Installing the test configuration:
So here are the various components that make up our test platform. For the publication of these tests, I used the latest BIOS received directly from Asus. This is version 0506. The motherboard is not a mass-market model, and BIOS updates are a little less frequent than on the motherboards we’re used to reviewing. Nevertheless, Asus has provided us with several BIOS to test this motherboard.
- Motherboard: Asus Pro WS W790E-SAGE SE
- Processor: Intel Xeon W9-3495x
- Memory: 128 GB Zeta R5 DDR5-6400 CL32
- Graphics card: MSI GT710
- Cooling system: Noctua NH-U14S DX-4677 and waterblock EK-Pro CPU WB 4677 Ni Acetal 480 mm EK radiator
- SSD: Western Digital SN850 NVMe SSD M.2
- Power supply: be quiet! Dark Power PRO 12 1500w
- Operating system: Windows 11 64-bit
Installing the W9-3495X processor :
As you may have noticed from the motherboard presentation, the LGA-4677 socket of our Asus Pro WS W790E-SAGE SE is very different from what we’re used to seeing on mainstream motherboards. Here, there’s no retention system to keep the processor trapped in the socket. In the case of the LGA-4677 socket, the processor is first inserted into a plastic retaining frame and then dropped into the socket. The cooling system holds the processor in place, ensuring perfect contact.
The first step is to insert the W9-3495X into the socket. To do this, the first step is to remove the socket protection , unscrewing the 4 nuts and then removing the plastic cover.
Following our tests with the Noctua NH-U14S DX-4677, we’ve now carried out overclocking tests with the EK-Pro CPU WB 4677 Ni Acetal waterblock. The installation principle is very similar.
The first step is to push the 4 small levers into the socket. The next step is to screw in the 4 white cylinders as far as they will go. Then, of course, you need to connect the waterblock to your cooling loop.
Now that we’ve introduced you to the two cooling systems responsible for keeping our W9-3495X cool, let’s move on to the BIOS of our Asus Pro WS W790E-SAGE SE.
