While mainly a workstation board, the new ASUS P8C WS motherboard also incorporates server readiness, and can be used in high end standard desktop builds. The P8C WS utilizes the workstation-specific Intel C216 chipset, and supports Socket LGA1155 Intel Xeon E3-1200/12Χ5 v2 processors. These features allow for accelerated OpenGL performance. The board is Independent Software Vendor (ISV) certified, and enables optimized output with Intel integrated graphics. Popular workstation applications such as AutoDesk AutoCAD 2013 and Inventor 2012 all tap the performance of the P8C WS.



Users get more flexibility and choice with the P8C WS, which natively accommodates both Intel Xeon E3-1200 series server and workstation processors and mainstream Core i3 2nd/3rd generation processors. Additionally, users can opt for unbuffered non-ECC DDR3 memory or server-grade unbuffered ECC (or error-correcting) memory.

The P8C WS ships with four USB 3.0 ports - two on the front panel, and two on the back. To make the most of the advantages offered by USB 3.0, ASUS USB 3.0 Boost technology supports the newer UASP (USB-Attached SCSI Protocol), increasing maximum USB 3.0 speeds by up to 170%. USB 3.0 Boost also automatically detects the best USB protocol for every connected device, ensuring optimal data performance.

Twin Intel Ethernet ports cut down on CPU utilization while increasing bandwidth and packet transmission rates. This hardware LAN configuration works with several operating systems, including Windows, CenOS, and Ubuntu. The onboard Intel 82574L controller features VMware certification for native virtualization technology support, allowing users to more readily create virtual systems.