• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

ASUS Reveals Their WS C621E SAGE Dual Xeon Overclocking Motherboard

Joined
Sep 22, 2017
Messages
889 (0.34/day)
Built on Intel's C621 chipset, ASUS's new WS C621E SAGE motherboard possesses some interesting traits. For a start, this workstation motherboard not only supports one LGA-3647 socket processor, but two of them in tandem. That's right. Enterprise users in need of raw processing power can drop in a pair of Intel Xeon Platinum 8180 processors and build themselves a beastly workstation with 56 cores and 112 threads at their disposal. But, what really separates the WS C621E SAGE from the competition is the motherboard's overclocking capability. Since Intel locks the multiplier for their Xeon processors, owners are accustomed to settle for factory clock speeds. However, ASUS has engineered a method to allow Xeon owners to overclock their processors to take their performance to a next level. Given the locked multiplier, we assume that overclocking is probably done through base clock adjustments.

Processing power is crucial for productivity, but having enough memory for heavy-duty tasks is equally important. For that same reason, ASUS has incorporated 12 DDR4 memory slots into the WS C621E SAGE. Users can go with either RDIMM or LR-DIMM ECC modules with speeds up to DDR4-2666. This opens the door to running 1.5 TB of memory. Now that's something you don't see everyday.


The motherboard comes with seven PCIe slots, which makes it a great option for professionals who require major graphics power. There is support for 4-Way NVIDIA GeForce SLI, AMD CrossFireX, and 2-Way NVIDIA Quadro SLI configurations. The WS C621E SAGE isn't a slacker in the storage department either. The eight standard SATA III ports from the Intel C621 Chipset brings support for RAID 0, 1, 5, 10 arrays. On the other hand, the ASMedia controller provides two additional SATA III ports for normal storage and four U.2 connectors plus a M.2 socket for hi-speed storage devices. There's even a hidden microSD card reader below the middle memory bank.

The two Intel I210-AT Gigabit LAN controllers provide wired networking, while the Realtek S1220A 7.1-Channel HD Audio codec is responsible for audio duties. Despite the WS C621E SAGE being a workstation motherboard, it has some of the audio features from ASUS's mainstream motherboards like the use of premium Japanese audio capacitors, the unique de-pop circuit, support for DTS Connect, and DTS Headphone:X. The five audio connectors and the optical S/PDIF port are present for connecting different audio devices. Connectivity comes in form of an old-school PS/2 keyboard/mouse combo port, two USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports, four USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, and four USB 2.0. An USB BIOS Flashback button is also present on the rear I/O panel.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jan 29, 2012
Messages
6,881 (1.47/day)
Location
Florida
System Name natr0n-PC
Processor Ryzen 5950x-5600x | 9600k
Motherboard B450 AORUS M | Z390 UD
Cooling EK AIO 360 - 6 fan action | AIO
Memory Patriot - Viper Steel DDR4 (B-Die)(4x8GB) | Samsung DDR4 (4x8GB)
Video Card(s) EVGA 3070ti FTW
Storage Various
Display(s) Pixio PX279 Prime
Case Thermaltake Level 20 VT | Black bench
Audio Device(s) LOXJIE D10 + Kinter Amp + 6 Bookshelf Speakers Sony+JVC+Sony
Power Supply Super Flower Leadex III ARGB 80+ Gold 650W | EVGA 700 Gold
Software XP/7/8.1/10
Benchmark Scores http://valid.x86.fr/79kuh6
SR-2 all over again.
 
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
10,885 (1.57/day)
Location
Manchester, NH
System Name Senile
Processor I7-4790K@4.8 GHz 24/7
Motherboard MSI Z97-G45 Gaming
Cooling Be Quiet Pure Rock Air
Memory 16GB 4x4 G.Skill CAS9 2133 Sniper
Video Card(s) GIGABYTE Vega 64
Storage Samsung EVO 500GB / 8 Different WDs / QNAP TS-253 8GB NAS with 2x10Tb WD Blue
Display(s) 34" LG 34CB88-P 21:9 Curved UltraWide QHD (3440*1440) *FREE_SYNC*
Case Rosewill
Audio Device(s) Onboard + HD HDMI
Power Supply Corsair HX750
Mouse Logitech G5
Keyboard Corsair Strafe RGB & G610 Orion Red
Software Win 10
Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Messages
27,698 (6.66/day)
Good grief! What a monster! Might have to look at this for the next upgrade to my personal system.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Mar 24, 2010
Messages
5,047 (0.94/day)
Location
Iberian Peninsula
I need @cadaveca to review this! Can we use any hardware from consumer platforms? I am green here....
 
Joined
Jun 10, 2014
Messages
2,985 (0.78/day)
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 5900X ||| Intel Core i7-3930K
Motherboard ASUS ProArt B550-CREATOR ||| Asus P9X79 WS
Cooling Noctua NH-U14S ||| Be Quiet Pure Rock
Memory Crucial 2 x 16 GB 3200 MHz ||| Corsair 8 x 8 GB 1333 MHz
Video Card(s) MSI GTX 1060 3GB ||| MSI GTX 680 4GB
Storage Samsung 970 PRO 512 GB + 1 TB ||| Intel 545s 512 GB + 256 GB
Display(s) Asus ROG Swift PG278QR 27" ||| Eizo EV2416W 24"
Case Fractal Design Define 7 XL x 2
Audio Device(s) Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus
Power Supply Seasonic Focus PX-850 x 2
Mouse Razer Abyssus
Keyboard CM Storm QuickFire XT
Software Ubuntu
A motherboard in this segment is nearly useless without 10 Gb/s Ethernet. Asus should at least provide a "10G"-variant as they've done with some models in the past.
 
Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Messages
27,698 (6.66/day)
Different socket bud, no.

I dont think TPU reviews server stuff for the most part. Anandtech will review those soon enough. ;)
Actually, I think the question they were asking was, can consumer level parts such as video cards, storage drives, sound cards and the like be used with this board and the answer is very much yes. The board does require ECC RDIMM's which will be pricey, but not out of reach if you have the cash for this board and matching CPU's anyway.
A motherboard in this segment is nearly useless without 10 Gb/s Ethernet. Asus should at least provide a "10G"-variant as they've done with some models in the past.
If the lan chipset is not to your liking, get a PCIe 10Gb lan card.
 

cdawall

where the hell are my stars
Joined
Jul 23, 2006
Messages
27,680 (4.13/day)
Location
Houston
System Name All the cores
Processor 2990WX
Motherboard Asrock X399M
Cooling CPU-XSPC RayStorm Neo, 2x240mm+360mm, D5PWM+140mL, GPU-2x360mm, 2xbyski, D4+D5+100mL
Memory 4x16GB G.Skill 3600
Video Card(s) (2) EVGA SC BLACK 1080Ti's
Storage 2x Samsung SM951 512GB, Samsung PM961 512GB
Display(s) Dell UP2414Q 3840X2160@60hz
Case Caselabs Mercury S5+pedestal
Audio Device(s) Fischer HA-02->Fischer FA-002W High edition/FA-003/Jubilate/FA-011 depending on my mood
Power Supply Seasonic Prime 1200w
Mouse Thermaltake Theron, Steam controller
Keyboard Keychron K8
Software W10P
I am already shopping for these. It looks dope. A pair of monoblocks would make it look oh so nice as a replacement to my 5960x build
 
Joined
Mar 7, 2011
Messages
4,543 (0.91/day)
Only Gigabit LAN that's such a shame as this is one of those motherboards that could do with a 10G NIC.
 
Joined
Jun 1, 2016
Messages
47 (0.02/day)
These prices are really nothing for those needing a system like this.
I'm sure there are those that can justify those prices. I'm not really surprised at high-end costs anymore when it comes to computers. I worked in High-End audio and $25,000 speakers doesn't even garner a glance anymore, maybe $125,000 speakers still do and yet there are source components that reach into the $100K+ easily. PC's are different, spending more on a PC for gaming doesn't equal more performance anymore, the performance curve starts to flatten out as costs increase.
 
Joined
Mar 14, 2014
Messages
1,387 (0.36/day)
Processor 11900K
Motherboard ASRock Z590 OC Formula
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 using 2x140mm 3000RPM industrial Noctuas
Memory G. Skill Trident Z 2x16GB 3600MHz
Video Card(s) eVGA RTX 3090 FTW3
Storage 2TB Crucial P5 Plus
Display(s) 1st: LG GR83Q-B 1440p 27in 240Hz / 2nd: Lenovo y27g 1080p 27in 144Hz
Case Lian Li Lancool MESH II RGB (I removed the RGB)
Audio Device(s) AKG Q701's w/ O2+ODAC (Sounds a little bright)
Power Supply Seasonic Prime 850 TX
Mouse Glorious Model D
Keyboard Glorious MMK2 65% Lynx MX switches
Software Win10 Pro
If the lan chipset is not to your liking, get a PCIe 10Gb lan card.

You shouldn't have to though for a board like this. Am I the only one underwhelmed by the lack of ports on this board? not like I would ever buy anything like this :p
 
Joined
Apr 16, 2010
Messages
2,070 (0.39/day)
System Name iJayo
Processor i7 14700k
Motherboard Asus ROG STRIX z790-E wifi
Cooling Pearless Assasi
Memory 32 gigs Corsair Vengence
Video Card(s) Nvidia RTX 2070 Super
Storage 1tb 840 evo, Itb samsung M.2 ssd 1 & 3 tb seagate hdd, 120 gig Hyper X ssd
Display(s) 42" Nec retail display monitor/ 34" Dell curved 165hz monitor
Case O11 mini
Audio Device(s) M-Audio monitors
Power Supply LIan li 750 mini
Mouse corsair Dark Saber
Keyboard Roccat Vulcan 121
Software Window 11 pro
Benchmark Scores meh... feel me on the battle field!
........:eek: (runs and takes cold shower)
 
Joined
Dec 30, 2010
Messages
2,198 (0.43/day)
I'm sure there are those that can justify those prices. I'm not really surprised at high-end costs anymore when it comes to computers. I worked in High-End audio and $25,000 speakers doesn't even garner a glance anymore, maybe $125,000 speakers still do and yet there are source components that reach into the $100K+ easily. PC's are different, spending more on a PC for gaming doesn't equal more performance anymore, the performance curve starts to flatten out as costs increase.

how does 56 cores and 112 threads do not offer more performance then an 8 core counterpart? :D It's proberly wayyyyy overkill but there are some people on this planet who really need the processing power for doing realtime work at 4 or even 8K. For a full system build i think your set for 25 up to 35k depending on your wishes. And even then it's still a system that goes along a life time long. There is no application on the planet suiting al 56 cores and 112 threads lol.
 
Joined
Jan 5, 2006
Messages
18,584 (2.69/day)
System Name AlderLake
Processor Intel i7 12700K P-Cores @ 5Ghz
Motherboard Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master
Cooling Noctua NH-U12A 2 fans + Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut Extreme + 5 case fans
Memory 32GB DDR5 Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 6000MT/s CL36
Video Card(s) MSI RTX 2070 Super Gaming X Trio
Storage Samsung 980 Pro 1TB + 970 Evo 500GB + 850 Pro 512GB + 860 Evo 1TB x2
Display(s) 23.8" Dell S2417DG 165Hz G-Sync 1440p
Case Be quiet! Silent Base 600 - Window
Audio Device(s) Panasonic SA-PMX94 / Realtek onboard + B&O speaker system / Harman Kardon Go + Play / Logitech G533
Power Supply Seasonic Focus Plus Gold 750W
Mouse Logitech MX Anywhere 2 Laser wireless
Keyboard RAPOO E9270P Black 5GHz wireless
Software Windows 11
Benchmark Scores Cinebench R23 (Single Core) 1936 @ stock Cinebench R23 (Multi Core) 23006 @ stock
@Knoxx29 , I'm sure you like it.....
 
Joined
Jun 10, 2014
Messages
2,985 (0.78/day)
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 5900X ||| Intel Core i7-3930K
Motherboard ASUS ProArt B550-CREATOR ||| Asus P9X79 WS
Cooling Noctua NH-U14S ||| Be Quiet Pure Rock
Memory Crucial 2 x 16 GB 3200 MHz ||| Corsair 8 x 8 GB 1333 MHz
Video Card(s) MSI GTX 1060 3GB ||| MSI GTX 680 4GB
Storage Samsung 970 PRO 512 GB + 1 TB ||| Intel 545s 512 GB + 256 GB
Display(s) Asus ROG Swift PG278QR 27" ||| Eizo EV2416W 24"
Case Fractal Design Define 7 XL x 2
Audio Device(s) Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus
Power Supply Seasonic Focus PX-850 x 2
Mouse Razer Abyssus
Keyboard CM Storm QuickFire XT
Software Ubuntu
There is no application on the planet suiting al 56 cores and 112 threads lol.
Scaling to hundreds or even thousands of threads is no problem if each thread can work on their workload independently. We are not talking about consumer software here.
 
Joined
Jun 1, 2016
Messages
47 (0.02/day)
how does 56 cores and 112 threads do not offer more performance then an 8 core counterpart? :D It's proberly wayyyyy overkill but there are some people on this planet who really need the processing power for doing realtime work at 4 or even 8K. For a full system build i think your set for 25 up to 35k depending on your wishes. And even then it's still a system that goes along a life time long. There is no application on the planet suiting al 56 cores and 112 threads lol.
I'm mostly referring to the needs of a gamer, Nvidia & AMD no longer support more than 2 graphics cards so by that rational the need for 56 cores and 4+ GPU's for gaming is irrelevant. For content creation - yes, the more power the better. Most people aren't doing any type of high-end computing inside their homes, that's what I'm thinking of here.
 
Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Messages
27,698 (6.66/day)
A 8180 CPU is $10,009!
That is for the second most expensive CPU for the socket. There are excellent performers for the socket that are in the $1500-$2100 range.
Most people aren't doing any type of high-end computing inside their homes, that's what I'm thinking of here.
That would be incorrect. There are plenty of us doing it for work, research and scientific reasons.
 
Joined
Jun 1, 2016
Messages
47 (0.02/day)
That is for the second most expensive CPU for the socket. There are excellent performers for the socket that are in the $1500-$2100 range.

That would be incorrect. There are plenty of us doing it for work, research and scientific reasons.
How much is your monthly eletrical bill like? I guess if that's the case, I was wrong. I didn't know that people did that kind of work at home due to the cost of such a high-end system. Do you pay for the system out of your own money or is it provided by your job?
 
Top