Log FormD T1 meets MinisForum BD790i! (Build Log & benchmarks)

[rfarmer]

so far so good. 3D Mark PCIe tests were clear. With my RX 9070 XT from 23.22GB/s (Gen 4) to 35.37GB/s (Gen 5). As reference, my RTX 5090 FE connected in Gen 5 is reaching 53.56GB/s.

Just be careful on the exact reference. There is a similar model with bigger PCIe slot that does not fit.

Thanks for the heads up, is this the correct version?

 

[MarcParis]

Thanks for the heads up, is this the correct version?

yes that's the one.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Re: Upgrade - what about Thermalright AXP90-X53 Full (Copper)?

cu, w0lf.

 

[MarcParis]

Re: Upgrade - what about Thermalright AXP90-X53 Full (Copper)?

cu, w0lf.

No way. It shares the same mounting mechanism as the 47mm i have. The pin Will perforate the rider on the back. On top, 53mm is too tall as it is creating turbulences. My combo is only 50mm, okish

 

[MarcParis]

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FormD T1 + R7 9800 X3D + RX 9070 XT : Linux experience & improvements (07th August 2026)

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Time to recover my backlog..

Re: Upgrade - what about Thermalright AXP90-X53 Full (Copper)?

cu, w0lf.

(1) The first point is related to the myth of the Thermalright AXP90-53 Full copper version…The myth has fallen as it is proven that the copper version is performing as good as the aluminum version, most probably due to the bottleneck of the heatpipes (the same for both coolers).
You can check those videos from Geek DK (very good) :




(2) The second point is now time for the 10g network upgrade, that’s where USB4 are very useful as they are using PCIe protocol.
I’m using a WAVLINK Adaptateur 10GbE RJ45 and a switch Mikrotik Crs304-4xG-In

Everything is automatically detected on Linux and set up to 10gbps ethernet directly.
I’ll test it more, either through the local network or with my internet provider (incoming upgrade to 8gbps).


(3) The third point is the weird bug I’m encountering while pairing my Asus X870i with a SSD 9100 Pro on the m2_1 slot (gen 5 through CPU). In fact, by roughly 20%, the SSD is not detected during the boot. I’ve no issue while using a gen 4, gen 3 or gen 2 SSD in that same m.2 slot. After further investigations, this is a known bug that could be related to the X870 chipset voltage. I tried to increase the voltage of the chipset (from 1.05v to 1.20v). It improved the occurrence but not solved the issue completely.

Thus I left the 9100 Pro to the m2_2 slot (gen 4 through the chipset) with absolutely no issue. There is no visible downgrade anyway.


(4) what about the support of the mediatek 7927, bluetooth & wifi 7 module, on Linux? As there is no official support from Mediatek, I am using the excellent driver from Javier Tia. It is working pretty well, however, I’m facing a cumbersome bug.
In fact, as a known bug, the bluetooth module, using USB protocol can lock itself. This is translating loading errors on Linux (gray screen with dots), loss of bluetooth support and longer shut down (waiting for stuff). Normally this is a rare bug as it is supposed to happen only once you update the driver…however, it is happening each time I’m loading Windows 11…The Multiboot (Windows & Linux) on this setup is cumbersome then.
On the contrary, on my Intel 270K platform, the multiboot is really easy and definitely usable. There are no compatibility issues.


(5) Speaking of multiboot, I’m still using Windows 11, unfortunately. I even found another use case where Windows 11 is clearly superior (for now) over Linux. Previously I wanted to use Windows 11 only for SSDs & PS5 gamepad firmware upgrades, pretty rare fortunately. However I found that Windows 11 is clearly ahead of Linux when watching streaming services, like Amazon Prime. This is related to DRM management. Hopefully I can still use those services on Linux but their bitrate is limited to 1.17 Go/hour. On Windows 11 it is reaching 6.87 Go/hour, with a clear improvement on the quality. For anime, 1.17Go is clearly enough, but for 4K movies, it is not. Hopefully it will improve over time.
Otherwise, for gaming, this setup (RX 9070XT) is working almost flawlessly. I’m eager to get Linux 7.2 with native support of hdmi 2.1 on AMD GPU. I’ve only noted 2 games not really playable (Starwars Outlaws - stuttering- and FF7 Rebirth - 1% way too low, GPU utilization is bad). Clearly AMD GPU are better supported than Nvidia, as I got some additional misses on my 270K+RTX 5090 FE, like Horizon zero dawn (massive issue on GPU utilization in crowdy area like Meridian where 1% lower dropped) and Horizon Forbidden west (regular stutters…and nothing with the RX 9070 XT).
At last the cooling and the noise from the FormD T1 setup is pretty good, despite the hot summer France is experiencing so far. (Ambient temperature is 30°C). Even the fanless mode of the RX 9070 XT Prime is staying in place while watching video (unlike the RTX 5090 FE that requires continuous airflow).
The only negative point I would highlight is the lack of FSR4+ support of some recent games, like 007 First light or Beast of reincarnation. Hopefully on the later one, there is a pretty good TAAU, see below :




(6) Overall, I’m really satisfied with this setup. The FormD T1 is proving its solid design, while paired with proper hardware. My Linux experience is simply great, even if I’m still hitting some walls. That’s where the multiboot with Windows 11 is very useful. Next year sounds promising with the battle between Zen 6 and Nova Lake. I’m even hoping to get better AM5 boards, with advantages using Zen 6 with better i/o, but let’s see. Currently I’m still thinking Intel platform, even the 1851, is better than AM5 in terms of features, either on the Wifi/BT modules (Mediatek is the one to blame honestly as they only support Windows 11), native Thunderbolt support..but that’s a discussion for another day..

Enjoy!

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

) what about the support of the mediatek 7927, bluetooth & wifi 7 module, on Linux? As there is no official support from Mediatek, I am using the excellent driver from Javier Tia. It is working pretty well, however, I’m facing a cumbersome bug.
In fact, as a known bug, the bluetooth module, using USB protocol can lock itself. This is translating loading errors on Linux (gray screen with dots), loss of bluetooth support and longer shut down (waiting for stuff). Normally this is a rare bug as it is supposed to happen only once you update the driver…however, it is happening each time I’m loading Windows 11…The Multiboot (Windows & Linux) on this setup is cumbersome then.

might be worth considering sth like a KVM passthrough thingy, ie. load existing Win 11 partition in KVM, run it as a "bare metal" VM, and only bother with actual reboot + switch when things dont seem to work no matter what you do (eg. some games may still giving you troubles, and also, with all the crappy windoze application programming, as in: "this is the rule" - "IDGF!" - "ok, do as you want").


cu ,w0lf.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

This is related to DRM management. Hopefully I can still use those services on Linux but their bitrate is limited to 1.17 Go/hour. On Windows 11 it is reaching 6.87 Go/hour, with a clear improvement on the quality. For anime, 1.17Go is clearly enough, but for 4K movies, it is not. Hopefully it will improve over time.

not experiencing these issues, I'd guess its a library issue (and potentially, distro-based, too). which I do have experience with, as my "extract libraries from official windows chrome build" was the de-facto go-to tutorial for several years for anyone wanting proper DRM support on chromium-based Unixoid browsers, until Linux Mint, Ubuntu, and finally, Debian did create an official workaround bundle themselves.

Edit: On that note, WHAT Linux distribution are you using rn? Issues like these are HIGHLY distribution-dependent.

cu, w0lf.

 

[MarcParis]

might be worth considering sth like a KVM passthrough thingy, ie. load existing Win 11 partition in KVM, run it as a "bare metal" VM, and only bother with actual reboot + switch when things dont seem to work no matter what you do (eg. some games may still giving you troubles, and also, with all the crappy windoze application programming, as in: "this is the rule" - "IDGF!" - "ok, do as you want").


cu ,w0lf.

I was thinking to try again Winboat as a light VM. I tried it to try firmware update but it does not work..

not experiencing these issues, I'd guess its a library issue (and potentially, distro-based, too). which I do have experience with, as my "extract libraries from official windows chrome build" was the de-facto go-to tutorial for several years for anyone wanting proper DRM support on chromium-based Unixoid browsers, until Linux Mint, Ubuntu, and finally, Debian did create an official workaround bundle themselves.

Edit: On that note, WHAT Linux distribution are you using rn? Issues like these are HIGHLY distribution-dependent.

cu, w0lf.

I'm still new to Linux, only 8 months now..
If you have a way to get the same DRM as Windows on Chrome on Linux, I'm interested.

I'm using CachyOS (I started with Bazzite then move to CachyOS).

 

[rfarmer]

yes that's the one.

I finally ordered the LinkUp riser and you are right it's the perfect length, hopefully works well since the cheap riser I had from AliExpress was giving me some display issues.

 

[MarcParis]

I finally ordered the LinkUp riser and you are right it's the perfect length, hopefully works well since the cheap riser I had from AliExpress was giving me some display issues.

Here too, it is working flawlessly!

Indeed finding an alternative riser is not that easy. On the P-ATX v4 I tried to get a Gen5 with support of Riba but it failed by a couple of mm...

 

[MarcParis]

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FormD T1 + R7 9800 X3D + RX 9070 XT : Fixing Bugs & 10 gbps Network Testings (11th August 2026)

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Finally I guess I managed to fix 2 of my most annoying bugs :

• Asus X870i + 9100 Pro in m2_1 (CPU) :
  • Bug : 30% of boot, the 9100 Pro was not detected in the Bios. Cold & Warm boot. I got this bug since I have the X870i. It is not happening with my SN850X or 950Pro in M2_1...pretty specific to the 9100 Pro. I got 2x 9100 Pro and both are bugging with the X870i (not with my Asus B850E and MSI Z890).
  • Solution :
    • 100% Working (but gen4 only) : Put the 9100 Pro in the m2_2 (X870 chipset) is totally fine, but you are losing direct access to CPU and max speed is limited to gen4
    • Not Working : On some X870 boards, for the SSD connected to the X870, it might require additional Voltage on the Chipset to handle all the SSDs (base is 1.05v till 1.20v). This solution is not working for my case as the m2_1 slot is connected to the CPU, but it is working for SSDs connected to the X870
    • 75% Working : to disable in the bios (boot configuration), AMI Native NVMe Driver Support. This is injecting some codes to support legacy drives. This is not required for modern OS. My 950 Pro from 2015 is simply working fine without it. I found this solution by trying several Bios parameters (Vcore, etc...). Since I updated the Wi-fi / BT module (touching the m2_1 slot), I still experience the similar bug.
• Windows 11 : Time not syncing
  • Bug : On both my systems (270K + RTX 5090 FE) and (9800X3D + RX 9070 XT), Windows 11 time is misaligned by 2 hours. I can sync manually the time, but when I reboot, it is back 2 hours late
  • Solution :
    • Not working : At first I thought it was linked to the way I installed Windows 11, using Ventoy, but not at all. It was failing also with a clean reinstall with dedicated USB stick
    • Not working : Force service "Windows Time" as automatic start up or force sync...it was not working as the issue was not linked to time sync
    • Working : The issue is linked to the dual boot Linux & Windows 11. Linux is using UTC and Windows 11 is using Local time, leading to a conflict in the Bios. Basically Windows is misaligned vs Linux. I found the solution, thanks to Gemini. There are 2 solutions, both working :
      • Force Linux to use Local time :
        • Terminal : timedatectl set-local-rtc 1 --adjust-system-clock
        • Back to Win 11 : Manually sync, job is done
      • Force Windows to use UTC time :
        • Update registry with this command line (admin) : "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\TimeZoneInformation" /v RealTimeIsUniversal /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

I also tested my new 10G switch & USB4 adapter, using the Steam Local network to transfer games. This latter is cross platform, between Linux & Windows 11.
However on CachyOS (nothing to do on Windows 11), some specific ports have to be opened first with the following commands :

• sudo ufw allow 27040/tcp
• sudo ufw allow 27031:27036/udp

Finally the transfer speed depends on the system (maximum to reach is 5Gbps, limited to my 270K platform) :

• Win 11 to Win 11 : up to 4.6 gbps, generally exceeding 3.4gbps
• Linux to Linux/Win 11 : up to 2.3 gbps, on average 2.0 gbps (On Linux, Steam was unable to select by default the wired connection, thus I have to disable Wifi to reach those speed)

I'll try to double check those numbers when I will finally get my upgrade to 8gbps on my fiber.

 

[MarcParis]

Here are the first bench of my 8G Optical fiber internet...everything looks fine!
Speed Test : impressive 7.4gbps download and 3.1gbps upload

Steam (CachyOS) : reaching 2.2 gbps like on the local network trial, I'll have to test on Windows 11 too then

Edit : not better on windows 11..

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

However on CachyOS (nothing to do on Windows 11), some specific ports have to be opened first with the following commands :

I dug into CachyOS - so apparently its based on Arch Linux, the only difference being that the developers run their own repositories, so its probably more selective towards stability. Thats actually almost identical how Manjaro does their thing, expect you're also easily able to enable the regular Arch User Repositories (AUR).

So, to improve stuff, just dig into the most excellent Arch Linux wiki

Its one of the best Linux-centric wikis available - if I cannot find anything about my specific distribution in official forums or eg. Stack Exchange, its almost certain I'm gonna find something helpful over there.


cu, w0lf.

 

[MarcParis]

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Asus X870i Strix : Replacing the Mediatek 7927 Wifi / BT module (13th August 2026)

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As my X870i seems working like a charm (referring to the bug of the missing 9100 Pro at the boot), I decided to finally replace the only remaining that was incompatible to Linux, due to missing proper official driver from its creator : The Mediatek 7927 Wi-fi 7 / Bluetooth 5.4.
In fact, the open-source and DKMS drivers are working but not very useful with a proper dual boot setup (windows 11 & Linux) as the bluetooth is getting locked as each OS swap…requiring a cold boot (disconnect AC plug for 30 secs before moving back to Linux.

Thus I decided to reuse my Intel AX210NGW (Wi-Fi 6E / Bluetooth 5.3) I bought for my Asus Crosshair VI.

I spared you the disassembly operation from the FormD T1. However with my Gen 5 riser, I need to remove the GPU & the riser in order to disconnect the motherboard from the riser.

I’ll try to describe each steps one by one :

• Step 1 : Back side : Remove the 2 screws holding the rear i/o shield and the 5 screws holding the shield of the motherboard
  Before :
  
  
  
  After :
  
  
  
  
  
• Step 2 : On top of the rear i/o, remove the 2 screws holding the fan grill + the plastic shell of the rear i/o
  
  
  
  
  
• Step 3 : The most difficult part is now. The area around the Wi-fi case is heavily crowded.
  • Step 3a : Disconnect GENTLY the Chipset fan
  • Step 3b : Disconnect GENTLY the Bios battery from the MB. Keep the battery on the Wifi module case (it is stuck anyway)
  • Step 3c : Disconnect GENTLY the data ribbon (covered by the aluminum film). For this step, I encouraged to remove the m2_1 / X870 heatsink by removing 2 black screws + spacers on the back of the MB
  • Step 3d : Remove the Wi-fi Module case by removing the 2 screw holding it on the back of the MB
  Here is a more explicit picture with the 3 connections to handle :
  
  
  
  
  
• Step 4 : To open the Wi-fi module case by removing the visible screw and use a plier to bend the front/bottom bracket
  
  Before :
  
  
  
  After :
  
  
  
  
  
• Step 5 : To free the Wi-fi Module from the case by removing the screw holding it and sliding it gently. There is a pad behind it to be removed gently. Once free, disconnect the antenna gently. Replace the module, put back the screw and relocate the big front pad on the module
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Step 6 : Put everything back In my case I remove the X870/m2_1 heatsink/connector to ease the ribbon assembly
  
  
  
  
  Crowded area :
  
  
  
  

Once everything was put back together, the PC worked properly..
On Linux, the Intel AX210NGW module was directly found and working. On Windows 11 I just needed to download and install Intel Wifi & BT drivers.

I even tried a Kdiskmark (alternative of CrystalDisk Mark) to bench my 9100 pro :

Enjoy!

 

[MarcParis]

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Asus X870i Strix : Re-pasting X870 Chipset (13th August 2026)

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After my successful surgery on the Asus X870i to replace the Wi-Fi / Bluetooth, I discovered that the X870 chipset thermal paste was a bit all dried! I did not re-pasted as I service the Wi-fi module but I cannot resist doing it asap.

This time, I optimized the disassembly of the FormD T1, without needing to remove the GPU completely.

And here is the X870 chipset naked. The original thermal paste was definitely very dry!

Time to apply generously Artic MX-7 :

Finished job :

As an early trial, I estimated an improvement of around 5-6°C, with the X870 chipset still sitting above 80°C under load and a 34°C ambient temperature…

Enjoy!

 

[MarcParis]

Update on the bug related to the Asus X870i with the 9100 Pro in the m2_1 (gen5 to CPU) slot. Unfortunately my previous finding is not holding as much as expected. I took the opportunity of Wi-fi / BT module replacement and chipset re-pasting to check physical connection...nothing to declare, everything is looking fine.

At least as I update the wi-fi / BT module, there is no longer usb lock down after a Windows 11 session. Swapping between Windows 11 & CachyOS is now very smooth (if the 9100 Pro is showing at boot..)

Edit : This time, limiting the speed of the m2_1 to gen4 seems working (previously, before the physical rework on the MB, applying Gen4 was one of my first trial but it was unsuccessful...). that would make sense that their riser is maybe too limited for Gen5...let's see if it is holding..