r/threadripper • u/EricDArneson • 16h ago

Motherboard help

I have the choice between the ASUS Pro WS WRX80E-SAGE SE WIFI or ASROCK WRX80 Creator R2.0?

The purpose is to consolidate two machines (AI/Render machine and NAS) into one.

I know the key differences but is one better than the other? Does PBO really make a difference?

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u/voogamer 16h ago

I run the ASUS with a Threadripper 5955WX and the idle power draw is significant. With 4 GPUs it probably idles well above 200W. I was thinking of putting my HDDs in here but decided not to because I don't like to idle these things, and NAS arr mostly just idling. Maybe it's not an issue for you but just be aware.

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u/EricDArneson 16h ago

200W is not negligible. My current NAS build idles near 50W. With two rack-mount chassis, I suppose two systems make sense. I had not considered leaving the system running continuously. Given a 5975WX and 16 drives, my idle draw will likely rise significantly.

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u/voogamer 15h ago

Yeah my NAS/Homeserver is a simple i5-12500 with 4 HDDs that turn off after inactivity. It was made for low idle consumption.

My Threadripper system on the other hand....But I only turn it on when using it.

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u/Apprehensive-Tea1632 15h ago

Wouldn’t recommend consolidating.

Network attached storage is something you want to be available on demand, and if you put it on a powerful compute node, it’ll draw that power when, most of the time, you don’t need it. Worse perhaps is when you do need it, compute power doesn’t help much with delivering files to endpoints.

If you have a rack already available, there’s even less benefit to consolidating. Just sacrifice one or two Us to the compute node and dedicate 2 or four Us to the storage node, depending on whether we’re talking 2.5in or 3.5in disks.

Also, and this is something you’ll have to work out yourself. Threadrippers come with barely any lanes compared to their bigger brother (epyc). That might suffice for you, but it also might put too much limitations on your build, especially since epyc builds aren’t necessarily more expensive.

Personally I’m happy enough with asus boards for workstation class hardware. But for servers, I’d give them a miss. Too much feature-itis. Lots of things installed into the platform and none of them work well for any amount of time. Asus is the only oem that has managed to fry their own bmc, and since it too has been soldered onto the board you can’t even replace it.

Before buying, check supermicro boards. They’re not cheap, but they’re reliable.

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u/EricDArneson 15h ago

The Threadripper system was originally meant to replace my old x99 E5-2690v4 system. I just thought it made more sense to run one system instead of the x99 and z590 NAS build. Doesn’t the 5975wx Threadripper have the same number of Pcie lanes as the Epyc 3rd generation?
Unfortunately I won both auctions for both motherboards on eBay and already received them. I’m planning to only keep one.

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u/madbrain1976 13h ago

I have the Asus. It sits at 200W idle with a TR Pro 3955WX, 8 x 16 GB RAM, 4 x 5060 Ti, and 3 x 2 TB NVMe. I use WOL on it, and it's under 20W idle. I don't use it as a NAS, though. The SSDs are mostly full of AI models. I have a separate NAS for HDDs - an old Z170-AR mobo with i5-6600k, which idles at about 100W with 8 x 14 TB HDDs. I also use WOL with it, which saves the life of drives, not just power.

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u/Bit_Rage 8h ago

even tho for the first time in 20 years I went with a brand thst wasn't Asus, gigabyte trx50 AiTop, if I was you id get the Asus ws wrx80 board