$29 Embedded Epyc 3151 ASRock Rack EPYC3151D4I-NL

[Fritz]

I've been playing with mine all day. Updated the BIOS and BMC plus loaded 2 OS's. It's been rock steady and running remarkably cool. But I plan to add a fan of some kind, some way.

EDIT - And I ordered a 24 ping plug with a toggle switch so I won't have to plug and unplug it every time.

 

[shpitz461]

Maybe I'm missing something. What AI told me I needed was socflash_64.efi - Not the .efi at the end. I have socflash_64.exe but I thought it was a different file. Anyway, I could not get it to work with .efi anything. AI told it was because I needed socflash_64.efi and it could not tell me where to get it, said something about Aspeed no longer making it available

The .efi only works in EFI shell, using a bootable EFI USB drive.
The .exe are for using under Windows, but there's no need to get Windows installed just to run them, EFI shell is so much easier.

 

[Fritz]

I already had a SSD with Windows Server 2012 R2 installed on it. All I had to do was plug it it. That's about as easy as it gets.
According to instructions I found somewhere out there, all you need is the .efi file, the BMC Firmware and the command. You boot into the efi shell and run the command. For me that was a lie but YMMV.

But I have to admit that in windows it workedc as it should and I was able to update the BMC and the BIOS without issues.

 

[shpitz461]

yeah, .efi doesn't run on Windows

 

[drako824]

I tried socflash.exe on dosbox, and it didn't work, if I remember right it said not found, so I did a google search and found this on the asrockrack website

https://www.asrockrack.com/support/faq.asp?id=62

How to load BMC Default Settings (via BIOS and IPMI command)
and I booted up an ubuntu live usb to run ipmitool and the listed command
“sudo ipmitool raw 0x32 0x66”
then reboot as instructed and it worked,

 

[Fritz]

Is using a jumper on the 24 pin plug the only way to power this on?

 

[shpitz461]

You only need to power the 8-pin EPS, but since a PSU will not turn on without the jumper on the 24-pin plug, you kinda need both.

Pg.22 from the manual:

 

[Fritz]

I saw the 24 pin to 4 pin cable but what's it's purpose? Does it enable the on-off connector on the MB? Is that what the x's and 0's mean?

 

[wesm63]

I saw the 24 pin to 4 pin cable but what's it's purpose? Does it enable the on-off connector on the MB? Is that what the x's and 0's mean?

It just tells the PSU to turn on. The 24pin jumper and the 24pin to 4pin do the exact same thing. It's an ATX requirement, if you're using 12v/DC IN you don't need to tell the PSU to turn on.

 

[maithuong86]

 

[Fritz]

I'm using a Flex PSU with 2 8 pin plugs. One is plugged into the board. I'm also using a jumper plug to turn on the PSU. I'd rather use the on off connector on the board.

 

[wesm63]

I'm using a Flex PSU with 2 8 pin plugs. One is plugged into the board. I'm also using a jumper plug to turn on the PSU. I'd rather use the on off connector on the board.

Then you need to use the 24 to 4pin adapter, that makes it act like a normal pc.

 

[maithuong86]

https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/29-embedded-epyc-3151-asrock-rack-epyc3151d4i-nl.55681/

 

[Fritz]

I've got it sorted out now. The jumper keeps the PSU live at all times. If you remove the jumper, it goes dead. It's the jumper on the 24 pin plug that controls the state of the PSU. The MB pins send a momentary signal to the PSU telling it to turn on. I was under the impression that if you're not using the 24 pin plug you have no way to power up the PSU. The jumper should have given me a clue as to how it works but it didn't, duh. I ordered a 24 pin plug with a toggle switch instead of a jumper so I could control the PSU because I assumed the on board on off jumper didn't work. I understand how it all works now. Thanks all.

 

[ItGuy]

what temperatures are you guys getting?

I just got mine and I had it on top of my desk and it was hitting 90+. (with nothing but one stick of ram) at a room temperature of 75F. Only after sitting a tower fan right in front of it the temps when down to about 65C.

I find that a little hotter than spected.

 

[Fritz]

Hmmm, mine is running 30 to 31 at idle with 2 sticks of ram. But I do have a small fan blowing on the heatsink.

 

[Sacrilego]

what temperatures are you guys getting?

I just got mine and I had it on top of my desk and it was hitting 90+. (with nothing but one stick of ram) at a room temperature of 75F. Only after sitting a tower fan right in front of it the temps when down to about 65C.

I find that a little hotter than spected.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think these are meant to run without airflow going through the CPU heatsink.
I was reaching close to 100 on mine until I added a small fan just like Fritz did.

I also idle in the mid-30s after adding the fan.

 

[ItGuy]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think these are meant to run without airflow going through the CPU heatsink.
I was reaching close to 100 on mine until I added a small fan just like Fritz did.

I also idle in the mid-30s after adding the fan.

I don't plan on keeping it that way but for it not to have anykind of workload it seemed too high.after updating the bios its under control now at about 35 to 40C

 

[Markess]

Did you use it for a PCIe adapter, or to use as SATA breakout? I used a cheap oculink cable to a cheap OCUlink to PCIe adapter. I couldn't get anything I plugged in to be recognized at all.

that particular cable is a OCuLink to 4xSATA breakout cable.

 

[etorix]

find that a little hotter than spected.

As said, it is intended to be used in a rack enclosure with rack case fans.
TDP drops from 45 W to 35 W if SMT is disabled in BIOS. But the I/O die of these embedded EPYC still uses more power at idle than a comparable Xeon D-1521.