ThinkStation P3 Tower Gen2 - Severe Audio Dropouts

[Michael_]

Hello,

I recently purchased a ThinkStation P3 Tower Gen2 (serial number GM18C1XB) but unfortunately I am experiencing severe audio issues (dropouts).

I have spent WEEKS trying everything possible:

- Windows 11 and MX Linux
- Windows 11 tweaks such as the Ultimate Performance power plan and disabling selective USB suspend
- Updated BIOS to the latest version
- Tried numerous BIOS tweaks (disabled all possible power-saving options, onboard sound card disabled, iGPU disabled, SATA controller disabled, Turbo Boost disabled, Hyperthreading disabled, RAID disabled, etc.)
- Added and removed various PCIe cards
- Tested multiple sound cards: RME Fireface UFX (high-end, USB), Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 Gen1 (USB), ESI Juli@ XTe (PCIe card)
- Ruled out the speakers (issue occurs with headphones as well)

Currently, the system is back to factory settings except for:

- BIOS updated
- Nvidia GPU replaced with AMD Radeon Pro W7500 (this is not the cause → problem occurs even without a discrete GPU)
- VGA FlexIO module replaced with USB-C module (issue existed before the swap)
- RME Fireface UFX connected via USB

Under “lab conditions” (not realistic for daily use) when almost all PCIe cards were removed and only a mouse, keyboard, and monitor were connected, the problem did not occur (at least during short testing).
As soon as enough devices are connected and active (internal + external via USB), the problem occurs, regardless of configuration. I suspect the error only appears when a certain number of devices (internal + external) are active, but I am not certain.
The system is well-equipped (1x AMD Radeon Pro W7500, 3x Lenovo M.2 SSDs, 1x Lenovo PCIe SSD AIC, 1x Lenovo PCIe USB card, 2x Lenovo SATA HDDs, 1x Lenovo SATA DVD drive, Intel 285k CPU, 192GB Lenovo ECC RAM, 1x Lenovo FlexIO USB-C module).

At this point, I am fairly certain that only the following causes are possible:

- Hardware defect
- BIOS firmware (in which case a Lenovo update would be necessary)
- Mainboard design flaw (hardware) on Lenovo’s part

There is just one other thing i want to rule out:

Is that actually normal for a Intel Core Ultra 9 285k based system?
Or more precise: Could it be that this system is just not able to keep up with that many devices resulting in Audio Dropouts?

I don't think so. ChatGPT doesn't think so and everyone i talked to also doesn't think so BUT only someone with a comparable system
could answer this for sure i guess.

Intel 285k CPU
192GB Lenovo ECC RAM
1x AMD Radeon Pro W7500
3x Lenovo M.2 SSDs
1x Lenovo PCIe SSD AIC
1x Lenovo PCIe USB card
2x Lenovo SATA HDDs
1x Lenovo SATA DVD drive
1x Lenovo FlexIO USB-C module

[BertKoor]

This tool may give you good pointers to what the culprit is:
https://resplendence.com/latencymon

[Michael_]

This tool may give you good pointers to what the culprit is:
https://resplendence.com/latencymon

I know and used that tool. Unfortunately it does not show anything obvious. But it does come to the conclusion that i will suffer from dropouts.

At this point i'm really just interested in knowing if this is normal for a Intel Core Ultra 9 285k based system with these specifications.

[BertKoor]

If you share a screenshot of LatencyMon, maybe someone here spots something you overlooked.

[Michael_]

If you share a screenshot of LatencyMon, maybe someone here spots something you overlooked.

See attachments.
But keep in mind i pretty much already tried every trick in the book and this is just with the current configuration.

[uOpt]

If you have the same issue in Windows and Linux you are probably well screwed.

[Michael_]

If you have the same issue in Windows and Linux you are probably well screwed.

Yes i know that i'm screwed at this point i just want to know WHY.
Because if its a Hardware Defect or Bad Engineering on Lenovo's side i could get it taken care of. If this is just what to expect from an Intel Core Ultra 9 285k System once you add so many internal and external devices i can sell the computer basically...

[jdnz]

wdf01000.sys is part of the windows driver framework - so it's effectively hiding which device you have that is really causing the issue

the fact that the issue doesn't occur in a 'clean/mininmal' config means it's a process of elimination/deduction to work out WHICH device you have causing problems - since you've already eliminated the dGPU ( always the prime candidate ) points towards something on the USB bus being the culprit.

can you list ALL the usb devices you have attached when it happens

also have you tested with the PCIe add-on USB card removed ( depending on which chipset they used on that it'd be one of the top suspects )

[uOpt]

If you have the same issue in Windows and Linux you are probably well screwed.

Yes i know that i'm screwed at this point i just want to know WHY.
Because if its a Hardware Defect or Bad Engineering on Lenovo's side i could get it taken care of. If this is just what to expect from an Intel Core Ultra 9 285k System once you add so many internal and external devices i can sell the computer basically...

The only systemic weakness of the 285k that I am aware of is odd SSD benchmark results.

Your problem is somewhere in the firmware (BIOS). Unless there is an open source firmware for this machine (it's rare) there isn't much you can do.

[Michael_]

wdf01000.sys is part of the windows driver framework - so it's effectively hiding which device you have that is really causing the issue

the fact that the issue doesn't occur in a 'clean/mininmal' config means it's a process of elimination/deduction to work out WHICH device you have causing problems - since you've already eliminated the dGPU ( always the prime candidate ) points towards something on the USB bus being the culprit.

can you list ALL the usb devices you have attached when it happens

also have you tested with the PCIe add-on USB card removed ( depending on which chipset they used on that it'd be one of the top suspects )

I already did all of that (i'm already troubleshooting this for a month) and to me it looks like its not a specific device causing this but the total amount of hardware. Hence why i asked if this is normal for this CPU/Chipset.

I meanwhile contacted lenovo support end gave them a bunch of information and diagnosis data.
It's now up to them to figure it out.

[BertKoor]

It's a long time since I dove into BIOS settings. Back then (Plug'nPray was new) the automatically assigned resources (IRQ, DMA, etc) were not always optimal.
You could have something similar.
You probably have done this already:
* start with no pci card inserted, check performance. I understood it was ok.
* insert one card, check performance
* remove, add another card, check performance
* repeat with all
* repeat with all combinations of two cards. Be very systematic.
* Try different slots when there are issues
* repeat with combinations of three cards.
Be very systematic@