A couple of months in the past, we confirmed you the ASRock Rack GNRD8-2L2T. Over the previous couple of weeks, we’ve been utilizing one. The ASRock Rack GNRD8-2L2T is a single-socket Intel Xeon 6 motherboard with lots going for it. There may be lots of connectivity, onboard options, and caveats, making a evaluation lots of enjoyable. Allow us to get to it.
ASRock Rack GNRD8-2L2T Overview
The GNRD8-2L2T is a pretty big motherboard. It’s a CEB (12″ x 10.5″) motherboard and that’s changing into quite common even for single-socket platforms. Trendy server platforms have an excessive amount of I/O for the standard ATX type issue.
The socket is the Intel LGA4710. Presently, it is a Sierra Forest or Intel Xeon 6700E sequence socket. In Q1 2025, we must always see the Granite Rapids-SP or the Xeon 6700P sequence which we count on may even work on this platform. We already mentioned the Intel Xeon 6 R1S is a Single Socket Particular, and this board looks like it’s designed for the prolonged I/O CPUs.
Flanking the socket are eight DDR5 DIMM slots. It is a 1 DIMM per channel (1 DPC) configuration regardless that the Xeon 6700 sequence is 2 DPC succesful. Including one other eight DIMM slots would merely take an excessive amount of house.
In fact, the socket and DIMMs are aligned entrance to rear for the standard airflow in most servers and higher-end workstations.
Energy enter is loopy. There’s a commonplace ATX 24-pin energy enter together with three of the 4 8-pin energy inputs on the highest proper aspect of the motherboard.
Under that space, we get a MCIO connector in addition to a USB 3 entrance panel connector.
The underside proper portion of the motherboard has decrease profile elements to assist with becoming lengthy enlargement playing cards.
On the underside proper, we’ve an array of fan headers in addition to a POST code standing show.
When it comes to storage, we get two M.2 slots that may be M.2 2280 (80mm) or 22110 (110mm.) One thing we want ASRock Rack did was to make use of tool-less retention mechanisms as a substitute of thumbscrews.
In case you are questioning, that may be a microSD card slot subsequent to the battery.
The function many will wish to see is the array of PCIe Gen5 x16 slots. There are seven of those slots on the motherboard. Relying on the CPU, not all of them are lively. We are going to get to that in our block diagram dialogue.
The large heatsink has the ASPEED AST2600 BMC in addition to the Intel X710 onboard 10GbE NIC.
Trying on the profile of the board, one can rapidly see that every thing is positioned for entrance to rear airflow orientation.
When it comes to rear I/O, we’ve a VGA port, two USB 3 ports, a administration port, after which 4 NIC ports. The 4 NIC ports are two 1GbE and two 10GbE with the 10Gbase-T ports being powered by the Intel X710 beneath the heatsink close to to the PCIe slots.
The 1GbE ports use two Intel i210 NICs that sit behind a few of the ports.
Within the high left, we’ve the fourth 8-pin energy connector.
Subsequent, allow us to get to the block diagram.