Prebuilt [SFFn] ASRock's DeskMini A300 - Finally!

[Alucard]

so after days and waiting... i get in journalctl before journalctl is no longer saving any messages :

kernel tried to execute NX-protected page - exploit attempt? (uid: 1000)
NMI watchdog: Watchdog detected hard LOCKUP on cpu 7

that my system will freeze. as like as i just watching a video clip.

uefi firmware 1.79 (Deskmini x300)
OS: Arch Linux 64 bit - 6.0.7 || DE: KDE plasma
cpu: 4650G AMD

i think the UEFI is the problem. have someone testing it?
that the CPU is damages hmmm I do not think so, but I do not know it.

"some users said that *fastboot* is the problem" of uefi and/or windows. <- in uefi it is deactivated since ever and I do not use windows.

so i guess my OS or the UEFI needs a doctor! \o/
and for experiments... i do not have money and no laboratory/garage.

I using Arch and everything working flawlessly.

UEFI Firmware: 1.77 (DeskMini X300 little gaming monster )
OS: Arch Linux 6.0.7-AMD
CPU: Ryzen 5700G
DE: - (i use Sway WM)

 

[GuilleAcoustic]

I using Arch and everything working flawlessly.

UEFI Firmware: 1.77 (DeskMini X300 little gaming monster )
OS: Arch Linux 6.0.7-AMD
CPU: Ryzen 5700G
DE: - (i use Sway WM)

Oh, that's very nice ! How's your experience with Wayland so far ?

 

[Alucard]

Oh, that's very nice ! How's your experience with Wayland so far ?

I have been using it for over 1.5 years and I love it.
Fast, everything I need works perfectly, except ICC profile management...

 

[ratundtat]

what do you think about x300-uefi-firmware version: X3MSTX_1.80A ?
on the page of JZE, I do not find any longer new AM4 updates for the Deskminis. Last available firmware is: 1.72
on her shop, they are pre-install version 1.80A, download is asrock website available.

 

[ratundtat]

I using Arch and everything working flawlessly.

UEFI Firmware: 1.77 (DeskMini X300 little gaming monster )
OS: Arch Linux 6.0.7-AMD
CPU: Ryzen 5700G
DE: - (i use Sway WM)

do you have some hints? perhaps some terminal commands or a tool for scan potential problems?
for 2 days i have change my DE from KDE plasma to XFCE. (before cinnemon)
in GTA5 and just youtube clip watching, i had system freeze and auto reboot, too.

WHAT could being the problem of my machine?
perhaps it is a firmware driver conflict, but if yes. how I could will knowing it?

What it is, what i do not see?
(as like as, what "key word" i am need for a search engine? "auto reboot arch linux" is not very helpful! \o/

FunFactInfo: i just use Arch, because Linux Mint with Deskmini A300 + NVME intel 660 == cmos crash. I am using this Arch for ~3-4 years. until today, i changed NVME, RAM, CPU, Power Supply, WLANchip and SSDs. (since I use Deskmini, I have this auto-reboot problems) (mostly in games)

PS: do you have modified your kernel boot parameter? I have "linux /vmlinuz-linux root=UUID=3fa...... rw amd_iommu=on iommu=pt"

 

[yuusou]

do you have some hints? perhaps some terminal commands or a tool for scan potential problems?
for 2 days i have change my DE from KDE plasma to XFCE. (before cinnemon)
in GTA5 and just youtube clip watching, i had system freeze and auto reboot, too.

WHAT could being the problem of my machine?
perhaps it is a firmware driver conflict, but if yes. how I could will knowing it?

What it is, what i do not see?
(as like as, what "key word" i am need for a search engine? "auto reboot arch linux" is not very helpful! \o/

FunFactInfo: i just use Arch, because Linux Mint with Deskmini A300 + NVME intel 660 == cmos crash. I am using this Arch for ~3-4 years. until today, i changed NVME, RAM, CPU, Power Supply, WLANchip and SSDs. (since I use Deskmini, I have this auto-reboot problems) (mostly in games)

PS: do you have modified your kernel boot parameter? I have "linux /vmlinuz-linux root=UUID=3fa...... rw amd_iommu=on iommu=pt"

Maybe your deskmini is just kaput. Fortunately X300 is coming down in price considerably.

 

[Pallando]

Unfortunately for DeskMini A300 owners, I think ASRock doesn't want to update AMD AGESA anymore, because each time they implement a new version of AGESA it would take them a long time to remove the microcode parts CPUs allowing APUs newer than the "Picasso" generation (aka Ryzen 3xxxG) because if we look at the last BIOS finalized for DeskMini A300, it is the "P3.70" version and they have voluntarily left it in AGESA "v1.0.0.1", the only exception BIOS is the beta "P3.60K" which is under AGESA "v1.0.0.4 Patch B" but from which they removed the microcode CPU entries allowing the operation of the "Renoir" APUs (aka Ryzen 4xxxG), then there are the leaked Beta BIOS which authorized the use of "Renoir" APUs: versions P3.60L, P3.60N, P3.60O, P3.60R and P3.60S, who used an AGESA yet a little older than that of the bios P3.60K that is to say the AGESA "v1.0.0.2". I think ASRock intentionally leaves the A300s in old versions of AGESA so that the latter do not encroach on the sales of their DeskMini X300s.

Sincerely,
HydrAxx

Hi! I have a Deskmini A300 and I recently switched from a 3200G to a 4600G and noticed improved performance.
Following the BIOS update (to 3.60S), I noticed that fTPM was disabled and wondered if I should re-activate it (as Windows 11 stopped offering the 22H2 upgrade). While searching for this information, I learned that fTPM could cause stutters and was fixed in AGESA v1.2.0.7, which the A300 did not get. I thought it explained some performance issues I had noticed with the 3200G.

Therefore, I contacted Asrock support, who told me my 4600G was not supported. To this, I replied that withholding fixes as their company is doing, considering the flagrant similarities between the X300 and A300, is a poor decision which does not build trust towards the brand. And that my old CPU (3200G) was also affected by the fTPM bug.

But now, they're asking me for a video where I force the stutter to happen, as they say it does not occur for Picasso CPUs...
So, should I switch back my CPU and hunt down a random stutter? Was I wrong in assuming the small problems I had noticed with the 3200G were caused by this?
In the end, I fail to see why I should put so much effort to respect their choice of planned obsolescence.

 

[akisu]

Hi! I have a Deskmini A300 and I recently switched from a 3200G to a 4600G and noticed improved performance.
Following the BIOS update (to 3.60S), I noticed that fTPM was disabled and wondered if I should re-activate it (as Windows 11 stopped offering the 22H2 upgrade). While searching for this information, I learned that fTPM could cause stutters and was fixed in AGESA v1.2.0.7, which the A300 did not get. I thought it explained some performance issues I had noticed with the 3200G.

Therefore, I contacted Asrock support, who told me my 4600G was not supported. To this, I replied that withholding fixes as their company is doing, considering the flagrant similarities between the X300 and A300, is a poor decision which does not build trust towards the brand. And that my old CPU (3200G) was also affected by the fTPM bug.

But now, they're asking me for a video where I force the stutter to happen, as they say it does not occur for Picasso CPUs...
So, should I switch back my CPU and hunt down a random stutter? Was I wrong in assuming the small problems I had noticed with the 3200G were caused by this?
In the end, I fail to see why I should put so much effort to respect their choice of planned obsolescence.

They asked me for the same kind of video. My problem is I only have a 2400G and 4600G. But the only CPU which is official supported by Windows 11 and ASRock are 3x00G CPUs. It doesn't make sense for me to buy an old CPU to proof something which affects all AMD CPUs on Windows 11. There are some videos on Youtube showing the symthoms. Maybe you can download one and send it to them

 

[Pallando]

They asked me for the same kind of video. My problem is I only have a 2400G and 4600G. But the only CPU which is official supported by Windows 11 and ASRock are 3x00G CPUs. It doesn't make sense for me to buy an old CPU to proof something which affects all AMD CPUs on Windows 11. There are some videos on Youtube showing the symthoms. Maybe you can download one and send it to them

I do have a 3200G. But I just swapped it out, and I don't know the frequency of the stuttering. I think I'll answer that I'll check that this week-end if I have time, but they sound like they're making me waste my time as it should be fast for them to adapt the 1.80A bios to the A300, and their statement that no CPU they support is affected by this bug is quite strange...

 

[Pallando]

Ok. I received a beta BIOS with AGESA 1.0.0 .8 from support.
I flashed it, to try if I see stutters on the 3200G or if it works with the 4600G.

... aaaaand it doesn't post anymore...

 

[Pallando]

BIOS is 3.71a. When the 4600G is in, an orange LED quickly blinks and the fan starts spinning when I power it on.
When the 3200G is in, only the fan starts spinning.
In both cases nothing else happens. Did I botch something? Maybe my 3200G got damaged when I swapped it out last week?

 

[HydrAxx747]

Ok. I received a beta BIOS with AGESA 1.0.0 .8 from support.
I flashed it, to try if I see stutters on the 3200G or if it works with the 4600G.

... aaaaand it doesn't post anymore...

Please, can you upload the original file(in zip) of the BETA Bios 3.71A for A300 that ASRock support sent you?

 

[Pallando]

Please, can you upload the original file(in zip) of the BETA Bios 3.71A for A300 that ASRock support sent you?

Sure. Here it is.
I've since checked with UBU, and it looks like it doesn't have the module to load the iGPU for Renoir, so my 4600G not working is not surprising.
I really fear I mishandled my 3200G at one point.

 

[akisu]

I tried UBU yesterday myself but I have no idea how to use it. How can I identify the AGESA version and the supported CPUs? I cannot just update it otherwise my wife would kill me, as it is her computer.

 

[Pallando]

I tried UBU yesterday myself but I have no idea how to use it. How can I identify the AGESA version and the supported CPUs? I cannot just update it otherwise my wife would kill me, as it is her computer.

For the supported CPUs, you can use SMU checker I think.
Beyond that, I'm not sure how you can read the AGESA version myself.

I do have questions too about UBU: are there downside to flashing a modded BIOS? Like problems with fTPM or other secure things?
If we take the firmwares from the X300 1.80A BIOS and update the X300 3.60S with them, we should get AGESA 1.2.0.7, no?

During the week-end, I've tried removing the battery overnight, but it didn't work. Today, I brought it to a store where they used their own 3200G, but it didn't turn on either (besides the fan). So, it looks like my BIOS is corrupted somehow and the only way is to flash the chip directly.
Now that I'm there, I might as well try a custom BIOS. Unless the motherboard is fried, but I don't see why it would be.

 

[akisu]

Sadly this 3.71A is something old:
Agesa is 1.0.0.8
Chipset Version is dated from 2019

Agesa 1.2.0.6b/1.2.0.7 has the Windows 11 fix. That also explains why there no support for any newer CPU.

 

[Pallando]

Ok. I fixed it. The broken BIOS looks weird, like a mix between both 3.60S (SMU has Renoir) and 3.71A (AGESA is 1.0.0.8), but without any module (hence why it did not boot).
I've flashed a slightly upgraded 3.60S (updated firmware), but I'd really like some AGESA 1.2.0.7...
I even tried to modify the X300 BIOS (1.80A) to switch the "setup" module to the one from 3.60S, but although it started up, it was not responsive at all (it froze).

 

[HydrAxx747]

Hi and Merry Christmas everyone, have any of you had a chance to test the latest Beta L1.80A BIOS (recently released on the ASRock official support webpage) on your Deskmini X300?

And if so, what is your feedback with this "L1.80A" beta BIOS? Because I'm still on the beta BIOS "L1.79" previously provided by ASRock, and I wanted to know how it is, especially in terms of performance and stability, and if you have tried the Overclocking functions to know if it offers better possibilities from this side or if it is exactly the same as with the previous "L1.79" beta BIOS provided.

Thanking you in advance for your responses.

 

[Ldthxv]

Ok. I fixed it. The broken BIOS looks weird, like a mix between both 3.60S (SMU has Renoir) and 3.71A (AGESA is 1.0.0.8), but without any module (hence why it did not boot).
I've flashed a slightly upgraded 3.60S (updated firmware), but I'd really like some AGESA 1.2.0.7...
I even tried to modify the X300 BIOS (1.80A) to switch the "setup" module to the one from 3.60S, but although it started up, it was not responsive at all (it froze).

I updated one A300 from 3.60K to this this 3.71A and it went without any problems. System boots fine. Then updated another A300 from 3.60U to this this 3.71A and that is now bricked. So I assume any 3.60S or 3.60U with Renoir support will break the A300.

You said you manged to fix this. How did you do it? I would like to get my good old A300 back again

 

[Ldthxv]

Sadly this 3.71A is something old:
Agesa is 1.0.0.8
Chipset Version is dated from 2019

Agesa 1.2.0.6b/1.2.0.7 has the Windows 11 fix. That also explains why there no support for any newer CPU.

Adesa 1.0.0.8 is from 02/28/2022 and fixes some CVE. So it is a welcome update for older AMD 3000 Series CPU.