Motherboard Group Buy/Crowdfunded Modded BIOS for the Asrock A300m (Deskmini A300)

Kmpkt

Innovation through Miniaturization
KMPKT
Feb 1, 2016
3,382
5,935
Currently in stock in Europe and I can manually process an order there if you'd like one. Next batch I'm currently holding back on ordering while I figure a bunch of other stuff out. Hoping to get another order placed before the end of April but nothing concrete as I MAY need the funds for another project which would delay the 360s by a month or two while I recapitalize.
 

g1l

Efficiency Noob
Dec 17, 2018
6
0
Asrock wrote me "...about ECC memory, due to hardware limitation, it will not be supported."
 

W4RR10R

Cable-Tie Ninja
Original poster
Jan 29, 2019
211
211
Tl;dr its is 100% a bios thing, Asrock just can't do it themselves right now.

So, on the CPU support front. Asrock finally got back to me, they took a quick look at the problem and determined that it should be possible but that they do not have the resources to be able to divert some to this problem, any solution from them would have to go through their validation process and they said they cant do that right now, but they did tell me that it is not a hardware limitation (as long as you stay under 65W).
 

Danlopez1222

Average Stuffer
Apr 5, 2019
63
101
Tl;dr its is 100% a bios thing, Asrock just can't do it themselves right now.

So, on the CPU support front. Asrock finally got back to me, they took a quick look at the problem and determined that it should be possible but that they do not have the resources to be able to divert some to this problem, any solution from them would have to go through their validation process and they said they cant do that right now, but they did tell me that it is not a hardware limitation (as long as you stay under 65W).

That's definitely a good start! Saves me from searching for a CPU whitelist that doesn't exist.
 

Totalschaden1997

Minimal Tinkerer
New User
May 24, 2018
4
1
Have you played with custom P-States, yet? Seems to work fine for my 2200G -- nvm, just a reporting error
 
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JSItems

Caliper Novice
Apr 28, 2019
25
21
Just replying to say I am interested in this and would likely contribute for a BIOS that can OC the iGPU
 

chinevo

SFF Recordsman
May 11, 2017
141
234
Mark me as potential contributor too :)

My requests:
- supporting Picasso APUs
- igou oc
- memory oc
- cpu undervolting
 

Primerib

Caliper Novice
Apr 5, 2019
24
8
Thank you guys and gals. The more people we can get on this the higher the chance for someone to claim the bounty for a custom bios. Maybe if we start defining dollar amounts someone will get interested. I'll be the first to pitch in 100 USD for an overclockable bios. Of course 3000 APUs would be included with that.
 
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W4RR10R

Cable-Tie Ninja
Original poster
Jan 29, 2019
211
211
Another $100 USD, I guess I won't go see End Game for the 3rd 4th and 5th time.
 

packratxxxnasty

Case Bender
Apr 19, 2019
2
0
A few things:

I will also throw in $100, maybe up to $200 if it was the difference between it happening and not happening...I just think it is cool. This device is so close to amazing.

A few questions:

If I revert to the 3.2 bios, will I gain anything? I had to update from 1.x to 3.2, then 3.4, because my samsung ssd wasn't able to be selected to boot from (but was visible as detected in the bios)

Is there a DOS window on post? I have this black area in the center of my screen, where an _ (like the beginning of command prompt), and an alpha numeric symbol will appear. I also see no bios splash screen, or windows icon. I see the "spinning circle" loading icon, pure black everywhere else, and then I'm taken straight to the windows log in screen. Is that normal? Everything seems fine other wise, it is just weird...

Does the gpu voltage and igpu freq options in 3.4 actually do anything?

Is there anything I can do other than oc ram?

Does ryzen master do anything?

Is it possible to use a higher wattage brick?

Anybody tried egpu with it yet?

Is loosening the timings for frequency worth it (I'm at 3200 cl 16 right now w/ a 2200g)?

Can I lower the ram allocation to the igpu? According to some research I did, it doesn't matter for performance how much you allocate, since it is going to use ddr4 no matter what. I heard 64mb or something was good, but userbenchmark implies that my ipgu is allocating 2gb. May as well free that ram up.

How to get correct thermal readings? HwInfo seems to be wonky with this...

Below this is just my opinions on the kit, feel free to ignore lol:
--------------------------------------------------------------

A few criticisms:

1. The frustration involved with the wireless and ssd connections (SO TINY). I found that a pc repair kit screwdrive(generic screwdriver w/ bits etc.) with the star-key bit the best way to tamp down the wireless connectors. Gotta be a better way to package those together for easier connection.

2. It seems theoretically possible to use SDRAM. TBF I did not compare it with my ddr4 ram in node 202 (don't feel like messing with that night mare of cable managment), but I did get out some big ripjaws ddr3 ram and it technically fit the width of the board. It would def be a tight fit, but if possible, full-fat ddr4 ram would make this build even more affordable.

On this note of SODIMM ram: After fairly intense research, I determined this ram (don't know how to use plain text here as a hyperlink): https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820164056&ignorebbr=1&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker, LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
to be the best price to perf. After receiving it, I am even more convinced. Obviously this is anecdotal (but I've seen a couple other people mention this too), but I easily oc'd it 3200 with the same timings. I think I could go higher if I loosened them.

3. Ditch the vga and use that space for something more relevant. more video output, usb ports, etc. I'm sure some people will use this with three monitors, but will most? Some companies might still have ONLY vga, but most now at least have dongles etc. to allow hdmi or even display port.


4. HWInfo must not be getting correct sensors reads from this board. It feels incredibly cool, and I just fired the pc up. HW says all my mobo components are @ 115C. Trust me, I have a node 202 with a flashed vega 64 in it...I know this thing ain't at 115C.

5.Reattaching the mobo backplate is a nightmare for a person with large hands. Those two screws butting right up against the I/O area...

6.It was also very difficult to tighten down the wireless antenna. I eventually used pliers. I think a slight case modification would alleviate this.

Below this are some stupid suggestions for future stx designs you can safely ignore:

1. Convenient and stylish way of allowing egpus (maybe an open I/O area where the vga is now?).

2. Easier installation of antenna to chip...maybe connecting the two like 9volt connectors?

3. Allow oc opportunities, even if in a very narrow "safe" range. This is a very interesting kit, and most of the people buying it want to tinker with it!!! I'd mess with oc'ing it with even a few millivolt range!

4. Easier way to reset bios for post failures, like a pinhole rest or something ( I actually thought the amber light hole was a pinhole reset lol). Taking this thing apart to jump it is a pain...and mine didn't even come with the jumper cap, as pictured in the manual. I just used a screwdriver.

Congratulations to you, great internet voyager, for making it to the end of this rant!
 
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peak_mu

Caliper Novice
Mar 3, 2019
30
27
I'm down to pledge between $100 and $200 as well.

@packratxxxnasty, the mostly black boot screen is normal, or at least it's the same for me. Different bricks will work; it just needs a 5.5x2.5 barrel jack 19V output. A few people have verified that external GPUs will work, but only when using an APU to boot.
 

g1l

Efficiency Noob
Dec 17, 2018
6
0
Does the board have SVM Mode (virtualization) out of the box? Couldn't find any info about it, neither from the images of the bios interface that I saw somewhere here in the forum (couldn't find them anymore). The option should be under advanced cpu settings.
 

Primerib

Caliper Novice
Apr 5, 2019
24
8
Does the board have SVM Mode (virtualization) out of the box? Couldn't find any info about it, neither from the images of the bios interface that I saw somewhere here in the forum (couldn't find them anymore). The option should be under advanced cpu settings.
Yes it does. I found it under the basic CPU settings. I can update you with the exact section of the BIOS it's in later in the day. I'm on BIOS 3.40. What are you running?
 
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Tilde

What's an ITX?
May 2, 2019
1
0
Count me in for $50 if I pick one up (which I probably will if this works).

I sent them an email asking if 3000 chips will be supported, also.
 

g1l

Efficiency Noob
Dec 17, 2018
6
0
Yes it does. I found it under the basic CPU settings. I can update you with the exact section of the BIOS it's in later in the day. I'm on BIOS 3.40. What are you running?

None. A300 is not yet available in my country.
 

ConsolidatedResults

Average Stuffer
May 4, 2019
66
72
Is loosening the timings for frequency worth it (I'm at 3200 cl 16 right now w/ a 2200g)?

Can I lower the ram allocation to the igpu? According to some research I did, it doesn't matter for performance how much you allocate, since it is going to use ddr4 no matter what. I heard 64mb or something was good, but userbenchmark implies that my ipgu is allocating 2gb. May as well free that ram up.

Re. timings, depends. If you can not get higher than 3333 by loosening tCL from 16 to 18 you'll have increased your CAS latency from 10ns to 10.8ns (by 8%) but only increased your transfer rate by 4.125%. You may not see a gain. If however you could reach 3466 at CL18, your CAS latency would be 10.38ns (up by 3.8%), while your transfer rate would be up 8%. You would likely see an improvement. Similar for other timings.

In addition to that, I have found that higher memory clocks for myself require increasingly higher SOC voltage. E.g. I can run 3200 fine on 1.0625v but going to 3466 requires VSOC of 1.1250. It's not that the RAM errors out with less VSOC (got HCI to 400% with 3466 at less than 1.1250v), I suspect it's when load is put on the GPU, VSOC drops so much (maybe 0.06-0.07v) that things become unstable at higher RAM speeds and i get bluescreens on GPU load. You may not be comfortable with running increasingly high SOC voltage for a bit more RAM speed.

You can change the RAM allocation for the iGPU. In BIOS P1.20 it's under Advanced -> AMD CBS -> NBIO Common Options -> GFX Configuration. Set "Integrated Graphics Controller" to "Forces", "UMA Mode" to "UMA_SPECIFIED" and then "UMA Frame Buffer Size" to your desired amount. In BIOS P3.x it's somewhere in the non-AMD* sections of the BIOS' "Advanced" Tab and more easy to spot (I think under Northbridge somewhere).
 
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ConsolidatedResults

Average Stuffer
May 4, 2019
66
72
ASRock is preparing to release AGESA ComboAM4 1.0.0.1 BIOSes according to https://shop.jzelectronic.de/news.php?id=1557218040&sw= Strangely though, on the ASrock page which appears to be announcing the same https://www.asrock.com/news/index.asp?iD=4238 A300M-STX is not listed and A320 boards are marked with a note "A320 Chipset* *Supports AMD Next-Gen Ryzen series APU only.", so it appears no Zen2 core support for those (Ryzen 3000 "Picasso" APUs as know at the moment are on Zen+). I wonder what that means for a potential Renoir (Zen2 based APU) support for the Deskmini? I was hoping for that for an upgrade in late 2019 / sometime 2020.