Review: asus p8c ws

Asus presents us with its P8C WS (LGA 1155) motherboard with C216 chipset intended for workstations. Compatible with Sandy Brige / Ivy Bridge and Intel XEON E3 processors.

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ASUS P8CWS FEATURES
Processor	Intel® Socket 1155 for 3rd / 2nd Generation Core ™ i3 processor Intel® Socket 1155 for Intel® E3-1200 / 12 × 5 v2 processor Supports Intel® 32nm CPU Supports Intel® 22nm CPU Supports Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0
Chipset	Intel C216
Memory	Up to 32GB DDR3 ECC / Non-ECC Dual Channel and XMP profiles.
Graph	Integrated Graphics Processor Multi-VGA output support: DVI ports
Multi GPU	Supports AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX ™ Technology.
Expansion slots	2 x PCIe 3.0 / 2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8) 2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x4 mode) 1 x PCIe 2.0 x1 1 x PCI
Storage and USB connectors.	Intel® C216 chipset: 2 x SATA 6Gb / s port (s), gray 4 x SATA 3Gb / s port (s), blue Supports Raid 0, 1, 5, 10 Supports Intel® Smart Response Technology, Intel® Rapid Start Technology, Intel® Smart Connect Technology USB Connection: Intel® C216 chipset: 4 x USB 3.0 port (s) (2 at back panel, blue, 2 at mid-board) Intel® C216 chipset: 10 x USB 2.0 port (s) (6 at back panel, black, 4 at mid-board)
LAN	2 x Intel® 82574L, 2 x Gigabit LAN.
Audio	Realtek® ALC892 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC
IEEE 1394	VIA® 6308S. 2 x IEEE 1394a port (s)
Format	ATX (30.5 cm x 24.5 cm)

The C202 / C204 / C206 / C216 chipsets are designed for use in small / medium businesses. Among its most important features are the product family of the Xeon E3-1200 v1 / v2 processors and the Intel Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge home processors.

Intel assures us that: “ These chipsets offer reliability and productivity by providing cost-effective new levels of data protection, performance, extended security, virtualization, and power management options. "

Ultimate workstation platform: This motherboard incorporates the Soket 1155 with the C216 workstation chipset. ISV certification and integrated graphics cores in E3-12 × 5 v2 processors are ideal for home workstation configurations and software such as Autodesk® AutoCAD 2013 and Inventor 2012.

Support for multiple processors and memory modules: This motherboard supports both Intel® E3-1200 / 12 × 5 v2 series server / workstation processors and 3rd generation Core ™ i3. Users will also have the possibility to install non-ECC unbuffered DDR3 memory modules or, if they want maximum reliability, unbuffered DDR3 ECC modules.

Dual Hardware Accelerated Gigabit LAN: Thinking of users and businesses who want to improve the reliability and performance of their network, this motherboard includes two hardware accelerated Intel Gigabit LAN ports that reduce CPU load, minimize the loss of packages and include superior compatibility for various operating systems.

Intel® Smart Response Technology: This technology improves the overall performance of the system, for this, it incorporates a fast SSD memory (with a minimum of 18.6GB) as cache memory for those data that are accessed regularly. The combination of SSD memory and hard drive storage capacity make these motherboards work 4 times faster than systems that only include a traditional hard drive.

Asus presents its motherboard in the box format for socket 1155. The color black predominates, and the model of the motherboard is large screen-printed. This time we have a plate for Workstation.

The plate includes:

• SATA cables. COM cable and thieves. Panel with buttons for off, on, reset and tester. Rear hood. Instruction manual and installation CD.

Black (PCB) and blue predominate on the board. As we can see in the following image it is an ATX format plate with great characteristics that we will see below.

The back of the P8C WS.

The board allows us to install up to 3 ATI graphics cards in CrossFireX and several PCIE or PCI cards. In this image we can also see the internal USB connections, control panel and the 1394 connection.

Like all 1155 boards, it allows us to install up to 32GB. The big difference with the rest is its compatibility with DDR3 ECC (Registered) Memories.

Refrigeration is one of its strengths, taking into account that it is a plate for a workstation (Graphic design, Autocad or mathematical tasks).

The feeding phases are perfectly protected. The heatsinks are not high, but of quality.

EPU and GPU BOOST connections (see arrows).

And it allows us to connect up to 6 SATA drives. The Blue ones are SATA 3.0 and the two ports are SATA 6.0.

The rear panel incorporates two Gigabit LAN connections, a sound card, digital video outputs, USB 3.0./2.0, PS / 2 and E-SATA connections.

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	Intel 3770k
Base plate:	Asus P8C WS
Memory:	Kingston Hyperx PNP 2x4GB
Heatsink	Corsair H60
HDD	Kingston Hyperx 120gb
Graphic card	ASUS GTX580 DCII
Power supply	Thermaltake TouchPower 1350W

To check the performance of the board we have used a high-end Ivy Bridge processor, it is the Intel i7 3770k that works up to 3900mhz.

We have passed several programs to check their performance in stock, the results obtained are the following:

• CineBench 11.5: 7.63 points. X264 HD (4mb at 720p): 104.8 FPS. 7-zip 32MB: 22795 MIPS Adobe Photoshop CS4 Retouch Artists Test: 10.6 seconds.

Asus has once again demonstrated to us why it is one of the top two motherboard manufacturers in the world. His team has designed the Asus P8C WS board for high-end workstations. Capable of housing DDR3 ECC and Non-ECC memory, ATI multigpu system and Intel Xeon or Ivy / Sandy Bridge processors.

In our tests we have verified that it is able to get the most out of the 3770k processor (STOCK version). For example, in CineBench we have obtained 7.63 points and in X264HD at 4mb * 720p 104.8 FPS. Although the strong point is the increase in performance with Adobe Photoshop / Autocad / Inventor or SolidWork 2012.

In short, if you are looking to set up a team for graphic design, distributed computing or a server for small or medium businesses. Its board is the Asus P8C WS for its ATX dimensions, large DDR3 memory capacity and its optimized C216 chipset.

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ CHIPSET C216.	- DOES NOT ALLOW THE INSTALLATION OF TWO OR MORE NVIDIA GRAPHICS.
+ COMPATIBLE WITH CROSSFIREX.
+ COMPATIBLE WITH INTEL XEON.
+ PERFECT FOR SERVER.
+ GREAT BUNDLE.

The Professional Review team awards him the silver medal: