KGPE-D16

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KGPE-D16
Overview
Introduced2010
ManufacturerASUS
Specifications
Socket2x G34
Northbridge1x AMD SR5690
SouthbridgeAMD SP5100
Super I/OWinbond W83667HG-A
BMCASPEED AST2050 (OpenBMC-compatible)
BMC Flash LocationRemovable Module
Memory16 slots (8 channels) DDR3-1600 ECC UDIMM/RDIMM/LRDIMM, up to 1024GB on coreboot
BIOS Flash2 MiB socketed DIP-8 (W25Q16V)
Form FactorSSI EEB
Power Inputs2x 8-pin EPS
Expansion Slots
  • PCIe Gen2 x16 (disabled if Slot 5 in use)
  • PCIe Gen2 x16
  • PCIe Gen2 x8 (electrically x4)
  • PCIe Gen2 x16 (x8 if Slot 2 in use)
  • PCIe Gen2 x16 (electrically x8)
  • 32-bit Legacy PCI
  • ASUS PIKE2008 Interface
Onboard Peripherals
Graphics AdapterAST2050 Integrated VGA
Network Interface2x Intel 82574L Gigabit
Storage ControllerSP5100's SATA2 (3.0 Gbps), no SAS unless PIKE2008 installed
USB ControllerSP5100's onboard USB 2.0
Serial InterfaceOne SIO-provided RS232, one virtual BMC console port
Audio InterfaceNone (ASUS recommended a PCI sound card)

The ASUS KGPE-D16, commonly referred to as the D16, is a dual-socket server/workstation motherboard released by ASUS on April 7th, 2010[1], for use with Socket G34 Opteron processors. Originally sold as a standalone board in a mostly-standard SSI EEB form factor, and intended for both desktop and rack-mounted uses, the KGPE-D16 is popular among enthusiasts as a relatively versatile and workstation-friendly G34 platform.

Ports of coreboot and OpenBMC to the D16 were developed by Raptor Engineering between 2015 and 2017. Among major coreboot versions, it was first supported in coreboot 4.2 in October 2015, and last supported in coreboot 4.11 in November 2019. Support was dropped beginning in coreboot 4.12, primarily due to lack of maintenance after Raptor Engineering discontinued work on the platform. Between 2021 and 2022, after seeking funding for such an effort for several years, 3mdeb developed an out-of-tree fork of coreboot 4.15 for the board under their Dasharo brand, but it was not upstreamed, and has not been significantly maintained since 2022. At present, there does not appear to be a significant effort to re-upstream the KGPE-D16 into coreboot.

The KGPE-D16 is highly-supported by coreboot-15h, 15h.org's downstream coreboot variant for fam15h systems.

Open Source Firmware

Open source firmware for the KGPE-D16 is provided by coreboot-15h utilizing AMD's open source AGESA and CIMx releases for platform initialization.

KGPE-D16

Release
Notes
Download Options
2025.11.09-v4.11-6f1fd5cf220
  • Optimized HyperTransport Speed and Deemphasis
  • Optimized RAM Power Saving
  • Optimized RAM ECC Scrub Rates
  • Setup Thermal Throttling
  • Enabled Thermal Shutdown
  • SeaBIOS + uCode + VGA-OpROMs
  • SeaBIOS + uCode (text-mode)
  • SeaBIOS (text-mode, blob-free)
2025.10.31-v4.11-c71dd7896fe
  • Enabled the IOMMU
  • Enabled the HPET
  • Added coreinfo and memtest
  • SeaBIOS + uCode + VGA-OpROMs
  • SeaBIOS + uCode (text-mode)
  • SeaBIOS (text-mode, blob-free)
2025.10.11-v4.11-63a34806baf
  • Added support for microcode removal
  • Created configs with blobs removed
  • SeaBIOS + uCode + VGA-OpROMs
  • SeaBIOS + uCode (text-mode)
  • SeaBIOS (text-mode, blob-free)
2025.10.10-v4.11-a99acc20d4a
  • Initial v4.11 AGESA release
    • Robust support for all DIMM slots
      • up to 32GB RDIMMs supported
      • up to 64GB LRDIMMs supported
    • Up to 4 PCIe cards supported
    • Native fan control
    • Latest microcode
    • IOMMU is disabled
  • SeaBIOS + uCode + VGA-OpROMs

Display Output

The mainboard VGA_SW1 jumper determines whether the onboard VGA (AST2050) or a PCIe GPU will be used as the bootup display. Set VGA_SW1 to "Enable" to use the onboard VGA. Set VGA_SW1 to "Disable" to use the PCIe GPU.

Onboard VGA Output

The onboard VGA, ASPEED AST2050, can be setup with a closed-source VGABIOS (full VGA support) or with an open-source coreboot driver (textmode VGA support). A compatible display, generally an old VGA monitor, will be required to use the open-source driver. The closed-source VGABIOS is included in coreboot-15h release ROMs with the "VGA-OpROMs" tag.

PCIe GPU Output

To use a PCIe GPU as the bootup display, PCIe Option ROMs must be executed by SeaBIOS. This is enabled in 15h.org release ROMs with the "VGA-OpROMs" tag. The relevant coreboot-15h menuconfig option for SeaBIOS is "Payload > Execute PCIe Option ROMs". The "VGA Only" option is the recommended setting when using a PCIe GPU as the bootup display.

Missing Features

  • The SR5690 IOMMU has not been activated.
  • Opteron 6100 series CPUs are unsupported.
  • TPM support is untested.
  • ASUS MIO audio cards are untested.

Flashing

To switch from the stock firmware to coreboot, external flashing is required. The DIP-8 flash chip is located at the bottom right corner of the board (labeled BIOS in the motherboard diagram). A 3.3V CH341a programmer can be used to flash coreboot onto the KGPE-D16.

Deployed Systems

Outside of the 15h.org community, it is known that, at least as of 2022, the Free Software Foundation uses KGPE-D16s with 6200-series Opterons for their servers.

Motherboard Diagrams

Hardware Revisions

Three KGPE-D16 revisions are known: 1.03G, 1.04, and 1.05. The differences between the three revisions have not been disclosed. The more recent boards (1.04 and 1.05) are generally in better condition and are recommended. The three boards, when in similar condition, perform equally well.

Motherboard Components

Socket G34

G34 socket pinout

G34 was launched on March 29, 2010. It supports 10h and 15h Opteron CPU's[2]. All G34 Opteron CPUs are dual node processors with two NUMA nodes.

AMD Opteron 6100 Series

Processors in the AMD Opteron 6100 Series were designed with the K10 microarchitecture and are compatible with the G34 socket.

Official Source Code and Documentation

AMD Opteron 6200 and 6300 Series

Processors in the AMD Opteron 6200 and 6300 Series were designed with the Bulldozer (6200 series) and Piledriver (6300 series) microarchitectures and are compatible with the G34 socket.

Official Source Code and Documentation

DDR3 Memory

Currently, all UDIMM, RDIMM, and LRDIMM DDR3 modules are expected to work without exception. The maximum RAM supported is 256 GB per CPU socket. The following is an incomplete list of tested modules.

Product ECC Type Capacity Speed Tester
Actica ACT4GHU72D8H1333S Yes UDIMM 4 GB 1333 MHz mrothfuss
Actica ACT8GHR72Q4H1600S Yes RDIMM 8 GB 1600 MHz mrothfuss
ASint SLA302G08-GGNHC No UDIMM 4 GB 1600 MHz mrothfuss
ELPIDA EBJ81RF4BDWD-DJ-F Yes RDIMM 8 GB 1333 MHz mrothfuss
Corsair TR3X6G1333C9 No UDIMM 2 GB 1333 MHz mrothfuss
Crucial CT16G3ERSLD4160B Yes RDIMM 16 GB 1600 MHz mrothfuss
Crucial CT32G3ELSDQ4186D Yes LRDIMM 32 GB 1866 MHz mrothfuss
Hynix HMT84GL7MMR4A-H9 Yes LRDIMM 32 GB 1333 MHz mrothfuss
Kingston KVR13N9S8/4 No UDIMM 4 GB 1333 MHz mrothfuss
Kingston KVR16E11/8I Yes UDIMM 8 GB 1600 MHz mrothfuss
Kingston KVR1333D3D4R9S/4G Yes RDIMM 4 GB 1333 MHz mrothfuss
Kingston KVR16R11D4K4/32I Yes RDIMM 8 GB 1600 MHz mrothfuss
Micron MT36KSF2G72PZ-1G4E1 Yes RDIMM 16 GB 1333 MHz mrothfuss
Micron MT36KSF2G72PZ-1G6E1FE Yes RDIMM 16 GB 1600 MHz mrothfuss
Micron MT36KSF2G72PZ-1G6N1KF Yes RDIMM 16 GB 1600 MHz mrothfuss
Nanya NT4GC64B8HG0NF-DI No UDIMM 4 GB 1600 MHz mrothfuss
Samsung M393B1K70DH0-YH9 Yes RDIMM 8 GB 1333 MHz mrothfuss
Samsung M393B1G70QH0-YK0 Yes RDIMM 8 GB 1600 MHz mrothfuss
Samsung M393B2K70DM0-YF8 Yes RDIMM 16 GB 1066 MHz mrothfuss
Samsung M393B2G70BH0-CK0 Yes RDIMM 16 GB 1600 MHz mrothfuss
Samsung M393B4G70BM0-YH9 Yes RDIMM 32 GB 1333 MHz mrothfuss
Samsung M393B4G70DM0-YH9 Yes RDIMM 32 GB 1333 MHz mrothfuss
Samsung M386B4G70DM0-CMA Yes LRDIMM 32 GB 1866 MHz mrothfuss
Samsung M386B8G70DE0-YH93 Yes LRDIMM 64 GB 1333 MHz mrothfuss
Super Talent W1333EB4GS Yes UDIMM 4 GB 1333 MHz mrothfuss
Super Talent W16RB8G4S Yes RDIMM 8 GB 1600 MHz mrothfuss
Super Talent W13RC16G4H Yes RDIMM 16 GB 1333 MHz mrothfuss

The KGPE-D16 provides an external method to override the BIOS DDR3 voltage. BIOS control is configured to select a voltage that maximizes performance for all DIMM modules attached to a socket. Forcing a different voltage may cause stability problems. Use the default jumper setting (1.5V / BIOS control) when using coreboot-15h.

PCIe 2.0 Slots

Slot Width Wired Lanes Notes
PCIe1 x16 x16 A special PCIe slot designed for the ASUS MIO audio card. Disabled if PCIe2 is occupied.
PCIe2 x16 x16 Disables PCIe1 if occupied.
PCIe3 x8 x4
PCIe4 x16 x8 Can be configured for x16 mode, but this disables PCIe5.
PCIe5 x16 x8 Must be disabled to use PCIe4 in x16 mode.

PIKE Slots

The two PIKE slots, PIKE1 and PIKE2, are used together to attach an ASUS PIKE module to the KGPE-D16. This is required to utilize the 8 onboard SAS ports. These SAS ports support SAS2 and SATA3, making them faster than the onboard SATA2 ports provided by the SP5100. Drives attached to these ports are accessible to the operating system when the PIKE card is configured for IT mode, but SeaBIOS will not boot from them. The PIKE2008 card, flashed to IT mode, is recommended to utilize these features.

DIP-8 Socket

The DIP-8 Socket houses the mainboard's BIOS ROM. The following DIP-8 chips are known to work with coreboot on the KGPE-D16.

Model Size (MB) Size (Mb)
W25Q16BVAIG 2 16
W25Q64BVAIG 8 64
W25Q128FVIQ 16 128

ASPEED AST2050

The AST2050 chipset is an Integrated Remote Management Processor introduced by ASPEED Technology Inc. It is a high performance and highly integrated SOC device designed to support various management functions required for server platforms which require baseboard management, virtual storage functions, and/or KVM-over-IP functions.

Open source support for the AST2050's VGA output (text-mode only) was implemented in coreboot by Raptor Engineering[3]. Full VGA output support requires ASPEED's closed source VGABIOS to be included in the coreboot rom. A rudimentary port of OpenBMC was also developed by Raptor Engineering[4].

Remote administration features on the AST2050 are only activated when a firmware module (ASMB4 or ASMB5) is attached to the KGPE-D16 mainboard (BMC_FW1 slot).

AMD SR5690

The AMD SR5690, also known as RD890S, was released in March 2010 as a powerful system logic for server and workstation platforms. It offers 46 PCI Express lanes, with 42 lanes dedicated to external PCIe devices and 4 for the A-Link Express II interface to AMD's Southbridges like the SP5100 (formerly SB700S). The chipset boasts the latest technologies, including HyperTransport™ 3 and PCIe Gen 2, and its highly integrated, thermally efficient design comes in a compact 29mm x 29mm package.[5]

Official Source Code and Documentation

Part Numbers

  • AMD 215-0716022
  • AMD 215-0716038
  • AMD 215-0716056

AMD SP5100

The AMD SP5100 is a versatile Southbridge designed to complement AMD's server Northbridges, integrating essential I/O, communication, and other features for advanced server platforms into a single device. [6]

Official Source Code and Documentation

Part Numbers

  • AMD 218-0660013
  • AMD 218-0660024
  • AMD 218-0660026

Winbond W83527HG

The Winbond W83527HG is a member of Nuvoton’s LPC Super I/O product line for desktop PCs.

Official Documentation

Nuvoton W83795G

The Nuvoton W83795G/ADG can be used to monitor several critical hardware parameters of a system; including power supply voltages, fan speeds, and temperatures.

Official Documentation

Custom Parts

Northbridge Fan

This file is designed to work with a Noctua NF-A4x10 fan. If your motherboard is not in a high-airflow server case, the northbridge fan is highly recommended. The fan bracket mounts onto the northbridge heatsink by snapping onto the metal arms that secure the heatsink. The file may need to be edited to accommodate the exact placement of your 40mm fan cable (the provided design has a cable hole at the bottom right position).

KGPE-D16_Chipsetfan_40mm.stl

KGPE-D16_Chipsetfan_40mm.blend

RAM Fan

This file is designed to work with a Noctua NF-A8 fan. When two of these fan mounts are attached to a Noctua NF-A8 fan, they will be spaced correctly to snap onto the KGPE-D16 RAM clips (white). These clips vary between boards. The included file is designed to work with L-shaped RAM clips. It will not fit as nicely onto the parallelogram-shaped RAM clips.

KGPE-D16_Ramfan_80mm.stl

KGPE-D16_Ramfan_80mm.blend

References

  1. ↑ https://www.techpowerup.com/119540/asus-releases-kgpe-d16-socket-g34-motherboard-for-12-core-amd-opteron-processors
  2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socket_G34
  3. ↑ https://review.coreboot.org/c/coreboot/+/11937
  4. ↑ https://www.raptorengineering.com/coreboot/kgpe-d16-bmc-port-status.php
  5. ↑ https://theretroweb.com/chips/5696
  6. ↑ https://theretroweb.com/chips/5699
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