Supermicro SuperWorkstation 7049A-T

Description

Part of Supermicro’s 11th generation product family, the Supermicro SuperWorkstation 7049A-T delivers some impressive performance with one or two intel Xeon Scalable processors from either the first or second generation. Combine that with up to 4TB of memory, support for two Nvidia GPUs plus up to eight 3.5-inch storage devices for a truly scalable system that will support your needs for many years to come.

Performance

One or two Gen 1 or Gen 2 Intel Xeon Scalable processors can be installed in this system providing up to 56 cores and 112 threads. Gen 2 processors support more memory at faster speeds of up to 2933MT/s. Gen Xeon processors will support memory speeds of up to 2666MT/s. Both support six memory channels.

Memory

Each CPU supports eight memory module slots, which means four memory modules will occupy a single memory channel and the other four will split two memory channels between them. Supported memory includes 3DS Registered (RDIMM) or Load-Reduced (LRDIMM) memory modules. Intel’s Optane Data Centric Persistent Memory Modules (DCPMM) are also supported providing less latency and better data protection. To support the full 4TB of memory you will need a processor with an “M” suffix that can support up to 2TB each using 256GB 3DS LRDIMM memory modules in each socket. The system supports a platinum-level 1200W power supply.

Storage

There are eight hot-swap 3.5-inch drive bays on the front of the Supermicro 7049A-T behind a lockable panel. Only SATA3 HDDs or SSDs are supported on this system with 10 SATA drive ports on this system board. SAS drives are supported but only with an optional SAS HD/RAID controller. Three 5.25-inch media bays on the top of the tower can also be used to support additional storage. Two NVMe slots on the motherboard support two M.2 drives offering high-speed storage.

Expansion

There are four x16 PCIe 3.0 slots plus two x8 PCIe 3.0 slots for a total of six slots. You can install a maximum of two full-height, full-length Nvidia GPUs including the Quadro P6000 and the RTX 8000. You can also use the expansion slots to support more M.2 storage or network controllers supporting faster connection speeds, useful if you plan to rack-mount the system using an optional rail kit.

Management

A control panel just above the 5.25-inch media bays has several LEDs for system status at a glance. SuperDoctor 5 is Supermicro’s out of band management tool that enables local and remote power on and off, It also helps monitor system health including temperature, system power consumption, fan speed and many others. It can also be configured to send out alert notifications by email or using Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP).

Summary

The Supermicro SuperWorkstation 7049A-T is a very capable and expandable platform designed for financial analysis, 3D animation, machine learning, and AI to name a few. With up to 4TB of memory possible and support for two high-performance GPUs, plus Intel Optane memory this system delivers the goods as a workstation but can also be mounted in a rack enclosure using an optional rail kit.