iBASE has published specifications of its upcoming MB995VF-C246 motherboard aimed at entry-level/embedded servers and workstations that will support Intel’s upcoming (but not yet announced) Xeon E processors. The mainboard generally resembles platforms for desktops, but due to positioning it boasts with enhanced durability, reliability, as well as legacy I/O capabilities.

The iBASE MB995VF-C246 motherboard is based on Intel’s as-yet unannounced C246 PCH and therefore supports Xeon E processors. The mainboard relies on design originally developed for the MB995VF based on the Intel Q370 PCH, and according to the listing will also support 8th Gen Core i3/i5/i7 as well as Pentium CPUs for business desktops. Given its positioning, the motherboard fully supports iAMT 11 remote management, TPM 2.0, vPro, and iSMART features.

The MB995VF-C246 motherboard from iBASE is outfitted with a multi-phase VRM for CPU that is based on solid-state coils designed to sustain prolonged workloads. The platform carries four DDR4 DIMM slots supporting up to 64 GB of DDR4-2667 memory (either ECC or non-ECC), one PCIe 3.0 x16 slot for graphics cards, a PCIe 3.0 x4 for high-end SSDs, a PCIe 3.0 x1 for various add-on boards, one mini PCIe, as well as three PCI slots. Moving on to storage options. The MB995VF-C246 has six SATA ports, and one M.2-2280. The platform can support up to six SATA SSDs/HDDs as well as two PCIe/NVMe drives of different capacity.

When it comes to networking connectivity, the motherboard has two GbE controllers, and an M.2-2230 slot for a Wi-Fi card. As for general I/O, the MB995VF-C246 has four USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports, five USB 3.1 Gen 1 headers, a USB 2.0 via a pin-header (internal port), a DVI-D output, a DisplayPort 1.2, an HDMI 2.0a, four RS232 ports, two RS232/422/485 connectors, and a 7.1-channel audio.

The iBASE MB995VF-C246 is positioned for embedded computing, which is why it has PCI slots (often used for outdated add-in cards) as well as various legacy ports. Meanwhile, presence of up-to-date slots and ports indicates that one can easily build a contemporary server or workstation using this motherboard.

iBASE guarantees a 15-year lifetime for its MB995VF motherboards, so people looking to build an embedded system based on these platforms can be assured that they will be able to procure these mainboards in the years to come. The new mainboards are expected to become available shortly.

iBASE's Motherboard for Intel's Xeon E CPUs
  MB995VF-C246
Supported CPUs LGA1151 v2 CPUs
Xeon E
8th Gen Core i3/i5/i7
PCH Intel C246 + Fintek F81966D-I controller
Graphics Intel UHD Graphics from CPU
PCIe 3.0 x16 slot
Display Outputs 1 × DisplayPort 1.2
1 × DVI-D
1 × HDMI 2.0a
Memory 4 × DDR4 DIMM
Up to 64 GB of DDR4-2667
ECC or non-ECC
Slots for Add-In-Cards 1 × PCIe 3.0 x4
1 × PCIe 3.0 x1
1 × miniPCIe
3 × PCI 32-bit/33 MHz
Ethernet LAN 1: Intel I219LM GbE PHY
LAN 2: Intel I210AT GbE PHY
Storage 6 × SATA 6 Gbps
1 × M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4 or SATA)
Audio Realtek ALC888S-VD2-GR
7.1-channel audio
USB 4 × USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A
5 × USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A
1 × USB 2.0 Type-A
Serial Ports 4 × RS232
2 × RS232/422/485
Wi-Fi M.2-2230 slot
Operating Temperature 0°C~60°C (32°F~140°F)
Form-Factor ATX (305 mm × 244 mm | 12" × 9.6")

Related Reading:

Source: iBASE

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  • shabby - Wednesday, July 11, 2018 - link

    Is it me or does that green soldermask bring back some nostalgia?
  • zdw - Wednesday, July 11, 2018 - link

    Not the PCI slots?
  • shabby - Wednesday, July 11, 2018 - link

    Omg i just noticed those, thought they were pcie or something. When was the last time pci slots were on a mobo?
  • Chaitanya - Thursday, July 12, 2018 - link

    there are few motherboards specially made for telecommunication service providers that come with ISA slots.
  • DanNeely - Thursday, July 12, 2018 - link

    The newest of those I can find are based on the 2012 era Q77 chipset (Ivybridge, LGA1155). That's far enough back in time from the present day to suggest that residual demand from customers with very expensive embedded/industrial control systems using ISA interfaces is withering away to nothing.
  • CaedenV - Thursday, July 12, 2018 - link

    Mine still has PCI slots... but it is also a Sandy Bridge mobo... Still waiting for an upgrade that will blow my socks off :(
    m.2 looks exciting, but I can't justify a whole new build just to have slightly faster load times than 2 SATA drives in RAID0
  • DanNeely - Thursday, July 12, 2018 - link

    mainstream 6+ cores is probably the closest to wow you're going to see.

    OTOH if it's not a current need I'd suggest waiting a few more years for PCIe4, initial hardware Spectre/Meltdown fixes (they probably won't be done anytime soon, Spectre appears to be a gift that's just going to keep giving for an extended period), and multiple USB-C ports for better forward looking connectivity.
  • bolkhov - Wednesday, July 11, 2018 - link

    Green is standard on server and business-grade products.
    Tyan, Advantech, Intel, Supermicro (besides gaming C7/C9) -- all are green, as well as Asus B360M-C, Q370M-C and several others.
  • CheapSushi - Wednesday, July 11, 2018 - link

    I love that Gigabyte will often use a nice shade of blue. :D
  • boozed - Thursday, July 12, 2018 - link

    Never thought I'd see a motherboard that actually looks like a motherboard again.

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