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More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

cpitchford
Guide

More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

Hi all,

Does anyone know what FSB speeds the ReadyNAS Pro motherboard supports.

I have three "servers" that I'm trying to consolidate. I figured that the file server (which is actually the slowest machine) would be replaced by the NAS but I'm actually trying to merge some other services onto the box which much luck so far..

One feature I'm working on porting is my Tivo transcoder. Essentially I have a small system that pulls programs off my Tivo, transcodes them and uploads (via WiFi/ethernet) to my portable media player. It means when I get home my media player syncs with my now-playing list so I can watch TV on the train too and from work. Since I work miles and miles away, I don't have time to watch TV at home so it's the only way I can watch TV..

I have the package working on the NAS, and I'm working on the integration with the front end (like managing black-lists and so on). I'd like to bump the speed of the processor but obivously the newer energy efficient <65W intel chips all seem to be 1333MHz FSB. Is this supported on this NAS? I know the warranty is void with this type of fiddling, but that is a risk I'm happy to take.. I also understand you wouldn't recommend an upgrade like this, but I would really like to know if it were possible..

I'll make all the code (mplayer is the driver behind the transcoding) available to anyone if interested.. but it is important to realise this is a Series 1 Tivo and an Archos 705/605 media player, not a common combination..
Message 1 of 285
cpitchford
Guide

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

Ok, I should really look a little more before asking questions..

I think the chipset on the flame6 mobo is a q963. There is certainly on board VGA and sound and lspci seems to suggest it could be..

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation Q963/Q965 Memory Controller Hub (rev 02)

Now, checking intel's website for compatible chips I found:

http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=27 ... L9U2,SL9ZF
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6700 (4M Cache, 2.66 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB)

Now, the current CPU is:
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=29 ... LA3H,SLA8Z
Intel® Pentium® Processor E2160 (1M Cache, 1.80 GHz, 800 MHz FSB)

Doing a comparison between the two, on intel's site:

Don't think embedded matters, see below
E2160 is embedded
E6700 isn't

Hmmm.. speeeeed bump!!
E2160 1.8GHz 1MB-L2 800MHz
E6700 2.66GHz 4MB-L2 1066MHz

Might be a problem, but may be not, see below
E2160 Core voltage: 0.85 - 1.5v
E6700 Core voltage: 0.85 - 1.3625v

Good.. virtualbox / vmware fun.. might need a kernel recompile though
E2160 No VT-x
E6700 VT-x enabled

This is the make up of the chip, apparently.. LPGA is plastic or some such..they should be interchangable
E2160 PGA-775
E6700 LPGA-775

Key thing is that the E6700 is also rated at 65W, like the E2160.. so the heatsink should have no problems, right?

Only problem I can see is the top voltage is slightly lower.. If the mobo decides to run it at 1.5v, it'll likely cook it.. Not sure if the flame mobo will behave and run it at its correct voltage.. would be nice though..

I saw somewhere that someone was using an E6300.. The specs between the E6700 and E6300 aren't actually that different. The E6300 isn't embedded so presumably that isn't a problem on this mobo and it also appears to have the same top voltage of 1.3625v

Sooooo... the E6700 be a contender?! If the chipset is Q963 or possibly Q965 it won't support any 1333MHz chips.. pitty 😞 However getting a nice core2 in there would significantly help my transcoding exploits!!
Message 2 of 285
chirpa
Luminary

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

It may work. We are not going to endorse any CPU mods, and of course, your warranty is at risk by doing that modification.

I am the one running an E6300 in my personal system at home. It has worked for me, but as always, YMMV (your mileage may vary). Don't need a kernel re-compile. I have VirtualBox running on mine.
Message 3 of 285
cpitchford
Guide

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

I absolutely understand your stand point, the the urge to fiddle and play is too strong! 🙂

Not needing a re-compile is serious bonus! I don't fancy the idea of messing with the boot process. Unlike a PC, I can't stick in a CD/USB key and repair it if I break it 🙂

Is there any problem with the voltage ranges in the vpd information? It reports min and max voltages? If I stick in a lower voltage CPU, I'm guessing this won't matter. I suspected the values in the file are really only for monitoring and there doesn't appear to be a particular voltages min-max pair that would allow 1.5v (E2160) but reject 1.325v (E6xxx)

VT extensions would be great!
Message 4 of 285
chirpa
Luminary

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

I saw the E7400 on sale ($79, newegg/amazon is $119), but then checked out the specs like you have linked above and noticed it has no VT-x ;(
Message 5 of 285
cpitchford
Guide

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

Looking at the E7400 on intel's site, it doesn't list Q963 or Q965 as a supported chipset.. hence why I didn't try and find one to test..
I'm not totally certain which chipset is actually on the motherboard (FLAME6 I'm guessing it is very custom made for Netgear, google tells me nothing!) but I think it is one of those. Buying a chip that didn't list support for Q963/Q965 would be REALLY pushing my luck 🙂

I just received a E6600 2.4GHz chip in the mail.. I couldn't find an E6700 2.66GHz chip for sale without the risk of it being held up in customs for weeks so settled with the next one down at a fraction of the price (for the record, I suspect the E6700 *might* be the fastest the board will support)

I've whacked it in and it booted YEAY!! Will need to keep a check on the CPU temp.. the retail intel heatsink it shipped with is massive compared to the one in the pro so there could be some problems there.. I'll wait and see:-o

Either way, here's some stats: hdparm -t -T /dev/c/c

Stock Pro:
Timing cached reads: 1890 MB in 2.00 seconds = 945.13 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 510 MB in 3.00 seconds = 170.11 MB/sec

Pro with E6600 and 4GB of 800MHz RAM:
Timing cached reads: 9052 MB in 2.00 seconds = 4533.83 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 628 MB in 3.00 seconds = 208.99 MB/sec

WHAT THE?! The cached read is over 4 times faster!! FANTASTIC!!

I'm guessing the buffered read speed has kind of plateaued.

I'm going to leave it memtesting over night. It isn't a great test for CPU stability, but it is a start. I've not migrated anything over yet as I'm still developing a add-on interface for the stuff I need so I don't mind waiting to prove it is stable..

Damn, I wish I'd found an E6700, just think of the 2.6GHz goodness.. oh well.. Must be happy with what I have..
Message 6 of 285
chirpa
Luminary

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

Nice, I might need to update mine too, though my VirtualBox VM runs at more than satisfactory rates for me at the moment, and I use it as a daily workhorse, my laptop at home is just acting as a thin client to it.
Message 7 of 285
cpitchford
Guide

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

Ok. I happened to mention the upgrade to someone who was also after an upgrade.. Long and short, I ended up with an E6700 cpu. I've run the same hdparm -t -T /dev/c/c tests and there's a marginal improvement..

Stock Pro with E2160 (1.8GHz) and 1GB of 667MHz RAM:
Timing cached reads: 1890 MB in 2.00 seconds = 945.13 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 510 MB in 3.00 seconds = 170.11 MB/sec

Pro with E6600 (2.4GHz) and 4GB of 800MHz RAM:
Timing cached reads: 9052 MB in 2.00 seconds = 4533.83 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 628 MB in 3.00 seconds = 208.99 MB/sec

Pro with E6700 (2.66GHz) and 4GB of 800MHz RAM:
Timing cached reads: 10132 MB in 2.00 seconds = 5075.66 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 622 MB in 3.00 seconds = 207.27 MB/sec

Looks like IO is more of a problem and getting anything more than about 208MB/s out of the RAID6 array is going to be hard..

Transcoding is noticably faster though.. not that I have any real stats to go on yet..

Still, if I'm right and this is the fastest CPU you can put in a Pro, I am more than happy.. it is BLISTERINGLY fast!

If anyone wants to make me an offer for a E6600 2.4GHz chip, feel free 🙂
Message 8 of 285
chirpa
Luminary

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

cpitchford wrote:
If anyone wants to make me an offer for a E6600 2.4GHz chip, feel free 🙂
$20 🙂
Message 9 of 285
beisser1
Aspirant

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

how does the cooling keep up with it? i mean the cooler on the pro isnt exactly high end stuff and the faster processor produces way more heat for sure.

could you post temperatures and fan-speeds?
Message 10 of 285
cpitchford
Guide

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

Yeah, it is funny you should ask!

I was seriously contemplating Chirpa's offer.. but

I have two tests..
for i in 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ; md5sum /dev/zero & done
This just generates cpu load.. a specific type of cpu load, but load none the less

The other test is multiple compiles of the linux kernel 😉

Anyway, with the 8 copies of md5sum running I hit an overheat problem..

According to frontview -> system -> health, temp2 reached 61 degress C.. which is 1 over the CPU limit.. I tried patching the vpd file bumping it up to 65 (same as temp1) but it doesn't seem to get it's limits from the vpd info file in /proc....

Having a look in /sys for temp info I found that:

grep . `find /sys -name temp?_*`
/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.0/temp1_max:85000
/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.0/temp1_label:Core 0
/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.0/temp1_crit_alarm:0
/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.0/temp1_input:89000
/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.0/temp1_crit:100000
/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.1/temp1_max:85000
/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.1/temp1_label:Core 1
/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.1/temp1_crit_alarm:0
/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.1/temp1_input:89000
/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.1/temp1_crit:100000

Now, these values are the values reported by the processor itself (one per core).. The max value is 85 degress C.. but I'm still not sure what "max" means.. According to the kernel doc:

temp1_max - All cooling devices should be turned on (on Core2).

So, does that mean the CPU will be damaged if it is exceeded.. or does it just mean that the CPU fan must be running flat out if the CPU is this hot?

The reason I ask is that temp1_crit also exists.. and says 100 degrees C.

So.. with the E6700, the temp2 reading was 1 degree over the limit (I think this limit is imposed by Netgear) and the core's reported a temperature of 89 degrees C.. Hot hot hot..

I've whacked the E6600 back in:

/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.0/temp1_max:84000
/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.0/temp1_label:Core 0
/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.0/temp1_crit_alarm:0
/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.0/temp1_input:85000
/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.0/temp1_crit:100000
/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.1/temp1_max:84000
/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.1/temp1_label:Core 1
/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.1/temp1_crit_alarm:0
/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.1/temp1_input:86000
/sys/devices/platform/coretemp.1/temp1_crit:100000

Now, the temp1 is still higher than the "max" value.. I still don't know if that is a problem.. however. temp2 on frontview reports a MUCH healthier 53 degrees C

So.. the E6600 is 8 degrees cooler running flat out.. and is below the 60 degree limit.. both CPU cores report higher than max levels.. but both are lower than the "crit" level.. so I'm still working out (reading the source and CPU spec) what this means.

Slight pain is that the CPU cooler is attached with screws.. the backing plate is part of the case so heatsinks that screw on can be used.. Stock intel coolers, for example, with their push plugs cannot be used in this case.

If only the case was 1 CM wider a MUCH nicer fan could be put in..but from what I can tell, the tallest cooler you could use is 53mm and the selection is limited..

From what I can tell, the NAS is happy and relatively cool running an E6600, but an E6700 is going to be pushing it.. I've not tried a kernel compile reliability test or a memtest on the E6700 but I don't honestly think the CPU cooler is up to it..

If I can get a larger cooler, that uses screws rather than push plugs, I might try again.. but in the mean time 2.4Gig seems that safe limit with the stock readynas cooler.. (which is remarkably small compared to the intel stock ones! like less than half the height!)

Shame.. Still 2.4G is pretty damn good! 🙂

If I find out what the temp1_max actually means (ie can it be safely exceeded / temp1_crit is the REAL top limit) I'll let you all know
Message 11 of 285
chirpa
Luminary

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

No C2Q support on that Q965 chipset. 😞 http://www.microcenter.com/single_produ ... id=0309580
Message 12 of 285
cpitchford
Guide

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

Sorry.. missed the fan speeds.

The CPU cooler although short (height-wise) does seem to have a fairly rapid fan: 3500 RPM running md5sum and 2900 running idle

I've not got the speed when running the E6700, though I don't imagine it was too different though I seem to remember it reaching 4000ish? But I could be wrong.. Sorry for not making a note.. that is actually a metric I would've liked to have seen..

This is a problem when looking for a new cooler, this is a problem since most of the low profile coolers I've found run at 2000 rpm.. I want at least 4000.. but I just don't seem to be able to find one..
Message 13 of 285
cpitchford
Guide

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

chirpa wrote:
No C2Q support on that Q965 chipset. 😞 http://www.microcenter.com/single_produ ... id=0309580


BLIMEY you'd be lucky.. The heatsink just is NOT up to that task 🙂 but you're right.. the chipset doesn't seem to support anything later than the E6x00 series.. It doesn't support E6x50 chips either.. which is a shame.. the newer chips might not be any faster, but they DO run cooler..

Also, at idle, the E6600 runs at 31 degress C (temp2) which is very happy and healthy!
Message 14 of 285
chirpa
Luminary

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

For my system:
temp1=60
temp2=36
fan1=1548
fan2=1776

Under regular load, while using my VirtualBox VM.
top - 13:15:00 up 22 days, 12:46,  3 users,  load average: 0.26, 0.23, 0.18
Tasks: 108 total, 1 running, 107 sleeping, 0 stopped, 0 zombie
Cpu(s): 1.7%us, 8.2%sy, 1.3%ni, 88.8%id, 0.0%wa, 0.0%hi, 0.0%si, 0.0%st
Mem: 2072432k total, 1986916k used, 85516k free, 14056k buffers
Swap: 1048536k total, 104k used, 1048432k free, 683368k cached

PID USER PR NI VIRT RES SHR S %CPU %MEM TIME+ COMMAND
3037 root 20 0 1109m 1.1g 30m S 34 53.6 11415:10 VBoxHeadless
2403 root 20 0 48992 11m 1720 S 4 0.6 673:17.98 motion
2345 root 20 0 10132 8696 1016 S 0 0.4 26:14.54 wastesrv
2366 store 21 1 73028 30m 5312 S 0 1.5 213:19.99 bt
Message 15 of 285
beisser1
Aspirant

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

well in the worst case you make a mig hole in the left cover and put on a regular cpu cooler.. like those from zalman 🙂

oh btw chirpa.. what about an q6600? that one should run on the nas if you can find something that cools the 95 watts away 🙂
Message 16 of 285
cpitchford
Guide

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

ha.. asides from the tiny heatsink glowing white hot, the Q963/965 chipset that (I think) is on the Pro mobo doesn't support the Q6xxx chips.. Have a look at ark.intel.com:

http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=29765

It lists the G965 and P965, but not the Q965. Does anyone actually know which intel chipset is used on the Pro?

Was looking at the ThermalTake MeOrb heatsink.. it is 47mm high 🙂 That E6700 might yet work
Message 17 of 285
RydForLyf
Tutor

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

:worship:

I wish we had a :popcorn: smiley as I'm interested in watching this one through to the credits.
Message 18 of 285
beisser1
Aspirant

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

how about http://www.intelcommsalliance.com/kshow ... 042aed7b27 then? this says its a q965 mainboard support c2q processors 🙂
Message 19 of 285
cpitchford
Guide

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

http://ixbtlabs.com/articles2/mainboard ... ipset.html

" By the way, i965 chipsets do not officially support quad-core processors (Kentsfield core). "

Officially? So, it could be a BIOS issue to coax it into working.. The mobo has a VGA header 2x8 pins. I had VGA header cable from a n old PCI graphics card, but I binned it only a few months ago.. chucking out old parts claiming I'd never need them again.. always the way... but I figure attaching a screen might be one way of actually figuring out exactly what chipset and what BIOS date the system is using..

The q963 chipset almost certainly won't support a quad core, but a modern q965 might.. Venting 95watts is a serious problem, though.. internal water cooling might be an option, the disk bay fan at the back is pretty large.. but I wouldn't want to risk disks overheating.. And dremmling a hole in the side of the case is just a pity
Message 20 of 285
BrakinDeep
Aspirant

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

cpitchford wrote:
Was looking at the ThermalTake MeOrb heatsink.. it is 47mm high 🙂 That E6700 might yet work


Just curious, did you ever try the MeOrb?
Did it work for you?
Message 21 of 285
bogie1
Guide

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

Just found this thread whilst searching and thought Id add my experiences, im a bit of an habitual tinkerer and overclocker 🙂

I upgraded from my trusty old NV+ (2 years old) to a Pro Pioneer a few months back, on a quest for more power as it gets used more and more at home for CPU intensive stuff (mostly NZB download related LOL, and media streaming)

Anyway I picked up an Intel E6600 2.4Ghz Core 2 DUO cheap off Ebay and 4GB RAM, 10 mins later was up and running 24 x 7, and its been fine now for over a month - with ambient temps in my home office of 23-24deg C occasionally, the CPU isnt going above 55-60degc (as reported in frontview)

Im running the stock readynas HSF, I just cleaned the thermal paste off it and put some new arctic silver on, and that was it.

Performance wise, I havnt really seen big increases in read/writes etc, but faster times when doing CPU reliant stuff (processing files, unzipping etc) and much even more capability on multi-tasking than before

So for a £50 CPU and £35 of RAM, Im happy ive maxxed it out to its full potential 🙂
Message 22 of 285
Tom_Sawyer
Aspirant

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

I have a spare E7400, I wonder if it's worth a shot at seeing if it works in a RNP? I'm curious if nothing else. I've installed the E7400 in a Qnap TS-509 with great results (the Intel HSF even fit in it!). I recently acquired a RNP Pioneer at a nice price so decided to move to that for my primary NAS and sack off the TS-509. Now I have this CPU sitting here... tempting me.. :wink: Sounds like it won't work though if the chipset in the RNP is the one people are thinking... looks like the E6600 is the highest CPU that chipset supports. I just wonder if the E7400 might just work even though it's not on the list. It is certainly a low wattage CPU, can't imagine it would break anything, perhaps just not boot/post.

If I decide to do anything, I'll probably just pick up an E6600, they are cheap enough and I can recoup the cost by selling my E7400.
Message 23 of 285
chal2les
Aspirant

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

I have a k45 and it supports E6600/E6700, but does not support 1333 fsb . Even though this was the case. I was able to put in a E8400, and it would boot up(had to skip the warning that it was running at a lower freq(I disable check in the bios and it booted perfectly).

The end result that the CPU ran alot cooler and at the same speed.

Anyone tried 1333 fsb yet?
Message 24 of 285
MikeMcr1
Aspirant

Re: More on CPU specs of the ReadyNAS Pro

cpitchford wrote:
Was looking at the ThermalTake MeOrb heatsink.. it is 47mm high 🙂 That E6700 might yet work

Did you try the ThermalTake MeOrb heatsink? Did it fit?
Message 25 of 285
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