The TURIN2D48G-2L+ from ASRock Rack is a significant new server motherboard designed to meet the most demanding needs of high-performance computing.
This motherboard supports dual AMD EPYC 9005/9004 series processors, including the top-of-the-line 192-core EPYC 9965, and is designed for maximum power and memory capacity.
With 48 DIMM slots (24 per CPU socket), it can support up to 96 GB per RDIMM and up to 512 GB per RDIMM-3DS module (for a total of 24.6 TB), providing significant memory scalability. The board also supports DDR5 memory with frequencies up to 5200 MHz for single DIMMs per channel (1DPC), or 4400 MHz when using two DIMMs per channel (2DPC).
For the most demanding workloads
The TURIN2D48G’s layout is specifically designed to accommodate these massive memory and processing requirements. Measuring 18″ x 16.9″, the board can support CPUs with a TDP of up to 500W, adequately managing even the most power-hungry processors. To fit the 48 DIMM slots, the CPU sockets have been offset.
In addition to offering more memory capacity than many competing platforms, the motherboard also offers impressive PCIe and storage capabilities. It supports 12 MCIO slots (PCIe 5.0/CXL 2.0 x8), along with up to 34 SATA 6Gb/s connections, and two M.2 slots also provide further storage options, each supporting PCIe 3.0 x4 or SATA 6Gb/s drives to support.
Networking is provided by two RJ45 1GbE ports, powered by Intel’s i350 controller, and remote management is available via integrated IPMI with a dedicated LAN management port.
The TURIN2D48G is designed to shine in environments where massive memory and high core counts are critical. Its support for CXL 2.0 and PCIe 5.0 promises fast communication between processors, memory and peripherals, while its integrated cooling options, with support for high-performance CPUs, make it suitable for the most demanding workloads such as AI training and large-scale data analysis.
ServeTheHome I got a first-hand look at the motherboard at AMD’s AI event following the launch of the EPYC 9005 Turin and noted: “The nice thing about this motherboard is that in addition to supporting a large number of cores and DIMMs, it also offers something that Intel doesn’t have. The Intel Xeon 6900P also has 12-channel memory, but only supports 1 DIMM per channel. As a result, AMD’s 12-channel 2DPC offering offers something beyond just the maximum number of raw cores for AMD EPYC Turin platforms versus Intel Xeon platforms. It’s also cool to see such a big motherboard!”
