Working on a 1.3L system.

Hello all,

I'm working on a 1.3L APU box and am endlessly grateful for the resources people here have provided. It will be USB-C powered and should support 10Gbe. I started this project recently, so full production will take a while, but I'm hoping to have some samples ready very shortly. I will consider a small production run for SFF.net and SFFPC if there is interest (more details will be in a separate post). Currently, I plan to produce entirely in the United States with competitive, living wages. I expect this will be a premium option, and I'll try to offer some more affordable DIY solutions.

 

[Phuncz]

Welcome to the forum ! APUs will become quite the interesting part with AMD rumored to launch an 8-core one this year. Be mindful of the design or the communication for limitations in this regard, as people will inevitably try to jam a 130W CPU in there

 

[maurice]

Welcome to the forum ! APUs will become quite the interesting part with AMD rumored to launch an 8-core one this year. Be mindful of the design or the communication for limitations in this regard, as people will inevitably try to jam a 130W CPU in there

Yeah, my original goal was to launch with the APUs. (rumored for the 21st when I checked) but I have too many custom components (other than the case). Although 100W is within spec USB-C PD and 130W is possible (Dell has a non-spec solution), the adapters are expensive, bulky, and not all that common. My cooing solution can handle 25-30W package power without the fans (higher loads take 5-10 min to throttle). I expect 65W TDP chips (that draw near 100W at load) can be cooled but I'm waiting for 40mm fans to finish my testing. The power delivery board will support the full USB-C PD spec and I plan to have tuning for both 65W and 40W adapters. Seeing that the 3950X draw 140W at load, 90W eco, (listed TDP 105W) I'm optimistic that the fastest APU's will only need minimal tuning to fit within our thermal/power budget.

Although power delivery and some expansion (10Gbe, Thunderbolt 3) hardware is all custom, I'm actually using the trusty l9a with separate fans to airflow. This should make performance pretty predictable and preserve customization.

I'm always appreciative of advice from more experienced builders,
Thank you.