Pros: Got it running right away, no problem at all. For those who are asking what the BIOS version it comes with from newegg at least mine came with 2.10 which was great because I had one E3-1276 v3 waiting for get seated. worked without any bios update. Good IPMI firmware, lots of options compared with others manufacturers.
Installing memory was a breeze and it's running with 32GB KVR16E11K4/32 which by the way isn't mentioned in the QVL (lucky me).

Cons: 1 - Manual is shared with other models and lacks information about the IPMI interface configuration, like other manufacturers you can configure the interface to use a dedicated interface plus a shared one.The manual is vague about that.
2 - USB 3.0 ports: only 2 at the back panel.

Other Thoughts: Despite of the Cons, which IMO isn't that relevant and shouldn't affect your purchase decision, it's a great product and with a good price for the features that comes with the package. very satisfied so far.

Pros: NONE YET

Cons: So i keep getting a memory error, on the debug display it keeps showing error #53, and it looks like im not the only one with this issue, so to me it sounds like a manufacturing defect, i tried 2 different sets of Registered ECC memory, listed on the asrock compatibility list for this motherboard, and still it wont turn on because of the error #53

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Wolf,

Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
Debug POST code definitely related to the memory issue. This specific E3C224-4L server board needs to use Un-buffered type of memory, or called UDIMM, as stated in the official product page.
Memory products listed in our RAM QVL have been checked again and they are all shown to be of UDIMM from the 3rd party website or official website. Kingston’s own QVL also suggests all the memory products they offer for this specific boards are of UDIMM.
So, it should rather sound to you this is NOT a manufacturing defect.

If you have any technical inquiry, please contact me with detail problem description at william@asrockamerica.com
I will assist you shortly.

Thank you

ASRock Rack Support
Email: http://event.asrock.com/tsd.asp?ln=en

Pros: BMC, No DOA, Technical Support, More features than I'll likely use.

Cons: Shipping BIOS was version 1.50. This caused a "No POST" situation when installing a i3-4160, as it is a Haswell-R die. As mentioned by another here, BIOS version 2.10 is compatible with Haswell-R. However, if you do not own an EEPROM programmer (like me), it may be possible to acquire a 64MB, 6-pin, ROM chip from ASRock Technical Support (as they did for me.) William (Tech Rep.) was highly professional, completely understood my situation, and had a new ROM out the door the next day. I received it 3 days later.

This alone allows me to recommend this product, and ASRock.

Other Thoughts: Not the cheapest MB around, but I wasn't exactly looking for "cheapest" either.

Pros: This is a great motherboard. I like ASRock motherboards because they seem to be more feature-filled and cutting-edge.

Cons: Unfortunately, I received a defective motherboard. It would only POST with 1 or 2 DIMM's of memory installed in channel 0 (installing DIMM's in channel 1 would cause it to lock up). Soon after, the motherboard failed to power on. Though this was a negative experience (that Newegg was no help in remedying), the customer service experience I had performing an RMA directly through ASRock Rack was so good that I will still be purchasing ASRock products for some time to come.

Pros: *Good Price
*5 Intel NICs
*Great RAC/IPMI functionality

Cons: RAM Compatibility is minimum, Initially used Crucial which they said was compatible with the board on crucials website, it may or may not work, not sure, all i know is i got fed up and bought ram that was vendor approved to remove a variable in the trouble shooting process

Wish there was a way to upgrade BIOS though IPMI the processor i had wasn't compatible with BIOS shipped, went through hell of a troubleshooting process between RAM and CPUs to end up finding out the device is defective

Other Thoughts: I would recommend buying anything on the verified RAM and CPU List, RAM is picky on this board compared to other vendors.

After get my RMA back and "if" i get it working i will update the review, defects are expected in any product so i will give it another try when i get the new one back.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued ASRock Customer

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
BIOS update is not directly available via IPMI. But you can use Console Redirection over iKVM but the board needs to be able to POST first.
Besides memory issue, what is the CPU you are using – Haswell or Haswell-R?
Please email willliam@asrockamerica.com directly for troubleshooting.

Thank you

ASRock Rack Support
Email: http://event.asrock.com/tsd.asp?ln=en

Pros: This is a very well designed board for setting up a Haswell-based server. I am using an i3-4160 (requires BIOS 2.10 or later) which performs great and is a bargain if you don't need the full Xeon E3 performance level.

I liked the following about this board:

* IPMI implementation is very functional and much nicer than Supermicro
* Fan speed on all headers fully controllable in BIOS! No junk software to install and it's OS independent!
* Quad Intel i210 LANs are great and support most every feature you'd want
* Flexible expansion slot configuration
* 2 extra SATA3 ports w/ Marvell controller (total 8 SATA ports)
* Highly customizable BIOS
* ASRock didn't 'skip' any ATX mounting holes in the design - this makes the board very sturdy when installed
* PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports are helpful for configuring finicky server OS' that won't load USB drivers immediately
* 2 digit debug LED on motherboard helps identify issues - easier than counting beeps
* Right angle SATA connectors - you either like them or you don't. I like them.

Cons: *Awkward placement of 12V CPU power connector means some users will have to use an extension or have a loose cable hanging over the board. This is a very annoying aspect of this board
* 32-bit PCI slots are largely unnecessary today - would have preferred to have kept the PCIe lanes required to add those
* I would have preferred the internal USB header to be USB 3.0

Other Thoughts: ASRock should include a rear slot bracket with an LED and button to connect to the internal header for the IPMI "locate" feature. The feature is useless otherwise, unless installing in a custom server chassis with a compatible led/button.

I chose this board over Supermicro's X10 series because ASRock's implementation seems more in tune with what a home/SMB builder would want in terms of full control over all aspects of the system. I also felt that ASRock's documentation of BIOS and other updates was more accessible and complete.

ASRock used a removable 8-pin DIP chip for the BIOS on this board. This means that if your board doesn't have the newest BIOS you don't have to RMA the entire board. This is important, since Haswell Refresh CPUs will require BIOS 2.10 or later. I was able to remove the chip and use an EEPROM programmer to update the BIOS so my board would boot with a Haswell refresh i3-4160.

Buyers of the Haswell/LGA1150 server platforms should realize that memory options are not plentiful and compatibility can be hit or miss. As painful as it can be, I have found it best to stick to the compatibility list or rely on other user experiences to validate memory.

I used Samsung M391B5673FH0-CH9 2GB RAM modules and had no problems whatsoever.

Pros: Great board for home lab esxi build. no 4 port add on nic needed with this.

Cons: Wish it had 16 and 8 on PCI-3.0 instead of 8x8

Other Thoughts: Bought first board and everything went so well that I ordered second board for my ESXi home lab build. Strange ESXi 5.5 installed no propblem on first board. On second board itwould not install until i customized the ESXi iso with the intel nic vib drivers. weird how one didfine and the other didnt. overall an excellent board I would recommend for esxi build.

Pros: I paired this board with Xeon E3-1230V3, 8GB of RAM from the SUPPORTED RAM list on the OEM's website, a 840 SSD, and a WD VelociRaptor. In this combination this system flies.

Cons: Little firmware upgrade bug. When you update the IPMI firmware if you cancel it or complete the upgrade it will reset to an unknown password. In order to fix this I just used ipmitool to change the password from a linux boot disk.

Other Thoughts: Overall asides the IPMI quirk a VERY solid board. And in my configuration it exceeds my needs many times over.

Pros: *Works
*Booted up just fine on first try, as usual.

Cons: *Nothing

Other Thoughts: *Unsure why other user had to kill this boards reviews. He probably used buffered ram. Especially as they posted 2 times..

*I bought from neweggs electronic bay page

*I have never had an issue with an ASRock board. I have owned 6 now. I have a better success rate with these than msi or asus, but that is just my opinion.

Pros: None---DOA

Cons: DOA

Other Thoughts: Tried 3 different sets of ECC RAM on the board. Keep getting Debug Code 53, ASROCK needs to do a better job at QA if they want to break in the Server Board Arena.
Sent e-mail to tech support days ago and have not receive an answer.
I did order a second board, if its DOA again I will never buy ASROCK again.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear ASRock Customer

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you
Code 53 related to memory.
Please clear the CMOS.
Test with ECC un-buffered memory.
Visit mainboard's memory support list link at" http://www.asrock.com/server/overview.asp?cat=Memory&Model=E3C224-4L".
If you have any technical issues or warranty questions please contact our Tech Support at http://www.ASRock.com/support/tsd.asp. We can assist you shortly.

Thank you

ASRock SUPPORT
Tech Support Email: user@ASRockamerica.com