Asus p8b ws

[anikhtos]

i am thinking of building a low power system
so i think of e3-1220l or e3-1260l
i am considering the ASUS P8B WS mainboard that comes with c206
so i can make the system run with ecc ram
how much power the c206 drains i google it and so far i failed to find any info.
i searched the site of intel download many pdf files but they were generic referense to a family of chipset.
so 7watt tdp is accurate for this chip or not?

 

[dac7nco]

The C206 NB is essentially the same as H67. C204 has SATA-III, but no IGP capabilities, and C202 is bare-bones.

Daimon

 

[nexusN]

Sigh, I have been looking for P8B WS but it is just a nightmare in getting it.

 

[dac7nco]

Sigh, I have been looking for P8B WS but it is just a nightmare in getting it.

You must be outside of North America.

 

[nexusN]

You must be outside of North America.

Ya, I am from Hong Kong, and I have been waiting this for more than a month.
Ordered via a online store Linke(HK based) on 12-7-2011 but not even having a tentative date of arrival now.

All other parts are here.:thumbsdown:

 

[dac7nco]

By the time it's available in Hong Kong, I hope it's more functional that it is presently.

Quicksync is broken.
x8 PCIe (2, @x16length, from CPU) will not reliably support Intel NICs.
x4 PCIe (2, @x16length, from C206) will not reliably support LSI controllers.
PCI will NOT support a Supermicro IPMI card, which 1156 desktop boards will.

I won't get into memory... my sig used to say Kingston, before that Mushkin...

 

[nexusN]

By the time it's available in Hong Kong, I hope it's more functional that it is presently.

Quicksync is broken.
x8 PCIe (2, @x16length, from CPU) will not reliably support Intel NICs.
x4 PCIe (2, @x16length, from C206) will not reliably support LSI controllers.
PCI will NOT support a Supermicro IPMI card, which 1156 desktop boards will.

I won't get into memory... my sig used to say Kingston, before that Mushkin...

Thank you for your sharing,
this is not a fine board for workstation, I pick this only as I have no alternative.

I am gonna build a server also served as a HTPC, while the work load will never be heavy, Xeon E3-1235 + C206 would be a good choice in this case.
But, well, there is one and only one C206 board, I just don't understand why.

 

[dac7nco]

nexusN,

If you want an HTPC doubled as a small server, you don't need a Xeon; this thread was about a workstation platform... mFenn is the guy you want... he's the shit;Post "I want an HTPC" in general hardware and someone will hook you up.

Daimon

 

[nexusN]

nexusN,

If you want an HTPC doubled as a small server, you don't need a Xeon; this thread was about a workstation platform... mFenn is the guy you want... he's the shit;Post "I want an HTPC" in general hardware and someone will hook you up.

Daimon

Server will be a main part of it and the computer will be running 24/7, HTPC is simply an added desire.
Currently I know almost nothing for building a server, while this is what I intended to learn with this computer.
The workload will not be heavy as it is for private use only; my target is to set a cloud computing system so that I can do Matlab and Photoshop via my low power PC/tablet via internet, though this is very distant and I don't have any idea on how to get them done at the moment.

 

[dac7nco]

Server will be a main part of it and the computer will be running 24/7, HTPC is simply an added desire.
Currently I know almost nothing for building a server, while this is what I intended to learn with this computer.
The workload will not be heavy as it is for private use only; my target is to set a cloud computing system so that I can do Matlab and Photoshop via my low power PC/tablet via internet, though this is very distant and I don't have any idea on how to get them done at the moment.

Frankly, you would be better off with a C204 Bromolow board... which neuters USB 3.0 and IGP 3000, so save money by staying away from the 1xx5 CPUs. Even on a desktop H67 board, a Xeon @ $250 gets you hyper-threading, 8MB L3 and the doubled EUs of IGP 3000 for Quicksync duty.

That being said, do this: Build a server, connect it to a switch, build a tiny HTPC, connect it (WIRED!!!) to the switch. Run ECC RAM in the server, and buy 1.5v 9-9-9/24 DDR3 for everything else. Desktop DDR3 @ spec is at the point where it's nearly as reliable versus error correction... Don't worry about that.

You'll have a pain free experience if you use the cheapest 4GB, ECC, non-Regestered sticks you can find.

I can't tell you about 8GB sticks who work reliably, because they don't exist, or cost $600 per set. You don't find these on Newegg.

Stay away from the P8B WS.

Daimon (Pronounced Damon)

 

[nexusN]

Frankly, you would be better off with a C204 Bromolow board... which neuters USB 3.0 and IGP 3000, so save money by staying away from the 1xx5 CPUs. Even on a desktop H67 board, a Xeon @ $250 gets you hyper-threading, 8MB L3 and the doubled EUs of IGP 3000 for Quicksync duty.

That being said, do this: Build a server, connect it to a switch, build a tiny HTPC, connect it (WIRED!!!) to the switch. Run ECC RAM in the server, and buy 1.5v 9-9-9/24 DDR3 for everything else. Desktop DDR3 @ spec is at the point where it's nearly as reliable versus error correction... Don't worry about that.

You'll have a pain free experience if you use the cheapest 4GB, ECC, non-Regestered sticks you can find.

I can't tell you about 8GB sticks who work reliably, because they don't exist, or cost $600 per set. You don't find these on Newegg.

Stay away from the P8B WS.

Daimon (Pronounced Damon)

Thank you for your kind suggestion,
that problem is I have already bought an E3-1235 as planned weeks ago,
I may have first to return it and get a 1230 before I can have any further action.

You are true that I should not think of integrating the HTPC into the server, so now I am seriously thinking about the Intel C204 board.

 

[nexusN]

Please neglect, a wrong reply.

 

[brendanz]

By the time it's available in Hong Kong, I hope it's more functional that it is presently.

Quicksync is broken.
x8 PCIe (2, @x16length, from CPU) will not reliably support Intel NICs.
x4 PCIe (2, @x16length, from C206) will not reliably support LSI controllers.
PCI will NOT support a Supermicro IPMI card, which 1156 desktop boards will.

I won't get into memory... my sig used to say Kingston, before that Mushkin...

I was 100% committed to this board until I saw your comments. You seem to be one of the ones who took the plunge early on this board.

When you say it doesn't reliably support Intel NIC's, are you talking about the two Intel NIC's that are on-board? Or are you talking about additional NICs that you added to it?

Which LSI controller? SAS2008 based ones? Do you have any further details on it? I'm so disappointed to hear that, as I was intending on using this controller.

If you wouldn't mind, would you be able to provide more details about the memory that you want to use? I was going to buy standard desktop 4 8GB DIMM's (4x8=32GB) such as this: http://www.megabuy.com.au/kingston-8...m-p176144.html with a Core i7. If you recommend against Kingston ram, do you recommend anything else? I can ship memory in from the US if need be.

Thanks for your help.

 

[dac7nco]

Sorry for the delay, and welcome to the forums. The PM was a good idea, as It's the only thing I get emails for.

Memory first: The only 8GB, ECC, un-buffered sticks I've fount to work are "Axiom AX", with Samsung chips. Kingston should have some out soon, and then the floodgates should open... The Axiom AX DIMMS are $200 apeice... ahem. ASUS memory compatibility list includes a lot of gaming memory for this board for some reason. You should never treat an ASUS product with the same respect as a Supermicro one. All of the Kingston and Wintec 4GB ECC, nun-registered memory should work fine.

RAID Controllers: I've found that the modern LSI controllers in the 92XX series have all sorts of problems, meaning that the system simply won't boot. I was going to test an Areca card, but I won't buy one just to return it. If you want to slum, Highpoint cards work.

The problems I had with Intel NICs have been resolved, and they were with discrete cards.

Daimon

 

[brendanz]

Sorry for the delay, and welcome to the forums. The PM was a good idea, as It's the only thing I get emails for.

Memory first: The only 8GB, ECC, un-buffered sticks I've fount to work are "Axiom AX", with Samsung chips. Kingston should have some out soon, and then the floodgates should open... The Axiom AX DIMMS are $200 apeice... ahem. ASUS memory compatibility list includes a lot of gaming memory for this board for some reason. You should never treat an ASUS product with the same respect as a Supermicro one. All of the Kingston and Wintec 4GB ECC, nun-registered memory should work fine.

RAID Controllers: I've found that the modern LSI controllers in the 92XX series have all sorts of problems, meaning that the system simply won't boot. I was going to test an Areca card, but I won't buy one just to return it. If you want to slum, Highpoint cards work.

The problems I had with Intel NICs have been resolved, and they were with discrete cards.

Daimon

Thanks for the info Daimon, really appreciate it. Interesting note on the memory and RAID controller. I had my eye on an Areca 1880i, and use it with a HP SAS Expander (that I already have). However, I'm having second thoughts

You posted another thread here:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2181204

Do you know if those 8GB DIMMs work in this Asus board, with a standard Core i7 2600 processor?

I'm trying to research elsewhere to see if there are other issues with Areca cards and this board.