Hardware Specifications¶

Complete technical specifications for the AMD BC-250 board.

APU Overview¶

The BC-250 features a cut-down PS5 APU (codenamed "Oberon" / "Cyan Skillfish"):

CPU Specifications¶

Cores: 6x Zen 2 cores (2 cores disabled from original 8-core design)
Base Clock: ~3.5 GHz
Architecture: Zen 2 microarchitecture
Instruction Set: x86-64
Cache: Shared L3 cache (reduced from PS5 config)

CPU Performance

The CPU is intentionally cut down for mining purposes. While adequate for gaming and general computing, it's not the board's primary strength.

GPU Specifications¶

Architecture: RDNA 2 (same generation as RX 6000 series)
Compute Units: 24 CUs (down from 36 CUs in full PS5 APU)
Codename: Cyan Skillfish (gfx1013)
Base Frequency: 1500 MHz (locked without governor)
Maximum Frequency: 2000-2230 MHz (with kernel patch and governor)
Performance: Comparable to RX 6600 / GTX 1660 Ti in gaming workloads

GPU Features

Hardware ray tracing support (RDNA 2 RT cores)
FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) compatible
Vulkan 1.3 support
No video encoding/decoding (VCN disabled)

Memory Configuration¶

Total Memory: 16GB GDDR6
Memory Type: GDDR6 (PS5 specification)
Memory Speed: 14 Gbps
Memory Bus: 256-bit
Memory Bandwidth: ~448 GB/s

Memory Split Required

The 16GB is shared between CPU and GPU. You must configure the split in BIOS:

512MB GPU / 15.5GB CPU: Recommended for desktop/light gaming
4GB GPU / 12GB CPU: Recommended for modern games
Dynamic allocation: Available but can cause issues with some applications

See VRAM Configuration Guide for detailed setup instructions.

Physical Specifications¶

Board Dimensions¶

Form Factor: Custom mining board (non-standard)
Length: 340mm / 310mm (depending on measurement method)
Width: Approximately 115mm
PCB Thickness: Standard
Weight: ~400g (with heatsink)

Connectors and Headers¶

Power Connectors¶

Main Power: 1x PCIe 8-pin (6+2 pin)
Power Delivery: Direct 12V input
Maximum Draw: 220W TDP (measured up to 235W in extreme cases)

Power Requirements

Use a quality PSU with at least 220W available on the 12V rail. Poor quality power supplies can cause instability and system crashes.

Display Output¶

DisplayPort: 1x full-size DisplayPort 1.4
Resolution Support: Up to 4K @120Hz, 8K @60Hz
Audio: Audio over DisplayPort (compatibility varies)
HDMI: None (requires DP to HDMI adapter)

Storage¶

M.2 Slot: 1x M.2 2280 slot (PCIe Gen 3 x2)
Speed: ~1 GB/s maximum
USB: 1x USB 3.0 port (Type-A)
USB Speed: ~480 MB/s (SATA speed equivalent)

Fan Headers¶

Primary Fan: 1x 4-pin PWM header (J1)
Secondary Fan: 1x 4-pin PWM header (J4003)
Voltage: 12V
Control: PWM (Pulse Width Modulation)

Fan Control

The nct6687 kernel module enables PWM control. Without it, sensors are read-only.

Other Headers¶

Power Button: 2-pin header (rear of board)
Debug Header: 20-pin AMD HDT1 debug connector
SPI Flash: Header for BIOS flashing
Super I/O: NCT6686/6687 chip for sensors and fan control

Heatsink and Cooling¶

Stock Heatsink¶

Type: Passive aluminum fin stack
Fin Count: High-density vertical fins
Orientation: Fins run front-to-back
Mounting: Screwed directly to PCB
Base: Direct contact with APU die

Stock Cooling Inadequate

The stock heatsink is designed for passive or low-airflow rack cooling. For desktop gaming use, active cooling is required.

Thermal Interface¶

APU Thermal Compound: May be dried out on used boards
Memory Thermal Pads: On underside of board
Recommended Refresh: Replace thermal paste and pads for optimal performance

See Cooling Guide for recommended solutions.

Power Consumption¶

Measured Power Draw¶

State	Power Consumption
Idle (no governor)	85-105W
Idle (with governor)	65-85W
Desktop use	70-90W
Light gaming	120-150W
AAA gaming	160-200W
Maximum (Cyberpunk RT)	235W

Power Optimization

Installing the GPU governor can save 20-30W at idle by reducing GPU frequency to 1000 MHz.

Power Efficiency¶

Efficiency: Moderate (mining-optimized, not efficiency-optimized)
Idle Power: Higher than typical desktop due to GDDR6 memory
Comparison: Less efficient than modern desktop components but acceptable for the performance level

Limitations and Notes¶

Known Hardware Limitations¶

No Video Encode/Decode¶

VCN (Video Core Next): Disabled in hardware or firmware
Hardware Encoding: Not available
Hardware Decoding: Not available
Software Fallback: CPU decoding works but is power-hungry

No VCN Support

There is no way to enable hardware video encoding/decoding. The silicon may have been binned without working VCN, or it's disabled in SMU firmware.

IOMMU Issues¶

IOMMU: Broken on BC-250 - MUST be disabled
Impact: Causes display failures, black screens, and system crashes
Virtualization: GPU passthrough not possible
Required: Always disable IOMMU in BIOS

Memory Architecture¶

Unified Memory: CPU and GPU share the same 16GB pool
Dynamic Allocation: Can cause issues with some games
Static Split: More reliable but less flexible

Unsupported Features¶

Windows Gaming: No Windows GPU drivers available
Secure Boot: Not supported
TPM: Not present
Thunderbolt: Not available

Comparison to Similar Hardware¶

vs. PlayStation 5¶

Feature	BC-250	PlayStation 5
CPU Cores	6 cores	8 cores
CPU Clock	~3.5 GHz fixed	Up to 3.5 GHz (variable)
GPU CUs	24 CUs	36 CUs
GPU Clock	2000 MHz max	2230 MHz (variable)
Memory	16GB GDDR6	16GB GDDR6
VCN	Disabled	Enabled
Form Factor	Mining board	Console

vs. Desktop GPUs¶

Approximate Performance Equivalents:

Rasterization: Between RX 6600 and RX 6600 XT
Ray Tracing: Similar to RX 6600 (entry-level RT performance)
Compute: Similar to RX 6600 (RDNA 2 architecture)
Memory: 16GB total (configurable split) vs 8GB dedicated VRAM

Gaming Performance

For 1080p gaming, the BC-250 performs admirably, achieving 60+ FPS in most modern games at high settings.

Verification Commands¶

Check your hardware specifications with these commands:

# Check CPU information
lscpu | grep -E "Model name|CPU\(s\)|Thread|Core"

# Check GPU information
lspci | grep VGA
vulkaninfo | grep deviceName

# Check memory information
free -h
vulkaninfo | grep -i memory

# Check Mesa version
glxinfo | grep "OpenGL version"

# Check kernel version
uname -r

# Check sensors
sensors