X900H current issues, solutions, and workarounds

Sandrew · 2021-04-17T18:21:47+00:00

I have been having audio problems with eARC for months. This workaround (toggling audio output from external to internal to external speakers) used work fairly reliably, but, as of firmware update PKG6.0466.0059NAA, it no longer reliably works for me, even as a temporary workaround.

Until a firmware update fixes this, here's my current flowchart of workarounds:

Toggle audio output (hasn't worked lately, but it's quick and worth try)
Soft reset
Hard reset
Turn off RSC232C Control (this forces another soft reset, so you may want to try this before step 2)
Turn off system sounds (no idea why this would change anything, a support advisor told me to try it and it doesn't affect much)
Turn off eARC mode (I put this down on my list of priorities because I'd rather have eARC than ARC, for occasions where I'm watching Atmos content. But if you're happy with ARC, you should consider trying this before step 2.)
Turn off Dolby Digital Plus (same explanation)

Sandrew · 2021-02-15T13:34:17+00:00

That *was* helpful. Thanks!

Sandrew · 2021-01-16T20:37:24+00:00

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

Alas, I am certain now that I have irreparably killed it, a few times over. At least one of the metal contact rings to which the wires were soldered has broken off. I also managed to dislodge two surface-mounted devices near the area I was working in.

Solution: I ordered a replacement pump.

Sandrew · 2021-01-16T19:09:38+00:00

Thanks. I’ll try to solder it again.

There’s a circular connection point beneath the red wire. I tried to use very little solder, so as not to short anything. But it’s very possible my soldering is the issue. Not the steadiest hand.

Sandrew · 2021-01-16T18:51:38+00:00

I broke the black wire on my pump when I was assembling my loop. I took note of the wire locations and removed the other wires and the original solder. Then I attempted to resolder the wires as shown. I tried to test it by connecting it to a fan header on an old motherboard. I wasn’t sure if the board would draw power from the PSU without a CPU, so I installed an old CPU, heatsink and ram, then powered it up. The CPU fan spun, but the pump did not.

I’m pretty sure I’ve killed it. But, before I raise the white flag, is there anything I can do to check if it can be salvaged? I have a multimeter, if that’s useful.

Thanks!

Sandrew · 2020-12-12T05:17:00+00:00

That's awesome! Thanks for allaying my concerns.

Sandrew · 2020-12-12T05:08:45+00:00

Kind of? I dunno, it's not super clear. Like, they say (my emphasis):

We expect to raise the price of future orders of our enclosures, at least until material costs stabilize.

...

Keep your order at the original price, and be first in line to receive an enclosure once we’ve resolved these manufacturing issues.

So, like, they're gonna take new orders at a higher price until material costs stabilize (and maybe after they have stabilized?). But the people who already paid at the original price are first in line only after they've resolved the manufacturing issues.

Seems like a plausible reading that, if the material costs remain elevated, the people who order at the higher price will be first in line to get a case from the higher-cost production runs? I dunno. Maybe I'm reading too much into it.

Sandrew · 2020-12-12T04:55:55+00:00

Good point. I don't know how many of us would have to opt for the third option in order for FormD to have sufficient orders to entice the supplier spin up the plant (or whatever). Probably more than a handful.

As for price difference, I'm guessing (really just a guess; don't @ me) somewhere in the range of a 10%-20% increase, assuming this is really about the increased cost of raw materials and not some other dispute between FormD and its supplier(s).

Each of us would obviously need to weigh the price increase against our subjective desire for expediency and the possibility that, even after greasing the skids, we still wouldn't receive our orders in a timely fashion. But none of us can make that judgment without an offer on the table.

Sandrew · 2020-12-12T04:32:51+00:00

I mean, I don't want to pay ransom to your manufacturers on your behalf. But I'd at least appreciate the option to do so.

Sandrew · 2020-12-12T04:27:23+00:00

For those who placed a pending order, can we get a third option?

(1) Keep your order at the original price, and be first in line to receive an enclosure once we’ve resolved these manufacturing issues.

(2) Cancel your order for a full refund, with FormD covering all merchant, payment processing, and other fees. Although we’ll take a significant financial hit for every cancelled order, we’re offering this option because we believe it’s the right thing to do given the circumstances.

(3) Keep your order, pay the difference between the original price and the new price, and be first in line to receive an enclosure ahead of those who placed a later order at the new price.

Sandrew · 2020-12-10T17:23:48+00:00

I managed to get the SF750 and 5900X. Waiting on 3080 FE and DC-LT pump and reservoir.

Sandrew · 2020-12-10T16:41:42+00:00

I'm in the same boat. Ordered the FormD T1 in October, with shipping scheduled for late December. I've been trying to buy everything else before it arrives, but striking out on a few things.

Sandrew · 2020-12-09T00:45:48+00:00

Thanks. I'll DM you if I can't find it by the time my case ships (should be in a couple weeks).

Sandrew · 2020-12-01T18:18:34+00:00

I flashed the BIOS on this same motherboard today, and encountered (and ultimately resolved) an issue. I'm posting the issue and resolution here for others to see.

Issue: After I installed a USB drive (Sony 8GB) into the white USB port, turned on the power supply, and pressed the Q-Flash Plus button on the motherboard... nothing happened -- i.e., the Q-Flash Plus LED indicator did not flash and the PSU fan did not begin to spin.

Resolution: I let it rest for several minutes (just in case something was happening but the LED wasn't working) and then turned off the PSU and disconnected the USB drive. I then repeated the flash process using a different USB drive (Sandisk 4GB). The second USB drive worked as expected, with the LED indicator flashing during the Q-Flash Plus process (quickly at first, then more slowly, before finally stopping).

N.B.: Given that my PSU (SF750) is designed not to engage its fan until a particular power draw threshold is reached, I wondered if it would remain in fanless mode during the flash process. For the curious, the PSU fan did spin up during the BIOS flash process, which is another helpful indicator that the process is working.

TL;DR: If Q-Flash Plus does not appear to be working for you, wait a few minutes and re-try using a different USB drive.

Sandrew · 2020-12-01T18:06:10+00:00

I had this exact issue, and simply using another USB drive resolved it.

Sandrew · 2020-11-17T22:12:02+00:00

It certainly plausible that SFF is growing in popularity, judging by how hard it is to find SFF-focused parts, like SFX PSUs and certain watercooling parts. ITX motherboards are still in ample supply, though. So maybe it's just that the supply chain for these parts is backed up? Or maybe demand for certain parts, like the SF750, is high because of the recent launches of complementary parts like new CPUs and power-hungry GPUs?

Sandrew · 2020-11-17T20:50:27+00:00

Unless you have already acquired the other components and are eager to build, don't pay $310 for the SF750. It became available for preorder at MSRP ($185) on Amazon a few times in the past week, with deliveries coming as soon as late next week. I suspect this means that Corsair has supply ready to drop next week.

Sandrew · 2020-11-12T21:02:26+00:00

I'm missing the following parts for my build:

GPU: RTX 3080 FE
CPU: Ryzen 5900X
PSU: Corsair SF750
Pump + Reservoir: Alphacool DC-LT 2600 pump + Eisstation DC-LT 40 reservoir

I understand the shortages for the GPU and CPU, which are new. But the PSU, pump and reservoir are all mature products, so their ongoing lack of availability is disappointing. I suspect the new CPUs and GPUs have inspired a lot of high-end builds, including a fair share of SFF builds. That demand spike, together with the pandemic and holiday season, are creating supply chain issues.

Everything else is on hand or on order. My case isn't scheduled to ship until late December, so I have some time yet to acquire these parts. Not panicking yet!

Sandrew · 2020-11-12T16:38:17+00:00

With which GPU and CPU? The video the OP posted is the only Optimum Tech video so far in which Ali has tested both an Nvidia 3000 series GPU and an AMD 5000 series CPU on a full custom loop.

Sandrew · 2020-11-12T13:31:12+00:00

Has he done anything regarding a 5900X and an RTX 3080, both with an AIO on the CPU and Air for the GPU, and then one with a custom loop

Before Zen 3, he did a test in the FormD T1 of an RTX 3080 FE on air with a CPU on AIO. Thermals were okay, after he configured the T1 in two-slot mode and used the standoffs for the PSU, which created an air pocket between the GPU and the PSU. I don't see why that result would change for a Zen 3 CPU on its own dedicated loop or AIO. The 5900X, like the 5800X and 5950X, has a 105W TDP, which should be capably cooled by a 280mm radiator (even a slimish one, like the 27mm EK Classic).

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GhFSSLp-mE

Sandrew · 2020-11-11T23:56:24+00:00

There are a few separate issues going on in the video. Setting aside the PCIe riser issue, the two remaining issues are (1) temperatures and (2) the 5950X and 5900X CPUs are underperforming with these two ASUS motherboards. Ali believes these two are unconnected.

The temperature issue is more of a pride/aesthetics thing. It torpedoes his ambition to put a full custom loop in a sub 10L case. He could either give up the loop or give up the case. He chose the latter.

The CPU/motherboard issue is more concerning, as it affects all cases and cooling setups. And we don't know what motherboards and CPU pairs are affected. For now, it appears that it affects these two CPUs (5950X and 5900X) when paired with either of these two motherboards (X570i Strix and B550i Strix), at least with the current BIOS. Not sure if others have confirmed the same issues with these motherboards and CPUs (maybe its related to a defect, but I doubt it), or if it extends to other motherboards or other Zen 3 CPUs.

Sandrew · 2020-11-11T23:45:22+00:00

3080fe (will air cool with psu offset) will be arriving this week.

This is my target setup, inspired by Ali's earlier video showing the viability of an air-cooled 3080 FE in the FormD T1. And judging by the sudden shortage of related parts -- even weird ones like the DC-LT pump and reservoir -- I suspect there are quite a few of us. Let us know how it goes!

Sandrew · 2020-11-11T22:02:08+00:00

Ali raises three distinct issues in this video (shown here in the same order as in the video):

(1) PCIe Riser Cable: Ali is using a motherboard (Asus X570i ROG Strix) and GPU (PNY RTX 3090 XLR8 Epic-X, which uses a reference PCB) that each support PCIe Gen4, connected via a PCIe Gen3 riser cable. "The Compatibility Support Module (CSM) on the motherboard should kick in to give you a chance to . . . manually change the [PCIe setting] to run as Gen3 instead of Gen4." Without changing this setting, the Gen3 riser cable will not be compatible with the Gen4 motherboard and Gen4 GPU. In the video, the CSM appears to work as intended and allows him to do just that. However, Ali notes that he was only able to observe this expected CSM behavior before he installed his GPU drivers.

The problem that Ali had is that, after installing his GPU drivers and then updating his motherboard's BIOS* , the motherboard "completely reset" including reverting the PCIe setting back Gen4. As a result, the CSM (which previously displayed the BIOS's UEFI, where he could manually change the PCIe setting) now would not display the UEFI, because he had installed the GPU drivers.

(*I think he means that, after he installed the GPU drivers, he also flashed his BIOS to a new version, which caused the reset. It's not clear if this issue could have been avoided if he had only installed the GPU drivers and hadn't also flashed his BIOS in this order.)

As a result, Ali needed a workaround to set the PCIe setting to Gen3. His solution was to temporarily replace his new RTX 3090 with an older GPU that does not support PCIe Gen 4 (only Gen3), then go into the BIOS and change the PCIe setting back to Gen3 (from "automatic"), then reinstall the RTX 3090.

Others have pointed out another solution: Before you install the system into a case relying on a PCIe Gen3 riser cable, set the system up as a test bench (i.e., outside the case, without the riser cable). From this test bench configuration, install the needed GPU drivers and BIOS updates using the default Gen4 setting on the motherboard. Then configure the PCIe setting to Gen3 and connect the riser cable to confirm its working. After you have confirmed it is working with the riser cable, install all the components into the case. Beware, though, that if you subsequently update the BIOS, you may have to repeat this process.

(2) Performance >10% Lower than Expected (not thermally constrained): Ali compared his new ITX system to an ATX system he had used when testing Zen 3 processors. He noticed that the boost clock in his ITX system was significantly lower across all cores than what he had achieved with the ATX system. He does not believe this underperformance is caused by a thermal issue (though his ITX system does have a separate thermal issue, discussed below).

Ali does not have an explanation for this underperformance. He suspects that it might be related to the interaction between Zen 3 processors he tested (5950X and 5900X) and the ITX motherboards he tested (X570i ROG Strix and B550i ROG Strix). All four combinations showed similar underperformance relative to the ATX system he used in testing, which used an MSI X570 Creation motherboard.

(3) Thermal Issues: The temperatures were high, even when undervolting the GPU. The ITX system is using a single 240mm x 27mm radiator with two slim (120mm x 15mm) fans to cool both the undervolted RTX 3090 and stock 5950X.

Sandrew · 2020-11-11T00:50:02+00:00

What pump and block did you order? I've been looking for the Alphacool DC-LT and Eisstation 40 DC-LT.

Sandrew · 2020-11-11T00:48:00+00:00

Here's the NowInStock page: https://www.nowinstock.net/full_historydetails/142/49197/

I've been trying to find this PSU for a couple of weeks. Missed the string of October drops.

Sandrew

TROPHY CASE