It's no secret that AMD is looking to carve out a bigger share in the server market with their enterprise EPYC processors, and much fanfare has been made about the high core-count offered for the price when compared to Intel's Xeon range of processors. The ASRock Rack EPYCD8-2T looks to utilize all of the processing power offered by AMD's EYPC, and the EPYCD8-2T has a professional-centric feature set built into its ATX design. We also have eight memory slots, up to nine SATA ports, has two OCuLink to U.2 slots, dual 10 G Ethernet, and seven PCIe 3.0 slots. This model also supports both AMD's EPYC 7001 Naples and 7002 Rome processors (Rome via an update).

ASRock Rack EPYCD8-2T Overview

ASRock Rack is the enterprise arm of ASRock, and caters to the workstation, server and data center market. For the longest time, ASRock Rack catered mainly to Intel's offerings, including Intel Xeon and the large Atom designs. Now the company has a small but expanding team focusing on the EPYC side of the market, and the ASRock Rack EPYCD8-2T is an ATX sized solution which is compatible with both Naples and Rome. Today we will be focusing on the EPYCD8-2T and its server and workstation feature set.

The ASRock Rack EPYCD8-2T is an ATX sized single LGA 4094 socket option designed for AMD's EPYC processors. The board has an all-green PCB and has a transposed CPU socket designed for more efficient airflow when installed into a 1U or related chassis type. Memory support stretches across eight slots with support for RDIMMS up to 32 GB, and LRDIMMs up to 128 GB per slot. This means that the EPYCD8-2T can house up to 1 TB of DDR4 operating in eight-channel. This model has supports DDR4-3200/2933/2666/2400, both in the RDIMM and LRDIMM variety.

Providing BMC maintenance functions is the stalwart Aspeed AST2500 management controller which allows users to remotely manage the system. The networking is taken care of by an Intel X550-AT2 Ethernet controller which provides dual 10 G Ethernet on the rear panel. A separate Realtek RTL8211E acting as a dedicated IPMI Ethernet port, with a D-sub 2D video output powered by the Aspeed AST2500.

On the PCIe front, the ASRock Rack EPYCD8-2T has plenty of expansion slot support to make the most of the 128 lanes from the CPU. which include four full-length and three half-length (but open-ended) PCIe 3.0 slots. These slots operate at x16/x8/x16/x8/x16/x8 which makes for a total of 88 PCIe 3.0 lanes dedicated to graphics and expansion support.  

For the storage, ASRock Rack includes two mini SAS HD connectors which each offers the capability to install up to four SATA devices, with up to eight in total. A separate SATA DOM port allows for another SATA device to be installed bringing the boards total of SATA capability up to nine. A total of two PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots are located vertically below the right-hand side bank of memory slots, with two OCuLink ports just to the right of the DRAM slots for U.2 devices.

ASRock Rack EPYCD8-2T Block Diagram

The ASRock EPYCD8-2T was originally built for Naples (7001), but Rome (7002) is supported by updating the firmware to v2.30. It is worth noting that this update requires a 32 MB BIOS chip - some of the early units (like ours) only have a 16 MB chip. 

The performance of the ASRock Rack EPYCD8-2T is competitive with other models we have tested, including the GIGABYTE MZ31-AR0. In comparison to the GIGABYTE model, the EPYCD8-2T shows much better power efficiency with a strong showing in our long idle power testing, as well as at full-load with our AMD EPYC 7351P processor. Server and workstation motherboards tend to take longer to boot up into Windows due to controller and BMC initialization during POST, but our POST time testing shows the EPYCD8-2T to POST in just over 50 seconds, with a slightly quicker POST time of 45 seconds with non-essentially controllers disabled. The ASRock Rack EPYCD8-2T is the only model I've personally tested on any platform to be under 50 µs in our DPC Latency testing, making this a solid option for users building an audio-focused workstation. 

The ASRock Rack EPYCD8-2T currently retails for $498 at Newegg and represents just handful of single-socket LGA4094 models at the sub $500 price point. Included in that list is the similar, but cheaper ASRock Rack EPYCD8 ($460) which is essentially the same board, but without dual 10 G Ethernet. Other models at a similar price point include the Supermicro MBD-H11SSL-NC ($470) with dual 1 G Ethernet and fewer SATA, as well as the ASUS KNPA-U16 ($462) which has superior storage and better memory support but opts for two 1GbE too. The distinguishing factor in specifications for the EPYCD8-2T that we're reviewing today is the Intel X550 Dual 10 gigabit Ethernet controller, and seven PCIe 3.0 slots which is impressive on an ATX sized model.

Read on for more extended analysis.

Visual Inspection

The ASRock Rack EPYCD8-2T is an ATX motherboard which features support for both AMD EPYC 7001 (Naples) and EPYC 7002 (Rome) single-socket processors. The EPYCD8-2T has a single transposed socket to allow for optimal airflow when used within a 1U chassis, but this model is also compatible for use in regular chassis that support ATX motherboards. ASRock Rack is using a green PCB with blue memory and blue PCIe 3.0 slots, with silver aluminium heatsinks for the power delivery and controller set.

Even though the EPYCD8-2T is using an ATX sized PCB, ASRock Rack has managed to fit a total of seven PCIe 3.0 slots, with four full-length PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, and three open ended half-length PCIe 3.0 x8 slots. These slots from top to bottom operate at x16/x8/x16/x8/x16/x8/x16. 

For this model to support EPYC 7002 processors, users who end up with one of the earlier runs will need to perform a BIOS update. (Our board was so fresh, it only came with a 16 MB chip, whereas a 32 MB BIOS chip is needed - ASRock informs us all retail units have the 32 MB chip).

For storage, the ASRock Rack EPYCD8-2T has the capability to support up to nine SATA devices. This is possible with two miniSAS HD slots with each slot supporting up to four SATA devices, with a SATA DOM also present on the board. In addition to the SATA are two PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots, which also support SATA M.2 drives. Although the EPYCD8-2T doesn't include U.2 ports directly, it includes two OcLink ports so U.2 drives can be used.

Touching on cooling support, the EPYCD8-2T has a total of seven 6-pin fan headers with one for a CPU fan, and six for chassis fans. Four of the chassis headers are assigned to front fans, and two for rear fans, which signifies official support for users looking to install this board into a 1U chassis. For power, a 24-pin 12 V ATX is present to provide motherboard power, with an 8-pin and 4-pin for CPU power. ASRock Rack also includes a 6-pin connector to provide additional power to the PCIe 3.0 slots. 

Along the bottom of the board is a number of headers including a USB 2.0 header which supports two additional ports, a TR1, TPM, BMC_SMB and IPMB headers. A two-digit LED debugger is also present for troubleshooting potential POSTing failures. A large silver aluminium heatsink is located in the bottom left-hand corner for the board which keeps the board's controller set cool This includes the Aspeed AST2500 BMC and Intel X550 dual 10 G Ethernet controller, as well as the Realtek RTL8211E Gigabit controller designated for the boards IPMI.

The power delivery on the ASRock Rack EPYCD8-2T is using a basic 7-phase configuration for the CPU. The power delivery does include a small heatsink which uses screws to retain pressure. The EPYCD8-2T has support for up to 64-core EPYC 7002 processors and is more than capable to power such a powerful professional-grade processor.

On the rear panel is very little in the way of input and outputs, with just two USB 3.1 G1 Type-A ports present. To enable more, users will need to make use of the single USB 3.1 G1 header which offers two additional ports. A single USB 2.0 header also provides two extra ports bring the boards total of USB support up to six when factoring in the ports on the rear panel. Located above the two USB 3.1 G1 Type-A slots is a Realtek RTL8211E dedicated management Gigabit port, with a further two 10 G Ethernet ports powered by an Intel X550 10 G controller. Also present is a UID button with LED, a D-sub video output powered by the Aspeed AST2500 BMC controller, and a serial port.

What's in the Box

Included in the retail packaging is a small, yet effective accessories bundle is a rear panel I/O shield, a single SATA cable, a mini SAS to four SATA port cable, two M.2 installation screws, and a quick installation guide. ASRock doesn't distinguish between retail packaging and bulk packaging on the official product site.

• SATA cable
• mini SAS to four SATA cable
• 2 x M.2 installation screws
• Quick installation guide
• Rear panel I/O shield

BIOS

The ASRock Rack EPYCD8-2T is using a very basic version of American Megatrends Aptio firmware. It has a basic GUI which is designed more towards professional use as opposed to consumer use. The GUI is using basic grey background with blue highlights at the top, with grey text and white highlighting. While we have seen this firmware before used on other professional models from other brands, this ASRock board does include hot keying for taking screenshots which can be done by pressing the F12 key.

On the main screen, users can find a list of core hardware installed including basic information including the processor model number, L1, L2 and L3 cache information, including information on the memory installed. Users looking for power control functions will find them in the advanced section, including C-State, PCIe, and options for enabling and disabling AMD's Core Performance Boost technology. The server management section allows users to made customizations to the Aspeed AST2500 BMC controller. This includes options to set a custom Static IP for users to log into the boards IPMI function remotely across a network.

The firmware on the ASRock Rack EPYCD8-2T caters to professional users without fanfare. It's designed to be efficient, stable, and drops the flashy GUI of consumer boards to focus more on functionality. 

Software

Although the ASRock EPYCD8-2T doesn't 'technically' include a software bundle, it does include an Aspeed AST2500 BMC and Realtek RTL8211E Gigabit Ethernet controller. The AST2500 allows users to access the system physically without a graphics card through the D-sub, or through a network with a dynamic or static IP address which can be set within the board's firmware. 

The ASRock Rack intelligent platform management interface (IPMI) is one of the better examples with a fluid control panel with access to many different functions. The main IPMI dashboard shows information from the integrated sensors which range from CPU temperature, CPU and system voltage readings, as well as individual readouts from each of the memory slots. Also on display is how much free space is available on the system including access to event logs, system maintenance including updating the board's firmware through the KVM viewer. ASRock Rack has two versions of its KVM viewer which include HTML5 and Java. Users can also control power elements including forcing shutdowns, reboots and start up the system remotely. 

Users looking to download up-to-date drivers will need to from the official product page on the ASRock website, as the board doesn't include a physical disk in the accessories bundle. The ASRock Rack IPMI can be accessed remotely, or directly on the network, with the BMC shown clearly during system POST. It has an intuitive IPMI control panel with plenty of functionality for professional users.

Board Features

The ASRock Rack EPYCD8-2T is a single socket LGA 4094 ATX motherboard designed for the workstation and server market. It has compatibility with both the AMD EYPC 7001 and 7002 family, which means this model supports up to 64 cores. On the memory front, the EYPCD8-2T has eight memory slots with support for up to 1 TB of DDR4-3200 system memory including both LRDIMM or RDIMM. RDIMM support is limited to 32 GB, 16 GB, and 8 GB modules, while LRDIMM supported includes 128 GB and 64 GB modules. Users can install up to nine SATA devices with two miniSAS ports which offer four ports each, and a single SATA DOM connector. Also present is two PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots which support both NVMe and SATA drives. While this board doesn't include standard U.2 ports, ASRock Rack has included two Oculink U.2 slots for users wishing to use U.2 drives. The ASRock Rack EPYCD8-2T also has seven PCIe 3.0 slots, with four full-length and three-half length slots which operate at x16/x8/x16/x8/x16/x8/x16. Each full-length PCIe 3.0 slot runs at x16, with the half-lengths limited to PCIe 3.0 x8.

ASRock Rack EPYCD8-2T ATX Motherboard
Warranty Period	3 Years
Product Page	Link
Price	$498
Size	ATX
CPU Interface	LGA 4094/SP3
Chipset	SoC
Memory Slots (DDR4)	Eight DDR4 Supporting 1TB ECC LRDIMM/RDIMM Octa Channel Up to DDR4-3200
Video Outputs	1 x D-Sub (Aspeed)
Network Connectivity	Intel X550 Dual 10 G  Realtek RTL8211E Gigabit (IPMI)
Onboard Audio	N/A
PCIe Slots for Graphics (from CPU)	7 x PCIe 3.0 x16 x16/x8/x16/x8/x16/x8/x16)
PCIe Slots for Other (from PCH)	N/A
Onboard SATA	Nine (2 x mini SAS, 1 x SATA DOM)
Onboard M.2	2 x PCIe 3.0 x4/SATA
Onboard U.2	2 x OCuLink
USB 3.1 (10 Gbps)	N/A
USB 3.0 (5 Gbps)	2 x Type-A Rear Panel 1 x Header (two ports)
USB 2.0	1 x Header (two ports)
Power Connectors	1 x 24-pin ATX 1 x 8-pin CPU 1 x 4-pin CPU 1 x 6-pin PCIe
Fan Headers	1 x CPU (6-pin) 6 x System (6-pin)
IO Panel	2 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A 2 x Ethernet 10 G (Intel) 1 x D-Sub (Aspeed) 1 x Serial Port 1 x MLAN (Realtek) 1 x ID Button

ASRock is using the Aspeed AST2500 BMC controller which adds a single D-sub video output on the rear panel, while a Realtek RTL82111E Gigabit Ethernet controller is used for the boards dedicated IPMI connection. Also on the rear panel is a pair of USB 3.1 G1 Type-A ports, although users needing more USB can get an additional two USB 3.1 G1 Type-A ports, and two USB 2.0 ports from front panel headers. For the networking, the included Intel X550 dual 10 G Ethernet controller adds two Ethernet ports on the rear panel for premium networks. Finishing off the rear panel is a single serial port and an ID button which comes equipped with an LED. Adapted for premium 1U chassis, there are seven 6-pin fan headers in total, with one dedicated to a CPU cooler and six for chassis fans.

Test Bed

As per our testing policy, we take a high-end CPU suitable for the motherboard that was released during the socket’s initial launch, and equip the system with a suitable amount of memory running at the processor maximum supported frequency. This is also typically run at JEDEC subtimings where possible. It is noted that some users are not keen on this policy, stating that sometimes the maximum supported frequency is quite low, or faster memory is available at a similar price, or that the JEDEC speeds can be prohibitive for performance. While these comments make sense, ultimately very few users apply memory profiles (either XMP or other) as they require interaction with the BIOS, and most users will fall back on JEDEC supported speeds - this includes home users as well as industry who might want to shave off a cent or two from the cost or stay within the margins set by the manufacturer. Where possible, we will extend out testing to include faster memory modules either at the same time as the review or a later date.

For direct comparisons with consumer boards, we're using a 16-core processor.

Test Setup
Processor	AMD EPYC 7351P 180W, $774 16 Cores, 32 Threads, 2.4 GHz (2.9 GHz Turbo)
Motherboard	ASRock EPYCD8-2T (BIOS 1.50)
Cooling	Noctua U14S TR4-SP3
Power Supply	Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 1200W Gold PSU
Memory	8x32 GB SK Hynix DDR4-2933 21-21-21 Ran at DDR4-2666
Video Card	MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Gaming X 8G (1683/1822 Boost)
Hard Drive	Crucial MX300 1TB
Case	Open Test Bed
Operating System	Windows 10 64-bit 1909

Readers of our motherboard review section will have noted the trend in modern motherboards to implement a form of MultiCore Enhancement / Acceleration / Turbo (read our report here) on their motherboards. This does several things, including better benchmark results at stock settings (not entirely needed if overclocking is an end-user goal) at the expense of heat and temperature. It also gives, in essence, an automatic overclock which may be against what the user wants. Our testing methodology is ‘out-of-the-box’, with the latest public BIOS installed and XMP enabled, and thus subject to the whims of this feature. It is ultimately up to the motherboard manufacturer to take this risk – and manufacturers taking risks in the setup is something they do on every product (think C-state settings, USB priority, DPC Latency / monitoring priority, overriding memory sub-timings at JEDEC). Processor speed change is part of that risk, and ultimately if no overclocking is planned, some motherboards will affect how fast that shiny new processor goes and can be an important factor in the system build.

Many thanks to...

We must thank the following companies for kindly providing hardware for our multiple test beds. Some of this hardware is not in this test bed specifically, but is used in other testing.

Hardware Providers
Sapphire RX 460 Nitro	MSI GTX 1080 Gaming X OC	Crucial MX300 + MX500 SSDs	Corsair AX860i + AX1200i PSUs
G.Skill RipjawsV, SniperX, FlareX	Crucial Ballistix DDR4	Silverstone Coolers	Silverstone Fans

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, but also the ability for the manufacturer to optimize USB speed, audio quality (based on audio codec), POST time and latency. This can come down to the manufacturing process and prowess, so these are tested.

For this review we are running using Windows 10 64-bit with the 1909 update as per our Ryzen Threadripper 3960X and 3970X CPU review.

Power Consumption

Power consumption was tested on the system while in a single ASUS GTX 980 GPU configuration with a wall meter connected to the Thermaltake 1200W power supply. This 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.

Out of all the boards we tested above, the ASRock EPYCD8-2T shows impeccable power efficiency in our long idle, idle, and full load power testing. Compared directly against the GIGABYTE MZ31-AR0, it operates around 13 W lighter at full load, while it's 6 W at long idle, and 4 W lighter in an idle state. 

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.)

The professional level server and workstations model tend to take longer to POST into the operating system than consumer boards, and our results show this. Typically a professional model with BMC takes longer due to controller initialization, but ASRock is a good 21 seconds quicker than the GIGABYTE model at booting into Windows 10. 

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.

We test the DPC latency at default settings out of the box, and the ASRock board performs noticeably better than any other AMD Threadripper HEDT and EPYC focused model we've tested so far. 

CPU Performance, Short Form

For our motherboard reviews, we use our short form testing method. These tests usually focus on if a motherboard is using MultiCore Turbo (the feature used to have maximum turbo on at all times, giving a frequency advantage), or if there are slight gains to be had from tweaking the firmware. We put the memory settings at the CPU manufacturers suggested frequency, making it very easy to see which motherboards have MCT enabled by default.

For this review we are running using Windows 10 64-bit with the 1909 update as per our Ryzen Threadripper 3960X and 3970X CPU review.

Rendering - Blender 2.8: 3D Creation Suite - link

A high profile rendering tool, Blender is open-source allowing for massive amounts of configurability, and is used by a number of high-profile animation studios worldwide. The organization recently released a Blender benchmark package, a couple of weeks after we had narrowed our Blender test for our new suite, however their test can take over an hour. For our results, we run one of the sub-tests in that suite through the command line - a standard ‘bmw27’ scene in CPU only mode, and measure the time to complete the render.

Rendering – POV-Ray 3.7.1: Ray Tracing - link

The Persistence of Vision Ray Tracer, or POV-Ray, is a freeware package for as the name suggests, ray tracing. It is a pure renderer, rather than modeling software, but the latest beta version contains a handy benchmark for stressing all processing threads on a platform. We have been using this test in motherboard reviews to test memory stability at various CPU speeds to good effect – if it passes the test, the IMC in the CPU is stable for a given CPU speed. As a CPU test, it runs for approximately 1-2 minutes on high-end platforms.

Synthetic – 7-Zip v1805: link

Out of our compression/decompression tool tests, 7-zip is the most requested and comes with a built-in benchmark. For our test suite, we’ve pulled the latest version of the software and we run the benchmark from the command line, reporting the compression, decompression, and a combined score.

It is noted in this benchmark that the latest multi-die processors have very bi-modal performance between compression and decompression, performing well in one and badly in the other. There are also discussions around how the Windows Scheduler is implementing every thread. As we get more results, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Point Calculations – 3D Movement Algorithm Test: link

3DPM is a self-penned benchmark, taking basic 3D movement algorithms used in Brownian Motion simulations and testing them for speed. High floating point performance, MHz, and IPC win in the single thread version, whereas the multithread version has to handle the threads and loves more cores. For a brief explanation of the platform agnostic coding behind this benchmark, see my forum post here.

Neuron Simulation - DigiCortex v1.20: link

The newest benchmark in our suite is DigiCortex, a simulation of biologically plausible neural network circuits, and simulates activity of neurons and synapses. DigiCortex relies heavily on a mix of DRAM speed and computational throughput, indicating that systems which apply memory profiles properly should benefit and those that play fast and loose with overclocking settings might get some extra speed up. Results are taken during the steady-state period in a 32k neuron simulation and represented as a function of the ability to simulate in real time (1.000x equals real-time).

ASRock Rack EPYCD8-2T Conclusion

Professional grade motherboards are a completely different playing field when it comes to the consumer-focused models. The main differences aside from featuring much plainer and archaic aesthetics, come via the onboard controller set. This includes the use of BMC controllers to allow users to connect for vital maintenance and monitoring from distant locations. ASRock Rack has been around since 2013 and until 2018, it produced models for Intel. The first board created for AMD';s EPYC from ASRock Rack was the EPYCD8, with the primary difference between that and the EPYCD8-2T coming through its choice of primary networking controller. The newer EPYCD8-2T includes an Intel X550 Dual 10 G Ethernet controller which adds two ports on the rear. Everything else between both models remains unchanged.

The ASRock EPYCD8-2T includes seven PCIe 3.0 slots, which is an is an impressive feat given the board is ATX. They run in a x16/x8/x16/x8/x16/x8/x16 configuration, with the four full-length slots running at the full x16 bandwidth, and the half-length slots running at x8. One of the biggest benefits of AMD's EPYC is that each processor has 128 available PCIe lanes, which the ASRock model takes full advantage of. Also benefiting from the PCIe capability is two PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots, with two Oculink slots for U.2 drives, with support for up to nine SATA devices via two mini SAS HD ports, with a single SATA DOM powered connector. 

The ASRock EPYCD8-2T has seven PCIe 3.0 slots

To connect remotely to a system using this model, users can access it over a network using a Realtek RTL8211E Gigabit Ethernet port designed for the boards IPMI. The Aspeed AST2500 BMC adds a D-sub 2D video output on the rear panel which allows users to run without a graphics card installed. The management interface itself is very well-rounded with a clean GUI and offers plenty of server-level functions. The memory support includes eight slots which support up to DDR4-3200 of RDIMM and LRDIMM ECC memory and a maximum capacity of up to 1 TB.

Looking at the performance, and the EPYCD8-2T is very competitive from a computational standpoint. The real difference came in our power consumption testing which puts it as the more power-efficient model when compared directly to the GIGABYTE model. Another highly positive result came in our DPC latency testing, with the lowest latency achieved from any model tested over the last few years. This makes the EPYCD8-2T very suitable for an audio workstation, despite not including any onboard audio; audio producers generally use much higher grade audio equipment anyway. Results in our POST time testing were also favourable with the ASRock board booting into Windows around 20 seconds quicker than the GIGABYTE counterpart.

Bigger sized boards such as E-ATX models can cram more memory slots on, but the EPYCD8-2T is 'ahead' of its size in terms of specifications with its great storage capability spearheaded by dual PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slots, and support for up to nine SATA drives. The ASRock EPYCD8-2T retails for $498 with dual 10 G Ethernet, or alternatively users satisfied with dual Gigabit Ethernet can save some budget with the EYPCD8 ($460) coming in at around $40 cheaper. For comparative purposes, the larger E-ATX sized GIGABYTE MZ31-AR0 which we previously reviewed retails for $565, had more memory slots (16 versus 8) and offering up to 2 TB. Being ATX means the ASRock EPYCD8-2T is compatible with more chassis types, including 1U chassis, and conventional desktop cases.

Overall the ASRock Rack EPYCD8-2T is a solid single-socket EPYC solution for users not interested in PCIe 4.0 but still want plenty of PCIe and storage availability in a single socket ATX form factor.