[GTALUG] Fedora 22 Live Workstation Install - no fglrx - no pdftk

[D. Hugh Redelmeier]

| From: Russell Reiter <rreiter91 at gmail.com>

| On 7/28/15, D. Hugh Redelmeier <hugh at mimosa.com> wrote:
| > | From: Russell Reiter <rreiter91 at gmail.com>
| >
| > Be sure of your diagnosis before applying drastic remedies.  You claim
| > overheating, and I previously responded on the assumption that this
| > was a correct deduction.  Now I'll question it: what observation
| > convince you that overheating is a problem?
| 
| There were hard crashes with no hanging and no warning, just the power
| turned off in order to save the cpu. These crashes were mitigated by
| directing cold air from my AC directly into the unit till I did the
| bios update.

What you've stated doesn't convince me.

Can you duplicate the problem, all the while keeping a log of the
various temperatures that are available to you?  The CPU can monitor a
few of the system temperatures, but I don't remember how (google
surely does).

Can you affect uptimes by running CPU-bashing programs?

Are crashes at predictable uptimes when you are running identical
workloads?  Are these times affected by your ad hoc cooling boosters?

| The board default is to set overclocking as auto. I didn't choose it.
| I haven't found a table of recommended settings like I once got with
| service manuals when I bought a board. Now all I can find is quick
| start or user manuals.

There is a (probably obsolete) manual that talks about the BIOS setup
screen.  (I'd look at this on my board but I don't wish to reboot.)

"auto" is not described but it should meen "no overclocking".
Especially if all the related settings are "auto" too.

When you flash new firmware, you are supposed to select "load setup
defaults" in the CMOS setup "exit" tab.  I always do.  It only matters
sometimes.  Then you have to go reset all the little things you had
changed.

| Well the combination of being able to choose a lower display
| resolution and whatever was changed after the bios update did show
| about a 10-15% reduction in CPU access when playing DVD's according to
| Plasma's graphical system monitor.

What is "CPU access"?

| I do note that desktop
| sprite animations are slower.

What are "desktop sprite animations"?  The mouse pointer?

| > | I think I am going to change the heat sinc on this unit. The one that
| > | came with it has this copper pipe threaded through it, Makes it look
| > | sort of like the headers on the 67 Mustang I once owned. UNlike those
| > | headers these ones look like all show and no go.
| >
| > If it once was good enough, why would it not be now?  Dust,
| > deteriorated contact with CPU, ...?
| 
| I think perhaps I got it because it wasn't good enough, or not set up
| well enough or maybe both.

Ahh, that might make sense.

I've not noticed a problem with mine.  Not a proof of anything.

| > Does it feel hot when you think that the CPU is overheating?  If not,
| > there is a problem, I would think.  After all, it is supposed to be
| > carrying the heat to the air.
| 
| It seemed to be a little too hot around the base of the heat-sinc,
| while the fins of it were quite cool on the top and sides, which made
| me think perhaps there was too much thermal paste or perhaps none at
| all, or even poorly mated surfaces from the beginning.

Remember, I'm no expert.  But if any part of a heatsink itself is hot,
the whole thing should be as well.

| > | I did read that north bridge switching is not enabled in later
| > | releases of this boards bios and I have since found there is an older
| > | bios with this FSB feature available. Although I usually hesitate to
| > | trim the north bridge clock. If you've got to trim a clock, trim the
| > | big clock first and see what acts up first.
| >
| > Don't pick at it!  Use the BIOS defaults or conservative defaults (my
| > machine doesn't crash so I rarely see the BIOS screen).
| 
| The defaults are overclocking enabled. I wish I could find a table of
| optimal settings from the manufacturer. My first conservative guess
| got me the BSOD.

I don't think so.  Just choose auto everything.  I certainly don't
know how other choices interact.

| It's the oddest thing. In the menu screen there is one line to set the
| date in the usual way. You know tab to the next setting and use the
| plus and minus keys to go up or down. However when you move to the
| next line to set hours, minutes and seconds, you can change them but
| enter won't commit them. F10 will write changes to the cmos but on
| restart the default time is always 00:00:00.

Odd.  Yeah, Odd.

| > | Oh yea and whether or not it's worth it to modify the CPU
| > | heat-sinc.
| >
| > First guess: not yet.
| 
| After the bios update there doesn't seem to be as much heat coming off
| it, but I can't tell for sure. The heat-sinc always feels cool to the
| touch on the top and sides but around the base is another matter.

See above.

| On the link you posted on thermal pads these guy's were talking about
| lapping matching surfaces on ground glass

Don't take my posting a link as support for what it says!

Lapping seems like a goofy amount of investment in old hardware.  I
imagine people do that for the sense of control in a world where Intel
and AMD make all the decisions.  Kind of like those of us who put
Linux on Windows boxes.