Description
Asus Z8NH-D12 Server Motherboard – Intel 5500 Chipset, Dual Xeon LGA-1366
Introducing the Asus Z8NH-D12, a purpose-built dual-socket server motherboard crafted for dense data-center deployments. Built around the Intel 5500 chipset and Socket LGA-1366, this board delivers dependable, scalable compute power while maintaining a compact footprint. At 6.3" x 16.7", the Z8NH-D12 is designed to fit two server boards within a single 19" rack chassis, enabling high-density configurations without compromising reliability or manageability. Whether you’re deploying virtualization, large-scale databases, or mission-critical workloads, this motherboard combines enterprise-ready features with ASUS engineering precision to improve efficiency, uptime, and total cost of ownership. From robust power delivery and thermal design to advanced management options, the Z8NH-D12 is engineered to meet the demands of modern data centers while providing long-term compatibility and support.
- Dual Xeon capability with scalable performance — The Asus Z8NH-D12 is engineered to host two Intel Xeon 5500-series processors, delivering substantial multi-core compute power suitable for virtualization, business analytics, and high-throughput workloads. This dual-socket architecture enables online scalability as your workloads expand, allowing you to consolidate servers and reduce deployment sprawl. With optimized voltage regulation and thermal design, the board sustains strong, consistent performance under demanding enterprise workloads, ensuring virtualization hosts, databases, and AI-era workloads run with minimal contention. In short, the Z8NH-D12 provides headroom for growth while preserving predictable latency and reliability across your data center.
- DDR3 memory support for speed and reliability — Designed for high-bandwidth memory access, the Z8NH-D12 supports DDR3 DIMMs to accelerate data-intensive tasks and virtualization workloads. The memory subsystem is engineered with reliability features common to enterprise platforms, including error-detection and busy-load handling, helping to protect critical data while maintaining steady performance under multi-tenant conditions. This translates to faster virtual machine migrations, improved database caching, and smoother operation of memory-hungry applications in dense server environments.
- ASUS innovations: EPU energy management and ASMB4-iKVM — The EPU (Energy Processing Unit) optimizes power delivery in real time, tuning CPU, memory, and I/O to minimize consumption without sacrificing throughput. This yields meaningful energy savings in round-the-clock deployments and contributes to a lower total cost of ownership. The ASMB4-iKVM module provides out-of-band, remote console access, enabling administrators to monitor, troubleshoot, and manage the server remotely even if the host OS is unresponsive. Together, these features enhance resilience, reduce operational costs, and simplify remote administration for data-center operators.
- Density, expandability, and reliability for enterprise use — The slim 6.3" x 16.7" form factor is purposefully designed to host two server boards in a single 19" chassis, maximizing rack density while preserving essential I/O and expansion capabilities. The Z8NH-D12 includes robust PCIe expansion options, enterprise storage interfaces, and support for RAID configurations and hot-plug drives, enabling flexible storage architectures and high-throughput I/O. This combination of density and expandability is ideal for virtualization hosts, clustered services, and resilient data-processing environments where downtime costs are high and performance is critical.
- Future-proofing, manageability, and serviceability — Beyond raw performance, the Z8NH-D12 emphasizes manageability and lifecycle support. With onboard health monitoring, compatibility with standard enterprise tools, and ASUS engineering discipline, administrators can implement proactive maintenance, firmware updates, and routine reliability checks. The trusted ASUS platform minimizes unexpected failures and simplifies ongoing support, helping organizations protect investments in software licenses, virtualization platforms, and critical workloads over longer replacement cycles.
Technical Details of Asus Z8NH-D12
- Form factor: 6.3" x 16.7" slim server motherboard
- Chipset: Intel 5500 (Nehalem-based) chipset
- Socket: LGA-1366
- Processors: Supports two Intel Xeon 5500-series processors
- Memory: DDR3 memory support (DIMMs); capacity and speed vary by configuration
- Remote management: ASMB4-iKVM option for remote console access
- Power management: EPU (Energy Processing Unit) for real-time power optimization
- Expansion: PCIe-based I/O slots and enterprise storage options; details depend on configuration
How to Install Asus Z8NH-D12
- Prepare your chassis, power supply, and rack rails. Verify compatibility with a dual-socket server board and ensure adequate cooling and cable management for dense deployments.
- Install both Intel Xeon 5500-series processors into the LGA-1366 sockets, following the vendor’s torque specifications and applying any required thermal interface material as recommended by Intel for optimal heat transfer.
- Seat the DDR3 memory DIMMs in the recommended banks to achieve the target capacity and bandwidth. Check that ECC and registered memory configurations align with your CPUs and firmware requirements, and perform a quick POST test to confirm recognition of all modules.
- Attach essential I/O and expansion cards, such as PCIe adapters or RAID controllers, and connect storage devices and power cables. Ensure airflow paths are clear and that fans are correctly oriented for optimal cooling in a dense chassis configuration.
- Power on the system and enter the BIOS/UEFI. Configure CPU and memory settings for stability, enable the EPU power management if desired, and set up ASMB4-iKVM if remote management is required. Install the operating system and necessary drivers, then verify hardware monitoring, fans, and health monitoring are functioning correctly before putting the system into production.
Frequently asked questions
- Q: What processors are supported? A: The Z8NH-D12 supports dual Intel Xeon 5500-series processors using the LGA-1366 socket, enabling strong multi-core performance for virtualization and data-center workloads.
- Q: What memory does it use? A: It supports DDR3 DIMMs with configurations depending on the CPU and board settings; ECC options are available on enterprise configurations for added data integrity.
- Q: How dense is the configuration? A: The board’s slim 6.3" x 16.7" form factor is designed to enable two server boards in a single 19" rack chassis, delivering higher density for dense data-center deployments.
- Q: Does it offer remote management? A: Yes, the board supports ASMB4-iKVM for remote console access, along with on-board monitoring features to assist with proactive maintenance and administration.
- Q: What makes this motherboard suitable for enterprise use? A: Dual-socket Xeon support, DDR3 memory capability, energy optimization through EPU, remote management, and a design optimized for reliability and serviceability, all contribute to a dependable platform for virtualization, databases, and clustered applications.
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