Thursday, June 14th 2018
ASUS Intros WS X299 SAGE 10G Motherboard with Dual 10GbE and Improved VRM
ASUS today introduced the WS X299 SAGE/10G, a step up variant of the WS X299 SAGE it launched back in Q4-2017. As you can tell from the model name, this board's star-attraction is 10 Gbps Ethernet. It features not one, but two 10 GbE interfaces, replacing the dual 1 GbE interfaces of the original. These interfaces aren't backed by low-cost controllers, but the Intel X550-AT2 "Sageville," which is an $80 chip by itself, and drives both interfaces.
ASUS also used the opportunity to improve the CPU VRM a bit. Although it's still the same combination of chokes and MOSFETs, pulling power from two 8-pin EPS connectors, ASUS improved the secondary VRM heatsink, which pulls heat from the main heatsink over a flattened heat-pipe. This heatsink is now made of a dense aluminium fin-stack like the main heatsink, a section of which protrudes all the way to the rear I/O shield. The rear I/O now consists of four USB 3.1 gen 1 ports, two USB 3.1 gen 2 ports (including a type-C port), and the 8-channel HD audio cluster, besides the two 10 GbE ports. The rest of the board's feature-set is unchanged from the original. We expect a $100 premium over the original's price.
ASUS also used the opportunity to improve the CPU VRM a bit. Although it's still the same combination of chokes and MOSFETs, pulling power from two 8-pin EPS connectors, ASUS improved the secondary VRM heatsink, which pulls heat from the main heatsink over a flattened heat-pipe. This heatsink is now made of a dense aluminium fin-stack like the main heatsink, a section of which protrudes all the way to the rear I/O shield. The rear I/O now consists of four USB 3.1 gen 1 ports, two USB 3.1 gen 2 ports (including a type-C port), and the 8-channel HD audio cluster, besides the two 10 GbE ports. The rest of the board's feature-set is unchanged from the original. We expect a $100 premium over the original's price.
19 Comments on ASUS Intros WS X299 SAGE 10G Motherboard with Dual 10GbE and Improved VRM
PCH+3rd party controller cooling looks pretty beefy for their consumption
I remember reading about it a month or more ago while looking at boards.
old school: headsink
(in fact this part has been on several of my mobo's over time :-)
New "battleship" style:
www.techpowerup.com/img/eKXyd9FZ1lhoWtRe.jpg
But with all those lanes you could plug some nice expansion cards for M.2 and extra ports.... But that is not the goal of this mobo.
And 10 GBe, well... that's for a client-backup server connection and stop counting, or?
(40G NICs and optics were cheap AF, and the fibre wasn't too expensive either, so out went the idea of buying more 10G bits D:)
I wish Asus would drop all the covers and shrouds, and just use proper fins instead. Far too many systems today lack proper cooling of VRMs, some have nearly no circulation around the VRMs at all. This will have an impact on stability and longevity of the system.Don't Asus have enough X299 gamer boards already?
10 GbE (~1.25 GB/s) is commonly used for backups, NAS, etc. Most serious content creators need a faster backup than a lousy 1 GbE. 10 GbE should have been standard on HEDT by now.
Some years later, the Abit AA8XE Fatal1ty:
And not to be outdone, Asus' similar-era P5N32-SLI deluxe:
EDIT: fix the stupid images
Indeed I also had Abits and some Asus boards with those crazy fans. They must still be in their plastic package because I had a well cooled tower. But yes, problems should be fixed no worsened!
Of this mobo I like the real solutions, although it is overkill for me. That's why I said I want one with some changes. I don't realy like the ROG and STRIX "marketing". Oh, decadence and fallen folk! Beware of the never-quiet mankind!
I appreciate the current VRM covers now.
Take my advice, find an assistant and stop bleeding inside your PC.
...I'm kidding of course. For you. Not for me, unfortunately...