Gigabyte G242-P31 GPU Server

Description

Featuring up to 80 single threaded cores, the Gigabyte G242-P31 GPU server offers predictable clock speeds for AI, AI training, AI, inference, and special modeling. Using the power from the Ampere Altra processor, PCIe 4.0 is supported natively in all 128 PCIe lanes for twice the bandwidth compared to PCIe 3.0 speeds. With just a single processor and high core count, this system can easily do the job of a dual processor platform while still delivering high memory density at up to 4TB in a 2U chassis.

Other Gigabyte G242 Series GPU Servers

Gigabyte G242-P31 GPU Server
1x Ampere Altra CPU, 4x PCIe Gen4 x16 GPUs, 16x DDR4 DIMM, 4TB memory, 4x 3.5" SATA/SAS, 2x M.2

Gigabyte G242-Z10 GPU Server
1x AMD EPYC 7002/7003 CPU, 4x PCIe Gen3 x16 GPUs, 1TB memory, 8x DDR4 DIMM, 4x 3.5" SATA, 2x 2.5" NVMe/SAS/SATA, 1x M.2

Gigabyte G242-Z11 GPU Server
1x AMD EPYC 7002/7003 CPU, 4x PCIe Gen3 x16 GPUs, 1TB memory, 8x DDR4 DIMM, 4x 3.5" SATA, 2x 2.5" NVMe/SAS/SATA

Performance

This system uses an Ampere Altra processor, which is still quite new to the industry, was designed specifically to meet the needs of the cloud and data centers. It supports more I/O and memory bandwidth than any other processor on the market while offering improved energy efficiency. Gigabyte has been helping with the development of this processor and has validated it as “ARM Server Ready.” The Gigabyte G242-P31 server supports a single Ampere Altra processor, which features a system on a chip (SOC) design and up to 80 64-bit Arm CPU cores, 128 PCIe 4.0 lanes, plus 8x memory channels. The motherboard accommodates the CPU with a single LGA4926 socket. At up to 80 cores of processing power, it can do the work of dual processors. The PCIe controller also supports bifurcation to x8, x4, and x2 offering the potential for more GPU and NVMe drive support.

Memory

With 8x memory channels to work with, there are 16x memory module slots total that support a top memory speed of up to 3200MHz. Load reduced (LRDIMM) and registered (RDIMM) memory modules are supported for a maximum capacity of a little over 4TB of memory when all memory module slots are outfitted with 256GB DDR4 memory modules.

Storage

Four 2.5-inch storage bays line the lower portion of the 2U chassis. Supported drive formats include SAS and SATA hot-swappable HDDs or SSDs. SAS drives require the CRA3338 SAS storage card, which is based off the Broadcom SAS3008 controller offering limited RAID functionality of 0/1/1E/10. Additionally, two slots on the motherboard are dedicated for support of NVMe M.2 storage devices through a PCIe 4.0 interface to boot the system.

Expansion

In addition to the dedicated slots on the system board for the 2x ultra-fast M.2 drives, there are 4x PCIe 4.0 x16 slots specifically for up to 4x double-slot Nvidia GPU cards. Three of the GPU specific PCIe slots are positioned at the front for maximum cooling, and a fourth is located opposite the PSU behind the bank of fans. Three more half-height, half-length PCIe 4.0 x8 slots at the rear of the chassis provide options for high-speed I/O controllers. Lastly, another PCIe 4.0 x8 slot comes with a pre-installed HD/RAID controller offering 3, 6 and 12Gb/s access for SAS drives and 3, and 6Gb/s access speeds for SATA drives. Two 1GbE LAN ports in the back are adjacent to the dedicated GbE RJ45 MLAN port for remote management of the system.

Management

The RJ46 port on the back of the system provides administrators with a backdoor to the system in the event of a power failure or for remote management of the system through Gigabyte’s no-cost applications. Gigabyte Management Console is for single server management and offers a feature rich intuitive browser-based user interface. Gigabyte Server Management (GSM) is for managing multiple servers and is compatible with Redfish and the Integrated Platform Management Interface (IPMI) 2.0, to help the system mesh with your current third-party hardware. Both offer server health monitoring, remote troubleshooting, resource utilization monitoring, and a reduction in server downtimes as a result.

Summary

Offering a quick ROI with the single-socket Gigabyte G242-P31 GPU server, this platform is also designed specifically to support applications and workloads in the cloud and data center. Ampere’s new Altra processors also provide up to 80 single-threaded cores, and in this case, augmented by up to 4x double-wide Nvidia cards in a 2U chassis. This system is ideal for AI, AI inference, AI training, and other high-performance computing applications.