a Threadripper variant of their Epyc server board that has IPMI support, but it uses the X370 chipset.cascadehealthcare - Tuesday, August 13, 2019 - link
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