#1 - Page 8

Xyzzy · 2020-01-09, 00:40

The motherboard has a cool foam tray that you can use for a quick build-up without putting it into a case. Very convenient!

The shipper sent us the motherboard without packing the box into a larger box with padding and stuff. We were surprised because it would be a prime target for theft since the box has marketing graphics all over it. Plus, the box the motherboard comes in isn't super strong. Fortunately it arrived in one piece.

Xyzzy · 2020-01-09, 00:43

Here is a picture with the CPU, HSF, memory and video card installed.

There is plenty of clearance between the HSF and the video card, and plenty of clearance between the HSF and the memory. Our gaming computer is really tight in those areas and it is a pain to work with!

PhilF · 2020-01-09, 00:56

Are you sure you can fire it up in that foam? Foam like that (especially if it is black) is typically conductive in order to protect the motherboard from static discharges.

Xyzzy · 2020-01-09, 01:59

You could be right!

We just installed it into the case to be safe.

The case came with a little box of sorted hardware. That is the first time we have seen that and it sure is convenient.

Unfortunately, glass-side cases are all anyone wants so that is what we got. We would have preferred metal sides.

The cabling is pretty simple!

Now, let's see if it works!

Xyzzy · 2020-01-09, 02:28

It's alive!

A cool feature is you can configure the motherboard LED diagnostic display to show the CPU temperature in real-time.

Unfortunately, the BIOS temperature is wrong.

http://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=6912

Next up is letting the system run all night long with a memory check.

But first we have to update the BIOS from 3.50 to 3.80.

https://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/X399M%...index.asp#BIOS

Xyzzy · 2020-01-09, 02:56

The BIOS updated very easily. Just a few key presses after putting the BIOS file on a USB stick. The temperature is still broken though.

Without changing any settings the system detects all of our memory at the correct speed. The only thing we changed in the BIOS was to disable stuff we don't use, like the SATA controller, the WiFi and BT modules, the onboard audio and stuff like that. We figure since the box will be run headless that the fewer things we have activated the fewer things could go wrong.

The memory bandwidth in the memory checker isn't as high as we expected. Maybe it is a bug in the tester.

It is cool to see 24 CPUs active. (We know 12 of those are virtual, but it still is cool!)

PS - The memory testing program verified that the memory modules are dual rank.

nomead · 2020-01-09, 03:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilF

Are you sure you can fire it up in that foam? Foam like that (especially if it is black) is typically conductive in order to protect the motherboard from static discharges.

There's a difference between static dissipative and conductive. That foam material is usually dissipative. Charges won't build up on the surface of that material, but the resistivity is in the megaohms, so it won't interfere with the operation of a device under test, on top of that foam tray. The color can be black (due to carbon added to the base polymer) or pink (for identification reasons - the polymer itself is inherently slightly conductive) or even without any special coloring at all

Conductive materials usually involve thin metal coatings, so that's where you get those shiny antistatic bags for example. Foam can also be conductive, but it takes a whole lot of carbon to get the resistivity low enough. I usually see this conductive foam in those small boxes meant for shipping sample components. Very small celled foam structure and slightly crumbly stuff. On a surface like that, the resistivity will be in the tens to hundreds of kilo-ohms, so there may be some issues powering stuff up on top of it, but as always, "your mileage may vary".

Xyzzy · 2020-01-09, 14:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xyzzy

Next up is letting the system run all night long with a memory check.

The system passed!

We are now booted into a live USB image of Linux and we are running a 24 hour torture test.

The temperature display on the motherboard drops to "56" when idle. If we assume (?) that there is a 27 degree offset then the idle temperature is 29C.

The highest temperature we have seen thus far on the display is "94", which might actually be 67C.

The display is only two digits so we don't know what happens when it reaches 100.

ewmayer · 2020-01-09, 19:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xyzzy

The CPU arrived yesterday.

The packaging is ridiculous and wasteful.

Note that this is just the CPU. There isn't a fan in that package!

But at least they threw in a free banana!

Looking forward to doing some Mlucas benchmarks on this beast, Mike - on Ryzen I've gotten a nice throughput boost from running 2 threads per physical core, so I'm glad you got a HT CPU.

Xyzzy · 2020-01-10, 15:14

The 24-hour torture test passed, so we have gone on to install Debian 10.

This weekend Ernst will log in and do some mlucas testing and then next week we will start doing some work.

Suggestions for work, both primary and background, are appreciated.

Xyzzy · 2020-01-10, 15:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xyzzy

Unfortunately, glass-side cases are all anyone wants so that is what we got. We would have preferred metal sides.

Also, we did find two benefits for the glass sides.

1 - We can see the temperature readout. (It is really bright!)
2 - We can see if the insides need to be cleaned of dust.

2020-01-09, 00:40	#78
Xyzzy Aug 2002 7·1,237 Posts	The motherboard has a cool foam tray that you can use for a quick build-up without putting it into a case. Very convenient! The shipper sent us the motherboard without packing the box into a larger box with padding and stuff. We were surprised because it would be a prime target for theft since the box has marketing graphics all over it. Plus, the box the motherboard comes in isn't super strong. Fortunately it arrived in one piece. Attached Thumbnails

2020-01-09, 00:43	#79
Xyzzy Aug 2002 10000111010011₂ Posts	Here is a picture with the CPU, HSF, memory and video card installed. There is plenty of clearance between the HSF and the video card, and plenty of clearance between the HSF and the memory. Our gaming computer is really tight in those areas and it is a pain to work with! Attached Thumbnails

2020-01-09, 01:59	#81
Xyzzy Aug 2002 7·1,237 Posts	You could be right! We just installed it into the case to be safe. The case came with a little box of sorted hardware. That is the first time we have seen that and it sure is convenient. Unfortunately, glass-side cases are all anyone wants so that is what we got. We would have preferred metal sides. The cabling is pretty simple! Now, let's see if it works! Attached Thumbnails

2020-01-09, 02:28	#82
Xyzzy Aug 2002 10000111010011₂ Posts	It's alive! A cool feature is you can configure the motherboard LED diagnostic display to show the CPU temperature in real-time. Unfortunately, the BIOS temperature is wrong. http://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=6912 Next up is letting the system run all night long with a memory check. But first we have to update the BIOS from 3.50 to 3.80. https://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/X399M%...index.asp#BIOS Attached Thumbnails

2020-01-09, 02:56	#83
Xyzzy Aug 2002 7×1,237 Posts	The BIOS updated very easily. Just a few key presses after putting the BIOS file on a USB stick. The temperature is still broken though. Without changing any settings the system detects all of our memory at the correct speed. The only thing we changed in the BIOS was to disable stuff we don't use, like the SATA controller, the WiFi and BT modules, the onboard audio and stuff like that. We figure since the box will be run headless that the fewer things we have activated the fewer things could go wrong. The memory bandwidth in the memory checker isn't as high as we expected. Maybe it is a bug in the tester. It is cool to see 24 CPUs active. (We know 12 of those are virtual, but it still is cool!) PS - The memory testing program verified that the memory modules are dual rank. Attached Thumbnails

2020-01-09, 00:56	#80
PhilF "6800 descendent" Feb 2005 Colorado 3²·83 Posts	Are you sure you can fire it up in that foam? Foam like that (especially if it is black) is typically conductive in order to protect the motherboard from static discharges.

2020-01-10, 15:14	#87
Xyzzy Aug 2002 7×1,237 Posts	The 24-hour torture test passed, so we have gone on to install Debian 10. This weekend Ernst will log in and do some mlucas testing and then next week we will start doing some work. Suggestions for work, both primary and background, are appreciated.