Why You Need a Supermicro Intel XEON Workstation

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A workstation is a high-performance computer designed for high-powered tasks, such as 4k video editing and AutoCAD. While they share some DNA with gaming PCs and home PCs, a workstation, such as the Supermicro Workstation Desktop Computer, is primarily meant for work and has the power and reliability required by many technical fields, from video editing to machine learning.

 If you’re looking to upgrade your work computers with powerhouses that have everything you need to improve your productivity and work efficiency, here’s why you should switch to a Supermicro Workstation computer with an Intel Xeon processor.

Supermicro Specifications

All Supermicro, Intel Xeon workstations come equipped with a third-generation Intel Xeon Processor and 128 GB of DDR4-3200 RAM. Two models are available: Performance and High-Performance, allowing you to scale the processing power with the intensity of your applications.

 

Performance Model Specifications

The Performance model is a highly flexible enterprise-grade workstation. It offers users the processing power they need and IT departments the versatility and customization to suit any business computing application.

 Specifications:

●      Orientation: Vertical tower

●      OS: Windows 10 Pro

●      CPU socket: FCLGA4189 (Intel LGA 4189)

●      CPU: Intel Xeon Silver 4314

•       Cores: 16
•       Base frequency: 2.4 GHz
•       Max frequency (with Intel Turbo Boost): 3.4 GHz

●      Included memory: 128 GB (4 x 32 GB) DDR4 SDRAM

•      Frequency: 3200 MHz

●      Storage: 1 solid-state drive (SSD) + 1 hard drive (HDD)

•       SSD specifications: PCI-e NVMe M.2, 1 TB
•       HDD specifications: SATA 6 GB/s, 2 TB, 7,200 RPM

●      Graphics: Integrated graphics, ASPEED AST2500 via IPMI

•       Output: VGA
•       VRAM: 1 GB
•       Resolution: 1920 x 1200

●      Display: Not included

●      Audio: Integrated audio, Realtek ALC888 (7.1 audio channels)

●      Network: Gigabit LAN

●      Ports:

•       Front panel: 2x USB 3.2 (Type A)
•      Rear panel: 2x USB 2.0 (Type A), 4x USB 3.2 (Type A), 1x USB 3.2 (Type C), 3x LAN RJ-45

●      Expansion bays: 8x internal 3.5”/2.5” front hot-swappable bays

●      Expansion slots: 7x PCIe x16 slots, 4x NVMe Gen 4 slots

●      PSU: 1200W

•       Certification: 80PLUS Platinum

●      Environmental specifications: RoHS compliant

●      Physical dimensions: 17.8” height, 25.5” depth, 7” width

●      Warranty: 3 years limited warranty (parts and labor)

●      MSRP: $3,799.99

High-Performance Model Specifications

The High-Performance model comes equipped with the latest-generation workstation Xeon Gold CPU and a Zotac GeForce RTX 3090, one of the few gaming graphics cards tested and approved for enterprise use. This model is ideal if you need performance without compromise.

 Specifications:

●      Orientation: Vertical tower

●      OS: Windows 10 Pro

●      CPU socket: FCLGA4189 (Intel LGA 4189)

●      CPU: Intel Xeon Gold 6312U

• ○      Cores: 24
• ○      Base frequency: 2.4 GHz
• ○      Max frequency (with Intel Turbo Boost): 3.6 GHz

●      Included memory: 128 GB (4 x 32 GB) DDR4 SDRAM

•       Frequency: 3200 MHz

●      Storage: 1 solid-state drive (SSD) + 1 hard drive (HDD)

•       SSD specifications: PCI-e NVMe M.2, 1 TB
•       HDD specifications: SATA 6 GB/s, 6 TB, 7,200 RPM

●      Graphics: Discrete graphics card, Zotac GeForce RTX 3090 Trinity OC

•       VRAM: 24 GB GDDR6X
•       DirectX: Version 12 Ultimate
•       Display support: Up to 4 monitors
•       Display ports: 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x HDMI 2.1

●      Display: Not included

●      Audio: Integrated audio, Realtek ALC888 (7.1 audio channels)

●      Network: Gigabit LAN

●      Ports:

•       Front panel: 2x USB 3.2 (Type A)
•       Rear panel: 2x USB 2.0 (Type A), 4x USB 3.2 (Type A), 1x USB 3.2 (Type C), 3x LAN RJ-45

●      Expansion bays: 8x internal 3.5”/2.5” front hot-swappable bays

●      Expansion slots: 7x PCIe x16 slots, 4x NVMe Gen 4 slots

●      PSU: 1200W

•       Certification: 80PLUS Platinum

●      Environmental specifications: RoHS compliant

●      Physical dimensions: 17.8” height, 25.5” depth, 7” width

●      Warranty: 3 years limited warranty (parts and labor)

●      MSRP: $7,899.99

 

Why You Should Upgrade to a Workstation

Workstations are more powerful than laptops and commercial desktop computers. However, due to their compatibility with parts and components that can also fit in standard home PCs, it can be challenging to discern what makes a computer a workstation.

 Workstations differ from gaming PCs and other high-end home computers in the following ways:

 

Enterprise-Grade Processor

Workstation CPUs are much like home computer CPUs; the more cores they possess, the higher-end they tend to be. More cores grant the computer the ability to handle more tasks and operations from different programs, increasing overall work productivity.

 The main difference between commercial and workstation CPUs is the actual number of cores. A CPU with 8 to 12 cores in a home computer suggests a very high-end gaming PC, but the same number of cores would be considered entry-level in a workstation.

 The Supermicro Performance workstation features an Intel Xeon Silver 4134 CPU featuring 16 cores, suitable for mid-range enterprise applications. The High-Performance workstation possesses a 24-core Intel Xeon Gold 6312, making it a top-of-the-line processor that can handle the heaviest tasks.

 

Enterprise-Grade Graphics Processing

Many industries rely on their workstations’ high-end graphics processing capabilities, from content creation (audio and video editing) to 3D modeling and engineering design. These capabilities come from a powerful enterprise-grade graphics processing unit (GPU), benefitting from a significant amount of high-speed, dedicated video memory (VRAM).

The Supermicro High-Performance comes with a Zotac GeForce RTX 3090 Trinity OC; a factory overclocked gaming GPU possessing 24 GB of GDDR6X video memory. This GPU’s overall performance is higher than its enterprise equivalent, the RTX A5000.

 

Error-Correcting Code (ECC)

Workstations typically possess large amounts of specialized RAM employing Error-Correcting Code (ECC) technology.

 Industries frequently use their machines to perform resource-intensive work over long periods, which often causes lag (slowdowns or stuttering), hangs (freezing), and increases the risk of a fatal system error. On Windows machines, system errors result in the well-known Blue Screen of Death (BSoD).

 ECC RAM differs from commercial RAM by its ability to eliminate or significantly minimize these issues. In turn, ECC RAM keeps your workstations running for longer. All Supermicro workstations come standard with four sticks of 32 GB DDR4-3200 ECC memory, granting you 128 GB of data corruption-resistant memory.

 

High-Speed Storage

Like home computers, today’s workstations take advantage of the latest advances in solid-state drive (SSD) storage, offering significantly faster data reading and writing capabilities over traditional, mechanical hard disk drives (HDDs).

 High-speed SSDs not only allow you to access, load, and save large quantities of data faster, but they also allow you to boot into Windows (or the OS of your choice) faster than ever before. They also require less power than HDDs and possess no failure-prone moving parts.

 

Redundancy Features

One of the primary ways workstations differ from home PCs is their reliability and high resistance to data corruption. Despite their relative rarity, hardware failures can be devastating, potentially wiping out multiple days worth of progress on major projects.

Aside from ECC memory, workstations typically feature redundant hardware, such as redundant power supplies or RAID setups.

A redundant power supply has the same functionality as a standard PSU, with two significant differences; a workstation equipped with two redundant PSUs can continue operating even if one of them fails.

RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks setup is an array of synchronized storage drives. Workstations generally employ RAID Mode 1, which enables data mirroring.

Every time you add, change, or remove data from your primary drive, all changes made are also copied 1:1 to a secondary drive. In the event of a primary drive failure, you can immediately recover your data on your secondary drive without corruption or losses.

 Practical Applications

Both Supermicro workstations are ideal for use in enterprise environments where powerful, high-reliability machines are needed. Whether you need workstation PCs for a small business or a large company, understanding which sectors need the kind of processing power they can provide will help you determine which model you need.

There are three broad categories of workstation applications: applied sciences, graphic design, and server-workstation tasks.

However, remember that workstations are highly configurable and customizable; you can modify and upgrade your machines with many parts and components to better suit your needs.

 

Graphic Design

A workstation oriented toward graphic design applications is ideal for a range of industries and enterprises. The heart of a graphic design workstation is its high-performance graphics card, suitable for handling the most demanding graphical tasks.

 Graphic design workstations are suitable for the following applications:

●      General-purpose computer-assisted design (CAD)

●      3D design, modeling, and rendering

●      Audio and video editing and processing

●      Graphics design and content creators

●      Professional photography processing

 

Applied Sciences

Workstations oriented toward applied sciences are ideal for engineering applications, large dataset manipulation, work involving artificial intelligence and machine learning, or any other business that requires making millions of calculations per second.

While workstation PCs for engineering may not have the same software or graphical processing requirements as workstation PCs for architects, they may still fulfill similar purposes.

Applied science workstation applications include the following:

●      General engineering

●      Architectural visualization, design, and planning (architects, civil engineers, urban planners, etc.)

●      Data science (e.g., data mining and analysis, machine learning)

●      Artificial intelligence training

●      Data management (financial, healthcare, marketing, etc.)

 

Server-Workstations

Workstations can also double as servers and high-density data storage due to their high reliability and high performance over long periods. These machines are ideal for performing non-graphics-related CPU and RAM-intensive work.

 Server-workstations are used in the following applications:

●      General-purpose high-density storage

●      Business and commercial networking (office intranet, etc.)

●      Web and game server hosting and management

●      Video and surveillance camera storage

 

The Takeaway

Workstation PCs are productivity boosters, offering the processing power, reliability, and performance needed for highly intensive software and computing.

 If your business frequently uses specialized programs that fall outside of typical office suites and web browsing applications, upgrading to a workstation like the SuperMicro Intel XEON will save you time and money.

For more information on Micro Center's offerings of servers and workstations, be sure to check out our selection page for more details, parts listings, and everything else servers and workstations!