ASRock E350M1

"f4" - another low power machine

Hardware of this machine

box: In-Win BP655, black
power supply: included, 200W
motherboard: ASRock E350M1
cpu: AMD Dual-Core Processor E350/E350D @ 1600 MHz
memory: 8 GB Kingston ValueRAM DDR3 1333MHz CL9 (2 x 4GB)
graphics: integrated AMD Radeon HD6310
storage: SSD - 60 GB - OCZ Agility 3

bios: UEFI - E350M1 P1.70 (was: P1.20)

boot menu: F11

hints - kvm uses the scroll lock key - press scroll lock twice, then "1" or "2" to select a port,

OS tested: FreeBSD, pfSense, Xubuntu,

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History

2021-07-27: I re-created this page on my self-hosted web server.

2018-05-18: PSU - installed the new PSU, tested and mounted ok. Put the box back together, and set the machine back in place.

2018-05-16: the package arrived, and I picked it up at PIB Extra Trondheimsveien in the evening. Unpacking, ok I got a 2540129 Inter-Tech Argus TFX-300W Strømforsyning (PSU) - 300 Watt - 80 mm - 80 Plus (NOK 374.-) instead of the 2224809 that I ordered. Specifications are similar on the two PSUs. Mail set to support asking how they want to handle this.

2018-05-14: I ordered a new PSU from Proshop; 2224809 - be quiet! TFX power 300W, 80 Plus. The price was NOK 409.- and shipping NOK 119.- (but shared with one other item).

2018-05-14: PSU - tested the PSU with my PSU tester, it doesn't work. Unscrewed the lid and had a look inside; no visual faults.

2018-05-11: today I discovered that the machine will not turn on again via the power switch at least (the machine has been unresponsive for some days now). Must investigate further.

2016-10-05: an unscheduled power outage this evening required a power on of the machine after power was restored.

2016-03-09: BIOS - newest UEFI firmware is version 2.10, date 11.3.2014.

2014-02-04: BIOS - newest UEFI firmware is version 2.00.

2012-12-19: using this machine to upgrade a Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 drive. I disconnected both SSD's, connected up the Barracuda drive to the first internal sata port, and proceeded to boot the machine. UEFI confirmed that the drive was on the correct (ie first) port. I connected up the Plextor usb CD / DVD burner (it still has the CD inside) and rebooted the machine. It booted straight off the CD (I love it when things just work without the need for manual adjustment) into into the firmware upgrade program. Upgraded the firmware, powered off the machine, and powered it back up again to verify that the drive had been upgraded. Looks good. Look at the quiet machine for details about the drive, the firmware and so on.

2012-08-31: I installed the LD Cooling Dual SSD bracket (118217) and the new SSD into the machine. The new SSD is a 60 GB OCZ Agility 3 (AGT3-25SAT3-60G), serial number 026791208022380. I mounted the old SSD at the bottom of the bracket, and the new at the top. In the boot menu (F11), the old Agility 3 is "P0" and the new one is "P3". Good to know. smartctl reports that the new OCZ Agility 3 has firmware version 2.22 (good), and serial number OCZ-7IU0GE6K2V8E300L.

2012-08-30: I bought another SSD, OCZ Agility 3 Max (60 GB, 115562) for NOK 550.- and a LD Cooling Dual SSD Bracket (118217) for NOK 195.- from Digital Impuls.

2012-08-04: BIOS upgrade - the newest UEFI firmware is version 1.70. I upgraded from version 1.20 by putting the firmware file onto a FAT-formatted usb stick, and using Instant Flash from within the firmware. info from dmidecode:

Handle 0x0000, DMI type 0, 24 bytes
BIOS Information
        Vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
        Version: P1.70
        Release Date: 07/16/2012
        Address: 0xF0000
        Runtime Size: 64 kB
        ROM Size: 4096 kB
        Characteristics:
                PCI is supported
                BIOS is upgradeable
                BIOS shadowing is allowed
                Boot from CD is supported
                Selectable boot is supported
                BIOS ROM is socketed
                EDD is supported
                5.25"/1.2 MB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
                3.5"/720 kB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
                3.5"/2.88 MB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
                Print screen service is supported (int 5h)
                8042 keyboard services are supported (int 9h)
                Serial services are supported (int 14h)
                Printer services are supported (int 17h)
                ACPI is supported
                USB legacy is supported
                BIOS boot specification is supported
                Targeted content distribution is supported
                UEFI is supported
        BIOS Revision: 4.6

That's it.

2012-08-04: installing a SSD in the machine. I have an OCZ Agility 3 60 GB (AGT3-25SAT3-60G) SSD (bought on a sale sometime), and decided to use it in this machine. Serial number of the SSD: 026791108009775. There are no stickers indicating firmware version, so I need to connect it. Ok, firmware version is 2.11 (see FreeBSD page). For some reason, the machine wouldn't boot from a usb stick with the OCZ tool image on it (I used 'dd' to put it on, tried both from Xubuntu and FreeBSD), so I had to burn it to a CD. Oh well, I have enough blank CDs, no worries. After booting from an external CD writer (usb), I continued to update the firmware on the SSD. It upgraded the firmware from version 2.11 to version 2.22. Nice. The firmware utility says that the model is OCZ-AGILITY3, serial number: OCZ-1836ZAD2Y6V465NW.

2012-01-27: hardware installation - relatively easy. I installed the back plate, the motherboard (secured with four screws), connected all the motherboard connectors (chassis fan connected to CHA_FAN2), installed the memory (2 DIMMs). Put the cover back on.

2012-01-27: I bought the parts for the machine at a local shop

1 x box - InWin BP655, NOK 395.-
1 x motherboard - ASRock E350M1, NOK 795.-
1 x memory kit - Kingston ValueRAM 8GB PC3-10600 CL9, NOK 399.-

a total of NOK 1589.-