Anyone tried an AMD Epyc 4124P (4c/8t) on a B650 motherboard yet?

[Sarajiel]

I was wondering if anyone tried an Epyc 4124P or any other Epyc 4004 CPU on a consumer motherboard yet?

ASUS lists Epyc 4004 CPUs as compatible for almost all of their B650 motherboards. Since my planned machine isn't intended as a server, I'm not really willing to spend a premium on boards with BMC/IPMI support. Although, I'll probably go for ECC memory which is supported on most of those boards as well, at least on paper.
I'm also not interested in Ryzen 7600, 8500G or any of the F-types since no overclocking, gaming, or anything of that kind is planned for that PC. Its use case will mostly be copying external USB-drives or transferring datasets over the internet between my clients and me in an energy efficient manner.

edit:
I'm surprised that people suggest building systems on AM4, which is an end-of-life platform.

Just to make it clear, the system I'm planning is supposed to be mostly quiet, energy efficient and not overly expensive, performance is secondary for the intended use case. Since it's a business expense, I'm not buying anything used.

The reason I want to try an Epyc 4004 is mostly personal curiosity, since anything AMD released so far about these CPUs is mostly vague marketing material. I learned more about their specific technical aspects from visiting the Epyc 4004 related sites of the motherboard manufacturers than from AMD themselves.
Therefore, I'm mostly interested in people's own first-hand experience with Epyc 4004 CPUs in consumer boards, but experience in server motherboards is welcome as well. If you found interesting quirks about these CPUs, post them here.

I'm not looking for any buying advice for RAM, PSUs, GPUs or any other unrelated PC parts.

 

[Sarajiel]

PRIME B650M-A AX6 II

Which Epyc did you try? Are there more limitations than just the locked multiplier?

 

[SL2]

I'm also not interested in Ryzen 7600, 8500G or any of the F-types since no overclocking, gaming, or anything of that kind is planned for that PC.

Is the 7600 a less suited choice than a 4 core? I don't follow.

Two more cores and double the L3 cache isn't a bad thing. Both are rated at 65 W.

Edit: Also, three years of warranty is pretty good to have (retail CPU's).

 

[Sarajiel]

Is the 7600 a less suited choice than a 4 core? I don't follow.

It's more a proof of concept build at the moment. I can get the Epyc 4124P cheaper than the 7600, and if the Epyc works well enough in that copy-station, I'm tempted to use the 12-core version for a server-build later on. For my copy-station, a dual-core would probably be enough.

However, nobody seems to use them for any kind of DIY builds so far, not even on the AM5 server boards.

 

[ir_cow]

Interesting, didn't even know AMD had a Epyc for AM5 socket.

 

[EmmanuelMar]

When the motherboard has the possibility of equipping a server chip, the only thing that will allow you is to do some overclocking....in a SOHO server it is not necessary to overclock, you take more or less cores, if you equip a 32 threads the logical thing is that you accompany 64 gb 2gb x core... you are supposed to use them.
I have one tuf gaming intel 12600 dont need a server.

1 cpu amd 7950x 500 euros + motherboard =servidor SOHO....32 threads
Today a CPU with less than 12 threads is of no interest.

Only on server motherboards and with internet higher connections can you have more Ethernet bandwidth than on an office motherboard.
1 x Realtek 1Gb Ethernet motherboard office
motherboard server
1 x Realtek 1Gb Ethernet (Dedicated management LAN for AST2600)
1 x Intel® dual 10Gb Ethernet

 

[SL2]

It's more a proof of concept build at the moment.

I see it more as a rebadge than anything else, save for the disabled features. I don't think you have to prove anything here lol, they're all Raphael.

There's a €10 difference where I'm looking, not enough to compromise IMO.

Also, it might make sense here price wise, but as soon as you bump it up to 12C you're going to pay a premium, currently €130 extra.

Produktvergleich AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, 12C/24T, 4.70-5.60GHz, boxed ohne Kühler, AMD Epyc 4464P, 12C/24T, 3.70-5.40GHz, boxed ohne Kühler Geizhals EU

Produktvergleich für AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, 12C/24T, 4.70-5.60GHz, boxed ohne Kühler (100-100000589WOF), AMD Epyc 4464P, 12C/24T, 3.70-5.40GHz, boxed ohne Kühler (100-100001478WOF)

geizhals.eu

There are retail boxes tho, didn't know that.

If you want to keep the cost down you might as well look for AM4.

8500G

APU's doesn't have ECC support anyway, including those with disabled graphics.

 

[EmmanuelMar]

AM4 is much cheaper for what you need, cpu, ram, motherboard, the option of going to am5 is only so as not to be outdated in the motherboard by taking the cheapest asrock, now there are also cheap ddr 5 4800 jedec with 2x8gb =16 gb it comes to you.

In fact, if you take the CPU with integrated graphics you can save the expense of a dedicated graphics GPU, you will only need it when installing the operating system and then remove it as you install the CPU graphics driver, you will use the displayport or HDMI of the motherboard.

The integrated graphics in the CPU are not useful for playing games, it is only for displaying the screen, unless you buy an APU and you can play some non-modern game

If you want to play modern games you need a cpu 12 thread + dedicated GPU graphics card + 2x8 gb = 16gb

 

[SL2]

AM4 is much cheaper for what you need, cpu, ram, motherboard, the option of going to am5 is only so as not to be outdated in the motherboard by taking the cheapest asrock, now there are also cheap ddr 5 4800 jedec with 16 gb it comes to you.

In fact, if you take the CPU with integrated graphics you can save the expense of a dedicated graphics GPU, you will only need it when installing the operating system and then remove it as you install the CPU graphics driver, you will use the displayport or HDMI of the motherboard.

The integrated graphics in the CPU are not useful for playing games, it is only for displaying the screen, unless you buy an APU and you can play some non-modern game

I forgot about that, AM4 CPU's doesn't have graphics. AM4 leaves the OP to APU's, and they don't have ECC support. That is if ECC really is needed here.

 

[A Computer Guy]

I forgot about that, AM4 CPU's doesn't have graphics. AM4 leaves the OP to APU's, and they don't have ECC support. That is if ECC really is needed here.

AM4 PRO based APU's do support ECC.

The downside of AM4 with integrated graphics APU's is

• less lanes. You won't be able to bifurcate x4/x4/x4/x4 to take advantage of cheap quad NVMe cards for example. However you could use a card like this x8 combo card and still get a lot of features
  • 2 x USB-C, 10Gbps NIC, 2 x NVMe
• only PRO based AM4 APU's supporting ECC

Micron DDR4 ECC 32GB sticks (18ASF4G72AZ-3G2F1) seem to work well in both AM4 PRO APU's and AM4 non-PRO CPU's alike.

The downside of non-PRO CPU's is lack of ability to self-validate ECC is working without resorting to overclocking or pin shorting tricks to see if the OS will log corrected errors. Memtest86 testing with ECC error injection works on 4750G for example but not for non-PRO CPU's. (edit) Error injection testing did used to work to my knowledge on Zen/Zen+ non-PRO CPU's at one point in time but may no longer work with UEFI updates for Zen2. I forgot exactly when UEFI updates broke that testing ability for Zen/Zen+ CPU's.

4650G/4750G (Zen2) is plentiful on ebay however 5650G/5750G (Zen3) might likely be vendor locked APU's so beware.

 

[Sarajiel]

1 cpu amd 7950x 500 euros + motherboard =servidor SOHO....32 threads
Today a CPU with less than 12 threads is of no interest.

I don't want to sound rude, but it seems you didn't really read or understand my original post. I specifically stated that I'm NOT looking for a server. The intended use case is very narrow and doesn't use much computational power.

Please stop derailing this thread with spam about PC parts unrelated to my original question.

I've added a clarification to my original post with more details.

AM4 PRO based APU's do support ECC.

I never really understood, why people are so obsessed about building servers with APUs on AM4, and to be honest I don't really want to find out. I'm fully aware of the existence of proper server motherboards with BMC/IPMI support for both AM4 and AM5.

Just to make it clear, this thread is supposed to be about Epyc 4004 CPUs which are AM5.

 

[Ruru]

Interesting, didn't even know AMD had a Epyc for AM5 socket.

Reminds me of the S939 Opterons in the mid-2000s

 

[SL2]

Please stop derailing this thread with spam about PC parts unrelated to my original question.

I see your point, but you brought this upon yourself. When you don't want it to be expensive, and at the same time aiming for the most expensive 12 core Zen4 CPU down the line, you contradict yourself.

That alone will make forum members will come up with alternatives. TPU forum members would never turn a blind eye to the idea of buying a server rebadge at such a price premium (€130 extra].

AFAIK, no one has suggested second hand parts, and AM4 isn't EOL. Ebay does sell new parts as well, and it's not the only place.

I'm not trying to change your mind here, just sharing my point of view. I'll leave this thread as I've never used a 4004 (no pun intended).

 

[A Computer Guy]

I never really understood, why people are so obsessed about building servers with APUs on AM4, and to be honest I don't really want to find out. I'm fully aware of the existence of proper server motherboards with BMC/IPMI support for both AM4 and AM5.

PRO based APU's anyway are like the mini Epyc before Epyc. You get the official ECC support minus the chiplet I/O die power draw issue and some RAM OC headroom and it fits nicely with mini ITX or other small form factors.

Just to make it clear, this thread is supposed to be about Epyc 4004 CPUs which are AM5.

Understood. I was just mostly replying to SL2 comment, not so much recommending AM4, with some additional commentary not quite up the the level of bill_bright's typically excellent level of verbose detail.

I myself am a bit interested in Epyc 4004 as well. Asrock hasn't listed them as compatible for their consumer AM5 boards yet (maybe never) so I have been having thoughts AMD was possibly segmenting them to this new mini server style boards possibly to prevent them from cannibalizing threadripper. Unlike the PRO based CPU's Epyc 4004 is available at retail but it's compatibility on consumer boards is somewhat of a mystery.

 

[Sarajiel]

I myself am a bit interested in Epyc 4004 as well. Asrock hasn't listed them as compatible for their consumer AM5 boards yet (maybe never) so I have been having thoughts AMD was possibly segmenting them to this new mini server style boards possibly to prevent them from cannibalizing threadripper. Unlike the PRO based CPU's Epyc 4004 is available at retail but it's compatibility on consumer boards is somewhat of a mystery.

In theory there shouldn't be much difference to the Ryzen 7000 CPUs as many, many people pointed out during the last 3 months. Nothing in AMD's released spec sheets points to anything nasty outside of locking multipliers. However, it has me a bit worried that they haven't appeared on QVLs outside of ASUS' B650 boards yet. They are not even on the X670E ProArt QVL. To be completely honest, before building my little new copy-station, I'd probably put the 4-core Epyc into my Crosshair Gene and try some ECLK overclocking. It would probably be quite some fun to do a video Buildzoid-style, overclocking a server-CPU.
It's also quite baffling that there are almost no posts or videos about Epyc 4004 builds out on the internet yet. Especially considering the initial comments of all those guys showing off their raging nerd boners on the forums about Epyc CPUs. I was actually hoping that at least some folks on TPU tried those CPUs already. Somehow, it often feels that every other poster here runs their own private datacenter at home. Anyway, aficionados of obscure hardware should love the Epyc 4124P as well.

Personally, I'm not really sure whether to go for a DIY-server with Epyc or not at a later point with a 2nd Epyc CPU. The only reason I'm considering it, is the lack of decent off the shelf prosumer/small business NAS systems that provide high bandwidth options and a decent CPU. Some of the newly announced AM5 server boards look interesting for that purpose, compared to the older ASRock/Gigabyte ones that seem solely focused on 1U servers.

 

[A Computer Guy]

It's also quite baffling that there are almost no posts or videos about Epyc 4004 builds out on the internet yet. Especially considering the initial comments of all those guys showing off their raging nerd boners on the forums about Epyc CPUs. I was actually hoping that at least some folks on TPU tried those CPUs already. Somehow, it often feels that every other poster here runs their own private datacenter at home. Anyway, aficionados of obscure hardware should love the Epyc 4124P as well.

Personally, I'm not really sure whether to go for a DIY-server with Epyc or not at a later point with a 2nd Epyc CPU. The only reason I'm considering it, is the lack of decent off the shelf prosumer/small business NAS systems that provide high bandwidth options and a decent CPU. Some of the newly announced AM5 server boards look interesting for that purpose, compared to the older ASRock/Gigabyte ones that seem solely focused on 1U servers.

From what I read Epyc 4004 is essentially Ryzen 7000 rebranded for the server market plus a few feature changes. While theoretically it should work fine in any board that supports a 7000 series CPU my concern is without proper UEFI recognition it might not work or might not work as expected. level1techs had a video showing bootup of AM5 Epyc on a consumer Gigabyte board but left the viewer hanging as to if it was successful of if he encountered any issues.

 

[unwind-protect]

From what I read Epyc 4004 is essentially Ryzen 7000 rebranded for the server market plus a few feature changes.

What feature changes? I am not aware of any.

 

[Dr. Dro]

As I understand it, EPYC 4004 series are just re-branded and otherwise identical to the regular consumer-grade Raphael CPUs. They should work on the same motherboards as their Ryzen 7000-branded counterparts.

 

[A Computer Guy]

What feature changes? I am not aware of any.

Just a sec... I have to find it again...

Nevermind. I think BMC and RAIDXpert2 were motherboard related functions.

One More EPYC: AMD Launches Entry-Level Zen 4-based EPYC 4004 Series

www.anandtech.com

There is some confusion I think regarding ECC support in that 7000 series is already supposed to support ECC so what is the deal with touting ECC for Epyc like it doesn't exist otherwise? This makes me wonder if AMD is limiting or plans to limit ECC for non-PRO / non-EPYC CPU's? For example how you can't use Memtest86 error injection feature on AM4 non-PRO CPU's. It could all simply mean there is a greater level of testing/certification for EPYC CPU's.

 

[Assimilator]

I was wondering if anyone tried an Epyc 4124P or any other Epyc 4004 CPU on a consumer motherboard yet?

No, because it would be pointless. The 4000-series EPYCs are literally identical to the consumer 7000-series CPUs except for the latter having unlocked multipliers, the 4124P is the odd one out among Zen 4 parts because it's the only 4-core. But apart from that it is completely, utterly unremarkable except for its lower price.

So if you only need 4 cores, go ahead and buy one. But don't expect anything other than a very boring CPU.

Now you want something interesting, have a look at the EPYC 8024P. 8c/16t with 96, yes ninety-six, PCIe 5.0 lanes. Unfortunately it (a) is unobtainium (b) there are no consumer motherboards that support it (c) the server-grade motherboards that do support it have none of the useful things like USB-C ports.

 

[Dr. Dro]

Just a sec... I have to find it again...

Nevermind. I think BMC and RAIDXpert2 were motherboard related functions.

One More EPYC: AMD Launches Entry-Level Zen 4-based EPYC 4004 Series

www.anandtech.com

There is some confusion I think regarding ECC support in that 7000 series is already supposed to support ECC so what is the deal with touting ECC for Epyc like it doesn't exist otherwise? This makes me wonder if AMD is limiting or plans to limit ECC for non-PRO / non-EPYC CPU's? For example how you can't use Memtest86 error injection feature on AM4 non-PRO CPU's. It could all simply mean there is a greater level of testing/certification for EPYC CPU's.

Marketing. These EPYC chips only have a different warranty policy - they are the replacement for the previous generation Ryzen Pro line, which were the same thing: locked multiplier in exchange for a more generous warranty policy. I believe they are warrantied for 5 years or so instead of the 3 year warranty in the regular consumer-grade chips - with a separate allotment of stock being reserved for businesses who require the specific product for their validated platforms over time as newer generations come.

Otherwise, feature set on Ryzen and Ryzen Pro and this new lesser grade of Epyc processor is completely identical.

 

[DaemonForce]

28 g5 lanes on a quad core sounds completely insane. I can see why some people would go after this lineup but...

Now you want something interesting, have a look at the EPYC 8024P. 8c/16t with 96, yes ninety-six, PCIe 5.0 lanes. Unfortunately it (a) is unobtainium (b) there are no consumer motherboards that support it (c) the server-grade motherboards that do support it have none of the useful things like USB-C ports.

The only thing making these 4xx4 chips a "reasonable" option is because the entirety of SP6 is a bugbear.
I'm better off sticking to what I have and proven to work and that's probably the route of the majority.

 

[Sarajiel]

There is some confusion I think regarding ECC support in that 7000 series is already supposed to support ECC so what is the deal with touting ECC for Epyc like it doesn't exist otherwise? This makes me wonder if AMD is limiting or plans to limit ECC for non-PRO / non-EPYC CPU's? For example how you can't use Memtest86 error injection feature on AM4 non-PRO CPU's. It could all simply mean there is a greater level of testing/certification for EPYC CPU's.

I haven't tested it myself, but according to Level1Techs and my observations of older BIOSes, AM5 CPUs didn't have working ECC before AGESA 1.1 or so. Once the later BIOS versions were out, ASRock added ECC-support to their product specifications pages, and Gigabyte added ECC features inside the BIOS without mentioning ECC-support on their website. Only Asus pretended that ECC worked from the beginning on almost all boards. And as always, MSI doesn't bother with ECC on AMD consumer boards at all.

 

[A Computer Guy]

I haven't tested it myself, but according to Level1Techs and my observations of older BIOSes, AM5 CPUs didn't have working ECC before AGESA 1.1 or so. Once the later BIOS versions were out, ASRock added ECC-support to their product specifications pages, and Gigabyte added ECC features inside the BIOS without mentioning ECC-support on their website. Only Asus pretended that ECC worked from the beginning on almost all boards. And as always, MSI doesn't bother with ECC on AMD consumer boards at all.

That is consistent with something I read on the Asrock forums as well. I think Asrock anticipated ECC support during launch because they had listed it on their pages then delisted ECC support soon after, now it relisted again probably since that AGESA was released. I suspect before launch AMD hadn't made a decision yet to allow ECC or not and probably disabled it causing Asrock to delist it from their pages. We know now AM5 EPYC is a thing now but back then AMD may have been contemplating ECC market segmentation which arguably would have been a selling point for AM5 EPYC. Thankfully AM5 EPYC is available to the consumer where PRO cpu's were not without going 2nd hand market or buying machines directly from DELL, HP, Lenovo, etc...

 

[Sarajiel]

We know now AM5 EPYC is a thing now but back then AMD may have been contemplating ECC market segmentation which arguably would have been a selling point for AM5 EPYC.

I doubt that AMD originally planned the Epyc 4004 series, because they silently released the Ryzen 7000 Pro series (7645 Pro, 7745 Pro and 7945 Pro) about a year before the Epyc 4004 launch. Those were OEM-only 65W parts that now have been disappeared on AMD's official site. Not even Intel tries to use their ARK website that hard for marketing purposes. And as mentioned earlier in the thread, there are Epyc 4004 boxed versions listed, although they are not widely available yet, at least not in my place. I could get the little ones (tray or box) and the big ones (tray), but the in-between parts are still unobtanium.
Maybe AMD noticed that the only parts that really sell well are the 16-cores, the 8-core X3D, and the 7500F which is a global SKU, but unavailable in the USA, CA, UK and AUS for some reason? Epyc 4004 looks like a good long-term dumping ground for excessive amounts of Zen4 CPUs.

ECC on consumer products seems to be mostly a marketing gimmick to stick it to Intel. It's similar with "unlocked" CPUs, because AMD's CPUs are fairly locked down as long as they are running PBO which beats static overclocks in most workloads outside competitive benching.