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Evan Carroll
Asked: 2023-07-25 15:33:37 +0800 CST

What is the SMBus I2C Header on my motherboard?

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My motherboard has a slot on the motherboard for,

JPI2C1 Power Supply SMBus I2C Header (X13SAE-F only)

What is this used for? The motherboard manual say nothing more about it. What is this for? What do I plug in there? What happens if I plug nothing in there?

supermicro

1 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    The system management I²C bus is used for various purposes, most commonly:

    • access DIMM SPD memory
    • access sensor information - temperature levels, fan speeds, voltage levels
    • control fan speeds
    • smart power-supply management (fan/temperature/voltages)

    There may be vendor options that connect to the I²C header - either additional monitor/actor chips (case temperature sensors, smart PSU monitoring), or optional monitoring or management like IPMI / lights-out management. There may also be third-party options that you can plug in and use. There's no need to plug in anything though.

    Workstation and server boards may use multiple I²C busses.

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