Specifications
| CPU sockets | 2 × IBM POWER9 “Sforza” (LGA 2601); 4–24 core capable per the socket spec. Raptor-sold CPUs are 4-, 8-, 18-, and 22-core (CP9M31/32/36/38) — 24-core is silicon capability, not a shipping SKU. |
|---|---|
| Form factor | EATX, 12 × 13 in |
| Memory | 16 DDR4 slots (4 channels per CPU), ECC registered (RDIMM), up to 2 TB; 1600 / 1866 / 2133 / 2400 / 2666, module sizes 8 / 16 / 32 / 64 / 128 GB |
| PCIe | 5 slots, PCIe 4.0 capable — 3 × x16 (single-width) + 2 × x8 |
| CAPI 2.0 | 3 × x16 slots CAPI 2.0-capable (not OpenCAPI — see note below) |
| BMC | Aspeed AST2500, OpenBMC-compatible; drives VGA output (2D framebuffer only) |
| Network | 2 × Gigabit Ethernet (Broadcom BCM5719), plus NC-SI link to the BMC |
| Storage | Optional Microsemi PM8068 SAS 3.0 controller (upcharge): 4 × SAS (iPASS+) + 4 × SAS/SATA |
| USB | 2 × USB 3.0 rear + 2 × USB 3.0 internal header + 1 × internal USB 2.0 Type-A (TI controller — part number disputed, see note below) |
| Serial | 1 × RS232 rear (host) + 1 × RS232 internal (BMC) + 1 × TTL internal (BMC) |
| Fan control | MAX31785 + AST2500; 3 nominal fan zones, 7 fan connectors |
| Power (4-core CPU) | 90 W CPU TDP design; ~31 W idle / ~58 W full load measured (CPU held at 50 °C die), per the guide’s energy table |
| Environmental | Operating 10–35 °C, storage −40–70 °C, 20–90 % RH non-condensing |
The table describes the standard dual-socket board, the TL2MB1, which is the board in the lab. The invoice for this machine lists the dual-socket “Talos II Mainboard,” two 8-core POWER9 v2 CPUs (both sockets populated, matching), two 2U heatsink assemblies, and an LSI 9300-8i eight-port SAS 3.0 HBA added for storage. The rows below are the family-wide figures for the TL2MB1; for this unit the CPU population is 8 cores per socket, and the LSI card is an add-in HBA rather than the optional onboard SAS controller listed in the Storage row.
Every value comes from Raptor’s T2P9D01 User’s Guide, v1.06 cross-checked against the Talos II wiki page. Both are Raptor properties, so by the usual rule they count as one source; they are internally consistent on the numbers that matter, and where their wording genuinely differs it is called out below. The OpenCAPI point below also leans on the Wikipedia POWER9 module table.
Talos II vs. Talos II Lite
The single-socket TL1MB1 (“Talos II Lite”) shares the T2P9D01 design but cuts it down:
| Spec | Talos II (TL2MB1) | Talos II Lite (TL1MB1) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU sockets | 2 | 1 |
| Memory slots | 16 | 8 |
| Max memory | 2 TB | 1 TB |
| PCIe slots | 5 (3 × x16 + 2 × x8) | 2 (1 × x16 + 1 × x8) |
| CAPI 2.0 x16 slots | 3 | 1 |
| Internal BMC TTL serial | yes | not listed in the Lite table |
Everything else in the main table — memory type, BMC, networking, storage option, USB, fan control, environmental limits — is common to both.
OpenCAPI: not present
The board supports CAPI 2.0 on its x16 slots but not OpenCAPI. No Raptor document (guide, wiki, or product page) mentions OpenCAPI for the Talos II, and the POWER9 “Sforza” package it uses is documented as having zero OpenCAPI lanes, unlike the “Monza” (48) and “LaGrange” (16) POWER9 packages. This is an absence plus secondary corroboration rather than a vendor denial, but the two together are enough to call OpenCAPI absent and to correct any read of “CAPI 2.0” as implying it.
Figures that disagree or rest on a single source
- USB controller part number: TUSB7430 or TUSB7340. The User’s Guide names the Texas Instruments USB 3.0 controller “TUSB7430”; the wiki spells it “TUSB7340.” Raptor’s two documents disagree by one digit and neither is obviously the typo. Left unresolved until a photo of the physical board settles it.
- “Up to 24-core” CPUs. The guide’s socket spec quotes a 4–24 core range, but Raptor only ever sold 4-, 8-, 18-, and 22-core parts for the board. The 24-core figure describes what the socket and silicon can take, not a product you could order, and should not be read as a shipping option.
- Power figures. The idle/full-load numbers above are from the guide’s energy-consumption table (the wiki restates the same table), so they trace to a single measured dataset with no independent confirmation. At system level the same table gives 111 W idle / 192 W full load for a TL2DS1 build (two 4-core CPUs, 2 × 16 GB RAM, a 1 TB NVMe drive, integrated SAS).