On 2021-12-27 18:54:41, Antony Stone wrote:
> Hi.
>
> Disclaimer: I generally don't like people saying things like "I read somewhere
> that..." without backing up what they're talking about, but...
>
> I'm sure I've read somewhere (and not especially recently) that Linux on AMD
> Ryzen CPUs can be unreliable and/or surprisingly poor performance.
>
> Can anyone comment on current (eg: Beowulf / Chimaera with standard kernels)
> operation on such machines?
>
> If it matters, I'm looking at desktop / tower / server motherboards and not
> laptops, and I don't care two hoots about graphics - this would be for
> networked machines accessed exclusively remotely.
>
> Any opinions from personal experience, or pointers to reliable data, on the
> topic would be appreciated :)

Since you asked, I get to brag. B-)

I built a super desktop a bit over a year ago.

Motherboard - MSI Creator TRX40
CPU - AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X 4 GHz 64-Core Processor
RAM - G.Skill Trident Z Neo 256 GB (8 x 32 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory
Storage (OS) - Seagate FireCuda 520 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME SSD
Storage (everything else) - Seagate 16TB Ironwolf Pro SATA 7200RPM NAS Hard Drive
GPU - Sapphire Radeon RX 5600 XT BE 6 GB PULSE
OS - Devuan Beowulf.

I skimped on the graphics card, coz gamers made everyone put RGBling on
everything, so I had to back up one model to get one without RGBling. I
wish I could have done the same for the RAM, AND gotten ECC, but alas
neither was available. The RGBling on the RAM can ONLY be controlled
from Windows, and doesn't remember it's settings after reboot. I can
disable RGBling on motherboard from BIOS and case from a switch. This
desktop sits on the floor, but projects RGBling onto my high ceiling.
Pffft

First problem was the motherboard, two of the RAM sockets screwed up my
RAM if they where full. A replacement motherboard sorted that out, but
it was a bitch figuring that out. Which one was faulty, mobo or RAM?

Second problem was the PSU, it's fan is now permanently stuck on, and
they want me to spend a month waiting for it to travel across the world
and back before they will replace it. My old desktop died, not gonna do
that. I can't go a month without a computer.

Third problem is that I need a backported kernel to support that graphics
card properly, and a third party Mesa -
http://ppa.launchpad.net/kisak/turtle/ubuntu bionic

Somewhere deep inside the Mesa packages, one of them needlessly depended
on a tiny package being a version up from what was available. I built my
own version of that package with a bumped version number.

It's been running for over a year since I got it all sorted out. The
only problem is that once in a blue moon X craps out. I think I have
that traced to a Mesa bug. Installing Chimaera on it might solve those X
issues, no need for a backported kernel, may not need third party Mesa.

I may get a more recent GPU for the thing, with more memory, if I can
avoid selling off my kidneys, first born, and avoid RGBling.

--
A big old stinking pile of genius that no one wants
coz there are too many silver coated monkeys in the world.