iBASE Launches MI995 Mini-ITX Intel CM246-Based Board for Xeon E
by Anton Shilov on October 17, 2018 2:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
- Xeon
- Core
- Core 8th Gen
- IBASE
- CM246
iBASE introduced one of the industry’s first Mini-ITX motherboards for Intel’s Xeon E processors on Tuesday. The MI995 is based on Intel’s mobile CM246 PCH and is aimed at low-power miniature specialized PCs. Meanwhile, small does not mean limitations, so the MI995 has nearly all the expansion capabilities its bigger brothers do.
The iBASE MI995VF-X27 is based on Intel’s CM246 chipset designed for laptops and supporting Intel’s Xeon E processors in FCBGA1440 packaging for mobile workstations. The particular model carries six-core Xeon E-2176M CPU. In addition, the manufacturer also offers the MI995VF-8850 and MI995VF-8400 platforms featuring the QM370 PCH as well as six-core Core i7-8850H and quad-core Core i5-8400H processors respectively. The Xeon-powered SKU supports up to 32 GB of ECC memory, whereas the Core-powered models can carry up to 32 GB of non-ECC DRAM. All the SKUs feature a TPM 2.0 module, and support vPro, iAMT 11.6 remote management, and iSMART 3.5 technologies.
When it comes to expandability, the iBASE MI995 motherboards feature a PCIe 3.0 x16 slot for graphics cards, a mini-PCIe slot, an M.2-2280 slot for SSDs, an M.2-2230 slot for CNVi Wi-Fi solutions, two or four SATA connectors, and so on.
Moving on to connectivity. The MI995 is equipped with two Intel GbE controllers, a Fintek F8196D-I chip for four COM ports, three display outputs, (DisplayPort, DVI-D, HDMI 2.0), six USB 3.1 ports, and audio connectors. As noted above, the motherboards may be outfitted with an optional 802.11ac Wi-Fi CNVi module.
iBASE officially positions its MI995 motherboards for digital signage, gaming, entertainment, and POS applications. Even out of the box, the platform can support multiple displays. Once equipped with a discrete graphics card, the system gains both GPU performance and additional display outputs, just what is needed for digital signage and gaming applications.
| iBASE's MI995 Motherboards | ||||
| MI995VF-X27 | MI995VF-8850 | MI995VF-8400 | ||
| CPUs | Intel Xeon E-2176M 6C/12T 2.7 - 4.4 GHz 12 MB cache 45 W |
Intel Core i7-8850H 6C/12T 2.6 - 4.3 GHz 9 MB cache 45 W |
Intel Core i5-8400H 4C/8T 2.5 - 4.2 GHz 8 MB cache 45 W |
|
| PCH | Intel CM246 + Fintek F81966D-I controller | |||
| Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics from CPU PCIe 3.0 x16 slot |
|||
| Display Outputs | 1 × DisplayPort 1.2 1 × eDP header 1 × DVI-D 1 × HDMI 2.0a |
|||
| Memory | 2 × DDR4 SO-DIMM Up to 32 GB of DDR4-2667 ECC or non-ECC, depending on CPU |
|||
| Slots for Add-In-Cards | 1 × PCIe 3.0 x16 1 × miniPCIe |
|||
| Ethernet | LAN 1: Intel I219LM Gigabit LAN PHY (MI995VF-Series) Intel I219V Gigabit LAN PHY (MI995EF) LAN 2: Intel I210AT Gigabit LAN (MI995VF-X27) Intel I211AT Gigabit LAN (MI995VF-8850/8400, MI995EF) |
|||
| Storage | 4 × SATA 6 Gbps 1 × M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4 or SATA) |
2 × SATA 6 Gbps 1 × M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4 or SATA) |
||
| Audio | Realtek ALC888S-VD2-GR | |||
| USB | 6 × USB 3.1 Type-A 4 × USB 2.0 Type-A via header |
|||
| Serial Ports | 2 × RS232 2 × RS232/422/485 |
|||
| Wi-Fi | M.2-2230 slot | |||
| Operating Temperature | 0°C~60°C (32°F~140°F) | |||
| Form-Factor | Mini-ITX (170 mm × 170 mm | 6.7" × 6.7") | |||
iBASE already lists MI995 motherboards on its website, but has not touched upon pricing and availability timeframe.
Related Reading
- ASUS Launches WS C246 PRO: 4 PCIe 3.0 x16, Two M.2, Optional SAS RAID
- ASRock Launches C246M WS Micro-ATX Motherboard for Xeon E CPUs
- iBASE Lists C246 Motherboards for Intel Xeon E CPUs
- The ASRock B360M-ITX/ac Motherboard Review: Tiny Take on B360, Sub $100
- The MSI Z370I Gaming Pro Carbon AC (mITX) Motherboard Review: Balanced Gaming Diet
- The ASRock Z370 Gaming-ITX/ac Motherboard Review: Mini-ITX with Thunderbolt 3
Source: iBASE
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JoeyJoJo123 - Wednesday, October 17, 2018 - link
Am I allowed to complain excessively in the comments about a product that I never had any intention to buy, because it doesn't fit my exact niche regarding X, Y, Z arbitrary requirements, even though logically I could just do Google searches for products that would fit my desires?Yes?
OK. Waaahhh!! Why is this Mini-ITX and uses LPDDR memory form factor? Why doesn't it have RGB or a black PCB? Why is the heatsink affixed to the board already, I wanted to use a Noctua NH L9i. Why doesn't this have a full size M.2-2280 slot.
Oh, what, you're telling me that there's plenty of products on the market that fit my use-case adequately and that I should just buy those instead? Nevermind that. I gotta whine on news articles to annoy the other commenters that would otherwise like to discuss what the product does!
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With the PeachNCream whining done and out of the way, the board looks pretty good. ECC support, 32GB max memory, low power Xeon processor, dual intel gigabit LAN, good compact industry standard form factor, M.2-2230 should be usable as an SSD for a small Linux/Unix install.
Looks very adequate for a motherboard to use as either a pfSense router for people with symmetrical Gigabit internet speeds and want to use lots of other features, or even as a FreeNAS board, if you get a HBA card for additional drives.
Grandal - Wednesday, October 17, 2018 - link
Looks like a great motherboard for a FreePBX appliance I am planning.Inteli - Wednesday, October 17, 2018 - link
It does have an M.2-2280 socket, though. Right beside the CPU.This would make a great little NAS though, provided it's not too expensive.
Inteli - Wednesday, October 17, 2018 - link
These are on Mouser right now, who want $1150 for the Xeon model. Don't know if that's MSRP or not, but that's too expensive for my blood. Even the i5 model at $813 is too much for me, and that loses ECC support.kaidenshi - Wednesday, October 17, 2018 - link
It has both, there's a 2230 slot on the underside. I wonder though, with it being listed as a "CNVi" slot, does it require an Intel RF card or can a regular miniPCIe WiFi card card be used in that slot as well?brunis.dk - Thursday, October 18, 2018 - link
You seem to have deterred all the whiners, thanks, but i still had to read through yours :)