Asrock C226 ITX soon

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Aluminum

Active Member
Sep 7, 2012
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STH posted about this awhile back and I've been dying to get more info on it.

The main URL is not loading right now, but google has it in its cache for now along with the first picture available :) along with specs.
(cache link may or may not work for others, if not then search "e3c226d2i" and click it yourself)

Good news:
-CPU socket is pretty much dead center, nothing obvious in the keep out zone and heatsinks are low profile
-Regular dimm slots! arranged for front-back airflow (I know ECC unbuffered so-dimms exist but PITA to find and pricey as hell)
-Dual i210 intel nics, ipmi is on seperate realtek controller (I can tolerate crappy chipset for just OOB management) no idea if these have ECC buffers or not though
-Hardware PS/2 port (if you didn't already know, usb is inferior for keyboards for many reasons)
-Built in serial port
-I think it has a clear cmos button on back?
-Onboard USB socket for license dongles/permanent boot drives/etc
-Most connectors are on the edges and towards the front of the case

Bad news:
-Only video out is VGA D-sub and I do not see any pins on the board for cabling anything else (HDMI would be a BIG help for a travel/demo server, you can always find a random TV around)
-Typical lowend onboard VGA chipset (basic 2D only w/16MB) so not sure whether or not the VGA can be used by the haswell instead. I know they intend this for 12_0 xeons but its nice to have an option for accelerated GUI.
-No picture of underside, but they have a well deserved reputation of putting stuff in the way of backplates

Interesting things:
-"*Haswell i5/i7 processors processor support is an extended advantage provided by ASRock Rack. It is out of warranty, user's discretion is required."
-Listing of Linux/Unix OSes including ESXi 5.1 so a good chance it will come out of the box with VT-d support in BIOS, if not a later release

edit: URL is live now
 

PigLover

Moderator
Jan 26, 2011
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Depending on price this board could finally be the foundation of solving this exercise. Add a low-end CPU, Pico-PSU and an e-bay Intel 4-port GigE nic and you've got it nailed. Might not stay under the $300 budget, but you'd come closer to the stated requirements at a lower price point than the other alternatives so far!
 

modernist

New Member
Aug 28, 2013
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I've been keeping an eye on this one too for my ESXi home server. Currently I'm using a low power i5-2390t and the Intel DQ67EP motherboard which supports VT-d with my 8-port RAID card, but unfortunately it lacks IPMI for hardware monitoring in ESXi. It'd be nice to upgrade to a real server motherboard with IPMI, and ECC memory might be a nice plus. The mention of ESXi on the OS list is a good sign.

I have to say I was a little disappointed about the VGA port, as a DVI port would fit better in my setup, but for server use I hardly ever use the monitor except for setup and upgrades so I can probably live with it.

It'll be interesting to see what heatsinks fit the board with the RAM in a slightly unusual location and the possibility of backplate issues.
 

modernist

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Aug 28, 2013
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By the way, the manual is online at the ASRock site and does specifically mention VT-d, so it looks like it'll already be there in the BIOS.
 

sweloop64

New Member
Feb 28, 2011
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Sweden
Can't figure out why the use of C226 and then leave out hdmi/dvi...
Anyone see vPro anywhere?

C1 or C2?

Any chance we will see 32GB support in the future?
 

Aluminum

Active Member
Sep 7, 2012
431
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What URL were you having an issue with?
Asrock's, it was toast for most of the morning on at least 5 different internet connections I can use at work. (yeah, I REALLY wanted to read that page)

Depending on price this board could finally be the foundation of solving this exercise. Add a low-end CPU, Pico-PSU and an e-bay Intel 4-port GigE nic and you've got it nailed. Might not stay under the $300 budget, but you'd come closer to the stated requirements at a lower price point than the other alternatives so far!
No low end LGA1150 cpus yet (0 celeron/pentium/i3 released) but give it time. 1155 has $35 dual ivy core celerons that even support ECC but it took awhile to get there.
 

Aluminum

Active Member
Sep 7, 2012
431
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Can't figure out why the use of C226 and then leave out hdmi/dvi...
Anyone see vPro anywhere?
No vPro, looks like they went C226 for the sata ports and not the gpu functions. /sigh

C1 or C2?
90% sure C2, I heard the itx models asus delayed have it.

Any chance we will see 32GB support in the future?
4 slots is really hard for itx (seen one DTX with X79 though) so you'll have to wait for 16GB dimms with the same chip density as current 8GB. Anything socket 115x is unbuffered ram only as far as I can tell.
Pretty sure the cpu IMC since sandy goes to 64GB in hardware though.
 

sweloop64

New Member
Feb 28, 2011
10
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Sweden
No vPro, looks like they went C226 for the sata ports and not the gpu functions. /sigh
It could have been a very versatile mobo reaching a bigger audience, but i guess they didn't want that and went pure server :(

90% sure C2, I heard the itx models asus delayed have it.
Time will tell...

4 slots is really hard for itx (seen one DTX with X79 though) so you'll have to wait for 16GB dimms with the same chip density as current 8GB. Anything socket 115x is unbuffered ram only as far as I can tell.
Pretty sure the cpu IMC since sandy goes to 64GB in hardware though.
I meant 16GB dimm support not more slots, 4 slots would probably have to put lots of stuff on the backside of the mobo...
So 16GB dimm(32GB total) support would be bios independent?
 

PigLover

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Jan 26, 2011
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Since it has IPMI they are most likely pulling video from the BMC. Intel makes it hard to use on-chip video for IP-KVM unless you do it via vPRO. This is the same reason most SM motherboards with IPMI only support RGB.
 

MiniKnight

Well-Known Member
Mar 30, 2012
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NYC
I think that's what they are doing. Here's a better question maybe. Think that would work with a Core i5? Some of the C226 boards support unofficially.
 

Aluminum

Active Member
Sep 7, 2012
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Manual PDF posted, looks like there will be a C224 version as well for those that only need 4x6Gb sata and save a little.

Block diagram confirms VGA is only connected to the embedded VGA, so don't buy 12_5 xeons for it :(

Little button on the back is "UID Switch" and not clear CMOS, no idea what that means.

I meant 16GB dimm support not more slots, 4 slots would probably have to put lots of stuff on the backside of the mobo...
So 16GB dimm(32GB total) support would be bios independent?
From my experiences since intel went with Integrated Memory Controllers, memory support is:
95% cpu dependent
5% bios/efi not being stupid and staying out of the way

115x only support unbuffered, 9 chips per side for ECC. With current market chips this means 8GB, since DDR4 is still a good ways off from mainsteam, I expect to see 16GB dimms before DDR3 is over.
According to the limited intel tech docs I've read the 115x IMCs have enough bits wired in hardware to support up to 64GB. (ark is not detailed enough, hence the disclaimers on it)
 

PigLover

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Jan 26, 2011
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With the new low-end socket 1150 chips this really will be the perfect UTM platform for people whose needs have outgrown ARM/Atom solutions. This plus a G3220 could be perfect. Wish we could get pricing...
 

Karmak

New Member
Apr 11, 2011
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Little button on the back is "UID Switch" and not clear CMOS, no idea what that means.
UID usually means Unit Identification on servers. It lights a bright LED on the front and back of the server so that you can make sure you are working on the right server in a rack environment. Usually you can toggle it from the switch on either the front or the back of the server or from the iLO, Drac, etc; for remote hands at a data center.
 

RimBlock

Active Member
Sep 18, 2011
837
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Singapore
These are now available and I will be getting one for a customer which is due to arrive next week.

Pricing here in Singapore is;
E3C224D2I: S$300 (US$234)
E3C226D2I: S$330 (US$257)

Distributor was not even aware fo these models but is now bringing in some at my request.

RB