ga x170 extreme ecc : efifb just disappeared

[lude]

I'm dual-booting on this board, f21 firmware/bios.
I was using grub2.02 as the boot loader, but it had issues creating an efi framebuffer and handing it to the nvidia kernel-module or actually the nvidia(official) kernel module doesn't touch the framebuffer.

Long story short.

Now I'm getting a black screen while booting, resulting in not being able to see the BIOS at all.
Guys this is my 2nd replacement board, what happened to your product quality?
I spent freaking 450€ on ECC RAM modules, and they're special for this board only it seems.
And your boards die on me every few months, what the hell is going on?
Before purchase when I asked your support which ECC RAM modules this board supports, I receive an answer that it doesn't support ECC RAM...

What should I do now?
Effectively I paid 2000€ for s***, for garbage.

I'm lucky it even boots into the graphics mode of Linux so I'm able to use the computer at all.
And this is one moment to the next, yesterday night I was in Windows 10 pro and playing Spellforce 3.
I poweroff the computer and remembered that I forgot something and boot the computer up again.
But it doesn't show a BIOS logo or the boot manager (which is systemd-boot) it straight boots into Linux.
I thought "ok maybe it's a slow monitor"
But now this morning the same is happening, which means I can't get into Windows anymore and I'm not having an EFI FRAMEBUFFER AT ALL.
Apparently the board is failing. And it STILL has the USB bug I posted about which STILL ISN'T SOLVED, even now with this replacement board.

Then, Wake on LAN sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. And this is a Workstation grade Motherboard? Are you f***ing kidding me?

This is the last time I bought a Gigabyte product.
You won't even receive support here.
Where do I turn for support? And who says that if I again would receive a replacement board that it won't have those issues in a few months again? Where is your f***ing product quality?

[shadowsports]

Greetings,
I don't know if I should try and respond or commiserate with you.  I have felt this type of frustration with hardware vendors previously. 

The problems with Linux you are experiencing is not unique to Gigabyte.  I am not sure of your need for ECC RAM, but you must have a special requirement for error correction which has not been shared.  After trying several distros, I think Ubuntu, Mint and Fedora are probably some of the best flavors of Linux for mainstream users.  If you work strictly in Terminal, then centOS is my choice.

Here is my recommendation.  Build your system based on Windows 10 OS.  Run HyperV and use a Linux VM.  You are just going to beat your head against the wall otherwise.  Any downtime will be reduced to a minimum and you can always revert changes when something doesn't work.  No boot manager, no hacking, and no trying to get GRUB to play nice. 

I'd write directly to Gigabyte, as your dissatisfaction won't receive the visibility it deserves here.   


List of supported distros is near the bottom of this page:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/virtualization/hyper-v/supported-linux-and-freebsd-virtual-machines-for-hyper-v-on-windows

[lude]

Thanks, sorry I was really upset.

It's not really about ECC RAM it's that this board is called ga-x170-extreme-ecc it has ECC in its model name, the selling point for this board is that it supports ECC RAM, when you go to the product page on any of the multinational Gigabyte sites it states under specs that there is support for ECC memory, and when I ask (German) support which 16GB memory modules it supports I'm told it doesn't support ECC RAM... 1 week later.
This is the level of Gigabyte support competence.

Anyhow...
The issue at hand is, forget Linux for a moment.
You power on the computer and there's a black screen. So the BIOS graphics output disappeared.
3 days until my birthday.
Oh the amount of fun I'll have with this replacement board.
I could probably reset the BIOS, because it has dual bios or some ... stuff.
But what if that won't solve the issue?
I'll have an unbootable system that I won't be able to configure because I won't be able to boot from USB, because of no graphical output happening.

I wrote to Amazon and they offered to refund the board.
I think I'll do that and then have to find another C236 chipset motherboard, because it won't be a Gigabyte.
Why C236? Because the 450€ I spent on ECC RAM modules that are only compatible with the C236 chipset.

But do you know what that means?
It means removing all cables, the CPU cooler, the GPU, all screws, the cpu cooler paste.
And then re-assembling it all again on a new motherboard.

I had an older motherboard U3D-H?something no UD4-H or something like that...
But since no one bought the ud4h only ud5h was very popular so the 4h didn't receive BIOS upgrades.
But the 5h did receive a lot of BIOS updates.

Why ECC? Because once you buy a new PC the old one can still be used as a headless or not so headless server.
Bitflips and memory corruption "is a thing". It's even worth buying enterprise grade hard disks over consumer hdds because they're a) faster and b) often have ecc capabilities.

What do you do with the old computer when you buy a new one? Do you throw it away? Does it rot in the cellar? Do you try to sell it for no money?
No you buy a motherboard that is ECC RAM capable and re-use the old hardware for your local cloud.

shadowsports,
Thanks, but I don't trust Microsoft enough.
I use Linux because a) it's more convenient to work with (developer) and b) privacy.
I don't trust Microsoft and call me paranoid but I believe they have backdoors for at least US government or affiliates (NSA etc) built in.
Windows is only for playing games. And if more companies would support Linux this would dramatically change.
If I would be able to play all the triple-A titles that are being released on the same day on Linux as I would on Windows, I'd have a dedicated Linux installation for gaming only.
I also use Linux for work/development because I won't get distracted by games and can focus on the job.

So.. let's find a C236 motherboard... with x16 PCIe 3.0

Code: [Select]

# dmidecode -t 17
# dmidecode 3.1
Getting SMBIOS data from sysfs.
SMBIOS 3.0.0 present.

Handle 0x003E, DMI type 17, 40 bytes
Memory Device
Array Handle: 0x003D
Error Information Handle: Not Provided
Total Width: 128 bits
Data Width: 64 bits
Size: 16384 MB
Form Factor: DIMM
Set: None
Locator: ChannelA-DIMM0
Bank Locator: BANK 0
Type: DDR4
Type Detail: Synchronous
Speed: 2133 MT/s
Manufacturer: Kingston
Serial Number: B91C23E1
Asset Tag: 9876543210
Part Number: 9965669-008.A03G   
Rank: 2
Configured Clock Speed: 2133 MT/s
Minimum Voltage: 1.2 V
Maximum Voltage: 1.2 V
Configured Voltage: 1.2 V

Handle 0x003F, DMI type 17, 40 bytes
Memory Device
Array Handle: 0x003D
Error Information Handle: Not Provided
Total Width: 128 bits
Data Width: 64 bits
Size: 16384 MB
Form Factor: DIMM
Set: None
Locator: ChannelA-DIMM1
Bank Locator: BANK 1
Type: DDR4
Type Detail: Synchronous
Speed: 2133 MT/s
Manufacturer: Kingston
Serial Number: EB0CCDD5
Asset Tag: 9876543210
Part Number: 9965669-008.A03G   
Rank: 2
Configured Clock Speed: 2133 MT/s
Minimum Voltage: 1.2 V
Maximum Voltage: 1.2 V
Configured Voltage: 1.2 V

Handle 0x0040, DMI type 17, 40 bytes
Memory Device
Array Handle: 0x003D
Error Information Handle: Not Provided
Total Width: 128 bits
Data Width: 64 bits
Size: 16384 MB
Form Factor: DIMM
Set: None
Locator: ChannelB-DIMM0
Bank Locator: BANK 2
Type: DDR4
Type Detail: Synchronous
Speed: 2133 MT/s
Manufacturer: Kingston
Serial Number: EF0CCDD3
Asset Tag: 9876543210
Part Number: 9965669-008.A03G   
Rank: 2
Configured Clock Speed: 2133 MT/s
Minimum Voltage: 1.2 V
Maximum Voltage: 1.2 V
Configured Voltage: 1.2 V

Handle 0x0041, DMI type 17, 40 bytes
Memory Device
Array Handle: 0x003D
Error Information Handle: Not Provided
Total Width: 128 bits
Data Width: 64 bits
Size: 16384 MB
Form Factor: DIMM
Set: None
Locator: ChannelB-DIMM1
Bank Locator: BANK 3
Type: DDR4
Type Detail: Synchronous
Speed: 2133 MT/s
Manufacturer: Kingston
Serial Number: EC0CCDD3
Asset Tag: 9876543210
Part Number: 9965669-008.A03G   
Rank: 2
Configured Clock Speed: 2133 MT/s
Minimum Voltage: 1.2 V
Maximum Voltage: 1.2 V
Configured Voltage: 1.2 V

I was trying to use the Kingston memory finder tool.
If I search by Part Number this is the name of the memory modules I'm finding
https://www.kingston.com/dataSheets/KVR21E15D8_16.pdf
When using the memory finder
https://www.kingston.com/en/memory/search?partId=KVR21E15D8%2F16
this is the list of motherboards compatible

Code: [Select]

    ASRock - Motherboard C236 WS
    ASRock - Motherboard C236 WSI
    ASRock - Motherboard C236M WS
    ASRock - Motherboard D1540D4U-2L+
    ASRock - Motherboard E3C232D2I
    ASRock - Motherboard E3C232D4U
    ASRock - Motherboard E3C232D4U-V1L
    ASRock - Motherboard E3C232D4U-VF
    ASRock - Motherboard E3C236D2I
    ASRock - Motherboard E3C236D4HM-2L+
    ASRock - Motherboard E3C236D4HM-2T
    ASRock - Motherboard E3C236D4M-4L
    ASRock - Motherboard E3C236D4U
    ASRock - Motherboard E3V5 WS
    ASRock - Motherboard H110 Pro BTC+
    ASRock - Server Board D1521D4I
    ASUS/ASmobile - E3 PRO GAMING V5
    ASUS/ASmobile - ESC Server ESC500-G4 (P10S WS)
    ASUS/ASmobile - P10S WS Motherboard
    ASUS/ASmobile - P10S-C/4L Motherboard
    ASUS/ASmobile - P10S-E/4L Motherboard
    ASUS/ASmobile - P10S-I Motherboard
    ASUS/ASmobile - P10S-M WS Motherboard
    ASUS/ASmobile - P10S-V/4L Motherboard
    ASUS/ASmobile - PRIME A320M-C R2.0 Motherboard
    ASUS/ASmobile - PRIME A320M-E Motherboard
    ASUS/ASmobile - PRIME A320M-K Motherboard
    ASUS/ASmobile - RS Server RS100-E9-PI2
    ASUS/ASmobile - RS Server RS300-E9-PS4 (P10S-C/4L)
    ASUS/ASmobile - RS Server RS300-E9-RS4
    ASUS/ASmobile - RS200-E9-PS2 Server
    ASUS/ASmobile - RS200-E9-PS2-F Server
    ASUS/ASmobile - Server Workstation WS660T
    ASUS/ASmobile - TS Server TS100-E9-PI4 (P10S-X)
    ASUS/ASmobile - TS Server TS300-E9-PS4 (P10S-E/4L)
    DFI - SD631-C236 Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-A320-DS3 Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-A320M-D2P Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-A320M-DS2 Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-A320M-HD2 Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-A320MA-M.2 Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-AB350-Gaming 3 Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-AB350-Gaming Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-AB350M-D3H Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-AB350M-D3V Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-AB350M-DS2 Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-AB350M-Gaming 3 Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-AB350M-HD3 Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-AB350N-Gaming WIFI Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-AX370-Gaming 5 Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-AX370-Gaming K3 Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-AX370-Gaming K5 Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-AX370-Gaming K7 Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-AX370-Gaming Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-B150M-HD3 (DDR4) Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-B150N-GSM Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-H110M-H DDR4 Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-H110M-S2PH DDR4 Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-H110M-WW Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-H110N DDR4 Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-X150M-PRO ECC Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-X170-EXTREME ECC Motherboard
    Gigabyte - GA-X170-WS ECC Motherboard
    Gigabyte - H270-T70 Server (MT70-HD0)
    Gigabyte - MB10-DS3 Motherboard
    Gigabyte - MW21-SE0 Motherboard
    Gigabyte - MW31-SP0 Motherboard
    Gigabyte - MX11-PC0 Motherboard
    Gigabyte - MX31-BS0 Motherboard
    Gigabyte - R120-T30 Server (MT30-GS0)
    Gigabyte - R120-T32 Server (MT30-GS1)
    Gigabyte - R150-T60 Server (MT60-SC0)
    Gigabyte - R150-T61 Server (MT60-SC0)
    Gigabyte - R270-T60 Server (MT60-SC0)
    Gigabyte - R270-T61 Server (MT60-SC0)
    Intel - LSVRP4304ES6XXR Serverboard
    Intel - R1304SPOSHBNR Server System
    Intel - S1200SPL Serverboard
    Intel - S1200SPO Serverboard
    Intel - S1200SPS Serverboard
    MSI - Motherboard C236A WORKSTATION
    MSI - Motherboard C236M WORKSTATION
    MSI - Motherboard E3M Workstation V5
    Supermicro - A2SDi-2C-HLN4F Motherboard
    Supermicro - SuperServer 1018D-FRN8T (Super X10SDV-7TP8F)
    Supermicro - SuperServer 1019S-MC0T (Super X11SSH-CTF)
    Supermicro - SuperServer 1019S-WR (Super X11SSW-F)
    Supermicro - SuperServer 5018D-FN4T (Super X10SDV-8C-TLN4F)
    Supermicro - SuperServer 5018D-FN8T (Super X10SDV-TP8F)
    Supermicro - SuperServer 5018D-LN4T (Super X10SDV-2C-TP4F)
    Supermicro - SuperServer 5018D-MHR7N4P (Super X10SDV-7TP4E)
    Supermicro - SuperServer 5018D2-AR12L (Super X10SDV-2C-7TP4F)
    Supermicro - SuperServer 5018D4-AR12L (Super X10SDV-4C-7TP4F)
    Supermicro - SuperServer 5018D8-AR12L (Super X10SDV-7TP4F)
    Supermicro - SuperServer 5019S-L (Super X11SSL-F)
    Supermicro - SuperServer 5019S-M (Super X11SSH-F)
    Supermicro - SuperServer 5019S-ML (Super X11SSH-F)
    Supermicro - SuperServer 5019S-MN4 (Super X11SSH-LN4F)
    Supermicro - SuperServer 5019S-MR (Super X11SSH-F)
    Supermicro - SuperServer 5019S-MT (Super X11SSH-TF)
    Supermicro - SuperServer 5019S-W4TR (Super X11SSW-4TF)
    Supermicro - SuperServer 5019S-WR (Super X11SSW-F)
    Supermicro - SuperServer 5028D-TN4T (Super X10SDV-TLN4F)
    Supermicro - SuperServer 5029A-2TN4 (Super A2SDi-2C-HLN4F)
    Supermicro - SuperServer 5038MD-H8TRF
    Supermicro - SuperServer 5039D-i (Super X11SSL-F)
    Supermicro - SuperServer 5039MS-H8TRF
    Supermicro - SuperServer E200-8D (Super X10SDV-6C-TLN4F)
    Supermicro - SuperWorkstation 5039A-iL (Super x11SAE)
    Supermicro - X10SDD-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X10SDV-12C-TLN4F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X10SDV-12C-TLN4F+ Motherboard
    Supermicro - X10SDV-16C+-TLN4F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X10SDV-16C-TLN4F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X10SDV-2C-TP4F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X10SDV-4C-TLN2F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X10SDV-4C-TLN4F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X10SDV-6C+-TLN4F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X10SDV-6C-TLN4F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X10SDV-7TP4F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X10SDV-7TP8F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X10SDV-8C+-LN2F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X10SDV-8C-TLN4F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X10SDV-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X10SDV-TLN4F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X10SDV-TP8F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SAE Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SAE-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SAE-M Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SAT Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SAT-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSA-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSD-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSH-CTF Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSH-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSH-LN4F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSH-TF Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSi-LN4F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSL Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSL-CF Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSL-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSL-nF Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSM Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSM-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSW-4TF Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSW-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSW-TF Motherboard-
    Supermicro - X11SSZ-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSZ-TLN4F Motherboard
    Synology - RackStation RS3617xs+ / RS3617RPxs
    Synology - RackStation RS4017xs+

Many are server grade boards.
Since Gigabyte boards are out of the question,
and I'm not looking for build a server but a workstation...

Code: [Select]

    ASRock - Motherboard C236 WS
    ASRock - Motherboard E3C236D4M-4L
    ASUS/ASmobile - P10S WS Motherboard
    ASUS/ASmobile - P10S-E/4L Motherboard
    ASUS/ASmobile - P10S-V/4L Motherboard
    DFI - SD631-C236 Motherboard
    Supermicro - A2SDi-2C-HLN4F Motherboard
    Supermicro - SuperWorkstation 5039A-iL (Super x11SAE)
    Supermicro - X10SDD-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X10SDV-7TP4F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X10SDV-7TP8F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X10SDV-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X10SDV-TP8F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SAE Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SAE-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SAE-M Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SAT Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SAT-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSA-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSD-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSH-CTF Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSH-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSH-LN4F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSH-TF Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSi-LN4F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSL Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSL-CF Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSL-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSL-nF Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSM Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSM-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSW-4TF Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSW-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSW-TF Motherboard-
    Supermicro - X11SSZ-F Motherboard
    Supermicro - X11SSZ-TLN4F Motherboard


[shadowsports]

I am not a fan of Asus.  They lost my business after more than a decade because of one negative interaction with their customer support dept over a $25 part.  I only do business with company's that build reliable components and stand behind their products.  This is how you differentiate yourself in the industry.  Corsair & EVGA are two of my other favorites.  My experience with them, something failed during the warranty period, I opened a ticked, provided my CC for advanced RMA and got a replacement in in under a week.  That's service.

C236 based board, Go with SuperMicro or AsRock.  SuperMicro is going to be a no-frills based workhorse.  A veteran in the PC industry.  You'll receive timely updates, support and own a stable product.  Since their core business has always been server based products you might find a greater level of Linux compatibility.

AsRock will give you more bells and whistles.  I have never owned an AsRock product, but have supported them.  They've gone the way of Asus and have expanded their product line.  That isn't a bad thing, but again, I've never had a support experience with them. 

And don't be sorry.  PC's are great when they work.  Frustrating when they don't.  After 2 bad boards, I'd be ready to throw in the towel on a platform as well.  Life it too short.   

[lude]

Nice, yeah I agree that's service.
Also the whole world is like "Amazon is killing retail" yeah because their service is awesome.
Where would you receive a full refund for a product you bought 15 months ago and used and they didn't even question me, they were just like "here's your refund print thingy, just send it back in the next 30 days and all good".
That is why I'm shopping at Amazon. Idc if I pay 20-40€ more but I know that I'm on the safe side with them.

I also read many bad things about Asus and especially their support.
But on paper, they have the better offers, compared to AsRock, at least in this current context.

http://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=C236%20WS#Download
http://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=E3C236D4M-4L#Download
https://www.asus.com/us/Commercial-Servers-Workstations/P10S-E-4L/HelpDesk_BIOS/

Now, Asus has addressed the Intel ME issue, I bet you heard of it.
AsRock so far didn't and also Gigabyte didn't.

Supermicro is server stuff and while I'd use it when building servers this is another topic (but I'd probably go HP Blade for convenience).

I think I'll go with the Asus P10S-E-4L, the P10S WS apparently has issues, it's hard to tell there is 1 thumbs down vote on a price comparison platform without any text. The P10S-E-4L however has two thumbs up.
I can even use my old PCI sound card (Creative X-Fi Fatality) again

The Asus support issue is mitigated with Amazon. Sure I paid 30€ more compared to other options but it's worth it for me.
(+ the GPU is my 1st ASUS GPU nvidia strix rog 1080 gtx, I moved from PNY to Gigabyte to ASUS, and again Gigabyte one failed me, it was unstable).

Let's hope it was no mistake.