The AMD X570 Motherboard Overview: Over 35+ Motherboards Analyzed
by Gavin Bonshor on July 9, 2019 8:00 AM ESTASUS Pro WS X570-Ace
The ASUS Pro WS X570-Ace is one of the more interesting models from the launch day X570 models. Firstly it's aimed primarily at professional and workstation users, which is signified in the model number (WS). What makes the ASUS Pro WS X570-Ace so interesting is that its X570 chipset fed bottom full-length PCIe 4.0 slot is wired at x8, and not the conventional PCIe 4.0 x4 as seen on other X570 models. The WS X570-Ace also includes dual Gigabit networking, a premium Realtek ALC1220A HD audio codec, and a PCIe 4.0 U.2 port.
The ASUS Pro WS X570-Ace follows a different design from the rest of its motherboard line-up, with straight angled finned heatsinks, following a uniformed black design with the horizontally placed fins. Compared with the other ASUS X570 models, the overall feature set is a little thin due to its workstation focused design. One of the main focal points of the ASUS WS X570-ACE ATX motherboard includes three full-length PCIe 4.0 slots which operate at x16, x8/x8, and x8/x8/x8, with that last x8 coming from the chipset. with a single PCIe 4.0 x1 slot also present. For most X570 models announced, this is one of the only models to optimize all three full-length slots at a minimum of x8.
Storage options on the Pro WS X570-Ace consist of two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots with a single U.2 port and four SATA ports that feature support for RAID 0, 1, and 10 arrays. As with other ATX sized ASUS X570 models, the Pro WS X570-Ace has four memory slots with support for a total capacity of up to 128 GB. Users can also have the option to use either ECC and non-ECC memory which is dependant on the processor installed.
The two Ethernet ports on the rear panel are controlled by an Intel I211-AT and Realtek 8117 which are both Gigabit NICs, while the onboard audio is powered by a Realtek S1220A HD audio codec; this provides five 3.5 mm audio jacks and a S/PDIF optical output. Super fast connectivity is strong with four USB 3.1 G2 Type-A, one USB 3.1 G2 Type-C, and two USB 3.1 G1 Type-A ports. For users looking to utilize compatible Ryzen APUs, ASUS has included a pair of video outputs consisting of HDMI and a DisplayPort.
The ASUS Pro WS X570-Ace has an MSRP of $380 and shifts focus directly on users looking to create a Ryzen 3000 powered workstation. Its subtle and straight-forward design also makes this a good option for users looking to avoid the more gaming-themed RGB splattered models, and create a somewhat elegant looking system.
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PeachNCream - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
Pretty much this. Modern games on DX12 won't see any benefit unless the game developer bakes in support (which they appear uninterested in doing for cost reasons) and older games run very well on a single modern GPU. AMD and NV are hardly acknowledging SLI these days either and nowhere but at the top end so there is even less compulsion for developers to bother with supporting it. All in all, you're better off not worrying about SLI unless the industry changes direction significantly in the next few years.ajlueke - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
The real question however, is does all this power delivery actually have any practical benefits? If I drop a 3000 series CPU in an X570 board vs X470, can I achieve any additional performance? And what is the power consumption differences in the respective chipsets? That is the type of info I would like to see.PeachNCream - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
It's a marketng differentiator only as motherboard manufacturers all use the same core components and are quick to emulate one another with similar features. Through branding and obscure features that do not significantly impact computer operation, they search for something they can offer that may encourage you to make a purchase in a very, very crowded field of offerings.lopri - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
Solid power delivery for high-performance CPUs is perhaps the farthest thing from obscure marketing features. OEMs do play with marketing BS for differentiation, but the underlying power delivery system is extremely important and can impact everyday operation for these multi-core CPUs.PeachNCream - Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - link
At long as it meets AMD specifications, no it won't. If it doesn't meet specifications, then it's a bad design. There's no reason to tout being mediocre or a hair or two above mediocre unless you're running out of unique bullet points for the backside of the box that nobody bothers to read anyway.Death666Angel - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
Stock performance will be the same across the board unless the manufacturer royally screwed up and the power delivery has to throttle due to temperatures (which there are some cases of with super cheap motherboards and 8 cores). Doing OC (and PBO is already OC) is where things start to change. More / better phases means less heat output and better voltages (ripple). This can potentially give you better clocks. But most of this is only useful when you start OCing on water or sub zero systems. Air cooled overclocking will hardly benefit at all. And regarding power consumption you can go into a lot of detail. Sometimes more power phases simply destroys efficiency, when they are all fired up all the time. Sometimes more power phases are smartly managed and load balanced to be kept at their optimal efficiency. It really depends on the implementation.Peter2k - Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - link
If you leave everything at stock, then there is no real reason to upgradeMost people would think keeping the socket backwards compatible as an upside
In a desktop the only real reason why we think about power draw going up from 5w to 11w is because manufactures like to keep the cooling block small, and those need a fan
Chipset fans bring back memories out of terrible noisy days
Also I remember chipset coolers to be a bit bigger in the past, I'm sure if you're just trying to provide food cooling, without trying to hit that gamer look, then you can cool that chipset without active fan
If you want to try your hand at OC'ing you should probably want the better power delivery
And there is no telling if the older boards will also run fine with higher memory speeds
Guessing they would, at least until the magical 3600, that's not that outlandish high
And how much that affects performance this time around still has to be tested
Short story
You have a Ryzen already, just make it a drop in replacement
No need to throw out the board
Peter2k - Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - link
Any one that would argue about the electricity costs going up (I've encountered those) should also not that all that shiny bling probably draws more watts then the 6w or so difference between last gen and this genpavag - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
I expected benchmarks.sorten - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
You expected benchmarks on 35+ boards that were released two days ago, and many of which aren't even available at retail?