Computers 30 years ago did not require CPU fans, but with advancements in CPU acceleration and miniaturization, the need for CPU fans became essential, especially after the introduction of Windows 95. Nowadays, water cooling, including simple forms, is widely used. However, there is still a demand for CPUs (SoCs) that do not require absolute speed and fans, like the Intel Atom series. These cores were later integrated into the Core i series. The Alder Lake-N series, which consists of these cores, is commonly found in small PCs. Recently, fanless Alder Lake-N motherboards were released, which can be powered by a DC jack. This feature is particularly exciting as it eliminates the need for a power supply unit and HDD, resulting in a quiet and efficient system. The N100DC-ITX motherboard, which supports Alder Lake-N, caught the attention of many users, including myself, and I purchased it immediately upon release, despite being on a trip. Although the idea of a fanless system sounds promising for a quiet environment, I had some concerns about its performance. To address these concerns, I decided to monitor the CPU temperature using Ubuntu on the N100DC-ITX motherboard.
The current hardware configuration of the system consists of an ASRock N100DC-ITX motherboard, Kingston KVR32N22S8/8 memory, Western Digital WDS500G3X0C SSD, and an Elecom adapter. The memory was purchased on sale from Amazon, and 8GB should be sufficient for most applications. The adapter I chose was initially intended for a Fujitsu notebook but met the necessary conditions. The system does not have many hardware components connected at the moment, as I wanted to keep it simple and focused. Although there is an ATX power supply space on the motherboard, I did not use it this time as it was not necessary. I also considered using an N-ATXBP-PRO, but it was difficult to obtain, so I am planning to use a PVC board instead.
For this setup, I used Ubuntu 23.04 as the operating system. However, I have confirmed that Ubuntu 22.04 LTS is also compatible and can display the CPU temperature. During the installation process, I encountered a halt with the default installer, so I had to use the old installer instead. After the installation, I checked the system information, and everything seemed to be recognized correctly. The only concern was the firmware version, which is currently at 1.05. However, a newer version (1.06) is available for download, so I plan to update it soon.
The N100DC-ITX motherboard is primarily designed for server use rather than desktop use. It includes features such as a serial port and pin headers for a parallel port, which are typically used for specialized equipment. The display output options, consisting of only D-Sub 15 pin (analog) and HDMI, may not be suitable for desktop use. However, given the current power situation, this motherboard could be a potential replacement for a home server. It offers three expansion slots, including an M.2 slot for NVMe SSDs. There is also another M.2 slot specifically for Wi-Fi, but it only supports the CNVi bus, requiring a dedicated module. Users who wish to connect a non-Wi-Fi module should be cautious.
To monitor the temperature in Ubuntu, I installed the lm-sensors package and ran the sensors-detection command in the terminal. This command asks several questions, but pressing the enter key is usually sufficient. It is recommended to answer “yes” when asked if you want to automatically add the detected lines to /etc/modules. After running the command, I restarted the systemd-modules-load.service to enable the installation. The temperature can then be checked using the sensors command in the terminal. The CPU temperature is labeled as “coretemp-isa-0000,” and the NVMe SSD temperature is labeled as “nvme-pci-0200.” To display the temperature in a graph, I installed the “psensor” package and selected the desired items to be displayed.
To stress test the CPU, I used a package called “stress-ng.” After installing the Snap package version, I ran the command from the terminal. The CPU load reached 100% for all four cores, resulting in a temperature exceeding 90 degrees Celsius. Although the N100DC-ITX is not typically under heavy load for extended periods, this observation raised concerns about the high temperature. To address this issue, I installed a 12cm case fan (F12-PWM) and repeated the stress test. The CPU temperature peaked at 75 degrees Celsius with the case fan, significantly reducing the temperature.
In terms of power consumption, the system consumed 11W at idle and 23W under high load without a case fan. With the case fan installed, power consumption increased to 13W at idle and 25W under high load. Although these values are not excessive, they are not particularly low either. Comparatively, the LarkBox X (model 2022) used in a previous session had an idle power consumption of approximately 8W. The UEFI BIOS settings revealed that the “Long Duration Power Limit” was set to “10W” (PL1) and the “Short Duration Power Limit” was set to 25W (PL2). Adjusting these values may reduce heat generation, but further exploration is needed.
In conclusion, while the N100DC-ITX can function without a case fan, installing one offers significant advantages in terms of temperature regulation. As a writer, I personally prefer having a case fan and intend to include one in my setup. Lowering the “Long Duration Power Limit” and the “Short Duration Power Limit” may also help reduce heat generation, but further testing is required to determine the optimal values.
Although it is difficult to understand from the title, the topic this time is N100DC-ITX
Computers didn’t need CPU fans 30 years ago.
However, especially since the appearance of Windows 95, CPU acceleration and miniaturization have become necessary, and CPU fans have become essential. Nowadays, water cooling is widely used, including simple ones.
On the other hand, there are a certain number of needs for CPUs (SoCs) that do not need such absolute speed and do not need fans, and probably many people will remember the Intel Atom series.
And those cores became one in the Core i series.
Readers of this magazine are well aware that the evolution of the Atom series was incorporated as an E-core, and that the Alder Lake-N series contained only that E-core.
As you can see, the PCs that adopted Alder Lake-N were all small PCs. However, at the end of last month, the long-awaited Alder Lake-N motherboards went on sale.
What’s more, it’s fanless and has a DC jack, isn’t it exciting? If you do not need a power supply unit and do not install a HDD, a zero spindle will appear. I thought I had to have this at all costs, so I bought it the day it went on sale, even though I was travelling.
It’s true that when I hear the word fanless, I dream of acting in a quiet situation, but I worry if it’s really right. To dispel this concern, it is important to get the CPU temperature.
So, this time I will review the N100DC-ITX and present how to get the temperature with Ubuntu.
Current hardware configuration
The basic hardware configuration this time is as follows.
Motherboard Model Manufacturer ASRockN100DC-ITX Memory KingstonKVR32N22S8/8SSDWestern DigitalWDS500G3X0CAC Adapter Elecom WDS500G3X0C Case SilverStoneSG13
The memory happened to be on sale at Amazon at good timing, so I bought it. 8GB should be enough, depending on what you’re using.
As for the AC adapter, when I looked for one that met the conditions, I found that the one advertised for a Fujitsu notebook would fit. I thought 65W would be enough, but anything with a lower wattage would work fine. In the first place, there is not much hardware that can be connected.
The cause was chosen considering that a major cause supporter would be involved. There is a space for an ATX power supply, but it will not be used this time, so it will remain empty. It would have been nice to have an N-ATXBP-PRO, but it seems to be hard to get now, so I’m thinking of using a PVC board.
This Ubuntu version
The Ubuntu version used this time is 23.04. I’ve confirmed that 22.04 LTS can also get the CPU temperature, so that’s fine.
Also, the installer uses the old installer instead of the default one. For some reason, the default installer stopped in the middle of the installation, but I didn’t delve into the details due to time constraints.
When I open “About this system” on Ubuntu 23.04, I get:
Install “About this system” of Ubuntu23.04 on N100DC-ITX
The hardware is recognized without any problems, but I’m worried that the “firmware version” is 1.05. At the time of writing, 1.06 is available for download, so I would like to update it.
N100DC-ITX various editions
If I had to say something about the N100DC-ITX, it’s probably intended for server use rather than desktop use. Having a serial port and having a pin header for a parallel port is considered for special equipment.
The fact that the display output is only D-Sub 15 pin (analog) and HDMI is now unacceptable for desktop use. Given the recent dire power situation, it may be possible to replace the home server’s motherboard with this.
There are three expansion slots, one of which is an M.2 slot for NVMe SSD. It would be nice here. There is another M.2 slot for Wi-Fi. Be careful here, it’s only for the bus called CNVi. In other words, it’s not universal PCIe, so a dedicated module is required. Users like me trying to connect a non-Wi-Fi module here should be careful. As an aside, ASUS PRIME N100I-D D4 seems to have a PCIe through slot for Wi-Fi, so I’d like to expect domestic sales.
After that, there is a PCIe x1 slot, and the point is how to use it. I’m a little wasted, but I plan to connect a 2.5GbE NIC.
temperature monitoring in ubuntu
To monitor temperature in Ubuntu, install the lm-sensors package and then detect the sensors. Open a terminal and run the following command:
$ sudo apt install lm-detectors
Sense $ sudo-detect
Running sensors-detection will ask you a lot of questions, but basically you have to keep pressing the enter key. It is recommended to give “yes” to the question “Do you want to automatically add these lines to /etc/modules?”.
End of the results of running the sensors-detection command
Now run the following command to enable the installation.
$ sudo systemctl restart systemd-modules-load.service
Incidentally, /etc/modules is the configuration file for loading the kernel modules listed at the end of the sense-detect command at boot time, but is now only left for historical reasons. A symlink is created under /etc/modules-load.d/ named modules.conf, and this is loaded.
In other words, instead of writing to /etc/modules, you should create a file (conf extension) that describes the modules between “break here” under /etc/modules-load.d/.
After rebooting, open the terminal and execute the “sensors” command to display the temperature. The CPU temperature is “coretemp-isa-0000” and the NVMe SSD temperature is “nvme-pci-0200”.
The result of executing the sensors command
In this figure, the temperature of the CPU is 50 ° C. The air conditioning works as it is and the case is left open, so it has probably settled at this level.
It is not worth running the sensors command one by one to get the temperature, so install the “psensor” package and start it so that it can be displayed in a graph.
If you check the item you want to display as a graph, it will be displayed on the left. This time Core 0 to 3 would be fine.
Check the items you want to display as a graph
stress test
There is a package called “stress-ng” as a tool to deliberately increase the CPU load. Both APT and Snap provide packages, but this time we will install the Snap package version. It should be easy to install from Ubuntu Software.
After the installation is complete, run the following command from your terminal.
When I start “System Monitor”, it is true that the CPU load is 100% for all 4 cores. Looking at Psensor, it is more than 90 degrees Celsius. It’s hard to imagine a situation where the N100DC-ITX is under load for a long time (although this time it was less than 20 minutes), but I get the impression that the temperature is too high.
The result of operating without a fan
Install a 12cm case fan and try again. Specifically, I bought an F12-PWM.
The effect was massive, and the CPU temperature topped out at 75°C.
Result of running with case fan
Power consumption
According to the author’s watt checker, power consumption was 11W at idle and 23W at high load without a case fan. 13W idle with a nasty fan and 25W at high load. Not exactly too much, but not too little either.
The power consumption of the LarkBox X (model 2022) used in the 26th session was around 8W when idle.
When I checked the UEFI BIOS settings, “Long Duration Power Limit” was “10”. This means that PL1 is “10W”. By the way, even if I set this to “6”, the idle power consumption did not decrease. Likewise, “Short Duration Power Limit” is 25, so this means PL2 is 25W.
UEFI BIOS OC Tweaker menu
For unknown reasons, “Package C State Support” was disabled by default. You should enable this to reduce power consumption. At the same time, “Enhanced Halt State (C1E)” was also enabled.
UEFI BIOS Advanced Menu
to close
The bottom line is that while you can expect it to work without a case fan, having one is a huge advantage. As a writer, I don’t dream of a PC without a fan, and I plan to implement it with a case fan.
Depending on the application, lowering the “Long Duration Power Limit” and the “Short Duration Power Limit” can be expected to reduce heat generation, but I would like to leave my dream as a dream.
#Tywydd #Ubuntu31ainA #middleaged #Ubuntu #man #doesnt #dream #watching #PCPC #fan
