ASRock Rack ROME2D32GM-2T Market Perspective
This is an absolutely awesome motherboard. We have reviewed many motherboards in the past, but this platform clearly shows ASRock Rack is working to build higher-end solutions.
A platform like this is not one that we normally get asked to review for companies. Normally, these will be reviewed in systems instead of being reviewed individually. Still, this is a big statement for ASRock Rack. Many ASRock Rack boards follow standard ATX, mITX, EATX, and similar form factor designs. This does not. On one hand, that requires additional integration efforts. On the other hand, it also means that if one does the chassis design, the motherboard can be used in a very flexible manner due to the heavy use of cabled I/O. The form factor also lets one integrate the motherboard and get a full set of memory along with the full amount of I/O.
Final Words
There are probably two different ways to look at this platform. One way to look at it is that many of our readers will not be able to utilize it simply due to the form factor. For those who can though, this is going to be extremely interesting.
This system fits two CPUs with proper rackmount cooling airflow and that really differentiates it from normal form factor boards. We get a full 32x DIMMs here and that does not fit on EATX/EEB boards like the ASRock Rack ROME2D16-2T we reviewed.
The other big impact of this design is that it is wildly flexible. One can get 32x SATA lanes or 152x lanes off of the SlimSAS connectors. This is one of the first motherboards we have seen that offers a full 160x PCIe lanes used and 152x lanes available. It is also the first motherboard we have reviewed outside of a system that has neither 7-pin SATA nor PCIe slots.
This was certainly an interesting platform to review. Our best guess is that ASRock Rack wanted us to review this board to make a statement. This is a platform that shows ASRock Rack is working to sell its motherboards into higher-end segments of the market. Overall, the ASRock Rack ROME2D32GM-2T is a great platform for servers.
This is brilliant. This shows what can be done if we will just break our addiction to PCIe slots.
Thanks to Eric for featuring it.
Imagine the same apporoach taken to a UP Epyc or a TR Pro board: you could have a row of slim sas connectors lined up beside the CPU, providing a dozen PCIe4 x8 links. Short traces lower the cost of manufacturing it. Such a board could be uATX in size but have the IO of a EATX.
There are 4 USB3 ports on the edge of the motherboard, not 2 as stated in the article.
That is different. Not locking you into specific psus
@emerth nailed it on the head- this is why STH is the only site I read the comments.
The way the review was stated, it sounds like this was a showcase piece for Asrock Rack. I’ll be curious if there is a vendor lined up already to integrate this, or maybe someone will build a modular platform around it.
I want to see this in a chassis, but I mean I love that STH does these reviews with all of that “STH context”. It’s so cool that there’s a site that can explain why not just what.