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

[Russell Reiter]

<snip the problem description>
>
> 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).

I was thinking of picking up one of those lazer doohickey's the health
department uses to measure the temperature of steam table contents. I
can't see if I was touching the cpu die or the bottom of the
heat-sinc. For now I'v installed lm-sensor which shows:

[root at solon ~] # sensors
atk0110-acpi-0
Adapter: ACPI interface
Vcore Voltage:      +1.12 V  (min =  +0.85 V, max =  +1.60 V)
+3.3 Voltage:        +3.26 V  (min =  +2.97 V, max =  +3.63 V)
+5 Voltage:           +5.12 V  (min =  +4.50 V, max =  +5.50 V)
+12 Voltage:         +11.98 V  (min = +10.20 V, max = +13.80 V)
CPU FAN Speed:            2755 RPM  (min =  600 RPM, max = 7200 RPM)
CHASSIS FAN Speed:    0 RPM  (min =  600 RPM, max = 7200 RPM)
POWER FAN Speed:      2428 RPM  (min =  600 RPM, max = 7200 RPM)
CPU Temperature:        +43.0°C  (high = +60.0°C, crit = +95.0°C)
MB Temperature:          +40.0°C  (high = +45.0°C, crit = +95.0°C)

k8temp-pci-00c3
Adapter: PCI adapter
Core0 Temp:   +36.0°C
Core0 Temp:   +43.0°C
Core1 Temp:   +40.0°C
Core1 Temp:   +38.0°C

So far It looks like I don't have the chassis fan plugged into the
right slot. But at least the unit works without blocking output of the
air conditioner any more.

>
> 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?

As you can see from lm-sensor, after the firmware update, I'm within
operating parameters now. One feature of this motherboard is the
ability to recover from different bios's. I'm curious beyond making it
stable now, I may regress the bios and log what was happening at the
time.

>
> | 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.)

Apparently ASUS has a MS utility they ship with the board. Ai gear 2,
which allows overclocking the MB from userspace. The condition seems
similar to the laptop I experienced where the MS OS had hooks into
controlling the power management.

>
> "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.

That's what I chose, I had assumed conservative settings but perhaps
that ASUS overclocking utility only works under one condition, auto.
I'll never know, I don't use Windows. I did read that it killed audio
on one board and that it was problematic for others.

>
> | 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"?

The little graphic thingy in System Monitor which gives a visual
output of load as a line graph for each CPU die, as well as for
Memory/Swap and Network. At this time and at increased resolution the
load line hovers around 60% as opposed to the old firmware at 800X600
which showed 85-100% load with video on VLC.

>
> | I do note that desktop
> | sprite animations are slower.
>
> What are "desktop sprite animations"?  The mouse pointer?

Sprites are a term for layers used in animations. So in the case of
the mouse pointer, it exists on a sprite layer. Any windows animations
like dragging the widget around aren't dragging a box per-se, they are
moving the indicator (0,0) to the point where the new sprite is
created, leaving the old one to be destroyed on the screen redraw.

In this case in Plasma, when you access the menu it pops up very
slooooooowly and disappears in the same fashion. I'ts kind of cute.

<snip the middle>
> | 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.

My error. I used + & - to set the date but tried to type in the time.
It let me enter the numbers and in fact did display them in the right
place but didn't commit them.

I cleared the RTC using the jumper this time and figured out my error
when I re-read the posts. Sometimes just to be able to read the
question again in the light of others scrutiny provides an answer.
It's part of why I use the list and why I'm grateful for it

>
> | > | 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!

I understand that. I thought lapping the die was kind of goofy too.
It's just that it reminded me of one of my old shop jobs.

>
> 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.

I'm with you on that one. I like using Linux because I always feel
I've learned something. Not how to do some thing.

At this point I'm still a little at odds with what to do about QT, but
I can live with this state of things.

It looks to me like this bios is heavily vested in Windows gamer land
with the bios optimized to accept hooks from the ASUS GUI overclocking
utility.

This board looks like it has good audio support so it would be nice to
have an all in one home theatre with surround sound as my workspace,
but it's not really a necessity. Anything else I do to this unit is
more out of curiosity than needs.

Thanks for the pointers. Now my SO won't have to wonder where all her
nail polish remover went.

Russell

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