ASUS Pro WS Z890-ACE SE Workstation ATX DDR5 Motherboard

ASUS Pro WS Z890-ACE SE ATX Workstation Motherboard

A workstation-class Z890 board for Intel Core Ultra Series 2 with dual PCIe 5.0 x16 slots, 10Gb Ethernet, Thunderbolt 4 and remote management built in.

The ASUS Pro WS Z890-ACE SE takes the mainstream LGA1851 platform and adds the features that professional users actually need: two full-length PCIe 5.0 x16 slots that can run x16 or x8/x8 for a pair of graphics or accelerator cards, four M.2 slots, a SlimSAS port for additional PCIe or SATA devices, and three Ethernet controllers including 10GbE. An ASPEED AST2600 baseboard management controller with its own dedicated LAN port and VGA output allows the system to be monitored and controlled remotely, which is rare on a desktop-socket board. Punch can build this into a fully configured workstation with ECC-free DDR5 or clocked CUDIMM memory.

Performance and expansion

Memory support runs to 256GB across four DDR5 DIMMs at up to 9066+ MT/s when overclocked, with support for clocked unbuffered DIMMs (CUDIMM). The CPU feeds both PCIe 5.0 x16 slots, and a third PCIe 4.0 x16 slot wired at x4 comes from the chipset. Storage is handled by one PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 slot, three PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots, four SATA 6Gb/s ports and a SlimSAS connector that can carry a PCIe 4.0 x4 device or up to four more SATA drives.

Connectivity

Networking is the standout: a Marvell AQtion 10Gb port for fast NAS or render-farm links, an Intel 2.5Gb port for everyday traffic, and a Realtek 1Gb port reserved for the AST2600 management controller. The rear panel adds one Thunderbolt 4 Type-C port with DisplayPort output, one USB 20Gbps Type-C, six USB 10Gbps Type-A, HDMI 2.1, VGA from the BMC, two audio jacks from the Realtek ALC1220P codec, plus BIOS FlashBack and Clear CMOS buttons. Front-panel headers supply a USB 20Gbps Type-C, two USB 5Gbps and four USB 2.0 ports.

Cooling and reliability

Seven 4-pin fan headers (CPU, CPU OPT and five chassis) plus a dedicated W_PUMP+ header give plenty of control over a heavily loaded case, and power is delivered through a 24-pin main connector and two 8-pin CPU connectors. BMC and IPMI switches, ASUS Control Center Express support and the workstation-grade component selection make it a sensible choice where uptime matters more than RGB.

Ideal for

• Content creation and 3D workstations with two graphics cards
• AI and data-science desktops needing 10GbE and lots of NVMe storage
• Small-business servers or render nodes that need out-of-band remote management

Specifications

• Chipset: Intel Z890
• Socket: LGA1851, Intel Core Ultra processors (Series 2)
• Form factor: ATX, 30.5 x 24.4 cm
• Memory: 4 x DDR5 DIMM, max 256GB, up to 9066+ MT/s (OC), non-ECC unbuffered and CUDIMM, dual channel
• Expansion slots: 2 x PCIe 5.0 x16 (x16 or x8/x8, CPU), 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 (x4, chipset)
• M.2: M.2_1 2260/2280 PCIe 5.0 x4; M.2_2 and M.2_3 2242/2260/2280 PCIe 4.0 x4; M.2_4 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4
• SATA: 4 x SATA 6Gb/s; 1 x SlimSAS (PCIe 4.0 x4 or up to 4 SATA devices)
• LAN: 1 x Marvell AQtion 10Gb, 1 x Intel 2.5Gb, 1 x Realtek 1Gb dedicated to AST2600 BMC
• Wireless: none
• Audio: Realtek ALC1220P 7.1 surround high-definition audio codec
• Rear USB: 1 x Thunderbolt 4 Type-C, 1 x USB 20Gbps Type-C, 6 x USB 10Gbps Type-A
• Video outputs: 1 x HDMI 2.1 (4K 60Hz), 1 x Thunderbolt 4 Type-C (DisplayPort, up to 8K 60Hz with DSC), 1 x VGA from AST2600
• Internal USB: 1 x USB 20Gbps connector, 1 x USB 5Gbps header (2 ports), 2 x USB 2.0 headers (4 ports)
• Fan headers: 1 x CPU, 1 x CPU OPT, 5 x chassis, 1 x W_PUMP+ (all 4-pin)
• Power: 1 x 24-pin main, 2 x 8-pin +12V CPU
• Management: ASPEED AST2600 BMC, BMC and IPMI switches, ASUS Control Center Express
• Other: BIOS FlashBack button, Clear CMOS button