ASUS X99-E-10G WS Motherboard Features Native Intel 10G Gigabit Ethernet
By Nathan Kirsch•
The ASUS X99-E-10G WS motherboard brings 10 Gigabit Ethernet to X99
ASUS X99-E-10G WS Motherboard
Fremont, CA (August 29, 2016) – In an industry full of ostentatious claims, every product stack needs a reserved, understated statesman. Not the type that stays quiet in board meetings out of fear, nor the type that needs to raise their voice to make a point. Nope, were talking about the type that sits back and observes the young upstarts as they clamber over each other to get into the limelight and then makes one careful, reassuring statement in a deep, soothing voice that stops everyone in their tracks. In the ASUS motherboard family, that role is gracefully played by the new X99-E-10G WS.
ASUS X99-E-10G WS PCIe Slots
The X99-E-10G WS – master of multiple trades
Sharing the same refined aesthetic flair as its workstation-oriented X99-E WS predecessor, the 10G version brings some notable new features to the table. The most prominent is the addition of dual 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports courtesy of the Intel X550AT2 10GBASE-T controller. Each port boasts 10X the bandwidth of standard Gigabit Ethernet, making the X99-E-10G WS ideal for situations that demand uncompromised networking performance.
Implementing a 10G controller like this on a feature-laden motherboard requires some thought. The Intel chip consumes up to 11 watts of power, so the associated thermal output needs to be handled efficiently. At the motherboard level, getting the best performance from the X550AT2 also requires short signal lines that steer clear of sources of noise. On the X99-E-10G, both of these requirements are tackled by placing the 10G controller close to the rear Ethernet ports and by utilizing a heatsink array to dissipate heat via the rear IO panel.
Putting a cutting-edge Intel 10G Ethernet controller onboard negates the need to allocate a PCI Express slot to a dedicated network card, saving valuable space for other components. WS motherboards are designed to be loaded up with multiple expansion cards, especially high-end GPUs and PCIe SSDs.
ASUS X99-E-10G WS Rear I/O Panel
Pricing and availability
The X99-E-10G WS lands with an MSRP of $650 and will be available from ASUS Authorized resellers and distributors soon.
ASUS is a worldwide top-three consumer notebook vendor and maker of the worlds best-selling, most award-winning motherboards. A leading enterprise in the new digital era, ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of todays digital home and office, with a broad portfolio that includes motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, displays, desktop and all-in-one PCs, notebooks, netbooks, servers, multimedia devices, wireless solutions, networking devices, tablets, smartphones and wearables. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS won 4,368 awards in 2015 and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with its Eee PC. ASUS has more than 17,000 employees around the globe with a world-class R&D team of over 5,500 engineers. Company revenue for 2015 was approximately US$14 billion.
