ASUS PRO WS W480-ACE, Intel Z490 mainboard - socket 1200 [90MB1310-M0EAY0]

Since the 10th generation Intel processors require a new socket due to the optimized power supply, the Intel socket LGA1200 is used on the 400 series mainboards. The W480 platform is not suitable for overclocking; instead, workstation features such as ECC-RAM and professional business solutions such as Intel vPro platform, Intel Standard Manageability and Intel Trusted Execution are supported. Despite the increased number of pins, the actual size of the socket remains identical to older sockets, so that CPU coolers for socket LGA 115x can also be mounted on the mainboard.

The features of the ASUS Pro WS W480-ACE motherboard at a glance:

3x PCIe (3.0) x16 (x16) / 2x PCIe 3.0 x1
2x Thunderbolt 3, x 5x USB 3.1 (4x Type A, 1x header)
A total of 4x USB 3.0 and 4x USB 2.0 (internal & external)
2x M.2 (thereof 2x PCIe 3.0 x4) / 6x SATA 6G
Supports max. 128 GB DDR4 RAM up to 4,800 MHz and ECC RAM
Fast dual LAN with 2.5 gigabit and 1 gigabit

The ASUS Pro WS W480-ACE in detail
The ASUS Pro WS W480-ACE is a motherboard in the ATX form factor and offers three PCIe x16 slots and two PCIe 3.0 x1 slots for plug-in and expansion cards. Two x16 slots are connected to the processor with a total of 16 lanes, the third x16 slot is connected to the chipset with four lanes. As a high-end motherboard, the ASUS Pro WS W480-ACE also supports multi-GPU setups via AMD Crossfire / XDMA.

Up to 128 GB DDR4 RAM in dual-channel mode can be used in the four DIMM slots. The W480 chipset supports clock speeds of up to 2,933 MHz, but the OC enables the ASUS Pro WS W480-ACE to operate RAM kits with up to 4,800 MHz! The workstation mainboard also supports the use of ECC memory in combination with compatible processors.

Two M.2 slots for PCIe and SATA SSDs and six SATA 6G connectors enable storage drives to be connected. Both M.2 slots are connected to the chipset with four PCIe lanes and support the NVMe protocol, which enables data transfer rates of just under 4 GB / s. This makes M.2 PCIe SSDs up to eight times faster than SATA 6G SSDs!

External connections
The ASUS Pro WS W480-ACE has two Thunderbolt 3 ports on the I / O panel. These connections with USB Type-C socket offer high transfer rates of max. 40 Gbit / s and can be used to connect external graphics cards and NVMe SSDs. They are also compatible with the USB standard and offer USB 3.1 (USB 3.2 Gen 2) with max. 10 Gbit / s.

In addition, four USB 3.1 Type A and two USB 3.0 ports are provided. One HDMI and two DisplayPort connections serve as signal outputs for the iGPU. Furthermore, this W480 mainboard offers features such as dual LAN with a 2.5 gigabit and a 1 gigabit LAN port (Intel I225-LM / Realtek RTL8117), on-board sound (Realtek ALC S1220A audio codec ), reinforced PCIe slots and numerous internal headers.

Technical details:

Format:
- ATX
- Chipset:
- Intel W480
- Base:
- 1200 (for 10th-generation Intel CPUs and Xeon W)
- R.A.M:
- 4x DDR4 (2,933 MHz, up to 4,800 MHz using OC)
- Dual channel
- Max. 128 GB (32 GB per module)
- Slots (physical):
- 2x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 or x8 / x8)
- 1x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4)
- 2x PCIe 3.0 x1
- Multi-GPU support: 3-way AMD CrossFire
- Internal connections:
- 6x SATA 6G
- 2 x M.2 (M-Key, PCIe 3.0 x4, 2242-22110 & SATA 6G)
- 1x USB 3.1 (USB 3.2 Gen 2, one header)
- 2x USB 3.0 (USB 3.2 Gen 1, one header)
- 4x USB 2.0 (two headers)
- 1x front panel audio connector
 -1x Thunderbolt header
- 1x system panel connector (with chassis intrusion header)
- 1x thermal sensor header
- 1x Clear CMOS jumper
- 1x COM port header
- External connections:
- 2x Thunderbolt 3 (max. 40 Gbit / s & USB 3.1, max. 10 Gbit / s)
- 4x USB 3.1 (type A)
- 2x USB 3.0
 -2x DisplayPort
- 1x HDMI
- 1x 2.5 gigabit LAN (Intel I225-LM) 1x 1 gigabit LAN (Realtek RTL8117)
- 5x 3.5 mm jack (Realtek ALC S1220A)
- 1x S / PDIF (optical)
- Power supply:
- 1x 24-pin ATX
- 1x 8-pin 12V
Scope of delivery:
- 1x ACC Express activation card
- 1x I / O shield
- 4x SATA data cable
- 1x M.2 screws
- 1x DVD with drivers and utilities
- 1x DisplayPort cable
- 1x instruction manual
- 1x CPU fan holder
- 1x 2-in-1 rubber pad