Asus V7-P7H55E

The Asus V7-P7H55E is a barebone machine, a microtower with a unknown motherboard.

  • PSU: Corsair CX450M (was: Corsair CX430 (430 W))
  • motherboard:
  • memory: 16 GB - 4 x 4GB G.SKILL DDR3, 1333 MHz, 9-9-9-24 (F3-10600CL9S-4GBNT) Max: 16 GB memory, 4 slots
  • (old memory: 8 GB - 2 kits of 4 GB (2 x 2 GB) Corsair XMS3, DDR3, 1333 MHz, 4GB CL9-9-9-24 (8 GB total) Max: 16 GB memory, 4 slots)
  • cpu: Intel Core i3 - i3-540 @ 3.06 GHz, dual core, socket LGA1156, 4MB, boxed
  • cpu cooler: standard
  • storage: ssd - Super Talent 64 GB UltraDrive GX - FTM64GX25H, ssd - Samsung 120 GB 830 Series, ssd - OCZ Agility 3 60 GB
  • ad4: 61057MB at ata2-master UDMA100 SATA 3Gb/s
  • ad6: 122104MB at ata3-master UDMA100 SATA 3Gb/s
  • ad8: 57241MB ATA-8 SATA 3.x device at ahcich2 bus 0 scbus2 target 0 lun 0
  • hard drives:
  • optical drive: none
  • video:
  • gfx card: none - built in Intel Ironlake graphics
  • vgapci0: port 0xdc00-0xdc07 mem 0xfb800000-0xfbbfffff,0xd0000000-0xdfffffff irq 16 at device 2.0 on pci0
  • agp0: on vgapci0
  • sound: snd_hda
  • pcm0: (play/rec) default
  • pcm1: (play/rec)
  • pcm2: (play)
  • pcm3: (play)
  • pcm4: (play)
  • pcm5: (play)
  • network: Realtek RTL 8112
  • other: TechnoTrend Premium C-2300 DVB-C / analog card.
  • bios: version 0504, release date 07/16/2010.

boot menu: press F8 when the BIOS startup screen is shown.

operating systems tested: FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Xubuntu,

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Work log

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

2021-03-03: got a reply from DI, and went and picked up my order. Not bad, considering the lockdown and other measures in effect to combat the pandemic. Meanwhile, the old cooler has been quiet, I guess I'll replace i the next time it gets load again.

2021-03-02: I hadn't heard anything about my order from Digital Impuls, so I did a follow-up.

2021-02-12: ordered a new cooler from Digital Impuls, for NOK 100.-, part number 113516 Intel CPU-Kjøler, Socket 115x / 1200.

2021-02-11: fan - still noisy at low speeds (below 1000 rpm?). Tried to oil it, but no convenient access points for it. Perhaps order a replacement cooler?

2021-02-08: cleaning - I cleaned the inside of the machine from dust. The machine powers on normally. The cpu fan is noisy, perhaps I should put a bit of oil on it. A while after I started building world again, the fan went silent.

2021-02-08: the machine has powered off during the night (while doing buildworld). Must check.

2019-03-25: checked the PSU with a PSU tester - it confirmed that all voltages was present, but when connected to the motherboard, the "standby power on" LED only blinked. Replaced the PSU with a CX450M, and now the machine works again.

2019-03-20: after today's scheduled power outage, the machine doesn't power on. Must check.

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

2013-09-23: reinstate v7: today I removed the v2 hard drive and gfx card from the machine, and reconnected ad4 (STT FTM64GX25H), making the machine back as v7 again.

2013-09-19: memory - I powered down the machine and replaced the Corsair memory DIMMs with the G.SKILL ones. The machine now has 16 GB RAM.

2013-07-25: I got a delivery message from Posten, and picked up the parcel from Multicom at my local post office (Sofienberg). It was shipped yesterday. Apparently, Multicom's inventory / stock database wasn't totally accurate (it said "20+" when I ordered, and only few days later had the item listed as backordered). Anyway, I now have 4 x 4 GB DDR3 DIMMs for a total of 16 GB to put into the machine.

2013-07-14: I ordered 16 GB memory from Multicom today: 4 x G.SKILL 4GB DDR3 1333MHz DIMM 9-9-9-24 (F3-10600CL9S-4GBNT) at NOK 184.- each, a sum of NOK 736.- add NOK 89 for shipping, and the total is NOK 825.-

2013-03-30: today I did a temporary move from the v2 machine (which had stopped working); I disconnected ad4 (STT FTM64GX25H) and inserted ad4 from v2 there instead. I also got the gfx card from v2 and inserted in a PCIEx16 slot. This machine (v7) will do stand-in for v2 until I can get it repaired or replaced.

2013-03-11: this evening I set up my new BenQ GL2450HM monitor as a replacement for the Compaq TFT8030 (which will be put to better use elsewhere).

2012-08-30: today I bought another SSD, a OCZ Agility 3 60 GB (AGT3-25SAT3-60G), serial number 026791208022297 and installed into the machine. I connected an external DVD drive, and booted from the OCZ tools v 3.20.4 CD. I selected firmware upgrade, which confirms the the drive is a OCZ-AGILITY3, serial number OCZ-9FFZ39D851G9O4I0. There wasn't any newer firmware. After that, I selected shutdown.

2012-08-17: I installed a TechnoTrend Premium C-2300 DVB-C / analog card into the machine, in the bottom slot. I only installed the card, not the extra PCI bracket with more ports.

2012-08-14: preparing to connect another SSD (Samsung 830 series, 128 GB, model: MZ-7PC128) to the machine. The SSD came with a sata-to-usb adapter (very convenient), so I just connected it to my laptop (runs Xubuntu) and ran smartctl on the drive:

tingo@kg-u35jc:~$ sudo smartctl -a /dev/sdb
[sudo] password for tingo:
smartctl 5.41 2011-06-09 r3365 [x86_64-linux-3.2.0-27-generic] (local build)
Copyright (C) 2002-11 by Bruce Allen, http://smartmontools.sourceforge.net

=== START OF INFORMATION SECTION ===
Device Model:     SAMSUNG SSD 830 Series
Serial Number:    S0WJNEAC404405
LU WWN Device Id: 5 002538 043584d30
Firmware Version: CXM03B1Q
User Capacity:    128,035,676,160 bytes [128 GB]
Sector Size:      512 bytes logical/physical
Device is:        Not in smartctl database [for details use: -P showall]
ATA Version is:   8
ATA Standard is:  ACS-2 revision 2
Local Time is:    Tue Aug 14 12:32:00 2012 CEST
SMART support is: Available - device has SMART capability.
SMART support is: Enabled

=== START OF READ SMART DATA SECTION ===

OK, so the firmware version is CXM03B1Q, that is the newest one available on Samsung support web site too. Good

2012-06-16: I used win7 on another machine to run MPTool and upgrade the firmware on the SSD to version 2142 (previous version was 1370). The SSD now is like this: STT_FTM64GX25H, firmware version 2142, serial number R520831-GSIX-5149002. Ready to partition and install FreeBSD again.

2012-06-15: I had to open the SSD to set the factory mode jumper. The flash chips are Samsung K9LBG08U0M 64GB.

2012-06-15: using WSSDChecker.exe from a WinPE usb stick, it finds my SSD as drive 1, STT_FTM64GX25H, 59.6 GB, firmware version 1370. And SmartViewer_2_21.exe says this:

drive 0, serial = R520831-GSIX-5149002
firmware revision = 1370
model number = STT_FTM64GX25H
type = hard disk
size = 125045424 sectors (59.6GB)
has partition table

2012-06-03: slice 1 - inserting a SD card (actually microSD in SD adapter) into the built-in card reader gives me the following in /var/log/messages:

Jun  3 12:53:58 kg-v7 kernel: ugen0.3: <Alcor Micro, Corp.> at usbus0
Jun  3 12:53:58 kg-v7 kernel: umass0: <Alcor Micro, Corp. USB Card Reader, class 0/0, rev 2.00/1.00, addr 3> on usbus0
Jun  3 12:53:58 kg-v7 kernel: umass0:  SCSI over Bulk-Only; quirks = 0x4001
Jun  3 12:53:59 kg-v7 kernel: umass0:0:0:-1: Attached to scbus0
Jun  3 12:53:59 kg-v7 kernel: da0 at umass-sim0 bus 0 scbus0 target 0 lun 0
Jun  3 12:53:59 kg-v7 kernel: da0: <Generic SD Card Reader 1.00> Removable Direct Access SCSI-0 device
Jun  3 12:53:59 kg-v7 kernel: da0: 40.000MB/s transfers
Jun  3 12:53:59 kg-v7 kernel: da0: 1876MB (3842048 512 byte sectors: 255H 63S/T 239C)
Jun  3 12:53:59 kg-v7 kernel: da1 at umass-sim0 bus 0 scbus0 target 0 lun 1
Jun  3 12:53:59 kg-v7 kernel: da1: <Generic CF Card Reader 1.01> Removable Direct Access SCSI-0 device
Jun  3 12:53:59 kg-v7 kernel: da1: 40.000MB/s transfers
Jun  3 12:53:59 kg-v7 kernel: da1: Attempt to query device size failed: NOT READY, Medium not present
Jun  3 12:53:59 kg-v7 kernel: da2 at umass-sim0 bus 0 scbus0 target 0 lun 2
Jun  3 12:53:59 kg-v7 kernel: da2: <Generic MS Card Reader 1.03> Removable Direct Access SCSI-0 device
Jun  3 12:53:59 kg-v7 kernel: da2: 40.000MB/s transfers
Jun  3 12:53:59 kg-v7 kernel: da2: Attempt to query device size failed: NOT READY, Medium not present
Jun  3 12:53:59 kg-v7 kernel: GEOM: da0: partition 4 does not start on a track boundary.
Jun  3 12:53:59 kg-v7 kernel: GEOM: da0: partition 4 does not end on a track boundary.
Jun  3 12:53:59 kg-v7 kernel: GEOM: da0: partition 3 does not start on a track boundary.
Jun  3 12:53:59 kg-v7 kernel: GEOM: da0: partition 3 does not end on a track boundary.
Jun  3 12:53:59 kg-v7 kernel: GEOM: da0: partition 2 does not start on a track boundary.
Jun  3 12:53:59 kg-v7 kernel: GEOM: da0: partition 2 does not end on a track boundary.

2011-02-19: today I bought a new power supply, a Corsair CX430 (430 W), and replaced the old one with that. That seems to have fixed the machine, for now at least.

2011-01-27: this machine is becoming unreliable. It reboots for nothing, with no errors logged. It will even reboot during the boot sequence. Bad hardware? Or what?

2010-10-16: I upgraded the bios from version 0205 (release date 12/07/2009) to version 0504 (release date 07/16/2010), using EZ-Flash and a usb memory stick.

2010-03-06: I bought the machine.