Pro WS W790E-SAGE SE:
As we said in the introduction, this Pro WS W790E-SAGE SE motherboard has the reference SE for ” Special Edition “. Asus has a second motherboard in its range, the Pro WS W790-ACE model, which is aimed more at the Xeon processors of the W-2400 series. So we have in our hands the most high-end version.
The bundle :
A quick tour through the bundle of this Asus Pro WS W790E-SAGE SE to see if it benefits from “special accessories”. As this is a motherboard that is intended for the professional environment, the bundle should be reduced and different from what we are used to finding on consumer boards.
Finally, we find a rather classic bundle with the SATA cables, the Q-connector, the quick installation guide, the manual, … and a particular tool, the “VRM Fan holder” which is fixed on the radiator covering the VRM and which allows to fix three 40 mm fans.
The architecture and the W790 chipset :
The Pro WS W790E-SAGE SE is built around Intel’s W790 chipset, and this motherboard has a new socket with the reference of LGA-4677. As you can see, the socket size is larger than what we are used to seeing with the LGA-1700.
The part that covers the external connectors is covered by a transparent smoked grey cover that lets you see what is hidden underneath. On the back of the motherboard there is a protective aluminium cover that covers almost the entire surface of the board and protects the back of the socket.
The W790 chipset of course supports PCIe 5.0, which offers higher storage performance than the previous generation, as well as DDR5 support.
The different heatsinks :
The dimensions of the board are 305 mm x 330 mm, which corresponds to the SSI-EEB format. If you purchase this motherboard, please check that your case is compatible with this format.
The dominant colour on the PCB is black. This is a choice made by Asus to keep the colour neutral. The design is quite unusual as the memory slots are above and below the socket, whereas if you remember the X299 chipset, the memory slots were on the left and right of the processor.
Let’s start the tour with the radiators, of which there are two ! First of all, the imposing radiator located on the right side of the socket and which covers the power supply stage. The second one is the one that covers the chipset. The height is low in order to allow for easy installation of the graphics cards.
The socket and PCIe :
The space around the socket is quite small and this is quite logical considering the size of this LGA-4677 socket as well as the presence of the four memory slots on both sides. The Pro WS W790E-SAGE SE can accommodate a maximum of eight DDR5 memory modules. It supports quad channel memory kits up to 6800+ (OC) and a maximum of 2 TB.
There are no less than seven PCIe 5.0 16x ports. To power all this, the card has two 24-pin connectors and four 8-pin connectors next to the power stages. You can see on the sticker below how to power this card.
Three M.2 SSD slots:
A long black aluminium plate covers two M.2 SSD slots on the PCB. Both slots are 22110 format and PCIe 5.0 compatible.
A third slot, again 22110 but PCIe 4.0 is also underneath an aluminium cover and is located under the chipset. As you can see, they all have the same quick release system that is already present on many of the mainstream motherboards.
