Nice! Thanks for the information. I've been super happy with the power usage mine is already at... If I can get it cranking lower; heck yea! I'll give these a shot this weekend and report back.

And do not forget to set these settings too. It is all you need for C8 state and sub 20W power consumption.

Picture

I currently use a Synology NAS and am interested in the Asus Pro WS W680-ACE for my new NAS build, as it combines all the features I'm looking for (Plex transcoding with an Intel iGPU, ECC, remote KVM, 2.5Gb/s network, low power consumption).

After reading most of the posts in this thread, I still don't quite understand what vPro does on this board or in general. In some tech specs of the board it's listed as a remote maintenance feature. Apparently, tools like MeshCommander can access Intel vPro/AMT and provide a similar functionality as IPMI, like remote KVM. Which would then make vPro a good alternative to IPMI, as some users in this thread seemingly had some issues with the IPMI features of the board. Is this correct or am I missing something obvious here?

Edited July 26, 2025Jul 26 by ottoman

22 hours ago, ottoman said:

I currently use a Synology NAS and am interested in the Asus Pro WS W680-ACE for my new NAS build, as it combines all the features I'm looking for (Plex transcoding with an Intel iGPU, ECC, remote KVM, 2.5Gb/s network, low power consumption).

After reading most of the posts in this thread, I still don't quite understand what vPro does on this board or in general. In some tech specs of the board it's listed as a remote maintenance feature. Apparently, tools like MeshCommander can access Intel vPro/AMT and provide a similar functionality as IPMI, like remote KVM. Which would then make vPro a good alternative to IPMI, as some users in this thread seemingly had some issues with the IPMI features of the board. Is this correct or am I missing something obvious here?

I'm slightly embarrassed to say that despite building my system around this board, I didn't look into vPro and was also unaware of it and what it was. After doing a bit of reading, it looks like it's sort of an IPMI alternative, but doesn't cover all IPMI features. IPMI allows for more monitoring features than vPro does, but to quote a random internet comment that I found, "if you just want to be able to reboot your server remotely, vPro is fine."

Since vPro is based off of the processor, my concern with relying on it over IPMI would be reliance on the system. The IPMI card kind of stinks in taking up a PCI slot (other motherboards have IPMI functionality baked into the board, itself, although that may shoot the argument I'm about to make), but it's independent. The system can be off, and as long as it's powered, the IPMI card is on. The IPMI card even has its own ethernet port; in a way, it is like putting a computer inside of your computer, albeit one with limited functionality. It's nice to know that even if your main system freezes or somehow becomes unreachable, you can log in to the IPMI card to reboot, access the BIOS, and so on.

Granted, while I logged in to the IPMI card heavily during the first two or three weeks with the server, when I was making heavy changes, it has now been months since I touched it. It's there in case of emergencies, and I paid the extra money for that, but I'm half considering if I'd take it out to put in a different expansion card, if I needed it.

I'm still confused as to why the IPMI is still a separate card. The smaller Micro ATX version of the motherboard (which was released 6-7 months after the ATX version) has the BMC/IPMI built-in to the motherboard rather than as an add-on card, so it seems to me that they could release a new revision of the ATX version that has it built-in as well.

The IPMI is literally a separate computer - It's running Linux 5.4 compiled in 2023 on an ARMv7 processor with ~400MB RAM (you can see the boot log and process list if you go to Maintenance → SystemDiagnostics and export a debug log). This is why you should only ever expose it to a trusted network (LAN or VPN only! Not to the public internet!!), since it's unknown if the vendor does any patching of security issues. Publicly-exposed IPMI is how some data centers and web hosting providers were hacked (via the JungleSec ransomware) - some IPMI systems had hidden users that weren't visible in the web UI, with default passwords.

Edited July 26, 2025Jul 26 by Daniel15

3 hours ago, Ledgem said:

I'm slightly embarrassed to say that despite building my system around this board, I didn't look into vPro and was also unaware of it and what it was. After doing a bit of reading, it looks like it's sort of an IPMI alternative, but doesn't cover all IPMI features. IPMI allows for more monitoring features than vPro does, but to quote a random internet comment that I found, "if you just want to be able to reboot your server remotely, vPro is fine."

Since vPro is based off of the processor, my concern with relying on it over IPMI would be reliance on the system. The IPMI card kind of stinks in taking up a PCI slot (other motherboards have IPMI functionality baked into the board, itself, although that may shoot the argument I'm about to make), but it's independent. The system can be off, and as long as it's powered, the IPMI card is on. The IPMI card even has its own ethernet port; in a way, it is like putting a computer inside of your computer, albeit one with limited functionality. It's nice to know that even if your main system freezes or somehow becomes unreachable, you can log in to the IPMI card to reboot, access the BIOS, and so on.

Granted, while I logged in to the IPMI card heavily during the first two or three weeks with the server, when I was making heavy changes, it has now been months since I touched it. It's there in case of emergencies, and I paid the extra money for that, but I'm half considering if I'd take it out to put in a different expansion card, if I needed it.

The IPMI has its own dedicated PCIE slot above the other slots. It’s 3.0x1. But it’s also x1 physically. Not going to get a lot of compatibility out of that.

However, I have thought about replacing my IPMI with the new GL.iNet Comet. I’ve had some connectivity issues with the card that get really annoying and I still have to go and physically reset the machine. IIRC the Comet has front panel headers and is USB powered. Kinda ticks all my boxes.

1 hour ago, Daniel15 said:

I'm still confused as to why the IPMI is still a separate card. The smaller Micro ATX version of the motherboard (which was released 6-7 months after the ATX version) has the BMC/IPMI built-in to the motherboard rather than as an add-on card, so it seems to me that they could release a new revision of the ATX version that has it built-in as well.

The IPMI is literally a separate computer - It's running Linux 5.4 compiled in 2023 on an ARMv7 processor with ~400MB RAM (you can see the boot log and process list if you go to Maintenance → SystemDiagnostics and export a debug log). This is why you should only ever expose it to a trusted network (LAN or VPN only! Not to the public internet!!), since it's unknown if the vendor does any patching of security issues. Publicly-exposed IPMI is how some data centers and web hosting providers were hacked (via the JungleSec ransomware) - some IPMI systems had hidden users that weren't visible in the web UI, with default passwords.

The ASUS literature makes it sound like they use the same card for other boards, so I think it’s just a cost savings measure. With the mATX I would guess you’re still giving up a 3.0x1 lane.

Has anybody tested Intel vPro/AMT on this board with tools like MeshCommander?

On 7/26/2025 at 2:25 PM, 1adam12 said:

I think it’s just a cost savings measure.

Most likely. It's annoying though - I don't see other motherboard manufacturers relying on a PCIe card for IPMI. It's still a lot better than not having IPMI, though!

On 7/26/2025 at 2:25 PM, 1adam12 said:

With the mATX I would guess you’re still giving up a 3.0x1 lane.

I'd guess so too, but they refused my request for a block diagram so I really have no idea how the PCIe lanes are wired nor if any of them are switched/shared across multiple devices.

The newest BIOS (4302) prevents the CPU C-states get above C2, so the power consumption is around 45W idle, instead of ~15W with C8.

So I downgraded to 4101 and everything is fine again.

Edited August 2, 2025Aug 2 by melorin83

On 7/26/2025 at 11:10 AM, 1adam12 said:

The IPMI has its own dedicated PCIE slot above the other slots. It’s 3.0x1. But it’s also x1 physically. Not going to get a lot of compatibility out of that.

However, I have thought about replacing my IPMI with the new GL.iNet Comet. I’ve had some connectivity issues with the card that get really annoying and I still have to go and physically reset the machine. IIRC the Comet has front panel headers and is USB powered. Kinda ticks all my boxes.

For the second time in a row I have to write that I am embarrassed, because when I planned out my expansion cards I referenced the Asus website's product page. For the PCI-E slots they only list four, but after your post I went back to look and you're right that there's a fifth slot at the very top, x1 as you said. The website does make mention of this, but I had skipped down to the PCI-E area, and it's not listed there. So thank you for mentioning this and bringing it to my attention - now I have a PCI-E slot back!

If you go the Comet route, let us know how it is. Since I use the IPMI card as my fan controller, as well, I probably won't get rid of it. But I like GL.iNet's stuff, and it looks like a nice solution for people without an IPMI card. I'd consider using it in a dedicated tower system I am building.

So I keep coming back to this board or the AsRock Rack W680 WS. The WS seems to have more useable pcie slots than the ipmi and more sata ports as well a total of 14.

Other than the ipmi what draws people to the Asus Pro WS W680-ACE IPMI over the WS?

Edited August 8, 2025Aug 8 by Android_18

7 minutes ago, Android_18 said:

So I keep coming back to this board or the AsRock Rack W680 WS. The WS seems to have more useable pcie slots than the ipmi and more sata ports as well a total of 14.

Other than the ipmi what draws people to the Asus Pro WS W680-ACE IPMI over the WS?

I didn't know about the ASRock board when I was choosing to be honest. I thought the ASUS was the only LGA 1700 board that supported ECC RAM.

The 14 onboard SATA slots look great on the ASRock and largely negates the requirement for more PCIe slots for more HBAs. However, for me, IPMI was the killer feature.

3 hours ago, Android_18 said:

more sata ports as well a total of 14.

Keep in mind the Asus one has a SlimSAS (SFF-8654) connector that can be used either for PCIe or for 4 x SATA drives, for a total of 8 SATA drives.

For a system that you're going to run headless, IPMI is a must-have. My Unraid server is in a closet, and plugging in a screen and keyboard would be a pain.

4 hours ago, Daniel15 said:

Keep in mind the Asus one has a SlimSAS (SFF-8654) connector that can be used either for PCIe or for 4 x SATA drives, for a total of 8 SATA drives.

For a system that you're going to run headless, IPMI is a must-have. My Unraid server is in a closet, and plugging in a screen and keyboard would be a pain.

And that’s why I keep coming back to this board. Yeah I could go pikvm and spend another 300ish but having it built in with an interface is really leaning me toward this one.

For all of you that have this, does using the m.2 slots disable or affect the pcie lanes at all? I would like to install a rtx 3060 which is x8, hba which is also x8 for 8 more drives, and I would like to install a 10g x4 card.

Is the ipmi built into the board or do you also need the extra adapter I’ve seen in images with this board? If so is it x4 or x8?

1 hour ago, Android_18 said:

does using the m.2 slots disable or affect the pcie lanes at all?

This is one reason I wish they'd release a block diagram.

If you look in page 1-8 in the manual, it says it supports four GPUs simultaneously, two at x8 and two at x4, so we at least know that all PCIe slots can be populated at the same time. It also supports bifurcation - the x16 slots can be split into two x8, which is normally used when you want to add more M.2 drives. However, I can't seem to find any information about if any of the PCIe lanes are shared with the onboard M.2 slots.

The SlimSAS connector can also be used for PCIe, but again I'm not sure if the PCIe lanes are shared with other PCIe devices.

Maybr someone here knows from experience. I have the Micro ATX version of the board, and only two PCIe cards (10Gbps NIC plus a Google Coral AI accelerator).

1 hour ago, Android_18 said:

Is the ipmi built into the board or do you also need the extra adapter I’ve seen in images with this board? If so is it x4 or x8?

IPMI is a PCIe card for the ATX version and built-in to the motherboard for the Micro ATX version. It's neither x4 nor x8... it's an x1 card that goes in the only x1 slot on the board.

Edited August 9, 2025Aug 9 by Daniel15

2 hours ago, Android_18 said:

install a 10g x4 card

PCIe 4.0 x1 is sufficient for 10Gbps. You only really need x4 for older PCIe 2.0 cards (which still need x4 even in a PCIe 4.0 slot), but newer ones are PCIe 4.0.

Edited August 9, 2025Aug 9 by Daniel15

7 minutes ago, Daniel15 said:

This is one reason I wish they'd release a block diagram.

If you look in page 1-8 in the manual, it says it supports four GPUs simultaneously, two at x8 and two at x4, so we at least know that all PCIe slots can be populated at the same time. It also supports bifurcation - the x16 slots can be split into two x8, which is normally used when you want to add more M.2 drives. However, I can't seem to find any information about if any of the PCIe lanes are shared with the onboard M.2 slots.

The SlimSAS connector can also be used for PCIe, but again I'm not sure if the PCIe lanes are shared with other PCIe devices.

Maybr someone here knows from experience. I have the Micro ATX version of the board, and only two PCIe cards (10Gbps NIC plus a Google Coral AI accelerator).

IPMI is a PCIe card for the ATX version and built-in to the motherboard for the Micro ATX version. It's neither x4 nor x8... it's an x1 card that goes in the only x1 slot on the board.

Thank you for the clarification! I saw a video on YouTube where someone put the ipmi card on the bottom pcie slot. I did see in the image of the board the single pcie slot above the x16 which confused me.

If using the nvme slots doesn’t affect the pcie at all I think I will definitely get this board then.

I'll check when I get home but I was using most of the PCIe slots plus both M.2 slots.

I have two 2TB NVMe drives as mirrored cache, the IPMI card in the top PCIe slots closest to the CPU, then two HBA cards (one slot gap between them for cooling), and one ASUS 10GbE card in the bottom slot.

I can double check the actual slots when I get home, although since then I've changed to a HBA with more slots so one more slots available .

I am effectively using all slots on the ATX and all NVMe and all sata ports populated (using a slimsas breakout cable), IPMI in the 1x slot, HBA in the x16 slot configured for x16, SATA card in an x4 slot and 10gb NIc in the other X4.

So seems like none of the lanes are shared between NVMe and the slots, just bifurcation being used for the X16 slot.

Edited August 9, 2025Aug 9 by GraemeT
Clarification

Ok so I am going to purchase this board! Are there any changes any of you have made to make to the bios specific to unraid and using plex, vm etc…

36 minutes ago, Android_18 said:

Ok so I am going to purchase this board! Are there any changes any of you have made to make to the bios specific to unraid and using plex, vm etc…

Disable Fast Boot otherwise Unraid can't automatically boot as Fast Boot disables USB boot.

Set iGPU to Multi Monitor to allow IPMI video output and iGPU access to Unraid.

Set SlimSAS configuration to SATA if you plan on using the SAS plug on the board to split to 4x SATA drives.

Thank you for that! Would anyone know if running a cpu cooler like a noctua nh-d15 would but into the ram?

Also make sure you enable C-states, to reduce power usage.

5 hours ago, Android_18 said:

Thank you for that! Would anyone know if running a cpu cooler like a noctua nh-d15 would but into the ram?

I'm using an NH-D15 in mine, in dual fan mode, along with some Kingston DDR5 ECC server RAM, and didn't have issues. I'm using the Micro ATX version, but RAM clearance should be the same for the full ATX version. Even tall RAM can work, but you'd need to remove one fan. Max RAM height is 32mm in dual fan mode and 66mm in single fan mode.

The cooler was a tight fit in my case (a Fractal Design Node 804) with maybe 2mm of clearance between the cooler and the side panel, but it did fit!

Edited August 11, 2025Aug 11 by Daniel15

Perfect thank you! One last thing about ecc ram, does using intel 13th gen cpu actually use ecc ram? I wanted to get the i9-13900 and its looks like it does take ecc ram but I want to make sure the ecc will be utilized. https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/230499/intel-core-i913900-processor-36m-cache-up-to-5-60-ghz/specifications.html