# Xeon system bit the dust, need a replacement



## mashie (Apr 25, 2022)

Earlier today I managed to nuke the BIOS on my Xeon workstation from 2015, it is very dead now. This was spec:

Processor: Intel Xeon E5-1650 v3
Motherboard: Gigabyte MW50-SV0
Cooling: Noctua HSF
Memory: 4x 16GB Crucial DDR4 ECC Registered
Video Card: Nvidia 710GT PCIe 2.0
Storage: 250GB Samsung 850 EVO (boot), WD Black 1TB NVMe (system), 14x Seagate IronWolf 10TB (RAID6 storage)
Storage controller: LSI 9305-24i PCIe 3.0 x8
Display: Dell UP3017
Case: Lian-Li PC-777B
Power Supply: Corsair AX1200
Software: Xubuntu 20.04

The only reason I was doing the BIOS update was to add support for a cheap 12 core E5-2687W v4 CPU I had spotted on eBay but thankfully not bought yet.

The main usage of this system is as a file server and run GNS3 with a bunch of virtual machines, no gaming nor overclocking. Stability is very important as thcurrent system has been running 24/7 for 7 years.

I would like to keep the budget under £1100 if possible.

What I'm looking for is a CPU with 24 threads, either Ryzen 9 5900X or Intel i9 12900.
4x32GB DDR4 3200

I have no idea what motherboard to pick for either CPU option that can drive the SAS controller at the full PCIe 3.0 x8 bandwidth and have at least one bootable M.2 slot.

I will happily retire the 710GT for an iGPU, it is only a 2560x1600 display to drive where the most taxable content is Youtube videos.


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## eidairaman1 (Apr 25, 2022)

I suggest this motherboard





						Pro WS X570-ACE｜Motherboards｜ASUS USA
					

ASUS Pro Workstation motherboards are designed for professionals in AI training, deep learning, animation, or 3D rendering. Featuring expandable graphics, storage, impressive connectivity and reliability, an ASUS Pro Workstation motherboard is the ideal solution for creative professionals and IT...




					www.asus.com


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## bobbybluz (Apr 26, 2022)

You can replace the BIOS chip for less than $25 should you decide to keep your current system active: 
BIOS CHIP: Gigabyte MW50-SV0 | eBay


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## Tetras (Apr 26, 2022)

mashie said:


> I will happily retire the 710GT for an iGPU, it is only a 2560x1600 display to drive where the most taxable content is Youtube videos.



The 12900 has a decent (relatively, still slower than a 1030) IGP. ASRock rack AM4 motherboards have IPMI, I think.

Don't know if you have the ability to wait, but:
- AM5 may have IGPs on higher end Ryzens
- Intel are rumoured to be releasing a new HEDT system this year (after abandoning the market to threadripper)
- I believe the W680 chipset motherboards are due in Q2 too and apparently they will use standard Core CPUs (with ECC enabled) instead of Xeons


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## timta2 (Apr 26, 2022)

You've tried the recovery mode for that board? A lot of motherboards have it, although it's often hidden functionality.









						Bios Recovery Instruction - Gigabyte MW50-SV0 User Manual [Page 129]
					

Gigabyte MW50-SV0 Manual Online: Bios Recovery Instruction. The system has an embedded recovery technique. In the event that the BIOS becomes corrupt the boot block can be used to restore the BIOS to a working state. To restore your BIOS, please follow the instructions listed below:...




					www.manualslib.com


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## eidairaman1 (Apr 26, 2022)

timta2 said:


> You've tried the recovery mode for that board? A lot of motherboards have it, although it's often hidden functionality.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I thought GA boards did it automatically?


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## grammar_phreak (Apr 26, 2022)

Welp... I hope the BIOS recovery solves your issue. Otherwise you could look for a repair service that can solder a new BIOS chip to your motherboard. Here in the U.S. it would cost up to $150 to get a new BIOS chip soldered on to the board. I had the same CPU in a system, but I upgraded to a 6950x when I saw one on ebay for $190. 

I assume you might want the 2nd PCI-E x16 slot to support x8 lanes? All of the Intel z690 boards that support DDR4 that I've seen, don't have a 2nd x16 slot that supports x8 lanes.... those x16 slots support x4 lanes. It's some of the high end DDR5 boards like the Asus ProArt or MSI z690 Unify or Meg Ace that support PCI-E 5.0 x8 on the 2nd PCI-E x16 slot. Not too long ago almost all previous chipset Z-series boards supported SLI, but with z690 on a few expensive boards do. 

To me, if the Asus x570 WS Pro Ace board that eidairman1 recommended can support your file server, then that would be the one to go with. Some of these Ryzen 5000 series processors have been going for really cheap lately. The 5900x and x570 platform also supports PCI-E 4.0.

There's always Intel's previous x299 platform. Some of those processors like the i9-7960x are going for $320usd on ebay but the boards aren't super cheap. Boards like the Asus WS x299 Sage are going for $500usd used. Some of those cheaper x299 boards that came out in 2017 had weak VRM's that have a difficult time with the High-Core-Count processors. But..... at least you could transfer over the CPU cooler you have to the lga2066 socket and use DDR4 RAM with it. Also, I'm not sure if you'd need an additional VROC key to get RAID 6 to work.... I think one of those VROC keys are around $100 bucks. The 16-core i9-7960x is weaker than the 5950x in comparison, but at least you get 44 PCI-E 3.0 lanes from the CPU.


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## mashie (Apr 26, 2022)

bobbybluz said:


> You can replace the BIOS chip for less than $25 should you decide to keep your current system active:
> BIOS CHIP: Gigabyte MW50-SV0 | eBay


Nice find but this gives me a reason to justify a hardware refresh with the missus. 




eidairaman1 said:


> I suggest this motherboard
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That is a nice looking board but providing more slots than I actually need.




timta2 said:


> You've tried the recovery mode for that board? A lot of motherboards have it, although it's often hidden functionality.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I tried this and nothing is happening, just the HDD LED permanently flashing and that's it.




grammar_phreak said:


> Welp... I hope the BIOS recovery solves your issue. Otherwise you could look for a repair service that can solder a new BIOS chip to your motherboard. Here in the U.S. it would cost up to $150 to get a new BIOS chip soldered on to the board. I had the same CPU in a system, but I upgraded to a 6950x when I saw one on ebay for $190.
> 
> I assume you might want the 2nd PCI-E x16 slot to support x8 lanes? All of the Intel z690 boards that support DDR4 that I've seen, don't have a 2nd x16 slot that supports x8 lanes.... those x16 slots support x4 lanes. It's some of the high end DDR5 boards like the Asus ProArt or MSI z690 Unify or Meg Ace that support PCI-E 5.0 x8 on the 2nd PCI-E x16 slot. Not too long ago almost all previous chipset Z-series boards supported SLI, but with z690 on a few expensive boards do.
> 
> ...


I will let this old motherboard die, it has served its time and will be replaced with something new that can keep me going for another 7+ years. 

I probably wasn't clear, this is a file server but also my main PC.

With Linux unlikely to fully support the BIG/small cores on the Alder Lake for the next years let's concentrate on the 5900x options.

At the moment I have this shopping list assembled:

Ryzen 9 5900X (don't these come with heatsinks any longer?)
Noctua NH-U12S SE-AM4
ASUS ROG STRIX B550-A GAMING
Corsair Vengeance LPX Black 128GB 3200MHz DDR4 Quad Channel Memory Kit
Samsung 980 1TB M.2

All in all £1260

The idea would be to plug in the SAS controller in the top PCIe 4.0 16x slot and the GPU in the second PCIe 3.0 16x slot (4x electrical).
The 980 would go in the M.2 PCIe 4.0 slot and the old WD Black 1TB would go in the seconf M.2 slot.

Anything missed or better options? I like the spacing of the slots on this board and the Intel 2.5G NIC provides an upgrade path once I upgrade the network from 1G.


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## The King (Apr 26, 2022)

You can program the BIOS chip directly using somethings like this. 






						SOIC8 SOP8 Flash Chip IC CH341A USB Programmer Flash BIOS Chip USB Programmer Module (SB Programmer+SOP8 Clip+Adapter): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories
					

Shop SOIC8 SOP8 Flash Chip IC CH341A USB Programmer Flash BIOS Chip USB Programmer Module (SB Programmer+SOP8 Clip+Adapter). Free delivery and returns on eligible orders.



					www.amazon.co.uk
				




Just watch a few YT tutorials its actually very easy to do.  I have used it on several mobos and a few routers that failed to flash and it works great.


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## ppn (Apr 26, 2022)

AM4 is one EOL socket, absolutely no reason to invest longterm unles 5900 DDR4 is very cheap or something.

Just order some ALi express motherboard, im sure there are plenty with 2x16 slots for your CPU or unlock the 18 core 2600 V3 to 3.8Ghz for a total of $250 and wait for the ZEN4/5/6 and then jump strategically to socket AM5 or whatever intels meteor lake is made for. because 1700 maybe EOL soon too.


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## mashie (Apr 26, 2022)

ppn said:


> AM4 is one EOL socket, absolutely no reason to invest longterm unles 5900 DDR4 is very cheap or something.
> 
> Just order some ALi express motherboard, im sure there are plenty with 2x16 slots for your CPU or unlock the 18 core 2600 V3 to 3.8Ghz for a total of $250 and wait for the ZEN4/5/6 and then jump strategically to socket AM5 or whatever intels meteor lake is made for. because 1700 maybe EOL soon too.


The old system was 7 years old so whenever I update sometime in 2030 I will worry about what is available then.


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## xtreemchaos (Apr 26, 2022)

what GPU are you going to put in the new rigg ?.


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## mashie (Apr 26, 2022)

xtreemchaos said:


> what GPU are you going to put in the new rigg ?.


I will keep the 710GT. I only use it for 2D.


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## Nike_486DX (Apr 26, 2022)

Is there a secondary bios on that mobo? or any kind of 2nd bios switch (not common on mobos but some do have that feature).


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## mashie (Apr 26, 2022)

Nike_486DX said:


> Is there a secondary bios on that mobo? or any kind of 2nd bios switch (not common on mobos but some do have that feature).


It is a workstation board so missing all the good consumer features, it is also missing the server features that also could have been handy now (IPMI).

I have ordered the 5900X and bits listed further up so if anyone fancy a dead motherboard to play with for the cost of postage please let me know.


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## eidairaman1 (Apr 26, 2022)

mashie said:


> It is a workstation board so missing all the good consumer features, it is also missing the server features that also could have been handy now (IPMI).
> 
> I have ordered the 5900X and bits listed further up so if anyone fancy a dead motherboard to play with for the cost of postage please let me know.


You said workstation so i provided a workstation board


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## mashie (Apr 26, 2022)

eidairaman1 said:


> You said workstation so i provided a workstation board


I was referring to the old Xeon board which missed most modern BIOS features. It was not about the board you suggested which would have been a great option but overkill for what I needed.


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## eidairaman1 (Apr 26, 2022)

mashie said:


> I was referring to the old Xeon board which missed most modern BIOS features. It was not about the board you suggested which would have been a great option but overkill for what I needed.



This is the board you bricked right?









						MW50-SV0 (rev. 1.0) | Server Motherboard - GIGABYTE Global
					

Intel® Xeon® processor E5-1600 & E5-2600 V3 / V4 product families8 x RDIMM/LRDIMM ECC DDR4 DIMM slots3 x GbE LAN port (Intel® I210 + I218)Supports 2-way, 3-...




					www.gigabyte.com
				









						Pro WS X570-ACE - Tech Specs｜Motherboards｜ASUS USA
					

Detailed specification of Pro WS X570-ACE Tech Specs，CPU:AMD Processeur AM4 Socket 3rd and 2nd AMD Ryzen™/2nd and 1st Gen AMD Ryzen™ with Radeon™ Vega Graphics  <br><br>* Pour obtenir la liste des processeurs supportés, référez-vous à l´onglet "Liste des CPU supportés".<br>* Due to CPU...




					www.asus.com
				






mashie said:


> Nice find but this gives me a reason to justify a hardware refresh with the missus.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Do us a favor and go elsewhere for ram, no corsair.


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## mashie (Apr 27, 2022)

eidairaman1 said:


> This is the board you bricked right?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That is the one. 

All but the new motherboard arrived today and that is scheduled for tomorrow.

I will give the Corsair a go, it is in the QVL from ASUS and I don't intend to run it over 3200.


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## eidairaman1 (Apr 27, 2022)

mashie said:


> That is the one.
> 
> All but the new motherboard arrived today and that is scheduled for tomorrow.
> 
> I will give the Corsair a go, it is in the QVL from ASUS and I don't intend to run it over 3200.


Which is what?


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## mashie (Apr 27, 2022)

eidairaman1 said:


> Which is what?


These are the bits I bought:

Ryzen 9 5900X
Noctua NH-U12S SE-AM4
ASUS ROG STRIX B550-A GAMING
Corsair Vengeance LPX Black 128GB 3200MHz DDR4 Quad Channel Memory Kit
Samsung 980 1TB M.2


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## eidairaman1 (Apr 27, 2022)

mashie said:


> These are the bits I bought:
> 
> Ryzen 9 5900X
> Noctua NH-U12S SE-AM4
> ...



I hope the ram works properly especially after seeing a rash of users coming here with trouble with that brand.

Please keep us informed on this thread how your build goes.


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## mashie (Apr 27, 2022)

Thanks, I hope so too.

This will be my first AMD system since 2007.


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## eidairaman1 (Apr 27, 2022)

mashie said:


> Thanks, I hope so too.
> 
> This will be my first AMD system since 2007.



I built mine in 2014 after running an AthlonXP Since about 2003, then i built a 5800 rig with crucial 3600 asrock b550 Steel Legend mobo and its been flawless


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## kapone32 (Apr 27, 2022)

mashie said:


> Thanks, I hope so too.
> 
> This will be my first AMD system since 2007.


You will enjoy the improvement in performance over your old system and the 5900X is rock solid.


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## GorbazTheDragon (Apr 28, 2022)

128GB might be a bit rough at 3200... It's a lot of load for the memory controller, the AMD supported memory speed IIRC drops down to 2666 (from 3200) when running 2 DIMMs per channel of dual rank DIMMs.

You might be able to shave a bit more off the board cost but it's not really going to be anything substantial.


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## Mussels (Apr 28, 2022)

mashie said:


> These are the bits I bought:
> 
> Ryzen 9 5900X
> Noctua NH-U12S SE-AM4
> ...


LPX has some known issues with ryzen, the latest stuff isn't as bad but the older stuff... running two sticks required modifying timings and voltages and four was a no-go

Generally, the stuff with odd number timings has issues, even number doesnt.

This image is from this page
VENGEANCE® LPX 128GB (4 x 32GB) DDR4 DRAM 3200MHz C16 Memory Kit - Black (corsair.com)

You'll note all the intel logos, but no AMD ones on the boxes






That said, the tech specs DO state this particular kit should work on ryzen - with x470 x570 (They dont mention B550 at all, but it should be fine here... *you may need to raise SoC voltage higher for all four sticks to work reliably, but no more than that.*


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## ThaiTaffy (Apr 28, 2022)

The King said:


> You can program the BIOS chip directly using somethings like this.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Just got mine in the post today. 

 I guess you don't get instructions with the $4 version


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## mashie (Apr 30, 2022)

I got the system assembled and Ubuntu 22.04 has been installed so no DOA hardware which was nice.

I have noticed one issue with the BIOS display (both the boot display and inside BIOS itself). The left half of the page is stretched across the entire monitor. So it is a distorted image and only half is visible which isn't very helpful.

I'm currently connecting using HDMI and the screens native resolution is 2560x1600 but it looks like the motherboard thinks it is half a 4k display.

Any idea how to fix this? Once I'm past the BIOS screen everything is working fine again.


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## ThaiTaffy (Apr 30, 2022)

mashie said:


> I got the system assembled and Ubuntu 22.04 has been installed so no DOA hardware which was nice.
> 
> I have noticed one issue with the BIOS display (both the boot display and inside BIOS itself). The left half of the page is stretched across the entire monitor. So it is a distorted image and only half is visible which isn't very helpful.
> 
> ...


I had the same issue with my TV it was a Samsung setting called input signal plus which is something to do with how it processes images if it was disabled the screen would stretch and make the bios go haywire and my hdmi cable wouldn't support it ended up buying a ungodly expensive active optical cable because it was a 10m run.


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## mashie (Apr 30, 2022)

ThaiTaffy said:


> I had the same issue with my TV it was a Samsung setting called input signal plus which is something to do with how it processes images if it was disabled the screen would stretch and make the bios go haywire and my hdmi cable wouldn't support it ended up buying a ungodly expensive active optical cable because it was a 10m run.


Interesting, in this case it is only the motherboard that is different, same monitor/cable/GPU as before and it worked on the old mobo.


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## ThaiTaffy (Apr 30, 2022)

mashie said:


> Interesting, in this case it is only the motherboard that is different, same monitor/cable/GPU as before and it worked on the old mobo.



Maybe something to do with the default resolution the motherboard is telling the GPU to output before the GPU drivers take over in the os. your gonna need someone much smarter than myself to answer that question in that case.


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## eidairaman1 (Apr 30, 2022)

mashie said:


> I got the system assembled and Ubuntu 22.04 has been installed so no DOA hardware which was nice.
> 
> I have noticed one issue with the BIOS display (both the boot display and inside BIOS itself). The left half of the page is stretched across the entire monitor. So it is a distorted image and only half is visible which isn't very helpful.
> 
> ...



Low resolution uefi screen, there might be a setting to fix it, i know asrock has 1, asus im not sure



mashie said:


> Interesting, in this case it is only the motherboard that is different, same monitor/cable/GPU as before and it worked on the old mobo.


That was before high resolution settings

Ok asus hasn't released a separate bios guide like they have on certain other models, namely crosshair line.

Get in reach with Asus support on the phone and ask about it. You may need to adjust monitor settings possibly...


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## ThaiTaffy (Apr 30, 2022)

See someone much smarter

It's true @eidairaman1 I've spent maybe 8 hours today trying to flash an onboard nor chip and got nowhere!! only to find out the board is most likely pulling all the power from the programmer and I just need to de-solder the GND leg. 

Sorry op off topic rant. 

Back to topic what monitor are you using? There might be some sort of image processor most people would disable because they tend to be junk and cause latency but since this is a file server I doubt that matters much.


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## eidairaman1 (Apr 30, 2022)

Well VESA still reverts back to the oldest resolutions. I know the Asrock board had the lowest of 1024x768 support


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## mashie (Apr 30, 2022)

ThaiTaffy said:


> Back to topic what monitor are you using? There might be some sort of image processor most people would disable because they tend to be junk and cause latency but since this is a file server I doubt that matters much.


It is a Dell UP3017, and it is my main workstation that also happens to be a file server.


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## eidairaman1 (Apr 30, 2022)

ThaiTaffy said:


> See someone much smarter
> 
> It's true @eidairaman1 I've spent maybe 8 hours today trying to flash an onboard nor chip and got nowhere!! only to find out the board is most likely pulling all the power from the programmer and I just need to de-solder the GND leg.
> 
> ...


I would desolder the whole chip to be sure lol


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## mashie (Apr 30, 2022)

I will try DP and VGA later and see if the BIOS will play ball.


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## eidairaman1 (Apr 30, 2022)

mashie said:


> It is a Dell UP3017, and it is my main workstation that also happens to be a file server.



If you dont have the manual, here it is.

_


			https://downloads.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_electronics_accessories/esuprt_electronics_accessories_monitors/dell-up3017-monitor_user%27s-guide_en-us.pdf
		

_


mashie said:


> I will try DP and VGA later and see if the BIOS will play ball.



I still say go on your monitor osd controls, reduce the stretching.

Idk if you have pip enabled but turn it off on the monitor.

Also check the mobo bios for uefi resolution...


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## ThaiTaffy (Apr 30, 2022)

eidairaman1 said:


> I would desolder the whole chip to be sure lol


If I had a hot air station handy I would but I'm ghetto-ing it with an iron some wick and a craft knife 8 legs ain't much but too much for me to handle in one go I think will see tomorrow when I've had some sleep.


mashie said:


> It is a Dell UP3017, and it is my main workstation that also happens to be a file server.


I had a look at the manual couldn't see anything that jumped out at me but as I said earlier I'm a idiot.


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## Mussels (May 1, 2022)

mashie said:


> I got the system assembled and Ubuntu 22.04 has been installed so no DOA hardware which was nice.
> 
> I have noticed one issue with the BIOS display (both the boot display and inside BIOS itself). The left half of the page is stretched across the entire monitor. So it is a distorted image and only half is visible which isn't very helpful.
> 
> ...


That's an issue with your monitor not supporting whatever resolution the BIOS is sending - you'll need a different connection type to use the BIOS reliably, most likely


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## eidairaman1 (May 1, 2022)

Mussels said:


> That's an issue with your monitor not supporting whatever resolution the BIOS is sending - you'll need a different connection type to use the BIOS reliably, most likely


The monitor most likely needs osd adjustment but some boards have option to go to 4K+ Resolution, just needs enablement. I know the AsRock B550 Steel Legend does, just no clue on the Asus Boards.


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## Mussels (May 1, 2022)

eidairaman1 said:


> The monitor most likely needs osd adjustment but some boards have option to go to 4K+ Resolution, just needs enablement. I know the AsRock B550 Steel Legend does, just no clue on the Asus Boards.


My intel SFF system here, VGA output works on every everything, but the DP output only works on 1080p and 1440p 60hz displays - 4k gives no image, 1440p high refresh gives no image
Sometimes they just cant negotitate between BIOS-GPU-Display


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## ThaiTaffy (May 1, 2022)

Mussels said:


> My intel SFF system here, VGA output works on every everything, but the DP output only works on 1080p and 1440p 60hz displays - 4k gives no image, 1440p high refresh gives no image
> Sometimes they just cant negotitate between BIOS-GPU-Display.


Like I said earlier depending on the display you can set image processing to fix it, on Samsung TV's it's called input signal plus though it needs the hdmi cable you use to support it. No idea what the generic term for it is called but it just expands the hdmi connections signal range.


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## mashie (May 1, 2022)

Mussels said:


> My intel SFF system here, VGA output works on every everything, but the DP output only works on 1080p and 1440p 60hz displays - 4k gives no image, 1440p high refresh gives no image
> Sometimes they just cant negotitate between BIOS-GPU-Display


I spotted someone on Reddit having exactly the same issue when combining this GPU with an ASUS B550 board. I have another monitor to try, it is thankfully only for the initial setup I need to see what is going on.



ThaiTaffy said:


> Like I said earlier depending on the display you can set image processing to fix it, on Samsung TV's it's called input signal plus though it needs the hdmi cable you use to support it. No idea what the generic term for it is called but it just expands the hdmi connections signal range.


You are talking about overscan, not the issue here as this isn't a TV. Actually besides contrast/brightness there is nothing that can be adjusted.


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## ThaiTaffy (May 1, 2022)

mashie said:


> I spotted someone on Reddit having exactly the same issue when combining this GPU with an ASUS B550 board. I have another monitor to try, it is thankfully only for the initial setup I need to see what is going on.
> 
> 
> You are talking about overscan, not the issue here as this isn't a TV. Actually besides contrast/brightness there is nothing that can be adjusted.


No idea but your issue sounds exactly the same as what I had and that fixed it for me on my b550 board half the screen was stretched and sometimes green.


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## eidairaman1 (May 1, 2022)

mashie said:


> I spotted someone on Reddit having exactly the same issue when combining this GPU with an ASUS B550 board. I have another monitor to try, it is thankfully only for the initial setup I need to see what is going on.
> 
> 
> You are talking about overscan, not the issue here as this isn't a TV. Actually besides contrast/brightness there is nothing that can be adjusted.


Stretch/coarse/fine should be able to on your monitor, go in OSD and check


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## Mussels (May 2, 2022)

mashie said:


> I spotted someone on Reddit having exactly the same issue when combining this GPU with an ASUS B550 board. I have another monitor to try, it is thankfully only for the initial setup I need to see what is going on.
> 
> 
> You are talking about overscan, not the issue here as this isn't a TV. Actually besides contrast/brightness there is nothing that can be adjusted.


Oh god i'm an idiot - i forgot all about this bug.
Lock your PCI-E to 2.0 on the primary slot, and the 600 and 700 series Nvidia cards work again.

(I'm skimming this, saw the GT 710 in system specs - if its not that series of GPU, ignore)


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## eidairaman1 (May 2, 2022)

Mussels said:


> Oh god i'm an idiot - i forgot all about this bug.
> Lock your PCI-E to 2.0 on the primary slot, and the 600 and 700 series Nvidia cards work again.
> 
> (I'm skimming this, saw the GT 710 in system specs - if its not that series of GPU, ignore)



I wonder if the R7 250X exhibits this kind of activity, unfortunately its attached via VGA to an old Samsung Monitor...


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## mashie (May 2, 2022)

Mussels said:


> Oh god i'm an idiot - i forgot all about this bug.
> Lock your PCI-E to 2.0 on the primary slot, and the 600 and 700 series Nvidia cards work again.
> 
> (I'm skimming this, saw the GT 710 in system specs - if its not that series of GPU, ignore)


After testing DVI and VGA to an old 1600x1200 Dell LCD as well as lugging the entire box to the lounge to plug it in to a 4k TV I have come to the conclusion that I get half the screen in every scenario.

Now to change the PCIe speed to 2.0 is a proper catch-22, I can't see the setting to change the speed until the setting has been changed...

So what is the most basic Nvidia card with PCIe 3.0 bus, preferably small and passively cooled?


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## mashie (May 3, 2022)

I managed to change the PCIe speed and setting it to neither 2.0 nor 1.0 made any difference. Even setting all PCIe slots to 2.0 made no difference.


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## Mussels (May 7, 2022)

mashie said:


> I managed to change the PCIe speed and setting it to neither 2.0 nor 1.0 made any difference. Even setting all PCIe slots to 2.0 made no difference.


It may not have been related at all, as i said it was just an uncommon issue i wanted to share


The VGA thing is because the output resolution isn't supported by whatever you're connecting to - old hardware can use resolutions that CRT's supported, but modern displays wont


Usually they use 640x480 or 800x600 that works on everything, but as i stated before i ran into a 3rd gen intel that glitched out on modern high res displays - i had a garbage 768p 24" TV in the garage that it works fine with


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## mashie (May 7, 2022)

The BIOS issue is fixed, I got a GTX 1650 and everything is displaying properly.


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## eidairaman1 (May 7, 2022)

mashie said:


> The BIOS issue is fixed, I got a GTX 1650 and everything is displaying properly.


Old gpu syndrom


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## mashie (May 31, 2022)

Mussels said:


> LPX has some known issues with ryzen, the latest stuff isn't as bad but the older stuff... running two sticks required modifying timings and voltages and four was a no-go
> 
> Generally, the stuff with odd number timings has issues, even number doesnt.
> 
> ...


You were right, I had to set the voltage to 1.36v to make the RAM run 3200 as intended.


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## Mussels (Jun 1, 2022)

mashie said:


> You were right, I had to set the voltage to 1.36v to make the RAM run 3200 as intended.


What was it defaulting to?

1.35v is stock for most XMP settings


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## mashie (Jun 1, 2022)

Mussels said:


> What was it defaulting to?
> 
> 1.35v is stock for most XMP settings


Yeah at 1.35v the system wouldn't boot but a small increase fixed it.


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## DoLlyBirD (Jun 1, 2022)

mashie said:


> Yeah at 1.35v the system wouldn't boot but a small increase fixed it.


You may want to test for stability as that's a very small bump from being unstable to stable and as it's being used as a server you want to make sure the ram is 100% stable, even if that means dropping down to 3000/2933 etc would be more preferable than trying to tweak 128gb to run at 3200


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## Mussels (Jun 1, 2022)

mashie said:


> Yeah at 1.35v the system wouldn't boot but a small increase fixed it.


I'd push it to 1.4v, sounds like the mobo may be having issues keeping the RAM voltage stable - i swear i saw a B550-i ITX system earlier, but now i see B550-A

1.4 is such a trivial increase from 1.35 and wont damage anything, where 1.35 to 1.36 feels like margin of error... if you get bored see if you can measure the voltage somehow (harwdare or software) and see if it fluctuates?


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## eidairaman1 (Jun 1, 2022)

DoLlyBirD said:


> You may want to test for stability as that's a very small bump from being unstable to stable and as it's being used as a server you want to make sure the ram is 100% stable, even if that means dropping down to 3000/2933 etc would be more preferable than trying to tweak 128gb to run at 3200


Sometimes that is all thats needed is minor incriments, but testing is a good idea


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## mashie (Jun 1, 2022)

eidairaman1 said:


> Sometimes that is all thats needed is minor incriments, but testing is a good idea


I have done memory stress testing and no instability yet. I will up the voltage if required but if it can stay where it is, great, less heat generated is always a bonus.


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