Topton Jasper Lake Quad i225V Mini PC Report

[fazambuja]

According to the manufacturer:

Operating Voltage	3 to 7V DC
Power	1.6 W
Current	0.32 A

MULTIFAN S3, Quiet USB Cooling Fan, 120mm

Your source to create smart growing systems with components including advance grow tents, inline fans, clip-on fans, LED grow lights, and UIS™ controllers.

acinfinity.com

The Noctua is ok; however, placing it close to you can get noticeable. Is not loud but was annoying for me. I left with the low speed adapter.

I haven't done a vigorous test, stressing the CPU. But I would suggest first testing with a home fan pointed directly to the to.

 

[skimikes]

For those people experiencing pfsense guest hangs on Proxmox on the N5105/N6000 units, are you using the stock 7.2 ISO with no updates?

I had issues with pfsense on Proxmox hanging every few days. This was eventually resolved by disabling C-states in the BIOS, ensuring powerd was not enabled in pfsense, and making sure I had the latest qemu updates from Proxmox (requires a license). Since doing the combination of those three things, I have not had a hang.

I am using a Topton 6-port N5105 (CW-N11) as my primary firewall device and it has been rock solid for >2 months now. pfsense uptime would have been >2 months but I rebooted it as part of efforts to get IPv6 working on Verizon FiOS. I am using host CPU and PCIe pass-through for the NICs.

My N5105 has 2x32GB of Samsung 3200 memory. The best advice I can give anyone attempting to use these units with more than 16GB of RAM is to use Samsung memory and keep the graphics to the bare minimum. The CPU can address all the system RAM but the iGPU seems to choke if it tries to do anything fancy when more than 16GB is installed. Headless, it works great but stick with the Intel Ark specs of max 16GB RAM if you want to be 100% safe. They're marketed as supporting up to 64GB RAM but that should have a big asterisk next to it.

 

[thimplicity]

For those people experiencing pfsense guest hangs on Proxmox on the N5105/N6000 units, are you using the stock 7.2 ISO with no updates?

I had issues with pfsense on Proxmox hanging every few days. This was eventually resolved by disabling C-states in the BIOS, ensuring powerd was not enabled in pfsense, and making sure I had the latest qemu updates from Proxmox (requires a license). Since doing the combination of those three things, I have not had a hang.

Great summary, thanks! No other way to do a qemu update?

 

[SSMI]

I am using a Topton 6-port N5105 (CW-N11) as my primary firewall device and it has been rock solid for >2 months now. pfsense uptime would have been >2 months but I rebooted it as part of efforts to get IPv6 working on Verizon FiOS. I am using host CPU and PCIe pass-through for the NICs.

Did you update your BIOS or anything? I have a Topton 6-port N5105. Wasn't sure about finding an update.

 

[xShARkx]

According to the manufacturer:

Operating Voltage	3 to 7V DC
Power	1.6 W
Current	0.32 A

MULTIFAN S3, Quiet USB Cooling Fan, 120mm

Your source to create smart growing systems with components including advance grow tents, inline fans, clip-on fans, LED grow lights, and UIS™ controllers.

acinfinity.com

The Noctua is ok; however, placing it close to you can get noticeable. Is not loud but was annoying for me. I left with the low speed adapter.

I haven't done a vigorous test, stressing the CPU. But I would suggest first testing with a home fan pointed directly to the to.

Thx for the info

So the noctua will use less than half as much power as the 120mm.

In my opinion and unless you put this 120mm bellow the chassis, then the noctua will do a better job of cooling the whole motherboard... While the 120mm on top of the chassis will cool "only" the CPU, but the problem here is that the CPU is not the only thing producing a lot of heat, the NVME is as well!

Also by cooling the whole motherboard you are cooling all the componentes which will increase their lifetime.

A little bit of noise should not be a problem, at least not for me since ill not put this x86 mini router on top of the desk that i use my pc on

 

[skimikes]

Did you update your BIOS or anything? I have a Topton 6-port N5105. Wasn't sure about finding an update.

The last I checked, the CW-N11 did not have any BIOS updates available on the changwang website. Since I haven't had any issues outside of what was previously mentioned, I haven't gone looking for anything newer. The only unit that I know a BIOS update is available for is the CW-N6000 board.

 

[xShARkx]

The last I checked, the CW-N11 did not have any BIOS updates available on the changwang website. Since I haven't had any issues outside of what was previously mentioned, I haven't gone looking for anything newer. The only unit that I know a BIOS update is available for is the CW-N6000 board.

The v3 version which is also from changwang, has bios updates as well:

FMI01 N5105 N6005 JK 4L-V01 CBOX 2022-8-9更新（BIOS适用于V3 V4版本，其它版本请勿更新)

刷机前请确认主板是否一致2022/6/7修复修复部份M.2 VNMe硬盘在转接板下识别问题。优化CPU电压功耗。添加BIOS蜂鸣器开关选项。修复BIOS自动引导。由于时间关系，下一版本的BIOS将修复TF卡作为引导项问题；如你有更好的建议，欢迎联系销售客服加入畅网微控硬件技术群。蜂鸣器在BIOS下开关选项刷机视频教程请复制到抖音上打开： 0:/ N5095/N5105/N6005刷BIOS 教程

www.changwang.com

In fact, they promised another bios update for the v3 which is suppose to fix TF card boot issues?

 

[skimikes]

The v3 version which is also from changwang, has bios updates as well:

FMI01 N5105 N6005 JK 4L-V01 CBOX 2022-8-9更新（BIOS适用于V3 V4版本，其它版本请勿更新)

刷机前请确认主板是否一致2022/6/7修复修复部份M.2 VNMe硬盘在转接板下识别问题。优化CPU电压功耗。添加BIOS蜂鸣器开关选项。修复BIOS自动引导。由于时间关系，下一版本的BIOS将修复TF卡作为引导项问题；如你有更好的建议，欢迎联系销售客服加入畅网微控硬件技术群。蜂鸣器在BIOS下开关选项刷机视频教程请复制到抖音上打开： 0:/ N5095/N5105/N6005刷BIOS 教程

www.changwang.com

In fact, they promised another bios update for the v3 which is suppose to fix TF card boot issues?

That is yet another model. I am only familiar with the CW-N6000 4-port and the CW-N11 6-port models. If someone has one of those, I'd be interested in what it identifies as in dmidecode.

That they ask you to verify that your board looks like the board in the picture before applying the new BIOS rather than identifying it by a model name is not particularly inspiring.

 

[pigr8]

The slim chassis needs 3 things to have good temps:

1 - Replace the thermal paste with a good one.
2 - Add a heat-sink to the NVME if you are using one.
3 - Add a 40x40x10mm fan to the center of bottom cover -> NF-A4x10 FLX

If you do these 3 things, the temps will be good! As per @yxman report:

https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/topton-jasper-lake-quad-i225v-mini-pc-report.36699/page-13#post-343265

and

https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/topton-jasper-lake-quad-i225v-mini-pc-report.36699/page-13#post-343276

yeah i did lap the copper heatsink (it was not flat but concave in the center) and applied new paste, i dont have a heatsink but gonna try to find one to see if it improves, for the fan i wont probably add a 40x40 because it's soo tiny i would rather add a 80x80 slim line and see how it goes, but fanless my ass :\

gonna try to design a new bottom plate to print out of abs, with a 80x80x10 5v fan, just need to figure out little thing here and there.

 

[Amazing2]

The v3 version which is also from changwang, has bios updates as well:

FMI01 N5105 N6005 JK 4L-V01 CBOX 2022-8-9更新（BIOS适用于V3 V4版本，其它版本请勿更新)

刷机前请确认主板是否一致2022/6/7修复修复部份M.2 VNMe硬盘在转接板下识别问题。优化CPU电压功耗。添加BIOS蜂鸣器开关选项。修复BIOS自动引导。由于时间关系，下一版本的BIOS将修复TF卡作为引导项问题；如你有更好的建议，欢迎联系销售客服加入畅网微控硬件技术群。蜂鸣器在BIOS下开关选项刷机视频教程请复制到抖音上打开： 0:/ N5095/N5105/N6005刷BIOS 教程

www.changwang.com

In fact, they promised another bios update for the v3 which is suppose to fix TF card boot issues?

Received the v3 version yesterday.
Will test over the weekend.

 

[skimikes]

Received the v3 version yesterday.
Will test over the weekend.

If you're running a flavor of Linux on it, can you post the output of:

dmidecode -t baseboard|egrep "Manufacturer|Product"

 

[fazambuja]

Thx for the info

So the noctua will use less than half as much power as the 120mm.

In my opinion and unless you put this 120mm bellow the chassis, then the noctua will do a better job of cooling the whole motherboard... While the 120mm on top of the chassis will cool "only" the CPU, but the problem here is that the CPU is not the only thing producing a lot of heat, the NVME is as well!

Also by cooling the whole motherboard you are cooling all the componentes which will increase their lifetime.

A little bit of noise should not be a problem, at least not for me since ill not put this x86 mini router on top of the desk that i use my pc on

I've tried the 120mm fan "below" with the chassis sideways; the air seems to get trapped inside, and with the Noctua there is plenty of space to the air to circulate.

yeah i did lap the copper heatsink (it was not flat but concave in the center) and applied new paste, i dont have a heatsink but gonna try to find one to see if it improves, for the fan i wont probably add a 40x40 because it's soo tiny i would rather add a 80x80 slim line and see how it goes, but fanless my ass :\

gonna try to design a new bottom plate to print out of abs, with a 80x80x10 5v fan, just need to figure out little thing here and there.

View attachment 23784

Thats really cool, mind sharing the 3D files? For what chassis is that? The "slim"? The bottom of the two that I have are squared, not rounded, but probably fits.

 

[pigr8]

Thats really cool, mind sharing the 3D files? For what chassis is that? The "slim"? The bottom of the two that I have are squared, not rounded, but probably fits.

mine is this one 145.76US $ 49% di SCONTO|Mini PC molle Fanless del centro 4 * Intel I225 2.5GbE Nics 2 * DDR4 NVMe del Firewall dell'elettrodomestico pfSense Mini PC AES NI| | - AliExpress and has rounded corners (i took a picture of the plate to make the 3d model), i can share it no problem once it's finished and upload it here somehow

 

[xShARkx]

yeah i did lap the copper heatsink (it was not flat but concave in the center) and applied new paste, i dont have a heatsink but gonna try to find one to see if it improves, for the fan i wont probably add a 40x40 because it's soo tiny i would rather add a 80x80 slim line and see how it goes, but fanless my ass :\

gonna try to design a new bottom plate to print out of abs, with a 80x80x10 5v fan, just need to figure out little thing here and there.

View attachment 23784

Oh yeah, i forgot to mention about the lapping of the copper piece.

And yes the 40x40x10mm is a tiny fan indeed, but from the report of several users who got the 4 port v2(bluetech board) with the slim chassis + the old bottom cover(no vents on the edges and no place to mount a 40n fan in the middle) , the 40mm seems to work amazingly well in cooling everything.

To me the smaller the fan is = less power consumption = closest to it being "fanless".

But it will be nice to see the results of this, if you manage to fit a 80mm fan inside the chassis.

I've tried the 120mm fan "below" with the chassis sideways; the air seems to get trapped inside, and with the Noctua there is plenty of space to the air to circulate.

Ok, but you are using it sideways which does not seem to be optimal at all. So i don't think you can compare what happens when you use a 120mm fan with the chassis sideways to what happens when you have a 40mm attached at the middle of the bottom cover.

The thing is that with the slim chassis which has vents on the sides + the 40mm fan in the middle of the bottom cover, in my vision the air will cool the whole motherboard and exhaust by the side vents easily due to the positioning the fan in the middle of the bottom cover.

That is yet another model. I am only familiar with the CW-N6000 4-port and the CW-N11 6-port models. If someone has one of those, I'd be interested in what it identifies as in dmidecode.

That they ask you to verify that your board looks like the board in the picture before applying the new BIOS rather than identifying it by a model name is not particularly inspiring.

I haven't been following the versioning of the 6 ports models, but for the 4 port models we have the following:

V1 board from ChangWang

Bios download -> N5105/N5095/N6005 BIOS 2022/4/25 update (for the first black PCB version only)

V2 board from Bluetech

PS: This is not an official v2, but here in this forum we consider the systems that come with this board as V2

Bios download -> N5105-4L latest BIOS, HSX-1338NP-12-V16, solve VT-D display inaccurate, ESXI cannot be closed... - Motherboard hardware bios release - cnction (cnction) - cnction (CNCTION) ) software exchange

V3 board from ChangWang:

Bios download -> FMI01 N5105 JK 4L-V01 CBOX 2022-6-7 Update (3rd Edition N5105 Black PCB Version Dedicated BIOS)

The V3 board from ChangWang has the following improvements over the other versions:

+

 

[RonG]

Sorry mate my bad, I used the wrong number. Try this link.

Awesome. Thanks again.

 

[skimikes]

The backplate in the picture above with the vents and the 40mm mount is what the backplate looks like on my 6-port CW-N11. The chassis is otherwise identical to the 4-port CW-N6000. I put a 40mm Noctua fan in it with the RPM limiter to keep it quiet. Temps are:

coretemp-isa-0000
Adapter: ISA adapter
Package id 0:  +36.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 0:        +33.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 1:        +33.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 2:        +33.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 3:        +33.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)

acpitz-acpi-0
Adapter: ACPI interface
temp1:        +27.8°C  (crit = +119.0°C)

nvme-pci-0100
Adapter: PCI adapter
Composite:    +25.9°C  (low  =  -0.1°C, high = +74.8°C)
                       (crit = +79.8°C)

Both units run 4-5C cooler seated on their side than when mounted flat.
Both units absolutely benefited from a re-paste. If you run prime95 on your unit and it immediately jumps to 105C (as both of mine did), re-paste. A well-pasted unit should cap somewhere in the very low 70s.

 

[RonG]

The backplate in the picture above with the vents and the 40mm mount is what the backplate looks like on my 6-port CW-N11. The chassis is otherwise identical to the 4-port CW-N6000. I put a 40mm Noctua fan in it with the RPM limiter to keep it quiet. Temps are:

coretemp-isa-0000
Adapter: ISA adapter
Package id 0:  +36.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 0:        +33.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 1:        +33.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 2:        +33.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)
Core 3:        +33.0°C  (high = +105.0°C, crit = +105.0°C)

acpitz-acpi-0
Adapter: ACPI interface
temp1:        +27.8°C  (crit = +119.0°C)

nvme-pci-0100
Adapter: PCI adapter
Composite:    +25.9°C  (low  =  -0.1°C, high = +74.8°C)
                       (crit = +79.8°C)

Both units run 4-5C cooler seated on their side than when mounted flat.
Both units absolutely benefited from a re-paste. If you run prime95 on your unit and it immediately jumps to 105C (as both of mine did), re-paste. A well-pasted unit should cap somewhere in the very low 70s.

Great Temps. For now I'm using a 5in usb fan just blowing across top an keeps cpu cool but nmve is 40's idle. Gonna try your way.

 

[cat2devnull]

For those people experiencing pfsense guest hangs on Proxmox on the N5105/N6000 units, are you using the stock 7.2 ISO with no updates?

I had issues with pfsense on Proxmox hanging every few days. This was eventually resolved by disabling C-states in the BIOS, ensuring powerd was not enabled in pfsense, and making sure I had the latest qemu updates from Proxmox (requires a license). Since doing the combination of those three things, I have not had a hang.

I spoke too soon, I'm now seeing multiple reboots per day on the pfsense VM with Unraid.
The error seems to be more consistent now;

Fatal trap 12: page fault while in kernel mode
cpuid = 0; apic id = 00
fault virtual address = 0x30
fault code = supervisor write data, page not present
instruction pointer = 0x20:0xffffffff80da98bd
stack pointer = 0x28:0xfffffe0025972b00
frame pointer = 0x28:0xfffffe0025972b60
code segment = base 0x0, limit 0xfffff, type 0x1b
= DPL 0, pres 1, long 1, def32 0, gran 1
processor eflags = resume, IOPL = 0
current process = 11 (idle: cpu0)
trap number = 12
timeout stopping cpus
panic: page fault
cpuid = 0
time = 1659451328
KDB: enter: panic

Any chance you could go into more detail about everything you did?
- How/which C-states you disabled and any other bios changes? (What did that do to your power usage/heat?)
- How to disable powerd in pfsense? Any other pfsense mods?
- What version of QEMU, Linux kernel etc, you are running (I'm on Unraid not Proxmox).

Thanks,

 

[dazagrt]

.

(i took a picture of the plate to make the 3d model), i can share it no problem once it's finished and upload it here somehow

Maybe push it to thingiverse and then link it back here.

 

[skimikes]

I spoke too soon, I'm now seeing multiple reboots per day on the pfsense VM with Unraid.
The error seems to be more consistent now;

Fatal trap 12: page fault while in kernel mode
cpuid = 0; apic id = 00
fault virtual address = 0x30
fault code = supervisor write data, page not present
instruction pointer = 0x20:0xffffffff80da98bd
stack pointer = 0x28:0xfffffe0025972b00
frame pointer = 0x28:0xfffffe0025972b60
code segment = base 0x0, limit 0xfffff, type 0x1b
= DPL 0, pres 1, long 1, def32 0, gran 1
processor eflags = resume, IOPL = 0
current process = 11 (idle: cpu0)
trap number = 12
timeout stopping cpus
panic: page fault
cpuid = 0
time = 1659451328
KDB: enter: panic

Any chance you could go into more detail about everything you did?
- How/which C-states you disabled and any other bios changes? (What did that do to your power usage/heat?)
- How to disable powerd in pfsense? Any other pfsense mods?
- What version of QEMU, Linux kernel etc, you are running (I'm on Unraid not Proxmox).

Thanks,

C-states defaulted to "Disabled" on both the CW-N6000 and CW-N11 devices. I originally enabled them to get the lowest power usage possible but that may have been responsible for the aforementioned issues. Since I need reliability more than I need to save 4-5W, I reverted to the original setting of "Disabled".

To disable C-states, go into BIOS:
Advanced > Power & Performance > CPU - Power Management Control > C States [Disabled]
Save and reset.
That results in about a 4-5W penalty on idle power usage. I think I went from 8.9W to 13.4 during idle when I was playing around with the kill-a-watt. I can plug in the power meter later if you want exact numbers which will vary depending how many NICs you have connected, how much memory is installed, what storage devices(s), etc.

The only other change I made was to Disable Intel ME (also done in BIOS).

To disable PowerD in pfsense:
System > Advanced > Miscellaneous
In the "Power Savings" section, make sure the PowerD Enabled box is unchecked (you don't need powerd trying to manage CPU states if you're running it as a guest and have C-states disabled).

I'm running pfsense on Proxmox. Here are the relevant Proxmox package versions:
proxmox-ve: 7.2-1 (running kernel: 5.15.35-2-pve)
pve-manager: 7.2-7 (running version: 7.2-7/d0dd0e85)
pve-kernel-5.15: 7.2-4
pve-kernel-helper: 7.2-4
pve-kernel-5.15.35-2-pve: 5.15.35-5
pve-qemu-kvm: 6.2.0-11
qemu-server: 7.2-3