Interesting ITX Socket G2 (laptop sandy) Dual Intel NIC, vPro: $55 shipped

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gogusrl

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Jan 25, 2014
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Got my hands on a LSI 9240-8i HBA and I can't get the motherboard to see it. No detection at boot, no ctrl+h/i menu, no nothing.

It works on a Dell desktop without problems so the card is ok.
 

TubaMT

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Jul 26, 2014
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Got my hands on a LSI 9240-8i HBA and I can't get the motherboard to see it. No detection at boot, no ctrl+h/i menu, no nothing.

It works on a Dell desktop without problems so the card is ok.
Necroing a dead thread but I figured this would be helpful for anybody still using these motherboards.


I'm upgrading my mini, low power nas server from a HP microserver to one of the extra AIMB-272 boards that I have.


I tested a Dell H310, LSI 9212-4i4e, and Supermicro AOC-USAS2-L8i (all on latest LSI P20 IT firmware) and they all were recognized. I even attached a couple drives and they were also recognized.


I did have to reset the BIOS jumper though. Before that, it would boot, but stay at the "press F2 or DEL to enter BIOS" and would not go past that. There would be a code on the bottom right of the screen that would list codes A2, then B1, then B2 or something like that. It just seemed to freeze on B2 and not progress.


I also had to do the same thing when I tried to swap to a different GPU. When upgrading from an AMD HD 7850 to a Nvidia GTX 960 and it would do the same error as above.


It seems like the PCI-e port is kind of finicky on these boards. But right now I have one as a HTPC with a GTX 960 and another as my mini, low power NAS for media and stuff with a Dell H310 card flashed to LSI P20 IT firmware in it. After the initial BIOS resets, they have been working fine. I've been running them each with 16GB of non-ECC RAM and a i7-2760QM.
 
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pricklypunter

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Nov 10, 2015
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Wow this is positively antiquated...

Sounds much more like a PnP/ PCI-e or Bus Mastering issue. Taping the pins won't make any difference, it's not SMBus related. It's probably just storing the resource allocation in the CMOS, which will need to be cleared each time you swap out with hardware that wants to use some of the same resources as previously allocated. It will be fine after a CMOS reset and has been allocated what it needs by the PnP Bios. A Bios update if one is available might fix the issue :)
 

TubaMT

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Jul 26, 2014
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Wow this is positively antiquated...

Sounds much more like a PnP/ PCI-e or Bus Mastering issue. Taping the pins won't make any difference, it's not SMBus related. It's probably just storing the resource allocation in the CMOS, which will need to be cleared each time you swap out with hardware that wants to use some of the same resources as previously allocated. It will be fine after a CMOS reset and has been allocated what it needs by the PnP Bios. A Bios update if one is available might fix the issue :)
That is actually probably exactly what was going on. Interestingly enough, when I swapped the 3 different HBAs, they were all recognized fine without having to do a CMOS reset. It's probably because they were all flashed to the same firmware more or less.

Thanks for explaining that! It makes a lot of sense and definitely helps me with how these boards operate.
 

pricklypunter

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Nov 10, 2015
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Unlikely firmware related, more likely the Bios can't see any difference between them. They are all probably using the exact same Interrupts, DMA access, address space etc. Just fluke that the resources they required were free to begin with, still it looks like an interesting little board, should make a nice little HTPC :)
 
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AshleyAshes

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Jul 24, 2017
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Hello, I realized that this thread is old, I found it by a Google search but I gained some information that others may find useful. I emailed Advantech to ask about any unreleased or Beta BIOS versions for the AIMB-272 and they responded within one day. The v1.11 on their site is painfully old and they have a v1.16 dated only from May 2016 even. They also provided a list of improvements over each version but it's been super vague. Some versions have no new information. So I have no idea if Ivy bridge support has been implemented or not, there's no indication. However v1.14 notes "Enhance PCI Express device compatibility" which is what I'm looking for.

Since this thread had some useful information for me, I thought I'd share new information that I found. I have a Zip file that contains the v1.16bin, flashing instructions, the DOS flasher, and the note file they provided. I'll post again with a Google Drive link once I'm home from work. :)
 

AshleyAshes

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Jul 24, 2017
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I can report that V1.16 would allow a Radeon R9 390X to post in the system when it would not post before. :) Hopefully it improves compatibility across the board.
 
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AshleyAshes

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Jul 24, 2017
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I wish they would have snuck in Ivy Bridge support with the newer BIOS. :(
Maybe they did? My inspiration to email was I saw a YouTuber with a different model of Socket G2 board who emailed the company that made it and they sent him an Ivy Bridge compatible BIOS. So it seems to be technically possible. Some of the update versions on the documentation have NO comments as to what was changed, it couldn't hurt to test it.

I won't, because I got my board for the purpose of recycling a laptop into a desktop after six years of dutiful service, so buying a new CPU goes against the 'Recycling everything but buy a new case' mantra of my build. But if someone has a Socket G2 Ivy Bridge, I say give it a shot with v1.16
 
Aug 19, 2015
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Hello, I realized that this thread is old, I found it by a Google search but I gained some information that others may find useful. I emailed Advantech to ask about any unreleased or Beta BIOS versions for the AIMB-272 and they responded within one day. The v1.11 on their site is painfully old and they have a v1.16 dated only from May 2016 even. They also provided a list of improvements over each version but it's been super vague. Some versions have no new information. So I have no idea if Ivy bridge support has been implemented or not, there's no indication. However v1.14 notes "Enhance PCI Express device compatibility" which is what I'm looking for.

Since this thread had some useful information for me, I thought I'd share new information that I found. I have a Zip file that contains the v1.16bin, flashing instructions, the DOS flasher, and the note file they provided. I'll post again with a Google Drive link once I'm home from work. :)
Thanks a bunch for posting this. I actually contacted Advantech a few months ago asking for a beta BIOS as well - tried to get a 980 to work in it to no avail. They responded promptly but I didn't follow up persistently enough on the matter. The tech did tell me that my BIOS C1.11 was custom created for the original purchaser with some special LVDS stuff in it. I'll stash this away for later. The 272 has been rock solid for me for quite a while. I'd still like to get a better cooling solution for it at some point though.
 
Aug 19, 2015
31
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Maybe they did? My inspiration to email was I saw a YouTuber with a different model of Socket G2 board who emailed the company that made it and they sent him an Ivy Bridge compatible BIOS. So it seems to be technically possible. Some of the update versions on the documentation have NO comments as to what was changed, it couldn't hurt to test it.

I won't, because I got my board for the purpose of recycling a laptop into a desktop after six years of dutiful service, so buying a new CPU goes against the 'Recycling everything but buy a new case' mantra of my build. But if someone has a Socket G2 Ivy Bridge, I say give it a shot with v1.16
It's not too difficult to add this in yourself with AMI's BIOS tools. I added microcode for a socket 771 Xeon a while back to a 775 board without issue.
 

AshleyAshes

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Jul 24, 2017
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Thanks a bunch for posting this. I actually contacted Advantech a few months ago asking for a beta BIOS as well - tried to get a 980 to work in it to no avail. They responded promptly but I didn't follow up persistently enough on the matter. The tech did tell me that my BIOS C1.11 was custom created for the original purchaser with some special LVDS stuff in it. I'll stash this away for later. The 272 has been rock solid for me for quite a while. I'd still like to get a better cooling solution for it at some point though.
Not a problem, though I hope others make copies. I won't deleted it off Google Drive any time soon but I give no promises and the ZIP was too large for the forum's own file upload function. This is an obscure motherboard so the more information that's out there the more it an help users.

And I hear you on the heat sink, I hit 96'C on the GTA5 benchmark with the stock Coolermaster cooler while testing it and now I'm looking for a more suitable replacement and wondering if I can zip-tie in something made for a larger more common socket.
 
Aug 19, 2015
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Not a problem, though I hope others make copies. I won't deleted it off Google Drive any time soon but I give no promises and the ZIP was too large for the forum's own file upload function. This is an obscure motherboard so the more information that's out there the more it an help users.

And I hear you on the heat sink, I hit 96'C on the GTA5 benchmark with the stock Coolermaster cooler while testing it and now I'm looking for a more suitable replacement and wondering if I can zip-tie in something made for a larger more common socket.
I used to use one of the tower-style Evercool Northbridge coolers mentioned in this thread. It cooled my 2710QE better than the Cooljag unit I have currently installed but not by a huge margin. It was virtually silent but I was uncomfortable with the hack-job mount when I re-purposed the machine. If you come up with a good solution please post here. I haven't had the time or inclination to properly modify a cooler for this board.
 

Johann Enquist

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Apr 21, 2016
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I picked up a lot of 4 from the same seller in early May, all posted with a i7-2630QM and 16GB of RAM. Packing was acceptable, but not great. Finding a case that I don't have to take a dremel to has been the challenge for these boards.
 

TubaMT

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Jul 26, 2014
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AIMB272v116.zip

That Zip contains the 1.16 BIN, a set of instructions for flashing with a DOS bootable USB key, the DOS flasher tool, and the TXT file that lists the version history.
THANK YOU!

Thank you so much for uploading and sharing this new bios with us! I was pulling my hair out because I couldn't get one of my extra motherboards to stop freezing with a GTX 960 installed. It worked fine before, but I decided to tinker with the motherboard settings and then it just would not work no matter what I did (should have not messed with what was working). I had to put in an older AMD card and then it would work. With the new BIOS the GTX 960 works again! Thanks!

I just went looking for more of the boards, and there is a lot of 4 for 99$ plus ship.
Lot of 4 ADVANTECH AIMB-272 MAIN BOARD | eBay
Not sure on condition, but hell if you can get 1-2 working that's still good ;p
I also bought a pack of these a while ago. I just had the chance to test them out and they are all working as well. I tested them using an i7-2760qm and 16GB of RAM. They were packed all in the actual, unopened Advantech mobo box and mine were sealed in anti-static bag. Seemed to be brand new, just untested.



Also, for anybody still looking for cases:
I have used a Silverstone GD-09, Silverstone GD-08, and Aerocool Xpredator X1.

Also I am pretty positive that the Silverstone DS380 will work as well. That case has 8mm standoffs and I believe these motherboards are only about 5-6mm thick. If not, you could always shave down the CFAST slot since it is much thicker than it needs to be anyways.