I saw this on a German web site called speicher.de and I thought it was pretty significant so I thought I’d share a copy of the translation to English
The Asrock J4105-ITX is a useful low-power build that has been confirmed to work as an ESXi IGD GPU passthrough computer with 4K@60Hz HDMI 2.0. It can be had for around $110 for the motherboard.
The real sticking point for ESXi, besides the realtek NIC, is who wants to run an ESXi host that can only support up to 8GB RAM? As that is the official specifications listed on the Asrock web site…
Well this group of hardware testers in Germany has laid that myth to rest by doing their own testing, and they confirm that configurations of up to 32GB work just fine. Have a look:
32GB Memory – ASRock J4105-ITX – overRAMing Test
LATEST POSTS
- Current overRAMing devices Every day we find new devices, with far more memory than the manufacturer reports (in German)
- 32GB Memory – ASRock J4105-ITX – overRAMing Test1 years ago32 GB RAM in the ASRock – motherboard J4105-ITX – tested and works perfectly! … Continued below:
32GB Memory – ASRock J4105-ITX – overRAMing Test
By Jürgen Hartmann 1 years ago
For all Gemini Lake processors , the current data sheets show a maximum RAM of only 8GB (2x 4GB) . The processor series of the Gemini Lake series include the following Intel CPUs:
Pentium Silver J5005 (4M cache, up to 2.80 GHz)Pentium Silver N5000 (4M cache, up to 2.70 GHz)Celeron J4105 (4M cache, up to 2.50 GHz)Celeron J4005 (4M cache, up to 2.70 GHz)Celeron N4100 (4M cache, up to 2.40 GHz)
Using the example of the current ASRock motherboard J4105-ITX with the Celeron J4105 processor of the same name, we were able to prove in the overRAMing test that the values described in the specifications for maximum RAM are incorrect. So we could prove in the memory duration test that 32GB (2x 16GB) are possible.
Test scenario:
In our overRAMing test , we extensively tested the ASRock J4105-ITX Mini-ITX motherboard in continuous testing with different memory configurations.
- The following memory configurations have been tested:
- 12GB Memory – (8GB + 4GB)
- 16GB Memory – (8GB + 8GB)
- 24GB memory – (16GB + 8GB)
- 32GB Memory – (16GB + 16GB)
The memory tests were performed with MemTest86
The complete 32GB memory was recognized and could be fully utilized. The first initialization of the 32GB requires some patience. The ASRock J4105 Mini-ITX needs approx. 35 seconds until the system starts.
The two 16GB memory modules have been described and read in the ASrock motherboard for more than 6 hours, including the “Hammer Test.” All tests were performed 3 times in a row , and none of the tested memory configurations found an abnormality, error or problem in the memory duration test become.
Why the manufacturers limit the maximum RAM to only 8GB (2x 4GB) in the manuals and documentation is incomprehensible. Our tests were convincing in every configuration of the main memory.
Where are the new processors used?
The new Gemini Lake processors are used eg in the following motherboards / mini-PCs:
ASRock motherboard J4105 Mini-ITXASRock motherboard J5005 Mini-ITXiFujitsu motherboard D3543-S1 / -S2 / -S3Fujitsu Mini STX Boards D3544-S1 / -S2Intel NUC KIT NUC7CJYHIntel NUC KIT NUC7PJYHMSI Cubi N 8GL (MS-B171)
The 8GB and 16GB memory modules have been tested, approved and successfully sold by us due to the successful tests.
Another note from the manual!
When changing the memory modules, we noticed that the BIOS of the ASRock motherboard J4105-ITX does not always recognize the new memory. In this case, the motherboard does not start anymore. The screen will stay black.
The cause is not due to the memory sizes that are used. We were also able to reproduce this phenomenon with 2GB and 4GB RAM.
The remedy here is the function CRLCMOS1 as described in the manual under 1.3 Jumpersettings .
Quote from the ASRock manual:
CRLMOS1 allows you to delete the data in CMOS. The data in CMOS includes system setup information such as system password, date, time, and system setup parameters … Please turn off your computer and unplug the power cord. Then you can short-circuit the solder points on CLRCMOS1 with a metal part, such as a paperclip, for 3 seconds …
Once the CMOS was cleared, any memory configuration could be installed. This was then always recognized immediately and the system booted on the 1st attempt.
Tell somebody:
I tried to run 2x 16GB of CT16G4SFD824A Crucial with J4105B-ITX and unfortunately it wasn’t stable according to memtest86 v8.4. Maybe 32GB runs smooth with J4105-ITX, yet I was only able to run 16GB with J4105B-ITX.
Oh no! Thanks for reporting back. I hope it’s not the case with all SO-DIMMs. What clock speed did you select for them? Did you try any lower clock speeds? Being relegated to single-channel memory speeds sounds untenable to me on such a low-power board.
I can confirm the J4105’s capability of using more than 8 GB of RAM.
My Fujitsu Futro S740, a thin client that I use like a normal office PC, works flawlessly with a single 16 GB RAM stick (its mainboard only fits one). The RAM is a 2133 MHZ CL15, so it’s the same overall speed as the original 2400 MHz CL17.
There is certainly something shady about the way Intel lies to the world about its CPUs’ memory support, whatever the reason may be. As those CPUs are powerful enough for simple office tasks and web surfing, I suppose it’s just a way for them to sell more of their more powerful chips.
@Supertrollsays
which Ram Module are you using for your fujitsu box? I tried a 16 Gig Crucial and it didn’t came up at all, when it is installed…
Don’t know it ith was 1 or 2 ranks 16 GB Module – I try to find it in my project box and if it was a 1 rank I’ll give a 2 ranks module another try…. but when you have the Specification, I’d highly appreciate sharing that detail with us:-)
(dmidecode should pretty much give all these informations withhout opening the box)