[TriLUG] AMD Rizen

Tue Apr 18 11:57:09 EDT 2017

I can report some success now using the Ryzen CPU - I ended up swapping 
out the MB for the MSI X370 Pro Carbon, and it has the added bonus of a 
second M.2 slot for future expansion.  I updated the final part list 
here: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/38vppb

I was able to install Ubuntu Server 17.04 directly to the NVMe SSD (I 
had detached any other storage media before installation), and it worked 
flawlessly.  I am slowly moving over my build environment to this new 
machine, but so far it looks solid.

I am not sure I am getting the full performance from the SSD.  On my old 
workstation (merlin) I have a Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB and hdparm tells 
me I am getting the following:

root at merlin:~# hdparm -Tt /dev/sda

/dev/sda:
  Timing cached reads:   33858 MB in  2.00 seconds = 16952.84 MB/sec
  Timing buffered disk reads: 1602 MB in  3.00 seconds = 533.76 MB/sec

But on the new M.2 drive, I am seeing a little worse performance:

Samsung SSD 850 EVO M.2 500GB
root at dev:~# hdparm -Tt /dev/sdb

/dev/sdb:
  Timing cached reads:   19388 MB in  2.00 seconds = 9703.18 MB/sec
  Timing buffered disk reads: 1598 MB in  3.00 seconds = 532.10 MB/sec

I am not sure if there is some tuning I can do to improve the speed 
there. If anyone has experience using NVMe drives, I would appreciate 
your advice.  The Ryzen build is running the following kernel:

root at dev:~# uname -a
Linux dev 4.10.0-19-generic #21-Ubuntu SMP Thu Apr 6 17:04:57 UTC 2017 
x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

I didn't do anything special with the SSD in my main workstation.  I did 
a clean install of Ubuntu 17.04 on both my old workstation and this new 
build to make sure I was working from comparable systems.

A side note - on my workstation, I hit a bad kernel bug after two days 
working under 17.04 (reported here 
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1682184 - duplicate 
of https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1674838 ) so I 
am currently running one of the mainline builds now on this machine. I 
have not hit the bug yet on the Ryzen system.

painter at merlin:~$ uname -a
Linux merlin 4.10.8-041008-generic #201703310531 SMP Fri Mar 31 09:33:56 
UTC 2017 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Thanks,
Jeff

On 04/08/2017 07:16 PM, Jeffery Painter via TriLUG wrote:
>
> The saga continues.  I finally got the correct fan and adapter kit, 
> but the Asus Prime X370-Pro MB won't post - seems like many of them 
> shipped with a BIOS that is not compatible with the new Ryzen CPUs and 
> you can't update the BIOS without a working CPU so I will be returning 
> it.  If anyone else has managed to get one of these systems off the 
> ground, I would love to hear about your setup.
>
> -- 
> Jeff
>
>
>
> On 04/06/2017 02:04 PM, Lee Fickenscher via TriLUG wrote:
>> You can find some good info at https://www.servethehome.com/tag/ryzen/
>> IIRC, performance aside, they have said you NEED to use 4.10.x to avoid
>> stability issues.
>>
>> -Lee
>>
>> On Wed, Apr 5, 2017 at 12:00 PM, Jeffery Painter via TriLUG <
>> trilug at trilug.org> wrote:
>>
>>> I've been doing some more homework prior to installation.  It looks 
>>> like
>>> to maximize performance on the newer architecture, you need to 
>>> install a
>>> Linux kernel in the 4.10.x family.  I plan on using Ubuntu 17.04 
>>> since it
>>> has 4.10.0-15.17 in its current package repositories (as of today).
>>>
>>> You could also use a rolling distribution like Arch, but I am more
>>> familiar with managing debian based systems.  My new fan should 
>>> arrive next
>>> Monday and I will give it a go then.  I have also not installed to 
>>> an NVMe
>>> drive before, so it will be interesting to see how well that goes.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 04/05/2017 12:06 PM, Ric Moore wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 04/03/2017 08:02 PM, Jeffery Painter via TriLUG wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hir Ric and fellow Trilugger's
>>>>>
>>>>> A word of warning to those venturing into the Ryzen processor 
>>>>> space.  I
>>>>> received all my parts today, but ran into a bit of a snag with the 
>>>>> CPU
>>>>> fan.  I had ordered a Noctua NH-L9A after considering the 
>>>>> compatibility
>>>>> issues recommended by PC Part Picker - buyer beware!  The new AM4 
>>>>> socket
>>>>> requires a very specific board offset that is not yet that common 
>>>>> among
>>>>> fan manufacturers (or at least currently shipping fans).
>>>>>
>>>> <snippage>
>>>> Thanks for the update!! I'm sure everyone on this list awaits the next
>>>> paragraph/chapter! Cheers, Ric
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>> -- 
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> Jeff Painter
>>>
>>> CEO and Founder of JiveCast
>>> Software and analytics, made together
>>> http://jivecast.com
>>>
>>> 301 Fayetteville St. Unit 2301, Raleigh, NC 27601
>>> (919) 533-9024
>>>
>>> -- 
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>