Question Which of these 2 motherboards should I pick to use?

[regularname]

Hi there! I own these 2 motherboards:
- ASUS PRIME H310M-C - consumer motherboard
- MITAC PH10FEU-Q370 - industrial motherboard

Currently, I am running this configuration.

What I'm looking for in a motherboard is to be stable, reliable, able to withstand low temperature, and high humidity, work with Windows 10-11, and be compatible with the most popular parts that are on the market. I don't look forward to OC. Also, I've noticed Mitac has Intel vPro, which I wouldn't like to use. So, in case I'd end up using Mitac, would pairing Mitac and i5 9400F stop Intel vPro from working as I've seen i5 9400F doesn't have support for Intel vPro.

From Wikipedia I got this:

Intel vPro is a brand name for a set of PC hardware features. PCs that support vPro have a vPro-enabled processor, a vPro-enabled chipset, and a vPro-enabled BIOS as their main elements.

, but I wanted to double-check with you.

I asked chatGPT about the cons of using an industrial motherboard as a standard motherboard for consumers and it gave me these answers:

1. Cost: Industrial motherboards are typically designed for specific industrial applications and are built with robust features to withstand harsh environments. These extra features and durability often come at a higher cost compared to standard consumer motherboards.
2. Size and Form Factor: Industrial motherboards are usually larger in size and follow different form factors than standard consumer motherboards. This can potentially lead to compatibility issues with computer cases, as most consumer cases are designed to accommodate standard motherboard sizes and form factors.
3. Limited Availability and Support: Industrial motherboards are not as widely available as consumer motherboards and may not be supported or compatible with the latest consumer technologies, such as gaming graphics cards, high-speed DDR RAM, or the latest processor sockets. This could limit your options when it comes to upgrading or finding compatible components.
4. Lack of Consumer-Focused Features: Industrial motherboards are primarily designed for reliability, durability, and stability in industrial settings. As a result, they may lack certain features that are common in consumer motherboards, such as extensive overclocking capabilities, RGB lighting support, or multiple PCIe slots for gaming peripherals.
5. BIOS and Firmware Differences: Industrial motherboards often have specialized firmware and BIOS configurations tailored to industrial applications. These configurations may not offer the same level of user-friendly interfaces, advanced tweaking options, or easy accessibility for updates and customization as standard consumer motherboards.
6. Aesthetics and Design: Industrial motherboards prioritize functionality over aesthetics. They generally have a more utilitarian design with minimal visual appeal, which may not be ideal if you're building a system with aesthetics in mind.

I don't know how accurate the answer from chatGPT is, that's why I'd like to know your opinion.

Can you let me know which one you would pick given my requirements?

Thanks!

 

[Geven]

In your case, I'd lean towards the MITAC given its environmental resilience, unless you plan to frequently upgrade components or need consumer-specific features that it lacks.

 

[regularname]

I only plan to get a GPU like GTX 16/RTX 20/RTX 30 series very soon, and somewhat in the close future I'd like to upgrade to 64 GB (but's not a must for the next 1-2 months from now; I know that wouldn't be possible with the ASUS mobo).

 

[igor_kavinski]

ASUS PRIME H310M-C

2 DIMM slots. Total max RAM 32GB (2x16GB)
Single gigabit ethernet
1xUSB 3.1

MITAC PH10FEU-Q370

4 DIMM slots. Total max RAM 64GB (4x16GB)
Dual gigabit ethernet
4xUSB 3.1

32GB DIMMs won't work with these mobos, AFAICT.

The Mitac mobo seems to have better features. However, both don't seem to have onboard TPM 2.0 modules. The Mitac specs say it is optional while the ASUS mobo provides the connector for it. So both these mobos may not fully support Windows 11. You can install Windows 11 with a hack but you may not get the latest updates or free feature updates. You should verify if the Mitac mobo has the TPM module installed. If not, you will need to buy it online. Never had to do this so can't provide any further advice on what module would work with your mobo.

Don't worry about vPro. It only matters to system administrators in professional/corporate environments.

 

[regularname]

I don't plan to use Windows 11 any time soon on this PC, and when I will need to do that, I'll most likely get a different PC.

Hmm. My mobo is PH10FEU-Q370, so in this picture shows that PH10FEU-Q370 supports up to 128 GB over 4 memory slots, while the PH10FEU-H310 supports up to 64 GB, over 2 memory slots.

Here it shows it supports up to 128 GB:


Here it shows it supports up to 64 GB over 4 memory slots:





I think they made a mistake when the wrote the specs, right?

 

[regularname]

I just checked the max RAM of the mobo using HWInfo and it reports 64 GB. So the specs for MITAC PH10FEU-Q370 were wrong on the landing page of the mobo.

Thank you for helping!

 

[igor_kavinski]

So the specs for MITAC PH10FEU-Q370 were wrong on the landing page of the mobo.

If it has four slots, it may be able to support 128GB with a BIOS update.

i5-9400F supports 128GB RAM.

 

[aigomorla]

I don't trust that industrial board because its a name of a company i never heard of.

No boards can survive high humidity unless its sealed, and even then your USB, COM, and other stuff will rust out.
Your steel case rivets and screws will also rust out.

I would probably recommend the ASUS board more, as you will have way more support for it, then the Mitac.
This includes Bios updates and general online help from members.

Again i am not a fan of industrial.
I am a fan of Enterprise tho.

If you want something really stable, and proven, look at Supermicro, but even then they will not last in high humidity.
PC's in general do not go well with water period, and they are not made out of Stainless parts, so expect almost everything on the PC to rust over time, unless you start changing all your screws, and case to anodized alu.

 

[regularname]

If it has four slots, it may be able to support 128GB with a BIOS update.

I've noticed BIOS version is V1.05, as it can be seen in the image:

Next I tried to check what version there is on the official page for the BIOS, and it says V03:


As the BIOS version on PC seemed to be newer than the version on the website, I tried checking out if to see if I can flash the BIOS as a means to be able to compare the BIOS versions, but I got these files after extracting the archive for V03 BIOS:




, and I'm not sure what to do next since it seems there's no exe file that would allow me to create a bootable USB.

@aigomorla

Thank you for the explanations and recommendations!

 

[igor_kavinski]

and I'm not sure what to do next since it seems there's no exe file that would allow me to create a bootable USB.

Put the files on a FAT32 formatted USB flash drive, plug it in and check for a BIOS update option inside the various BIOS menus.

If you cannot find one, see if there is a USB port that is a different color than all the other ports. Put the flash drive in that port with files in the 555CD103 folder and also copy the same files to the root folder. Turn the PC on and see if it automatically reads the flash drive and prompts to update BIOS.

By the way, this seems to be a Tyan mobo: https://www.tyan.com/EN/corporation/about_tyan

TYAN is a leading server brand of MiTAC Computing Technology Corp. under the MiTAC Group.

That's a well known brand. The manual also mentions Tyan. It's actually the first time I've read a mobo manual that is geared towards newbies.

 

[igor_kavinski]

In the BIOS Advanced menu, there is this option:


Enable it and at boot, it should display a message to press some key to update BIOS or firmware.

 

[regularname]

There is no single colored port that differs from others. And the Me FW setting seems to be for the Management Engine, not BIOS firmware, right? Enabling that does nothing, no additional key to be pressed shows up on the screen.

I followed your instructions and used two USB sticks, one of 8 GB and one of 32 GB, formatted as FAT32, having this structure:

Within the 555CD103 folder having these files:

None of the USB sticks worked.

Nice find about Tyan.

I think this would be the way to flash the BIOS:

But for now, I'll have to take a break from this, as this seems to require more time, and I'm running really short of it lately. In case I'll manage to flash it in the future, I'll post the result here.

Once again, thank you for the help to both of you!