ASUS PRO WS TRX50-SAGE WIFI (Socket sTR5/TRX50/DDR5/S-ATA 6Gb/s/CEB)

I'm using the ASUS Pro WS TRX50-SAGE motherboard with an AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7970x, 384GB of V-Color RAM (TR596G60D432Q), and a Silverstone XE360-TR5 cooler. This combination is working well and I'm very happy with it. I did, however, run into a few problems along the way... 1) I tried using a 140mm Noctua NH-U14S TR5-SP6 air cooler with this board, but it would not fit - the cooling fins interfered with the motherboard's cooling at the front (and maybe rear) of the board. A 92mm Noctua NH-D9 TR5-SP6 cooler does fit, but might not provide adequate cooling depending on the CPU being used. 2) Placing certain GPUs in the PCIe slot nearest to the CPU caused the 10Gb Lan port to not work. Moving the problematic card (Radeon PRO W6600) to another slot worked - unfortunately, due to other problems, it ended up in one of the PCIe Gen 4 slots instead of one of the PCIe Gen 5 slots. 3) When using multiple GPUs, boot messages and BIOS/EFI config are output using the GPU placed in the second PCIe slot from the CPU. For my particular use case, I'd have preferred to be able to set the slot used for this purpose. (I couldn't find a BIOS setting which did this.) 4) The board supports the use of two power supplies, but I used just one. When using one, in addition to the 24-pin ATX connector, it also requires two 8-pin CPU connections, one 8-pin PCIe power connection, and one 6-pin PCIe power connection. This may or may not be a problem depending on the power supply chosen. (I used a Seasonic Prime PX-1600.) 5) I failed to get the USB 20Gbps Type-C® Front Panel connector to work. 6) I ended with more fans than fan headers on the motherboard; I used Thermaltake fan hub to work around this problem. 7) The Q-CODE (diagnostic) LEDs will be hidden by a double slot card placed in PCIe slot #5. 8) There are three M.2 slots, but the maximum length is 80mm (used by 2280-sized M.2 devices). I have a 22100 Intel Optane device that I wanted to place in one of these slots. 9) Eight connectors (two PCIe power connectors), USB 5Gbps header, four SATA ports, and the SlimSAS port) are accessed from the front (as opposed to the top) of the board. This was probably done to provide clearance for long GPUs. It also make cable management cleaner, depending on the case being used. However, again depending on the case, it can be really hard to plug/unplug cables into/from these ports. That said, that section of the board is narrower, front-to-back, in order to make it easier to access these connectors. With the case that I used, once I installed the cooler, there was very little room to operate in the space available.

I recently purchased the ASUS Pro WS TRX50-SAGE WIFI CEB Workstation motherboard, along with the accompanying Phantek NV7 case and AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper 7960x processor. As an avid PC builder and professional content creator, I have high expectations for any workstation motherboard I invest in. After thorough research and consideration, I can confidently say that this combination of products has exceeded my expectations. Firstly, let's talk about the ASUS Pro WS TRX50-SAGE WIFI CEB motherboard. This powerhouse of a board boasts impressive specs and features that are perfect for any workstation build. With its support for AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper processors, including the top-of-the-line 7960x, this motherboard has the ability to handle even the most demanding tasks with ease. One of the standout features of this motherboard is its extensive connectivity options. It comes equipped with dual Intel® X550-AT2 10G LAN ports, allowing for lightning-fast internet speeds for seamless streaming and file transfers. Additionally, it has eight SATA 6Gb/s ports and four M.2 slots for ample storage options. The built-in Wi-Fi also provides convenient wireless connectivity. Another key aspect that sets this motherboard apart is its stability and reliability. The ASUS Pro WS TRX50-SAGE WIFI CEB features ASUS' exclusive Digi+ VRM technology, ensuring stable power delivery to all components at all times. This not only boosts performance but also prolongs the lifespan of your system. Now let's move on to the Phantek NV7 case a sleek and stylish addition to any workstation setup. This mid-tower case offers ample space for all your components while maintaining a clean and organized look. The tempered glass side panel adds a touch of elegance to the overall design while allowing you to showcase your powerful hardware. The NV7 case also excels in terms of functionality. It comes with plenty of airflow options, including a front mesh panel and top exhaust vents, ensuring efficient cooling for your components. The cable management system is also well thought out, making it easy to keep your build tidy and clutter-free. It was not a perfect fit with the case on the led feature side but with a grinder I was able to create the space to add the rgb feature. Last but not least, the AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper 7960x processor truly completes this workstation setup. With its 16 cores and 32 threads, this processor delivers exceptional performance when it comes to multitasking and heavy workloads. Pairing it with the ASUS Pro WS TRX50-SAGE WIFI CEB motherboard allows for smooth and seamless operation, making my work more efficient and productive. In conclusion, I highly recommend the combination of ASUS Pro WS TRX50-SAGE WIFI CEB Workstation motherboard with Phantek NV7 case and AMD Ryzen™ Threadripper 7960x processor for any professional looking to build a high-performing workstation. These products truly complement each other in terms of features, functionality, and design, providing an exceptional user experience. Trust me; you won't be disappointed with this investment!

Shipped to me Damaged!! I bought this in February 25 and couldn't afford to buy the additional $10,000 worth of parts to finish the PC Until a few weeks ago October 25, I so unboxed it installed the processor and the rest of the components and surprise surprise it wouldn't boot up or POST. And Yes, I double checked it even tried another brand new power supply and still absolutely nothing. So only option was to send it in to ASUS For warranty repair. And again another surprise They claimed that I damaged the pins when I installed the processor. Photo attached. I've assembled hundreds of computers because I'm a network engineer I did no such thing by damaging any pins and in this particular processor it's an extremely easy install You just slide it in and screw it down. So surprise again them blaming me for damaging a product that was obviously shipped, delivered to me damaged. So I had to pay to fix the Motherboard. As of this date I'm still awaiting the return of the product so I can build this computer that Started as a dream a year ago. NOT Happy!!

I'm not fully set up yet and its only been 24 hours but I already have some thoughts... there is no backplate. normally this oversight might be forgivable but unless you have a titanium copper server block your heatsink or waterblock might be anything between 3~9lbs torquing the socket and flexing the board. that's not even touching the fact the mobo heatsinks are separated and have blocky designs that add nothing without the fans going and do not add strength but instead add failure bend points. come on guys, it needs a backplate for structural support. its not an AM5, you used to do better and could do for the price. plus it would eliminate a lot of user error related warranty claims. as most users would not know if the case stand offs knocked components off the back of the board. the northbridge heatsink isnt even connected to the northbridge its connected to the SSD slots that are poorly placed m.2 slots and the heatsink does very little. just extend it to "XL EEB" like the "XL EATX" and make better use of board real estate. oh yeah... no manuals. not a problem if you use 3 ring binders and a tank style printer but really Asus? when did simple convenience become a burden? could have done with more full PCIe slots as the adaptive bios can clearly downclock if you have a lot of gen 1~4 and partial lane usage cases. oh dear... the wifi plugs. they are using convenient clip-ons for old hands except that they are plastic and feel like a year or four of heat will bake them brittle and not be interchangeable with standard RF plugs. now here is where the issues really start to crop up: there is no UEFI its back to ye olde style bios. which is inconvenient and hard to navigate but its serviceable. installing windows 10 is a "windows 7 on a 399" nightmare which is unfortunate as windows 10 still has both OEM paid support and third party patching for those of us who are all business and don't want to be spied on by security nightmarehole chatbots. the network, wifi and bluetooth drivers do not work out of the box. you need to either find the lesser socket or drop in a nic to update windows where it can install the drivers and update itself. of which you forfiet wifi and bluetooth lest you go into device manager and use that to install the windows 11 drivers. but even then its only bluetooth, which is honestly the more important option. so, good there I guess but someone else might have a problem with that. pro~con: oh and adverts show a network server remote management card... it is actually bought separately. which I suppose keeps cost more accessible to everyone who doesn't need it but really bro? feels kinda sketch. please put a disclaimer and a purchase link on that for a CYA. it also advertised a "USB 4.0 card and plug" which really isn't a thing yet and most certainly wont be in compliance by the time it is. I'm glad it didn't come with that as I don't want to pay for an obvious gimmick... however its still taking up precious real estate, chipset addresses and bandwidth on the board that could have gone to a second USB 3 for a card reader. instead I have to jerry rig a slimsas-to SSD-to PCIe and pray nothing goes wrong. thus far it's passing tests outside the computer. it can be used as a space heater. which might be good in the winter but steady medium fan speeds by default over this on off hair dryer noise would be better. for both the ears and the longevity of the board. here are the upsides: you get 3 16x slots, full rail no secret x8 simulated crap. so you can have your gaming GPU and then two secondary ones for media compression/encoding/editing. or an SSD quad card. stable running and self repair actually works. the CPU options are fast AF for those who want a more gamer/youtuber configuration. plus those who dabble in CAD or deep learning can have their cake and eat it too with the larger slower options. extra smaller PCIe rails for peripherals and backbuilding. the mobo RAID works out of the box, unfortunately there isn't enough SATA plug sockets. as it's sacrificing real estate to a slimsas plug that isn't compatible with a breakout cable. dual power supply optional plugs that are in fact optional. will update as I only just got it off the test bench and into the machine. but overall pretty good as long as you are swift on your feet with unexpected workarounds and don't mind a couple few dozen trade offs. will buy again for my daughter as she grew up in my husband's workshop and can handle herself but I'm not feeling like putting my daughter in law through it for her machine. at least not until the drivers and software are improved. overall I suppose I'm satisfied for now but I gotta ding the star count for the sheer number of minor/mid issues. seriously asus do better, you have a legacy of quality and durability to uphold. this just feels less like compromise and more like each feature is a Faustian bargain. then again all current TRX50 boards feel like that. so I'm being fair and only dropping stars by category and severity and as its only design and software inconvenience 3/5. could use a second improved model with less speculative feature creep and more focus on practical functionality, software compatibility and durability as at this price it should have at least been built to last the next ten or fifteen years like they used to build them.

𝗧𝗟;𝗗𝗥: The motherboard works as expected, but I had a problem with the CPU hinge that nearly caused serious damage. After fixing it, everything works fine, but I can't give it a full 5 stars due to the initial issue. --- 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄: 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: - Installation went smoothly overall, but I encountered a major issue with the CPU hinge. It came at a slight angle, and while trying to bend it into place, a small piece of metal flaked off. It nearly landed in the pins, which was a nerve-wracking moment. I cleaned it up, ensured the hinge still worked, and everything installed fine. For a $𝟵𝟬𝟬 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱, this kind of issue is unacceptable, especially with a critical component like the CPU hinge. It could have been disastrous for someone new to PC building. 𝗕𝗜𝗢𝗦: - The BIOS came outdated, but I updated to version 𝟬𝟴𝟬𝟯 without any issues. Not uncommon for motherboards, but something to note. 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: - After resolving the initial problems, the motherboard has been rock-solid. Stability is great, and all the ports I’ve tested so far work perfectly. 𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗽: - CPU: 𝗔𝗠𝗗 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝟳𝟵𝟳𝟬𝗫 (𝟯𝟮 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀, 𝟲𝟰 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀) - RAM: 𝗚.𝗦𝗞𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗭𝗲𝘁𝗮 𝗥𝟱 𝗡𝗘𝗢 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗗𝗗𝗥𝟱 (𝟭𝟵𝟮𝗚𝗕, 𝟲𝟰𝟬𝟬𝗠𝗧/𝘀) - Cooler: 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗫𝗘𝟯𝟲𝟬-𝗧𝗥𝟱 𝗔𝗜𝗢 - PCI Adapter: 𝗚𝗟𝗢𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦 𝗣𝗨𝟰𝟭 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝟵𝟬𝟱𝗽 𝟭.𝟱𝗧𝗕 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 (Bifurcation worked with their "Raid" option, weird wording, its actually just x4x4x4x4..) I rated it 𝟰/𝟱 stars due to the initial issues. If more problems arise, I’ll update the review. Overall, it’s a great board, and I’m happy with the performance, but I expected better out of the box for the price.