max / everycycle
- Co-Authored-By
- Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
1 file changed,
+58 insertions,
-10 deletions
| @@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ | |||
| 41 | 41 | |---|---|---|---| | |
| 42 | 42 | | CPU | **AMD EPYC 4565P** (16c/32t "Zen 5", AM5) | **$589** list | 4.30 base / 5.70 boost, 64 MB L3, 170 W, 2× DDR5-5600, 28 PCIe Gen 5 lanes. Sized for throughput: clean builds, container builds, the ISO's zstd pass. See the CPU note below for why this and not a Ryzen 9950X. **Ceiling: EPYC 4005 stops at 16 cores**, so if throughput ever binds the answer is a new machine, not a new CPU — acceptable for a declared stepping stone | | |
| 43 | 43 | | Board | **ASRock Rack B650D4U** (base variant) | ~$420 | mATX server board. **AST2600 BMC** with IPMI 2.0, iKVM, vMedia, dedicated management LAN. Base variant chosen over -2L2T/-2L2T/BCM because **it is the only one with two M.2 slots**; see the networking note for why its 1 GbE is not a compromise | | |
| 44 | - | | RAM | 2× 48 GB DDR5-5600 ECC UDIMM (96 GB) | ~$550 | 1 DPC runs 5600; 2 DPC drops to 3600. Two slots stay empty on purpose. **Priced $270–$1,006 for the same part number** — never buy this line without checking, see the baseline note | | |
| 44 | + | | RAM | **2× 32 GB Micron MTC20C2085S1EC56BD1** (64 GB) | ~$430 | DDR5-5600 ECC UDIMM, 2Rx8. **On the board QVL**, and the only 32 GB ECC part on it at 5600. 1 DPC runs 5600; 2 DPC drops to 3600, so two slots stay empty on purpose. The 48 GB tier is QVL-reachable too (SK Hynix HMCGY8MGBEB213N) but roughly doubles the line for capacity 16 cores do not need — see the memory section | | |
| 45 | 45 | | Storage 1 | 4 TB NVMe on **M2_1** (PCIe 5.0 ×4) | ~$300 | Raw XFS **scratch**: kv-cache overflow later, container build scratch from day one. The fast slot goes to the only thing whose point is bandwidth. Buy a Gen4 drive now while NAND is expensive; the Gen5 slot is headroom | | |
| 46 | 46 | | Storage 2 | 2 TB NVMe on **M2_2** (PCIe 4.0 ×4) | ~$200 | **xfs root**, and not ZFS — see the note in `mm-v1-bom.md`. Root gains nothing from Gen5 | | |
| 47 | 47 | | PSU | **1200 W Platinum, ATX 3.1 with native 12V-2x6** | ~$300 | Was 850 W, which contradicted this document's own claim that two cards are reachable: 2× 250 W passive + a 170 W CPU is ~750 W, or 88% load. 1200 W also covers one modern ~450 W card. **ATX 3.1 is deliberate**: it handles the transient spikes modern cards produce and provides 12V-2x6 natively, so no adapters when the current-gen vertical gets tested. The 500–600 W-class vertical triggers a PSU review | | |
| @@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ | |||
| 49 | 49 | | CPU cooler | AM5 tower, any height | ~$100 | Air. No lid to clear on an open frame | | |
| 50 | 50 | | Card airflow | Per-card **test sled**: server blower + shroud, per vertical | ~$150 setup | The actual thermal instrument. See the enclosure section | | |
| 51 | 51 | | Boot GPU | **none** | $0 | The AST2600 has its own VGA and iKVM. `mm-v1-bom.md` carried a GT 1030 only because it was unsure the BMC would suffice; the manual settles it | | |
| 52 | - | | **Total** | | **~$2,800** | vs ~$10,280 for the `mm-v1` host platform. Line-by-line observations, spreads and market notes: `_private/docs/hardware/bench-v1/price-baseline.md` | | |
| 52 | + | | **Total** | | **~$2,680** | vs ~$10,280 for the `mm-v1` host platform. Line-by-line observations, spreads and market notes: `_private/docs/hardware/bench-v1/price-baseline.md` | | |
| 53 | 53 | ||
| 54 | 54 | Vendor manuals for the decided parts are in `_private/docs/hardware/bench-v1/`. | |
| 55 | 55 | ||
| @@ -94,6 +94,51 @@ | |||
| 94 | 94 | the datasheet, so it may not be shipping; compilation gains from doubled L3 are modest, and | |
| 95 | 95 | X3D parts usually trade all-core clock for the cache. | |
| 96 | 96 | ||
| 97 | + | ## Memory: the QVL settles it, and it is not the part that was priced | |
| 98 | + | ||
| 99 | + | The manual's "Memory support is to be validated" hedge was the last hard blocker on ordering. | |
| 100 | + | It is answered: ASRock Rack publishes a **22-row memory QVL** for this board, pulled | |
| 101 | + | 2026-07-25. Local copy: `_private/docs/hardware/bench-v1/b650d4u-memory-qvl.md`. | |
| 102 | + | ||
| 103 | + | **What it says, for the two things that were actually in doubt:** | |
| 104 | + | ||
| 105 | + | - **Dual-rank ECC UDIMM at 5600 is validated.** Both of the board's 5600-grade ECC entries | |
| 106 | + | are 2Rx8. So the worry that "ECC UDIMM + a server board + a not-quite-Ryzen CPU" would fall | |
| 107 | + | outside validated territory does not survive the list. Nothing about dual-rank is the risk | |
| 108 | + | it was assumed to be. | |
| 109 | + | - **48 GB at 5600 is on the list**, so the manual's 48 GB-per-DIMM ceiling is real capacity | |
| 110 | + | and not just a spec-sheet maximum. | |
| 111 | + | ||
| 112 | + | **Only three ECC parts on the QVL run at 5600, and each capacity has exactly one:** | |
| 113 | + | ||
| 114 | + | | Size | Vendor | Part | Rank | | |
| 115 | + | |---|---|---|---| | |
| 116 | + | | 48 GB | SK Hynix | HMCGY8MGBEB213N | 2Rx8 | | |
| 117 | + | | 32 GB | Micron | MTC20C2085S1EC56BD1 | 2Rx8 | | |
| 118 | + | | 16 GB | Micron | MTC10C1084S1EC56BD1 | 1Rx8 | | |
| 119 | + | ||
| 120 | + | Everything else on the list is 4800 or 5200. Buying off-QVL is therefore not a small | |
| 121 | + | compromise here: it costs a third of the memory clock, which is the same penalty as filling | |
| 122 | + | all four slots. | |
| 123 | + | ||
| 124 | + | **The Kingston KSM56E46BD8KM-48HM is not on the QVL.** That is the part the $270–$1,006 | |
| 125 | + | spread was found on, and it was the presumed buy. Kingston appears on the list exactly once | |
| 126 | + | in ECC, as `KSM48E40BD8KM-32HM`, which is a **4800** part. Kingston's own compatibility tool | |
| 127 | + | does list the 48 GB module against this board — but that is vendor self-certification, not | |
| 128 | + | board-vendor validation, and this file already decided that distinction in the CPU section. | |
| 129 | + | Having chosen the EPYC over the 9950X specifically to get validated ECC, buying an off-QVL | |
| 130 | + | DIMM would spend that choice for nothing. | |
| 131 | + | ||
| 132 | + | **Take 2× 32 GB Micron, not 2× 48 GB Hynix.** Both are QVL and both run 5600 at 1 DPC, so | |
| 133 | + | this is purely capacity against cost — roughly **$430 for 64 GB versus ~$990 for 96 GB**. The | |
| 134 | + | BOM already held that 64 GB is enough for 16 cores, the machine is a declared stepping stone, | |
| 135 | + | and memory is in an up-cycle where deferring spend is the cheaper bet. The two free DIMM | |
| 136 | + | slots remain the escape hatch, at the 3600 penalty. | |
| 137 | + | ||
| 138 | + | One channel note: `HMCGY8MGBEB213N` is an OEM part number, so retail carries rebrands (Axiom | |
| 139 | + | `AX55600E46I/48G` at ~$868) rather than the SK Hynix module itself. If the 48 GB tier is ever | |
| 140 | + | wanted, that gap is part of its cost. | |
| 141 | + | ||
| 97 | 142 | ## Enclosure: open frame, and airflow solved at the card | |
| 98 | 143 | ||
| 99 | 144 | The earlier draft of this file argued for a 4U rackmount because a passive card "only cools | |
| @@ -267,7 +312,7 @@ | |||
| 267 | 312 | |---|---|---| | |
| 268 | 313 | | EPYC 4565P | ShopBLT, Provantage, NeweggBusiness, Wiredzone, CDW | Niche server SKU, so **availability is the risk, not price**. Check **tray vs boxed**: tray is OEM, ships without a cooler, and the warranty runs through the reseller | | |
| 269 | 314 | | ASRock Rack B650D4U | NeweggBusiness, Newegg, Wiredzone, ServerSupply, Provantage | Confirm it is the **base** variant, not -2L2T or -2L2T/BCM — only the base has two M.2 slots | | |
| 270 | - | | DDR5 ECC UDIMM | Nemix, Memory.net, ServerSupply, Newegg, Kingston Server Premier direct | Must match the board QVL. The part most likely to be wrong if bought casually, and the manual's "memory support is to be validated" hedge applies | | |
| 315 | + | | DDR5 ECC UDIMM | Walmart, Amazon, Memory.net, ServerSupply, OEMPCWorld, eBay | **Buy the QVL part number and nothing else**: `MTC20C2085S1EC56BD1`. Same-part asks ran $215 to $2,270 on one day, so the channel matters more than the part does. Watch for the `...BD1R` suffix, which is the same module in a different retail pack | | |
| 271 | 316 | | 2× NVMe | Microcenter in person, Newegg, B&H | Microcenter in-store usually wins on price and removes shipping risk | | |
| 272 | 317 | | 1200 W ATX 3.1 PSU | Microcenter, Newegg | Seasonic PRIME/Vertex, Corsair, Super Flower. Confirm **native 12V-2x6**, not an adapter in the box | | |
| 273 | 318 | | Open frame | Mining-frame vendors (Veddha, Kingwin), or **8020 aluminium extrusion** for a custom build | Extrusion lets the sled geometry be designed in rather than worked around | | |
| @@ -278,9 +323,13 @@ | |||
| 278 | 323 | ||
| 279 | 324 | ## Open before ordering | |
| 280 | 325 | ||
| 281 | - | - **Does the board QVL cover DDR5 ECC UDIMM with EPYC 4005?** The manual hedges: "Memory | |
| 282 | - | support is to be validated." ECC UDIMM plus a server board plus a not-quite-Ryzen CPU is | |
| 283 | - | exactly where QVL matters. Resolve before buying DIMMs. | |
| 326 | + | - ~~Does the board QVL cover DDR5 ECC UDIMM?~~ **settled 2026-07-25 by pulling the QVL** — | |
| 327 | + | see the memory section. Dual-rank ECC UDIMM at 5600 is validated; the part is Micron | |
| 328 | + | `MTC20C2085S1EC56BD1`, not the Kingston module that was priced. **Caveat: the QVL carries no | |
| 329 | + | CPU column**, and its weighting toward 4800 parts suggests it was built in the EPYC | |
| 330 | + | 4004/Ryzen 7000 era. So it validates the *board*, and "with an EPYC 4005 specifically" | |
| 331 | + | remains unproven until the characterization gate runs. That is a bring-up risk, not an | |
| 332 | + | ordering blocker. | |
| 284 | 333 | - ~~1 GbE vs 10 GbE~~ **settled 2026-07-25 by measuring the LAN** — see the networking | |
| 285 | 334 | section. Base board, PCIE7 left empty for a future ×4-mechanical NIC. | |
| 286 | 335 | - **OpenBMC.** `crates/bmc-agent` says it runs on "an OpenBMC fork on Aspeed AST2600-class | |
| @@ -289,10 +338,9 @@ | |||
| 289 | 338 | IPMI/Redfish or wants a dedicated dev board. **This question is not specific to this | |
| 290 | 339 | board — it applies to the WRX90 spec identically**, and answering it on a $400 board is | |
| 291 | 340 | cheaper. | |
| 292 | - | - **48 GB ECC UDIMM availability and price.** The manual lists 48 GB as the maximum module | |
| 293 | - | size so the spec permits it, but ECC UDIMMs are commonly 16/32 GB. If 48 GB is scarce or | |
| 294 | - | badly priced, 2× 32 GB (64 GB at 5600) is honestly enough for 16 cores, and 4× 32 GB pays | |
| 295 | - | the 3600 penalty for capacity that a fire-and-forget CI host does not need. | |
| 341 | + | - ~~48 GB ECC UDIMM availability and price~~ **settled 2026-07-25** — 48 GB is real and | |
| 342 | + | QVL-listed, but it is an OEM part sold through rebrands at roughly double the 32 GB tier. | |
| 343 | + | Decision: 2× 32 GB. See the memory section. | |
| 296 | 344 | - **Where the frame physically sits.** There is no rack, and an open frame in a living space | |
| 297 | 345 | has different constraints than a case: dust, curiosity, and anything that can be knocked | |
| 298 | 346 | into it. Pick the spot before buying the frame. |