As for ASRock, the server branch of the brand (ASRock Rack), announces a new motherboard. We are talking about a small format reference, the E3C256D2I. We are dealing with a small mini-ITX card.
E3C256D2I: server board in ITX!
With this new model, ASRock offers us a small card in mini-ITX format. This board embeds a LGA-1200 socket and an Intel C256 socket. With this combination, we are ready for the installation of Xeon E-2300 CPUs and 10th generation mainstream processors (Core i and Pentium).
ITX format, we find two memory slots in DDR4. These can take up to 32 GB of RAM in 3200 MHz in UDIMM ECC and non-ECC format. Moreover, the speed will be limited to 2666 MHz with a Core i of 10th generation.
On the PCIe side, there is only one x16 connector, which is logical given the format. Moreover, if it can run at the 4.0 standard with Xeon, in Core i, once again, we are limited to the 3.0 standard, just like the M.2 slot placed next to the socket.
Moreover, the storage part offers, in addition to the M.2, two OCuLink connectors working in PCIe 3.0 x4. Otherwise, each connector can be split into two SATA III 6 Gb/s.
For the network part, we have two Ethernet driven by Intel chips. The first one will be in i210 in 1 GbE, the second one will benefit from an i219 chip, also in 1 GbE. The third Ethernet port (Realtek RTL8211E) is dedicated to the management via the network thanks to the BMC ASPEED AST2500 controller.
Finally, we will note the rather particular power supply of this model. Indeed, there is no 24-pin ATX connector, only an 8-pin 12V ATX. The CPU benefits from a 4-pin EPS12V while the second 4-pin connector (at the PCIe level) is intended for storage depending on the power supply used.
Here is the ASRock Rack datasheet !
