Asus prime trx40 pro review in Spanish (full analysis)

This Asus Prime TRX40 Pro board is on our list of recommended for being one of the best value for money for this expensive platform. We can find it for less than 500 euros, which is news. It has quite good connectivity and is oriented to workstations that do not require a large capacity in network connectivity, since it only has one Ethernet port.

On the other hand, we have triple M.2 PCIe 4.0 connectivity, dual GPU capacity in parallel and a renewed aesthetic for the Prime series that does not renounce RGB Aura lighting. We are going to know this plate in more depth and so we justify our recommendation, let's start.

But first, we thank Asus for their trust in us by temporarily giving us this board for our analysis.

Asus Prime TRX40 Pro technical features

Unboxing

Well, as usual, this Asus Prime TRX40 Pro has arrived in a rigid cardboard box with a case-type opening. On the main face we can see a photo of the motherboard with its activated lighting and decorations, making it clear that it is TRX40 in case anyone doubted it. The back has been used to describe some of its features as well as detailed photographs of its elements.

We open it, and what we see is a plate well tucked inside its antistatic bag and accommodated in a cardboard mold of the same type as that of the box. Just below we have a second floor where all the accessories are stored.

In this case, the bundle has the following elements:

• Asus Prime TRX40 Pro board 4x SATA 6Gbps cables Vertical bracket for M.2_32 slot Mounting screws for SSD M.2DVD bracket Q connector for F_panel Bracket for CPU fan Extension cord for A-RGB strip Extension cord for RGB strip (40 cm)

Being a somewhat more price-tight motherboard we don't have fancy accessories like M.2 expansion cards. We also do not have a Wi-Fi antenna since the card is not pre-installed.

Otherwise, more or less what we expect, enough cables for hard drives and even a supporting DVD, which could well have been a flash drive as they have been included in other boards.

Exterior design and features

Users who want to upgrade their Threadripper platform to the new 3rd generation processors have a very complicated ballot. And it is that at the cost of the processors we have to add the compulsory cost of the board, since the previous X299 chipset does not offer support for this new generation.

In terms of design, even the Prime series has been updated to adapt to the new times with RGB lighting in the EMI protector on the rear port panel. In this case, this protector is not made of metal, but of ABS plastic of a normal thickness. Likewise, the protector on top of the chipset heatsink also uses plastic instead of metal, proving that we are not facing finishes as premium as the TOP. It does maintain the Prime essence with very elegant white and gray finishes.

It also does not give up the lighting extension since it has no less than 4 RGB headers for both A-RGB and RGB standard strips compatible with different manufacturers. Its capacity for fans is also remarkable, since among headers for pumps and fans we have a total of 7.

Where aluminum has been used is in the heatsink of the two M.2 slots that are located between PCIe 1 and 2, and in the 16-phase VRM as we can understand. The latter is a huge block that literally occupies the entire width of the plate, achieving the same height as the EMI protector, that is, almost 5 cm. We say this because there are chassis that at the top have just enough space for fans, and perhaps this heatsink will get in the way. A positive aspect of this board is that it has an ATX format, so its measurements are 305 x 244 mm.

Returning to the lower area, we find an active cooling system for the chipset in the form of a turbine-type fan. And it is also here where we have the power button of the board that comes great if we do not use a chassis, and the Debug LED panel being very accessible to the user. Something we are missing is a RESET button, which has been removed.

The rear area in this case does not have any type of protection in the form of a backplate, since this will only be available for the flagships. In this case only the standard coating is used to protect the current whistles.

This is where we have the VRM digital controller located, along with a huge backplate for the TRX40 socket.

VRM and power phases

We are starting to explore this Asus Prime TRX40 Pro in more detail and the first stop occurs in its VRM. In this case we have a configuration at the height of the top range with 16 real phases and a huge passive heatsink that will take care of its cooling.

This system is powered by a double solid 8-pin EPS ProCool II connector, being a standard configuration for this platform due to high CPU consumption. In other high-end cases we have separate connectors for the PCI slots, but in this case only dual GPU support, so it was not necessary. Along with these two, we have the traditional 24-pin ATX.

Firstly, we have the MOSFET controller or EPU, which is in charge of managing the signal voltage and frequency at their input digitally. In this case it is a DIGI + ASP1405I, which is in charge of these 16 phases independently. Then we will have two other PWM controllers for the secondary phases of the lower capacity RAM memories.

For the first phase we have MOSFETS Infineon TDA21462 DC-DC converters with a capacity of 60A, that is, they are one model one step below those used by Zenith II, which are the 70A TDA21472. Although they are smaller in capacity, they are ready for the powerful Threadripper processors with 280 TDP and even what will be coming out of 64C / 128T soon, by supporting around 960A overall.

In the second phase we have 16 chokes or premium metal choke also 60A for signal smoothing. These combine with the latest stage of solid capacitors to give the CPU a digitally controlled and optimal power signal.

In fact we have a complete automatic voltage management tool available in the BIOS that works under the TurboV Processing Unit (TPU). This also monitors system statistics in real time and provides an overclocking parameter adjustment if we opt for this method instead of using Ryzen Master.

Socket, chipset and RAM memory

At this point you will already know this platform quite well, because we have a few already analyzed from all manufacturers behind us. The Asus Prime TRX40 Pro makes no appreciable difference from the rest of its sisters, let's take a quick look at it.

The socket that has been used in this board is new batch, it is called sTRX40 and it offers compatibility only with the 3rd generation AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors, and we do not know if for the next 4000. In this case, AMD has not been able to maintain this socket. as if they did in the Ryzen 3000, which has caused the discontent of many users to be forced to spend money on a new board, and we already know that below 400 there is none yet.

The reason for this change lies in the power configuration and the allocation of PCIe lanes that now become 64 for the CPU and in its version 4.0 instead of 3.0. They are CPUs with a high consumption so the intensity is higher and the pin configuration has had to be updated. However the design is exactly the same as that of the previous generation, so we should not confuse them.

To this we add a new chipset called AMD TRX40, and not X499 as you might think. This chipset continues with a capacity of 24 lanes, this time in a PCIe 4.0 version although with a link to the CPU of no less than 8 lanes instead of 4, another reason why the socket has been modified. The 16 that are free can be divided between 8 USB 3.2 Gen2 and 4 2.0 ports along with 4 SATA 6 Gbps ports, 8 PCIe 4.0 lanes for general purpose and a double Pick One to expand up to 4 SATA ports or one or two PCIe lines 1 × 4 or 2 × 2. Due to the power of the chipset, it has been necessary to provide it with active cooling in all the plates, so it will be another source of dirt.

And we end this section with the capacity of RAM memory, which while waiting for the DDR5 to arrive someday, we have guaranteed capacity for DDR4 modules up to 256 GB configurations . This means that we will be able to install 32 GB modules in each of the 8 available slots. The maximum speed supported is 4666 MHz compatible with XMP OC profiles, and ECC and Non-ECC type memories.

Storage and PCIe slots

If we want to mount a high-speed RAID configuration, one of the best options we have are enthusiastic platforms like this. The Asus Prime TRX40 Pro has plenty of connectivity in this regard, so let's check it out.

Before we will start with the configuration of expansion slots that in this case are a total of 3 PCIe 4.0 x16 and a 4th PCIe 4.0 x4, something not too common, because they do not have the 4 in full configuration. In this case only the x16 will have steel reinforcement on them to withstand greater use. How could it be otherwise we have support for AMD CrossFireX 2-way and also Nvidia Quad-GPU SLI 2-way in the first two slots. We see then that some cuts have been made in capacity for this tighter price board, not being able to connect 3 GPUs in parallel.

Let's review in detail how these slots will work:

• The 3 PCIe 4.0 x16 slots will work at x16 always, and will be connected to the CPU lanes without sharing a bus with anyone else.The PCIe 4.0 x4 slot will be connected to the TRX40 chipset and will occupy 4 lanes without sharing them with anyone else.

That's a pretty good thing, since having no 10Gbps network links and other elements has not required bus sharing, and we have the full 48 lanes available for expansion cards.

We now continue with the storage of the Asus Prime TRX40 Pro, where we have a count of 3 M.2 PCIe 4.0 / 3.0 x4 slots working on NVMe 1.3. All of them should support the SATA interface to connect this type of M.2 drives, although the manufacturer only specifies support in one. To this we add a total of 8 SATA III ports at 6 Gbps.

We see how and where these slots are connected:

• Slots 2_1 and M.2_2 located between the PCIe support sizes 2242, 2262, 2280 and 22110, and are connected to the CPU with 4 lanes each. Slot 2_3 next to the ATX connector supports any size and is connected to the chipset with its 4 lanes. The 8 SATA ports are also connected to the chipset.

In none of the cases we have shared lanes so we will have no qualms about connecting what we want where we want, even occupying all the slots. Both in the M.2 slots and in the SATA ports we have compatibility with RAID 0, 1 and 10 from BIOS and with AMD StoreMI technology . Something peculiar is that the third M.2 slot is vertical, so a bracket is included to be able to install the M.2 in it.

Fairly standard network connectivity

We now continue with the network connectivity of the Asus Prime TRX40 Pro, which in this model has been reduced considerably compared to its older sisters.

Starting with the wireless capacity, we do not have any type of pre-installed network card, but we have left an M.2 slot right next to the chipset (which you have seen in the previous captures). In it we can install any network card of type M and 2230 format, either Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 5. Today they are very cheap, so it will not cost too much to buy it or even exchange it with any board we have.

As for wired connectivity, we have only one RJ-45 port controlled by an Intel I211-AT chip that will provide a bandwidth of 10/100/1000 Mbps. The manufacturer makes the Turbo LAN Utility and LAN Guard technologies available to us . In this case we would have liked this connectivity to be double even if both were 1 Gbps, to provide the board with greater connectivity, always necessary in this type of enthusiastic platforms to connect the network and NAS or other shared resources.

We do not forget the sound card, which in this case does not disappoint with a manufacturer- customized Realtek ALC S1220 codec. This provides us with a maximum sensitivity at the input of 113 dB SNR and up to 120 dB SNR at the output, with a capacity of 8 channels of high definition audio. The system is compatible with Cristal Sound 3 and the DTS-X Ultra sound system to generate high fidelity 3D sound.

I / O ports and internal connections

Finally we come to the data connections section of the Asus Prime TRX40 Pro, so let's see in detail what this gives us.

Starting with the I / O panel we have:

• Button for BIOS Flashback3x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A (sky blue) 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C (sky blue) 6x USB 3.2 Gen1 (blue) 1x RJ-455x 3.5mm jack for audio Optical S / PDIF port

So we do not have in this case the USB-C port that offers 20 Gbps nor reserved outputs for a possible Wi-Fi antenna. However we have 4 USB Gen2 and 6 Gen1 ports which is not bad for the user. The Clear CMOS button whose reason we do not understand has also been removed as it does no harm here either.

Regarding internal connectors we find the following:

• 4x LED headers (2 Addressable RGB and 2 RGB) Front audio 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 front 2x USB 3.2 Gen1 (up to 4 USB ports) 2x USB 2.0 (up to 4 USB ports) TPM7x fan headers (5 fans and 2 pump) 1x header for temperature sensors 4x sensors to measure temperature 1x Clear CMOS Asus NodeJumper connector

A more or less standard connectivity at the manufacturer, not giving up versatility with a maximum capacity of 9 extra USB. We also have the Debug LED panel integrated at the bottom next to the on-board power button.

testing bench

Our test bench with the Asus Prime TRX40 Pro, consists of the following components:

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	AMD Threadripper 3960X
Base plate:	Asus Prime TRX40 Pro
Memory:	32 GB G-Skill Royal X @ 3200 MHz
Heatsink	Noctua NH-U14S TR4-SP3
HDD	Kingston SKC400
Graphic card	EVGA RTX 2080 Super
Power supply	Corsair RM1000

BIOS

As we are accustomed to, ASUS presents a stable BIOS, with a great capacity to modify different parameters and with which we can perform a stable overclocking to the new generation AMD TRX40.

As we can see in most of the screens present we have the same options as the ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme or the ASUS ROG Strix TRX40-E Gaming, only the aesthetic changes. Very good work from ASUS!

Temperatures and VRM

In testing, we have kept all factory BIOS settings on the CPU, and enabled the XMP profile for RAM. With this, we have kept the plate under stress for a few hours to see how the temperature of the components evolves

We have taken thermal captures with our Flir One PRO to measure the temperature of the VRM externally. In the following table you will have the results that have been in the outer area of ​​the VRM during the stress process.

In the higher-end Asus boards we have a VRM also of 16 phases although with a greater capacity and therefore active cooling was used. In this case we only have a heatsink that works very well with the Threadripper 3960X under prolonged stress. Temperatures have remained below 50 ^o C without major problems. This invites to think that under an overclocking they will withstand with solvency the extra energy that the CPU demands.

Final words and conclusion about Asus Prime TRX40 Pro

The Asus Prime TRX40 Pro features a total of 16 direct power phases, which are more than enough to power the new Threadripper 3970X and Threadripper 3960X. Although its aesthetics is not as striking as the Zenith or Strix of this platform, we have a sober and very minimalist design.

In our performance tests we have seen a large heat sink capacity its main heat sinks in the VRM. We have also been able to raise our 3960X to 4.4 GHz without any problem. It is undoubtedly one of the motherboards to consider in its AMD enthusiast series: the sTR4.

We recommend reading the best motherboards on the market

If you do not mind losing the wireless connection or the 2.5 / 10 Gigabit cards and you want to save a few euros. Without a doubt, the Asus Prime TRX40 PRO is a great option for 4 79.90 euros. With these savings you can purchase a more powerful graphics card or an NVME PCI Express 4.0 drive .

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE	- WITHOUT NETWORK 10 GIGABIT AND WIFI 6
+ STABLE BIOS	- PRICE IS HIGH, BUT IT IS THE CHEAPEST ON THE PLATFORM
+ GOOD OVERCLOCK CAPACITY AND PERFORMANCE
+ GOOD TEMPERATURES IN VRM
+ M.2 COOLING

The Professional Review team awards you the gold medal and recommended product:

Asus Prime TRX40 Pro

COMPONENTS - 88%

REFRIGERATION - 95%

BIOS - 85%

EXTRAS - 80%

PRICE - 80%

86%