Friday, February 3rd 2017
ASUS Intros Z270-WS Workstation Motherboard
ASUS today unveiled the Z270-WS socket LGA1151 motherboard targeted at DIY workstation builds. Based on the Intel Z270 Express chipset, the board supports 7th generation Core "Kaby Lake" processors. What sets this board apart from most of the company's Z270 motherboard lineup is its PLX PEX8747 PCI-Express 3.0 x48 bridge chip. The board features a 12-phase CPU VRM with server-grade electrical components. The CPU socket is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, and three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots over the bridge chip (x16/NC/x16 or x16/x8/x8). The fourth x16 slot is electrical x4 and wired to the PCH. An open-ended PCI-Express 3.0 x4 completes the expansion area. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX, 8-pin EPS, and 6-pin PCIe power connectors.
Storage connectivity on the Z270-WS includes six SATA 6 Gb/s, two 32 Gb/s M.2, and two 32 Gb/s U.2 ports. The board supports Intel Optane (3D X-point SSD) technology. Network connectivity includes two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, one driven by an Intel I210-AT controller, and another by Intel I210-LM. USB connectivity includes six USB 3.0 and four USB 3.1 ports (including one type-C port). The board offers 8-channel HD audio driven by a 115 dBA SNR CODEC. The company didn't reveal pricing.
Storage connectivity on the Z270-WS includes six SATA 6 Gb/s, two 32 Gb/s M.2, and two 32 Gb/s U.2 ports. The board supports Intel Optane (3D X-point SSD) technology. Network connectivity includes two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, one driven by an Intel I210-AT controller, and another by Intel I210-LM. USB connectivity includes six USB 3.0 and four USB 3.1 ports (including one type-C port). The board offers 8-channel HD audio driven by a 115 dBA SNR CODEC. The company didn't reveal pricing.
12 Comments on ASUS Intros Z270-WS Workstation Motherboard
Like writing potato on a potato... It seems ASUS marketing doesn't get the idea that workstation market does not need bling.
So those kind of things... a miss... totally a miss.
Want more server grade options for multi socket systems and "Workstation" on the board. You can always buy the ASUS ones here - www.asus.com/Commercial-Servers-Workstations/Commercial-Server-Motherboards-Products/
For the same reason that the McLaren F1, didn't need to be capable of supporting any parts pulled from the MP4/13 or any of those Formula 1 cars. I believe ASUS is simply saying they have all the workstation support on this board that they have on the others that actually do support Xeon. Their boards were appropriately named before INTEL decided that you need a different chipset to support even single CPU Xeons. Either way there is a market for this, for sure