How to assemble ASUS KGPE-D16 yourself?

A couple of notes from someone who once ran racks full of those :-)

Consider getting a couple of those BIOS chips, so you can test more easily. You don't need to solder anything in order to flash the D16, the BIOS chip is socketed.

Having a serial cable to monitor the output during boot is a strong must-have for building your rig. Otherwise you'll have a bad time finding out why it's not working. Esp. useful for finding out RAM related problems.

The CH341a isn't evil; it's a programmer that does its job nicely in less than a minute for less than a handful of moneys. If you want something that respects your freedom better than the CH341a, then the Zerocat Chip Flasher is the best option AFAIAA. It might not be an option to someone if having more freedom isn't worth 20 times the price of a CH341a to them.

Coming from the vendor BIOS and after the initial flash, clear the CMOS before booting up, otherwise this will not work properly IME. This is not required when you switch coreboot versions.

RAM training is by far the biggest issue with the D16 and always has been, this was particularity bad at the the beginning and has only slightly improved over time. Leaving the two DIMM slots closest to the CPUs unpopulated is recommended.

The "old, non-blobby Libreboot" never worked for us. I think Libreboot didn't have a D16 to test their releases on back then. So probably avoid that or at least expect issues. If GNUBoot is based on "old, non-blobby Libreboot" then you'll have the same experience. Newer versions of both might work better.
That's also why we had Raptor Engineering build us a custom ROM with Petitboot and kexec for our server farm, which we had been using from 2017 until we switched to openPOWER. That one worked flawlessly even between reboots and with the iKVM chip with openBMC and openBMC's fancontrol, ASUS PIKE or another HBA. However, I don't have the info handy on which coreboot version it was built because the build system was retired some time ago. Meaning that this image is based on free software and the sources are 'somewhere', but replicating it would require effort (and probably a lot of pain, too). So I wouldn't call the image free software until it has been proven it can still be replicated in 2023 :-)

For the risk of being a bit too salesy: If you're interested in that ROM (binary only) or want to run 256GB of RAM (or a better CPU for that matter) send an email to Vikings. We still have some parts here to service builds under warranty.

Or you could put that in a wiki so you don't have to read 100 forum comments :-)
For example this one: https://wiki.vikings.net/hardware:ch341a

PS: You don't need an adapter for the D16 BIOS chip on the CH341a

What do you mean by "better"?

The board uses the Opteron 6200-series "Interlagos" processors:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_Opteron_processors
You could get one of the sixteen core models but if they turn out to be more expensive, is it worth it? Only you can really say.
The board has 6 SATA connectors. Do you need to connect 6 hard disks to it?
"Best" is subjective and difficult to answer. Probably the "best" answer is that the "best" configuration is the one that works for your needs.

I expect it'll be just fine for you.

In a nutshell the Opteron 6386SE CPUs provide the best performance (phoronix-test-suite benchmark build-linux-kernel).

- D16, 2x Opteron 6366HE Linux Bench: 210
- D16, 2x Opteron 6284 Linux Bench: 177
- D16, 2x Opteron 6386SE Linux Bench: 154
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_Opteron_processors

is the configuration that I described sufficient to perform such tasks

My usage is a little different: I don't play games and rarely watch videos but I do photo processing, I sometimes compile things and I use virtual machines to test things.

I used a D8 that I bought from Vikings for about 2.5 years. It is a kind of smaller version of the D16.

As it is not working for a reason I was not able to discover yet, I have been using an X200 and a T400 as my main computers for about 8 months and found that this is good enough for my usage, consumes roughly 3x less power and is much easier to move around to modify or repair.

you will be limited to teletype and will NOT be able to run any graphic applications

This is a misunderstanding. Look at "Making GNU GRUB visible at boot time" in https://wiki.vikings.net/hardware:kcma-d8, it explains well what the issue is. It only affects the display of the GRUB menu, but you can run an X server or wayland after booting.

All GPUs that physically fit should work with the KGPE-D16.

It is not completely impossible that this is a boot firmware problem, however I would bet my behind that the culprit in this case is the graphics stack under Linux. It can be a tricky thing to set up especially if you are relatively new to this.

For the sake of debugging you could try booting Debian instead of Trisquel as well as coreboot instead of Libreboot. Do mind the distro specific recommendations for your GPU, and see where that leaves you.
If you need a working coreboot image, simply contact us outside of this forum.

Re: RAM: I recommend using SK Hynix HMT42GR7AFR4A-PB (see the updated https://wiki.vikings.net/hardware:kgpe-d16#ram_hcl), esp. if you want 256GB RAM. I found this module the most stable (it also works well with the vendor BIOS, if that is something that interests you, too).

The D16 in 2024 is still a nice system and you don't have to spend 1600 EUR (where is that from?) if you buy the parts second hand and assemble it yourself. For DIY'ing your build you either need to know what you're doing or get help from friends on the Interwebs.

Comparing the (quite nice) Dell 9020 to a D16 is a bit like apples and oranges; one is intended for server or workstation use, the other is a desktop computer. You should always buy a computer that suits the task at hand.

PS: sam-d16; there's a "reply" link on each post, which makes answers to specific posts in a thread easier to read. The fact that the Trisquel forum has this is quite nice I think.

there are more affordable alternatives

If you mean alternatives to use Trisquel, probably any computer with an Intel CPU that has integrated graphics and any AMD or Intel with a graphic card listed on h-node can work. This kind of alternative uses non-free software to boot, so you can't get as good control of your computer as with a D8/D16 or X200/T400, but it is fine to use Trisquel.

Dell 9020 (4 cores) on Libreboot

This also uses non-free software to boot. However, "Libre" boot also advertises as a general policy to make everything fully functional using non-free firmware. So when it says that something works (like graphics) it may be so only with non-free firmware, so not with Trisquel. Minifree now sells laptops with intel wifi chips known to only work with non-free firmware, so wifi will not work with Trisquel.

the compact Librem Mini

It uses non-free software to boot but should be fully functional with Trisquel. I bought the nitroPC1 from nitrokey.com that seems to be the same (be careful, the wifi proposed with the Librem mini should work with Trisquel, not the wifi proposed with the nitroPC) and can confirm it works fine with Trisquel.

In terms of energy consumption, these are the best options.

According to Intel, TDP of the i5-4570 (in the Dell) is 84 W and TDP of the i7-10510U (in the Librem mini) is 15 W. I measured 10 W on my nitroPC1 when idle and used in text mode (as a server), I can't remember in graphic mode, maybe 25 W.

Yes, we've removed the D16 from our offerings. That's just a business decision, not a reflection of the usefulness of the platform. I think it's still useful in 2024.
AAMOF we still have a customer who refuses to let go of their 3-node D16 CEPH cluster we host for them due to the lack of alternatives and their positive experience with it over the past ~6 years. PCIe Gen2 is a bit long in the tooth and has some rather severe bandwidth limitations compared to more modern options, but they don't care :-)
We also donate a D16 server to the FSF and I haven't heard them complaining in a couple of years. I think they also run a couple more D16 servers elsewhere.

IIRC the price (the actual price has escaped me but I think it was more than 1.6k) we calculated was for a full-blown workstation and server with all the bells and whistles like three years of warranty and advance parts replacement. There are people who want or need plug and play solutions and willing to pay for it. And then there are also people who want yo built everything themselves from scratch, invest their own time in debugging, testing and building such a system. Two completely contradistinctive methods and we catered to both of them.

Unilaterally reaching the conclusion that the D16 can't be assembled without problems doesn't make that general consensus. :-)

It you want to have a list of parts for the assembly of a workstation I suggest, even though it is a bit beyond the scope of the wiki, to make an appropriate section in our wiki so other people can extend and improve, wiki-style. That makes much more sense, IMHO. https://wiki.vikings.net/hardware:kgpe-d16
I don't want to do that just by myself, but I'd be more than happy to contribute some with the experience I've gathered, as I'm doing since the wiki exists.

NitroPC1 works well and it may be a better replacement for D16 or D8

The NitroPC1 have blobs with corebooot, unlike the D8 and the D16, is probably far less powerful and is very compact so it has no space for an additional graphic card, at most you can add one SSD. If you want to play games, I am not sure it is suitable for you. Someone is working on the D16 ram init now, perhaps he can eventually make it easier to build a running computer with it.

Please tell me, did you install Coreboot or was it already installed?

I ordered it without OS, then I could directly boot on a Trisquel USB and install Trisquel. The website says "The firmware ("BIOS") consists of the open source systems Coreboot and Tianocore UEFI.", so I assume this is what is installed. That makes me think that I forgot to check where to get the source code.

By the way, https://minixpc.com/products/nvisen-y-mu01-mini-pc-intel-core-i7-8565u-i7-10510u-2-ddr4-256-512g-intel-hd-graphics-windows10-linux looks the same, but probably with entirely proprietary boot software. I don't know if you could install coreboot on it by yourself.

We are going round in circles a little. :-)

I stand by "if you're able to get the graphics stack working on any X86 computer with discrete GPU, you should be able to get it working on a D16".

However, my impression is that you were not able to boot the system and/or verify if the D16 booted successfully in the first place. This is a different problem than getting the graphics stack to work. I provided a possible solution for debugging the former (=monitor serial output). Did you try?

Otherwise I think it will be hard to provide additional pointers, unfortunately.

My general answer to people is using GNU Boot because libreboot has added non-free junk so the project is no longer going in what I consider to be the right direction.

Beyond that it can be tough to give you clear-cut answers to your component questions. Often, the "best" choice depends on your personal style and needs. There are definitely objective factors, like power requirements or case size for your desired hardware, but there are also a lot of subjective decisions about those same components that only you can make to arrive at the end decision of a particular piece of hardware.

We can certainly help you navigate the objective aspects, like you should get a CPU from the Opteron 6200-series "Interlagos" series to avoid problems with microcode updates; see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_Opteron_processors But, at the same time, one CPU might have a higher clock speed (like the 6291 SE) but be harder to find and more expensive. Ultimately, the exact CPU to get depends on what matters most to you: affordability, raw performance, or even availability based on what can be found. We cannot decide that for you.

Similar situations arise with power supplies. While calculating your total power draw is objective, deciding on modularity (fully, partially, or not at all) is subjective. A fully modular one offers flexibility but might be pricier. Only you can decide this.

The sound of cooling questions is also subjective. What's "silent" to one person might be annoying to another. Cooler design, fan size, and case airflow all influence noise. Or maybe you'll go with liquid cooling, which brings up something else entirely.

The same goes for cases. You can objectively assess technical things like drive bay space for current and future needs, but the case's aesthetics, and what you're willing to spend for it, are entirely up to you. We can't tell you which one to get because we aren't you. A case that looks nice to one person won't for someone else.

Please don't expect concrete answers to every single particular. Sure, I've built my own PCs with these considerations in mind, but those decisions were based on my preferences. You're building your computer, not re-creating mine.

Personally I think that, considering the entirety of this thread, there have likely been a sufficient amount of objective information provided that the subjective matters can be considered now.