MaxSun is changing the PC format: MCIO connectors, server functions and new usage scenarios

The development of modern hardware interfaces is gradually entering the consumer market in non-standard formats. The well-known manufacturer of computer hardware MaxSun officially presented the innovative motherboards MS-Challenger MCIO ITX and MS-PC Farm B860I on the new Intel 800 series hardware platform. The key and most intriguing detail of the new motherboards is the complete abandonment of the classic PCIe x16 physical slot. The powerful connector was replaced by MCIO high-speed data exchange server connectors.

MCIO interface

The abbreviation of the MCIO standard stands for Mini Cool Edge I/O. This high-tech industrial connector is strictly regulated by the standards of the industrial specification SFF-TA-1016. It is designed and engineered with the direct aim of high-bandwidth PCIe 5.0 standard buses, and also has an internal reserve for the integration of the forward-looking PCIe 6.0 communication protocol.

Initially, the interface was designed exclusively for the needs of highly loaded computing centers and server-class data storage systems. However, in this case, the engineers decided to integrate the MCIO interface for home and custom assemblies of a small format – for example, with the help of such a connector, you can output signal transmission lines and easily connect powerful eGPUs (external video cards), doing without large slots in the narrow space of the Mini-ITX system case.

Characteristics and models of MaxSun boards

The manufacturer presented two completely different visions of the new processor concept.

Modification of MS-Challenger MCIO ITX. With its physical design, the model practically copies the previously familiar MS-Challenger H810ITX WIFI system board, but is fundamentally devoid of traditional PCIe ports. Normal slots were mercilessly dismantled. Instead of them, the MaxSun brand integrated two MCIO server connectors directly on the textolite.

The line will hit the market immediately in four logic configurations. Retail models will offer Intel Q870, Z890 chipsets, as well as the younger H810 and B860 solutions. System boards built on the basis of professional-oriented Q870 chipsets and powerful overclocking Z890 support redistribution of system PCIe lines in x8+x8 schemes or x8+(x4+x4) division. On the other hand, on solutions with standard boards, fixed logic is diluted on H810 and B860 logic, which will connect two MCIO buses at once in x16 mode.

Variation of MS-PC Farm B860I. The motherboard is the successor to last year’s unusual Maxsun prototype, the main feature of which was the presence of four compact DDR5 UDIMM slots. The novelty is aimed directly at compact modules of dense computer networks or cloud clusters. The architectural node of the socket under the CPU and the interface connectors of the RAM modules are deliberately deployed horizontally to ensure optimized linear ventilation.

According to internal press releases, the MS-PC Farm B860I board uses an adapted MCIO port design of the company’s own development. Unlike the MS-Challenger concept, this model has left one physical horizontal slot of the PCIe expansion standard and two more MCIO server interfaces. Specific monitoring and life support functions for server operation have been added to the textolite of the board: IPMI remote system administration module, the option to quickly update the BIOS software without initializing the components, and a built-in smart board for detecting hardware system errors.

The main differences between the models

If the first configuration of the MS-Challenger is mainly focused on the assembly of extremely concise miniature PCs with external PCIe distribution due to thin cables and the absence of bulky graphics connectors, then the specialized farm version of the MS-PC Farm B860I is ideal for a rack. The features of the horizontal stacking of RAM chips, the presence of a full-size bus interface together with a certified PC resource monitoring port (IPMI) orient this iron to completely different standards of professional installation.

Release date and price

The exact final retail value of the presented MaxSun components is still kept secret by the manufacturer. Specific dates for the global availability of devices for sale will be announced later.