The Z2 SFF G9 is an evolution of the Z2 SFF G8, with a revised chassis and newer technology. Its most important change is a move to Intel’s 12^th generation “Alder Lake” Core-class processors, topping out with the 16-core Core i9-12900K. (See that link for an Alder Lake rundown.) This gives it significantly more potent than the last model, which was based on 11th-generation “Rocket Lake” chips that topped out with the 8-core Core i9-11900K. It also allows the Z2 SFF G9 to use higher-bandwidth DDR5 memory. It also supports ECC memory with Core processors. (Intel has discontinued entry-level Xeons for workstations like this.)

New graphics options include the latest professional boards from AMD and Nvidia. The primary graphics card goes to the 16GB Nvidia RTX A4000; a second graphics card is available up to the 8GB Nvidia T1000.

Storage expansion has improved this generation; the Z2 SFF G9 now accommodates three M.2 Gen4 drives, up from two. It also fits two 3.5-inch drives. Memory expands to 128GB of DDR5-4800 via four UDMM slots. Overall, the Z2 SFF G9 offers lots of power and expansion for a small-form-factor tower. Its full specifications are as follows: