ASUS P8C WS ATX Server Motherboard LGA 1155 Intel C216 DDR3 1600

Pros: Working very well with Axiom DDR3-1600 8GB ECC UDIMM
Working also very well with Kingstone DDR-1600 8GB ECC UDIMM

Cons: The manual shows only a few ECC memory models in the compatible memory list, so choosing memory is challenging, particularly if you are interested to ECC.

Other Thoughts: I have used this mb with 1230v2 and two 8GB ECC memory sticks manufactured by the different companies. Amazingly they are running pretty stable.

FYI, if you want to turn on WOL, you may need to turn on "wake up from PCIe" option on the BIOS setup screen.

Pros: has the hardware features I want

Cons: BIOS cannot be flashed back. Unable to use my current backup software on bootable media. Manual does not correspond to BIOS CSM and Secure Boot settings

Other Thoughts: This is an update to my prior review. Further communication with ASUS confirms that the BIOS on the P8C cannot be flashed to an earlier version. I still do not have a definitive answer as to whether the BIOS can be backed up. ASUS is sending me a 0505 BIOS chip. I flashed the current BIOS chip with the 3306 version and Acronis 11 and Paragon 2013 would only load if the RAID-1 drives with the Win7 64bit Pro installation were not in the system, exhibiting the same behavior as the 3202 BIOS. The Acronis Linux kernel is unable to load and the Paragon reboots endlessly. The ASUS P8C manual states that "BIOS updating is potentially risky" but doesn't disclose that you have to buy another chip if you want to return to an earlier version. The P8C manual also lacks a description of the CSM and Secure Boot options that are part of the 3202 and 3306 BIOS. Wikipedia discusses Microsoft/Linux incompatibilities in an article about UEFI and secure boot.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

Regarding your issue with the manual, I have forward your issue with head quarters to see if they can do anything to assist regarding the manual and website manual to correspond with each other regarding the bios being .CAP files.

Regards,
Jeffrey

Pros: has the features I want

Cons: Both the print manual and the latest downloadable manual (5/21/13) do not correspond to the BIOS. BIOS apparently cannot be backed up or flashed to an earlier version. Manual refers to .rom files instead of .cap files. Acronis and latest Paragon will not run with Win7 64bit pro installation on hard drives.

Other Thoughts: I Built a P8C system with 0505 BIOS in 7/12. Acronis would load and not see SSD drives. Paragon backup software was used successfully. Bought P8C with 3202 BIOS in 4/13 and could not load Acronis from disk used with ASUS A8N-SLI and P7F-X RAID-1 WinXP systems. Paragon software reboots endlessly. Software will load if hard drives with Win7 64bit Pro not in system. "Unable to load Linux kernel" error for Acronis if drives are present. ASUS EZFlash does not permit flashing to earlier BIOS and BUPDATER will not backup BIOS, giving message "The BIOS backup is not supported due to the security policy." When I talked with tech support, they said that they had never heard of the message and sent me a new BIOS v. 3202 chip. No change in behavior and I submitted a test report form. Googled the message and found a post about another motherboard by Admin on ASUS VIP forum stating "The BIOS backup was blocked to allow the possibility to pass Windows 8 WHQL test, so is the change from .ROM to .CAP." It has been three weeks and nobody has been able to confirm whether or not it is possible to backup or backdate the P8C BIOS. Nobody has been able to explain why Acronis and Paragon will load if the hard drives are not present, but fail to load if the Win7 installation is present. Nobody has indicated when a manual corresponding to the present BIOS will be available. BIOS 3306 is now available, but nobody will tell me whether or not I should try to flash it. I will post a followup if and when these issues are addressed by ASUS. Moderator on ASUS VIP forum had this to say about another motherboard:
"No one from Asus generally reads this Forum.. so if you want to report the Bupdater issue, you need to do so through the Technical Inquiry route..
Your user manual 'should' describe the proper procedure.
It is not unusual for technical writers to do a lot of 'Cut & Paste'.. many times in places where it doesn't belong and becomes misleading."

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

I have already emailed you that Aaron will be handling your case and looks like he will send you a bios chip with version 0505 as a one time courtesy.

If you have any questions or comments please email Aaron as he is in the escalation department and he will be able to help you further.

ASUS strives to meet and exceeds our customer expectations within our warranty policy.

Regards,

Jeffrey

Pros: Xeon 1275v2 processor. XMP 32GB Corsair 1600 memory.
Very fast:
Passmark CPU Mark 10,558. Passmark Memory Mark 7743. Passmark HD benckmark 4366 on Intel 525SSD.
Use internal Hd 4000 video.
I use VMware Workstation 9. 2012 server runs fine.

Cons: Want more SATA 3 ports, only 2 standard.

Other Thoughts: Dead quiet in Fractal Design Case with M2 620 slient power supply.

Pros: Supports both i7 and E3-12XX ivy bridge processors. Supports both EEC and Non RAM. PCI Ex 3.0 x16 and X8 crossfire. Supports Win 7, 8, Server 2K8 and Server 2K10.
Do yourself a favor and take the time to lookup the supported memory models. I used 32GB Kingston KVR16E11K4/32 in a matched set. This will solve most of the problems I have noted from other reviews about this board. Also be certain you are intending to use integrated graphics or not. If so, do your homework and get a processor that supports it. If you are intending to use Server 2K12, get an LGA 2011 board.

Cons: I had to give it four eggs for one single reason. There is only one USB 2.0 header on the board. If you have front panel USB ports, or a card reader like I did, you won't be able to use the D-bracket that comes with the board, and will have to choose between FP and card reader. It really should have had two or more sets.

Other Thoughts: I am the IT admin for a mid sized manufacturer. We purchased two of these and both run flawlessly when paired with supported hardware and OS. This board was purchased with an E3-1245 V2 processor, AMD FirePro W7000, and Kingston Hyper X SSD. This machine rocks SolidWorks 2013, AutoCad, and Adobe Illustrator. It is quite possibly the fastest 3D drafting machine I have ever built with our modest engineering budget.

Pros: Supports PCIe 3.0, USB 3.0 and ECC memory. Works with Windows 7 and 8 (upgrade the BIOS for Win8) pretty well. Virtualization using Hyper-V with Windows 8 is awesome! Much better than with Virtual PC in Windows 7.

Cons: This board kept loosing my USB devices (including my keyboard and mouse) and PCIe soundcard. I upgraded the BIOS and this helped.

Other Thoughts: I'm a software developer and wanted a system that was stable. I am using an Intel Xeon E3-1230v2 processor (liquid cooled) with 16GB of ECC memory, AMD Radeon 7770 (with three monitors), 500GB HDD and 250GB SSD drive powered by a 750Watt power supply. Its definately is a small power house but the issues with the USB ports not working properly was a BIG setback. Upgrading the BIOS helped tremendously. I would do this right away if you purchase the board.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

Glad to hear that the updated bios resolved your issues.

If you have any questions or comments you can email me at cl-jeffrey@asus.com which I reside in the U.S

ASUS strives to meet and exceeds our customer expectations within our warranty policy.

Regards,

Jeffrey
ASUS Customer Loyalty

Pros: Supports Ivy Bridge Xeons, Dual Intel Gigabit NICs, Can use regular (non-registered, non-ECC) or ECC (non-registered RAM), dual PCIe 3.0 x16 slots for workstation graphics cards

Cons: None.

Other Thoughts: This is a true WORKSTATION board. I run a Xeon E3-1240 V2 Ivy Bridge with 32 GB of RAM and everything has been very stable running Linux with a permanent Windows 7 VM. You really should look at something else for gaming, I don't understand all the people trying to build a gaming PC with this motherboard. Asus makes a great line of gaming motherboards, take a look at those.

Remember that to use the onboard video ports you must get an Intel processor with the integrated graphics.

Thank you Asus for using the Intel NICs, they are much better that the Realtek ones.

Pros: Great on paper...

Cons: No Windows server 2012 drivers. Yes I should have checked, but this is a first. I have it running WS2012 but with the chipset, ect., drivers missing I'm losing out on the functionality that I was counting on. Built this machine on a budget so I waited for items to go on sale so I can't return it. I use ASUS MB's for 90% of my builds. I'll be looking to other vendors from now on.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

We're sorry to hear about your experience with the motherboard. Windows 2012 OS can provide drivers when it is installed. Can you go to Device Manager and tell me if any onboard devices are not properly detected / recognized? Please provide screenshot if possible. To continue support, please contact me at cl-benson@asus.com (reference #C1037-9288 in the subject line). Thank you.

For support information, please visit http://support.asus.com. For service, visit http://service.asus.com. For motherboard warranty, visit http://www.service.asus.com/warranty.aspx#!Motherboard%20Warranty/c1c20; Refurbished products/accessories: http://www.service.asus.com/warranty.aspx#!refurbished-warranty/c16us. For RMA status, visit: http://am.eservice.asus.com/rmaweb/search/rmCustomerQueryAction.do?.

Regards,
Benson
ASUS Customer Loyalty

Pros: don't see, as I can buy much cheaper mobo which will also work excellent when playing games or for office work.

Cons: No iAMT => No server use;
No server use => No need of XEON and ECC;
No XEON => why C216 chip?
No C216 = Why buy P8C??

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

The P8C WS is targeted towards workstation use. AMT is not supported. However, it can take advantage of Intel® E3-1200/12x5 v2 processors as well as 3rd/2nd Generation Core™ i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3 processors (see http://www.asus.com/Motherboard/P8C_WS/#support_CPU for a list of CPU's supported), in addition to ECC memory (see http://www.asus.com/Motherboard/P8C_WS/#support_QVL for QVL memory--best compatibility). If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at the email below. Thank you.

Regards,
Benson
ASUS Customer Loyalty
cl-benson@asus.com

Pros: Supports ECC memory. Supports Ivy Bridge Xeons, Dual Intel Pro 1000 NICs, USB 3.0.

Cons: None

Other Thoughts: This is a great board for folks wanting to build a
nice workstation with ECC memory. Its low "egg rating" comes from
folks who don't understand how Intel's Integrated Graphics work. I'm
using Linux Mint with this and an Intel Xeon E3-1245 V2 Ivy Bridge,
32 gig of ECC memory (4 Kingston KVR16E11/8), a COOLER MASTER Hyper
212 EVO (which clears all 4 DIMM slots by the way), a CORSAIR HX
Series HX750 PSU, all in a Fractal Design Define R4.

Before loading Linux, I played with Windows 8 just to see and it works
fine.