ASRock Rack has introduced the industry's first motherboard for Intel's latest Xeon W-2400 and W-3400 processors with up to 56 cores in the Deep MicroATX form factor. The platform — discovered by @momomo_us — can be used to build compact workstations and servers that will pack quite a punch with up to 56 high-performance cores and a formidable eight-channel memory subsystem.
The ASRock Rack W790D8UD-1L1N2T/BCM is fully compatible with Intel's Xeon W-2400 and W-3400-series CPUs with core counts spanning from six and going all the way to 56. The platform supports up to 2 TB of DDR5-4800 modules using its eight slots and, therefore, can take advantage of Intel's Sapphire Rapids-WS's memory subsystem with a peak bandwidth of 307.2 GB/s. The motherboard capitalizes on the comprehensive I/O capabilities offered by Intel's latest Xeon W CPUs, which include 112 PCIe Gen5 lanes for W-3400 and 64 PCIe Gen5 lanes for the W-2400.
As for the physical connectivity, the motherboard is equipped with four PCIe x16 slots, one M.2-2280 slot with a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface attached to the W790 PCH, and two OCuLink connectors for SSDs. Network connectivity includes two 10GbE ports controlled by Broadcom BCM57416, a GbE connector managed by the Intel I226, and another GbE handled by the Intel I210. In addition, it has a dedicated GbE port for remote management with the support of Aspeed AST2600 BMC, that is handled by the Realtek RTL8211F. The board also has an SPI connector for TPM modules, USB 3.2 Gen1 ports, a COM port, and a D-Sub VGA display connector.
One unique aspect of the ASRock W790D8UD-1L1N2T/BCM platform is its adherence to the company's exclusive deep microATX form factor. This means it may not fit into standard microATX chassis, and whether or not it can be housed in standard ATX or Full ATX towers remains uncertain. Yet, since we are dealing with an ASRock Rack product, the company will likely offer cases to accommodate these motherboards in rack and desktop builds.
Building a compact workstation based on Intel's Xeon W-2400/W-3400 processor with up to 56 cores seems very attractive, though the deep MicroATX form factor leaves a lot of uncertainty here. Yet another aspect is, of course, cooling, as Intel's Xeon W-3400 CPUs are rated for up to 350W TDP and require a very high-performance air cooler (which is large) or an all-in-one liquid cooling system. Fitting either into a compact case could be challenging.
ASRock Rack rarely sells its motherboards in retail, so it does not disclose the pricing of its W790D8UD-1L1N2T/BCM. Yet, it is reasonable to expect value-added resellers and other usual suspects from the channel to offer this platform in the coming weeks or months.
