Introduction

Historically, workstation computers cost quite a bit more than desktop computers since they are much more powerful and reliable. The widespread adoption of high performance components into the desktop segment, however, has caused the decline of the workstation segment of the computing market. Today’s workstations still require significant computing power, superior networking capability, and high performance 3D hardware, but are readily available and much more affordable than they used to be.

The performance and features of the latest Intel X79 platform make it ideal as a base for building a workstation computer. While there is no Xeon counterpart for the latest LGA2011 processor yet, they are arriving soon, early in 2012, now that Intel has worked out the VT-d bug in C1 stepping Sandy Bridge-E CPUs. There has also been exquisite hardware available in the market which is designed optimally for these functions. One such series is ASUS’ WS line of motherboards, which deliver server-class features to desktop systems.

The ASUS P9X79 WS motherboard is the latest addition in ASUS’ workstation motherboard lineup. The ASUS P9X79 WS is designed for supreme reliability and server-level compatibility with a wide selection of RAID and LAN cards. With 4-way SLI or CrossFireX capability, the ASUS P9X79 WS offers 30% better graphics performance compared to X79 motherboards limited to 3-SLI configurations. In terms of network connectivity, the ASUS P9X79 WS motherboard is outfitted with a pair of Intel server-class Gigabit LAN ports which can help lower network CPU utilization by up to 71%. Combined with other ASUS exclusive features for the X79 platform, including SSD Caching, USB boost and BIOS flashback, the ASUS P9X79 WS motherboard stands out from the rest of the X79 motherboard offerings currently available.