ASUS E8 Series Server and Z10 Series Server Boards ready to support new Intel Xeon E5-2600 v4 processors

Latest processor family brings performance benefits to rack-optimized designs for datacenters, HPC, enterprise and SMB environments

ASUS today announced that its E8-series servers and Z10-series server boards are ready to support the latest Intel® Xeon™ E5-2600 v4 processor family.

This new family of Intel Xeon processors is designed for use in twin-socket servers and features up to a maximum of 22 cores and 55MB of cache, an increase of over 20% compared to the previous Intel Xeon E5-2600 v3 generation. Featuring built-in technologies designed to improve performance over a wide range of different workloads, the new processors also support faster memory speeds — up to DDR4 2400MHz. This new generation of processors can deliver performance benchmark improvements of up to 44%^[1] compared to the previous generation, depending on the type of workload. The Intel Xeon E5-2600 v4 family is suitable for almost any desired scenario or workload, featuring a wide range choice of numbers of cores, operating frequencies and power ratings.

ASUS E8 servers and Z10 server boards are designed to deliver extreme efficiency, expandability, enhanced-usability design and complete remote management for premium performance in datacenters, high-performance computing (HPC) and enterprise, as well as small and medium business (SMB) environments.

E8 servers and Z10 server boards feature premium components for premium efficiency and better-than-ever thermal solutions. Voltage-regulation (VR) efficiency is boosted to levels of up 94%, while rack-optimized designs provide extreme cooling efficiency.

Optimized layout, unobstructed airflow, maximum cooling and flexible fan controls

ASUS E8 servers and Z10 server boards are designed for optimum thermal performance, with a range of innovations to keep both the equipment and storage facilities as cool as possible.

The motherboard layout is optimized for rack-mounted configurations, with both the CPU and memory placed in a parallel arrangement directly behind the fan inlet to promote maximum cooling. E8 server internals are also free from messy cabling, proving a clear and direct airflow channel for superbly-efficient heat dissipation.

E8 servers and Z10 server boards also have flexible fan controls, with a choice of automated or manual operation. In automatic mode, the highly-accurate temperature sensor detects the CPU’s workload and adjusts the fan speeds accordingly. In manual mode, the administrator is free to decide the fan curve to meet demand.

Designed to perform, built to endure

E8 servers and Z10 server boards are carefully engineered with Beat Thermal Chokes II, finely gold-plated for high conductivity and minimal-loss power delivery. They also include the new ASUS Digi+ Energy Processing Unit (EPU) with an all-new DRAM controller that allows ultra-precise memory tuning in addition to CPU-voltage control.

Flexible expandability and smart usability

ASUS E8 servers and Z10 server boards feature a mezzanine-style design that supports host bus adapter (HBA) storage, HBA networking and Open Compute Project (OCP) mezzanine expansion card. With the optional ASUS PIKE II (Proprietary I/O Kit Expansion) card, the latest ASUS servers and server boards offer more expandability than ever before. ASUS PIKE II is the latest 12Gbps SAS and PCI-E® 3.0 high-reliability enterprise storage solution. It meets users’ needs with support for 6Gbps SATA and 12Gbps SAS storage and integrated RAID data protection.

E8 servers and Z10 server boards also include a clear port 80 display panel for simple monitoring of the entire boot process, from the early hardware-awakening stages to the launch of the operating system and beyond. A bright power lamp on the rear enables administrators to check the server’s status instantly, with no need to open the case — saving time and effort. An exclusive tool-free rail kit eases deployment for systems administrators for increased efficiency.

Complete remote server management

Remote server management plays an important role in modern datacenter environments and E8-series servers and Z10-series server boards provide a complete solution, in the shape of the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) 2.0-compliant ASMB8-iKVM module and ASUS System Web-based Management (ASWM) Enterprise management tool.

Via a simple and intuitive web-based graphical user interface, administrators are able to save time and effort by using ASWM Enterprise to control equipment, including the ability to flash BIOSes and control power demands, to exploit the many efficiency benefits of one-to-many centralized management. There’s even a new screen-recording function that enables quick and easy maintenance remotely.

E8-series server and Z10-series server boards also feature the Intel Baseboard Management Controller (BMC), providing enhanced management and reliability. BMC runs at all times when there is power to the system — even if the operating system is not running.