ASUS Debuts Pro WS B850M-ACE SE, a Multi-Use Motherboard Capable of Using AMD Ryzen or Epyc Processors with Server-Grade IPMI Management

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By Peter Brosdahl

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Image: ASUS

The ASUS Pro WS B850M-ACE SE is an interesting beast in that it is capable of gaming, AI workloads, server options, and more. Although launched a couple of months back, it is now globally available. While some high-end gaming motherboards can step into the boundaries of business solutions, the Pro WS B850M-ACE SE is deliberately designed more as a home solution that can be used for business or play. From its 2.5 Gb and 10 Gb lan ports, which include an onboard BMC AST2600 for server-grade IMPI remote management, to supporting Ryzen 9000/8000/7000 Series and AMD EPYC 4005 Series processors, this mATX board has a lot going for it even without delving into all of its other features.

“The Pro WS B850M-ACE SE empowers workstation users of all levels by maximizing the performance of the latest AMD Ryzen™ processors via 8+2+1 team power stages, DDR5 slots, PCIe® 5.0 and lightning-fast connectivity including a front USB 20Gbps Type-C® connector, plus 10Gb and 2.5Gb Ethernet.
This workstation motherboard is an ideal choice for content creation, AI and deep learning, and IT management.”

– ASUS
Image: ASUS

Obviously designed for workstation use, this mATX motherboard has enough ports and headers to act as a multipurpose home server. When it comes to Type-C connectiviy theres 1x 10 Gbps w/ DP Alt mode support, 1 x 10 Gbps, and x 1 x 20 Gbps. There are also 2x USB 10 Gbps and some USB 2.0 options. When it comes to LAN, 1x 10 Gb, 1 x 2.5 GB, and BMC DM are provided. Per the product page and TechPowerUp, either dual (8000 MHz) or Quad (5600 MHz) DDR5 memory up to 256 GB is supported. However, before reaching for the sky, users should do extensive research regarding supported memory and processor configurations being considered.

  • Chipset Type AMD B850
  • OS: Windows 10, Windows 11
  • Processor Socket: AM5
  • Supported Processors AMD Socket AM5 for AMD Ryzen™ 9000 & 8000 & 7000 Series Desktop Processors and AMD EPYC™ 4005 Series Processors*
  • Memory Type: DDR5, up to 8000 MHz
  • Memory Slots: 4
  • Maximum Memory Storage Capacity: 256 GB
  • Power Connector Type: 24-Pin
  • Power Delivery: 8+2+1
  • PCB: 8-layer
  • Total SATA Ports: 4
  • Total USB Ports: 11
  • LAN Ports: 3
  • Display: Display Port, HDMI, and Type-C
  • PCIe Ports: 1 PCIe 5.0 x 16, 1x PCIe 4.0×16 (max x4)

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Discussion (5 replies)

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LazyGamer
LazyGamer

My question is... whose 10Gbit NIC are they using this time?

Grimlakin
Grimlakin

I find it interesting that the usb ports are not more.impressive and that the memory support is constrained to 256gb even for an epic cpu.

Seems to me.thst other than remote management its actually lacking in serving a workstation compared to an actually hedt motherboard.

No support for multiple GPUs or other high bandwidth cards.

No on board usb 4.0 ports.

No mention of ECC though i suspect it would work.

Best use case you can give someone a manageable ryzen based desktop for a enterprise environment.

Peter_Brosdahl
Peter_Brosdahl 👍 1

Getting specs for this wasn't easy and even a little conflicting but here's some stuff I came across but didn't include in the post since I couldn't fully confirm.

ECC is supported via DDR5 spec which I know isn't the same as true ECC. (per ITHome, "DDR5 UDIMM (ECC & Non-ECC), supporting EXPO 8000+ MT/s."

USB 4.0 - product page says USB 4 ready but not sure what that means, could be a header on the board.

PCIe 5.0 x 16 via CPU lanes (either Videocardz or TPU mentioned this)

PCIe 4.0 via chipset

10 Gbit NIC, Realtek (per IThome), 2.5 Gb is via Intel, BMC is Realtek

Here are machine-translated specs from ITHome (ironically not availabe like this on the official product page):

  • Memory:

  • 4× DDR5 UDIMM (ECC & Non-ECC), supporting EXPO 8000+ MT/s.

[*]PCIe slots:
  • 1× PCIe 5.0×16 (processor direct output);
  • 1× PCIe 4.0×4 (chipset output, physical full length).
  • It also comes equipped with a SafeSlot mounting bracket, which can handle heavy graphics card loads when necessary.

[*]storage:
  • 2×M.2 2280, PCIe 5.0×4 (processor direct output);
  • 1× MCIO, PCIe 5.0×4 (processor direct output);
  • 1× U.2 (PCIe 3.0×4) / 4× SATA III 6Gbps (chipset included).

[*]network:
  • wired:

  • 1× Realtek 10GbE wired network card;
  • 1× Intel 2.5GbE wired network card;
  • 1× Realtek 1GbE wired network card (for BMC and IPMI only).

[*]Audio:

  • Realtek 7.1 channel CODEC.

[*]External I/O:
  • Internal expansion: 1 x USB-C 20Gbps header, 1 x USB 5Gbps splitter header, 2 x USB 2.0 (480Mbps) splitter headers, 1 x USB-A 2.0 (480Mbps) port;
  • Rear I/O ports: 3 x USB-A 10Gbps, 2 x USB-C 10Gbps (one of which supports DP Alt), 2 x USB-A 2.0 (480Mbps), 1 x DisplayPort, 1 x VGA, 1 x HDMI, 1 x 10GbE RJ45, 1 x 2.5GbE RJ45, 1 x 1GbE RJ45, 2 x audio jacks.

[*]Other features: Compatible with BMC connections and comes with ASUS Control Center Express software, providing comprehensive in-band and out-of-band management capabilities for enterprises and industries.
[/LIST]

LazyGamer
LazyGamer

"Grimlakin, post: 100780, member: 215" wrote:

find it interesting that the usb ports are not more.impressive and that the memory support is constrained to 256gb even for an epic cpu.



Seems to me.thst other than remote management its actually lacking in serving a workstation compared to an actually hedt motherboard.



No support for multiple GPUs or other high bandwidth cards.


Well it's AM5, so - those are the limits really.

"Grimlakin, post: 100780, member: 215" wrote:

No on board usb 4.0 ports.


Seems in line with the other choices - I'm not sold on USB4 for 'workstation' purposes, let alone server purposes. It's not a gimmick, but also not necessary or even really wanted in production environments outside of creators.

"Grimlakin, post: 100780, member: 215" wrote:

No mention of ECC though i suspect it would work.



Best use case you can give someone a manageable ryzen based desktop for a enterprise environment.


I think that or server, really. This speaks more to server though for me.

LazyGamer
LazyGamer 👍 1

"Peter_Brosdahl, post: 100792, member: 87" wrote:

1× Realtek 10GbE wired network card;


Ah, so they're using the one that just came out!

Might want to give it some time for firmware and drivers to mature...

Peter Brosdahl
As a child of the 70’s I was part of the many who became enthralled by the video arcade invasion of the 1980’s. Saving money from various odd jobs I purchased my first computer from a friend of my dad, a used Atari 400, around 1982. Eventually it would end up being a lifelong passion of upgrading and modifying equipment that, of course, led into a career in IT support.

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