Back in March, we reviewed AMD's latest Zen 3 based EPYC 7003 processors, including the 64-core EPYC 7763 and 7713. We've updated the data back in June with a retail motherboard, and it scores much higher, showing how EPYC Milan can be refined more than it was at launch. Putting two 64-core processors into a system requires a more than capable motherboard, and today on the test bench is the GIGABYTE MZ720-HB0 (Revision 3.0), which has plenty of features to boast about. Some of the most important ones include five full-length PCIe 4.0 slots, dual 10 GbE, lots of PCIe 4.0 NVMe and SATA storage options, as well as dual SP3 sockets, and sixteen memory slots with support for up to 4 TB of capacity.

GIGABYTE MZ72-HB0 Overview

Although the GIGABYTE MZ72-HB0 motherboard for AMD's EPYC processors fundamentally isn't new, we reported back during Computex 2021 that GIGABYTE released a new revision (Rev 3.0) of this model to support both Milan (7003) and Rome (7002) out of the box, as the initial Revision 1.0 model only included support for Naples (7001) and Rome (7002). This is due to a small maneuvering of AMD's product stack - the latest 64 core processors now push a TDP of 280 W per processor, rather than 240 W, and while the socket is the same across all three generations, you will find that motherboards either support 7001+7002, or 7002+7003 depending on when they were designed. So if you want the MZ72-HB0 to support Milan 7003 processors, you need revision 3.0, which we have today.

As with many server-focused motherboards, even in more 'standard' form factors, the GIGABYTE MZ72-HB0 focuses mainly on functionality and substance over style. GIGABYTE has opted for its typical blue-colored PCB, with the same theme stretching to the sixteen memory slots on the board. Looking at memory support, the MZ72-HB0 supports up to 2 TB per socket, in eight-channel memory mode, focusing on memory up to DDR4-3200 RDIMM, LRDIMM, and 3DS varieties all supported. As this is a dual-socket EPYC motherboard, there are two SP3 sockets with four horizontally mounted memory slots on either side, and each socket can house processors up to 280 W TDP.

Looking at connectivity, the MZ72-HB0 has five full-length PCIe 4.0 slots, with three of them supporting the full PCIe 4.0 x16 bandwidth, while the others are x8 but still full length. In order to balance the load on each CPU, three of the slots are controlled by the left CPU looking at the layout above, with the other two being controlled from the right CPU. More detail on this is on the following page where we analyze the topology of the motherboard.

On the rear panel is a basic selection of inputs, with two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, as well as a D-Sub and Gigabit Management LAN port which allow access to the BMC, which is controlled by a commonly used ASPEED AST2600 controller. Networking connectivity consists of two 10 GbE ports, while storage options are aplenty. These options include one physical PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slot, with two NVMe SlimSAS 4i ports, and three SlimSAS ports capable of supporting up to twelve SATA ports, or three PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe based drives. For conventional SATA storage, the GIGABYTE has four SATA slots. 

Touching on the performance, it's no surprise that the MZ72-HB0 takes a long time to boot into Windows - it took us just over two and a half minutes from powering the system onto loading into the OS. It takes this long from a cold boot as a system takes time to initialize the networking controller, the BMC, and other critical elements to make itself ready for POST. In terms of power, we measured a peak power draw at full load with dual 280 W processors of 782 W. In our DPC latency testing, the GIGABYTE didn't score that well, but that is usually par for the course with server motherboards with BMC interfaces.

For our up-to-date CPU performance numbers with this board, we tested numerous dual-socket EPYC 7003 configurations on this board, please check out the link below:

• AMD EPYC Milan Review Part 2: Testing 8 to 64 Cores in a Production Platform

Two AMD EPYC 7763 processors running Cinebench R23 - 256 threads anyone?

In this particular market space, there's plenty of dedicated 1U server options capable of supporting one or two EPYC 7003 processors, as well as the custom market. ASUS, ASRock Rack, GIGABYTE Server and others have options to suit all manners of configurations, but there are few dual-socket options in more standard form factors like the E-ATX GIGABYTE MZ72-HB0. That makes the MZ72-HB0 interesting, as it's clear GIGABYTE Server has risen to the challenge of fitting two large SP3 sockets and five full-length PCIe 4.0 slots, along with all the other controllers and connectivity to benefit from EPYC's large PCIe lane count. There are limitations due to the smaller E-ATX form factor including 16 versus 32 memory slots, and other PCIe slots to benefit from the full 128 lanes (only 88 are used in this system), but let's get into the review and see how the GIGABYTE MZ72-HB0 Rev 3.0 handles our benchmark suite.

Read on for our extended analysis.

Visual Inspection

From a design standpoint, the MZ72-HB0 has a typical blue GIGABYTE Server PCB, with blue memory slots, creamy white connectors, and black PCIe slots with metal slot reinforcement. Even though this is a board designed for use in a server chassis, it has an E-ATX sized frame and could be mounted into a regular chassis if a user wishes to do so. The PCB itself is littered with connectivity, including various headers, power connectors, and controllers, with practically all of the PCB playing a vital role in the board's operation. Due to the board's function over style ethos, there are no flashy RGB LEDs or such here.

Dominating the top half of the board are two SP3 sockets with support for AMD's 3rd generation EPYC Milan processors. Each SP3 socket can accommodate up to 280 W processors per socket, including the top SKU, the AMD EPYC 7763 ($7890). Due to it being a dual-socket motherboard, it doesn't support the P-series EPYC processors which are designed for single-socket motherboards only. It's also worth noting that there are two revisions of this model, the Rev 1.x which supports just EPYC 7001 (Naples) and 7002 (Rome) processors, and the one we have on test, the Rev 3.0 which supports the EPYC 7002 (Rome) and latest EPYC 7003 (Milan) processors.

Flanking each of the SP3 sockets is are eight memory slots, with sixteen memory slots in total with two EPYC processors installed. The MZ72-HB0 supports various types of memory, including RDIMM and LDRIMM up to 128 GB per module, with support for 3DS LRDIMM/RDIMM memory of up to 256 GB per module. This means users can install a maximum of 2 TB of system memory, with memory operating in eight-channel with all of the slots populated. GIGABYTE includes support for up to DDR4-3200.

Focusing on the lower portion of the board, GIGABYTE includes five full-length PCIe 4.0 slots, with the top three operating at PCIe 4.0 x16, and the bottom two operating at PCIe 4.0 x8. Given that this is a dual-socket motherboard, each of the CPUs control different slots in the following configuration:

• Slot_6 - PCIe 4.0 x16 (CPU 0) - Top slot
• Slot_4 - PCIe 4.0 x16 (CPU 0)
• Slot_3 - PCIe 4.0 x16 (CPU 1)
• Slot_2 - PCIe 4.0 x8 (CPU 0)
• Slot_1 - PCIe 4.0 x8 (CPI 1) - Bottom slot

For cooling, GIGABYTE includes a total of six 4-pin headers, with two for CPU fans, and four for chassis fans. The two CPU fans are located by the right-hand CPU socket, whereas the rest can be found along the bottom of the PCB.

Sandwiched in-between the top two full-length PCIe slots (Slot_6/Slot_4), are two PCIe 4.0 x4 SlimSAS headers, This allows for more NVMe based storage options to be used, which is commonplace in the data center.

Other storage options on the GIGABYTE MZ72-HB0 include three SlimSAS ports, with each port allowing for four SATA ports (twelve in total), or users can use each slot for additional NVMe capable PCIe 4.0 x4 storage. For users looking to install single drives, GIGABYTE includes four 7-pin SATA slots. 

The power delivery on the MZ72-HB0 is quite intricate and complicated, which is often the case on monstrous dual-socket motherboards. Starting with the CPU VCore, each socket has its own independent power delivery with six Infineon TDA21472 power stages and is driven by an International Rectifier IR35201 PWM controller. This means that each SP3 socket has a 6+0 phase power delivery.

Looking at the memory section of the power delivery, GIGABYTE is using six Infineon TDA21462 60 A power stages in two groups of three for each set of eight memory slots. It is controlled using an International Rectifier  IR3584 PWM controller, with two sets of these operating independently. For the VSoC section, GIGABYTE is using two Infineon TDA21462 60 A power stages and is controlled by a single International Rectifier IR35204 PWM controller. Again, there are two sets of these with one for each installed processor.

Keeping the CPU section of the power delivery cool is an aluminum heatsink with a long strip which is held into place with two black plastic clasps with springs. The main bulk of the cooling properties which sit directly over the power stages is a large finned section, which is designed to use airflow to dissipate the heat effectively - anyone using this board has to make sure there is lots of airflow, as if the board is in a server in a datacenter. The memory and VSoC areas of the power delivery don't include heatsinks, and instead, rely heavily on the airflow.

GIGABYTE's baseboard management controller (BMC) of choice is the ASPEED AST2600. This allows board management functionality including both over JAVA and HTML5 formats, as well as LDAP/AD/RADIUS support, and access to GIGABYTE's AMI MegaRAC SP-X browser-based interface.

On the rear panel is a basic, yet functional set of input and output. In terms of USB, there are just two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, with front panel headers offering for more expansion; one USB 3.1 G1 Type-A header offering two Type-A ports, and one USB 2.0 header, also offering two additional Type-A ports. Networking is premium, with one Realtek RTS5411E Gigabit management port offering access to the BMC, with two 10 GbE BASE-T ports powered by a Broadcom BCM57416 Ethernet controller. Also on the rear panel is a D-Sub, which allows users to connect to the board's ASPEED BMC controller, a serial COM port, and an ID button with a built-in LED. 

BIOS

When it comes to the firmware on the GIGABYTE MZ72-HB0, it's nothing fancy, flashy, or glossed over for consumers to eyeball. It is using a basic and archaic-looking Aptio AMI firmware version, which focuses on functionality and substance over style. The GUI is basic, with a deep blue edging and scroll bar, with the help menu text in the bottom right-hand corner also in the same blue. The text is a well-contrasted black with a light grey background, which makes everything easy to read.

Entering the firmware, the main screen has a basic list of information that includes the firmware version that is currently being used, as well as basic information on the processors installed; in this case, two AMD EPYC 7763 64-core and 128-thread Zen 3 processors. It includes the base clock speed, as well as the core count, and also includes a combined total of installed memory with its speed in MT/s (it's great to see some vendors using the correct definition of Megatransfers per second). 

The BIOS itself has very deep and contrived menus and options for users to delve into. Along the top, there's the Advanced section with options for Trusted Computing, ASPEED BMC configuration, CPU, USB, PCI, and storage configuration. Users can also alter and customize the MAC address settings for gaining access to the system across a network using the Gigabit Management Ethernet port on the rear panel.

Other menus include the AMD CBS and PBS options for power limitations, and altering Precision Boost Overdrive settings, while the Chipset menu includes options for enabling or disabling the PCIe compliance mode. There's also a dedicated menu for Server Management, where users can also configure the BMC networking settings, as well as view FRU information. The Security menu allows users to enable a firmware level administration and user password, especially if they want to keep non-essential users out of core settings, while the Boot menu allows users to customize the boot and POST order of any installed storage devices.

Overall the firmware on the MZ72-HB0 is functional, and with options aplenty, there's a lot of substance for users of multiple disciplines, including cloud, server, and workstation users.

Software/BMC

Although the GIGABYTE MZ72-HB0 doesn't come with a software bundle per se, it does include access to its MegaRAC SP-X browser-based interface. It includes both a JAVA and neat HTML5 based user interface, and GIGABYTE adopts a more modern look than previous years of its server-focused models.

The GIGABYTE MegaRAC SP-X interface includes all the typical options of a board of this caliber should, including system inventory which shows the user's installed CPU, memory, storage, PCIe, and NIC inventories. Users can also look at the detailed information of the components in each of the subsections, as well as associated and supported technologies that can be used with the installed processor including hyperthreading, Execute Disable (XD), and if turbo mode is functioning or not. The MegaRAX SP-X interface also allows users to use BMC functionality, as well as powering up or down a system, as well as capturing BSOD, which is particularly handy if something isn't running as stable as it should.

There's also a load of security, power-related, and logging options available for users to sink their teeth into. As a board of this pedigree and for its functionality in server, workstation, and more intensive use cases such as cloud servers, it looks to be fully equipped from an access interface point of view. Users can even flash the board to the latest version of the firmware over the interface and BMC, as well as save and load up pre-saved configurations for deploying the same settings across multiple servers/systems.

Overall the GIGABYTE MegaRAC SP-X is functional, easy to navigate, has a plethora of options for users to monitor and alter, and it's very good to look at too.

Board Features

The GIGABYTE MZ72-HB0 is an E-ATX motherboard and it is versatile in functionality due to its dual SP3 sockets designed for AMD EPYC 7003 and 7002 processors. It can be installed into a regular chassis with E-ATX support, but most system setups using this model will likely be in 1U chassis, which is designed for server and rack deployment. It has plenty of PCIe support, with five full-length PCIe 4.0 slots in total, which can operate at x16/x16/x16/x8/x8. For storage, there are four 7-pin SATA connectors, one PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slot, two SlimSAS PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe slots, and three SlimSAS ports which can accommodate either twelve SATA ports or three additional PCIe 4.0 NVMe devices. Memory support includes sixteen memory slots (eight per socket), with support for DDR4-3200 or DDR4-2933 memory, and can accommodate up to a maximum of 4 TB of RDIMM, LRDIMM, and 3DS varieties.

For cooling, there's a total of six 4-pin headers available, including two for CPU coolers, and four for chassis fans. It does include a TPM 2.0 header for users wishing to run the Windows 11 operating system, but users will need to purchase an additional module to use this function as it doesn't come included in the packaging.

GIGABYTE MZ72-HB0 Rev 3.0 E-ATX Motherboard
Warranty Period	3 Years
Product Page	Link
Price	$1060
Size	E-ATX
CPU Interface	AMD SP3
Chipset	AMD EPYC Gen 3
Memory Slots (DDR4)	Sixteen DDR4 Supporting 2TB per socket Octa-Channel LRDIMM/RDIMM/3DS Up to DDR4-3200
Video Outputs	1 x D-Sub (ASPEED)
Network Connectivity	2 x Broadcom BCM57416 10 GbE Base-T 1 x Management LAN (ASPEED)
Onboard Audio	N/A
PCIe Slots for Graphics (from CPU)	3 x PCIe 4.0 (x16/x16/x16) 2 x PCIe 4.0 (x8/x8)
PCIe Slots for Other (from PCH)	N/A
Onboard SATA	4 x 7-pin SATA 3 x SlimSAS (12 x SATA)
Onboard M.2	1 x PCIe 4.0 x4 2 x NVMe (SlimSAS 4i) 3 x PCIe 4.0 x4 (via SlimSAS)
TPM 2.0	Header (Optional TPM 2.0 kit available)
Thunderbolt 4 (40 Gbps)	N/A
USB 3.2 (20 Gbps)	N/A
USB 3.2 (10 Gbps)	N/A
USB 3.1 (5 Gbps)	2 x USB Type-A (Rear panel) 2 x USB Type-A (One header)
USB 2.0	2 x USB Type-A (One header)
Power Connectors	1 x 24-pin Motherboard 2 x 8-pin CPU
Fan Headers	2 x 4-pin CPU 1 x 4-pin Chassis
IO Panel	2 x USB 3.0 Type-A 1 x RJ45 (ASPEED) 2 x RJ45 (Broadcom) 1 x Serial COM UID button with LED

Some of the connectivity options available include two 10 GbE ports which are controlled by a Broadcom BCM57416 controller, while USB options are limited to two USB 3.0 Type-A on the rear panel, and two USB 3.0 Type-A and two USB 2.0 ports available from internal headers. The MZ72-HB0 does include BMC functionality, which is delivered by an ASPEED BMC controller and includes a Realtek RTLS5411E Management LAN port and a D-sub video output. For server and rack deployment, there's a UID button that includes a functional LED.

Test Bed

With some of the nuances with Intel's Rocket Lake processors, our policy is to see if the system gives an automatic option to increase the power limits of the processor. If it does, we select the liquid cooling option. If it does not, we do not change the defaults. Adaptive Boost Technology is disabled by default.

Test Setup
Processor	2 x AMD EYPC 7763, 280 W, $7890 64 Cores, 128 Threads 2.45 GHz (3.4 GHz Turbo)
Motherboard	GIGABYTE MZ72-HB0 Rev 3.0 (BIOS 12.50.09)
Cooling	2 x Noctua NH-U14S TR4-SPM
Power Supply	EVGA 1600 T2 80+ Titanium 1600 W
Memory	Micron 512 GB DDR4-3200 CL 22 (16 x 32 GB)
Video Card	N/A
Hard Drive	Crucial MX300 1TB
Case	Open Testbed
Operating System	Windows 10 Pro 64-bit: Build 20H2

We must also thank the following:

Hardware Providers for CPU and Motherboard Reviews
Sapphire RX 460 Nitro	MSI GTX 1080 Gaming X OC	Crucial MX200 + MX500 SSDs	Corsair AX860i + AX1200i PSUs
G.Skill RipjawsV, SniperX, FlareX	Crucial Ballistix DDR4	Silverstone Coolers	Noctua Coolers

System Performance

Not all motherboards are created equal. On the face of it, they should all perform the same and differ only in the functionality they provide - however, this is not the case. The obvious pointers are power consumption, POST time, and latency. This can come down to the manufacturing process and prowess, so these are tested.

Power Consumption

Power consumption was tested on the system while in a single MSI GTX 1080 Gaming configuration with a wall meter connected to the power supply. The only system that wasn't tested with a graphics card in our results is the GIGABYTE MZ72-HB0, which was tested via the ASPEED AST2500 BMC Controller.

Our power supply has ~75% efficiency > 50W, and 90%+ efficiency at 250W, suitable for both idle and multi-GPU loading. This method of power reading allows us to compare the power management of the UEFI and the board to supply components with power under load, and includes typical PSU losses due to efficiency. These are the real-world values that consumers may expect from a typical system (minus the monitor) using this motherboard.

While this method for power measurement may not be ideal, and you feel these numbers are not representative due to the high wattage power supply being used (we use the same PSU to remain consistent over a series of reviews, and the fact that some boards on our testbed get tested with three or four high powered GPUs), the important point to take away is the relationship between the numbers. These boards are all under the same conditions, and thus the differences between them should be easy to spot.

GIGABYTE MZ72-HB0 Long Idle result was powered off with the BMC controller on - normally this test is idle in the OS and left until the display turns off. It just goes to show how much power keeps the BMC going.

When comparing power consumption figures to other AMD EPYC/Threadripper boards we've tested, we don't really have any main comparison points. In the EPYC 7351P testing, we were using a single CPU at 170 W, whereas in the GIGABYTE, we have two AMD EPYC 7763 processors which each have a 280 W TDP. At full load, is monstrous on the power with a peak power reading of 782 W at the wall. In our long idle test, the board was powered down barring the BMC controller, which is apparent in our figures with a low power reading of just 14.6 W.

Non-UEFI POST Time

Different motherboards have different POST sequences before an operating system is initialized. A lot of this is dependent on the board itself, and POST boot time is determined by the controllers on board (and the sequence of how those extras are organized). As part of our testing, we look at the POST Boot Time using a stopwatch. This is the time from pressing the ON button on the computer to when Windows starts loading. (We discount Windows loading as it is highly variable given Windows-specific features.)

When it came to POST time testing, we typically see that server and workstation models have a much longer POST time than conventional desktop models. This is due to controller initializations and as such, the GIGABYTE takes between two to three minutes to boot into Windows. With non-essential controllers disabled including networking, we did manage to shave an additional 15 seconds off the default POST time.

DPC Latency

Deferred Procedure Call latency is a way in which Windows handles interrupt servicing. In order to wait for a processor to acknowledge the request, the system will queue all interrupt requests by priority. Critical interrupts will be handled as soon as possible, whereas lesser priority requests such as audio will be further down the line. If the audio device requires data, it will have to wait until the request is processed before the buffer is filled.

If the device drivers of higher priority components in a system are poorly implemented, this can cause delays in request scheduling and process time. This can lead to an empty audio buffer and characteristic audible pauses, pops and clicks. The DPC latency checker measures how much time is taken processing DPCs from driver invocation. The lower the value will result in better audio transfer at smaller buffer sizes. Results are measured in microseconds.

Typically server and workstation motherboards aren't optimized for DPC latency out of the box, and as we test DPC at default settings, the GIGABYTE is certainly not optimized for this.

GIGABYTE MZ72-HB0 Conclusion

When it comes to dual-socket motherboards for servers, the vast majority have larger PCBs designed for server casing sizes such as EEB, rather than desktop sizes like ATX. We find it great to see some vendors kicking the trend of this slightly is the GIGABYTE MZ72-HB0 with dual SP3 sockets on an E-ATX sized frame. Not only does this make the GIGABYTE slightly unconventional, but it gives it added flexibility for a variety of uses, including regular PC cases that include support for this size.

Compared to some of the larger models from other brands, the MZ72-HB0 does make some sacrifices to be able to fit everything onto an E-ATX PCB, including one module per channel in memory, and fewer PCIe slots with not all the PCIe capacity supported. GIGABYTE has used as much of the board as possible, which includes eight memory slots per socket, so sixteen slots in total with support for up to 4 TB of DDR4-3200. For storage, GIGABYTE includes flexibility for users between conventional SATA drives and NVMe based drives, with four 7-pin SATA ports, one PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slot, two NVMe SlimSAS 4i connectors, and allows users to install either twelve SATA devices or three PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe drives via three SlimSAS ports. 

GIGABYTE MZ72-HB0 (Rev 3.0) with 2 x AMD EPYC 7763 and 512 GB DDR4-3200 installed

With functionality being the focus here, GIGABYTE includes a variety of features to allow for server and workstation deployment, with dual 10 Gb Base-T Ethernet powered by a Broadcom BCM57416 controller, with a dedicated management LAN port and D-sub video output offering BMC access via an ASPEED BMC controller. Backing this up is GIGABYTE's latest MegaRAC SP-X interface which includes both HTML5 and Java functionality. It provides a range of functional elements including access to sensors in real-time over a network, performs power-related tasks such as reboots and shutdowns, or even firmware backup and update, which can be useful if it's installed into a data center environment. 

Performance on a configuration such as this is somewhat insane, using two EPYC 64-core processors built around Zen 3. We saw the good generation-on-generation performance in our EPYC Milan Review, but in our system testing here, the GIGABYTE did as well as expected in our POST time testing which took just over two and a half minutes to boot into Windows from a cold boot. In terms of power, two 280 W processors are going to pull a lot of wattage from the wall at full load, and our DPC latency testing shows the GIGABYTE isn't suitable for audio production; that's not a surprise.

Being a dual-socket board, the one large consideration to make about such a design is the form-factor deployments. Being an E-ATX board, the principal use-case for most of our audience at least would be as a workstation, or at least some server deployment in a more usual PC enclosure. What’s important to consider here is the cooling requirements - it being a more server-oriented design, it lacks the usual consumer-grade larger heatsinks, and thus requires a lot more airflow, which can become an issue when you have two 280W CPUs along with a ton of DRAM, not to mention additional PCIe devices such as a GPU. Careful planning for adequate cooling is paramount to achieve the best performance. 

Final Thoughts

There are a few dual-socket EPYC 7003 motherboards available today at retailers, including brands such as Supermicro, ASRock Rack, and GIGABYTE. A lot of EPYC 7003 options are available in customizable barebones too, which are inherently more expensive and can vary widely in price depending on the desire configuration. The GIGABYTE MZ72-HB0 Rev 3.0 for EPYC 7003 has an MSRP of $1060, but GIGABYTE themselves informed us that they expect retailers to sell for around the $1000 mark. Looking at the functionality and the targeted market, the price isn't a bad one, and considering that each of the AMD EYPC 7763 processors retails for $7890, the cost of the motherboard is relatively cheap by comparison.