Server-grade mini PCs: ASRock reveals "Deep mini-ITX" motherboards with AMD EPYC Rome CPU support

The mini-ITX form-factor has turned into one of the favorite standards for DIY builders over the past few years. Hardware manufacturers now offer specialized models for small form-factor builds, from mini-ITX video cards to motherboards, cases with varied volumes and even special cooling systems. Of course, these are mini-ITX versions of existing desktop-grade variants, but DIY builders will soon be able to use server-grade CPUs, as well, thanks to ASRock and its new “Deep mini-ITX” form factor motherboards that support AMD’s Zen2-based EPYC processors.

The ASRock Rack division has just announced the imminent availability of the ROMED4ID-2T Deep mini-ITX mobos that measure 6.7 x 8.2 inches. These are slightly longer than the desktop-grade mini-ITX mobos and are designed for the more spacious cases with volumes upwards of 10 liters. It comes with an SP3 (LGA4094) socket that can accommodate AMD’s EPYC 7002 series processors with up to 64 cores, which, in turn, can be coupled with up to 256 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM via four R/LR/NV-DIMMs. Since the socket and the DIMMs already take up a considerable portion of the mobo, this model does not come with too many expansion slots or ports. There is only one PCIe 4.0 X16 expansion slot and one M.2 2280 storage slot. However, users can connect more SATA III storage solutions if need be through 6x slimline U.2 slots. Port selection is austere, as well, with only 1 VGA port, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 connectors and 2x 10 GbE + 1x 1 GbE jacks. Server management features are enabled through the integrated ASPeed AST2500 controller.

No word on pricing as of yet, but we expect the new Deep mini-ITX mobos to cost considerably more than the regular desktop-grade mini-ITX models.