[Article] In-vehicle machine successor evaluation report (1)

■ This is an article posted on June 2016, 9, so the content of the information may be out of date.

2017/7/19 Update:
In-vehicle successor model evaluation verification report (2) has been released!

Although the in-vehicle machine has been well-received for many years, we are proceeding with the design and evaluation of the successor machine because the supply situation of components has become questionable.

Current vehicle machines:Small PC for in-vehicle image processing system development

There are many requests especially "higher CPU performance" than current in-vehicle machines, and this evaluation is mainly about how to mount a high-performance CPU on a small in-vehicle chassis. Is an issue.

The evaluation machine we prepared this time is a board / case that can mount the high clock model of the Xeon processor. We compared this model with the current product and evaluated how much performance difference it can make and whether it can be adopted as a product.

<Current product>

<Successor plan>

・ Measurement method, tools

PCMark8 (https://www.futuremark.com/benchmarks/pcmark8)

 Measurement result

1. Current product benchmark

* Click each image to enlarge

It is the result of running the CREATIVE, HOME, and WORK benches from above. Use this as a reference for comparison.

2-1. Succession plan benchmark

In the first place, before benchmarking, the exhaust heat was not in time, and the CPU temperature exceeded 80 ° C within a few minutes after operation ... It is over 100 ° C under 90% load (^^ ;.
In order to overcome this situation, we also considered changing grease and strengthening the fan, but we could not get sufficient effect, and we tried `` LIQUID Pro '' (also known as Rikipro), which is famous as the strongest CPU grease. I tried.

2-2. Applying LIQUID Pro

 

The conclusion is, "This is so good!" The CPU temperature, which had reached 90 ° C immediately before, became stable at 100 to 60 ° C under 70% load.

2-3. Succession plan benchmark (re)

* Click each image to enlarge

The score (speed) is nearly double that of the current product. If it stabilizes, it will have a considerable advantage.

2-4. Succession plan temperature transition

The load test situation after 15 hours showed no temperature problems.

* Click to enlarge

2-5. Startup test and after that

And here is the problem. A blue screen appears on Windows 7 when the power is turned on for the first time after discharge (it will start after rebooting without any problem, and will not occur unless the main power is removed). At first glance, the problem does not occur on Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, but if you disable the fast startup in the OS settings, you can see the same problem, so it seems to be a problem with the loading driver at startup around here. We are confirming this issue with the board manufacturer.

Another point is that LIQUID Pro, which has demonstrated considerable cooling performance, I confirmed it by fixing it for about 48 hours, but it did not solidify but remained liquid.

Conclusion 1 (performance)

About machine performance:
The performance itself was as expected, and the score was growing, so if you look only here, it will be a passing score.

About CPU temperature:
A standard chassis and cooler alone cannot cool this class of CPU. LIQUID Pro has a great effect, and you can bring it to a stable level by using it (cooling must be devised).

Conclusion 2 (Practical use / Adoption)

Since the problem of booting that a blue screen occurs immediately after the first power is on has not been solved and due to the nature of in-vehicle use, vibration is inherent, LIQUID Pro
It was judged that the operation using (liquid metal) was tough anyway, and the adoption was postponed. The higher the performance, the higher the amount of heat, so it is important to find a compromise between performance and exhaust heat. It cannot be commercialized until it becomes a well-balanced and stable product. Until then, verification of the successor model will continue. We will continue to disclose the information, so please look forward to it (to be continued).