# Dell Workstation Owners Club



## lexluthermiester (Apr 8, 2018)

There have been a ton of posts lately about Dell workstation PC's in other threads that have begun to derail things a bit. Thought it might be a good idea to create this thread for people to share/post info/pics and ask questions.


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## remixedcat (Apr 9, 2018)

I got a Dell Precision T3400. 

CPU:Intel Core2 Quad Q6600 @ 2.40GHz 1066 RAM:3.9 GB
GPU: Quadro FX 1700


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## lexluthermiester (Apr 9, 2018)

remixedcat said:


> I got a Dell Precision T3400. CPU:Intel Core2 Quad Q6600 @ 2.40GHz 1066 RAM:3.9 GB GPU: Quadro FX 1700


You could get a 1333mhz FSB based CPU for that system. The Yorkfield Xeons are an excellent choice as they are currently very inexpensive and offer C2Quad Extreme performance without the cost. For example the Xeon X3360 or X3370 would give you nearly double the performance you are getting now from your Q6600.
X3360@$20 https://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Xeon...040624&hash=item239e1af4ed:g:RN8AAOSwdGJatzwt
X3370@$60 https://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Xeon...073865&hash=item4679e58aad:g:HMoAAOSwheFaw8ap
The X3370 is a bit pricy, but still worth it. The X3360 is no brainer. As long as you update your bios(if you aren't up to date) before you swap them out, you're golden.


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## remixedcat (Apr 9, 2018)

Not too bad price wise. Nice


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## MortySimmons (Apr 11, 2018)

Would like to make a game ready system from a Dell 7020. The PSU has max. 275 Watt, not enough for a GTX 1070. The board has an 8 pin power connector so I ordered an adapter from 24 to 8 pin to use an ordinary ATX PSU instead of the low profile designs from Dell which seems kind of unique and I did not found any higher rated replacements.
Another idea was to use a separate PSU from a Dell thin client which has an external PSU like a laptop. It is a DA-2 Series PSU. Has anyone the pinout for the MB from the 7020 and the layout of the pinout from the external PSU? Will they match?
This way I can deliver power to the board and the graphics card separately.


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## insane 360 (Apr 11, 2018)

i'll throw my hat in here, i've got several and most are all in use for some purpose

two t7500 - one is a dual x5675 xeon with 36gb of ram, running quadro 4000 gpu still and windows 10.  right now its my plex server and does some light in home streaming until i get another workstation up.  
the other t7500 has a single x5675 and 24gb of ram along with 4 1tb wd hard drives.  running freenas 11.1 and serves are my nas and ubiquity controller for my AP

t5810 - lower end quad core xeon 2.8ghz (can't remember the model will fill in later) and 32gb of ram and a k2200 4gb gpu, 512gb ssd from samsung.  its going to be my main workstation with cpu upgrade sometime when the prices come down for 2011v3.

t3610 - also a quad xeon ~3.1ghz with a k420 quadro and will be my wifes main workstation

t3500 with one xeon x5675 and 12gb of ram and quadro 2000 gpu, was a test box just to play around with cpu mining a few months back...its going to be repurposed as my projector pc upstairs.

older precision 390 that i was trying to get a sticker modded e5420 xeon to work in it.  currently a core2duo of 2.4ghz or so running with 8 gb of ram.  hoping to just have it setup with linux mint or as a fun box to play around with, not sure yet.

i've got a few older optiplex's around too but they aren't exciting, i get some good hand me downs though and really like the build quality of the dells.


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## remixedcat (Apr 11, 2018)

Interested in selling some of those?

Got  a  Optiplex  960
It came with a core 2 duo but will upgrade it to the Q6600 out of my sis's old system.
4GB RAM, 250GB HDD


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## lexluthermiester (Apr 11, 2018)

MortySimmons said:


> Would like to make a game ready system from a Dell 7020. The PSU has max. 275 Watt, not enough for a GTX 1070. The board has an 8 pin power connector so I ordered an adapter from 24 to 8 pin to use an ordinary ATX PSU instead of the low profile designs from Dell which seems kind of unique and I did not found any higher rated replacements.
> Another idea was to use a separate PSU from a Dell thin client which has an external PSU like a laptop. It is a DA-2 Series PSU. Has anyone the pinout for the MB from the 7020 and the layout of the pinout from the external PSU? Will they match?
> This way I can deliver power to the board and the graphics card separately.


If you're talking about the low profile version of that system, then yes the PSU is going to be a limiting factor. But there isn't room for a full size video card in that system. You may wish to set your sights on a low profile version of the Geforce 1050. They are damn decent cards and will run all but the last(past year) games at 1080p with good quality. Keep AA off an AF to 4x or 2x. Also that system with take any of the i7-47xx series CPU's, but a i7-4770T would give the best performance without taxing the PSU.


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## Retrorockit (Apr 19, 2018)

I came across a couple of workstation factoids I thought I would share here.
In the LGA1366 series RAM speed is not only determined by the CPU selected, but also by how many RAM slots are used. The high end CPUs are 1333 but only if running 1 module per channel.
3 modules 1333, 6 modules 1066.
Another thing that may be of interest is that just about all of the mid tower size Dell workstations can be run in Desktop orientation. All that's required is remove the 5.25,and 3.5 drives. In stall the drives sideways, and install the Desktop plastic drive bezel. Some of them have 2x 5.25, and 2x 3.5 slots. They will lose 1- 3.5" bay doing this. The T3500 can do this but it's not in the manual.
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-CW857-Front-Chassis-Precision/dp/B00HYI23A6/ref=sm_n_se_dkp_US_pr_sea_0_1?adId=B00HYI23A6&creativeASIN=B00HYI23A6&linkId=487e11dad914303968c39241fd6fa905&tag=wwwbookcompar-20&linkCode=w42&ref-refURL=https://n.stuccu.com/s/Dell+t5400+desktop+bezel&slotNum=0&imprToken=.k2G4qEjCKYkoAxYCC.HDA&adType=smart&adMode=search&adFormat=grid&impressionTimestamp=1524160950227
 There is a Blue plastic D ring at the top of the case that removes a black blade that locks the drives in/out. It must be remove to put drives in/out sideways, and them put back to lock them.
That's why these things have the double wall construction. Monitors were intended to sit on top of them. The Dell logo in the faceplate turns 90* also.


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## Susquehannock (Apr 19, 2018)

As an addition to above ^^.  This Kingston PDF explains populated slots vs RAM speed.

>> https://media.kingston.com/images/branded/MKF_102_Nahalem_Ref.pdf


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## lexluthermiester (Apr 19, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> As an addition to above ^^.  This Kingston PDF explains populated slots vs RAM speed.
> >> https://media.kingston.com/images/branded/MKF_102_Nahalem_Ref.pdf


Good reference document. Things did change a bit after the 32nm change-over and the ram timings/speeds worked better.


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## MortySimmons (Apr 20, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> If you're talking about the low profile version of that system, then yes the PSU is going to be a limiting factor. But there isn't room for a full size video card in that system. You may wish to set your sights on a low profile version of the Geforce 1050. They are damn decent cards and will run all but the last(past year) games at 1080p with good quality. Keep AA off an AF to 4x or 2x. Also that system with take any of the i7-47xx series CPU's, but a i7-4770T would give the best performance without taxing the PSU.



Thanks for your advice!
I was @work as I wrote and it seems that I mixed up some things  - it is a 7040 MT and not a 7020 LP. LGA 1151 with an I7 6700 paired with 16GB Ram.
24 -> 8 Pin Adapter has arrived and the DA-2 PSU is here too. My old rig has an Enermax Liberty 620 AWT PSU - will check the specs if it will fit otherwise I try the dual PSU idea. But I am not in a hurry so it can take some time until I feel bored and need something the fiddle around with


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## T3500 (May 13, 2018)

Came across this thread from a link in the Xeon Owners Club Thread so I will say hello

Got a T3500 that came with a W3565, 12GB RAM @1066MHz, and 2x Barracuda 500GB HDDs.

Have since replaced the PSU with a Be quiet! Straight Power 11 550W and added a Zotac GTX 1060 AMP! 6GB. It games very nicely. Yesterday swapped the W3565 for an X5675 so gaining more cores/threads and allowing the RAM to run at 1333MHz (along with much larger RAM compatibility, larger memory bandwidth and more & faster QPI links. And a TDP of 95W instead of 130W). Have also added a 500GB Samsung 850 EVO for OS + games.


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## lexluthermiester (May 16, 2018)

T3500 said:


> Came across this thread from a link in the Xeon Owners Club Thread so I will say hello
> 
> Got a T3500 that came with a W3565, 12GB RAM @1066MHz, and 2x Barracuda 500GB HDDs.
> 
> Have since replaced the PSU with a Be quiet! Straight Power 11 550W and added a Zotac GTX 1060 AMP! 6GB. It games very nicely. Yesterday swapped the W3565 for an X5675 so gaining more cores/threads and allowing the RAM to run at 1333MHz (along with much larger RAM compatibility, larger memory bandwidth and more & faster QPI links. And a TDP of 95W instead of 130W). Have also added a 500GB Samsung 850 EVO for OS + games.


I saw your post over in the Xeon Owners Club thread and thought I'd recommend a read through of the ThrottleStop thread. While the Dell mobo's don't allow for direct OCing, ThrottleStop can let you force the CPU to it's highest performance state and maintain it. Effectively 3.33GHZ on all cores.
The thread;
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/
The download;
https://www.techpowerup.com/download/techpowerup-throttlestop/
If you want some tips on running it, let me know and I'll post some screen shots. You should be able to find what you need in the above thread though.


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## T3500 (May 16, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> I saw your post over in the Xeon Owners Club thread and thought I'd recommend a read through of the ThrottleStop thread. While the Dell mobo's don't allow for direct OCing, ThrottleStop can let you force the CPU to it's highest performance state and maintain it. Effectively 3.33GHZ on all cores.
> The thread;
> https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/
> The download;
> ...



Cheers for that, I came across the tread before but didn't read it all, I was under the impression that you couldn't do anything on a proprietary motherboard unless you had an unlocked CPU


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## insane 360 (May 16, 2018)

Same here.  Wonder if it will work for the ol' t7500 as well...if not I have might switch around and get the t3500 a go just to see it work.


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## Retrorockit (May 16, 2018)

T3500 said:


> Cheers for that, I came across the tread before but didn't read it all, I was under the impression that you couldn't do anything on a proprietary motherboard unless you had an unlocked CPU


 It depends on what your definition of overclock is. You can turn off some throttling and maybe get turbo speed all the time with TS but to run above that an unlocked CPU is required. The unlocked CPU also allows voltage to be raised.


insane 360 said:


> Same here.  Wonder if it will work for the ol' t7500 as well...if not I have might switch around and get the t3500 a go just to see it work.


 The Dual CPUs aren't unlocked except for the Skulltrail QX9775 LGA771 CPU. You could probably tweak the turbo settings. You don't need a T3500 to try it. The T7500 can be set up with a single CPU. An unlocked Nehalem W3570 can be had for $15-20 for testing. Fastest dual CPU is the 4C/8T X5687 3.6GHz


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## lexluthermiester (May 16, 2018)

insane 360 said:


> Same here. Wonder if it will work for the ol' t7500 as well...


Your system should work the same way. Try it out! The T7500's were damn nice rigs.



Retrorockit said:


> The T7500 can be set up with a single CPU.


The T7500's were single socket 1366 CPU unit's. You might be thing of the T5500?


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## Retrorockit (May 16, 2018)

The T5500 , and T7500 both had add in risers for the 2nd CPU. The T5500 riser had 3 RAM slots, the T7500 had 6 slots. Larger case, an extra expansion slot, and taller coolers were other differences. The T7500 HDD were in between the MB and PSU. The T5500 HDD were in a tray over the MB like the T3500.
https://www.ebay.com/p/Dell-Precisi...-Fan-H236f/1725012890?iid=292518790145&chn=ps


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## lexluthermiester (May 16, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> The T5500 , and T7500 both had add in risers for the 2nd CPU. The T5500 riser had 3 RAM slots, the T7500 had 6 slots. Larger case, an extra expansion slot, and taller coolers were other differences. The T7500 HDD were in between the MB and PSU. The T5500 HDD were in a tray over the MB like the T3500.
> https://www.ebay.com/p/Dell-Precisi...-Fan-H236f/1725012890?iid=292518790145&chn=ps


Oh right! Never actually seen one of those in person.


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## Susquehannock (May 16, 2018)

Those T7500 are beasts. Much larger and about 15-lbs heavier.

As luck would have it, my friend gave me yet another T3500 that he found in a back storage room behind some boxes. Oldest one in my hands so far. XPDFK board, W3550 processor, actual 1066 RAM, and no Firewire. Complete with office dust bunnies.
Have not had the chance to fire it up yet. Hopefully it has an older BIOS and Chipset driver that I can test AMD card compatibility with. I know you have been curious about that Retrorocket


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## insane 360 (May 16, 2018)

very cool.  i do like the build of the t7500 over the t3500, so much expansion possible!  and they are super heavy, i'm sure its made with lead and not steel...

i'm also digging the t5810 a very good build quality, but getting a better cpu (currently just has a 4 core haswell based no ht cpu) is very expansive...at least its expansive for me...2011v3 anyone have any links to a good deal on one?


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## T3500 (May 16, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> It depends on what your definition of overclock is. You can turn off some throttling and maybe get turbo speed all the time with TS but to run above that an unlocked CPU is required. The unlocked CPU also allows voltage to be raised.



I've read the entirety of the thread now and I'm hooked. Might hunt down a W3680 and have a play

EDIT - I came across your question about bypassing the BIOS fan check here. My dad is an electronic engineer (works for Intel in fact!) so I might look into this.


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## Retrorockit (May 17, 2018)

T3500 said:


> EDIT - I came across your question about bypassing the BIOS fan check here.


 I found someone at OCN who said they just used a small fan with the blades removed and it worked. The issue may have been that I was not aware that the error message was persistent and needed to be cleared manually, so I thought that fix didn't work when maybe it did.


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## insane 360 (May 17, 2018)

i have 2  w3530 cpu's in my stash, would these be good to play with throttlestop in the t3500?  at this point i could always make the freenas server (t7500) back into a dual x5675 workstation and the t3500 can just run a w3530 if it can be tweaked....i need more time to play around with my hardware


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## Retrorockit (May 17, 2018)

TS only overclocks unlocked CPUs. This is per Unclewebb the developer of Throttlestop. We have a separate thread about TS overclocking.
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/
The cheapest unlocked CPU is the W3570 Nehalem. If you don't already have a T3500 you can save some money on RAM by using a T5500 that can take RDIMMS and also add a 2nd CPU later.
But the 2nd CPU won't be unlocked.


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## T3500 (May 27, 2018)

For those that have the uprated heatsink, like that in the pic attached, attaching a fan makes a huge improvement to temperatures. Just sitting a 90mm fan @ 12V on the alu plate in front of the stack dropped my CPU temperature from ~81 degrees to just under 50 degrees whilst playing Far Cry 5


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## lexluthermiester (May 27, 2018)

T3500 said:


> For those that have the uprated heatsink, like that in the pic attached, attaching a fan makes a huge improvement to temperatures. Just sitting a 90mm fan @ 12V on the alu plate in front of the stack dropped my CPU temperature from ~81 degrees to just under 50 degrees whilst playing Far Cry 5
> 
> View attachment 101722


An 80mm fan works too.


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## Retrorockit (May 28, 2018)

Here is some more info. on RAM configurations for the X5600 series Xeons. Not quite as strict as the X5500 series. They tolerate 2 modules per channel OK. But unbalanced configurations are shown.
https://www.siliconmechanics.com/files/OriginalWestmereInfo.pdf



insane 360 said:


> i have 2  w3530 cpu's in my stash, would these be good to play with throttlestop in the t3500?  at this point i could always make the freenas server (t7500) back into a dual x5675 workstation and the t3500 can just run a w3530 if it can be tweaked....i need more time to play around with my hardware


 You really need an unlocked CPU for TS. The W3570 is the cheapest.
Lexluthermeister was right about newer CPUs having better RAM compatibility. The Nehalems have the speed drop after 1 module per channel, but the X5600 series only does that after 2 per channel. So no issues there with T3500/5500 and the Westmeres CPUs. Since I'm going to overclock the W3570 I needed 1 per channel. Here's the X5600 info.

https://www.siliconmechanics.com/files/OriginalWestmereInfo.pdf


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## Susquehannock (May 30, 2018)

Dell T3500 :

80mm fans fit nicely. I do it to all of these that pass though my hands. Install in a 'pull configuration' so flow from front case fans is continued through the sink and toward back. For cooling, more CFM the better. Here I have used an old Panaflo high speed with hydro bearing. Nice and quiet at full speed.

My preference is to run wires behind the motherboard and draw power from the floppy wires with connector cut off. Who uses floppies anymore? Leave the wires long enough at heatsink end so you can easily set it aside when changing CPU. (optional: push bullet connectors at both ends for when complete removal is necessary)
12-volts constant works for me. You can also do the 7-volt trick by utilizing both 12 and 5 volt together, or just run 5-volts. Be sure the fan starts from dead stop at that power level. Not all do.

Mounting the fan is simple really. Slide one zip tie (seen in black) through so it sits flat between the fins. Then zip another (seen in green) to lock it on. Requires 6 zip ties total. Can only do three corners of the fan because of heat sink shape. Clip tie ends off flush when done.



At this time I like to install a small piece of foam on each corner of the fan, then a thick rubber band around the whole thing to put tension on the zip ties. Makes everything nice and tight which helps eliminate vibrations for quiet operation.


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## Retrorockit (May 31, 2018)

I came across some more RAM info looking into the RDIMMs for the T5500/T7500 systems. They can run UDIMMs, or RDIMMs.
3 channel single bank UDIMM is 0.5% faster than 3 channel single bank RDIMM which is negligible.
3 channel 2 bank UDIMM is 7-8% slower than 3 channel 2 bank RDIMM due to the memory controller on the modules taking load off of the CPU.
45nm CPUs willl drop down to 1066 speed with this, 32nm won't ( unless that's their base speed anyway).
I suspect that 3channel 2 bank RDIMM is still slower than single bank RDIMM but I have no idea how much.
3 bank setups require RDIMMs since the CPU internal controller won't run them, and they all drop down to 800 speed.
RDIMMs have superior error detection than UDIMM because the controller operates at the module level. This is in addition to ECC.
This does raise a concern for using the W3500, W3600, anxd X3500,X3600 single CPU Xeons with RDIMM capable systems. (This would be me W3690, T5500, 24GB RDIMM).
The RDIMMs on this platform were intended for dual CPU systems. The memory controller on the single CPUs lists 24GB capacity (48 actual).
The dual CPU Xeons all list 144GB or similar which is only possible with RDIMMs. I've seen issues with this mentioned. The reason I say with this platform is the single CPU T3600 takes RDIMMs.
ASFAIK the single CPU Xeons won't work with RDIMMs. A single dual CPU Xeon should work OK. I suppose I'll find out the hard way.
 I just ordered an X5687 so I can use my nice new  3x8GB RDIMMs.


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## TechyTed (Jun 2, 2018)

Ok, I posted over in the Throttlestop thread, but I guess I should have posted here.

Newbie who has been lurking on that other thread and learning a lot. 

I have a T5500 motherboard and parts on the way to play with.

Yes, I know it won’t be easy to get it fired up and running but I needed a new project and this looks like a fun place to start.


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## lexluthermiester (Jun 2, 2018)

Just FYI, that T5500 mobo will fit into a T3500 case. You'll need a 750w power supply to run it, but it'll work. This opens up a few more options for you if money is a constraint.


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## TechyTed (Jun 3, 2018)

For anybody who might read this thread and consider ordering a bare T5500 motherboard (like I did), found this little tidbit on the Dell support forum, about T5500 motherboard versions interesting.

Quote:
...from our engineering department:
Precision T5500 Motherboard Part number CRH6C supports Westmere Intel E56XX | Intel X56XX
Precision T5500 Motherboard Part number WFFGC also supports Westmere Intel E56XX | Intel X56XX
Precision T5500 Motherboard Part number D883F supports Nehalem Intel E55XX | Intel X55XX
In theory (not tested): Westmere *should *work on the older motherboard as well (D883F) if you are running latest BIOS.

Unquote.

Guess that means I ordered the oldest version...but hopefully can run the later E56xx/X56xx chips with a BIOS flash.



lexluthermiester said:


> Just FYI, that T5500 mobo will fit into a T3500 case. You'll need a 750w power supply to run it, but it'll work. This opens up a few more options for you if money is a constraint.



Thanks for that advice, I need all the help I can get!   My eyes are peeled for a good deal on a T3500 if I can find a used one locally.  There has to be a pile of used ones around here somewhere.

Got two beefy power supplies (875watt and 950 watt) available. So I will probably do some bench tests with one of those first and make sure the system POSTS and boots before I try to install it in a case.

I will probably be asking more questions when this thing shows up and I can give it a go.   I am kind of anxious to see what I can do with it. 

.


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## Retrorockit (Jun 3, 2018)

Well I got the D833F. But Dell is very bad about updating their CPU support lists. Sometimes it's just what they tested at the time, and they don't go back. I have a W3570 Nehalem to start with.
 I notice they don't show the W series. My guess is they'll run, but not with RDIMMs.


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## TechyTed (Jun 3, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> Well I got the D833F. But Dell is very bad about updating their CPU support lists. Sometimes it's just what they tested at the time, and they don't go back. I have a W3570 Nehalem to start with.
> I notice they don't show the W series. My guess is they'll run, but not with RDIMMs.



Oh really?  Hmm...that’s something I guess I didn’t know.  So the T3500s that have W series chips aren’t using RDIMMs.   Interesting.


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## Retrorockit (Jun 3, 2018)

It's starting to look like the T5500 won't support W3000 series. I can't find any at userbenchmark. The dual CPU Xeons run OK in the single CPU machines, but that might not work both ways, and with the memory controller on the CPU RDIMM/UDIMM support might be the same way. The T3500 might be as good as it gets for overclocking. The X58 chipset on the T3500 doesn't support RDIMM at all.


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## lexluthermiester (Jun 3, 2018)

TechyTed said:


> Guess that means I ordered the oldest version...but hopefully can run the later E56xx/X56xx chips with a BIOS flash.


You should be alright. The latest bios for that board it supposed to support the Westmere cpu's.


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## Retrorockit (Jun 3, 2018)

I found an X5672 running on a D883F at userbenchmark. I wish I could say the same about the W3680.


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## lexluthermiester (Jun 3, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> I found an X5672 running on a D883F at userbenchmark. I wish I could say the same about the W3680.


For a T5500 board, the W3680 is a no-go as it is a single socket cpu only, it will not run in a dual cpu config. For TechyTed the X56xx series is the best way to go. While they do not have an unlocked multiplier, they are able to be pushed to and locked at their maximum full time with Throttlestop. A pair of X5672's would work, but are only quad cores. X5675's would be a much better option as they are still 3ghz+, have 2 more cores and have the same 95w TDP. Only suggestions though. Lots of options for that board.


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## Retrorockit (Jun 3, 2018)

The T5500 can be run in single CPU config. and they do support UDIMM memory. So the W3680/90 isn't out of the picture entirely just yet. But the odds of it working ARE looking pretty slim right now. At one of the CPU/ Chipset compatibility sites there was a report of "limited" support for them. The X5687 is dual CPU capable, so on the T5500 that's 8C/16T operation. With a base clock of 3.6GHz, and Turbo speed of 3.89GHz it's more of a < 4GHz chip than a >3GHz chip. But I'm looking at it from a Gaming/Overclocking perspective ( because it's the only one I have). I ordered the X5687 because it best suited my purposes and will get the T5500 running. I'll get it set up with some UDIMMs and then see about the unlocked CPUs which I already own. I'll  probably try the W3570 Nehalem first because on the older D883F board the chance of "success" is better.


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## lexluthermiester (Jun 3, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> The T5500 can be run in single CPU config.


True, but what would be the point? The very purpose of the T5500 is the dual CPU config. Running it in single CPU mode is a waste. It would have been better to buy a T3500 board if all TechyTed wanted to do was run an unlocked CPU.


Retrorockit said:


> But the odds of it working ARE looking pretty slim right now.


Also true. I can not find any documentation or references that can confirm the support of Gulftown based CPU's for any version of the T5500 board. They'll be limited to Gainestown, Jasper Forrest(dual socket versions) and Westmere-EP models, which really isn't bad.


Retrorockit said:


> I'll probably try the W3570 Nehalem first because on the older D883F board the chance of "success" is better.


Actually, the W3570 is a Bloomfield, single socket model. It likely won't work either, and if it does it likely won't be stable.
https://ark.intel.com/products/39722/Intel-Xeon-Processor-W3570-8M-Cache-3_20-GHz-6_40-GTs-Intel-QPI
I've personally never seen it work and there is a concern about voltages. There are differences in how much voltage is applied and in what way because of the bridging of the CPU socket's. I'd recommend against trying it because of that uncertainty alone. Would hate to see you damage/fry a perfectly good chip. The Bloomfield, Jasper Forrest(single socket versions) and Gulftown models are designed for the X58 chipset, not the E5520 chipset that comes on the T5500 board. Additionally, none of the single socket models are compatible with RDIMMs. So unless you have standard or ECC, you'll be out of luck there as well.


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## Retrorockit (Jun 4, 2018)

You're correct that losing the RDIMM feature negates any real advantage to the T5500 board. Because the 2nd CPU is on an optional riser card many T5500 are configured single CPU.
Coming at this from X58 where any LGA1366 will run it wasn't obvious that the T5500 would be more restricted. There's only one way to find out for sure. I'm going to try this with the W3570 because they sell for $15-20 so if I" let the smoke out of it" it's no big deal. I have some UDIMMs from my T3500 to try. I'll probably do the T3500 build first, and make a separate project out of the T5500 swap. This is the Workstation Owners thread so things are probably more conservative here than in the Overclocking thread. Proving something doesn't work and sharing that information does serve a purpose.
 Actually with cooling mods in place an overvolted unlocked CPU would be a dream come true for me!


----------



## jeanpat (Jun 6, 2018)

Hello,
My new computer is a ten years old Precision T5500 bought on ebay a month ago. Unfortunately, the BIOS version is A02. I plan to install GTX card, may be a 750ti to give it a try.








Did some of you upgrade the BIOS with success?
What would be the minimal BIOS version to support a GTX (750, 960, ...) ?

Thanks


----------



## TechyTed (Jun 6, 2018)

Quick update, I have the T5500 board in hand.  Did a quick smoke test on my workbench last night (AKA the kitchen table).

Good news is that all the parts I bought off eBay (from half a dozen vendors) arrived in very good condition and are playing well together.  This board had an E5520 CPU, I bought 12GB RDIMM (3x4GB), the 0U016F cooler, the stock fans, the front I/O Panel, the 875 watt PS and stock cables, with a basic Nvidia 295 NVS video card.   Put it all together and it POSTs just fine.  Woohoo!

I did throw an old SATA drive on it and started to load an OS.  But it was getting late, so I didn’t get much else done.  Had to put it away and get ready for work.

Thanks for all the advice and insight that you sharing!  Very helpful!

Also, my budget is such that I can probably pick up a T3500 motherboard too, so we may end up with two complete systems here eventually.



lexluthermiester said:


> For a T5500 board, the W3680 is a no-go as it is a single socket cpu only, it will not run in a dual cpu config. For TechyTed the X56xx series is the best way to go. While they do not have an unlocked multiplier, they are able to be pushed to and locked at their maximum full time with Throttlestop. A pair of X5672's would work, but are only quad cores. X5675's would be a much better option as they are still 3ghz+, have 2 more cores and have the same 95w TDP. Only suggestions though. Lots of options for that board.



The  videos that I saw on YouTube for the T3500 (which is what got my initial interest) were only talking about slapping an X5675 into them, single CPU of course.  And they were getting really good performance for the price. I don’t even think overclocking was talked about.  This was a “here is a cheaper route to an X58 system than paying a ransom for an old motherboard”.  When I found about TS overclocking, I had already ordered the TS5500 MB.  No big deal...at these prices I will hold onto it and maybe give the dual CPU idea a shot later.



jeanpat said:


> Hello,
> My new computer is a ten years old Precision T5500 bought on ebay a month ago. Unfortunately, the BIOS version is A02. I plan to install GTX card, may be a 750ti to give it a try.
> ...
> Did some of you upgrade the BIOS with success?
> ...



Hi and welcome.  I just got my T5500 motherboard yesterday and did some quick test on it, to made sure it would boot.  Hopefully in the next few days I’ll have a chance to spend more time and one of my first tasks will be to do a BIOS update.  Will let you know how it goes.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 6, 2018)

"When I found about TS overclocking, I had already ordered the TS5500 MB. No big deal...at these prices I will hold onto it and maybe give the dual CPU idea a shot later."

I'm glad you didn't order that because of our T5500 discussions in the OC thread. It could be a little confusing to someone just joining because a lot of what's going on there has never been done before. There is a trial and error aspect to it that may not be obvious at first glance.


----------



## TechyTed (Jun 6, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> "When I found about TS overclocking, I had already ordered the TS5500 MB. No big deal...at these prices I will hold onto it and maybe give the dual CPU idea a shot later."
> 
> I'm glad you didn't order that because of our T5500 discussions in the OC thread. It could be a little confusing to someone just joining because a lot of what's going on there has never been done before. There is a trial and error aspect to it that may not be obvious at first glance.



No I was already spending $ before I showed up here.  <grin>

I got the T5500 motherboard, with a working E5520, for $36 shipped.  It arrived in excellent shape and was well packaged.  So, if all I can do with that is upgrade it to an X5675..or maybe dual X5675s...I can live that.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 6, 2018)

I went for the X5687 4 core 3.6Ghz, and maybe double down on that.


----------



## TechyTed (Jun 6, 2018)

Just ran across a reddit post that had some info on the infamous Dell front panel connectors.  An attempt to provide a pinout.


__
		https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmods/comments/3x3784

Might be useful if you want to transplant a Dell Precision MB into a different case.



Retrorockit said:


> I went for the X5687 4 core 3.6Ghz, and maybe double down on that.



Well to be honest for most of what I do, that single core at 3.6ghz would be fine.  Does it have HT?  Going to 4Ghz is fun for some single thread things like games, but its not a deal breaker for me if I cant get this MB to run that fast.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 7, 2018)

TechyTed said:


> Well to be honest for most of what I do, that single core at 3.6ghz would be fine. Does it have HT? Going to 4Ghz is fun for some single thread things like games, but its not a deal breaker for me if I cant get this MB to run that fast.


 The X5687 is HT capable, and 3.6GHz 4 core, 3.89 GHz single core turbo.


----------



## TechyTed (Jun 7, 2018)

I have heard one place to go for “bargains” is a weird computer repair shop in town.  Near a tattoo parlor and pawn shop.  They have some piles of Dells and HPs apparently.  I doubt I will find a T3500 or T5500 laying around, but I may stop by there at lunch and see what’s shaking.

For anyone who might want to play around with T3500/T5500 motherboard instead of a whole system, if you get a bare front I/O Panel and cable (Dell,PN  JN454 and X389H), it will make life much easier.  You will have the diagnostic LEDs to help with troubleshooting and you won’t get BIOS errors every time you boot.  I got those two,parts on eBay for $14 shipped and well worth it to avoid having to rig up something.  I found some help on reddit (posted earlier) if you really want to roll your own, but it wasn’t worth the hassle for me.

There is also the issue of having the two fans plugged in.  For now, I am using the stock fans plugged in (Dell PN HW856 and CP232).  I bought those for $15 shipped.  You can cut and splice you own 4-pin PWM fans to the connectors or I understand there are Dell 5 pin to 4 pin fan adapters.


Just throwing out some hints that made it possible for me to boot and test this MB with minimum hassle.



Retrorockit said:


> Here is some more info. on RAM configurations for the X5600 series Xeons. Not quite as strict as the X5500 series. They tolerate 2 modules per channel OK. But unbalanced configurations are shown.
> https://www.siliconmechanics.com/files/OriginalWestmereInfo.pdf



That link is very helpful.  I am new to the whole Xeon world, as a builder that is, so still on the learning curve.

After reading that, I asked myself “Where are the W36xx series in that discussion?”

Popping over to the Intel site and doing some compares on the X56xx and W36xx, I can finally get a better handle on why the E56 and X56 series are “server chips” and the W36 series are “workstation chips”.

For one thing, the W chips only support 24GB RAM.   The E and X can go much higher, in server configs.  But I am assuming the highest end W chips have better potential single thread performance?  Maybe that’s assuming too much, but experience shows they are highest overclockers on this Dell platform.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 8, 2018)

jeanpat said:


> Hello,
> My new computer is a ten years old Precision T5500 bought on ebay a month ago. Unfortunately, the BIOS version is A02. I plan to install GTX card, may be a 750ti to give it a try.
> Did some of you upgrade the BIOS with success? What would be the minimal BIOS version to support a GTX (750, 960, ...) ? Thanks


I update to the most recent.


Retrorockit said:


> I went for the X5687 4 core 3.6Ghz, and maybe double down on that.


If all they're doing or the main focus is gaming, that would be an excellent option as most games still don't really need more than four cores and higher ghz will be more useful.


TechyTed said:


> you won’t get BIOS errors every time you boot.


You're going to need Dell brand fans as the connector is unique and the bios will also get errors if they are not found.


----------



## TechyTed (Jun 8, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> ...
> You're going to need Dell brand fans as the connector is unique and the bios will also get errors if they are not found.



I got the T5500 fan assembly $15 shipped and it works fine.  I had seen posts that some folks were able to splice a four pin PWM fan  into the Dell fan connector.  For testing I didnt bother, I just bought the Dell fans and have them blowing on the CPU cooler and RAM.

And one more thing you might run into if running a bare T5500 motherboard - the intrusion detection switch.  That error you can disable in the BIOS.  No need to buy that for basic testing unless you plan to hook up an intrusion switch and want to make sure it works.

All the USB ports on my bare board are working, audio, etc.  Haven't test all the RAM slots, but DIMM 1-3 are fine.  I need to test the network port. So far its checking out OK.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 9, 2018)

TechyTed said:


> I had seen posts that some folks were able to splice a four pin PWM fan into the Dell fan connector.


It's tricky and not all PMW fans work. Weird stuff. Has to do with the way the fan controller expects to get signaling from the fan circuitry.


TechyTed said:


> And one more thing you might run into if running a bare T5500 motherboard - the intrusion detection switch. That error you can disable in the BIOS.


Yup, I always disable for home use scenarios as it's really only useful in professional environments.


----------



## TechyTed (Jun 10, 2018)

So I was able to upgrade my T5500 BIOS to A016 with no problems today.

Now waiting for my new X5675 Westmere CPU to arrive.  I expect it to work but will report back for those who might be considering an upgrade.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 10, 2018)

TechyTed said:


> So I was able to upgrade my T5500 BIOS to A016 with no problems today. Now waiting for my new X5675 Westmere CPU to arrive.  I expect it to work but will report back for those who might be considering an upgrade.


Well nice!


----------



## Susquehannock (Jun 10, 2018)

Good to see some more new faces here 

Been lurking from the sidelines because I had nothing new to add. And was waiting until I could share results with three 8gb RDIMMs in the T5500 board.

However, I have been dealt a major snag. The board acts dead now. Not even any beep codes. Only get the solid Amber light with #1 and #2 flashing four times before complete shut down.  Which indicates a _S_ystem board Regulator Failure.



Changed back to a T3500 board with everything else the same. Boots up no problem. Put the T5500 board back in. Same again as described above. Cleared CMOS. No go. Even tried the Nehalem CPU again just in case something happened with updated BIOS. Still no go.

The board was working perfectly in every way a couple weeks ago. Did unplug the power strip before going on vacation. And now this. Seems like odd timing.

Never did get to try the shiny new RDIMMs. So looking at T5500 boards on eBay now. Unless someone here knows something else I can try.


----------



## TechyTed (Jun 10, 2018)

*Susquehannock, if you are using the same PS, I guess nothing changed there.  Might double check your power cables to ensure they are good and snug.  I did read on the Dell forum that somebody had a similar error when the added a riser card and second CPU.  Turns out they had to upgrade to a bigger PS and then it booted.*


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 10, 2018)

TechyTed said:


> *Susquehannock, if you are using the same PS, I guess nothing changed there.  Might double check your power cables to ensure they are good and snug.  I did read on the Dell forum that somebody had a similar error when the added a riser card and second CPU.  Turns out they had to upgrade to a bigger PS and then it booted.*


Um, what's with the larger font & all bold?

@*Susquehannock *TechyTed likely has a good point. If the system was booting before the second CPU was installed but now doesn't it's likely the power supply borked and needs an upgraded replacement. The T5500 came with an 1100w PSU from Dell but the bare minimum is a 750w if you're not planning a high wattage video card(less than 150w). I'd go with the 1100w though because why go with the minimums? All of that presumes Dell branded PSU's and the matching wiring harness'. Dell cases do generally accept standard PSU's in which case a 900-950w PSU would be good. The Dell PSU's are of high quality and worthy of first consideration.


----------



## Susquehannock (Jun 10, 2018)

Yeah. The big bold text startled me - lol

The T5500 came with 875w PSU actually. The 1,100 units are for the larger T7500 and would take some modifications to fit in T3500/5500 case. Needing more power for the CPU riser makes perfect sense, and second EPS connector is required. Been considering a 875w unit as I may decide to go second CPU later on. They seem to average around $40.

Strange thing here is only difference from when the T5500 board in T3500 case was running, and then refused to post, is about 2-3 weeks time.  Duration of which the entire set up was not connected to power in any way. Just coincidence I guess. No big loss since the board was a freebie and originally destined for the trash.

Considering one of the part #D883F boards since it has an active heatsink on both chipsets. Hopefully the eBay seller accepts my offer.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 10, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> Needing more power for the CPU riser makes perfect sense, and second EPS connector is required. Been considering a 875w unit as I may decide to go second CPU later on.


Oh, thinking I misunderstood. You didn't have a second CPU for it? 



Susquehannock said:


> The T5500 came with a 875w PSU actually. The 1,100 unit is for the larger T7500


There were some T5500's that came with a 1100w PSU because of the higher-end workstation GPU's being packaged with the systems.


----------



## Susquehannock (Jun 10, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> Oh, thinking I misunderstood. You didn't have a second CPU for it?
> There were some T5500's that came with a 1100w PSU because of the higher-end workstation GPU's being packaged with the systems.


Same single CPU set up as before.

Interesting. Did not know that about the 1,100w. They are about 2 inches longer. Upon measuring it should be possible to squeeze one in there.  Comparing specs looks like the only difference is the 1,100 unit has an extra +12v rail. Doubtful I would need that much power. Nice to have options.


----------



## TechyTed (Jun 10, 2018)

Sorry about the big font, didnt mean to startle you.  

I was cutting and pasting your name on my phone and it automatocally switched to the big font.



Susquehannock said:


> ....Considering one of the part #D883F boards since it has an active heatsink on both chipsets. Hopefully the eBay seller accepts my offer.



Thats the board model that I got off eBay for $36 shipped, including E5520 cpu.   Its got two fans on the chips, plus heatsink on the VRMs.  I deliberately picked a board with s CPU because I was hoping that would reduce the chance of bent socket pins in shipping.

Speaking of socket pins, did you give them a good look when swapping CPUs?  One or two bent socket pins can cause weird boot up or RAM problems.

Anyone who is considering a T5500 or T7500, there is some good technical information on them from Dell at this link:

http://i.dell.com/sites/content/bus...nts/Precision-T7500-T5500-Technical-Guide.pdf

I notice the latest CPU listed is "Intel® Xeon® Processor X5580 3.20GHz, 6.4GT/s, 130 watts, 8MB L3 cache "

Hopefully with the A016 BIOS update, the X56xx series will be supported as well.


----------



## TechyTed (Jun 12, 2018)

Well tracking info says my X5675 is somewhere near the local PO.

Maybe at my house soon?

(Tapping my fingers waiting)


----------



## Susquehannock (Jun 12, 2018)

TechyTed said:


> Speaking of socket pins, did you give them a good look when swapping CPUs?  One or two bent socket pins can cause weird boot up or RAM problems.


Good thinking. I did track down a random RAM error to a couple bent pins in a T3500 before I passed it along to a friend as a gaming rig. Think that one got a 960ti.

Went over the socket in this T5500 board with a jeweler's loupe a few times several months back when I could not get it to boot. Tracked the issue down to the older BIOS not being Westmere compatible. Here is the post:
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/post-3828971

This time it shows a completely different error. Will look the socket over again. Never know. I may have bent some changing CPU so often.

[edit]
Just found out the eBay seller accepted my $24 offer on that #D883F board. So will have that to play with soon.


----------



## jeanpat (Jun 13, 2018)

Hello,

The optical reader (dvd) fails to read cd/dvd (under ubuntu), the LED light on when a cdrom is inserted, then nothing.
Could it be a software issue or the optical reader died?


----------



## dorsetknob (Jun 13, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> I may have bent some changing CPU so often.



Think i read somewhere that the LGA Socket is Rated for 25 removal/replacment's ( carefully done of course)

*[PDF]LGA1150 Socket — Application Guide - Intel*
https://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/.../4th-gen-core-lga1150-socket-guide.pdf
This chapter describes a surface mount, _LGA_ (Land Grid Array) _socket_ ... The housing material is thermoplastic or equivalent with UL 94 V-0 flame _rating_ ... The _socket_ must withstand 20 cycles of processor insertion and _removal_. ..... Page _25_


----------



## TechyTed (Jun 13, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> ....
> 
> This time it shows a completely different error. Will look the socket over again. Never know. I may have bent some changing CPU so often.
> 
> ...



That was just a guess on my part.  I know all the LGA sockets are prone to weird behavior when just one or two pins get bent or something interferes with making good contact.

Also if one of the SMT components on the CPU itself get damaged, that can cause a problem.  The CPU might or might not work.

But I think you said you tried different CPUs in that same MB and it wouldn't boot any of them?  That would seem to point to socket issue first in my mind.

If thats OK, next I would swap RAM chips to see if that matters.  Then maybe back down to a lower video card, and try different PCIe slots.  Guess the last thing would be a PS swap.  If all that fails, it almost has to be a flaky MB. But that has rarely been the main problem, based on my past experience.

YMMV

Ok, in case anyone was wondering, the X5675 works fine in my T5500 motherboard (D883F)

Flashed  the MB to the last Dell BIOS using the original E5520 (Nehalem) CPU.
Got a used X5675  CPU off eBay for $40 shipped.
Carefully installed it tonight.  Booted to BIOS on first try.
Ran CINEBENCH and the CPU score is nearly double.  E5520 = 348.   X5675 = 738.
Not bad for $40 .....it benchmarks about as well as an i7 third gen.

My understanding is in overclockable X58 MBs these can typically run up to 4.2 or 4.3ghz on air coooling and bench about 900-1000 on CINEBENCH.  So I am 75% there on this non overclockable T5500.


----------



## TechyTed (Jun 14, 2018)

jeanpat said:


> Hello,
> 
> The optical reader (dvd) fails to read cd/dvd (under ubuntu), the LED light on when a cdrom is inserted, then nothing.
> Could it be a software issue or the optical reader died?



Was it working and then sudddenly quit?

Have you tested it in Windows too?


I dont run Ubuntu, but I do run Linux at times.  Depending on how things are configured, the auto mount for removeable media can get turned off.  Might check with Ubuntu support and see how to make sure its on.


----------



## jeanpat (Jun 14, 2018)

TechyTed said:


> Was it working and then sudddenly quit?
> 
> Have you tested it in Windows too?
> 
> ...



This was the first time I tried the optical reader since reception from ebay. I didn't test under windows (none available). I had a look in the bios of an optiplex, the dvd reader is visible in the device list, whereas mine is not ... 
I have to check the connection(s) to the mobo.
In the case of a dead dvd reader, would it be possible to install the optical reader from a laptop?

Hi,
Would you trust in a graphic card from AliExpress? On ebay the auctions for a GTX 750, 950, 960 are as or more expensive than these cards on Aliexpress:

Zotac 950 2Gb : 93€
Zotac 960 2Gb : 110€
Zotac 960 4 Gb : 145 €
Zotac 750 Ti two fans : ~ 50-60€

Why Zotac? According to this video the zotac don't seem too touchy with the BIOS whereas some only accept UEFI.


----------



## dorsetknob (Jun 14, 2018)

jeanpat said:


> Hi,
> Would you trust in a graphic card from AliExpress?


Would you like to pay pay me some money instead...............>>>


----------



## TechyTed (Jun 14, 2018)

jeanpat said:


> This was the first time I tried the optical reader since reception from ebay. I didn't test under windows (none available). I had a look in the bios of an optiplex, the dvd reader is visible in the device list, whereas mine is not ...
> I have to check the connection(s) to the mobo.
> In the case of a dead dvd reader, would it be possible to install the optical reader from a laptop?



Yes you should be able to see the drive in BIOS.

Do you have the SATA port for the drive enabled?   


There is a checkbox for each SATA port that should be visible when you select DRIVES in the BIOS menu.  


That has to be turned on (checkmark) for the drive to be enabled.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Jun 15, 2018)

jeanpat said:


> In the case of a dead dvd reader, would it be possible to install the optical reader from a laptop?.



I use a laptop drive and one of these - https://www.ebay.ca/itm/7-6-13Pin-S...938128?hash=item4674c77010:g:MpUAAOSwQN5aYFat - for all my optical needs.  None of my PCs have an internal 5.25" drive anymore.


----------



## TechyTed (Jun 15, 2018)

jeanpat said:


> This was the first time I tried the optical reader since reception from ebay. I didn't test under windows (none available). I had a look in the bios of an optiplex, the dvd reader is visible in the device list, whereas mine is not ...
> I have to check the connection(s) to the mobo.
> In the case of a dead dvd reader, would it be possible to install the optical reader from a laptop?
> 
> ...



1)  I have never ordered from Aliexpress, but I know people who do order from it.  For the most part, it seems to be reliable, but shipping from China to US can be very slow....it can take 3-4 weeks to arrive.  

2)  Zotac is a good brand.  To me the same quality as Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, etc.  I am not aware of BIOS issues and the Dell, but I don’t have a lot experience with newer video cards either.  Retro who posts on here said he had some newer AMD models that would not boot properly, but Nvidia seemed to work fine.


----------



## jeanpat (Jun 15, 2018)

dorsetknob said:


> Would you like to pay pay me some money instead...............>>>


I considere this option after this oztalksHw's video


----------



## dorsetknob (Jun 15, 2018)

He Says it all from 8:00  >>> to end in VID ^^^^^

There have been quite a few threads here on Items from AliExpress Purchaces regarding the receiving of Fake Cards
(eBay as well).
As an European I think eBay/Paypal  Has a Better Fraud Protection Record. (Just in Case).

If you do go with a AliExpress Purchaces Please keep us Informed (  in 4 to 5 weeks ...)

edit see* Vario Siggie *
*Signature*


                            eBay said:                      


           "Note : it is not geforce original, It was produced by Taiwan graphic manufactory which has 10 years experience on this.And it's very good quality and has a wonderful praise by our customers."


----------



## TechyTed (Jun 15, 2018)

Apparently, there are lots of scam video cards coming from China.

But there are apparently some legit too.

No personal experience with this, just based on what I read and hear.

Here is a video about a reliable GTX 750 Ti source on Aliexpress.


----------



## jeanpat (Jun 15, 2018)

TechyTed said:


> 1)  I have never ordered from Aliexpress, but I know people who do order from it.  For the most part, it seems to be reliable, but shipping from China to US can be very slow....it can take 3-4 weeks to arrive.
> 
> 2)  Zotac is a good brand.  To me the same quality as Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, etc.  I am not aware of BIOS issues and the Dell, but I don’t have a lot experience with newer video cards either.  Retro who posts on here said he had some newer AMD models that would not boot properly, but Nvidia seemed to work fine.


Regarding Aliexpress, I forgot to considere two points:

VAT
customs taxes
meaning that the price could be doubled...

I'm giving a new try with ebay with a max auction price close to the price of aliexpress ...


----------



## TechyTed (Jun 15, 2018)

Around here I see local sellers of video cards who are selling for about the same as eBay.  They post on craigslist, offerup, letgo.  Some are asking higher prices, but I think most are negotiable.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Jun 15, 2018)

I buy all of my GPU on local classifieds, such as Kijiji.ca...can get some decent deals if you search around.  I got my 290X quite awhile back for $150 USD.  $100 will usually get you a decent card.  Most will be negotiable on price...just don't be one of those that super lowballs...


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 15, 2018)

jeanpat said:


> Hello,
> 
> The optical reader (dvd) fails to read cd/dvd (under ubuntu), the LED light on when a cdrom is inserted, then nothing.
> Could it be a software issue or the optical reader died?


Is the drive showing up in the Dell firmware bios list of drive devices?


----------



## jeanpat (Jun 16, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> Is the drive showing up in the Dell firmware bios list of drive devices?













I 'm afraid that the dvd rom is not detected


Aaron_Henderson said:


> I buy all of my GPU on local classifieds, such as Kijiji.ca...can get some decent deals if you search around.  I got my 290X quite awhile back for $150 USD.  $100 will usually get you a decent card.  Most will be negotiable on price...just don't be one of those that super lowballs...



I'm waiting an asus gtx 960 4Gb turbo (~140$on ebay)


----------



## TechyTed (Jun 16, 2018)

There should be some checkboxes where you can individually turn each SATA port on/off.  I would make certain the specific SATA port the DVD drive is connected to is ON, before you conclude the drive is bad.

The GTX 960 4gb is a good solid gaming card.  Congratulations!


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 16, 2018)

TechyTed said:


> I would make certain the specific SATA port the DVD drive is connected to is ON, before you conclude the drive is bad.


Correct. The SATA channels can be enabled/disabled on a per-port basis. 
@jeanpat, Make sure the port it's connected to is enabled. It's a very easy thing to over-look and can cause the "unknown device" listings in certain cases. Also, it might be a good idea to unplug the system and pull the CMOS battery to clear the bios just to be sure you don't have any problems there.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 17, 2018)

I just bought a T5500 875W PSU, and I noticed something that may be important to someone here. It has 32A. on the 5V. rail.
For comparison the 525W T3500 PSU has 20A., and My EVGA 850W Supernova B2 has 24A. there. So even though it supports 2CPU configurations it might not work in a T5500.
So aftermarket PSUs that work in a T3500 might not work in a T5500. My guess is they will limit you to single CPU operation.


----------



## Susquehannock (Jun 17, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> I just bought a T5500 875W PSU, and I noticed something that may be important to someone here. It has 32A. on the 5V. rail.
> For comparison the 525W T3500 PSU has 20A., and My EVGA 850W Supernova B2 has 24A. there. So even though it supports 2CPU configurations it might not work in a T5500.
> So aftermarket PSUs that work in a T3500 might not work in a T5500. My guess is they will limit you to single CPU operation.


Have run this through my mind in the past and all you said makes sense. A typical non-server type PSU will not have the additional 8-pin EPS connector to power the second CPU. Larger 5 volt rail on the 875 watt unit is needed to power up to 72gb of memory.  Another difference with both the Dell units from consumer level PSU you may notice is their large +5VSB rail (4.0a). This is to power the system in standby mode in a networking environment. No issue if you are not using the system as such.


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## lexluthermiester (Jun 18, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> I just bought a T5500 875W PSU, and I noticed something that may be important to someone here. It has 32A. on the 5V. rail.
> For comparison the 525W T3500 PSU has 20A., and My EVGA 850W Supernova B2 has 24A. there. So even though it supports 2CPU configurations it might not work in a T5500.
> So aftermarket PSUs that work in a T3500 might not work in a T5500. My guess is they will limit you to single CPU operation.


Those are good points. It should be noted however that most PSU's with the additional EPS connector do provide the extra amps on the 5v rail for those very reasons. Requires a bit of research to make sure, but they not difficult to find.


Susquehannock said:


> This is to power the system in standby mode in a networking environment. No issue if you are not using the system as such.


Which most people buying these kinds of systems for personal use never will use them as such.


----------



## remixedcat (Jun 18, 2018)

Good low profile graphics card for an optiplex 960? (slim desktop form factor - not the SFF model)


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## lexluthermiester (Jun 18, 2018)

remixedcat said:


> Good low profile graphics card for an optiplex 960? (slim desktop form factor - not the SFF model)


There are many good NV GF 1050 and 1050ti models that are low profile. Not sure what's out there from AMD, but they've got to have a few offerings.


----------



## remixedcat (Jun 18, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> There are many good NV GF 1050 and 1050ti models that are low profile. Not sure what's out there from AMD, but they've got to have a few offerings.


jeez can't really find anything equiv to that under 200 lately. ugh.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 18, 2018)

remixedcat said:


> jeez can't really find anything equiv to that under 200 lately. ugh.


They do come at a premium, but if that is what you need.. There are also previous gen offerings like the GF 750/750ti that can be had on the cheap.


----------



## Caring1 (Jun 18, 2018)

remixedcat said:


> jeez can't really find anything equiv to that under 200 lately. ugh.


https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125952
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500417


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## remixedcat (Jun 18, 2018)

mehhhh 150 is my for sure max but can go up to 200 but rather not. ugh. damn miners


----------



## jeanpat (Jun 18, 2018)

TechyTed said:


> There should be some checkboxes where you can individually turn each SATA port on/off.  I would make certain the specific SATA port the DVD drive is connected to is ON, before you conclude the drive is bad.
> 
> The GTX 960 4gb is a good solid gaming card.  Congratulations!


I hope the card (264 x 121 x *37 mm*) will fit in the T5500 (~ 300 mm available on the upper pci, I hope the fan on the pcb won't be an issue)


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## Devon68 (Jun 18, 2018)

This seemed like a sweet deal. Although it is not a dell but a HP.


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## lexluthermiester (Jun 19, 2018)

Devon68 said:


> This seemed like a sweet deal. Although it is not a dell but a HP.


It's all good, we're civilized here.


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## TechyTed (Jun 19, 2018)

If you are playing around with 1366 workstations, it makes sense to look at both Dell Tx500 and HP Zxxx models.  They arent identical, but close enough.  If you can get a better deal on one or the other, why not?



jeanpat said:


> I hope the card (264 x 121 x *37 mm*) will fit in the T5500 (~ 300 mm available on the upper pci, I hope the fan on the pcb won't be an issue)


I saw  Linus Tech Tips video on youtube where he took a hacksaw to a GTX 980 and cut the PCB to make it fit a server motherboard that had a capacitor right at the back of a PCIe slot.  Sometimes you have to be creative.  (Grin)


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## Retrorockit (Jun 19, 2018)

You need to be careful selecting a GPU for the OPTI 960. It's BTX and low profile. The GPU runs towards the CPU cooler and there is no 2nd slot there. So Low Profile and 1 slot wide are needed. The Opti 960 is worse than the 760 for 2 slot cards because they added a couple PS2 ports next to the GPU slot. The Opti 760 you could trim to make some room, but the 960 is crowded there.
Best solution would be a GTX 750Ti low profile single slot with the cabled VGA port moved behind the card, or left off. GT1030 is newer but less powerful. The Low Profile GTX1050 are all 2 slot wide and have a hard mounter DVI port in the 2nd slot. I'm not sure what woukd happen if you desoldered the PS2 sockets to make room for the 1050 card.


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## lexluthermiester (Jun 20, 2018)

remixedcat said:


> mehhhh 150 is my for sure max but can go up to 200 but rather not. ugh. damn miners


Hey buddy, found something that might fit your needs well;
https://www.amazon.com/ZOTAC-GeForce-Profile-Graphics-ZT-P10500E-10L/dp/B06XHJX4G8
$156 shipped is a great price for a good card. Worth a serious look.


----------



## remixedcat (Jun 20, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> Hey buddy, found something that might fit your needs well;
> https://www.amazon.com/ZOTAC-GeForce-Profile-Graphics-ZT-P10500E-10L/dp/B06XHJX4G8
> $156 shipped is a great price for a good card. Worth a serious look.


Nice, thanks,


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 20, 2018)

remixedcat said:


> Nice, thanks,


Just read Retrorockit's post and he might be right. There were several version of the Optiplex 960 and you need to check your board to verify there is room for a dual slot card like the one I linked above.


----------



## remixedcat (Jun 20, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> You need to be careful selecting a GPU for the OPTI 960. It's BTX and low profile. The GPU runs towards the CPU cooler and there is no 2nd slot there. So Low Profile and 1 slot wide are needed. The Opti 960 is worse than the 760 for 2 slot cards because they added a couple PS2 ports next to the GPU slot. The Opti 760 you could trim to make some room, but the 960 is crowded there.
> Best solution would be a GTX 750Ti low profile single slot with the cabled VGA port moved behind the card, or left off. GT1030 is newer but less powerful. The Low Profile GTX1050 are all 2 slot wide and have a hard mounter DVI port in the 2nd slot. I'm not sure what woukd happen if you desoldered the PS2 sockets to make room for the 1050 card.


Noted. Thanks a lot for this


----------



## jeanpat (Jun 20, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> Correct. The SATA channels can be enabled/disabled on a per-port basis.
> @jeanpat, Make sure the port it's connected to is enabled. It's a very easy thing to over-look and can cause the "unknown device" listings in certain cases. Also, it might be a good idea to unplug the system and pull the CMOS battery to clear the bios just to be sure you don't have any problems there.


Up to now, the connection seems ok:



I have checked all the unknown devices in the BIOS, but the cdroms still don't mount on insertion. Didn't try to remove the cmos battery...


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Jun 20, 2018)

It kind of looks like either your SATA data or SATA power cable are inserted at a slight angle...could just be the photo though.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 20, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> Hey buddy, found something that might fit your needs well;
> https://www.amazon.com/ZOTAC-GeForce-Profile-Graphics-ZT-P10500E-10L/dp/B06XHJX4G8
> $156 shipped is a great price for a good card. Worth a serious look.


 First check the length to see if it will hit the CPU cooler. Then look at the 4th photo. You'll see the DVI port that is going to be very close to the PS2 connectors. If you want to try this I would remove the bracket and test fit/run the card so you don't void the warranty. For this to work work you need to cut the case so the DVI port can stick out the back, and cut the bracket in 1/2 to make a single slot card. I do this sort of thing myself all the time. But advising someone to chop up a new video card is something else again. An Opti 760/780 wouldn't have the PS2 ports, and an Opti  760/ 780 MT you could just drop a full height Zotac GTX1050TI Mini right in it.


----------



## TechyTed (Jun 22, 2018)

My T3500 arrived yesterday.  Not much time to play with it yet, but I did hook it up to a monitor and made sure it booted OK.  Woohoo!


----------



## david carey (Jun 24, 2018)

Hello , first time here . I have a PB 12 issue with my T 3500  . I have some questions .
1/ Has anyone figured out ( not guessed ) what is at fault ? There are many guesses including VRM or Capacitor failure .
2/ Has anyone regained use of the computer after PB 12  ?
3/ What is causing my front fans to spin fast ( separate issue to the PB 12 ) , even from startup ?
  For the record I very much like the T 3500 , hoping to upgrade the CPU


----------



## TechyTed (Jun 24, 2018)

Opened up my T3500 to give it a good dusting.  Whew!  Dont know where this thing was used, but looks like it might have been in high humidity for a while.  The dust was stuck on like mud.  Also the CPU cooler was corroded.  Almost like rust.  So I blew out what I could, popped in the E5520 CPU I had, put new thermal paste on, replaced a broken front fan (had an extra on hand), upgraded the BIOS.   Now I am saving up for a faster unlocked W36xx.  (Grin)


----------



## jeanpat (Jun 24, 2018)

david carey said:


> Hello , first time here . I have a PB 12 issue with my T 3500  . I have some questions .
> 1/ Has anyone figured out ( not guessed ) what is at fault ? There are many guesses including VRM or Capacitor failure .
> 2/ Has anyone regained use of the computer after PB 12  ?
> 3/ What is causing my front fans to spin fast ( separate issue to the PB 12 ) , even from startup ?
> For the record I very much like the T 3500 , hoping to upgrade the CPU



Regarding PB12, found this. Can this youtube channel be helpful?


----------



## david carey (Jun 24, 2018)

TechyTed said:


> Opened up my T3500 to give it a good dusting.  Whew!  Dont know where this thing was used, but looks like it might have been in high humidity for a while.  The dust was stuck on like mud.  Also the CPU cooler was corroded.  Almost like rust.  So I blew out what I could, popped in the E5520 CPU I had, put new thermal paste on, replaced a broken front fan (had an extra on hand), upgraded the BIOS.   Now I am saving up for a faster unlocked W36xx.  (Grin)


Mine has the same issue , 80 - 85% humidity ( all the time ) and looking at the front of the case i will need to clean the dust again , probably due to the front fans running fast and sucking in dust .


----------



## jeanpat (Jun 24, 2018)

TechyTed said:


> Opened up my T3500 to give it a good dusting.  Whew!  Dont know where this thing was used, but looks like it might have been in high humidity for a while.  The dust was stuck on like mud.  Also the CPU cooler was corroded.  Almost like rust.  So I blew out what I could, popped in the E5520 CPU I had, put new thermal paste on, replaced a broken front fan (had an extra on hand), upgraded the BIOS.   Now I am saving up for a faster unlocked W36xx.  (Grin)


hello,
How did you upgrade the bios? (using windows 7? From which version to which one?)


----------



## david carey (Jun 24, 2018)

Upgrading the BIOS is simple , just click on it as I recall . I went up quite a few versions to the A17 version .


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 24, 2018)

david carey said:


> Upgrading the BIOS is simple , just click on it as I recall . I went up quite a few versions to the A17 version .


You may wish to reset the bios by pulling out the battery in the mobo and unplugging the power then holding the reset button on the power supply for 5 seconds. Updating the bios several versions can cause setting incompatibilities that are not always reset. If the problem persists, reseat your ram, CPU and all installed cards. Also reseat the power connectors on the board.


----------



## TechyTed (Jun 24, 2018)

Latest BIOS for T3500 = A17

http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/drivers/driversdetails?driverId=CN9VG

Latest BIOS for T5500 =  A16

http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/drivers/driversdetails?driverId=G24Y4

Links to respective BIOS above.

There are Windows/DOS executables and Linux executables.

I ran my updates under Windows 10 for both motherboards.  Worked without a hitch.  The file basically reboots the machine to DOS and does the install.

It will prompt you to run as administrator.  Might say run with elevated privileges, but it means as admin.

Do the update with a Nehalem CPU (E55xx, W35xx, X55xx) before switching to a later (X56xx or W36xx) one.  BIOS update required first, on the earlier motherboards.

Lexluthermeister’s advice on doing the hard system reset after a BIOS flash is well taken.   Doesn’t hurt to clean out any errant settings and start fresh.


----------



## david carey (Jun 25, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> You may wish to reset the bios by pulling out the battery in the mobo and unplugging the power then holding the reset button on the power supply for 5 seconds. Updating the bios several versions can cause setting incompatibilities that are not always reset. If the problem persists, reseat your ram, CPU and all installed cards. Also reseat the power connectors on the board.


None of these work . The computer IS working , but also exhibits PB 12 generally after a shutdown due to power-cuts ( overnight ) , my UPS needs upgrading . When the machine is warm is can be started up no problems . After a PB 12  I can ,with some effort, get it back working again . The above two questions 
1/ Has anyone figured out ( not guessed ) exactly what is at fault ? There are many guesses including VRM or Capacitor failure .
2/ Has anyone regained use of the computer after PB 12 ? 
I am still eager to have these questions answered .


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 25, 2018)

david carey said:


> There are many guesses including VRM or Capacitor failure .


I doubt it's the VRM's or any of the CPU-power-line caps, if so the system wouldn't boot at all, let alone give an error code.

What does the screen display when that error code is given, if anything?


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## david carey (Jun 25, 2018)

This error code precedes any input to the screen .


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## lexluthermiester (Jun 25, 2018)

david carey said:


> This error code precedes any input to the screen .


But something is displayed onscreen?


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## david carey (Jun 25, 2018)

Same display as when there is no PB 12 error , not sure why you are asking .


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## TechyTed (Jun 25, 2018)

david carey said:


> Hello , first time here . I have a PB 12 issue with my T 3500  . I have some questions .
> 1/ Has anyone figured out ( not guessed ) what is at fault ? There are many guesses including VRM or Capacitor failure .
> 2/ Has anyone regained use of the computer after PB 12  ?”
> 
> ...



Looks like this was discussed over at the Dell forum.

https://www.dell.com/community/Desk...ht-1-and-2/m-p/4442331/highlight/true#M963003

Have  you asked about this over at that forum?  Might be somebody who has encountered it.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 25, 2018)

david carey said:


> Same display as when there is no PB 12 error , not sure why you are asking .


Sometimes the bios will give an error message that would be useful to help you solve this problem. If no error message is being displayed, and the system boots normally, you could have a front panel daughter-board problem. The Dell diagnostic utilities would also give helpful info if installed. If they're not installed and give them a run to see what they say.


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## jeanpat (Jun 25, 2018)

Hello,
my T5500 (bios A02) is capable to boot with an asus GTX 960 turbo


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## lexluthermiester (Jun 25, 2018)

jeanpat said:


> Hello,
> my T5500 (bios A02) is capable to boot with an asus GTX 960 turbo


You should really update that bios my friend. The A02, IIRC, had a few known problems.


----------



## jeanpat (Jun 25, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> You should really update that bios my friend. The A02, IIRC, had a few known problems.


It's risky and i failed to boot from a freedos usb key (and no w7 under the hand)


----------



## techiee (Jun 26, 2018)

Hi! I just registered to say that I've found a $60 Dell Precision T7500 with a Dual Intel Xeon X5650, Radeon HD 6870 card, 6GB Ram, and no HDD. I bought a 1TB HDD, upgraded my card to a HD 7870, and everything runs perfectly fine except for Wii U and CEMU emulators. For some reason, my PC is super duper weak with emulators and I was wondering if my old CPU is the culprit? If so, is there any way for me to overclock it? My mobo is a stock one and not a X58 unfortunately and I don't have the budget to replace it. My Dell mobo is 06fw8p with bios updated to latest.


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## TechyTed (Jun 26, 2018)

Sounds like you got a great deal for $60.

The T7500 Dual Xeon configuration is generally not overclockable.  A few single CPU configurations ...factory unlocked chips...are somewhat overclockable.  Check the “Throttlestop on desktops” thread for exact details on some W35xx and W36xx CPUs that overclock on T3500 motherboards.

Many Third party X58 motherboards from Asus, Gigabyte, MSI allow higly overclockable Xeons through BIOS settings.  But those tricks dont work in the Dell precision line. 

There are some rare reports of people who claim to have suceeded with FSB type overclocking on T5500s or T7500s but solid info on that approach is lacking.

I am running a X5675 in my T5500 single CPU configuration and its quite peppy for what I am doing at the moment.  

For around $60 you could get an X5680 on eBay and install it single CPU config.  I know that doubles the cost, but for gaming, it would give you a 30% single core speed boost, which is probably as good as you can expect from overclocking.  You could probably sell your matched X5650s and CPU riser card and make money on the deal.


----------



## jeanpat (Jun 26, 2018)

Communication between T5500 <-> GTX 960. The bandwidthTest program from CUDA sample yields:


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 26, 2018)

techiee said:


> Hi! I just registered to say that I've found a $60 Dell Precision T7500 with a Dual Intel Xeon X5650, Radeon HD 6870 card, 6GB Ram, and no HDD. I bought a 1TB HDD, upgraded my card to a HD 7870, and everything runs perfectly fine except for Wii U and CEMU emulators. For some reason, my PC is super duper weak with emulators and I was wondering if my old CPU is the culprit? If so, is there any way for me to overclock it? My mobo is a stock one and not a X58 unfortunately and I don't have the budget to replace it. My Dell mobo is 06fw8p with bios updated to latest.


As TechTed says overclocking is a single CPU game. Also since the unlocked 1CPUs have the memory controller on the CPU the RAM capacity and type used will change also.
The fastest 2 CPU is the X5687 4 core Westmere EP 3.6GHz.
https://ark.intel.com/products/5257...r-X5687-12M-Cache-3_60-GHz-6_40-GTs-Intel-QPI
The memory capcity of 288GB means RDIMM are supported which can save you a bunch of money if that's what you already have. So if 8C/16T is enough for you then that's what I would suggest.
Also 6GB of RAM means 3GB/CPU. 12GB would be the absolute minimum I would run, and 24GB would be much better I think. 6GB is pretty much a shipping configuration for 2 CPU. I would fix that first. maybe your CPU isn't the problem.
 There's a guy at OCN overclocking the T7500.
https://www.overclock.net/forum/5-i...rclocking-dual-xeon-dell-precision-t7500.html


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## TechyTed (Jun 26, 2018)

Agree on the T7500 6gb RAM configuration being a potential bottleneck.   If you run 6gb on each CPU, three 2gb DIMMs each, you should have the triple channel memory going and 12gb should really be enough for 90% of the games out there today.  That config could go to 24gb easily.



Retrorockit said:


> ....
> There's a guy at OCN overclocking the T7500.
> https://www.overclock.net/forum/5-i...rclocking-dual-xeon-dell-precision-t7500.html



I saw that thread but wonder about the validity of the claims.  What version of SetFSB?  Which PCIe to SATA adapter?  Lots of unanswered questions.  Overall system stability would seem rather unlikely, but who knows?  Maybe some brave T5500 or T7500 owner will give it a shot!  (Grin)


----------



## david carey (Jun 26, 2018)

Dammit you are lucky , that is a steal ! Dual x5650 , Nice . No way to over-clock , but with two of them , Why would you want to ?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 27, 2018)

techiee said:


> For some reason, my PC is super duper weak with emulators and I was wondering if my old CPU is the culprit?


That would be no. CEMU is stronger on NVidia cards and both of the cards you listed are fairly old. GTX 660, 670, 680, 760, 770 and 780 will work great with that system, will run CEMU great and can be had used for $150 or less on eBay. If you want to stick with a Radeon, anything in the "R9" series will work, though you have to look up prices. Rest assured, it isn't your CPU's.

The X5650 6 core CPU is plenty powerful for CEMU. The chipset for that board is very likely the E5520 as the E5500 wasn't officially compatible with the X56XX series Xeons(IIRC, someone correct me if incorrect), and is technically better than the X58 in many respects. You got a good deal on that system. The real upgrade you need is a video card as mentioned for the purpose above and maybe another 6GB(3x2GB) of ram(make sure you get matching ram specs). However, if you stick with what you have, you still have a damn decent system which should last you a while.

Would be happy to help you out further, should you need it.



Retrorockit said:


> As TechTed says overclocking is a single CPU game.


Not always. There are some dual-CPU socket 1366 mobo's out there that support *very carefully controlled* overclocking, but they are rare and expensive. Would be kinda fun to play with one though.


----------



## techiee (Jun 27, 2018)

Thank you all so much for the advices and replies!! Yeah all in all, it does seem like the RAM is the culprit in having slow performance on emulators. Luckily, I found a couple of these with various memories and I'm looking forward to buy the 16GB variant sometime this week. If I buy the RAM, could I combine it with the RAM that I have or do I have to remove it all? 



lexluthermiester said:


> That would be no. CEMU is stronger on NVidia cards and both of the cards you listed are fairly old. GTX 660, 670, 680, 760, 770 and 780 will work great with that system, will run CEMU great and can be had used for $150 or less on eBay. If you want to stick with a Radeon, anything in the "R9" series will work, though you have to look up prices. Rest assured, it isn't your CPU's.



Ahh. The people around my city sell Nvidia cards pretty expensively. AMD's on the other hand is a mix. Couldn't find an RX or R9 under my budget unfortunately so in the end, I found the best card I could ever afford with best performance possible with a 80 dollar budget and got that 7870 for 70 (Saved $10 ). Surprisingly, that 7870 still kicks massive ass and it still has driver support! As for its compatibility with CEMU, I have to guess it's my combination of 2GB VRAM and my current 6GB RAM that's the real culprit. Like you said, the X5650 should be powerful enough to run CEMU. According to benchmarks, the stock should at least be near equivalent to a i5-2500K.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 27, 2018)

techiee said:


> Luckily, I found a couple of these


The following set would actually serve you better as it's actually a triple-channel set;
https://www.ebay.com/itm/12GB-3X4GB...RECISION-WORKSTATION-T5500-T7500/161176438347
$11 cheaper as well.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 27, 2018)

Triple channel memory is a big plus with these systems. That means sets of 3 matching modules, or pairs of 3 sets of modules. Thats's why 12 GB or 24 GB are suggested. 16GB isn't a triple channel comfiguration. If you're running 2-6Core CPUs with Hyperthreading you have 24 threads running on 6GB RAM. 256MB of RAM per thread.
You could possibly put alll 6GB on 1 CPU, and add another 6GB to the 2nd CPU. But I would check the Dell Manual to see if that's a supported configuration.
Since you have 2 CPUs and they each have a separate memory controller you will probably need at least a 6 module kit.
Here is the manual showing supported configurations.
https://downloads.dell.com/manuals/common/precision-t5500_setup guide_en-us.pdf
6x1GB + 3x2GB isn't shown but doesn't break any rules either. It might be worth a try if money is tight. You could always add another 3x2GB  if it doesn't work. Then add 3x4GB later.
But IMO if your running 24 threads 24 GB isn't too much.
These do have the ability to run 2 channel, and "Flex Mode" with mismatched RAM but there is always a perfomance hit.


----------



## TechyTed (Jun 27, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> The following set would actually serve you better as it's actually a triple-channel set;
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/12GB-3X4GB...RECISION-WORKSTATION-T5500-T7500/161176438347
> $11 cheaper as well.



Thats the exact set I bought for my T5500 single X5675 CPU configuration.

Memory was brand new and it worked perfectly.


----------



## david carey (Jun 27, 2018)

Anyone running these machines with 8 GB modules ?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 27, 2018)

david carey said:


> Anyone running these machines with 8 GB modules ?


I'm not, but it is possible. Was thinking of doing so and looked into it.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jul 2, 2018)

I came across something that might be fun to play with. The Nvidia Tesla C1060 4GB 512bit DDR3 video processor card. It's 187W. 2 slots wide and has no video outputs.
Basically a dedicated CUDA/ PhysX card. It's DX10 but there are Win7/8 drivers for it. Dell# Y155M. It was an option on the T5500. I'm seeing these for as low as $60.
I might stick one in a T3400 LGA775 to see what happens. In Windows it needs an Nvidia GPU, In Linux it can pair with an AMD card.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 2, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> I came across something that might be fun to play with. The Nvidia Tesla C1060 4GB 512bit DDR3 video processor card. It's 187W. 2 slots wide and has no video outputs.
> Basically a dedicated CUDA/ PhysX card. It's DX10 but there are Win7/8 drivers for it. Dell# Y155M. It was an option on the T5500. I'm seeing these for as low as $60.
> I might stick one in a T3400 LGA775 to see what happens. In Windows it needs an Nvidia GPU, In Linux it can pair with an AMD card.


OOoo, nice! If you do anything that can use Cuda or GPGPU, you will get a very respectable boost in performance!


----------



## dorsetknob (Jul 2, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> There are some dual-CPU socket 1366 mobo's out there that support *very carefully controlled* overclocking, but they are rare and expensive. Would be kinda fun to play with one though.


EVGA SR2 comes to mind


----------



## Retrorockit (Jul 2, 2018)

"OOoo, nice! If you do anything that can use Cuda or GPGPU, you will get a very respectable boost in performance! "
I saw one review by a guy who had one paired with a GTX980. He said his FPS didn't go up, but it never dropped off either. I just ordered one for my toy box.


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## TechyTed (Jul 2, 2018)

I saw an HP Z400 listed on eBay with one of those Tesla C1060 installed.  Wasn't sure what software would take advantage of it.  I think a few games used the Physx boost for special effects, but I was guessing the additional Cuda cores for engineering tools would have been the justification for having it in a workstation.


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## lexluthermiester (Jul 2, 2018)

dorsetknob said:


> EVGA SR2 comes to mind


Asus also made a few very good ones.


TechyTed said:


> I saw an HP Z400 listed on eBay with one of those Tesla C1060 installed. Wasn't sure what software would take advantage of it.


There are a ton of Audio/Video/3D editing/rendering suites that will use Tesla cards as well. So if you do any video editing one of these will cut your rendering times in half or better.


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## Retrorockit (Jul 2, 2018)

TechyTed said:


> I saw an HP Z400 listed on eBay with one of those Tesla C1060 installed.  Wasn't sure what software would take advantage of it.  I think a few games used the Physx boost for special effects, but I was guessing the additional Cuda cores for engineering tools would have been the justification for having it in a workstation.


 Apparently there are a lot of scientific programs that need the parallel math processing and continuos output a GPU can provide. Racing sims like GTA5 and iRacing use it also.



lexluthermiester said:


> Asus also made a few very good ones.


Asus made some good 2 CPU LGA1366 but ASFAIK the EVGA SR2 is the only fully unlocked 2 CPU board. It can overclock even the locked Xeon CPUs.
http://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/5194576


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## Deleted member 178884 (Jul 2, 2018)

Evga sr-2 is expensive as hell now, I've seen some with custom loops and dual x5690's at 5ghz which is crazy


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## dorsetknob (Jul 2, 2018)

there are a few members here at TPU that own SR2's   some even own multiple Boards


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## sepheronx (Jul 2, 2018)

I see I can pick up locally a Dell T3500 with a W3550 (I think that is what it is) with 12gb of ram, 1x 256gb SSD, some crappy GPU for $160 CAD.  I am thinking of purchasing it, maybe offering something like $140 for it and purchasing a X5680 and putting in a 1060 3gb GPU.

What do you guys think?  It sounds like a good deal (very cheap, RAM and SSD alone would be costly).

You cool dudes with the x5680 and other potential machines, could you compare some games for us vs the newer processors if you got them?  I would appreciate it.  If none of you can, I understand.


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## Retrorockit (Jul 2, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> I see I can pick up locally a Dell T3500 with a W3550 (I think that is what it is) with 12gb of ram, 1x 256gb SSD, some crappy GPU for $160 CAD.  I am thinking of purchasing it, maybe offering something like $140 for it and purchasing a X5680 and putting in a 1060 3gb GPU.
> 
> What do you guys think?  It sounds like a good deal (very cheap, RAM and SSD alone would be costly).


You might look around in the Throttlestop Overclocking Desktop PCs thread. Depending on what your plans are for it there are some interesting options there.
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/

Re: The Tesla CUDA cards, I found a newer 3GB Fermi card Tesla C2050 for $60 so I grabbed that one also. DX12 makes it still relevant.


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## sepheronx (Jul 2, 2018)

yes, but how good are those cards for games? I assume pretty lousy, right?


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## TechyTed (Jul 2, 2018)

I went with an X5675 upgrade (from an E5520).  Upped the base CPU by 800mhz and went from 4/8 cores/threads to 6/12 cores threads.  Cinebench CPU score was about double (over 700).  For a $40 CPU off eBay not bad.

The sweet overclockable Xeon for the T3500 seems to be the W3680.  As Retro pointed out the Throttlestop thread shows 4 + ghz is possible without much drama.


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## sepheronx (Jul 2, 2018)

well, if I can overclock it using throttlestop to 4+ghz then its worth the extra $40 CAD for the W3680 then.


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## Retrorockit (Jul 3, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> yes, but how good are those cards for games? I assume pretty lousy, right?


They have no video output at all. They're basically a Floating Point processor. If the CPU is weak on physics, and the "game" or benchmark supports CUDA processing then the increase can be large. This will show up in situations like the start of a race when 30 cars are on a grid and the physics for all of them needs to be done at once, or huge battle scenes or aircraft simulations with many planes. It's very common for FPS to dip during these situations. iRacing, GTA 5, and firestrike all support PhysX. Many scientific, and mathematical programs can use a math co processor more than another CPU. I tend to buy and try just to see what actually happens. I may put one of these in a Dell T3400 LGA775 workstation to see if they can help an old CPU with DDR2 RAM raise it's weak Physics score in the benchmarks that can use it. Any program that's not optimized for it will probably gain nothing.
 This is actually what Bitcoin miners should be using in stead of trashing perfecly good video cards.


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## Retrorockit (Jul 4, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> yes, but how good are those cards for games? I assume pretty lousy, right?


 In the past when these cards were $6000 it was known that just buying another GPU and assigning it's ccores as CUDA  cores would produce the same result. The thing that's changed is now these are $60 surplus.  In a workstation environment all the RAM on these  including caches is ECC, and the drivers are optimized for data integrity. In a technical environment these could be worth more than a 2nd CPU. As a video card for gaming they're pretty much useless. Except in those cases where the CPU boost can help. The C2050 does have a DVI port.


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## TechyTed (Jul 6, 2018)

Well finally made time to get my T5500 motherboard installed in the T3500 case today.  Very easy swap!

One thing I noticed...the T5500 power supply that I bought separately, came with a power harness that is identical to the T3500.  Meaning it only has a single 8 pin CPU cable and a single 6 pin PCIe card cable.  I think the official T5500 cable has two 8 pin connectors (for CPU 1and CPU 2) and two 6 pin connectors for two graphic cards.

Either the guy who sold me the T5500 power supply gave me the wrong power cable or some T5500s (single CPU config) come with the T3500 power cable as standard. My currenct config is single CPU so, the T3500 cable is fine, but if I upgrade to dual CPUs, will have to get the other power cable and install it.



Xx Tek Tip xX said:


> Evga sr-2 is expensive as hell now, I've seen some with custom loops and dual x5690's at 5ghz which is crazy



They’ve show up on eBay for around $300-350 sometimes, but don’t last very long at that price. Even with a gamble on it working or not.  So, I would say the demand on those boards is still pretty high.


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## Retrorockit (Jul 6, 2018)

If you got the 875W PSU w/o the 2x EPS 8 pins you got scrood. Dell may have provided the same PSU in the single CPU T3500/T5500 and only supplied the bigger one in the 2 CPU or 2 GPU machines. You are correct the 875W T5500 PSU I bought has 2x 8 pin EPS and 2x 6 pin PCIe conectors.
But the 875W w/o the right cable is just a 525W setup.

One thing to keep in mind about the EVGA SR2 is that  it's humogous and won't fit in a standard ATX full tower case. It also has 2x 8 pin EPS connectors plus 2x 6 pin CPU connectors that  i've never heard of. So you might need a special EVGA PSU to run it.
https://www.evga.com/support/manuals/files/270-WS-W555.pdf


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## TechyTed (Jul 6, 2018)

Since I didnt have a real dual CPU T5500 or even a single CPU T5500 around to compare, wasn't sure about the cable.   I will see if I can find the actual Dell PN for the correct cable and contact the guy I bought it from and see if I can swap cables.  If not, I see there are some on eBay for ~$15 that should work.  I really dont need it unless I upgrade to a second CPU and that may be a while.  But its nice to have the cable on hand as an option.


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## Retrorockit (Jul 7, 2018)

That 875W PSU may have been used in some XPS or Alienware models also. Or even some older FBDIMM work stations. There may be many cable sets that will fit it. Some good and some bad depending on what you want to connect to it.
 I got my Tesla C2050 yesterday. Looks NOS except I can tell it's been put in a PCIe connector before. It's GTX 480 level tech. Does have a DVI out on it.
It seems there are 2 drivers available for it. One as a CUDA workstation card, and another to use it as a PhysX gaming card.
 I think I'll put it in a T3400 LGA775 QX9650 I've got sitting around ( TS overclocked of sourse). The single CPU could use the help. I'm guessing the PhysX drivers willl be the ones I want.
I'm open to suggestions as to what this might be good for from the more serious workstation users. Or some math oriented benchmarks to see what it can do.


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## TechyTed (Jul 7, 2018)

FWIW - I saw  an R9 285 2gb card on eBay for $60 shipped, so I pulled the trigger.  My budget right now is tight.  Really wanted to find a GTX 950 or GTX 960 at a decent price, but they’re all just a little more than I can spend.


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## Retrorockit (Jul 7, 2018)

Read Susuehannocks posts, he says he gets Radeons to work in these. There have been some BIOS compatability issues with those cards. I know because I own a couple of them.
I think he joined around page 7 or 8.


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## TechyTed (Jul 7, 2018)

This card claims to work with either UEFI or Legacy BIOS.  That was partly why I bought.  I have both types of systems and wanted the flexibility of using it in either.

I did read the posts where you mentioned problems getting newer Radeons working.  Will let you know how it works in this T5500 mb when the card arrives.

The brand of card is Sapphire if that matters.


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## Retrorockit (Jul 7, 2018)

I have the Saphhire R9-285 ITX 2GB with the dual BIOS switch. GCN2 is when the issue started. Up to the T3400 ( which is the last of the BTX workstations) it won't display the BIOS screens VESA 103 mode. The BIOS either requires F1 to proceed, or refuses to boot at all. Susqeuatch has gotten some very new Radeons to work. RX 580 I think. His fix is a chipset patch. Another I've heard of is to install a compatible PCIe 1x, or PCI GPU to get past POST. I own a pair of those cards and they are a potent combo in Crossfire. I'm afraid my workbench has been taken over by Automotive, and home improvemnet projects that I've been putting off for a long time. 1000 W E bike in the works also. So my computer projects are lagging right now.
BTW the R9 285 2GB performs just about the same as the GTX1050Ti 4GB. It just needs a 100 more Watts to do it.


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## TechyTed (Jul 7, 2018)

I bought the Sapphire R9 285...2GB..non-ITX model.  Price was too good to resist...$60.  

Afterwards, I saw the seller had the R9 380 2GB for $20 more.  The R9 380 4GB model was $70 more.

Hopefully this one will work in the T5500. But if not, I have another system I am certain it will work in.  

And I can move the HD7750 that I have in that box to the Dell.


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## Retrorockit (Jul 7, 2018)

I think the 380 is just a BIOS flash of the 285. They're the same hardware. I got the ITX for my dimension E520 overclocking project. With some trimming it will fit in an Optiplex BTX Mini Tower case. I also have  Fury Nano cut down to fit those! The BIOS issue really sucks. I hope it works in the T5500.


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## TechyTed (Jul 8, 2018)

The reviews on the ITX versions were quite positive from what I saw.  Nvidia did not offer a higher end card with that form factor for a long time and Sapphire was smart to jump in there.


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## TechyTed (Jul 9, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> That 875W PSU may have been used in some XPS or Alienware models also. Or even some older FBDIMM work stations. There may be many cable sets that will fit it. Some good and some bad depending on what you want to connect to it.



Doing a some research  on the Dell power supply P/N that I have (J556T) it does match up as one of the models used in the T5500 and other Dells too (Alienware as you indicated).   The power harness that came with it is P/N 0R951H...definitely for the T3500, not the T5500.  I think the one I really need is Dell P/N 0R166H.

When you’re piecing together a system, it’s one of those “learning curve” things.


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## Retrorockit (Jul 9, 2018)

TechyTed said:


> The reviews on the ITX versions were quite positive from what I saw.  Nvidia did not offer a higher end card with that form factor for a long time and Sapphire was smart to jump in there.


Unfortunately the reviews I saw for the  R9-285 ITX were for 4GB engineering samples. I've never seen anything but 2 GB ITX in the wild. I put that in my Dimension E520 4GHz QX6800. That's when I discovered the Dell/VESA 103/ BIOS issue. I've seen it confirmed several times since then in other systems.

I think you have a legitimate issue with the seller on that PSU harness. I always look closely at the listing to see what harness is actually included. Using an Alienware harness has it's own risks since the cables may be the wrong length for workstation layouts. Like most things Dell they're made for a specific purpose.


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## david carey (Jul 11, 2018)

Well I think my beloved T3500 is well and truly finished , that is if no one has any good ideas . The PB12 ( 1 and 2 lights ) has morphed into 3 and 4 which  think means the memory slots are finished ( as a last resort i had a friend try to repair it, he returned it as not working but i got it working after a couple of adjustments , although it threw up many error messages ,it started and i used it all night ( But showed only 8 gb instead of the 12 gb ) memory . Unless i am mistaken if DIMM 1 fails the basically all the other slots also fail ?


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## TechyTed (Jul 11, 2018)

Could be the slots or could also be the CPU socket.  If some of those pins get bent, you can get the symptoms you are describing.


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## Aaron_Henderson (Jul 11, 2018)

david carey said:


> Well I think my beloved T3500 is well and truly finished , that is if no one has any good ideas . The PB12 ( 1 and 2 lights ) has morphed into 3 and 4 which  think means the memory slots are finished ( as a last resort i had a friend try to repair it, he returned it as not working but i got it working after a couple of adjustments , although it threw up many error messages ,it started and i used it all night ( But showed only 8 gb instead of the 12 gb ) memory . Unless i am mistaken if DIMM 1 fails the basically all the other slots also fail ?



You could always just replace the board...they are back down to about $45 USD on Ebay again.  Also...typing this from my T3500 setup that's listed in my signature.


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## david carey (Jul 13, 2018)

This is the thing , the complete T 3500 ( w 3565 and 6 GB ) computer ( from a dealer ) cost the equivalent of $150 including shipping and customs charges ( from the US ) and the dealers profit margin . A replacement motherboard will cost $100 , incl shipping , PLUS customs charges ( and that is a Very variable charge ) .


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## TechyTed (Jul 17, 2018)

Bummer on the high cost of getting a replacement T3500  motherboard.  I have a spare at the moment, because I swapped the T5500 MB into my T3500 case.

Got the R166H power cable and put it into the chassis, along with the T5500 power supply.  Now I’ve got 800 + Watts.  Woohoo!

In other news, the R9 285 did not boot, in three different systems that I tried.  So, I am trying to return it to the seller and will probably end up with an Nvidia card instead.


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## TechyTed (Jul 25, 2018)

Update, I got a refund on the DOA R9 285.   Bought a used R9 380X, installed it in the T5500.

So far, so good.  It booted and is running in Windows 10.


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## Susquehannock (Jul 25, 2018)

So far so good with the set up below. Over the last three weeks have run about every diagnostic and stress test I can think of.  These IBM # 49Y1415 were on the comparability list so gave them a shot. $78 shipped for 8x3=24GB of low voltage low latency modules running triple channel. Money saved by going to RDIMM more than paid for the T5500 board. 

Still running the Nvidia Quadro 600. Not quite ready to pull that RX 480 out of the other case yet.

- Case: Dell T3500
- Mainboard: T5500 #D883F
- PSU: Dell 525w
- CPU Xeon X5687 (single)
- RAM: 3x8=24GB (RDIMM)
- GPU: Nvidia Quadro 600
- BIOS: A16
- Intel 5520 driver: A06


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## TechyTed (Jul 28, 2018)

View attachment 104545

Here is my T3500/5500 with the R9  380x installed.





It’s a tight fit if you want to keep the RAM fan shroud.





I wanted to keep the original drive tray for now but it would not close properly with the video card in the PCIe x16 slot #1.   Then I noticed you could remove part of the drive tray.  Look close and you will see its held in by three screws. I removed that flap and clamped the SSD to the remainder with zip ties.  Kind of ghetto but adequate for now .





Here is the piece of the drive tray I removed to make room for the video card.  If you only have one drive on the tray you really dont need this extra piece.  Removing it opens up a lot more room for a longer video card.





If you try to install a video card of any size at all, you will likely have to remove this plastic card retainer thingie.  Its held into the chassis with a couple of screws.  Easily to remove.


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## TechyTed (Jul 30, 2018)

On another note...seen on eBay:


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## dorsetknob (Jul 30, 2018)

worth a bid or 3  (as long as delivery does not rip you off too much


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## Aaron_Henderson (Jul 30, 2018)

HP Z400 in  description, photo of a T3500 lol


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## TechyTed (Jul 31, 2018)

Aaron_Henderson said:


> HP Z400 in  description, photo of a T3500 lol



Yeah I was going to say thats the most Dell-looking HP that I’ve seen.


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## david carey (Aug 7, 2018)

Back again . Yesterday was strange . I found a shop ( the size of an average bathroom ) in probably the last place I would have expected it and completely by accident . Now this shop has around 15 T3500 units and clean , but only have the XPDFK  motherboards fitted ( so the owner says , but has not checked - I had to open one to find out , and to check what "3ghz processor" was installed ! It may be that there are 09KPNVs ( maybe a decent processor ? ) in there , but convincing the shop owner to open them up is going to be an un-winnable battle ( he says they are the same ) .
     Is this motherboard useable ? He wants a gouging $94 for the MB or $188 for the complete unit ( 4gb , 500gb and front card reader) , anyone using these older boards with no problems ??


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## Retrorockit (Aug 7, 2018)

Those prices are about twice what mail order is. MB are $35-40 including T5500 versions. Barebones T3500 are 75$. If you shop hard you might find T3500 with W3680, X5687 or X5690 and 12GB for  around $200-220 shipped.


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## Susquehannock (Aug 7, 2018)

david carey said:


> Back again . Yesterday was strange . I found a shop ( the size of an average bathroom ) in probably the last place I would have expected it and completely by accident . Now this shop has around 15 T3500 units and clean , but only have the XPDFK  motherboards fitted ( so the owner says , but has not checked - I had to open one to find out , and to check what "3ghz processor" was installed ! It may be that there are 09KPNVs ( maybe a decent processor ? ) in there , but convincing the shop owner to open them up is going to be an un-winnable battle ( he says they are the same ) .
> Is this motherboard useable ? He wants a gouging $94 for the MB or $188 for the complete unit ( 4gb , 500gb and front card reader) , anyone using these older boards with no problems ??


The XPDFK board should be fine. 3ghz processor in earlier boxes is likely the W3550 Bloomfield.  Older BIOS may limit your CPU selection. Use the Bloomfield and update to the latest BIOS, Intel chipset driver, and then you will be able to run Westmere no problem. Works for me.

Since the seller won't let you open them, you can look at the black service tag for Mfg date. Should be on top front of the case, provided nobody has removed it. One I am using to type this is: "20110401", which indicates April 1st, 2011. Good bet any build date October 2010 or later will have the latest revision 9KPNV board. Only major  difference I have seen is the later boards are built with the better capacitors. Which is another subject.

[edit]
Be sure to stay away from "N series" boxes. These are specific networking units that will not accept a Windows OS.


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## Readlight (Aug 7, 2018)

All computers are from dell hp,... OEM  i think wee newer need to pay for new error windows.
How much was for Windows 10 ?


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## david carey (Aug 8, 2018)

Does the older board still update to the latest bios ? Does anyone have any problems with the older board , Capacitor failure for instance . I have had two of the newer 09kpnv boards go in less than a year from the same PB12 issue ( last one i put down to VRM ) , so am wary .


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## darkwingduck13 (Aug 13, 2018)

Hello all!  I've been running a Dell Precision T5400 as my home rig for a while now, but I only recently found this board.  Seeing this topic made me decide to join up and ask a few questions about a DIFFERENT project that just fell into my lap.

I came into a free Precision T7500 last week.  It had dual Xeon E5430 procs, 16GB RAM, a 1TB rotary HDD, a few other HDDs that didn't stand out to me when I looked into the case.  I just booted it up to make sure it all worked, and the Windows 7 install on the drive spun right up and Device Manager didn't report anything wonky, so I took it at face value that everything was okay.  The inside of the machine was even clean, if you can believe that.  It looks new.

So, reading about the machine here and elsewhere convinced me that I can get more horsepower out of it than I currently get from my Precision T5400.  I have a friend who could really use an upgrade, and the T5400 would be a significant jump for him.  I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this...I want to upgrade the T7500 for me, and gift him my T5400.

I was reading about the compatibility of certain Xeon procs for this machine, and I think I've settled on the Xeon X5690 units.  I found a matched set for a good price, so it seemed like a do-or-die moment.  If I've made a mistake, I can always eBay 'em, I guess.

My question comes in with choosing a RAM upgrade for the thing.  My T5400 has 32GB.  I'd like to try to get at least that amount in the T7500 if I can afford it, but reading the (slightly confusing) RAM compatibility notes for this thing is giving me a headache.  Obviously, the proc you choose to run has an effect on what your RAM choice should be.  So in this case, with the dual X5690 procs, can someone explain to me which kind of RAM I should be looking at and why?  I'd really appreciate it...thanks in advance!


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## Retrorockit (Aug 13, 2018)

You should be looking for RDIMM (Registered memory) Low Density which will almost always be ECC. "DDR31333 ECC RDIMM . You should get at least 3 matching modules for each CPU to take advantage of Triple Channel mode. A lot of the confusion is because it will support all kinds of non optimum configurations such as Dual Channel, and Compatability Mode. But DDR3 1333 RDIMM 3 channel is as good as it gets. Triple Channel means sets of 3 modules, not 3 sets of 2 modules. Because RAM modules double in capacity with each size increase, and you need 6 modules for best performance 6x4GB=24 GB, or 6x8GB=48GB.
 New 8GB are under $30 each. You might save some money by using the modules it came with. You would need to upgrade to 24GB first for 3 channel, and then double that later.


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## darkwingduck13 (Aug 13, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> You should be looking for RDIMM (Registered memory) Low Density which will almost always be ECC. "DDR31333 ECC RDIMM . You should get at least 3 matching modules for each CPU to take advantage of Triple Channel mode. A lot of the confusion is because it will support all kinds of non optimum configurations such as Dual Channel, and Compatability Mode. But DDR3 1333 RDIMM 3 channel is as good as it gets. Triple Channel means sets of 3 modules, not 3 sets of 2 modules. Because RAM modules double in capacity with each size increase, and you need 6 modules for best performance 6x4GB=24 GB, or 6x8GB=48GB.
> New 8GB are under $30 each. You might save some money by using the modules it came with. You would need to upgrade to 24GB first for 3 channel, and then double that later.



Thank you!  I think the Triple Channel bit is what was confusing me...even when you work on this stuff all the time, you get very used to grouping by twos.  I'll start scouring eBay and see what I can find.

Additionally, I think I read that the onboard SATA controller for the T7500 is only SATA II, correct?  Does anyone have a recommendation on a good SATA III RAID add-on card I could use with this beast?  I don't mind the onboard for stuff like the optical drives, but I'd like to do a RAID 0 SSD array for my OS and Steam/GOG storage.


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## Retrorockit (Aug 13, 2018)

It has RAID0 support in the BIOS, and
SAS full duplex SCSI also. The first step is to read the service manual. There isn't much you can't do with that. 2x RAID 0 SSDs will equal SATA3. 3x RAID0 is also an option.
https://downloads.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_desktop/esuprt_dell_precision_workstation/precision-t7500_service manual_en-us.pdf
https://www.dell.com/support/articl...ion-workstation-raid-controller-setup?lang=en


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## darkwingduck13 (Aug 13, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> It has RAID0 support in the BIOS, and
> SAS full duplex SCSI also. The first step is to read the service manual. There isn't much you can't do with that. 2x RAID 0 SSDs will equal SATA3. 3x RAID0 is also an option.
> https://downloads.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_desktop/esuprt_dell_precision_workstation/precision-t7500_service manual_en-us.pdf



Yes, I knew it had RAID 0 support in the BIOS, but since it's SATA II and I'm working with SATA III drives, I figured it would be worth the trouble to put a SATA III controller in.  2x RAID 0 SATA III SSDs would be faster than 2x RAID 0 SATA II SSDs, right?


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## Retrorockit (Aug 13, 2018)

I just edited a RAID controller link into my previous message.


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## darkwingduck13 (Aug 13, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> I just edited a RAID controller link into my previous message.



Thank you sir!  I'm not sure yet if I'll go with one of these Dell-branded ones or a different brand from Newegg, but I'll let you all know my results either way.    I really appreciate the help!


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## Retrorockit (Aug 13, 2018)

HDD speed isn't really my thing. Maybe someone else has better answer for you.


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## TechyTed (Aug 13, 2018)

Even a single Sata II speed SSD will be noticably faster than single Sata III mechanical HD.

Stating the obvious, but sometimes it needs to be restated.

Raid 0 dual SSDs even on a Sata II controller are plenty fast I would think for any modern gaming scenario.


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## darkwingduck13 (Aug 13, 2018)

So...upon further examination, the T7500 actually has 4x 4GB PC2-5300F sticks in it, which is what my T5400 uses.  I can't remember if all my T5400's slots are full or not, but if they're not....   

edit:  Well, I'm a giant dumbass.  I've looked at this thing a half-dozen times, sitting in my office, and I was sure it was a T7500.  It's actually a T7400.  It had to sink in that the number of RAM slots is different and there's no riser board for the second CPU before I realized what I had done.  Guess I get to start research from scratch now.  :/


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## TechyTed (Aug 14, 2018)

Don’t feel bad.  There is a learning curve with these systems.  

The Tx400 series looks very similar to the Tx500 series from the outside.

In fact, it’s my guess that the actual case is the same between the series.

  At least for the T3400/3500 and T5400/5500.  

Outside, I think the bezel stencil is about the only difference.

Don’t know about the T7400/7500.


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 14, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> Money saved by going to RDIMM more than paid for the T5500 board.


Seems like a wise trade.



TechyTed said:


> Don’t know about the T7400/7500.


About the same if you look at them.


----------



## TechyTed (Aug 14, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> Seems like a wise trade



I upped my T5500 MB to 24GB today. 

 Total cost for what appears to be three brand new RDIMMs 4GB ECC DDR3-1333 was $33 shipped.

Altogether, I’ve spent $66 for memory...and I think it was all unused, new old stock parts.

Used memory is probably even cheaper, but I am not too unhappy for what I’ve got.


----------



## darkwingduck13 (Aug 14, 2018)

So, after falling back on pretty much all of my plans regarding the system, I think I'm going to end up going ahead with some modifications.  The T7400 is, to be blunt...fucking heavy.  However, I think I like the interior of the case quite a bit more than my T5400.  I think I'm going to go ahead and purchase a pair of X5460s to put in it, unless I can find a good deal on a pair of X5492s.

The onboard SAS/RAID controller in the T7400 seems to only be in charge of 4 of the 7 SATA slots, which is kinda inconvenient...but I think what I'm going to do is go ahead and do a single 240GB SSD for the OS, and then use a set of 3x matching Samsung 850 EVO 250GB in a RAID 0 array for my Steam and GOG libraries.

I'd really like to have the OS on a 2-drive RAID 0, but not sure at this point if it's worth the hassle of getting a separate PCI-E RAID card or not.

Since the T7400 and T5400 use the same RAM, I can just move my 32GB from my T5400 over with no issues, I assume.  Hopefully the T7400 will run my GTX 970 as well as the T5400 has...if it will, then this should (in theory) be a pretty easy transition.


----------



## Retrorockit (Aug 14, 2018)

Since i'm the instigator of the  Throttlestop overclocking thread I might mention that the T7400 chipset supports 400fsb CPUs which opens the door to a BSEL pinmod overclock. I tried to buy one for this, but someone locally is buying all of them up. So all I have is a pair of X5470s which I will work off on the Optiplex 380s which accepts the Xeon mod. With classic BSEL, and VID pinmods a dual CPU overclock seems possible. Basically a budget Skulltrail clone..


----------



## darkwingduck13 (Aug 14, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> Since i'm the instigator of the  Throttlestop overclocking thread I might mention that the T7400 chipset supports 400fsb CPUs which opens the door to a BSEL pinmod overclock. I tried to buy one for this, but someone locally is buying all of them up. So all I have is a pair of X5470s which I will work off on the Optiplex 380s which accepts the Xeon mod. With classic BSEL, and VID pinmods a dual CPU overclock seems possible. Basically a budget Skulltrail clone..



It's been so many years since I last messed with overclocking stuff.  I have to admit that I don't know much at all about modern overclocking or the pinmods you're referring to.  I'm interested in getting the most performance out of my gear, but I'm not interested in having to look at intense cooling solutions or replacing CPUs that I've destroyed by getting something wrong.  And I assure you, I will get something wrong at least a couple of times.  LOL

Skulltrail is a cool name, though.  Not sure what it refers to, but it's a cool name.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Aug 14, 2018)

There is a video on Youtube where someone did the BSEL + SetFSB overclock on a T7400...think it landed just shy of 4GHz on 8 cores.  Not bad, though some will say not worth it due to the slow RAM, but meh...it's quad channel...I am sure it's not absolutely awful.


----------



## Retrorockit (Aug 14, 2018)

We have a separate thread for overclocking these computers (and others). 
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/
 Many of us here follow both threads. But if that's not your thing then you're in the right place.
Skulltrail was an Intel 2xCPU LGA771 motherboard that supported the unlocked QX9775 CPUs. But the dual CPU chipset required the FBDIMM memory.
The problem with FBDIMM is each channel/ module adds it's own comtroller. Bandwidth is good but latency increases also which makes it bad for gaming. It also had some power and heat issues related to the RAM.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 15, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> We have a separate thread for overclocking these computers (and others).


While that's true, there's no harm talking about it here.


----------



## TechyTed (Aug 16, 2018)

I saw another thread on the forum about a build using an HP Z800 motherboard.

I’m too far along on my T5500 to think about switching, but it looked interesting.

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/...-workstation-with-hp-z800-motherboard.246598/


That HP had a lot in common with the Dell platform, similar to the Z400/T3500 situation.


----------



## Retrorockit (Aug 17, 2018)

That HP CPU cooler is alot nicer than the Dell ones. I picked up a couple HP LGA1366 coolers to play with but mine only have 6 tubes.


----------



## TechyTed (Aug 18, 2018)

I know this is a Dell thread, but for those who are exploring the HP option....there is a ton of info out there.

Just as the Dell support site has Tx500 support forums, HP also has support forums for the Zx00 series.

On the CPU coolers, the HP Zx00 series has some interesting kinks to be aware of.

Here is a particular interesting link explaining the difference between the regular and the higher performance coolers:

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Busin...Z400-heatsink-fan-4-pin-to-5-pin/td-p/5707547

The Dell passive coolers are easier to understand.


----------



## Retrorockit (Aug 20, 2018)

"i have 2 w3530 cpu's in my stash, would these be good to play with throttlestop in the t3500? at this point i could always make the freenas server (t7500) back into a dual x5675 workstation and the t3500 can just run a w3530 if it can be tweaked....i need more time to play around with my hardware "



Throttlestop requires an unlocked CPU so the multiplier can be adjusted. W3570,W3580 are the 4 core Nehalems, and W3680,W3690 are the 6 core Westmeres. The i7 -***X Cpus work also.
The nehalems are dirt cheap. None of the W3*** CPUs support Rdimms, but I don't think the X58 T3500 does anyway.

  I came across something at OCN about overclocking a T7500 2x CPU machine with SetFSB. The SATA went haywire early on, but a PCIe add in card fixed it.
https://www.overclock.net/forum/5-i...locking-dual-xeon-dell-precision-t7500-3.html


----------



## TechyTed (Aug 20, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> ...  I came across something at OCN about overclocking a T7500 2x CPU machine with SetFSB. The SATA went haywire early on, but a PCIe add in card fixed it.
> https://www.overclock.net/forum/5-i...locking-dual-xeon-dell-precision-t7500-3.html



Have not had time to look at doing that with my T5500 MB, but playing with FSB is on my long term TODO list.

I will have to say, maybe my needs are meager, but even the single X5675 and 24gb RAM that I am running here is quite adequate.  Adding an SSD to the system, more that anything else, increased the  overall responsiveness for me.


----------



## david carey (Aug 23, 2018)

I just got a Asus P6X58D-E motherboard , having failed to find a 09kpnv so far . Has anyone fitted one to a Dell T3500 ?


----------



## Retrorockit (Aug 23, 2018)

The Dell T3500 has the MB on the left side of the case. It's a modified BTX layout. "Son of BTX" I call it. They swapped the rear I/O, and the CPU/RAM area around but kept the front fan positive pressure ducted cooling. The HP Z400 is more of an ATX layout and would probably be a better candidate. The HP PSU has some bogus wiring that could harm an ATX MB.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Aug 23, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> The Dell T3500 has the MB on the left side of the case. It's a modified BTX layout. "Son of BTX" I call it. They swapped the rear I/O, and the CPU/RAM area around but kept the front fan positive pressure ducted cooling. The HP Z400 is more of an ATX layout and would probably be a better candidate. The HP PSU has some bogus wiring that could harm an ATX MB.



I have converted the Z400 PSU to work on a normal ATX motherboard, and a normal ATX PSU to work on the Z400 motherboard.  Both are still working fine!


----------



## Retrorockit (Aug 24, 2018)

Yes, but to do that you first need to be aware that they need to be converted. An HP PSU on an ATX MB would be sending 12V. to a couple places that weren't designed for it.


----------



## TechyTed (Aug 24, 2018)

david carey said:


> I just got a Asus P6X58D-E motherboard , having failed to find a 09kpnv so far . Has anyone fitted one to a Dell T3500 ?



My recommendation is to pick a good ATX case instead.  There are many good choices at the $50-$75 level.  The Deep Cool Dukase is a good one.  I bought a slightly dinged up Nanoxia case that is as heavy and quiet as the T3500 case for $65 at a local salvage store for another Asus build.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 24, 2018)

TechyTed said:


> My recommendation is to pick a good ATX case instead. There are many good choices at the $50-$75 level. The Deep Cool Dukase is a good one. I bought a slightly dinged up Nanoxia case that is as heavy and quiet as the T3500 case for $65 at a local salvage store for another Asus build.


This is the right idea. Trying to fit a standard ATX board into a BTX case is a recipe for expensive problems and frustration.



david carey said:


> I just got a Asus P6X58D-E motherboard , having failed to find a 09kpnv so far . Has anyone fitted one to a Dell T3500 ?


BTW Welcome to the forums!


----------



## SamirD (Aug 26, 2018)

I still have a Precision 670 that's running strong.  Uses a lot of power though.


----------



## TechyTed (Aug 26, 2018)

Precision workstations seem to be pretty tough and hard to kill.

Most are retired well before they are worn out.

Same with the portables.

I have a Precision M4400 laptop that is built like a tank, but getting to be quite obsolete (core2duo and 4gb RAM).  

The only thing that has been replaced is the original battery.


----------



## Retrorockit (Aug 26, 2018)

TechyTed said:


> I have a Precision M4400 laptop that is built like a tank, but getting to be quite obsolete (core2duo and 4gb RAM).


 I see a Core 2 extreme Q9300 running in those here.
http://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Dell-Precision-M4400/2925
 Maybe a Throttlestop overclock would liven things up.
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/
 TS actually started as a Laptop undervolting program. I started the desktop thread because it was little known in that area.


----------



## TechyTed (Aug 26, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> I see a Core 2 extreme Q9300 running in those here.
> http://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Dell-Precision-M4400/2925
> Maybe a Throttlestop overclock would liven things up.
> https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/
> TS actually started as a Laptop undervolting program. I started the desktop thread because it was little known in that area.



 Yes there are folks who ran a C2Q processor in them, but battery life suffered.  It wasOK if you used it a desktop replacement and on AC all the time. 

The main limitation of that generation mobile chipset is the 8gb max RAM. 

But Its fine for what I am using it for now..a media streamer in my bedroom hooked to an HDTV.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 27, 2018)

TechyTed said:


> I have a Precision M4400 laptop that is built like a tank, but getting to be quite obsolete (core2duo and 4gb RAM).


http://www.android-x86.org/releases/releasenote-4-4-r5
This version of Android runs very will on older hardware like that system. While an older version of Android, it's still supported til 2020 in the Play store.
http://www.android-x86.org/releases/releasenote-6-0-r3
Runs a little slower, but still runs well and will be supported til 2022.


----------



## TechyTed (Aug 27, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> http://www.android-x86.org/releases/releasenote-4-4-r5
> This version of Android runs very will on older hardware like that system. While an older version of Android, it's still supported til 2020 in the Play store.
> http://www.android-x86.org/releases/releasenote-6-0-r3
> Runs a little slower, but still well and will be supported til 2022.




It probably would be a decent Android system.  I’ve played with that x86 build before.  Booted it off a USB drive on Asus eee pc. 

The Dell actually run Windows 7 pro just fine.  That’s what it came with and it still updates.  If I bothered to upgrade it should run Win 10 with no problem, especially with an SSD.

I’ve run 64  bit Linux on it too.  Actually have it setup to dual boot.  But the best driver support for that particular system is still Windows 7.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 27, 2018)

Oops, forgot one;
http://www.android-x86.org/releases/releasenote-7-1-r2
The 64bit version can be glitchy so I recommend the 32bit version.


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## Susquehannock (Aug 29, 2018)

Posting this here well as the TS thread since some may not be watching both.

Been playing around with this W3680 at 4.0ghz in my Dell T3500. Looks good. System gets buggy at 4.2ghz and will fail during IETU more often than not. Pretty sure it would be stable with more voltage.

Very happy with the temps so far. Max of 60c at full load with 25c room temp. Grizzly Kryonaut is expensive but seems to do the trick. Stock cooler with 80mm fan in pull config, both case fans set to 100% with SpeedFan.

Now the bad news .....  W3680 in the T5500 board is a no go. Get the same 'pb7' BIOS non-execution error with both UDIMM and RDIMM modules. Being thie W3680 is single QPI link, it would seem the BIOS requires a dual QPI chip regardless if we run only one CPU.

So unless someone knows of an unlocked dual QPI Xeon we are out of luck overclocking the T5500.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 29, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> both case fans set to 100% with SpeedFan.


What version of SpeedFan?


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## Susquehannock (Aug 29, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> What version of SpeedFan?


v4.25. The latest version I believe.

[edit]
mistyped ... using SpeedFan version 4.52


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## TechyTed (Aug 29, 2018)

I don't think Dell ever offered the W series Xeons in the T5500, so the BIOS probably doesnt recognize them.

The X55xx and  X56xx series seems to work fine in my T5500.   Latest BIOS update is needed for the X56xx CPUs.


----------



## Retrorockit (Aug 30, 2018)

What Dell offers and what actually runs aren't always the same thing. It would make sense for them to only offer 2xCPU Xeons in case the customer wants to add another CPU to the T5500 later.
 I've seen sellers offering T5500 with that CPU, and sellers offering that CPU as an upgrade for those.
 I'm not finding any at userbenchmark with that CPU. Just dual X5687 scoring fairly well.
http://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/8937301


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## ateeb__ (Aug 30, 2018)

hello everyone,

I just bought a T3500 with INTEL Xeon W3680. The problem i am facing right now is whenever i run Prime95 or any other stress testing programs like IntelBurnTest or AIDA64 along with SpeedFan and CoreTemp to monitor temps and fan RPM , it crashes instantly with error reported by Prime95 as ILLEGAL SUMMOUT. 

On the other hand if i run Prime95 or any other stress testing program alone, it will run successfully which indicates stable system.

Any one here have any idea what might be the issue here, i think its related to drivers?
Thanks.



Susquehannock said:


> Posting this here well as the TS thread since some may not be watching both.
> 
> Been playing around with this W3680 at 4.0ghz in my Dell T3500. Looks good. System gets buggy at 4.2ghz and will fail during IETU more often than not. Pretty sure it would be stable with more voltage.
> 
> ...


Hi, 

Is speedFan causing any issues in your T3500, while stress testing with Prime95 or could you plz try to run Prime95 along with Speedfan?
Which version of Windows are you running rn?
I am using Prime95, SPeedFan 4.52 and windows 10 1803, and Prime95 will crash instantly if i run it with SpeedFan 4.52 or i end up with an BSOD.

Any help is much appreciated !
Thanks.


----------



## Susquehannock (Aug 30, 2018)

TechyTed said:


> I don't think Dell ever offered the W series Xeons in the T5500, so the BIOS probably doesnt recognize them.
> 
> The X55xx and  X56xx series seems to work fine in my T5500.   Latest BIOS update is needed for the X56xx CPUs.


I do not think it is a W series thing since W5580 and W5590 work in the T5500. They are both dual QPI link chips, and only ones I can think of. No other W series on the Intel 5520 based board comparability list.


----------



## TechyTed (Aug 30, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> I do not think it is a W series thing since W5580 and W5590 work in the T5500. They are both dual QPI link chips, and only ones I can think of. No other W series on the Intel 5520 based board comparability list.



Ah , I spoke too broadly then.  Should have done more research.

The dual QPI link is likely the factor...makes sense!


----------



## Retrorockit (Aug 30, 2018)

ateeb__ said:


> Is speedFan causing any issues in your T3500, while stress testing with Prime95 or could you plz try to run Prime95 along with Speedfan?
> Which version of Windows are you running rn?
> I am using Prime95, SPeedFan 4.52 and windows 10 1803, and Prime95 will crash instantly if i run it with SpeedFan 4.52 or i end up with an BSOD.


Some people here are happy with Speedfan, but it can have issues with Dells. In the overclocking thread many users just add a 2nd 80/90mm  fan to the CPU heatpipe cooler. I assume you have the heatpipe cooler with the W3680. The aluminum finsink won't be sufficient for that CPU. if you have the memory duct and HDD tray in place you shouldn't have any cooling issues.

"Ah , I spoke too broadly then. Should have done more research."
In the area of Dells research only gets you so far. There are a lot of things that work that Dell doesn't mention. A lot of people selling parts the won't work. Rumours, opinions, guesses.
Often the only way to find out is to try something yourself. Even a failure produces infromation that's useful to others. Unfortunately very few people publish the bad results leaving others to repeat the errors over and over.


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## darkwingduck13 (Sep 3, 2018)

Well, I finally got in some new thermal paste, replaced the processors, and got the T7400 up and running.  Seems good so far.  One 240GB SSD for the OS, 3 x 250GB SSDs in Raid 0 for my Steam and GOG libraries, a 1TB SSD for all my emulation stuff, an EVGA GTX 1060, and an LG BluRay drive for ripping...still haven't played a ton of stuff on it yet, but I have let it burn in for 72 hours with no issues so far.

Seems like it still has years of longevity left in it.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Sep 3, 2018)

darkwingduck13 said:


> Well, I finally got in some new thermal paste, replaced the processors, and got the T7400 up and running.  Seems good so far.  One 240GB SSD for the OS, 3 x 250GB SSDs in Raid 0 for my Steam and GOG libraries, a 1TB SSD for all my emulation stuff, an EVGA GTX 1060, and an LG BluRay drive for ripping...still haven't played a ton of stuff on it yet, but I have let it burn in for 72 hours with no issues so far.
> 
> Seems like it still has years of longevity left in it.



I believe you can use SetFSB to overclock your system, if that's something you're interested in.


----------



## darkwingduck13 (Sep 3, 2018)

Aaron_Henderson said:


> I believe you can use SetFSB to overclock your system, if that's something you're interested in.



Not sure how much thermal dissipation overhead room I really have in this thing.  The case is way bigger than the T5400 I was running, so it has the 2 huge fans in front plus the big fan cooling the ram, but still just has the stock heatsinks.  They're massive, but I still worry about frying my procs.

I guess in theory I have less heat generated by the 5 SSDs than I would have if there were 5 spinning HDDs in there, but I also added the dual slot 1060 card which I know is pumping out some heat.


----------



## Retrorockit (Sep 5, 2018)

darkwingduck13 said:


> Not sure how much thermal dissipation overhead room I really have in this thing. The case is way bigger than the T5400 I was running, so it has the 2 huge fans in front plus the big fan cooling the ram, but still just has the stock heatsinks. They're massive, but I still worry about frying my procs.


The T7400 supported the 150W LGA771 CPUs which were also 400fsb. So if you can get SetFSB running it should be able to go pretty far.
FN654 was an 8 tube heatpipe cooler for those. The 6 tube is more common.
https://www.serverworlds.com/dell-fn654-precision-690-t7400-heatsink/


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## TechyTed (Sep 5, 2018)

darkwingduck13 said:


> ....
> 
> I guess in theory I have less heat generated by the 5 SSDs than I would have if there were 5 spinning HDDs in there, but I also added the dual slot 1060 card which I know is pumping out some heat.



Sounds like a nice little system you got there.


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## Retrorockit (Sep 5, 2018)

Thje GTX 1060 is a 120W card. About the same as another CPU. I'm  sure Dell offered those with at least 2x 150W cards.


----------



## darkwingduck13 (Sep 6, 2018)

So basically it sounds like I could fool around with SetFSB and as long as I don't get too ambitious, I might not have to worry too much about the heat dissipation overhead on my rig?  I definitely only have the heatsinks with the 6 pipes rather than the 8.

And thanks Ted.  It's not all that different from my T5400 build...same procs, same RAM, I just didn't have as many drive bays and I had a 960 instead of the 1060 in there.  I considered saving up for higher end procs, but they seem to jump in price quick as you go up from the ones I have.

So far it seems stable, and surprisingly quiet even after my daughter had been playing Goat Simulator at 1080p for an hour.

I still have to try ripping BluRays with MakeMKV and see how it goes with that LG drive.  Surely it'll be faster than the external USB drive I was using before.


----------



## Retrorockit (Sep 6, 2018)

I love Goat Simulator. LMAO
  There is a BSEL tapemod for 333 to 400 fsb. There  are also VID pinmods but they vary from CPU to CPU depending on the original Voltage setting. The LGA775 and LGA771 BSEL and VID pinouts are the same. You just have to re-orient the diagram to match the socket notches being in a different place.
 I wanted to try and make a Skulltrail clone out of a T7400 but someone bought them all up locally so I abandoned it.

 I'm going to say something that's purely theoretical. I had a couple of QX9650 sitting around. I looked into what the Xeon adapter tape actually does, and found that "electrically" it should do the conversion the other way. QX9650 to LGA771. I have absolutely no idea if that will actually work, either single OR dual CPU. I had the parts , CPUs (QX9650 and X5470 pairs) plus the big heatsinks.
But failed to locate a T7400 to try it. TS overclock for the Core2extreme, and BSEL mod for the Xeons. Either way dual CPU 4GHz. But the T3500 is a much better solution.


----------



## insane 360 (Sep 11, 2018)

question for you guys in the workstation group.  i'm downsizing a bit soon and want to settle on a main machine...

the two main contenders are dell t7500 (dual x5675's with 36gb of ram) and a dell t5810 with a quad core haswell based xeon (can't remember the model) and it has 32gb of ram.  both will run a quadro k2200 once i settle on it that is...

so i know the t7500 is a beast, its my main rig currently and i have high hopes on running some hyper-v stuff/docker on it eventually...if i keep it i need to buy a usb3 card to get fast access to my ext drives.  plus for it is i can put in several hard drives and start running storage spaces on it as well...

t5810 is nice because its so much newer and runs much quieter (shared office with my wife and her sewing) and once prices drop for those xeon's i can get an 8/10 core cpu and have better single threaded performance...i think

what are you thoughts either way i'm going to be fine, i do have a sweet spot for the t7500 but i also like the thought of better/lower power usage and quieter as well...

(what the purpose of my main rig, serve up a little steam, run makemkv for plex library, basic web browsing...future plans is for it to be a play ground for when i get back into doing my certs for IT)

any other questions?


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## jeanpat (Sep 16, 2018)

I discovered some days ago that xeon E5520 on T5500 doesn't have AVX instruction set (I guess neither T7500), may be a problem for some app? (Next time may be a T5600)


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## TechyTed (Sep 22, 2018)

I haven't even begun to tap the power of this single CPU T5500.


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## sepheronx (Sep 29, 2018)

I now can join this club you other kids have!

I am now a proud owner of a Dell T3500!






I purchased this beast of a machine for $150 CAD ($116.12 USD or 89.12 British Pounds).  Guy wanted to get $200 for it but I offered $140, and we both agreed to $150.










I was surprised to see that this had 2 hard drives in it, when guy who sold it to me said it only had a 160gb HDD in it.  Checked it out and it has a 1TB hard drive as well (Dell Brand, dunno manufacture yet, didn't check). 

To my surprise was this:






A USB 3.0 card was installed in this.  I was gonna go and purchase one myself but I guess I do not need to now since someone has already done it for me.

GPU installed is a Quadro FX 1800.  Will sell this for $30 CAD as I will be putting in a GTX 970 4gb in this thing.

*Plan for this system:*

My daughter is coming back from India tomorrow.  I want to have a machine for her so her and I can work on it.  I will get an SSD drive (presumably a 250gb or maybe 500gb depending on how much I have left) And a W3680 Xeon so I can use throttlestop to overclock the monster to 4.0 - 4.1 or higher.  As said, a GTX 970 4gb will be going into this machine or I may keep my GTX 1070 for it and I will sell the GTX 970 4gb as I have a RX VEGA 64 heading my way from my friend.

I also plan to modify the case.  Maybe I may, maybe I wont.  Paint it at least.  As the case is not in the best shape.

This is what I am looking at for the W3680:
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Intel-Xeon-...913379&hash=item3fabb362fb:g:mNUAAOSwvuhbnU2A


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## king of swag187 (Sep 30, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> I now can join this club you other kids have!
> 
> I am now a proud owner of a Dell T3500!
> 
> ...


Dells support XDMA crossfire so y'know.....


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## sepheronx (Sep 30, 2018)

well, my friend is getting the second Vega RX 64 as we both got them for about $270CAD each.  But that will be going into my main rig (4770, 16gb ram, etc).

So in need of advice.

So besides a W3680 and using throttle stop to overclock, and adding in a GTX 970 (possibly 1070 instead as I got one as well now).

I will have to remove the second hard drive slot to add the GPU. So should I get a 5.25 enclosure for the placement of the regular hard drive and place the SSD to the current mount slot?

Also, what about expansion cards? I have an HTC Omega Striker sound card PCI interface sitting idle. Should I add that? Plus thinking of replacing the USB 3 card with another one that has an internal connector cause I saw an HDD Bay for 5.25 that also has built on USB 3 slots.

What else should I add or do?


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## Retrorockit (Oct 2, 2018)

There's actually room to stick the SSDs under the FDD bay. The T3400 had 2 FDD bays and 1/2 of the 2nd one is still there on the T3500. The 5.25" drive with USB3.0 will still need a card to run it because the MB is too old to have native support for that. But you can use the 5.25 if you want to. If that 3.5" card reader has screw holes in the bottom like an FDD/HDD then maybe a 3.5"/ 2.5" drive adaptor can be hung underneath it. In some photos on page 9 of the OC thread you can see the space for the 2nd FDD bay.
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/page-9
The mayhem started on page 8 though.


----------



## Susquehannock (Oct 9, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> I now can join this club you other kids have!
> 
> I am now a proud owner of a Dell T3500!
> 
> What else should I add or do?


Welcome to the club! I have had the pleasure of having several of these T3500 to tinker with. They are getting a bit old now, but can still be quite relevant.

Definitely go for the 1070. Similar performance as 970 with less power & heat.

My questions would be. Did your system come with a working CPU? Do you have a working operating system? If so I would highly recommend you install the latest BIOS ('A17') and Intel chipset driver ('A23'). Older BIOS were not Westmere compatible. Which means the system may not boot at all with the W3680 until updated. Dell makes it simple. Download, run the applications, and it will reboot and install automatically. >> Dell download page

Second thing I would do is affix a fan direct to the CPU cooler as I show in post #30. Runs much cooler. And eliminates the need to have the HDD panel to help direct air flow.

Which leads me to the next thing. You may consider installing your drives up top in the optical bay and removing the swing out panel all together. Mine are all up there using black 7 inch Dell SATA data cables (part # 05n8n2) I found on Ebay at $5 for set of nine. Really cleans things up. Especially if you go the extra mile and remove the motherboard so you can remove those long SATA cables and move the SATA power all up top.

=================================================

Regarding SSD in these SATA2 systems.

Got my 1tb Samsung 860 EVO SSD installed last week. Makes the system snappy. Programs and games open much faster now. No surprise there.

Did some benchmarks during the process. First two images are the 1tb WD spinner vs 1tb EVO directly before and after Win10 migration. Unsurprisingly, SDD kick butt where random read/write speeds are concerned. Third image is  typical score of same SSD in a SATA3 system. Much faster than transfer speeds I get in this T3500. In all reality. The difference would be near imperceptible in day to day use.


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## king of swag187 (Oct 9, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> Welcome to the club! I have had the pleasure of having several of these T3500 to tinker with. They are getting a bit old now, but can still be quite relevant.
> 
> Definitely go for the 1070. Similar performance as 970 with less power & heat.
> 
> ...


970 is worse than a 1060 3GB lulz, SSD in any system is night and day


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 9, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> I now can join this club you other kids have!


Welcome to the club!


sepheronx said:


> As said, a GTX 970 4gb will be going into this machine or I may keep my GTX 1070 for it and I will sell the GTX 970 4gb as I have a RX VEGA 64 heading my way from my friend.


I would recommend the 1070 for that system. Much better card than the 970's which have had issues and can be problematic for reasons I'll not go into here. But if you've got a Vega 64 coming? Good card. You'll have fun with it. Also keep in mind that with either card, you'll need a PCIe power "Y" splitter cable to connect power to the card. I ended up buying an 1100w PSU with a matching wire harness for my system. Additionally, I bought two 80mm fans to mount in the back of the system to help with airflow. Nothing fancy or high speed needed, a pair of Logisys LT400RD fan's did the trick for me.



sepheronx said:


> And a W3680 Xeon so I can use throttlestop to overclock the monster to 4.0 - 4.1 or higher.


What CPU does it have now?


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## Susquehannock (Oct 10, 2018)

Many 1070 require a single 8-pin. In which case a 6-pin to 8-pin adapter is all that is required. The 18-amp rail powering the PCIe connector is more than capable. If I can power a hungry RX 480, the 1070 should be no problem.
The Vega 64 is another matter. I don't think you will be able to adequately power it with the Dell PSU. Changing to an aftermarket unit better equipped for modern GPU is certainly doable.


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 10, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> The Vega 64 is another matter. I don't think you will be able to adequately power it with the Dell PSU. Changing to an aftermarket unit better equipped for modern GPU is certainly doable.


It should be ok, but only just. The standard PSU for the T3500 was a 550w. However, I think he was saying he was going to use the Vega for his personal system.


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## Susquehannock (Oct 10, 2018)

Just throwing it around for the sake of conversation I guess. The 525w may be up to the task - barely. Far as I can tell Vega 64 draw around 270 watts full load. Subtract 75 watts from the PCI slot we get 195 watts. 16.25 amps at 12 volts  from the PCIe plug.

Vega 64 require two 8-pin connectors. Are there 6-pin to dual 8-pin adapters? Even so I am not a fan of demanding three 12 volt wires doing the job normally allotted to six unless we step up a few wire gauge sizes.


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## sepheronx (Oct 10, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> Welcome to the club!
> 
> I would recommend the 1070 for that system. Much better card than the 970's which have had issues and can be problematic for reasons I'll not go into here. But if you've got a Vega 64 coming? Good card. You'll have fun with it. Also keep in mind that with either card, you'll need a PCIe power "Y" splitter cable to connect power to the card. I ended up buying an 1100w PSU with a matching wire harness for my system. Additionally, I bought two 80mm fans to mount in the back of the system to help with airflow. Nothing fancy or high speed needed, a pair of Logisys LT400RD fan's did the trick for me.
> 
> ...



It's got a W3520 or something like that. The W3680 should be here this week.

Reason why I'm thinking of using the GTX 970 is because I can still get about $400 for the 1070 and I'm in need of the cash right now as is.

What will be problem with the 970?

And I'll try to use the standard PSU. But I do have a Seasonic 600w PSU at home as a spare if I need to use that instead.

The Vega is going into my mitx build (4770, 16GB ram, 500gb SSD, 650w PSU) so the Vega won't go into the Dell.


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 10, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> What will be problem with the 970?


The the VRAM issues. In some situations the design of the VRAM for that card can cause performance problems. If the system won't be used for high end gaming then you'll likely never encounter it. It is there though and I tend to shy people away from that card. GTX 770 4GB cards can be had for a reasonable price. Maybe you should sell both the 1070 and the 970 and get a 770.  Only suggestions, your mileage may vary.


sepheronx said:


> And I'll try to use the standard PSU. But I do have a Seasonic 600w PSU at home as a spare if I need to use that instead.


The nice thing about the T3500 is that it will take standard ATX PSU's. The only catch is that the mobo needs an EPS 8pin CPU power connector, so you'd have to use a PSU that has one.


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## sepheronx (Oct 10, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> The the VRAM issues. In some situations the design of the VRAM for that card can cause performance problems. If the system won't be used for high end gaming then you'll likely never encounter it. It is there though and I tend to shy people away from that card. GTX 770 4GB cards can be had for a reasonable price. Maybe you should sell both the 1070 and the 970 and get a 770.  Only suggestions, your mileage may vary.
> 
> The nice thing about the T3500 is that it will take standard ATX PSU's. The only catch is that the mobo needs an EPS 8pin CPU power connector, so you'd have to use a PSU that has one.



I got that 8pin on the other PSU IF I have to use it.

Was thinking, maybe replacing the GTX 970 and the 1070 for a rx 480 8gb then?


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## Retrorockit (Oct 10, 2018)

The Dell PSU are quite a bit different than aftermarket. A single rail aftermarket PSU has all of say 550W available to all the connectors. So you can adapt from 75W 6 pin to 150W 8 pin and it will work until you reach 550W total. The Dell PSUs are multi rail. Each rail has it's own power limit. Typically 18A.x12V.= 216W. Each rail has it's own color code. It depends on what else is on each rail whether you can adapt up or not. If you have 2x6 pin PCIe on one rail that's 150W. You could adapt one to 8 pin and be OK if you didn't run the other. Unless that rail is also powereing something else like SATA . 2x8 pin adapters would be way too much on a Dell but would work on an aftermarket PSU. Some 8 pin GPUs only draw 150W (GTX1070) so you can get away with it that way. A lot depends on what's on each rail, and whats being used,or not, and what GPU power draw actually is.


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## Susquehannock (Oct 10, 2018)

Rx 480 perform about on par with 1060 and would be a downgrade from the 1070. My reason for buying one was price. $159 in Cyber Monday sale in 2016. Watching values skyrocket later on -- wish I bought 10.

In my experience installing an aftermarket PSU in these T3500 requires two things. First, the retaining tabs on case roof for Dell unit to hang from must be bent flat so aftermarket will sit right.  Second, EPS header being at extreme opposite corner on the dell  board some aftermarket wiring harness may come up short. An 18 or 24 inch EPS extender will take care of that.

If it were me I would use the W3520 Bloomfield (maybe) to get everything installed and updated. Then drop the W3680 in there.


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## sepheronx (Oct 10, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> Rx 480 perform about on par with 1060 and would be a downgrade from the 1070. My reason for buying one was price. $159 in Cyber Monday sale in 2016. Watching values skyrocket later on -- wish I bought 10.
> 
> In my experience installing an aftermarket PSU in these T3500 requires two things. First, the retaining tabs on case roof for Dell unit to hang from must be bent flat so aftermarket will sit right.  Second, EPS header being at extreme opposite corner on the dell  board some aftermarket wiring harness may come up short. An 18 or 24 inch EPS extender will take care of that.
> 
> If it were me I would use the W3520 Bloomfield (maybe) to get everything installed and updated. Then drop the W3680 in there.



Way ahead of you on that.

I would use GTX1070 but I can still get good money for it. No point keeping it for a side system for my wife and daughter. Wife doesn't even play games at all and daughter won't enjoy the type of games the card can play in at least another 10 years.


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## Retrorockit (Oct 14, 2018)

I came across this for Spectre, and Meltdown patches for the T5500,T7500. Nothing for the T3500 though.
https://www.dell.com/support/articl...cve-2017-5754-impact-on-dell-products?lang=en


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## sepheronx (Oct 14, 2018)

Question I have is I got a Dell T3500 and It only has a single 6pin PCI-E.  So I got a VEGA 56 heading my way.  I need not just the adapter to 8 pin, but a splitter.

Would I run into any issues if I used a 6pin to 8pin, then an 8pin splitter so I can use the VEGA 56?


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## Retrorockit (Oct 15, 2018)

The Vega 56 TDP is listed as 210W. so 75W from the MB and 135W from the PCIe cables. One 8 pin is enough.
I loooked at a T3500 525W PSU and there's just too many other things on the same rail as the GPU connector for that to work very well.
My advice would be to get an 875W T5500 PSU with harness which has 2-6pin PCIe cables. Adapt them both to 8 pin and that should be good enough "FOR THAT CARD".
Or to be certain you could take the 2nd CPU cable and adapt that to 8 pin, and the 2-6pin GPU cables to 1- 8 pin and give it an actual 375W total.


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## sepheronx (Oct 15, 2018)

I'll just get the 5500 PSU. But gotta find one that is.

Saw one for $52 cad with free shipping but no harness. Can I use the harness from the T3500 PSU? Then use splitters?


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## jeanpat (Oct 15, 2018)

Blender benchmark:
The quick blender benchmark with GPU yields on my T5500 (GPU: *GTX 960 (4Gb)*; CPU:* xeon E5520, 2.27 Ghz*; RAM :*12 Gb*; OS : Ubuntu 16.04):




 
More precisely, the render time for the different scenes is (second):

bmw27 : 414 s          (1350.67 s cpu only)
classroom : 1137 s   (3980.02 s cpu only)

I am curious of the results you would have. At first sight, the results of my GTX 960 are comparable to a 560 (in fact worst).


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## Retrorockit (Oct 15, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> Saw one for $52 cad with free shipping but no harness. Can I use the harness from the T3500 PSU? Then use splitters?


 No you have to have the harness to access the extra rails in that PSU the 875W has 5-18Amp 12V. rails. The 525W has 3. This requires extra wiring. Also the harness in those runs behind the MB to the CPU, so your screwdriver will get a workout.


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## sepheronx (Oct 15, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> No you have to have the harness to access the extra rails in that PSU the 875W has 5-18Amp 12V. rails. The 525W has 3. This requires extra wiring. Also the harness in those runs behind the MB to the CPU, so your screwdriver will get a workout.



Guess won't be using that gpu then. Gonna use something else. Maybe GTX 1070 instead.

Used PSU aren't cheap for it and it defeats purpose of machine if I'm spending too much on it.


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 15, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> No you have to have the harness to access the extra rails in that PSU the 875W has 5-18Amp 12V. rails. The 525W has 3. This requires extra wiring. Also the harness in those runs behind the MB to the CPU, so your screwdriver will get a workout.


A 750w with matching harness will work as well.


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## Retrorockit (Oct 16, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> Guess won't be using that gpu then. Gonna use something else. Maybe GTX 1070 instead.


According to Nvidia the GTX1070 is 150W TDP card, and should work perfectly with an 8 pin adapter on the 6 pin PCIe cable you already have. Nothing will be running out of spec.


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## Arjai (Oct 16, 2018)

Well, just found this thread. I initially found the TS overclock thread and was intrigued by the T3500. I did a "Little" research, decided I would go for the X5670. 6/12 threads. Also, more efficient than the W3xxx's but, not O/C-able. I have 2 of them now, one with an 80mm fan on the heatsink, it's the one with the tubed HS (the first one I got has the Alu fin stack). 

I just use them for Crunching on WCG, so I bought a couple of inexpensive GPU's, a Nvidea GT 350 and an AMD R7 240. Interesting factiod, the system w/ the R7 240? Runs 30 W's less than the GT 350! I have them on Linux, one MINT, the other on Kubuntu. The KDE Kubuntu, Plasma, has widgets. I found one that shows my Cpu clocks, in real time!!! So, T3500-2, w/ the R7 and the 80mm fan, is running at 3.13 to 3.16 GHz! That means I am able to get the Turbo working in BIOS. That's for 6 cores. I have not, yet, done a single core run, to test max clock. But, I probably will, at some point, just for giggles.


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## Arjai (Oct 17, 2018)

Arjai said:


> I just use them for Crunching on WCG, so I bought a couple of inexpensive GPU's, a Nvidea GT 350 and an AMD R7 240. Interesting factiod, the system w/ the R7 240? Runs 30 W's less than the GT 350!


*Idiot alert!!! Hide your children!!*​
OOps! The GPU is not a GT 350, it is a GeForce GT 710. For some reason, I have had 350 stuck in my head. I just realized I have misquoted this in a number of post's now....


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## sepheronx (Oct 19, 2018)

Would a T7500 PSU work in a T3500?  I can get the 1100W PSU for pretty cheap.


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 19, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> Would a T7500 PSU work in a T3500?  I can get the 1100W PSU for pretty cheap.


Yes. The PSU's for the T3500/T5500/T7500 are interchangeable. The wiring harness might not be perfect, but it should still be workable.


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## sepheronx (Oct 19, 2018)

I found one that has the harness and all for $50 CAD.

good thing about it, is that I can use said case/PSU for years to come if I decide to just remove the motherboard and put something else in.


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## Retrorockit (Oct 19, 2018)

There are also Alienware ATX harnesses for that PSU.


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## remixedcat (Oct 20, 2018)

Any 4C8T Xeon options for my T3400???


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## Aaron_Henderson (Oct 20, 2018)

You're stuck with core 2 Quads on that machine.


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 20, 2018)

remixedcat said:


> Any 4C8T Xeon options for my T3400???





Aaron_Henderson said:


> You're stuck with core 2 Quads on that machine.


I'm afraid he's partly right. You are limited to socket 775 CPU's with that system, none of which have HT. However, you are not limited to the Core2Quad range. There are a few very good Xeon options which are inexpensive. The Xeon X3360, X3363 and X3370 will all work in that system.
Presuming you're in the USA;
X3360;
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=xeon+x3360&_sacat=0&LH_PrefLoc=1&_sop=15&LH_BIN=1
X3363;
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=xeon+x3363&_sacat=0&LH_PrefLoc=1&_sop=15&LH_BIN=1
X3370;
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=xeon+x3370&_sacat=0&LH_PrefLoc=1&_sop=15&LH_BIN=1


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## remixedcat (Oct 20, 2018)

aww man... oh well, how much better are those?


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## sepheronx (Oct 20, 2018)

I found at my wife's business that some machines they were using and giving away we're using those older 775 xeons. I'll see if I can go remove them and I'll let you know so that if you would be interested in paying shipping and I send em out your way for no other cost.


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## Aaron_Henderson (Oct 20, 2018)

Your best bet is one of the extreme edition quads and using throttle stop and possibly even setfsb.


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## Retrorockit (Oct 20, 2018)

remixedcat said:


> Any 4C8T Xeon options for my T3400???



You can run a QX9650 and use Throttlestop 4.0 to overclock it to 4.15GHz. It takes about 15 minutes.
Here's on at userbenchmark.com
https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/3530803
Here's the TS OC thread.
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/
The X38 chipset has hidden support for 400fsb so SetFSB might actually get you somewhere with that. But only C2X and TS will let you raise Voltage so it's still the way to go.


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## Susquehannock (Oct 24, 2018)

$50 cad ($38 usd) is a great price for that Dell PSU with harness. Best I can find T5500 PSU is almost twice that.

Everyone has their price point upgrading these workstations. Mine is probably a bit higher than most. Decided long ago that I would not replace with another used power supply. These Dell units are robust to be sure. Buying on the open market no telling what they have been through. Potentially 70-80,000 hours of continuous hard use.

That was my friend's concern. Being gun shy from a failed PSU in the past, he asked me to put a brand new aftermarket PSU in a T3500 along with his 1070. Decided on the 550w EVGA G2. Nice unit. Very quiet. Large single +12 volt rail.

Both EVGA g2 and the upgraded g3 are on sale at 25% off now. Or $20 rebate card for those in Canada.


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## Salty_sandwich (Oct 24, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> These Dell units are robust to be sure



I think all DELL PC's or Server's are the Volvo class of PC's, I have an old (EDIT/HP 6305 MT)  i dont know why i put DELL 6305 MT lol, Its built like a Tank and probably survive a nuclear blast lol


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## Retrorockit (Oct 24, 2018)

I like EVGA because many of them have the high powered 5V. rail many of the old Dells require. This is something to watch out for, get a PSU with as much 5V. power as your old one.


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## Susquehannock (Oct 24, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> I like EVGA because many of them have the high powered 5V. rail many of the old Dells require. This is something to watch out for, get a PSU with as much 5V. power as your old one.


That is true. Forgot to mention the 5 volt. One place aftermarket PSU lack is the  +5vsb rail. Doubtful any of us need that to run standby mode in a networking environment. 

Would be an overkill for these Dell. The EVGA G3 1000w is on sale at half price right now = $100. Posted link in the Hot Deals section.


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## sepheronx (Oct 24, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> That is true. Forgot to mention the 5 volt. One place aftermarket PSU lack is the  +5vsb rail. Doubtful any of us need that to run standby mode in a networking environment.
> 
> Would be an overkill for these Dell. The EVGA G3 1000w is on sale at half price right now = $100. Posted link in the Hot Deals section.



Well, I plan to keep the case for a very long time.  Love the Dell T3500 case.  Will eventually make modifications to the look of the case over time and when I develop any kind of artistic skills along with it.

But with current setup, I just do not feel like spending that kind of money.  Actually, due to debt issues now, I am selling the GTX 1070 GPU and putting in a GTX 1060 6gb in the Dell T3500 instead (still good enough for most 1080p gaming and what not).  will probably also be getting rid of one of my Vega 64s as well.


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## Retrorockit (Oct 24, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> Well, I plan to keep the case for a very long time. Love the Dell T3500 case. Will eventually make modifications to the look of the case over time and when I develop any kind of artistic skills along with it.


 It's not particulary artistic but I did some mods on page 8-9 of the Throttlestop Overcloccking thread.
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/page-8
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/page-9


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## sepheronx (Oct 24, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> It's not particulary artistic but I did some mods on page 8-9 of the Throttlestop Overcloccking thread.
> https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/page-8
> https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/page-9



That case mod you did to fit that cooler in it gave me a spasm.  No offense lol.


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## Retrorockit (Oct 24, 2018)

If you decide to put holes in the cover of one of these just remember it's 2 layers of heavy metal. They're designed to be used in Desktop orientation also, with a monitor sitting on top.
Chips in between the layers, one panel being sawed while the 2nd just jumps up and down behind it. It might be better just to make a plexiglas cover.


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## sepheronx (Oct 24, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> If you decide to put holes in the cover of one of these just remember it's 2 layers of heavy metal. They're designed to be used in Desktop orientation also, with a monitor sitting on top.
> Chips in between the layers, one panel being sawed while the 2nd just jumps up and down behind it. It might be better just to make a plexiglas cover.



replace entire side panel with plexi glass?

I was just gonna paint it tbh.


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## totalfreq (Oct 24, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> Would a T7500 PSU work in a T3500?  I can get the 1100W PSU for pretty cheap.



I cant comment on the T3500 size, but the 1100w T7500 Power Supply is longer  (9" plus the wire bundle) than the 875w T5500 supply by a few inches. If I had to guess (just eyeballing) the 1100w would likely fit in the extra space in the T5500 behind the CD-ROM but it would be tight.

*** EDITED to ADD ***

I have a spare 1100W I put on top of the T5500 for reference. The wire bundle will be mashed between the stock CD/DVD-RW in roughly 1-1.5" of space. Possible...probably - but I recommend to lose the CD/DVD or get a shorter one like Retro recommends.


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## Retrorockit (Oct 24, 2018)

I've had to get newer ASUS DVD drives that are shorter than the old Dell ones to run EVGA 850 W in Dimensions and Optiplexes.
The 1100W PSU is 11" long with the wires. There are some thin DVD drives out there. But in the t3500 T5500 cases somethings gotta give.


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 25, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> I've had to get newer ASUS DVD drives that are shorter than the old Dell ones to run EVGA 850 W in Dimensions and Optiplexes.
> The 1100W PSU is 11" long with the wires. There are some thin DVD drives out there. But in the t3500 T5500 cases somethings gotta give.


That brings up a good point, for those looking to replace an aging or failed PSU, you don't have to use Dell branded PSU's. Most of Dell's systems will take a standard ATX PSU. If your system's mobo doesn't have any unique power connectors(most don't), you can go with another brand and be just fine.


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## Susquehannock (Oct 25, 2018)

From what I can tell looking around, the T7500 PSU is 9 inches long. Looks tight but doable. Someone in another thread was saying they were an optional upgrade for the T5500 so should fit.


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## sepheronx (Oct 25, 2018)

So the t5500 Psu same size as t3500?

Build is coming along. Just ghetto rigged a fan to the CPU cooler.  Placed the gtx1060 6gb in (it's a mini one. So I was able to place the other hard drive bay location back on. Just gotta buy the 2.5 to 3.5 adapter so I can install the 500gb sad to it).

Excited to have this running.


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## totalfreq (Oct 25, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> So the t5500 Psu same size as t3500?
> 
> Build is coming along. Just ghetto rigged a fan to the CPU cooler.  Placed the gtx1060 6gb in (it's a mini one. So I was able to place the other hard drive bay location back on. Just gotta buy the 2.5 to 3.5 adapter so I can install the 500gb sad to it).
> 
> Excited to have this running.



Nice mod .

I just did the same thing but I used the T5500 riser heatsink with fan assembly PN: 0W715F and a 5 pin dell splitter. I used the 5 pin cpu fan port on the riser card for both CPUs, but you could also use the case fan port if splitting.

The fan is like $15.






https://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-De...229017?hash=item2604058999:g:ugwAAOSw0RlbqSj1

Splitter is like $20 +s&h, but you can also use either use a 5 pin to 4 pin / molex, or just hack the cable.






http://www.performance-pcs.com/dell-5-pin-to-dual-5-pin-1-to-2-y-split-sleeved-fan-cable-20cm.html


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## sepheronx (Oct 25, 2018)

wait what? the Dell T5500 cooler is different?

Ah crap.  I want that, it looks nice.

Oh well, I will go with Ghetto


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## totalfreq (Oct 25, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> Placed the gtx1060 6gb in (it's a mini one. So I was able to place the other hard drive bay location back on. Just gotta buy the 2.5 to 3.5 adapter so I can install the 500gb sad to it).



So interestingly I have 2x T5500s that both have 1060s (full size). The cards are identical but the T5500s are not. In one the HDD bay 0 can be removed from the "drive bay plate". On the other one it was all one solid piece of metal and required some dremel work to modify. Both the HDD 0 are lost though because of this card.

Pics of the two different bays with the 1060 card installed:

Non Removable HDD Bay 0-




Removable Bay HDD 0-






lexluthermiester said:


> That brings up a good point, for those looking to replace an aging or failed PSU, you don't have to use Dell branded PSU's. Most of Dell's systems will take a standard ATX PSU. If your system's mobo doesn't have any unique power connectors(most don't), you can go with another brand and be just fine.



For me it came down to price. I can get the 1100W Silver rated Dell PSU on ebay (used) for between $30-50. No other rock solid high wattage PSU even came close. They were so cheap and available during the mining craze last year I actually used them to power my ASUS B250 mining setups!

Ebay $40
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Preci...IZbJ~6D:sc:USPSPriority!33064!US!-1:rk:4:pf:1


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## sepheronx (Oct 25, 2018)

Earlier revision of the case I imagine.  I guess removing the whole thing may work unless you got a mini 1060.  After removing it though, the placement of the hdd's would have to go elsewhere of course (5.25' hot swappable attachment I guess).


----------



## Susquehannock (Oct 25, 2018)

Remove that swing out panel altogether and put the drives up top. All mine are that way. There is space for two 3.5" up there. Mounting screws should be on back side of plastic front bezel. They seem to run cooler that way since it places them behind that 2.5" intake vent.


----------



## totalfreq (Oct 25, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> Earlier revision of the case I imagine.  I guess removing the whole thing may work unless you got a mini 1060.  After removing it though, the placement of the hdd's would have to go elsewhere of course (5.25' hot swappable attachment I guess).





guess).

I opted to put my SSD OS drive in a pci slot holder. They have some really fancy hot swappable ones but I just got the el cheapo one as it fit my needs. It sits under the video card, above the CPU Riser. The cables from HDD 0 were the perfect length to reach the PCI bay. There is enough room between it and the back side of the video card that it should stay well within its operating temperature (its an Intel S3510 Enterprise SSD) but I'm monitoring it for heat issues.


----------



## sepheronx (Oct 25, 2018)

I got 2 disk drives in my t3500 (came with it, guess it was also used for copying disks).  Anyway, was looking initially at a hotswappable 5.25 but didn't need it.

Now I got another issue is the fan noise.

The 80mm fans I got is stupid loud cause it is running max speed.  They are PWM 4 pin fans but they do not use the small dell connectors.

Does anyone know of an adapter that would work?  Cause this is annoying the noise.


----------



## Retrorockit (Oct 25, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> wait what? the Dell T5500 cooler is different?Ah crap.  I want that, it looks nice.Oh well, I will go with Ghetto



That's the cooler for the 2nd CPU on  the T5500 optional riser card. The primary cooler is the same as the T3500.
Here's the Dell fan pinout.
ttps://forums.anandtech.com/threads/dell-motherboard-cpu-fan-header-question.2489271/


----------



## totalfreq (Oct 25, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> I got 2 disk drives in my t3500 (came with it, guess it was also used for copying disks).  Anyway, was looking initially at a hotswappable 5.25 but didn't need it.
> 
> Now I got another issue is the fan noise.
> 
> ...



To plug your 4 pin fan into the dell 5 pin controller slot?







https://www.ebay.com/p/1pcs-5-Pin-D...rtion-Cable/529924955?iid=262784103218&chn=ps


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## sepheronx (Oct 25, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> That's the cooler for the 2nd CPU on  the T5500 optional riser card. The primary cooler is the same as the T3500.
> Here's the Dell fan pinout.
> ttps://forums.anandtech.com/threads/dell-motherboard-cpu-fan-header-question.2489271/



ended up ordering this now:

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/5Pin-to-4Pi...h=item26043b4f90:g:D68AAOSw8D9bqlTH:rk:1:pf:0

Of course it will come in new year almost.....

Alright, so fresh install, everything up, here we go.






Any suggestions on what to do now?  I would like to overclock with throttlestop but I don't really know how to use it and I have already gone through the thread.


----------



## remixedcat (Oct 26, 2018)

Bout to also join the Xeon club:


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Oct 26, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> ended up ordering this now:
> 
> https://www.ebay.ca/itm/5Pin-to-4Pi...h=item26043b4f90:g:D68AAOSw8D9bqlTH:rk:1:pf:0
> 
> ...



Use the TRL and TPL tabs...one of them sets the multiplier(s) based on amount of cores loaded...and the other limits power usage.  I just set the power usage thing on some really high number as to not get any throttling...I can dig out the numbers I used, but I don't think it makes much of a difference as long as you set them high enough.


----------



## jeanpat (Oct 29, 2018)

Hello,
I got a freaking message on boot of my T5500 saying :"non ECC ram are not supported ..". I shut down and disconnect everything. The message disappeared on next boot. Is it the sign of coming failure?


----------



## Retrorockit (Oct 29, 2018)

If you could tell us what CPU(s) and what RAM you're running it would help. Do you have the latest BIOS from Dell?


----------



## jeanpat (Oct 29, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> If you could tell us what CPU(s) and what RAM you're running it would help. Do you have the latest BIOS from Dell?


The A02 version of the BIOS is installed and:



It will be difficult to upgrade the bios (no disk with a win7, and I didn't succeed to boot from a freedos key).


----------



## totalfreq (Oct 29, 2018)

You could use a trial version:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO

If you dont have a free HDD to load windows 10 trial, on you could build a preinstallation environment (WinPE/RE)using the iso and boot from usb/cd.

Also there usually is a dell bios boot iso (though i cant say for sure on t5500). I just used one to update my  bios on my T610 and R810 series poweredges that run headless VMs.

May also try building a YUMI boot disk. You should be able to build a dos boot from it.  Ive found YUMI is my goto for stuff like this.

Also i havnt tried it using the trial version but if you boot the windows install disk and enter ibto repair you shoukd be able to lauch a commandline, mount the volume with the dell buos and run from there....been a while since ive had to do something like that but there should be a way.


----------



## Retrorockit (Oct 29, 2018)

That looks like a very old but correct configuration. The most likely reason would be a RAM module giving a POST error. This may be a sign of things to come. I would run some RAM stress test to see if that's it.
They're up to BIOS A17 August 2018 "Urgent". This  is the Spectre, Meltdown patch. So it might be worth the effort.
https://www.dell.com/support/home/u...C88T9&osCode=W764&productCode=precision-t5500
Most of us here would give that system an update. Newer BIOS. X5687 3.6Ghz 32nm 4C/8T, or X5670 or up 6C/12T.  8GB DDR3 1333 RDIMM ECC are $30 each new. The faster memory  goes with the faster CPU in these.
If you can find a RAM problem that would be a cheap fix. But the RAM controller is on the CPU so another reason to look into that option.


----------



## jeanpat (Oct 29, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> That looks like a very old but correct configuration. The most likely reason would be a RAM module giving a POST error. This may be a sign of things to come. I would run some RAM stress test to see if that's it.
> They're up to BIOS A17 August 2018 "Urgent". This  is the Spectre, Meltdown patch. So it might be worth the effort.
> https://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/drivers/driversdetails?driverId=C88T9&osCode=W764&productCode=precision-t5500.


https://www.dell.com/support/home/u...C88T9&osCode=W764&productCode=precision-t5500
Would you jump directly from A02 to A17?



Retrorockit said:


> Most of us here would give that system an update. Newer BIOS. X5687 3.6Ghz 32nm 4C/8T, or X5670 or up 6C/12T.  8GB DDR3 1333 RDIMM ECC are $30 each new. The faster memory  goes with the faster CPU in these.
> If you can find a RAM problem that would be a cheap fix. But the RAM controller is on the CPU so another reason to look into that optionhttps://www.dell.com/support/home/u...C88T9&osCode=W764&productCode=precision-t5500


https://www.dell.com/support/home/u...C88T9&osCode=W764&productCode=precision-t5500
Do you that the relatively poor perf yielded by blender benchmark on GPU rendering are related to a limiting CPU/RAM speed? (The perf of the GTX960 are similar to those of a GTX560)


----------



## Retrorockit (Oct 29, 2018)

Since you're still runnning that old configuration I asume it's working for you. The 80W CPU probably came with the aluminum heatsink. With a newer BIOS there are plenty of 4 core, and 6 core 80W options in the newer 32nm CPU family other than the 130W chips many of us prefer. Any of the 5000 series Xeons should work.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Xeon_microprocessors#Xeon_5000-series_(dual-proces
Safe bet would probaly be a couple steps. Maybe A07,A11,A17. That has been an issue sometimes. Maybe wait until some of the others reply.
A GTX 960 will definitely outrun that CPU. The 3 channel RAM can keep up just fine. That's basically a slow Core2 Quad with Hyperthreading and 3 channel RAM added.
The Spectre patch has a performance hit attached to it also. They had to disable some prefetch features for security. I would definitely suggest a lot more CPU clock speed.


----------



## jeanpat (Oct 29, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> Since you're still runnning that old configuration I asume it's working for you. The 80W CPU probably came with the aluminum heatsink.



You're right, this is it.
View attachment DSC05882.JPG


Retrorockit said:


> With a newer BIOS there are plenty of 4 core, and 6 core 80W options in the newer 32nm CPU family other than the 130W chips many of us prefer. Any of the 5000 series Xeons should work.
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Xeon_microprocessors#Xeon_5000-series_(dual-proces


I understand that I do have to upgrade the bios before trying to upgrade the CPU.


----------



## totalfreq (Oct 29, 2018)

jeanpat said:


> Would you jump directly from A02 to A17?



I jumped one T5500 from A6 to A17 a few weeks back with no issues. It had the old case that has non-removable HDD0 bay. I was getting an error with my X5687s and 24gb DDR-10600R ECC ram that dimm 2 was bad. I ran the update and boom ram came back just fine.

I would run A16 or A17 for all hardware support. Like Retro said though - if you are running VMs, the A17 BIOS came out in April to patch Specter v2, otherwise A16 is the same as far as hardware support.

I personally dont like flashing bios that work because you dont know what you will end up with but A02 is super old and there have been a lot of fixes/support added since then.

*******

As a side note a pair of X5687s will go a long way towards improving your system performance. I just benched my T7500 (which the T5500 can be setup quite equally) - and it benched in the 79th percentile for both the system and GPU tests with a 1070ti...The processors alone came in at the top 91st percentile!

System Score:
https://www.passmark.com/baselines/V9/display.php?id=109957263786

3DMark Score:
https://www.3dmark.com/3dm/29867477

Not too shabby, I'll run a test on my T5500 with 2x x5687s,  24gb a gtx 1060 card for comparison and post later.

**** EDIT TO ADD ****

I dug up the the passmark score from that T5500 I was working on last week with the 1060 card
https://www.passmark.com/baselines/V8/display.php?id=109520808175

Processors actually scored higher : 11833 (T7500)  vs 12511 (T5500)

The only major differences are in the GPU (1060 vs 1070ti) and disks (I've spent a lot of time optimizing the T7500 as it s my main workstation). For reference the T5500 is running a single Intel SSD5 545s 256gb off the motherboard sata controller. The T7500 disk setup is in my signature. The T5500 could be setup identically though I dont know if there is enough room for all the disks lol. Either way the systems end up about equal when the parts are the same.

I also just notices the 1060  (though 1 less star) scored 1000 points higher than the 1070ti on 3D??? I'll have to upgrade the T5500 to the latest version of 3DMark  and run again...really wierd!


----------



## Susquehannock (Oct 29, 2018)

jeanpat said:


> Would you jump directly from A02 to A17?


The T5500 board I'm using to post this is same early model as yours - D883F. Went from BIOS 'A02' to 'A16' without issue. The utility will tell you if the upgrade is supported or not .
A17 was not out yet. Just updated a few minutes ago. Dell utility makes it very easy. Not like the old days flashing from floppy in DOS.

Recommend installing latest Intel chipset driver too. Seems they are often overlooked. Newest for T5500 is 'A06' ... 'A23' for T3500.  Given that chipset is the I/O hub between CPU & RAM, and rest of the system (SATA, USB, PCI, etc ...) it makes sense to me to update for maximum compatability and optimization.


----------



## Retrorockit (Oct 29, 2018)

U016F is the 130W cooler.
https://www.serversupply.com/produc...nmV31jpuocl1MJcu1n78c1FyAL9-PEVBoCKPkQAvD_BwE
Are you missing the blue plastic RAM shroud? It also keep air from going around the cooler.
https://www.istorya.net/forums/atta...kstation-business-and-gaming-computer-t02.jpg


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## king of swag187 (Oct 29, 2018)

Can you actually use a T7500 1.1KW PSU on a normal desktop? Spray it black and add a few logos, and it would look decent if so


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## Retrorockit (Oct 29, 2018)

It's thicker. All Dell PSUs are. It allows a bigger fan in the front. The more Watts the longer they get. After that's sorted out. Dell makes the wires just the length they need to be for each system. But it's "100% modular" in that the whole harness comes off in one piece ( 100% as in all or nothing). They did use the 1.1KW in some big Alienware and XPS systems with Aftermarket compatible ATX motherboards. But that doesn't mean you won't find proprietary connectors for SLI or Crossfire adapters, or H2C Peltier coolers with light shows built in. The PSU itself is just fine. It's the harness that you need to get right.


----------



## Susquehannock (Oct 29, 2018)

Best thing would be to measure your aftermarket system and see how the 1,100 watt unit fits. Dimensions are 6 inch x 4 inch x 9 inch. I believe the technical term for Dell units is "semi-modular". Wiring harness all one large connector. As opposed to "full modular" where they are separate and only connect ones needed. With that in mind, you will be bundling up a lot of wiring since the Dell harness has extra connectors you don't need. Second EPS for instance. Plus extra long SATA power,  to name a few.


----------



## sepheronx (Oct 30, 2018)

Harnesses can be adjusted via using adapters like I have witnessed.  So the Dell PSU's that are not proprietary 24pin and what not, are fine.


----------



## totalfreq (Oct 30, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> Harnesses can be adjusted via using adapters like I have witnessed.  So the Dell PSU's that are not proprietary 24pin and what not, are fine.



Just make sure the wire guage on the feed and converter >= draw and pinouts are the same. For instance I wouldnt convert the SATA power ports, their wire guage is too small for most other peripherals. Also dont try an connect the cpu cable to a GPU as the pinouts are different.
The t7500 power supply is nice though as it has separate electical busses so if you do know what you are doing, it can be very flexible/useful.


----------



## Retrorockit (Oct 30, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> Best thing would be to measure your aftermarket system and see how the 1,100 watt unit fits. Dimensions are 6 inch x 4 inch x 9 inch. I believe the technical term for Dell units is "semi-modular". Wiring harness all one large connector. As opposed to "full modular" where they are separate and only connect ones needed. With that in mind, you will be bundling up a lot of wiring since the Dell harness has extra connectors you don't need. Second EPS for instance. Plus extra long SATA power,  to name a few.



Add 2" for the harness at one end. My EVGA 850 is Semi Modular. The 24 pin and a couple other wires are permanently attached. Extra CPU, and GPU can be added individually. But the aftermarkets concerns, and Dells concerns are entirely different. Dell workstation PSU are designed to be swapped out quickly without disturbing any other connections or components.
Other than that you're on your own.



totalfreq said:


> The t7500 power supply is nice though as it has separate electical busses so if you do know what you are doing, it can be very flexible/useful.


 Except for the smallest EPA low powered PSUs Dell used multiple bus designs. The 305W Optiplex PSU had 2-18A. 12V. rails. Yes it would actually produce 400W if you intentionally overloaded it on a test bench.
https://www.hardwareinsights.com/dell-h305p-01-power-supply-review/
 Delll doesn't sell PSUs by the Watt. Their ratings are continuos, not peak power like most aftermarket. There are a lot of reasons to use them if you pay attention to what you're doing.


----------



## SoNic67 (Oct 30, 2018)




----------



## totalfreq (Oct 30, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> Delll doesn't sell PSUs by the Watt. Their ratings are continuos, not peak power like most aftermarket. There are a lot of reasons to use them if you pay attention to what you're doing.



 I used the T7500 power supplies for powering my ASUS B250 mining rigs and can confirm they can handle beyond 1100w continuous in a 80F environment - 24x7x365. Before I optimized, I had one rig running about 3500w off 3x PSU, and one PSU meter showed a peak of around 1350w. I later optimized and ran the GPUs off breakout boards and HP gold rated PSUs, but the T7500 PSU did the work with no problems.


----------



## SoNic67 (Oct 30, 2018)

I have replaced the PS in my T3500 with one from T5500 (875W). Sure, I had to take the MB out to route neatly the new harness, but it looks "factory".


----------



## remixedcat (Oct 30, 2018)

X post from the Xeon club (Just posting the speccy and CPU-Z)
Dell Precision T3600// Xeon E5-2650 // 32GB ECC RAM Other specs same as my prev. main)


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## Retrorockit (Nov 1, 2018)

I came across a report at OCN that the T7500 crashes with SetFSB because the SATA controller quits. A Marvell PCIe controller fixes it and overclocking can proceed.
https://www.overclock.net/forum/5-i...locking-dual-xeon-dell-precision-t7500-3.html
I wonder how many other computers thia applies to?


----------



## totalfreq (Nov 1, 2018)

Im running an h700 sas raid controller in my T7500...I currently let it be controlled by bios but I could easily change that to stand alone and see if I can push TS further.


----------



## Retrorockit (Nov 1, 2018)

totalfreq said:


> Im running an h700 sas raid controller in my T7500...I currently let it be controlled by bios but I could easily change that to stand alone and see if I can push TS further.


TS doesn't mess with SATA clocks like SetFSB does. The report is that it raises the BCLK limit for SetFSB overclocks.

I did an LGA771 to 775 swap and while looking at the BIOS mod which changes the platform designator from 11=LGA775 to 44=LGA771 to recognize the new CPU. I wondered if something like this could allow unlocked Xeons to run single on a T5500 MB?


----------



## totalfreq (Nov 1, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> TS doesn't mess with SATA clocks like SetFSB does. The report is that it raises the BCLK limit for SetFSB overclocks.



I meant SetFSB lol, sorry for the confusion.


----------



## Susquehannock (Nov 2, 2018)

EVGA still has some great deals on PSU. Started with 1000w units and has extended to others. Must be trying to clear old stock.

Pulled the trigger on 750 watt EVGA G1+. Could not pass it up at $60 (50% off). Gold rated, big single tightly regulated +12v rail, and long EPS cable so no extender needed for the T3500. Ten year warranty so hopefully it will last long enough for when I do eventually upgrade to a newer system.

[edit]
forgot link.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/EVGA-Super...-GP-0750-X1-/263997881387?hash=item3d777ffc2b


----------



## sepheronx (Nov 2, 2018)

Good deal.

Too bad it's still expensive in Canada. Our market is too small and our currency dropped too much so sellers have Hay day here knowing they can price gouge


----------



## Retrorockit (Nov 4, 2018)

I have a question about Dell DCCU Dell Client Configuration Utility. I'm trying to load a modded Dell BIOS and it came with this program.
I got the modded BIOS file selected, made an EXE. file , and clicked Install.
No comfirmation, no progress bar, no error message. I started reading and there was a window that said 2 minute time out for system restart.
So what happens after 2 minutes? Does it restart? Does it abort the installation? Am I supposed to do something myself? How lomg does the install take.
This is for a Xeon swap into an Optiplex 380. except for a fast fan at startup unless I reboot and hit F1 at the Unsupported CPU message it works perfectly.
I need to know more about DCCU before I try this again. It didn't end well the first time.


----------



## ManGupta (Nov 6, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> Dell T3500 :
> 
> 80mm fans fit nicely. I do it to all of these that pass though my hands. Install in a 'pull configuration' so flow from front case fans is continued through the sink and toward back. For cooling, more CFM the better. Here I have used an old Panaflo high speed with hydro bearing. Nice and quiet at full speed.
> 
> ...



Yes 80 mm fan sits perfectly ....... however 90 mm fan can also be somehow mounted ...... 90 mm fan will give higher cfm.


----------



## ManGupta (Nov 7, 2018)

TechyTed said:


> View attachment 104545
> 
> Here is my T3500/5500 with the R9  380x installed.
> 
> ...



Good ...... and you can always zip-tie the SSD drive even with part of HD tray removed ....


----------



## ManGupta (Nov 7, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> [edit]
> Be sure to stay away from "N series" boxes. These are specific networking units that will not accept a Windows OS.



I just like to confirm that I just bought Refurbish T3500 having old XPDFK MB ....... its actually  "N series"  ....... but the seller provided me with Windows7 Professional X64 SP1 installed and working on it (which I upgraded to Windows 10 Pro X64).

I have no idea about how the seller installed Windows on this N Series ...... buts its working fine  ......

So ..... installing Windows on N Series is certainly doable .......


----------



## ManGupta (Nov 7, 2018)

david carey said:


> Does the older board still update to the latest bios ? Does anyone have any problems with the older board , Capacitor failure for instance . I have had two of the newer 09kpnv boards go in less than a year from the same PB12 issue ( last one i put down to VRM ) , so am wary .



Updating BIOS is no issue ..... I just updated to A17 on my T3500


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## ManGupta (Nov 7, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> Yes. The PSU's for the T3500/T5500/T7500 are interchangeable. The wiring harness might not be perfect, but it should still be workable.



Is 1000 Watt PSU from T7400 ( Not T7500)  compatible to T3500 system ? 
I am getting one locally but cant decide because of confusion over compatibility. 

Want to have higher spec PSU just in case I upgrade my GPU in future ? 

Thanx in advance.


----------



## ManGupta (Nov 7, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> It's not particulary artistic but I did some mods on page 8-9 of the Throttlestop Overcloccking thread.
> https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/page-8
> https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/page-9



Awesome Mods .......



totalfreq said:


> Nice mod .
> 
> I just did the same thing but I used the T5500 riser heatsink with fan assembly PN: 0W715F and a 5 pin dell splitter. I used the 5 pin cpu fan port on the riser card for both CPUs, but you could also use the case fan port if splitting.
> 
> ...



20 USD for Fan wire splitter is hugely overpriced .......



lexluthermiester said:


> It's tricky and not all PMW fans work. Weird stuff. Has to do with the way the fan controller expects to get signaling from the fan circuitry.
> 
> Yup, I always disable for home use scenarios as it's really only useful in professional environments.




Yes it's bit tricky to make 4 pin cpu fan work on 5 pin Dell fan header ....

Here is the Pinout Mod required .... You need to swap wire No 1 with Wire No 3 .....




image host










This video is in Russian ...... I do not know  Russian ..... still the visuals are demonstrative enough to understand that  you need to swap wire No 1 with Wire No 3 .....

For those who donot want to bother with Pin Mod ........ here is a cheap alternative ...

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1Pc...442.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.3da24c4dhAYxyG


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## Susquehannock (Nov 7, 2018)

ManGupta said:


> I just like to confirm that I just bought Refurbish T3500 having old XPDFK MB ....... its actually  "N series"  ....... but the seller provided me with Windows7 Professional X64 SP1 installed and working on it (which I upgraded to Windows 10 Pro X64).
> 
> I have no idea about how the seller installed Windows on this N Series ...... buts its working fine  ......
> 
> So ..... installing Windows on N Series is certainly doable .......


Thanks for the confirmation. As I understand Dell had to cripple non-windows bundled machines due to Microsoft licensing agreements.

No personal experience, but Windows on T3500 N series is certainly doable. Just not easy. One way is to change the motherboard. Another is change the service tag then do a factory reset on the BIOS. This page explains the procedure.


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## Retrorockit (Nov 7, 2018)

ManGupta said:


> Is 1000 Watt PSU from T7400 ( Not T7500) compatible to T3500 system ?


The Dell workstation PSUs are modular. The entire harness comes off to adapt to the various computers they were used in. But I don't think there will be a harness for the single CPU T3500 to fit the 1000W PSU so much of it will be wasted.
Maybe with a T7500 harness you could use adapters to tap into it's power. But it would have 2x 8 pinCPU cables and 2x 8 pin GPU cables already I believe.
It's 9" long plus 2" for the harness.
The T7400 harness will have a 24pin ATX, and a 2nd 20 pin Dell MB connector for the 2nd CPU and FBDIMM memory, and a 10 pin connector for the optional CFX  dual GPU daughter board, so as is it won't be very useful.
 I think the dual GPU T5500 came with an 875W that's physically a better fit.


----------



## SoNic67 (Nov 7, 2018)

Does anyone know what clock chip use the Dell T3500 motherboard model 09KPNV rev A00?


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## Retrorockit (Nov 7, 2018)

SLG8XP519T  But support is hard to find for that one.
The ICS932S421BGLF is supported by SetFSB and is the PLL for the T5500, and T7500. So if this method appeals to you a single or dual CPU setup on those should work. An SATA controller card is reported to be necessary to prevent OS crashes. The T5500 MB is a direct replacement for the T3500. Cost about $40. But the chipset might prefer RDIMMs.
https://www.overclock.net/forum/5-i...rclocking-dual-xeon-dell-precision-t7500.html
You might want to look at the Throttlestop Overclocking thread also. Lots of T3500 overcloking going on there.
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/page-21


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## ManGupta (Nov 8, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> The Dell workstation PSUs are modular. The entire harness comes off to adapt to the various computers they were used in. But I don't think there will be a harness for the single CPU T3500 to fit the 1000W PSU so much of it will be wasted.
> Maybe with a T7500 harness you could use adapters to tap into it's power. But it would have 2x 8 pinCPU cables and 2x 8 pin GPU cables already I believe.
> It's 9" long plus 2" for the harness.
> The T7400 harness will have a 24pin ATX, and a 2nd 20 pin Dell MB connector for the 2nd CPU and FBDIMM memory, and a 10 pin connector for the optional CFX  dual GPU daughter board, so as is it won't be very useful.
> I think the dual GPU T5500 came with an 875W that's physically a better fit.



Thanx for the feedback info. 

Really appreciate.


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## Retrorockit (Nov 8, 2018)

I came across a claim that RDIMM memory can run on an X58 chipset. This is at OCN X59 Xeon  club on an aftermarket MB with an X5675 Xeon. The claim was for 4GB RDIMM modules with ECC running on ASUS X58.
You can see the controversy starting here.
https://www.overclock.net/forum/8-i...official-x58-xeon-club-1415.html#post27676896
But if anyone wants to try this away from the politics of OCN X58 Club please feel free.


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 8, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> I came across a claim that RDIMM memory can run on an X58 chipset.


Officially, Intel states that the x58 chipset does not support registered ram at all. Either that is a spoof post or there is some serious hacking going on to make it work.


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## Retrorockit (Nov 8, 2018)

Officially X58 doesn't support the 5500.5600 Xeons either and they run just fine. The memory controller is on the CPU and those do support RDIMMs. So I see it as a real possibility. But definitely unconfirmed.  The hack would be running the dual CPU Xeons in the first place. It's possible they run as UDIMMS, or they actually run as RDIMMs, if they can run at all. It's not something I would put much effort into. But the fact that the X58 T3500 supports ECC is a step in the right direction.


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 8, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> Officially X58 doesn't support the 5500.5600 Xeons either and they run just fine. The memory controller is on the CPU and those do support RDIMMs. So I see it as a real possibility. But definitely unconfirmed.  The hack would be running the dual CPU Xeons in the first place.


Thought I'd read somewhere that RDIMM's were not supported on x58 but are on 5500/5520 chipsets. Yet you're right, the mem controller is on the CPU. Maybe it is possible. This deserves more research.


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## ManGupta (Nov 9, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> Officially X58 doesn't support the 5500.5600 Xeons either and they run just fine. The memory controller is on the CPU and those do support RDIMMs. So I see it as a real possibility. But definitely unconfirmed.  The hack would be running the dual CPU Xeons in the first place. It's possible they run as UDIMMS, or they actually run as RDIMMs, if they can run at all. It's not something I would put much effort into. But the fact that the X58 T3500 supports ECC is a step in the right direction.



As per Dell, T3500 can support only upto 24 GB RAM Max. But since  the memory controller is on the CPU, perhaps it may be it may be still be possible to run 6 X 16 GB Modules or 6 X 32 GB Modules (if 32 GB Modules are available) if T3500 are upgraded with CPUs  like Xeon X5680 (which supports upto 288 GB RAM).

It may be that since originally Dell released T3500 with only W35XX series processors, hence Dell T3500 Manual mentions Max RAM capacity of 24 GB Max which is the limitation of W35XX or W36XX  series processors.

However, practically I have not tested any as such RAM modules I do not have these.


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 9, 2018)

ManGupta said:


> As per Dell, T3500 can support only upto 24 GB RAM Max. But since  the memory controller is on the CPU, perhaps it may be it may be still be possible to run 6 X 16 GB Modules or 6 X 32 GB Modules (if 32 GB Modules are available) if T3500 are upgraded with CPUs  like Xeon X5680 (which supports upto 288 GB RAM).
> 
> It may be that since originally Dell released T3500 with only W35XX series processors, hence Dell T3500 Manual mentions Max RAM capacity of 24 GB Max which is the limitation of W35XX or W36XX  series processors.
> 
> However, practically I have not tested any as such RAM modules I do not have these.


We were talking about RDIMM's AKA Registered/Buffered RAM. As for your point, I have actually done a similar test. The T3500 will recognize and use 8GB modules, for a total tested amount of 8GBx6=48GB. I've not tested 16GB modules, but don't see any reason why it might not work.

Test post..


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## Retrorockit (Nov 9, 2018)

48GB is a known capacity of X58. The larger modules either didn't exist, or weren't tested, so they're not documented. The questions begin when running the 5500/5600 Xeons, with their RDIMM support up to 96GB (which also may not be an actual limit) onX58 systems. At OCN it's a controversy whether RDIMM can run on X58. The person claiming they do doesn't document the claim very well. I posted the question here because there may be someone who has access to a T3500, and some RDIMMs to try and confirm this.
 The butting of heads over RAM issues is why I started the Throttlestop Overclocking thread since it's usually irrelevant to that method. But The RDIMM question has merit.
AFAIK RDIMMs run 2T command rate and the other timing remain the same. But I'm not sure of this.


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 9, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> But The RDIMM question has merit.


The more I read about systems that are socket 1366 based, some of which can use RDIMMS, the more it seems likely that this may be doable. DDR3 RDIMMS are cheap right now. Thinking I might try this with 1rank and 2rank modules and report the results.


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## Retrorockit (Nov 10, 2018)

There was another post at OCN from a regular there who confirms 16GB RDIMMs on some X58 MB for 96GB RAM. Says not all support it. Of course no one over there is going to try it on a T3500.


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 10, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> There was another post at OCN from a regular there who confirms 16GB RDIMMs on some X58 MB for 96GB RAM. Says not all support it. Of course no one over there is going to try it on a T3500.


That's a shame. I'm betting it'll work.


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## Retrorockit (Nov 10, 2018)

The native ECC suppport is a big plus. It removes one variable. The memory controller on the CPU is outside of Dells control. Since it requires another mod (5600 series CPU ) to try it, I doubt if it was anticipated and intentionally blocked. I think the odds are pretty good. Maybe try it single/dual channel before going all in?


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## ManGupta (Nov 10, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> There was another post at OCN from a regular there who confirms 16GB RDIMMs on some X58 MB for 96GB RAM. Says not all support it. Of course no one over there is going to try it on a T3500.



Actually internet is full of confusing findings ....... some say RDIMMs support is just based on Memory Controller integrated in the processor ....... whereas some say its combination of Memory Controller integrated in the processor plus the chipset on the MB.

I tried figuring some clues on the Intel site ......... but Intel Site ...... in the Spec for its various processors specifies whether Memory support for the particular processor supports ECC/Non ECC but completely avoids mentioning anything about RDIMM/UDIMM ..... which leads to speculation that it may not be just a matter of MC integrated on Processor but also combi of Chipset.

BUT ...... everything is just an SPECULATION .... that's it.





https://ark.intel.com/products/4791...X5680-12M-Cache-3-33-GHz-6-40-GT-s-Intel-QPI-


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## Retrorockit (Nov 10, 2018)

I think the phrase dependent on memory type says it all. UDIMMs end at 8GB Modules. So up to 48GB for each CPU is about it. RDIMMs would be required for 96GB and up capacity. They don't specify RDIMMs because it supports both types. This makes them interchangeable at the CPU level on the high capacity CPUs.


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 11, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> Since it requires another mod (5600 series CPU ) to try it


Curious what you mean? Most of the T3500's I seen come with Xeon's stock from Dell..


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## ManGupta (Nov 11, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> That's a shame. I'm betting it'll work.





Retrorockit said:


> The native ECC suppport is a big plus. It removes one variable. The memory controller on the CPU is outside of Dells control. Since it requires another mod (5600 series CPU ) to try it, I doubt if it was anticipated and intentionally blocked. I think the odds are pretty good. Maybe try it single/dual channel before going all in?





ManGupta said:


> Actually internet is full of confusing findings ....... some say RDIMMs support is just based on Memory Controller integrated in the processor ....... whereas some say its combination of Memory Controller integrated in the processor plus the chipset on the MB.
> 
> I tried figuring some clues on the Intel site ......... but Intel Site ...... in the Spec for its various processors specifies whether Memory support for the particular processor supports ECC/Non ECC but completely avoids mentioning anything about RDIMM/UDIMM ..... which leads to speculation that it may not be just a matter of MC integrated on Processor but also combi of Chipset.
> 
> ...





Retrorockit said:


> I think the phrase dependent on memory type says it all. UDIMMs end at 8GB Modules. So up to 48GB for each CPU is about it. RDIMMs would be required for 96GB and up capacity. They don't specify RDIMMs because it supports both types. This makes them interchangeable at the CPU level on the high capacity CPUs.



UPDATE

Found something new ........

Just ran software Sissoftware Sandra ...... In Tab Hardware >> Mainboard  ----  this software is displaying that my system supports ECC DIMM Registered DDR3 ........ Wow .... !


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## Retrorockit (Nov 11, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> Curious what you mean? Most of the T3500's I seen come with Xeon's stock from Dell..


You probably have much more experience with  virgin Dell T3500s than I do. Do they come with the 2 QPI X5500,X5600 series (which I would consider a mod)? Or the single CPU X3500,X3600,W3500,W3600 Xeons that I would expect.
This would align with the 24GB RAM limit and UDIMM support better.

@ ManGupta
I also noticed that it lists 48GB Max. RAM support, which is good and sort of expected. But if true to some extent defeats the purpose of an RDIMM mod. Of course lower cost is a factor. If the chipset has a 48GB limit you can get there nowadays with Udimms. So RDIMM may be supported but just up to the "normal" 48GB RAM chipset capacity.
I'm guessing the X5000 series Xeons may bring RDIMM support, but the chipset will limit it to 48GB. It may be a way to get 48GB on the cheap, and with TS overclocking you don't need fancy boutique RAM anyway.
Thank you for that information.


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## Susquehannock (Nov 11, 2018)

RDIMMs. Yeah, I wish. Can only speak for these IBM 8gb 2Rx4 1.35v modules so far. Work flawlessly in my T5500 board.
No go  in the T3500 at any configuration. Only get "S8" error. BIOS won't even complete POST sequence.

Had my finger on pulse of DDR3 RAM prices for a while.  Wide fluctuations on server modules. RDIMM are about 40-50% less than UDIMM and non-ECC modules right now. RDIMMs I linked above just dropped another $5 today as matter of fact. Down to $22.65.

When I bought the above, single rank modules were still quite expensive. Price has dropped considerably since. Especially 1600mhz units. These are worth looking into.

Why don't we see a lot of people running RDIMM in X58 boards? Price changes perhaps. Same part #49Y1415
IBM modules as above were over $300 at release time.

Wondering why the T3500 manual makes no mention of RDIMM compatibility yet the T5500 does.


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## Retrorockit (Nov 11, 2018)

You didn't specify which CPU you tested with in the T3500. That may be the key factor. The memory controller on the CPU in the 5000 series Xeons may bring RDIMM suppport.
T3500+3000 series Xeons= UDIMM only support
T5500+5000 series Xeons=RDIMM support, and probaly UDIMM also. ( won't run 3000 series Xeons)
T3500+5000 series xeons= ?????
I don't think the T3500 manual entertains running the 2QPI Xeon 5000 series CPUs.


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 11, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> Do they come with the 2 QPI X5500,X5600 series (which I would consider a mod)?


That would be yes. They did/do often have the X5600 dual QPI models in them.


Susquehannock said:


> No go  in the T3500 at any configuration. Only get "S8" error. BIOS won't even complete POST sequence.


Was that with 1R or 2R RDIMMS?


Susquehannock said:


> Wondering why the T3500 manual makes no mention of RDIMM compatibility yet the T5500 does.


Maybe because there is a factor of the chipset compatibility after all..


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## Retrorockit (Nov 11, 2018)

OK two strikes against this working.
 T3500 came with X5000 Xeons so it's not a "mod".
Suspehannock tried it and it didn't work. CPU unspecified? Assorted types of RDIMM a possible factor also.
I've had reports from OCN of X58 running RDIMMs. Seems to vary form one MB to another. 

There may be a pin in the RAM socket that reads the type installed. I came across that in the manual for the MSI X58 Alienware board I have.

When you install incorrect memory module (the SA2-pin of the memory module connects to Ground) in the DIMM_C0/C1, the LED beside DIMM_C0 will light red color to remind you. The position of the LED is shown as below. Double confirm with your memory module vender for the third channelsupports. 
 So it may even be a hardwired prevention.


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## Susquehannock (Nov 11, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> You didn't specify which CPU you tested with in the T3500. That may be the key factor. The memory controller on the CPU in the 5000 series Xeons may bring RDIMM suppport.
> T3500+3000 series Xeons= UDIMM only support
> T5500+5000 series Xeons=RDIMM support, and probaly UDIMM also. ( won't run 3000 series Xeons)
> T3500+5000 series xeons= ?????
> I don't think the T3500 manual entertains running the 2QPI Xeon 5000 series CPUs.


[edit] CPU = W3680.

Yes. Meant to mention that. Only tried those IBM modules in T3500 in my signature so far. Since it is a single QPI chip was considering whether that was a factor. System runs so well with overclocked W3680 that I have been reluctant to go back to quad core and drop a X5687 to try it. Found X5690 at good deal so may try that once it arrives just to confirm if QPI is a factor.


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## Retrorockit (Nov 11, 2018)

Can't blame you for that. I would hate to undo that setup too.
 The report at OCN is 16GB RDIMM working and 96GB on X58 is possible due to it. But no specific examples were given.


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## ManGupta (Nov 12, 2018)

ManGupta said:


> Here is the Pinout Mod required .... You need to swap wire No 1 with Wire No 3 .....
> 
> 
> 
> image host



Dell wont let you customize ...... even small things like CPU Fan / case fans.

Did the pinout mods to add CPU  Fan to CPU Heat Sink ....... But just when I tried to insert the  modded 4 Pin Fan Connector (after swapping Wire No 1 with Wire no 3, as explained in my earlier post) ...............

BUT ....... Dell is Dell .....

The Dell has Made its 5-Pin Fan Header so thin that No standard Fan Connector can be inserted in ....... making all my Pinout Mod efforts useless ......

So instead I had to connect Fan directly to the Power Unit to run it ...... but in this way PWM will not function and fans will run at full speed.

But running fan at full speed always means fan will get depreciated sooner that its rated duration.
So I decided I will not use expensive high quality Noctura Fans but Cheap Generic Fans (but with CFM at least 67% of that of Noctura Fans).
That way whenever fan will get worn out in 2-3 years I will just throw them away and get new ones.

In total I planed to add 5 Fans .... (2 80mm Exhaust fans at the back, 1 small 50 mm fan to be mounted on Northbridge Heatsink and 2 92 mm Fans to be mounted on CPU Heat Sink in Push-Pull Config). However T3500 525 Watt PSU do not have sufficient number of unused connectors to power 5 extra fans. So I needed some mods here also.

Finally ......

I got all my mods done and the CPU Temps are down from 56 C to 25 C (idle.  (Note: In India ambient temps are high(over 30C) ..... so even at idle temps were around 56 C). After my 5 Fan Mod temp is now 25 C idle and 67 C on full load during stress testing. Earlier during stress testing temp went over 100 C leading to throttling and lowering of clock speed, now no throttling as temp never goes over 67 C even during stress test. These figures may not be impressive but trust me these are really good considering that  in India Temps are really very hot and also I do not use air conditioners.



































Susquehannock said:


> draw power from the floppy wires with connector cut off. Who uses floppies anymore?
> View attachment 101850



You need not cut floppy connector off ................ you can just use a compass needle to take out from connector the yellow and black wire and leave aside  the remaining portion of Floppy Connector.


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## Retrorockit (Nov 12, 2018)

I just splice the Dell connector onto the new fan. But then I have a pile of old Dell fans sitting around. P041K cooler has a couple  more heatpipes. N764D is a little taller but has twice as many pipes and a 5 pin cable, but a generic ATX type mounting bracket. If you have hotter air for cooling then I guess you need a lot more of it to get the job done.
The T5500 MB D883F has nice active chipset cooling. The MB swaps with the T3500 but runs 5500/5600 series Xeons only. The MB components won't allow just a cooler swap.
 Bu those are nice mods and if it solves your problem that's great. I'm just a hardware junky and have all of this stuff sitting around.


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## ManGupta (Nov 12, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> If you have hotter air for cooling then I guess you need a lot more of it to get the job done.



Any more suggestions ..... ?? ... Please.


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## Retrorockit (Nov 12, 2018)

I always start my cooling mods right at he CPU interface. I  do lapping in an overclock situation  and it helps.  You can also run a load test like Prime 95 and use Throttlestop to undervolt the CPU. How this is done on X58 I'm not sure . But this can lower temperatures considerably. Your situation is unique. Air cooling and water loops can only try and approach ambient temperature which in your case is pretty high. My Optiplex 380 X5470 running Prime95 ran 68*C. @ 1.25V. it now runs 62*C 2 1.1125V. If i speed up the fan it can go much lower. I've had Prime 95 @58*C with just the 1 stock optiplex fan. I prefer 1 big fan with the air ducted to the CPU cooler,but that;s the way BTX is. While writing this I just stuck the big fan I installed on page 8 of the overcocking thread in my optiplex 380, and at idle I'm running Prime  95 small FFTs @ 57*C. The CPU fan i replaced was the Foxconn .9A. the same as T3500 uses. Since it never speeds up I'm not too concerned about the 1.8A. rating. This may not apply to your situation. I had to pull the CPU cooler up to remove the old fan so there's probably air in the thermal paste right now. Actually this heatsink is lapped because most of mine are, but the CPU isn't. I have another BTX cooler T9303 that cools better than this one, and another TJ258 much better than that. But obviously not needed in this computer. My Ambient is 78*F. The big fan by itself is often just the same size as the 120mm with it's housing.  In the BTX mini tower I just velcro it in, and tape th seams. i didn't even bother to do that this time.
The fan mod on page 8 with the Thermalright macho 120 was basically bolt in except for accurately locating the holes in the cover. The fan mod required drilling 1 small hole and glueing a nut over it.
I just kicked the big fan up to 2500RPM and it's running small FFTs @ 52*C. $10 heatsink and a $15 fan in a $20 Optiplex. Thta's the hottest core 2 of them are at 47*  C.
 I guess this will be my burn in test for the Xeon swap.


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## ManGupta (Nov 13, 2018)

Friends,

I just realized that The T3500 (Refub) which I bought do not have the small Aluminium VRM Heat Sink  (just adjacent to CPU Heatsink) on it.

I request all T3500 / T5500 / T7500 owners to check and confirm whether this small VRM heatsink (just adjacent to CPU Heatsink) is there on there system or not.

The seller from whom I bought claims that this particular workstation was shipped by dell like this only and if dell thought necessary only then it would have had added the heatsink, but merely having provision for including the VRM Heatsink does not necessary mean that Dell shipped that system with Heatsink included.

Please check if your system have been also with or without it and confirm.

Below is picture of VRM HS as taken from Dell T3500 Service Mannual and the other picture below it is the picture of my system.


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 13, 2018)

ManGupta said:


> The seller from whom I bought claims that this particular workstation was shipped by dell like this


This is correct. The models of T3500 which shipped from Dell with the heatsinks on the VRM's were the early models which had less efficient VRM parts. After the first batch or T3500's were made, the VRM's used were more efficient and didn't get nearly as hot, thus did not need cooling. If you're worried about them heating up, you can always buy a heatsink kit. I have two T3500's here, one with a X5680 and one with an X5675. Neither of them have heatsinks on the VRM's. You'll be fine.


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## ManGupta (Nov 13, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> This is correct. The models of T3500 which shipped from Dell with the heatsinks on the VRM's were the early models which had less efficient VRM parts. After the first batch or T3500's were made, the VRM's used were more efficient and didn't get nearly as hot, thus did not need cooling. If you're worried about them heating up, you can always buy a heatsink kit. I have two T3500's here, one with a X5680 and one with an X5675. Neither of them have heatsinks on the VRM's. You'll be fine.



Thanks for Confirmation ....

Just for the sake of info .......  Does this thing applies to T5500 / T7500 as well .. ?


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 13, 2018)

ManGupta said:


> Thanks for Confirmation ....
> 
> Just for the sake of info .......  Does this thing applies to T5500 / T7500 as well .. ?


As a general rule, it applies to most Dell systems unless there are high wattage CPU's used in the model being sold.


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## ManGupta (Nov 13, 2018)

Friends,

There is a small Internal Speaker mounted on the front of dell  T3500 which is directly connected to the motherboard with a 5-pin header near CMOS battery. Is this small Internal Speaker for giving Diagnostics Beep Codes in case system does not boots or is it for normal audio ?


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## Retrorockit (Nov 13, 2018)

Be careful putting heatsinks on the VRM in these. There are components in between the MOSFETs that are sticking up in the way of doing that.
I took the Scythe NinJa off of the T5500 MB and tried the Dell 0P041K cooler. The mounting bolts are all wrong, but the size and bolt pattern are correct. 50% more heat pipes and comes with a fan. Male to male bolts is the issue. I don't have an original heatsink to try the old hardware. But this is the cooler I would go to on a t3500. The fins are folded down on the sides to form a duct so all the air from the fan passes over the heatpipes.
 A little more on fans for ManGupta. There are variable speed fans that are not PWM. They have a blue thermistor sticking up from the motor in the back. They vary speed based on the temperature of the air passing through them. This may be useful in your environment. The thermistor is a resistor, and if you add a resistance between the legs it will be a resistor in parallel which willl make the motor run faster. Normally used as an exhaust fan. Some Nidec Beta V TA350DC comes like this. You can see the sensor here.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Fre...Thermal-Sensor-Fan-12V-1-8A-3/1956098195.html
 This is a 38mm thick fan. This lets fans move more air without a lot of RPM. I always prefer these over 25mm thick fans.
 The cooling mods I posted above would apply to the T3400 directly because it's a classic BTX. The T3500 is a modified BTX, but the cooling works on the same principles. 1 powerful fan, and good control of airflow. But instead of a duct they use the HDD tray, the RAM shroud, and the case and cover to form one around the heatsink. 100*F. ambient is an interesting problem. I think my BTX overclocking cooling mods could handle that easily. Too bad I wasn't asked this a week a go when I had my 65W Q9505S quad core in there. I might have gotten Prime 95 running in the high 40s.
But I did the BIOS mod so it's probably not supported anymore. The temperatures I got above on the X5470 would represent a 10% overclock on a Q9650 CPU.


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 14, 2018)

ManGupta said:


> Internal Speaker for giving Diagnostics Beep Codes


This.


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## ManGupta (Nov 14, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> Be careful putting heatsinks on the VRM in these. There are *components in between the MOSFETs that are sticking up in the way* of doing that.
> 
> Did not get you. Exactly what components are creating problem. The original Dell small Aluminium Heatsinks seems to be sitting very well over the VRM area without hurting any VRM Component.
> 
> ...


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## Retrorockit (Nov 14, 2018)

I have tried to add heatsinks to these as part of my modding. My T3500 required drilling holes in the back of the heatsink so it could sit flat on the MOSFETs. The T5500 had too many of them to do that. If you want to add a heatsink check for this. I would suggest separate sinks for each MOSFET because without a spring loaded mount, and thermal paste, expansion and contratcion of the heatsink will cause it to come loose if it's glued on. Like Lex said they made changes in that area that eliminated the need for it. The ones with the heatsink may have different parts there. Photographs of the heatsink version are in all the manuals. But they seem to be uncommon in the wild. I suppose they could be using a thick thermal pad to absorb the difference in height. The MOSFETs aren't all the same height either.


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## ManGupta (Nov 14, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> I have tried to add heatsinks to these as part of my modding. My T3500 required drilling holes in the back of the heatsink so it could sit flat on the MOSFETs. The T5500 had too many of them to do that. If you want to add a heatsink check for this. I would suggest separate sinks for each MOSFET because without a spring loaded mount, and thermal paste, expansion and contratcion of the heatsink will cause it to come loose if it's glued on. Like Lex said they made changes in that area that eliminated the need for it. The ones with the heatsink may have different parts there. Photographs of the heatsink version are in all the manuals. But they seem to be uncommon in the wild. I suppose they could be using a thick thermal pad to absorb the difference in height. The MOSFETs aren't all the same height either.




Yes the purpose of using a thick thermal pad must be to absorb the difference in height. How else one would mount the heat-sink in such an uneven area. 

But your point of expansion and contraction of aluminium leading to loosening of the firmness hence the effectiveness of heat-sink is valid. 
The Silicon Thermal Pad seems to be very soft rubber-like substance with some thermal conductivity that fills the spaces between the uneven heights of VRM Components. 

But the contact with heat will loosen over a period of time. Perhaps two screws containing spring (like those in CPU Heat Sink) if tightened in the two holes (in addition to the thermal pad) may secure firmly the heat sink. 

That is all this if Heat Sink is really required. Else as Lex said it may not be needed at all. It may be only required in case CPU draws very high power (much more than rated 130 Watts most X58 processors consume). This scenario can only occur in case of Extreme Overclocking which Dell MB do not allows at all.


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 14, 2018)

ManGupta said:


> That is all this if Heat Sink is really required. Else as Lex said it may not be needed at all. It may be only required in case CPU draws very high power (much more than rated 130 Watts most X58 processors consume). This scenario can only occur in case of Extreme Overclocking which Dell MB do not allows at all.


That about sums it up.


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## Retrorockit (Nov 14, 2018)

We actually do overclock the T3500, and dual CPU OC work is being done on the T5500/7500 also. But your ambient temperature situation may make it desirable to do this.
I never could find that heatsink available anywhere, so I can't really say what solution Dell used for the issues I encountered. Alphacool makes some small copper finsinks for MOSFETs.
https://www.amazon.com/Alphacool-Copper-Heatsinks-6-5mm-10-pack/dp/B077VQTB6Q
Enzotech also.
https://www.aquatuning.us/air-cooli...9I5ZAIUIwnaIZ0VXLQV5DqXtsbiX4mpRoCzIcQAvD_BwE


----------



## sepheronx (Nov 15, 2018)

I'm still waiting on the Dell 5 pin to 4 pin fan adapter. Then I got to get a new GPU as I used the gtx1060 for my home theater/retro gaming build.

But can someone guide me through getting that w3680 to 4ghz?


----------



## ManGupta (Nov 15, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> I'm still waiting on the Dell 5 pin to 4 pin fan adapter. Then I got to get a new GPU as I used the gtx1060 for my home theater/retro gaming build.
> 
> But can someone guide me through getting that w3680 to 4ghz?
> For OC You Need to go thru that thread started by *Retrorockit*
> *https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/*



yeah Shipping from China is a loooooong wait, I too am waiting for it,

although I went ahead and added 5 fans drawing power directly from PSU and running at full speed.

Moreover I do not trust the PWM reliability of Dell MB (Dell has designed it for running silent (in an office environment), not for high CFM for cooling).

Whenever I did stress testing (before adding 5 fans) Core temps went over 100 C leading to thermal throttling ....... still Dell's Two Front Fans speed did not increased   ....... this makes me wonder whether or not to opt for PWM feature of Dell's MB using Dell 5 pin to 4 pin fan adapter.  Because ........... Now, after adding 5 fans running on full speed all stress tests completes successfully without any Thermal Throttling.


----------



## SoNic67 (Nov 15, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> SLG8XP519T But support is hard to find for that one.
> The ICS932S421BGLF is supported by SetFSB and is the PLL for the T5500, and T7500. So if this method appeals to you a single or dual CPU setup on those should work. An SATA controller card is reported to be necessary to prevent OS crashes. The T5500 MB is a direct replacement for the T3500. Cost about $40. But the chipset might prefer RDIMMs.





Retrorockit said:


> confirms 16GB RDIMMs on some X58 MB for 96GB RAM. Says not all support it. Of course no one over there is going to try it on a T3500



I have a T3500 with X5675 CPU. Right now I am "full" 24GB of RAM and although I am tempted to try the RDIMM, I can't see the gain. I am already using 4GB od those in PrimoCache  as a cache, and it's enough IMO. Maybe I'll play more with this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/49Y1415-8GB-DDR3-1333MHz-RDIMM-Memory-IBM-System/181697687564
6x$23=$138... is it worth it thou?

Also I have a 3Ware 9650SE SATA RAID controller on my board, so I would rather try to OC (after moving my SSD on that controller).


----------



## Susquehannock (Nov 15, 2018)

sepheronx said:


> But can someone guide me through getting that w3680 to 4ghz?


Simplest way I found is install Intel XTU (here) and change all multi to 30x. ThrottleStop is another option of course. 





SoNic67 said:


> I have a T3500 with X5675 CPU. Right now I am "full" 24GB of RAM and although I am tempted to try the RDIMM, I can't see the gain. I am already using 4GB od those in PrimoCache  as a cache, and it's enough IMO. Maybe I'll play more with this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/49Y1415-8GB-DDR3-1333MHz-RDIMM-Memory-IBM-System/181697687564
> 6x$23=$138... is it worth it thou?


Besides buffering, only advantage is price. If decide to try, you may want to hold off until someone can confirm whether RDIMM modules are even possible in a T3500/X58 board. As you may have seen in post #360, i have three of those same modules (#49Y1415) unbranded IBM. Work great in T5500 board, but will not boot with them in any way in the T3500.


----------



## sepheronx (Nov 15, 2018)

thanks!


----------



## ManGupta (Nov 15, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> i have three of those same modules (#49Y1415) unbranded IBM. Work great in T5500 board, but will not boot with them in any way in the T3500.



Susquehannock,

Did you tried with a X56XX Processor in T3500 ... ??


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## Susquehannock (Nov 15, 2018)

ManGupta said:


> Susquehannock,
> 
> Did you tried with a X56XX Processor in T3500 ... ??


post #364 


Susquehannock said:


> [edit] CPU = W3680.
> 
> Yes. Meant to mention that. Only tried those IBM modules in T3500 in my signature so far. Since it is a single QPI chip was considering whether that was a factor. System runs so well with overclocked W3680 that I have been reluctant to go back to quad core and drop a X5687 to try it. Found X5690 at good deal so may try that once it arrives just to confirm if QPI is a factor.


----------



## ManGupta (Nov 15, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> post #364



I strongly suspect that the Integrated Memory Controller on W36XX series processor is the culprit. Actually I ran Sis Sandra Software and it says that Registered ECC DIMM upto 48 GB is supported.


----------



## Susquehannock (Nov 15, 2018)

ManGupta said:


> I strongly suspect that the Integrated Memory Controller on W36XX series processor is the culprit. Actually I ran Sis Sandra Software and it says that Registered ECC DIMM upto 48 GB is supported.


Sure hope you're right. Having 3x8gb=24 already, attaining 48gb would mean another $66 vs over $200 switching to UDIMMs. At which point my T5500 board would be of no use unless going dual CPU.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 15, 2018)

ManGupta said:


> I strongly suspect that the Integrated Memory Controller on W36XX series processor is the culprit. Actually I ran Sis Sandra Software and it says that Registered ECC DIMM upto 48 GB is supported.


It's could very well be possible. Someone needs to take the plunge and try it though..


----------



## ManGupta (Nov 15, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> Sure hope you're right. Having 3x8gb=24 already, attaining 48gb would mean another $66 vs over $200 switching to UDIMMs. At which point my T5500 board would be of no use unless going dual CPU.



Just for testing RDIMM full 48 GB capacity may not be necessarily required (unless we want to test the capacity as well). For just testing if T3500 MB with X56XX series Processor supports Registered DIMM or not ....... can be tested without full capacity ..... even single channel RDIMM.



Susquehannock said:


> Sure hope you're right. Having 3x8gb=24 already, attaining 48gb would mean another $66 vs over $200 switching to UDIMMs. At which point *my T5500 board would be of no use unless going dual CPU*.



T5500 is good system, not just 2 CPU but also it has active chipset cooling (unlike T3500) and also larger capacity PSU.


----------



## Retrorockit (Nov 15, 2018)

SoNic67 said:


> I have a T3500 with X5675 CPU. Right now I am "full" 24GB of RAM and although I am tempted to try the RDIMM, I can't see the gain. I am already using 4GB od those in PrimoCache  as a cache, and it's enough IMO. Maybe I'll play more with this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/49Y1415-8GB-DDR3-1333MHz-RDIMM-Memory-IBM-System/181697687564
> 6x$23=$138... is it worth it thou?
> 
> Also I have a 3Ware 9650SE SATA RAID controller on my board, so I would rather try to OC (after moving my SSD on that controller).



X58 at OCN is confirmed to support 48GB w/o resorting to RDIMMs. 
The RAID controller would be interesting on a T5500. The T3500 PLL chip is not supported by SetFSB, but maybe Clockgen, or SetPPL, or even RWEvertyhing may allow access.
The T5500/7700 PLL is supported. And it's reported that SATA crashes unless you use a PCIe controller card. 

@ManGupta I'm digging into my parts pile and getting the 0P041K heatsink mounted onto a T5500MB. The key to swapping heatsinks on these is the threaded spacers in the Thermalright mounting kits. They're the right thread and the right height ( or can be adjusted if needed). I'm trying to duplicate the spring loaded OEM mounting they came with.


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## Susquehannock (Nov 15, 2018)

ManGupta said:


> Just for testing RDIMM full 48 GB capacity may not be necessarily required (unless we want to test the capacity as well). For just testing if T3500 MB with X56XX series Processor supports Registered DIMM or not ....... can be tested without full capacity ..... even single channel RDIMM.
> 
> T5500 is good system, not just 2 CPU but also it has active chipset cooling (unlike T3500) and also larger capacity PSU.


This is true. Was referring to my particular situation using T5500 board in T3500 case. No need for the extra power as configured and active cooling on northbridge does not become a major factor unless utilizing the CPU riser.

What I gather from my experiments thus far. If it does turn out to be the memory controller on X56xx that means no overclocking with RDIMMs since, unless I'm mistaken, all X56xx are dual QPI with no known unlocked CPU. And since T5500/5520 chipset boards don't seem to like single QPI, using a known unlocked such as W3680 is not an option either.

Since the seller seems to dragging their feet giving a shipping confirmation on the X5690, I may just drop the X5687 in there later today. 

Anyone know if (or how many) Microsoft limits number of hardware changes in Windows 10?


----------



## ManGupta (Nov 15, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> This is true. Was referring to my particular situation using T5500 board in T3500 case. No need for the extra power as configured and active cooling on northbridge does not become a major factor unless utilizing the CPU riser.
> 
> yeah that's correct
> 
> ...




I have now ordered just one  8 GB stick of Registered ECC DIMM ......... just for a reality check ....... will update the forum once shipping arrives.



Retrorockit said:


> @ManGupta I'm digging into my parts pile and getting the 0P041K heatsink mounted onto a T5500MB. The key to swapping heatsinks on these is the threaded spacers in the Thermalright mounting kits. They're the right thread and the right height ( or can be adjusted if needed). I'm trying to duplicate the spring loaded OEM mounting they came with.



Seems interesting mods .....  what is the height , breadth and depth of this HS ?


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## Retrorockit (Nov 15, 2018)

Here are the 0P041K photos. The item as it comes with springs and step bolts, and mounted on an early active cooled T5500. The only parts needed were the Thermalright Knurled female spacers, and some Dell HDD,CD/DVD step bolts with nylon washers to make them tight. If you want to you could go get some longer bolts, and reuse the original springs and cups for an OEM  spring type mounting. To tighten the mounting you could shorten the spacer by grinding/filing. Or just drill into the back hole so it sits lower on the MB studs. The spacers are really nice because they have a small shoulder on top that indexes into the bracket on the heatsink so there's no slop in the positioning of it. This should work the same for the 2nd CPU riser.
I try to post thumbnails but the whole image always seems to load for me?
This should help with ManGuptas's 100*F. ambient situation, or help prep for a dual CPU overclocking assault.
MB to top fin installed 105mm, OAH from MB installed 115mm.


----------



## Susquehannock (Nov 15, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> This should help with ManGuptas's 100*F. ambient situation, or help prep for an dual CPU overclocking assault.


Nice mod. Was thinking about ManGuptas's heat situation myself. I realize ambient room temps in India are much higher than mine (30*C vs 22*C/72*F), but why 100*C so quick? Bad thermal paste? Did you remove cooler and re-apply?

A couple of these boxes I got with W3565 would shoot right up to 100*C and thermal throttle exactly as described with only light loads. Turned out the thermal paste was as shipped from Dell - now old and dried out. Not even making good contact anymore. A quick clean and apply of standard white paste dropped full load temps to 70*C levels. Just a thought.

And like you said Retrorockit, lapping the heatsink smooth does help a lot. Even better if you can use a premium paste. Grizzly Kryonaut works well for me. Although expensive. Tried all sorts of fans in both push and pull configurations. Up to 120x38mm Nidecs. Did not seen to make a significant difference over the good old 80mm. Hottest I can make it now with configuration in my signature is 58*C with Prime95 small FFTs. Often stays below 50*C in gaming and the like.


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## Retrorockit (Nov 15, 2018)

100*    "F" ambient. He's cooling with 38*C. air.


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## Susquehannock (Nov 15, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> 100*    "F" ambient.


100*F ambient? Must have missed that somewhere. Was reading 30*C (86*F) ambient in post # 366.


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## Retrorockit (Nov 15, 2018)

Maybe I did the conversion wrong. He said he didn't have AC, and here in South Florida that means 98*F, ambient. But I tend to go overboard on cooling anyway. If I get an exptreme OC going I don't have to go back and start over. I probably didn't pay more than $15 for that cooler or I wouldn't have 2 of them.
 He did ask me to continue with my suggestions and that's where I ended up.


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## Susquehannock (Nov 15, 2018)

Bad news friends. No go with these RDIMMs and dual QPI processors in T3500/X58. Not with my small sampling of hardware at least. Same results as with the single QPI W3680. Only get "S8" error at any configuration - one, two, or three modules. BIOS won't even complete POST sequence.

To reiterate, these are the IBM part #49Y1415  8gb 2Rx4 1.35v RDIMM modules.

First tried the W5590. S8 error. (dual QPI = yes)
Then tried X5687. S8 error. (dual QPI = yes)
Put the 6x2gb=12  UDIMMs back in. No issues.
Put the 3x8gb=24 RDIMMs back in the T5500 board. No issues.

So here is where I stand right now with X5687 installed.
> https://valid.x86.fr/c6frgm <


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 15, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> Bad news friends. No go with these RDIMMs and dual QPI processors in T3500/X58. Not with my small sampling of hardware at least. Same results as with the single QPI W3680. Only get "S8" error at any configuration - one, two, or three modules. BIOS won't even complete POST sequence.
> 
> To reiterate, these are the IBM part #49Y1415  8gb 2Rx4 1.35v RDIMM modules.
> 
> ...


Damn, was kinda hoping that would work. Thanks for trying though!


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## Retrorockit (Nov 16, 2018)

I've gotten a report form OCN that people are running Westmeres with 3x16GB RDIMMs 2 rank modules.
This was posted as being able to work.
http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/ct204872bb160b
It's in the X58 Xeon club so I assume it's X58 systems. But it may be MB, by MB capability.

Then there's this, another phantom unlocked CPU. X5687 @ 56x133
http://valid.x86.fr/izs3g6
I wish I knew what is going on with this!


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## ManGupta (Nov 16, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> 100*F ambient? Must have missed that somewhere. Was reading 30*C (86*F) ambient in post # 366.



Actually Here at peak Summer Temps can go even over 40 C  but right now Winter has started .... still its 25 C. The actual acid test of cooling mods will be in May-June when temps go over 40 C.



Susquehannock said:


> Nice mod. Was thinking about ManGuptas's heat situation myself. I realize ambient room temps in India are much higher than mine (30*C vs 22*C/72*F), but *why 100*C so quick?* Bad thermal paste? Did you remove cooler and re-apply?
> A couple of these boxes I got with W3565 would shoot right up to 100*C and thermal throttle exactly as described with only light loads. Turned out the thermal paste was as shipped from Dell - now old and dried out. Not even making good contact anymore. A quick clean and apply of standard white paste dropped full load temps to 70*C levels. Just a thought.
> I did stress test after I received shipment of T3500 at ambient 30C then and got thermal throttling as core temp went upto 100C. Few days afterwards I did some simultaneous changes like Changing CPU frpm W3550 to X5680, cleaned and applied paste Artic silver 5 and added 5 new Fans. (But previously the paste was not dried and I guess the seller had applied new thermal paste before shipping the 8 Year old T3500).
> After 5 fan mods/change of thermal paste I did stress testing again (by then ambient had also fallen to 25C), and there was no thermal throttling and peak Core Temp was 67C (still 9C more than yours 58C).
> ...





Susquehannock said:


> Bad news friends. No go with these RDIMMs and dual QPI processors in T3500/X58. Not with my small sampling of hardware at least. Same results as with the single QPI W3680. Only get "S8" error at any configuration - one, two, or three modules. BIOS won't even complete POST sequence.
> 
> To reiterate, these are the IBM part #49Y1415  8gb 2Rx4 1.35v RDIMM modules.
> 
> ...



That's a setback and a moment of truth though. But thanks for trying anyway.


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## caupro (Nov 16, 2018)

Hi guys i have a t5500 with a Xeon x5680 and 24gb RAM. 

Does anyone know if this model/chipset supports sli?  Tks.


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## SoNic67 (Nov 16, 2018)

caupro said:


> Hi guys i have a t5500 with a Xeon x5680 and 24gb RAM.
> 
> Does anyone know if this model/chipset supports sli?  Tks.


Not natively. But I was able to use Different SLI that bypasses that limitation and use two nVidia cards, Fermi generation. However, I do have the 866W power supply from T5500 in my T3500.
https://github.com/EmberVulpix/DifferentSLIAuto


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## Susquehannock (Nov 16, 2018)

caupro said:


> Hi guys i have a t5500 with a Xeon x5680 and 24gb RAM.
> 
> Does anyone know if this model/chipset supports sli?  Tks.


Hi. Welcome to the forums.
Twin Quadro cards was an option from Dell. Driver support with aftermarket cards can be finicky. Saw a dual CPU T5500 running two GTX 670s in SLI on a another forum while back. Cannot remember where.


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## Retrorockit (Nov 16, 2018)

I don't know what I have to do to keep the full images from loading.
But here is the 0P041K reversed, with the 1.8A. Nidec Beta V 92x38mm  thermal control fan installed. Had to use the hardmount and remove the fan outlet side mounting holes. No loss really, it's a pull only fan, and no screen needed on the outlet anyway. The old fan was an AVC .4A. 74cfm PWM. It still respects the LGA1366 cooling footprint. This fan will respond to ambient as well as CPU heat.
 I found the spec. sheet on this fan 130cfm, and .75" static presssure. 5700RPM. #M35105
https://datasheet.octopart.com/M34789-33-Nidec-datasheet-643872.pdf
The 3 pin plug will install on the 5 pin if you're careful to get it going the right way. But 1.8A. where .9A. was is a bit risky. I would just run 12V. to it. ManGupta is right that with hot air for cooling plenty of air flow is key. You might just tr this fan and see what happens. This fan is the CPU fan from an old Socket 478 Dell Pentium4 machine. I think they were Dimension series.

@ ManGupta you might ask about undervolting X58 in the overclocking thread. Throttlestop was actually designed for that. Unclewebb can probably help you with that approach to heat management.

BTW I didn't take pictures of it because it was too ridiculous, even by my standards. But I actually had a 2 motor 120x50mm GFB1212VHG 3.4A. Delta fan hanging off the back of the Macho 120 on page 9 of the OC thread, Just to see if it would fit. But the 150x50mm AFC1512DgG in front seemed like enough. I have used these to replace the 120x38mm fans before I discovered the 150mm fan swap.


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## ManGupta (Nov 17, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> View attachment 110711View attachment 110711View attachment 110711View attachment 110713View attachment 110711View attachment 110713View attachment 110711View attachment 110713
> 
> I don't know what I have to do to keep the full images from loading.
> But here is the 0P041K reversed, with the 1.8A. Nidec Beta V 92x38mm  thermal control fan installed. Had to use the hardmount and remove the fan outlet side mounting holes. No loss really, it's a pull only fan, and no screen needed on the outlet anyway. The old fan was an AVC .4A. 74cfm PWM. It still respects the LGA1366 cooling footprint. This fan will respond to ambient as well as CPU heat.
> ...


----------



## Retrorockit (Nov 17, 2018)

You could do testing with the undervolting now. Basically you just add the difference in ambient to the CPU temperature. I guess about 13*C.
What CPU are you running, and how many cores/threads do you really need. There are some fairly fast 95W 4C/8T CPUs, and even some 95W 6 cores also. Maybe a summer CPU?
 If you keep in mind that Dell has the RPM wire on pin #1 you stick the plug in that way. Yellow on pin 1, which was white on the 5 pin. Then black and red 12V. will be correct. But that fan regulates itself so just running 12V. to it would be safer.


----------



## ManGupta (Nov 17, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> You could do testing with the undervolting now. Basically you just add the difference in ambient to the CPU temperature. I guess about 13*C.
> What CPU are you running, and how many cores/threads do you really need. There are some fairly fast 95W 4C/8T CPUs, and even some 95W 6 cores also. *Maybe a summer CPU?*
> I am using X5680 130 W TDP. But yes may be just for summer I would buy a 95 TDP CPU. X5675 is 95 W TDP while still 6C/12T and still a 3 GHz+ CPU. I guess X5675 may be the ideal candidate for Summer CPU.
> 
> ...



Thanks Retrorockit. GREAT Advise.

I think now I will handle next Summer Heat.

Solution = 130 CFM Nidec Fan + 95W TDP X5675 + Hopefully very small amount of undervolting will do.

_X5675 (with TDP 95W) is only 0.27 GHz slower than my existing X5680 (TDP 130W)_.


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## Retrorockit (Nov 17, 2018)

I did my undervolting while running Prime 95 Small FFTs. So the undervolt doesn't cost any performance. If you had asked your question a week sooner I would have been undervolting a Q9505S 65W quad core 2.83GHz CPU intead of a 120W 3.33Ghz Xeon..
There are probably millions of people in your situation. South America, Africa, and much of Asia with older computers, and a very hot climate. This seems like a very worthwhile topic.

You could just use Throttlestop to turn down the multiplier on the existing CPU. TS was designed to extend battery life on laptops. But thermal management of a workstation is very similar.


----------



## Susquehannock (Nov 18, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> I don't know what I have to do to keep the full images from loading.


Thumbnail button still not working for you? Cannot speak for mobile access since I only use my PC on forums. What I do is take take images with my cell, Bluetooth the images to my PC, then use MS paint or Photoshop to modify pic size. Usually choose 1280x720. And use either program to change to JPEG. Seems to have best compatibility in forums.


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 19, 2018)

For those of you that might be interested, I just watched this and it was surprising.








Found this very interesting and makes me appreciate my T3500's a bit more.


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## ManGupta (Nov 19, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> For those of you that might be interested, I just watched this and it was surprising.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



4.5 GHz for X5675 and DDR3 @ 1700 MHz  ...... No wonder Cinebench Score over 1K

I could not get any X58 Overclockable MB at reasonable price ...... these used X58 (OCable) are now selling at more than their release price.

Too bad ........ I found that only way to get X58 MB for cheap .................. was Getting T3500 system.


BTW ..... this Tech Yes City has done similar Video before also ....... that time he had pushed Memory speed even further to 1800 MHz ..... and got Cinebench score of 1026.


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## Retrorockit (Nov 19, 2018)

The guys at OCN X58 Xeon Club are pursuing the RDIMM Question. There are several types of RDIMM modules 2Rx4,2Rx8  and others. 2Rx4 seems to be not working. 2Rx8 seems to be what they think will work sometimes.
https://www.overclock.net/forum/showthread2.php?p=27721840#post27721840


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 19, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> The guys at OCN X58 Xeon Club are pursuing the RDIMM Question. There are several types of RDIMM modules 2Rx4,2Rx8  and others. 2Rx4 seems to be not working. 2Rx8 seems to be what they think will work sometimes.
> https://www.overclock.net/forum/showthread2.php?p=27721840#post27721840


I'm not holding my breath, but it'll be interesting to see developments.


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## Susquehannock (Nov 19, 2018)

Me either. Not with these Dell systems anyway. What boards are the OCN X58 Xeon Club trying?

More I research more I am convinced this would be a case by case thing depending on the BIOS. Aftermarket boards like the Sabertooth have a lot of options in that regard. Seems the X58 and 5520 are same Tylersburg chipset with BIOS matched for intended purpose. Page 12 - 14 on this 5520 platform overview, it appears the I/O chipset has more to do with CPU and memory controller than I once thought. Could be wrong. Sure most of you can make better sense of it than I can.

[edit]
Page 5 has note - "_Customized to High -End Desktop (X58)_"


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 19, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> Seems the X58 and 5520 are same Tylersburg chipset with BIOS matched for intended purpose.


They're close, but they have distinct differences. The 5500/5520 chipsets can handle dual/quad socket designs and manage data traffic between CPU's and other components of the board whereas the x58 is limited to a single CPU socket. There are other differences that set them apart as well.


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## Susquehannock (Nov 19, 2018)

Yes I know. Any reason the actual chip itself needs to be different? Cannot find any hard data to that but I am way out of my league here.

[edit]
Have the heatsink off a T3500 board presently and chip does have "X58" on it along with several numbers. Will try to remove cooler from a T5500 board and see how that looks.


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## Retrorockit (Nov 19, 2018)

The guys at OCN use everything but  HP/Dells. But if they get something going it might be worth a try. Some of them say it works, but getting the specicfics might take a while.


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## Susquehannock (Nov 20, 2018)

Had chance to watch the two above videos this morning. Thank you for sharing. Makes me want an ASUS Sabertooth board even more. They confirm what most of us know. These older socket 1366 systems can still be quite relevant today. Don't need for all the latest and greatest to achieve decent frame rates in games.

I came about these Dells a bit backwards. Casual conversation at a football party resulted in T3500s coming my way instead of the recycling dumpster.  Only planned using them as internet machines but soon discovered they were capable of much more. Took a chance on RX 480 card even though most said it was incompatible, and that a 6-pin PCIe connector could not power them. No problem. Then Retrorockit clued me in on their overclocking potential as well.

Has been interesting watching CPU prices. Top end ones like X5687 and X5690 have dropped about 50-60% in price since I started this adventure two years ago.  Even the popular overclocking X5675 has fallen. Conversely, average prices of W3680 and W3690 have risen the past few months. No doubt due to their unlocked status.
[edit] - believe I understand "W" designation on certain 32nm Westmeres. Someone was asking about that. Going through the Intel ark, looks like they are all single QPI. May be a way to differentiate them from X units which are all 2 QPI.


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## Retrorockit (Nov 20, 2018)

There were W series 2 QPI also "W5580". I think W started as an identifier for 130W CPUs in the 4 core series, but then so many 6 core were 130W it looks like they just dropped it for the 2 QPI 6 cores.


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## dorsetknob (Nov 20, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> There were W series 2 QPI also "W5580". I think W started as an identifier for 130W CPUs in the 4 core series,


Think Intel used the W Designation for CPU's intended for Workstations


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## Susquehannock (Nov 20, 2018)

You are right of course. W5580 and W5590 are 2 QPI. They are 45nm Nehalem. Only two W series Wetmere far as I can see. W3670 and W3680. Both single QPI. W3690 is Gulftown and also single QPI.

The comparator makes things easy.

[edit]


dorsetknob said:


> Think Intel used the W Designation for CPU's intended for Workstations


That is a good thought. Looks like all the W series are single QPI which are a better fit for the X58 based boards and will not work in the T5500 5520 based boards which are server grade.

[edit 2]
Back to cooling ... anyone try the optional HDD cage for the optical bay? There is a header at top of board for it and looks to use 120x38mm fan.


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## Retrorockit (Nov 20, 2018)

I've never heard of that HDD cage. But the move to 2.5" SSD has made it redundant I think. Dell's use of the big blue drive caddys always made their drive cages use a lot of space.
I picked up a T7400/ Precision 690 SLI riser card installation kit for $20 NOS. Not  the card but the raised rear I/O slot bracket and 120x38mm Delta fan to go with it. It had the required Nvidia chip on it, and ran off of the mysterious extra 10 pin power plug on the 1000W PSU harness. The cards are readily available the kit to use them not so much. The install kit has teh standoffs needed to mount the card.


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## ManGupta (Nov 21, 2018)

In My case HDDs seldom require Cooling .... mostly because most of time they are idle (I use SDD for OS+Programmes ... as a Boot Drive, and 3 HDDs for Data).

HDD temps hover around 35C  BUT the temps my SATA SSD which hosts OS hovers around 48-52 C ...... But Sata SSDs cannot be cooled without making their warranty void, as their components are .... sort of ..... inside the closed enclosure hence devoid of any air flow.









host image online


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## Retrorockit (Nov 21, 2018)

I'm not sure 52*C is a problem for solid state components. But it looks like there is a thermal pad going to the cover. So the cover is a heatsink itself. Maybe an old GPU heatsink pasted on there might make a difference.


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## Susquehannock (Nov 21, 2018)

Nice price on that SLI riser card installation kit. Hardware junkie is a trait we have in common it seems. Is that going to be used in your Tx500 system? Look forward to seeing what you do with it.

That is true about SSDs. They can get rather warm. Some people cut theirs open and affix heatsinks direct to the chips. I am not willing to go that far.  Some of the laptop SSD coolers can be elaborate (not mine).





SDD were available in the later Dell Tx500s and they make an adapter for it. Suspect it would fit in that HDD cage as well. Moved all my storage up top. 1tb SSD, 1tb HDD, and 4tb HDD for large back up which is turned off in the BIOS until needed. Seems to run cooler up there than in the swing out caddy.

That top cage with fan is not very common and probably for HDD that get constant use, as in a networking environment. Being it connects to a board header, was wondering if anyone knew if SpeedFan gives access to that as it does with the case fans. I do know it gives control over the active cooler on the T5500 board. And if you have the older T5500 board with active cooler on the upper chipset, it gives access to that as well. Four RPM readings in SpeedFan.

Consider myself a test junkie. Always analyzing things. Use smoke from an incense stick to observe airflow patters in and out of the case. Place thermal probe from my multi-meter at various points inside to read temperatures.

My interest in the upper HHD rack was to get more airflow up top during heavy gaming sessions. But not for the drives. Using a full size graphics card, especially a non-blower type which dumps heat inside the case, it creates a wall between top and bottom. Tried two exhaust fans in the lower mounts down bottom.  That just seemed to raise temps up top since most air from front fans was being drawn straight out. That rack goes up top in place of these two shields (with blue pull tabs) which are often missing. Drilled holes in the 5.25" shield (p/n xg963) to mount my SSD. Simple yet effective. Lots of open space around the drive.
Disregard the extra holes. My bad. Like the saying goes. Measure twice, cut once


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## Retrorockit (Nov 21, 2018)

The SLI riser was for a T7400 project I wanted to do. First pinmod a couple X5470s to 4GHz 2xCPU, then see if a reverse Xeon swap was possible by converting 2 QX9650 to LGA771. Someone is buying up all the T7400 locally so I never got one. MB,PSU, heatsinks, and that riser, plus the CPUs is as far as that went. A Skulltrail clone is what I was trying for.
I put the T3400 front panel on the T3500 with an air intake grille in both FDD bays.


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## Susquehannock (Nov 21, 2018)

Wondered what it would be like having one of those big cases to tinker with. Found a seller couple hundred miles away that has several working T7500 with twin X5680 and 24gb memory at $400 each. With keyboard & mouse no less. Shipping cost would kill me. Asked what else they had and settled on a X5690. Never got shipping confirmation and was afraid they had seller's remorse at $50. But it arrived today. Will test with RDIMM and check if unlocked. Doubt either will be a surprise. One more for our lists.


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## ManGupta (Nov 21, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> Nice price on that SLI riser card installation kit. Hardware junkie is a trait we have in common it seems. Is that going to be used in your Tx500 system? Look forward to seeing what you do with it.
> 
> That is true about SSDs. They can get rather warm. Some people cut theirs open and affix heatsinks direct to the chips. I am not willing to go that far.  Some of the laptop SSD coolers can be elaborate (not mine).
> 
> ...




SSDs are very light weight. You could have just zip tied it in that area. However in my case I used Floppy Drive area to mount a 4 port USB3 Front Panel Tray _(after adding a USB3 PCIE Adapter with a 20 pin header for Front Panel USB3 Ports) _and mounted the SSD on the back portion of that tray (the back portion of that tray, by chance, had 2 holes of exact measurement to those on the SSD).


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## Retrorockit (Nov 21, 2018)

I guess I did take a photo of the mockup of the 150x50mm 256cfm fan and the 2 motor 120x50mm fan in the T3500. The fans are actually blowing at each other. I guess i didn't want to take the screen off for the mockup. These fans are dwarfing the macho 120 cooler. But push /pull is all the rage now!


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## Susquehannock (Nov 21, 2018)

Indeed. Attaching the SDD with velcro is a popular option too. Nice modification USB3 hub in place of front vent. A friend did exactly as you described to use Oculus Rift VR set up with T3500 I gave him.  Tried them a few times. They give me eye strain and headache.


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## ManGupta (Nov 21, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> I guess I did take a photo of the mockup of the 150x50mm 256cfm fan and the 2 motor 120x50mm fan in the T3500. The fans are actually blowing at each other. I guess i didn't want to take the screen off for the mockup. These fans are dwarfing the macho 120 cooler. But push /pull is all the rage now!
> 
> View attachment 111074



Seems like an ultimate Air Cooling Solution.

But , did not get by the phrase "blowing at each other"  ..... "The fans are actually blowing at each other" means ... ?? Arent' the two fans blowing the air in same direction ... ??


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## Retrorockit (Nov 21, 2018)

I wasn't going to run that setup. So I didn't bother to take the intake guard off of the 2 motor fan. That's why it's facing the wrong way. Just a mock up to see if it would fit. I always have a few of these large fans around. That fan is too heavy to be hanging off of a heatsink like that anyway.  When I use them in BTX they're always mounted to the case. But they can usually be installed in the 120x38 mm fan holder if needed.





Here's one inside an XPS TJ258 cooling assy. Note the 8mm heatpipes and lapped heat spreader. I have one of these in a T3400 ( just to have a Dell workstation reference for this).


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## 8bitgamer757 (Nov 21, 2018)

)just a question, but do mobile workstations count? (particularly Latitudes?)


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## Retrorockit (Nov 21, 2018)

It might be a better fit at Notebook Review. A lot of us use Throttlestop for overclocking and other things. There's a big TS thread over there since it was designed for battery life and thermal management. They get pretty deep into things over there.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/the-throttlestop-guide.531329/

 But that may just reflect my own ignorance of Mobile computers. Others here may know more about them than I do.


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## SoNic67 (Nov 24, 2018)

Yesterday I have received some memory that I had ordered: 48GB (6x8GB) 2Rx4 DDR3 Memory RAM PC3-10600R ECC REG DIMM.
Well, my T3500 it didn't boot up with them, with the beep code 1-3-2. My CPU is X5675 that's supposed to support ECC and max 288GB.

I can return the memory in 30 days (pay just the shipping) or I can get a T5500 motherboard to swap. I already have the 860W PS in. I saw one motherboard that's like $40, but then I am thinking - is it worth the trouble to upgrade from the current 24GB?


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## Retrorockit (Nov 24, 2018)

The T3500 has the option of the overclockable CPUs. The T5500 doesn't seem to support them. But you can run 2 of the X5675 in the T5500.  I guess the choice is speed vs. expandability and bandwidth.


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 25, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> I guess I did take a photo of the mockup of the 150x50mm 256cfm fan and the 2 motor 120x50mm fan in the T3500. The fans are actually blowing at each other. I guess i didn't want to take the screen off for the mockup. These fans are dwarfing the macho 120 cooler. But push /pull is all the rage now!
> 
> View attachment 111074


You really need to turn that fan on the heatsink around..



8bitgamer757 said:


> )just a question, but do mobile workstations count? (particularly Latitudes?)


Sure, a workstation is a workstation. Welcome!



Retrorockit said:


> But you can run 2 of the X5675 in the T5500.


You can run X5680's as well. Worth the extra performance.


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## ManGupta (Nov 25, 2018)

SoNic67 said:


> Yesterday I have received some memory that I had ordered: 48GB (6x8GB) 2Rx4 DDR3 Memory RAM PC3-10600R ECC REG DIMM.
> Well, my T3500 it didn't boot up with them, with the beep code 1-3-2. My CPU is X5675 that's supposed to support ECC and max 288GB.
> 
> I can return the memory in 30 days (pay just the shipping) or I can get a T5500 motherboard to swap. I already have the 860W PS in. I saw one motherboard that's like $40, but then I am thinking - is it worth the trouble to upgrade from the current 24GB?



Choice is yours ..... 
You can continue with t3500 and pair it with overclockable cpu like W3680/90 oc it to 4ghz+

Or switchover to T5500 and use 2 cpus xt675/80/90/87 and also cost advantage of using a registered RAM. But t5500 platforms may not support overclocking.


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 25, 2018)

SoNic67 said:


> or I can get a T5500 motherboard to swap.


That's what I'd do.


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## Retrorockit (Nov 25, 2018)

SoNic67 said:


> I can return the memory in 30 days (pay just the shipping) or I can get a T5500 motherboard to swap. I already have the 860W PS in. I saw one motherboard that's like $40, but then I am thinking - is it worth the trouble to upgrade from the current 24GB?


It really depends on what you're using your computer for. For gaming 24 GB and 6C/12T is plenty, and an overclock would be useful. If you're going to have several virtual machines running handling large files then you could probably use more of everything and the overclock could prove risky. The T3500 makes a nice budget gaming rig. The T5500 get's you into serious workstation territory for a few bucks more. It's kind of a toys vs. tools decision.

As far as the 2nd big fan goes I'm afraid that the 170CFM 2 motor fan would just be in the way of the 256CFM 150mm fan. Any time I can use the 150x50mm fan that's what I will do. It's quieter, more powerful and uses about half the current. The 2 motor 120x50mm fan is fun to sneak into the Dell fan housings for the Delta 120x38 fan which is a pretty potent fan to begin with. The 150x50mm is a huge upgrade from the 2 motor 120x50mm fan. I actually took that photo to make fun of the aftermarket push/pull 120x25mm fan setups. It would serve no purpose as an actual cooling mod.


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## SoNic67 (Nov 25, 2018)

I could not OC this board yet.
As for the RAM quantity, I am using 6GB of it for RAM-cache. Especially useful for the writes on the SSD, to prevent wear, but also for caching the reads from HDD's.

LE: I have made an offer of $35 for the T5500 MoBo and the seller accepted it. Free shipping.


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## 8bitgamer757 (Nov 26, 2018)

Well then i have a question, I have a Dell Latitude D630 with a mechanical hard drive, if i upgrade this to an ssd will i see performance improvements? the hard drive is a Toshiba 120Gb 5400RPM drive


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 26, 2018)

8bitgamer757 said:


> Well then i have a question, I have a Dell Latitude D630 with a mechanical hard drive, *if i upgrade this to an ssd will i see performance improvements*? the hard drive is a Toshiba 120Gb 5400RPM drive


Oh yes, a big improvement.


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## 8bitgamer757 (Nov 26, 2018)

also would there be a cpu upgrade somewhere out there that would improve performance further? then again, i have already figured out how hot it gets under heavy load (synthetic testing shows that to almost 200 (92 C!) degrees before thermal throttling and this laptop hovers between 60-70 under normal operating conditions


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 26, 2018)

8bitgamer757 said:


> also would there be a cpu upgrade somewhere out there that would improve performance further?


That depends on what's in it now and what CPU range it can take. To be fair, it's upgrade options are going to be limited, but also inexpensive.


8bitgamer757 said:


> then again, i have already figured out how hot it gets under heavy load (synthetic testing shows that to almost 200 (92 C!) degrees before thermal throttling and this laptop hovers between 60-70 under normal operating conditions


You should clean out the vents and reapply the TIM(Thermal Interface Compound). Dell's are easily to work on for the most part. Do you have the service tag? We can look up specs and figure out what it can take.


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## 8bitgamer757 (Nov 26, 2018)

im at school right now so i dont have access to the laptop but i do know it has a C2D T7250 @ 2.00 Ghz, 4gb DDR2, and Intel integrated graphics


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 26, 2018)

8bitgamer757 said:


> im at school right now so i dont have access to the laptop but i do know it has a C2D T7250 @ 2.00 Ghz, 4gb DDR2, and Intel integrated graphics


That's not bad actually. It's possible that system will take an 8000 series mobile C2D, which will boost performance a fair amount and reduce temps.


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## 8bitgamer757 (Nov 26, 2018)

i found some 9000 series that look socket compatible, will the bios like it?

I also have the latest bios (A17 or 19 if i remember correctly)


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## Retrorockit (Nov 26, 2018)

Here are the builds for that. I see an X9000 CPU running there. Maybe a Throttlestop overclock can happen.
https://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Dell-Latitude-D630/2573
I think this site sells NOS so you should be able th beat the price by quite a bit.
https://starmicroinc.net/search.php?search_query=X9000&section=product
T9300 looks like choice #2.
https://starmicroinc.net/intel-core-2-duo-t9300-2-5ghz-mobile-oem-cpu-slaqg-ff80576gg0606m/
Here's a thread at Notebook Review on upgrading that system.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/great-upgrades-for-dell-latitude-d630.759818/
Here's a thread listing that as being capable of a 1066 fsb pinmod overclock of some sort.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...ing-methods-and-examples.393027/#post-4998927


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## remixedcat (Nov 26, 2018)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007H29FR...olid=3U3516Q93DJDN&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Good upgrade or not for my T3600. E5 2650 @ 2.0Ghz currently.


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 28, 2018)

8bitgamer757 said:


> found some 9000 series that look socket compatible, will the bios like it?


The only 8000/9000 series CPU's that will work for that chipset are theT8300, T9300 and T9500 as that chipset is limited to the 800mhz FSB. The 1066mhz FSB CPU's will not run on that chipset a full speed. Look for one of those on Ebay or elsewhere and you will be good to go.


8bitgamer757 said:


> I also have the latest bios (A17 or 19 if i remember correctly)


The latest is A19. If you have it, cool. If not, might be good to update;
https://downloads.dell.com/FOLDER01530764M/1/D630_A19.exe


remixedcat said:


> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007H29FR...olid=3U3516Q93DJDN&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
> Good upgrade or not for my T3600. E5 2650 @ 2.0Ghz currently.


Good CPU, bad price. Try one of these;
https://www.ebay.com/sch/164/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=E5-2670&_sop=15&LH_BIN=1&rt=nc&LH_PrefLoc=1


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## 8bitgamer757 (Nov 28, 2018)

well i guess i better start saving up for the t9500, and also, would it be worth it to find a mobo with the nvidia graphics?


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## Retrorockit (Nov 28, 2018)

The X9000 is 800fsb and a Core 2 Extreme. Plus there is an example of one running in that system at userbenchmark.com.
https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/10659593
Dell never lists the Core2 Extremes even if they will run, and you have to access the overclock through Windows using Throttlestop 6.00.


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## Susquehannock (Nov 28, 2018)

No surprises with the X5690. Nothing unlocked and will not work with RDIMMs in the T3500 board. The CPU did not post at first and thought it was a bad chip. Re-seat in the socket and all is good. Brings me to what someone said about maximum installs. Mechanical stress on the pins?  Cannot remember how many with this particular T3500. Ten total? In any case, once the W3680 goes back in it's staying put. Have done enough hardware swaps for a while. May see if I can go above the easy 4.0ghz with some voltage adjustments.

X5687 and X5690 are top dogs in the T5500. Both solid performers. If dual hex core CPU is your goal the X5680 look to be a good deal now. Can get a pair for less than a single X5690.

[edit]


SoNic67 said:


> My CPU is X5675 that's supposed to support ECC and max 288GB.
> 
> LE: I have made an offer of $35 for the T5500 MoBo and the seller accepted it. Free shipping.


Be aware you may run into a no POST situation with X5675 in that T5500 board depending on BIOS.

Do not think I mentioned this here, but I showed in the ThrottleStop thread (post #213) that the updated BIOS is required to run the X56xx series. Basically I had to boot up with a two QPI 45nm Nehalem (in my case W5590), then download and install the latest BIOS. Only then would it boot up with Westmeres. Intel compatibility page linked in that post.


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## kalmuk (Nov 28, 2018)

Hello there!  

Old 2xXeon x5675 T5500 workstation owner here. Bought it used several years ago and it still works like a charm . One thing is really bugging me though. The H1 fan on the motherboard has become really noisy with time and no matter what I do I can't make it silent. Tried greasing it several times, helped a tiny bit for just a little while. I can't find a replacement one anywhere basically (except a refurbished one on ebay for 200$ or so which is ridiculous).  Even if it is possible to use another fan model, I'm kinda stuck with this one because it's really thin and the "into" the heatsink and I've put a huge GTX1070 that fits only into a certain PCI-E slot and is exactly above it, only 2-3 mm apart. 
Question is can I somehow turn it off and bypass the BIOS error on startup... I've seen that other T5500s even have only heatsinks on the same spot, so I guess it would be running no problem without that fan. It also runs at about 4500 rpm all the time and is basically the only fan that doesn't respond to SpeedFan control at all. I've attached a pic with the fan in question marked 

Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks


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## Retrorockit (Nov 28, 2018)

Some old smaller video cards used a squirrel cage fan like that. There might be something compatable there. If it's a 3 wire fan it won't have speed control.


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 28, 2018)

8bitgamer757 said:


> well i guess i better start saving up for the t9500, and also, would it be worth it to find a mobo with the nvidia graphics?


Get the T8300. The performance difference between those three is not that great and not worth the premium price you're going to pay for the T9500. Examples;
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...&LH_TitleDesc=0&LH_PrefLoc=1&LH_BIN=1&_sop=15
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...&LH_TitleDesc=0&LH_PrefLoc=1&LH_BIN=1&_sop=15

With the T9500 starting at $55 and the T8300 starting at $17, it just not a competition. As for the NVidia option, the choice of NVidia GPT Dell chose for that system wasn't great. The Intel IGP is good in comparison. That NVidia based mobo would come at a price preimium and you'd need the extended heatsink to go with it, which is even more money. If it were me, I'd go with the T8300, put in the SSD you mentioned, get 4GB of RAM for the system and call it good. You'll have a end up with a very decent laptop that will get the job done for most tasks you ask of it.



kalmuk said:


> The H1 fan on the motherboard has become really noisy with time and no matter what I do I can't make it silent.


There are replacements for that fan on Ebay for a very reasonable price.


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## kalmuk (Nov 29, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> Get the T8300. The performance difference between those three is not that great and not worth the premium price you're going to pay for the T9500. Examples;
> https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...&LH_TitleDesc=0&LH_PrefLoc=1&LH_BIN=1&_sop=15
> https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fr...&LH_TitleDesc=0&LH_PrefLoc=1&LH_BIN=1&_sop=15
> 
> ...




I would be very thankful if you can point to such replacement.  I've been looking for a very long time and the only ones I found are some refurbished from Germany that cost about 200$, which seems pretty high , considering I can buy a used workstation for that amount. All the other ones I found were bigger in size than that tiny fan. 

Thanks.


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## Retrorockit (Nov 29, 2018)

Unfortunately I take all my small GPUs apart and saw up the heatsinks for use on VRMs in overclocking situations. I didn't keep any of those tiny fans.
Here's a 37mm .1A. GPU fan. Not sure how thin it is. If the screws don't line up just glue it.
https://www.dhgate.com/product/video-card-fannew-geforce-gt610-gt620-df0401012rfmn/401814517.html
These guys have some fansinks in their catalog.
http://www.coolinnovations.com/products/low-profile-fan-sinks/data-sheets/
Shopping by the Dell part# I found this one with no photo for $10 but most people do want way too much for those.
http://www.ubbcentral.com/store/ite...ion-T5500-T7500-Motherboard_142045632335.html


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 29, 2018)

kalmuk said:


> I would be very thankful if you can point to such replacement.  I've been looking for a very long time and the only ones I found are some refurbished from Germany that cost about 200$, which seems pretty high , considering I can buy a used workstation for that amount. All the other ones I found were bigger in size than that tiny fan.
> 
> Thanks.


Are you talking about motherboards with an NVidia GPU for the Dell D630? If so;
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Dell-L...a-graphics-Intel-NIC-DT785-R874J/113249798206
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Dell-L...aphics-and-Intel-NIC-DT785-R874J/382564878607

@8bitgamer757
Looks like I was wrong about the cost on those mobo's as these are very reasonable prices. Couple one of those with a T8300 and you got a decent upgrade for less than $60.

@kalmuk
If you were referring to the chipset heatsink, here are some examples I think will fit. You'll have to do measurements to be sure;
https://www.ebay.com/itm/40mm-Alumi...tsink-Cooler-Cooling-Fan-Hole-IJ/163381485492
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Square-Cop...-Video-Card-Cooling-Fan-Heatsink/183303999949
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Titan-TTC-CUV1AB-DIY-Heatsink-Fan-Copper-VGA-Cooler/331886381539
That last one looks the most promising.


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## 8bitgamer757 (Nov 29, 2018)

add around 30-40$ and ill have a 2 new batteries (one for the modular bay) and ill last all day on a single charge

@lexluthermiester  I also found a t8300 for 7$ and comes with thermal paste


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 29, 2018)

8bitgamer757 said:


> @lexluthermiester I also found a t8300 for 7$ and comes with thermal paste


Excellent! Buy it. Hopefully it's stateside..


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## 8bitgamer757 (Nov 29, 2018)

but should i stick with my gma graphics or pay for something that will eventually fail?, also, i already have 4gb of ram, and would it be cheaper to buy a small ssd and find an hdd caddy for the modular bay or get a larger ssd? (i was thinking 32gb ssd + 500gb hdd or a 128gb ssd + extra battery)


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## thenightsky_0102 (Nov 29, 2018)

Hi all. I'm new to the forum (I just found this forum when I was looking for stuff relating to Dell Precision workstations since I'm in the market for one).

Anyways, I had a question regarding them: I will be buying one from eBay probably in early December. It'll be replacing my current machine which I've been using for a while now... I'll have $600 to spend and I'm looking to get one which will fit my needs nicely and will run my applications better than what my current machine can do.

I use one particular program which is designed to take advantage of multiple cores + hyperthreading. Obviously my current machine, which has an i5 3340 (4 cores, 4 threads) isn't ideal since it pegs it out at 100% until it finishes processing files and I see on ebay there is a T5500 for sale which is exactly in my price range and should be a good fit:

2 Xeon X5675 processors which would total 12 cores and 24 threads, 72 GB of RAM, and a Quadro 600 1 GB card.

Is this worth $597? It's got free shipping on it. I'm thinking the program I want to use will benefit from this type of machine and will surely be a lot faster than my current setup. On the site for the program it states if you have 16 hyperthreaded cores and 16 GB of RAM it will process files within 2-3 minutes. I'd guess with 12 cores and 72 GB of RAM I'd get roughly the same wait-time. The program is called Hit'n'Mix 3 (their site is down for me at the moment - I informed them of it)

Btw sorry if I should've made a new thread for this question. I just joined.


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## remixedcat (Nov 29, 2018)

Look for a T7610 in that price range. I've seen a system with 2 of the equivalant xeons and 64GB DDR3 ECC RAM for 580. Almost got it but the auction ended and was outbid at the last min.


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## thenightsky_0102 (Nov 29, 2018)

Hmm, alright. I'm not too good with hardware (better with software I guess) and I just want the absolute best I can get for the price i mentioned.

I was seeing online that a number of people have had issues with Windows 10 on the 5500 (at least with the 1709 update). Hopefully if I get that machine it won't have any issues running it...


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## remixedcat (Nov 29, 2018)

the one I alsot got off ebay was capable of running 10. also you're better off getting one with an intel NIC or predownloading the broadcom netextrme drivers. server 2012 I don't think had the bcm one. The one I did end up with getting had an intel adapter (LM82579) and the driver was built into windows. easy peasy even PRTG transferred it well with minmal probe/server adjustments.


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 29, 2018)

8bitgamer757 said:


> should i stick with my gma graphics


This is what I'd do.


8bitgamer757 said:


> i already have 4gb of ram


Cool, you're set then.


8bitgamer757 said:


> would it be cheaper to buy a small ssd


You can get a quality 240/250/256GB SSD for $40 on Amazon. I'd go that route personally.

@thenightsky_0102
Welcome to TPU! That system seems like it would be good for that price as long as it's in good shape and includes at least a 2TB HDD. If not keep looking. T5500's can be had for better deals and you can simply transfer all of your existing hardware into it.


----------



## thenightsky_0102 (Nov 29, 2018)

Thanks for the welcome! It comes with a 1 TB drive.

If I downgrade the RAM to 48 GB, I can put a 2 TB drive in. I can also upgrade the Quadro to a 4000 2 GB card. That very well might be my best option. It'd be just under $600 as well. It's a "build your own" type of listing, where you can customize what's in it.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 29, 2018)

thenightsky_0102 said:


> Thanks for the welcome! It comes with a 1 TB drive.
> 
> If I downgrade the RAM to 48 GB, I can put a 2 TB drive in. I can also upgrade the Quadro to a 4000 2 GB card. That very well might be my best option. It'd be just under $600 as well. It's a "build your own" type of listing, where you can customize what's in it.


That sounds very decent for a fully working system that has dual 6core Xeons. Very decent indeed. If the seller has a good reputation, I'd take the chance. Although, the T7500's are in the same price range and are far more upgradeable, hard drive wise.


----------



## thenightsky_0102 (Nov 29, 2018)

I'll be doing that, then. I think 72 GB is a bit overkill for me  hah. I just wanted to future-proof myself so I don't have to upgrade for a very long time. I think 48 is good enough. Sure beats 8 GB!


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 30, 2018)

thenightsky_0102 said:


> I think 48 is good enough. Sure beats 8 GB!


Yes it does! Chime in with us once you get it and show some pictures.


----------



## Lfavald (Dec 3, 2018)

Hi, Owners!
owned a t3500/x5670 and did test on aida64 cache and memory, is it good enouph if i got 19000/16000/19000 on it? seems bad, isnt it? may you post your best result on this test?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 3, 2018)

Lfavald said:


> Hi, Owners!
> owned a t3500/x5670 and did test on aida64 cache and memory, is it good enouph if i got 19000/16000/19000 on it? seems bad, isnt it? may you post your best result on this test?


Seems alright to me.


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 3, 2018)

If that's measuring latency of individual modules then you will get normal DDR3 1333 speeds. Which may seem slow compared to newer tech. But the bandwidth of the 3 channel configuartion will make up for it. The "slow" speed is happeneing 50% more often.


----------



## 8bitgamer757 (Dec 3, 2018)

Are there any C2D's that work in my laptop with 6mb Cache?
Is there even a noticeable difference?


----------



## SoNic67 (Dec 3, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> No surprises with the X5690. Nothing unlocked and will not work with RDIMMs in the T3500 board. The CPU did not post at first and thought it was a bad chip. Re-seat in the socket and all is good. Brings me to what someone said about maximum installs. Mechanical stress on the pins?  Cannot remember how many with this particular T3500. Ten total? In any case, once the W3680 goes back in it's staying put. Have done enough hardware swaps for a while. May see if I can go above the easy 4.0ghz with some voltage adjustments.
> 
> X5687 and X5690 are top dogs in the T5500. Both solid performers. If dual hex core CPU is your goal the X5680 look to be a good deal now. Can get a pair for less than a single X5690.
> 
> ...


Thanks, I was worried, but I knew a source of free 2 cores W CPU, so I took a chance. It did post with my 6 core, and now I updated the BIOS to November 2018 one (Spectre, Meltdown fix).

Now, what memory can/should go on the second CPU riser? If I get one that is.



thenightsky_0102 said:


> I'll be doing that, then. I think 72 GB is a bit overkill for me  hah. I just wanted to future-proof myself so I don't have to upgrade for a very long time. I think 48 is good enough. Sure beats 8 GB!


I just upgraded mine with 48GB of EEC RAM, see my signature. It's sure nice to see all that free RAM in task manager! Can't imagine what I would need more.


----------



## jeanpat (Dec 3, 2018)

Hello,
What kind of internal HD is it possible to install in T5500 Bios A02? Is ok for example with a seagate barracuda 3TB 5400 rpm sata3, possible issue with the bios?

thank you


----------



## Susquehannock (Dec 3, 2018)

jeanpat said:


> Hello,
> What kind of internal HD is it possible to install in T5500 Bios A02? Is ok for example with a seagate barracuda 3TB 5400 rpm sata3, possible issue with the bios?
> 
> thank you


Should be no problem. Will not get full SATA3 transfer speeds since Tx500 are SATA2 machines. Not really a concern with 5,400 rpm drive anyway.

A02 is very old BIOS as you know. Updating to latest A18 is very easy. Download, run the app, and Dell does all the rest. Even re-boot. May even find the system runs a bit faster afterward. Optimizations etc.

>> https://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/product-support/product/precision-t5500/drivers


----------



## Lfavald (Dec 3, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> latency of individual modules


those aida64's speed test is for all modules, it's triple channel mode overall

ps. pardn for my engrish


----------



## SoNic67 (Dec 3, 2018)

I found out on eBay a Dell performance cooler for T3500/5500/7500 primary CPU for $14 with shipping: part # U016F


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 4, 2018)

8bitgamer757 said:


> Are there any C2D's that work in my laptop with 6mb Cache?
> Is there even a noticeable difference?


Yeah the T9500 mentioned before is a 6mb part. However, you're not really going to notice much difference in common tasks.



SoNic67 said:


> I found out on eBay a Dell performance cooler for T3500/5500/7500 primary CPU for $14 with shipping: part # *U016F*


That's the standard heatsink. The performance cooler had 6 heat pipes IIRC..


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 4, 2018)

SoNic67 said:


> I found out on eBay a Dell performance cooler for T3500/5500/7500 primary CPU for $14 with shipping: part # U016F


Back on page 17 I did a heatsink/fan swap for Mangupta and his 100*F. ambient situation. Part#s are there. The fan is probably overkill for most peoeple.


----------



## SoNic67 (Dec 4, 2018)

My heatsink has no heat pipes, it's just a lump of aluminum with fins.


----------



## Susquehannock (Dec 4, 2018)

SoNic67 said:


> My heatsink has no heat pipes, it's just a lump of aluminum with fins.


That U016F heatsink will be a big improvement. Especially with a fan attached. 

Missed your question about what RAM to use if you get a CPU riser. Both UDIMM and RIMM are possible. Slots must be populated in a certain way. First section in the t5500 service manual is dedicated to memory and explains things much better than I can. 

>> https://www.dell.com/support/home/yu/en/yubsdt1/product-support/product/precision-t5500/manuals


----------



## SoNic67 (Dec 5, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> That U016F heatsink will be a big improvement. Especially with a fan attached.
> 
> Missed your question about what RAM to use if you get a CPU riser. Both UDIMM and RIMM are possible. Slots must be populated in a certain way. First section in the t5500 service manual is dedicated to memory and explains things much better than I can.
> 
> >> https://www.dell.com/support/home/yu/en/yubsdt1/product-support/product/precision-t5500/manuals


Thanks for the link. Explains a lot, especially those rules:


> Your computer requires DIMMs within a channel to be populated starting with the DIMMs farthest from the processor first. This means the DIMM slots 1, 2 and 3 must be populated before DIMM slots 4, 5 and 6. In addition, when populating a Quad-rank DIMM with a Single- or Dual-rank DIMM in the same channel, the Quad-rank DIMM must be populated farthest from the CPU.
> If configuration contains DIMMs of mixed sizes, populate the larger DIMMs first.
> If configuration contains DIMMs of mixed sizes, populate the larger DIMMs in the Riser.



I think there might be an issue with my motherboard. I saw CPU risers on eBay, but some of them said "Not compatible with motherboard 0D883F ".
And that's exactly what I have. Only the newer 0CRH6C supposedly works with the second CPU riser.

On the other hand I also saw "Six core CPU not compatible with motherboard 0D883F". But I have a 6 core CPU in it.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 5, 2018)

SoNic67 said:


> My heatsink has no heat pipes, it's just a lump of aluminum with fins.


Oh yeah, get the better heatsink, it'll be worth it. Mounted a fan on mine for when it's running max mutli clocked(Throttlestop).


SoNic67 said:


> I think there might be an issue with my motherboard. I saw CPU risers on eBay, but some of them said "Not compatible with motherboard 0D883F ".
> And that's exactly what I have. Only the newer 0CRH6C supposedly works with the second CPU riser.


Specific CPU risers are compatible only with matching motherboards. So you have to find one that matches your board revision, IIRC.


SoNic67 said:


> On the other hand I also saw "Six core CPU not compatible with motherboard 0D883F". But I have a 6 core CPU in it.


As long as you have the latest bios revision, the 6core Xeons should work.


----------



## jeanpat (Dec 5, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> Should be no problem. Will not get full SATA3 transfer speeds since Tx500 are SATA2 machines. Not really a concern with 5,400 rpm drive anyway.
> 
> A02 is very old BIOS as you know. Updating to latest A18 is very easy. Download, run the app, and Dell does all the rest. Even re-boot. May even find the system runs a bit faster afterward. Optimizations etc.
> 
> >> https://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/product-support/product/precision-t5500/drivers


Bios A02 is very old (at least, an A06 would be great to upgrade from a xeon e5520 to a xeon x56 serie), but the T5500 is running under Ubuntu and I do not dare to upgrade with the .bin file provided by dell for linux redhat.


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 5, 2018)

I hadn't seen any notice of riser revisions. I've just seen them listed for T5500. I have a 0D883F. Could you give a part# when you find out?
Now that I'm looking for this I'm seeing 0623F, and 0H236F (it turns out this is a T7500 part) versions of the riser. What fits what IDK.


jeanpat said:


> I know A02 is very old (at least, a A06 would be great to upgrade from a xeon e5520 to a xeon x56 serie), but the T5500 is running under Ubuntu and I do not dare to upgrade with the .bin file provided by dell for linux redhat.


I'm certainly not an expert at Linux. But I have used Linux Live DVDs to do risky things. Unplug the HDD and boot the live DVD of whatever Linux you need. and flash the BIOS from there.
Your OS and data won't be involved in any way. This is also how I view infected websites I'm interested in.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 5, 2018)

jeanpat said:


> I know A02 is very old (at least, a A06 would be great to upgrade from a xeon e5520 to a xeon x56 serie), but the T5500 is running under Ubuntu and I do not dare to upgrade with the .bin file provided by dell for linux redhat.


Use a spare hard drive, install Windows 10 in trial mode and update from there.


----------



## jeanpat (Dec 5, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> Use a spare hard drive, install Windows 10 in trial mode and update from there.


is it possible to make a bootable win7 usb stick? It should be possible



Retrorockit said:


> I hadn't seen any notice of riser revisions. I've just seen them listed for T5500. I have a 0D883F. Could you give a part# when you find out?
> Now that I'm looking for this I'm seeing 0623F, and 0H236F versions of the riser. What fits what IDK.
> 
> I'm certainly not an expert at Linux. But I have used Linux Live DVDs to do risky things. Unplug the HDD and boot the live DVD of whatever Linux you need. and flash the BIOS from there.
> Your OS and data won't be involved in any way. This is also how I view infected websites I'm interested in.


The dvd player doesn't work (dvd rotating, but dvd doesn't mount)


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 5, 2018)

You may have to be patient. Loading an OS from DVD takes a while. It may just be busy. Once it's in RAM it's OK but setup can take a little while. You do have the DVD in the boot menu in BIOS?
Until it gets set up there's no OS to mount anything to.


----------



## jeanpat (Dec 5, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> You may have to be patient. Loading an OS from DVD takes a while. It may just be busy. Once it's in RAM it's OK but setup can take a little while. You do have the DVD in the boot menu in BIOS?



Sorry, it happens with different kind of cd/dvd


----------



## Susquehannock (Dec 5, 2018)

Linux. Cannot help you there. Far as I know T5500 risers should be the same = 0F623F.
0H236F is the T7500 cooler. Physically taller and has six RAM slots instead of three. Seems the two are often mistaken in listings since their number sequencing is similar ... 623 vs 236.

Considered trying the taller T7500 main CPU sink (# U402F) in T3500 but looks like heatpipes would hit side panel.


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 5, 2018)

Hmmmm. Thanks for the clarification. I'm still confused but at leat I'm aware of it.
N764D would be a nice cooler to play with if you're up to making the mountings work. Only a little taller than the original.
http://www.ascendtech.us/dell-xps-630-cpu-heatsink-fan-n764d_i_cfncpudelln764d.aspx
Turn the plastic legs around for LGA1366 pattern, swap in the correct thread bolts, and adjust the height if needed.
Newegg has these for $10 and looks like NOS from the photos.


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## SoNic67 (Dec 5, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> Far as I know T5500 risers should be the same = 0F623F.


Do you know why some sellers and even some guys on Dell forums say that my board revision won't work with CPU riser? The 6 core compatibility was addressed by a BIOS update, maybe that's something similar with the CPU riser?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 5, 2018)

SoNic67 said:


> The 6 core compatibility was addressed by a BIOS update, maybe that's something similar with the CPU riser?


Very possible. However there have been times where I've had to work on Dell PC's and encountered parts that are specific to certain versions of hardware and the T5500 and T7500 are no exceptions. So people have to be careful what they buy and do some homework/research.


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## Retrorockit (Dec 5, 2018)

A lot of what we do here, and in the overclocking thread is chase rumors, and myth busting.
https://www.dell.com/community/Desk...ainboard-p-n-0D883F-support-Xeon/td-p/4566534
Dell doesn't know!

Here's a 0D883F running 2 CPUs. They are Nehalems, but I can't search by MB number there. So there is a working riser card.
https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/4848351

I reached out to PC Servers and Parts a seller of surplus Dell workstation to see what they knew.
 Here's their reply.
*New message from: digitalmind2000 


(56,981
	

)*
*Hello so there is nothing different... but I have seen several motherboards where the link between the 2nd CPU cage and motherboard does not work at all and some that only work when the unit is laying flat with mobo facing up. I have seen this on multiple Dell motherboards with the same part numbers. I believe that the port on these motherboards for 2nd CPU have been damaged due to the stress the cage puts on the socket. Unfortunately, this is just a design nightmare made by Dell. Sorry wish I could give you better info! But this is what I have found after working on thousands of them.*

PC Server and Parts
55960 Grand River
New Hudson, MI 48165
   So it looks like no secret part numbers, just luck of the draw on old Delll workstations.


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 9, 2018)

There is a confirmation of RDIMMs working on an EVGA X58 MB at OCN. 2Rx8 is what that user reports working.
https://www.overclock.net/forum/showthread2.php?p=27752518#post27752518


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 9, 2018)

So dual rank RDIMM's(2Rx8) work on X58? Or is it E5500/5520 only? The post wasn't clear..


----------



## SoNic67 (Dec 9, 2018)

The 2Rx4 don't work for sure on an x58. So probably only the 2Rx8 ones work, if you find them.


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 9, 2018)

That's an X58 Xeon thread.


----------



## thenightsky_0102 (Dec 12, 2018)

Funny. I'll be ordering a T5500 from them (PC Server & Parts) today  It'll have 36 GB of RAM (more than enough for me), a 1 TB hard drive, and then a Quadro 2000 1 GB card. Oh, and 2 Xeon X5675 6 core processors installed, all for $500. This'll replace my current machine which is a bit long in the tooth and isn't able to handle my tasks which I do (audio source separation, etc..)


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 12, 2018)

thenightsky_0102 said:


> Funny. I'll be ordering a T5500 from them (PC Server & Parts) today  It'll have 36 GB of RAM (more than enough for me), a 1 TB hard drive, and then a Quadro 2000 1 GB card. Oh, and 2 Xeon X5675 6 core processors installed, all for $500. This'll replace my current machine which is a bit long in the tooth and isn't able to handle my tasks which I do (audio source separation, etc..)


That's a very good setup! The only weak point is the GPU, but that may not be a problem for you if you're not gaming or only doing some casual gaming/emulation.


----------



## thenightsky_0102 (Dec 12, 2018)

I wound up getting an HP Z600 with 24 GB of RAM, but with otherwise the same specs since there was $30 tax on the machine and I only had exactly $500 on the gift card.

As for the video card: Yeah, I'm not someone who games at all nowadays. I very rarely will boot up older games like The Sims 2, or some 3d game engines (CopperCube and S2Engine HD are the 2 which I use primarily - the former is very light on resources, the latter isn't as light). I primarily do CPU-intensive work now.


----------



## jeanpat (Dec 29, 2018)

Hello,

Since some days, a ram failure is detected in my T5500 (3x4 GB) on one of the slot:




I have to hit F1 on POST to boot.
This morning only 8GB (7.8 Gio) is detected:



The OS can still detect the three RAM modules:

```
$ sudo lshw -class memory
[sudo] Mot de passe de jeanpat :
  *-firmware             
       description: BIOS
       fabriquant: Dell Inc.
       identifiant matériel: 0
       version: A02
       date: 05/28/2009
       taille: 64KiB
       capacité: 1984KiB
       fonctionnalités: pci pnp apm upgrade shadowing escd cdboot bootselect edd int13floppytoshiba int13floppy720 int5printscreen int9keyboard int14serial int17printer acpi usb biosbootspecification netboot
  *-cache:0
       description: L1 cache
       identifiant matériel: 700
       taille: 256KiB
       capacité: 256KiB
       fonctionnalités: internal write-back unified
       configuration: level=1
  *-cache:1
       description: L2 cache
       identifiant matériel: 701
       taille: 1MiB
       capacité: 1MiB
       fonctionnalités: internal varies unified
       configuration: level=2
  *-cache:2
       description: L3 cache
       identifiant matériel: 704
       taille: 8MiB
       capacité: 8MiB
       fonctionnalités: internal varies unified
       configuration: level=3
  *-cache
       description: L2 cache
       identifiant matériel: 703
       taille: 1MiB
       capacité: 1MiB
       fonctionnalités: internal varies unified
       configuration: level=2
  *-memory
       description: Mémoire Système
       identifiant matériel: 1000
       emplacement: Carte mère
       taille: 12GiB
     *-bank:0
          description: DIMM DDR3 1333 MHz (0,8 ns)
          produit: M393B5273CH0-CH9
          fabriquant: Samsung
          identifiant matériel: 0
          numéro de série: 835230D7
          emplacement: DIMM 1
          taille: 4GiB
          bits: 64 bits
          horloge: 1333MHz (0.8ns)
     *-bank:1
          description: DIMM DDR3 1333 MHz (0,8 ns)
          produit: M393B5273CH0-CH9
          fabriquant: Samsung
          identifiant matériel: 1
          numéro de série: 8614E9A5
          emplacement: DIMM 2
          taille: 4GiB
          bits: 64 bits
          horloge: 1333MHz (0.8ns)
     *-bank:2
          description: DIMM DDR3 1333 MHz (0,8 ns)
          produit: M393B5273CH0-CH9
          fabriquant: Samsung
          identifiant matériel: 2
          numéro de série: 83565F41
          emplacement: DIMM 3
          taille: 4GiB
          bits: 64 bits
          horloge: 1333MHz (0.8ns)
```

Is it mandatory to use ECC RAM? I found this one for example or is it possible to use less expensive RAM (I guess a mix ECC / non ECC is forbidden)?
Thanks for advices.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 29, 2018)

jeanpat said:


> Is it mandatory to use ECC RAM?


The T5500 mobo has the E5520 chipset, which requires ECC at minimum(someone correct me if wrong). So you might have a bad ram module or it might be as simple as reseating(removing and reinstalling) each ram stick. Try swapping them around as well.


----------



## Susquehannock (Dec 30, 2018)

Yes, try swapping the modules around to see if the error moves. And I think you are correct. The T5500 requires ECC - either unbuffered (non-registered) or buffered (registered). No mix and match. Must be all same type.

[edit]
As for buying modules. You can do a lot better than $36.42 for those. Less than $10 new.
>> https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-4G...EG-Registered-Server-Memory-Ram/362517557232?

Welcome to the club by the way


----------



## DarthBubba (Dec 30, 2018)

Greetings!

I recently bought two Dell T3500 workstations via Craig's List and wanted to join in here to learn about upgrades, exchange war stories, and generally increase my knowledge about these desktop beasts.

Both came with 09KPNV mobos, W3530 CPUs (2.8 GHz, 4Cores, 8Thr), 8Gigs of RAM, Quadro 1800 vid cards, one DVD-ROM and DVD-R/W each, and two spinning HDs in RAID-0 in each box.

The seller liked that I showed up with cash so he threw in two more 2Gig RAM sticks, giving me one T3500 with 12Gigs of RAM.  One of the RAID-0 pairs has both HDs throwing SMART codes predicting near-future failure - the seller is no longer answering my phone calls about replacing those HDs (imagine that )  I temporarily put a single 60Gig SSD in the 12Gig RAM machine and it is now very fast for its age.  Windows 7 Experience Index scores (yeah, I know...) are 7.6 for CPU & SSD performances, 6.7 for vid performances.  I figured out later that the RAM sticks are mismatched in just about every way possible: Single vs dual rank, at least three manufacturers, etc, such that CPU-Z says the RAM is running at 533MHz even though all the sticks are reportedly 667MHz.

So far I've gotten an X5680 CPU (3.33GHz, 6Cores, 12Thr) to upgrade one of the machines, and am considering putting an nVidia GTX 650Ti Boost, a 750Ti, or a 1050Ti in place of the Quadro 1800.  BIOS is updated to A17.

I need some guidance as to RAM upgrades: do I get a fully matched 6-pack of 2GB sticks, three (or six) matched 4Gb sticks, or three/six 8Gb sticks.  From what I've read here the 8Giggers are probably a no-go.  Also, is there a more preferred CPU for this mobo?  As much as I'd like to overclock the CPUs these machines have the four-pipe heat sinks, so there are physical (and physics) limits.  I *really* don't want to get into exotic metalwork 

So, any help would be appreciated!


----------



## jeanpat (Dec 30, 2018)

Susquehannock said:


> Yes, try swapping the modules around to see if the error moves. And I think you are correct. The T5500 requires ECC - either unbuffered (non-registered) or buffered (registered). No mix and match. Must be all same type.
> 
> [edit]
> As for buying modules. You can do a lot better than $36.42 for those. Less than $10 new.
> ...


Since the T5500 has six slots, it's possible to switch to 24GB (necessary to have multiple of three: 3x4GB) RAM for 30$ (26€) !!


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 30, 2018)

DarthBubba said:


> Greetings!
> 
> I recently bought two Dell T3500 workstations via Craig's List and wanted to join in here to learn about upgrades, exchange war stories, and generally increase my knowledge about these desktop beasts.
> 
> ...


 The memory controller is on the CPU. RAM speed will vary with the generation of CPU, performance level of the CPU, and even number of RAM slots populated.
The faster 5600 series Xeons will do 1333 RAM in all slots, lower level 5600 CPUs go 1066,and high end i7s also. When you get into the 5500 Xeons more than 3 modules steps down the RAM Speed 1 level from whatever it can support otherwise so sometimes 800 will happen.
 There is an overclocking thread. Page 8 does the T3500heatsink/fan mod. Most people find they don't need it. The overclocking info. is throughout the thread but the T3500 is thoroughly covered there.
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/...cking-desktop-pcs.235975/page-23#post-3967698
Due to the locked BIOS Cpu selection is based mostly on pure clock speed unless you're overclocking then an unlocked CPU is mandatory. X5687 4 core 3.6Ghz,  or X 5690 3.47 6 core are popular. W3680 for overclocking. You may need an older CPU to run it for a BIOS update to get suppportfor the later CPUs.


----------



## DarthBubba (Dec 30, 2018)

Retrorockit said:


> The faster 5600 series Xeons will do 1333 RAM in all slots, lower level 5600 CPUs go 1066,and high end i7s also. When you get into the 5500 Xeons more than 3 modules steps down the RAM Speed 1 level from whatever it can support otherwise so sometimes 800 will happen.



So my newly arrived X5680 *might* be able to handle 1333 RAMs in all six slots?  Is there a size limit to the RAM sticks for this CPU?



Retrorockit said:


> There is an overclocking thread. Page 8 does the T3500heatsink/fan mod. Most people find they don't need it. The overclocking info. is throughout the thread but the T3500 is thoroughly covered there.
> https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/...cking-desktop-pcs.235975/page-23#post-3967698



The overclocking info is above my pay grade for the moment.  Maybe after I read it a few times I'll feel comfortable getting a W-Xeon for the second T3500.



Retrorockit said:


> Due to the locked BIOS Cpu selection is based mostly on pure clock speed unless you're overclocking then an unlocked CPU is mandatory. X5687 4 core 3.6Ghz,  or X 5690 3.47 6 core are popular. W3680 for overclocking. _You may need an older CPU to run it for a BIOS update to get support for the later CPUs_.



I updated the BIOS pretty much the day after I got the T3500s.  I was up late downloading manuals, drivers, BIOSes, and so forth from Dell's T3500 support page the night I brought them home.  The original W3530s are still installed right now.

Thank you for the reply, Retrorockit


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Dec 30, 2018)

DarthBubba said:


> So my newly arrived X5680 *might* be able to handle 1333 RAMs in all six slots?  Is there a size limit to the RAM sticks for this CPU?
> 
> 
> The overclocking info is above my pay grade for the moment.  Maybe after I read it a few times I'll fell comfortable getting a W-Xeon for the second T3500.
> ...



It's actually super easy to overclock T3500 with the right CPU...all I did was change the multiplier for all cores on the TRL tab (in Throttlestop), and then set 400 TDP and 330 TDC (no idea what to set these at but that worked lol) in the TPL tab...and make sure Throttlestop is turned on.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 30, 2018)

DarthBubba said:


> So my newly arrived X5680 *might* be able to handle 1333 RAMs in all six slots? Is there a size limit to the RAM sticks for this CPU?


Yes, it will and 8GB is the the per-module limit. So a total of 48GB in the system is possible.

Welcome to the forums and the thread!


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 31, 2018)

There's another aspect to RAM speed that get's overlooked a lot. That's CAS latency. DDR3 1333 tends to have higher latency than DDR3 1066. In fact the DDR3 1333 modules will run different timing when running at 1066 and regain much of the lost performance. My Opti 380 is running DDR3 1333 CL9 modules. They're actually running at 1066 CL7. Unfortunately I've never seen the 2ndary timing of modules published. I have to detect hem with PC Wizard  or some other scanner. So the actual performance diiference can be very slight. Or if you were to run DDR3 1333 CL11 against DDDR3 1066 CL7 it would probaly come up short. It may even be possible to come out ahead by running DDR3 1600 modules at 1066 and get an even lower latency. XMP profiles do this also. So if you pay attention to this aspect of it, it's not a big deal.
 The thing that is a big deal is having a proper 3 channel setup to fill in the blanks while the modules are refreshing.


----------



## DarthBubba (Jan 2, 2019)

I contacted Ebay seller "efetchercom" to ask about a set of six 8GB registered ECC RAM sticks he had for sale, thinking that I'd be able to populate both of my T3500's with 24GB of DDR3-1333 in one purchase.  He waved me off that idea and said the T3500 with an X5680 CPU needed unregistered (UDIMM) RAM.  True?

Happy New Year, y'all!



Retrorockit said:


> There's another aspect to RAM speed that get's overlooked a lot. That's CAS latency. DDR3 1333 tends to have higher latency than DDR3 1066. In fact the DDR3 1333 modules will run different timing when running at 1066 and regain much of the lost performance. (...deletia...)  So if you pay attention to this aspect of it, it's not a big deal.  The thing that is a big deal is having a proper 3 channel setup to fill in the blanks while the modules are refreshing.



Ah yes; reminds me of when we used to tweak wait-states and RAM refresh intervals on our PC clones back in the '80s.  There was one RAM brand that could tolerate a one-second refresh interval!  It was a noticeable speed increase in a 4.7MHz PC-XT clone system .


----------



## Retrorockit (Jan 2, 2019)

The T3500 has a completely different chipset than the T5500, and the single QPI CPUs have a different memory controller. We've been chasing rumors that there are RDIMMs that will run in an X58 system, but haven't had any success confirming it, or figuring out what the people who claim they've run it were actually running. So far the 2 QPI Xeons don't bring RDIMM support with them.
So he did you a favor. The single QPI chips won't run on the T5500 either (even as single CPU) which means no unlocked Xeons there.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 2, 2019)

DarthBubba said:


> He waved me off that idea and said the T3500 with an X5680 CPU needed unregistered (UDIMM) RAM. True?


True.


Retrorockit said:


> So he did you a favor.


This.

That seller seems to know his tech. For T3500's, Standard DDR3 and ECC DDR3 will work. Registered/Buffered DDR3 RAM does not.


----------



## Malik Sajid (Jan 2, 2019)

Hi..

A friend of mine got T3500 w/ x5670 + gtx 1060, but it seems that he isn't able to install Windows 10 properly, 'Your PC needs to be restarted' keeps showing up, are there any compatability issues in this situation? 

Does T3500 support windows 10? Also he's running two different rams; one of them is a single sided Samsung stick, while the other is a double sided Kingston stick, don't know about their rank.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 2, 2019)

Malik Sajid said:


> Does T3500 support windows 10?


Not offically, but I haven't had any problems with either of mine. Maybe it's the version of 10 being used? Anyone else had any problems?


----------



## Malik Sajid (Jan 2, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> Not offically, but I haven't had any problems with either of mine. Maybe it's the version of 10 being used? Anyone else had any problems?


It's a clean and raw LTSC version by the way. Any BIOS settings need to be adjusted?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 2, 2019)

Malik Sajid said:


> It's a clean and raw LTSC version by the way. Any BIOS settings need to be adjusted?


None that I can think of. Try a different ISO or version maybe?


----------



## Malik Sajid (Jan 2, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> None that I can think of. Try a different ISO or version maybe?


Yes, Since you've conformed that T3500 is capable of running Win10 with no problems then he should try a different one.


----------



## sepheronx (Jan 2, 2019)

I have a T3500 with Windows 10 on an SSD, similar setup but a W3680 - no issue at all on my end.


----------



## DarthBubba (Jan 2, 2019)

Malik Sajid said:


> Hi..
> 
> A friend of mine got T3500 w/ x5670 + gtx 1060, but it seems that he isn't able to install Windows 10 properly, 'Your PC needs to be restarted' keeps showing up, are there any compatability issues in this situation?
> 
> Does T3500 support windows 10? Also he's running two different rams; one of them is a single sided Samsung stick, while the other is a double sided Kingston stick, don't know about their rank.



I'm running Win10 on my T3500 with no problems.  I plan to "upgrade" to Win10 LTSB in the not-too-distant future.  Perhaps your friend might try reducing his RAM sticks to one module (the larger capacity one) during the installation just to see if a RAM mismatch is the issue.  The manuals are here: Dell T3500 Manuals.

Good luck to him.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Jan 3, 2019)

Win 10 installed on my T3500 since I built it...no issues so far.


----------



## Susquehannock (Jan 5, 2019)

Me too. Win10 on both T3500 and T5500 - no problems or adjustments. I install 'version 1709' from 32gb USB 2.0 key and keep systems updated. All currently running Win10 'version 1809'.

Be sure to remove USB key and change boot order in BIOS to your main drive after Windows hardware drivers install.


----------



## ScaLibBDP (Jan 6, 2019)

*Dell Precision M4700 Mobile Workstation accelerated to 1.369 TFLOPs*










*Four OpenCL Compute Devices used:*

*- NVIDIA Quadro K1000M ( dGPU )
- AMD Radeon R7 240 ( eGPU ) x 2
- Intel Core i7-3840QM ( processor )*


----------



## Malik Sajid (Jan 6, 2019)

Susquehannock said:


> Be sure to remove USB key and change boot order in BIOS to your main drive after Windows hardware drivers install.


Good tip that everyone is working on those kinds of machines needs to know but it wasn't the case, it turned out to be the BIOS, I've updated it for him then reinstalled the same LTSC copy without any issues. 

Thanks guys for your replies, really appreciate it.


----------



## Susquehannock (Jan 6, 2019)

Malik Sajid said:


> Good tip that everyone is working on those kinds of machines needs to know but it wasn't the case, it turned out to be the BIOS, I've updated it for him then reinstalled the same LTSC copy without any issues.
> 
> Thanks guys for your replies, really appreciate it.


Glad you got it sorted out. Do you know which BIOS version the system had before and after? Knowing this may help others in similar situation. Thanks.


----------



## Malik Sajid (Jan 7, 2019)

Susquehannock said:


> Glad you got it sorted out. Do you know which BIOS version the system had before and after? Knowing this may help others in similar situation. Thanks.


Sorry, I should've mentioned that! It was running on a pretty old ver 'A02', I had to updated it first to 'A06' as a transition stage so I can be able to update it to the latest ver 'A17'

Here's a link including all the versions of BIOS;
http://downloads.dell.com/published/pages/precision-t3500.html

*Use F3 to find the BIOS section faster


----------



## DarthBubba (Jan 8, 2019)

Given that the T3500 has SATA II HD/SSD channels, has anyone tried one of THESE?  This would bring two HDs/SSDs up to SATA III speed and can do RAID 0/1/Span.  There also are four and five port models from the same distributor in California.  In my particular case the T3500s both have two DVD drives installed, so having more ports is unnecessary.


Any thoughts, other than "Go ahead Darth, you first"  

-DB


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 8, 2019)

DarthBubba said:


> Given that the T3500 has SATA II HD/SSD channels, has anyone tried one of THESE?  This would bring two HDs/SSDs up to SATA III speed and can do RAID 0/1/Span.  There also are four and five port models from the same distributor in California.  In my particular case the T3500s both have two DVD drives installed, so having more ports is unnecessary.
> 
> 
> Any thoughts, other than "Go ahead Darth, you first"
> ...


As a stand alone card for adding drives, that would likely be a good card. Only problem is that is doesn't say whether it's bootable. I see a chip on the board in the picture that could be a boot rom, but who knows. Might be a good idea to message the seller and ask. Presuming of course you want to boot from it. If not you're golden.


----------



## dorsetknob (Jan 8, 2019)

got same card in different PC  will get back to you on wether its bootable

Edit
nativly detected on MSI Z97 and when connected to a drive "BOOTABLE"


----------



## DarthBubba (Jan 8, 2019)

dorsetknob said:


> got same card in different PC  will get back to you on wether its bootable
> 
> Edit
> nativly detected on MSI Z97 and when connected to a drive "BOOTABLE"



Thank you!

God rest your Mum and Dad.

-DB



lexluthermiester said:


> As a stand alone card for adding drives, that would likely be a good card. Only problem is that is doesn't say whether it's bootable. I see a chip on the board in the picture that could be a boot rom, but who knows. Might be a good idea to message the seller and ask. Presuming of course you want to boot from it. If not you're golden.



Awaiting a reply from them, but other data just posted here gives me some encouragement.  I'm now wondering if plugging this card into an X58 PCI slot will be faster than the already present SATA buss.  The x16-slot bidirectional slot speed is 8 GB/s (PCI Express), but can this card work in the second (long) PCI Express slot?  I'm certainly not giving up my GTX 1050Ti in the PCI Express slot formerly used by the Quadro FX1800.

Guess I might end up being the "pioneer" here.

-DB


----------



## DarthBubba (Jan 10, 2019)

While perusing YouTube I found a couple of T3500 related vids that look like they'd be helpful to the young players by providing some very basic info.  The "grey hairs" know this stuff already, but the first vid (11 minutes) will save hours of head-scratching for those of us who are/were unfamiliar with workstation construction compared to "normal" desktop PC construction.

Dell T3500 Disassembly - or: 








Overview of the T3500 09KPNV Motherboard - or: 








Installing an EVGA power supply into the T3500 case - 







  The procedure begins around 1:40 into the video.  I won't critique the YouTuber's technique here, but this will give the new folks some ideas about where/how to start.  Again, "grey hairs" will find a Dell T5500 power supply, slap it in there, and call it a day.

Hope someone finds these useful.

-DB


----------



## Retrorockit (Jan 10, 2019)

I put some photos up in the TS OC thread of a new CPU cooling mod for the T3500. Almost a bolt in solution.


----------



## jeanpat (Jan 22, 2019)

Hello again,

Is it possible to mix 3x4 Gb RAM M393B5273CHO-CH9 (in slots 0, 1, 2) with 3x4 Gb RAM M393B5170FHO-CH9 in slots (3, 4, 5) of a T5500, for a total of 24 GB ?


----------



## Retrorockit (Jan 22, 2019)

One set is 2Rx8, and the other is 2Rx4.  I wouldn't try it unless you already own them and feel like experimenting.


----------



## jeanpat (Jan 22, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> One set is 2Rx8, and the other is 2Rx4.  I wouldn't try it unless you already own them and feel like experimenting.


Thank you, I didn't notice that


----------



## DarthBubba (Jan 25, 2019)

Now that I've obtained a T5500 power supply can I do a straight swap of just the T3500's power supply "brick," or should I also swap the cable harness too?  I see that there are substantial differences between them - the T3500 has one 8-pin CPU auxiliary wire & plug; the T5500 has two 8-pin CPU plugs.  The the T3500 has one 6-pin GPU auxiliary PCI-E wire & plug; the T5500 has two 6-pin GPU PCI-E plugs & wires.  I hope that's about it.

Yeah, I am/was planning to put a "space heater" video card in there (GTX 980 @ 165Watts or 980Ti @ 250 Watts) in place of the GTX 1050Ti (75 watts) that I put in there a few weeks ago.

Thanks in advance.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 25, 2019)

DarthBubba said:


> Now that I've obtained a T5500 power supply can I do a straight swap of just the T3500's power supply "brick," or should I also swap the cable harness too?


Yes, that PSU is 100% compatible with with the harness from the T3500. I have done this swap with the 750W, 850W, 1000W and 1100W Dell PSU's compatible with the "T" series Precision workstations. Put another way, if the harness will physically fit the PSU, it will work fine.


----------



## DarthBubba (Jan 25, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> Yes, that PSU is 100% compatible with with the harness from the T3500. I have done this swap with the 750W, 850W, 1000W and 1100W Dell PSU's compatible with the "T" series Precision workstations. Put another way, if the harness will physically fit the PSU, it will work fine.



Great!  Thanks for the info.    Of course, the T5500 wiring harness that came with the 850Watt "brick" is just *begging* for a GTX 980 - which has two 6-pin PCI-E sockets.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 25, 2019)

DarthBubba said:


> Great!  Thanks for the info.    Of course, the T5500 wiring harness that came with the 850Watt "brick" is just *begging* for a GTX 980 - which has two 6-pin PCI-E sockets.


It should fit into the T3500 case. You'll have to take out the motherboard to get the old harness out, but that will only take a short time.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jan 25, 2019)

Due to the multi rail nature of the Dell PSUs I don't think the extra power will be available if you use the T3500 harness. When Dell makes bigger PSUs the usually do it by adding more 12V. 18A. rails. Each rail will have it's own color coded wiring. The extra power is only available on the extra connectors on the bigger harness. You could use adaptors to switch the 2nd CPU connector to an 8 pin PCIe on the T5500 harness. Aftermarket single rail modular PSUs it doesn't matter. Yes it will fit, and yes it will work. But without the extra connectors to use the extra power what's the point?


----------



## sepheronx (Jan 25, 2019)

My T3500 is sitting idle for too long now since I removed the GTX 1060 to put it in my alienware x51 as my emulation and home theater PC.

im looking for a cheap GPU for the T3500.  AMD particularly.  Any suggestions?


----------



## Retrorockit (Jan 25, 2019)

Newegg had some GTX1060 6GB refurbs for $214.


----------



## DarthBubba (Jan 25, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> Due to the multi rail nature of the Dell PSUs I don't think the extra power will be available if you use the T3500 harness. When Dell makes bigger PSUs the usually do it by adding more 12V. 18A. rails. Each rail will have it's own color coded wiring. The extra power is only available on the extra connectors on the bigger harness. You could use adaptors to switch the 2nd CPU connector to an 8 pin PCIe on the T5500 harness. Aftermarket single rail modular PSUs it doesn't matter.



My original plan was to install a GTX 980Ti vid card, and use 6-pin to 8-pin adapters for the PCI-E power lines.  At 250W the 980Ti is a space heater and thus I chose the T5500 power supply.  The 970 is about 30% less powerful (according to TechPowerUp's GPU data base), uses 148W, and has two 6-pin auxiliary power sockets, which would mate nicely with the T5500 power supply's two 6-pin PCI-E cables.  IDK if the 30% power difference would show up in any games I would play, but 102 fewer watts might be noticeable here in Georgia's summertime.  



Retrorockit said:


> Yes it will fit, and yes it will work. But without the extra connectors to use the extra power what's the point?



Well, it was something I (just) learned after purchasing the T5500 power supply.   Of course, it does give me more power lines for all those extra CPU cooling fans, North and South Bridge chip fans, and so on.   

"Who new cheap thrills could be a team sport?" - Some famous guy in the Throttlestop Overclocking Forum

-DB


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 25, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> Due to the multi rail nature of the Dell PSUs I don't think the extra power will be available if you use the T3500 harness.


Not exactly correct. The wiring for the harness's are identical across models to maintain compatibility. The PSU's full power will still be available even if there are fewer wires coming out of the harness.


sepheronx said:


> im looking for a cheap GPU for the T3500. AMD particularly. Any suggestions?


That depends on your budget. RX470/480 maybe?


----------



## sepheronx (Jan 26, 2019)

budget is like borderline begging change.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 26, 2019)

sepheronx said:


> budget is like borderline begging change.


Ooo, that's interesting. Extreme low budget. What performance do you need/would you like?


----------



## ManGupta (Jan 26, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> Due to the multi rail nature of the Dell PSUs I don't think the extra power will be available if you use the T3500 harness. When Dell makes bigger PSUs the usually do it by adding more 12V. 18A. rails. Each rail will have it's own color coded wiring. The extra power is only available on the extra connectors on the bigger harness. You could use adaptors to switch the 2nd CPU connector to an 8 pin PCIe on the T5500 harness. Aftermarket single rail modular PSUs it doesn't matter. Yes it will fit, and yes it will work. But without the extra connectors to use the extra power what's the point?



I am using an aftermarket 700 watt Bronze certified Single rail semi modular PSU, its working fine.  The dell T3500's  525 watt PSU couldn't take all the load (130 watt Processor, 6 RAM sticks, 3 3.5 inch HDDs+ 1 SSD, 1 Optical Drive, 6 additional Case Fans (in addition to 2 Dell's 120 cm fans), extra power for USB3 PCIE Adaptor + 4 Port USB3 Front HUB &GTX 1060 6 Gb). After I upgraded GPU PC started having random reboots with 525 watt Dell PSU.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jan 26, 2019)

Here's a shopping tip for Dell users only. There was an OEM only series of AMD cards called HD8xxx. They were "sort of" the same as HD7xxx cards. Check clocking  spec. closely. But they had Dell part numbers. They were used in Alienware, XPS and as high end options on workstations.  By using HD8xxx, or  Dell P/N #s in your search you can sometimes find deals hidden in the corners somewhere. The HD6990 I found was a Dell part#. There are HD8xxxx versions of HD7990,HD7970,HD7850 (which pair up nicely). I wouldn't be surprised if there were HP, and Lenovo parts also.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 26, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> Here's a shopping tip for Dell users only. There was an OEM only series of AMD cards called HD8xxx. They were "sort of" the same as HD7xxx cards. Check clocking  spec. closely. But they had Dell part numbers. They were used in Alienware, XPS and as high end options on workstations.  By using HD8xxx, or  Dell P/N #s in your search you can sometimes find deals hidden in the corners somewhere. The HD6990 I found was a Dell part#. There are HD8xxxx versions of HD7990,HD7970,HD7850 (which pair up nicely). I wouldn't be surprised if there were HP, and Lenovo parts also.


Looked up prices on many of those, just for giggles, and they're very reasonable, sub-$100. Want some links?


----------



## Retrorockit (Jan 27, 2019)

I intentionally didn't publish links. I think people should learn to do this themselves. If you put these items up in the open they won't available for long. It also puts you in touch with the right people for other Dell parts. The Botcoin miners have screwed things up for everybody already. I don't want to help them if I can avoid it.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 28, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> I intentionally didn't publish links. I think people should learn to do this themselves. If you put these items up in the open they won't available for long. It also puts you in touch with the right people for other Dell parts. The Botcoin miners have screwed things up for everybody already. I don't want to help them if I can avoid it.


To each there own. They were all on eBay. Go have a look.


----------



## sepheronx (Feb 6, 2019)

STILL don't have the T3500 running.  I finally could afford a GPU (GTX 970 3.5gb) but of course...... No proper connections and don't want to risk overloading PSU with adapters.  So I was gonna install the 600W Silverstone PSU I have lying around. Issue is, cant take the machine apart now cause of a screw holding the front fans in, is too deep and my screwdriver can't fit.

This thing sat idle for months. I want to get it running so my daughter can do her games, learning, artwork, wife gets to use for her documents and or watching movies, and also so I have something to keep testing with....


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 6, 2019)

sepheronx said:


> Issue is, cant take the machine apart now cause of a screw holding the front fans in, is too deep and my screwdriver can't fit.


Can you cut it loose?


----------



## sepheronx (Feb 6, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> Can you cut it loose?



Cut the case loose? What? No.  Im not gonna do some hack job.


----------



## Retrorockit (Feb 7, 2019)

The GTX970 has a 148W TDP according to this.
https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/geforce-gtx-970.c2620
So the 75W 6 pin PCIe cable, and the 75W  PCIe slot have nough power even if it takes an 8 pin cable. The 6 pin has all the 12V. power leads that an 8 pin does (3), I would get a 6 to 8 adapter and run it with the Dell PSU. Overclocking won't be on the menu, but it should run OK.


----------



## DarthBubba (Feb 7, 2019)

sepheronx said:


> Cut the case loose? What? No.  Im not gonna do some hack job.



Head down to the cheapest hardware store in town (Harbor Freight here in the States) and get a longer screwdriver.  It only has to last for this one job. 

I "stacked" a second magnetic hex-collar into the end of my magnetic screwdriver that takes interchangeable bits.




 



Watch the first video I put in message #540 above, starting about one minute thirty seconds in.

Easy as π.

-DB


----------



## sepheronx (Feb 7, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> The GTX970 has a 148W TDP according to this.
> https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/geforce-gtx-970.c2620
> So the 75W 6 pin PCIe cable, and the 75W  PCIe slot have nough power even if it takes an 8 pin cable. The 6 pin has all the 12V. power leads that an 8 pin does (3), I would get a 6 to 8 adapter and run it with the Dell PSU. Overclocking won't be on the menu, but it should run OK.


What about adding a sata to 6pin adapter? Cause my GTX 970 has a 6pin plus 8 pin.

Crap.  I bent a capacitor then bent it back into place.  Hopefully it still works.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 7, 2019)

sepheronx said:


> Cut the case loose? What? No.  Im not gonna do some hack job.


No, cut the screw loose. Or like DarthBubba said, get an extender.


----------



## Retrorockit (Feb 7, 2019)

sepheronx said:


> What about adding a sata to 6pin adapter? Cause my GTX 970 has a 6pin plus 8 pin.



If it's a 148W card you should be able to run it with a splitter off of the 6 pin PCIe.. 150W should be available (75w+75W) there.
If you want to take power from somewhere else map out the 3x 12V. rails by color code. White,Yellow, and Blue/White on mine. If the SATA is on the same color wiring then it's the same as using a splitter. If you want power from another rail then use an SATA with a different colored wire. By seeing what is running off of each rail you can get a good idea of which one may have some extra power available. But by the spec. that card should run off of the 6 pin PCIe. No matter how many connectors it has a 150W card will only draw 150W, welll within spec. for a single 6 pin PCIe setup.


----------



## ManGupta (Feb 7, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> If it's a 148W card you should be able to run it with a splitter off of the 6 pin PCIe.. 150W should be available (75w+75W) there.
> If you want to take power from somewhere else map out the 3x 12V. rails by color code. White,Yellow, and Blue/White on mine. If the SATA is on the same color wiring then it's the same as using a splitter. If you want power from another rail then use an SATA with a different colored wire. By seeing what is running off of each rail you can get a good idea of which one may have some extra power available. But by the spec. that card should run off of the 6 pin PCIe. No matter how many connectors it has a 150W card will only draw 150W, welll within spec. for a single 6 pin PCIe setup.



In my case I had to upgrade my Dell 525W PSU after installing GTX 1060 6gb (120 W only). After installing New GPU my system had frequent reboots. Only after PSU upgrade system was stable.


----------



## Retrorockit (Feb 7, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> In my case I had to upgrade my Dell 525W PSU after installing GTX 1060 6gb (120 W only). After installing New GPU my system had frequent reboots. Only after PSU upgrade system was stable.


 I'm running a 120W X5470 Xeon and a 120W GTX1060 off of an old Dimension 9150 (Pentium4) 375W. PSU. Luck of the draw I guess. But your high ambient temperatures may be harder on  parts than my situation. A large single rail aftermarket PSU does simplify things. I would try the adapter first.


----------



## sepheronx (Feb 7, 2019)

Alright, finally up and running with it.  Got a seasonic 600W 80+ PSU installed.  Old PSU but solid.

Setup:
Dell T3500 Case (Duh)
Seasonic 600W 80+ Modular PSU (Forgot to write down the model)
12GB of RAM Triple Channel
MSI GTX 970 4 (3.5) GB GPU
Crucial 500GB SSD (Sucks its SATA2)
HT Omega Striker 7.1 Sound Card (Got it from a friends machine.  PCI.  So why not eh?)
USB 3 PCIe Card
Disk Drives not being used currently
SD Card Reader






















Surprisingly enough, there was no needed for any kind of modification of the case for the PSU.  The PSU actually fit perfectly even with its proprietary brackets.  Also, I was comparing the Heaven benchmarks of comparison systems and I was surprised mine did well.


----------



## Retrorockit (Feb 7, 2019)

Normal PSUs fit just fine, and you have enough of everything for a solid gaming rig. The fact that it's an old PSU probably helps with the 5V. rail.
Are you running DDR3 1066 modules or are they 1333 modules running at 1066?


----------



## sepheronx (Feb 7, 2019)

1066.  It is what came with the system.

Now I got a new issue.  I installed applications on disk 2 which I removed because I had to fit the GTX 970 in it.  I cant seem to remove the items as Windows 10 still sees it installed.


----------



## Retrorockit (Feb 7, 2019)

Can you stick drive 2 in one of the floppy bays? they're the same size as an HDD.


----------



## sepheronx (Feb 7, 2019)

I was thinking of buying an adapter for the 5.25 simply because I would like to add a second drive plus one with front USB 3 ports.

Before heading for bed.

Tested Resident Evil 2 Remake and it ran very well.  Of course not max everything due to GTX970 but man does it run well on this dell.  But I cant get Throttlestop to work.  I set it to 31 multiplyer but saving does nothing.  It still goes to max 3.4ghz while in game.


----------



## Susquehannock (Feb 7, 2019)

sepheronx said:


> I was thinking of buying an adapter for the 5.25 simply because I would like to add a second drive plus one with front USB 3 ports.


There is actually places to mount two HDD up top. No adapters needed. Move all mine up there and eliminate the cumbersome swing out panel altogether. And they seem to run cooler too.



ManGupta said:


> In my case I had to upgrade my Dell 525W PSU after installing GTX 1060 6gb (120 W only). After installing New GPU my system had frequent reboots. Only after PSU upgrade system was stable.


Suppose it is possible high ambient temps caused some stability issues. I am far more inclined to believe your PSU was worn out and could not hold proper voltages under load any more. Being we are talking used power supplies. it is possible the Dell unit has seen a decade (87,600 hours) of continuous hard use. Unless you have a lot of other 12 volt powered hardware hooked up a GTX 1060 should be no problem. Some of us are running RX 480 and 580 cards which can exceed 220 watts in heavy gaming.

This is a timely subject as I am installing a 750w EVGA G+ power supply into the second system listed in my signature right now. Just cannot find myself buying a used unit. Especially with some of the big discounts EVGA was offering.

Normal PSU will fit the Tx500 case though I am surprised no one else here has had issue with the upper retaining tabs.  None of the aftermarket PSUs that I have installed would sit parallel to the top with them there, which in turn prevents the unit sitting square against the back where the 4 mounting screws go. Unacceptable. The inner tab (bottom of image) is easily bent out of the way but outer one is configured differently and will not bend flat so easily, so I just spend a couple minutes cutting it off with a bare hacksaw blade.


----------



## Retrorockit (Feb 8, 2019)

I use EVGAs in mine also. The Dell PSUs are quality parts but they are all old now. I like to give them a try first if they're appropriate for what I'm doing. I usually have a few sitting around. A 375W Dell mid tower PSU is perfect for a low buck Optiplex build. I bought 3 of them for $5 each last week.
 The workstation PSU tab has a little web that needs the be cut all the way to the back of the tab, then it can fold down like the Optiplexes etc.- hacksaw blade is the tool.


----------



## DarthBubba (Feb 8, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> If it's a 148W card you should be able to run it with a splitter off of the 6 pin PCIe.. 150W should be available (75w+75W) there.  <much deleted>  No matter how many connectors it has a 150W card will only draw 150W, welll within spec. for a single 6 pin PCIe setup.



Okay, I have this EVGA GTX 970 card and it steadfastly refused to run with only one of the two 6-pin PCI connectors energized.    If I plugged the 6-pin PCI power line to the socket nearer the blower fan, it flashed a message on the monitor saying "plug in and energize the other socket too."  Plugging power into just the 6-pin socket further away from the blower resulted in no boot up.  I've jerry-rigged power lines from a stray Molex connector such that both 6-pin sockets are energized - happiness prevails.     At some point I'll install the T5500 power supply I bought a couple of weeks ago which will give me two proper 6-pin PCI power lines and dispense with the extraneous wiring. 

Just as an aside: I chose the blower style GTX 970 because it helps ventilate the case.  Those other single and twin fan jobbies likely scatter hot air around the internal space - of course this is just a SWAG, but I can feel the warm air exiting out the 970's exhaust port.  Cleaning out all the dust in the 970's heatsink and off the blower's squirrel-cage fan lowered the GPU temp by two degF.


----------



## Retrorockit (Feb 8, 2019)

If you run a splitter from the single 6 pin to both the 6+8 pin connectors on the 150W GPU it should have enough power to run. If it was a 160W-225W  GPU then you would have a problem doing this on the Dell PSU. As long as you stay within 150W this should be OK.
https://www.neweggbusiness.com/product/product.aspx?item=9b-12-198-016


----------



## sepheronx (Feb 8, 2019)

Alright, got second hard drive in.  It is a hot mess inside this machine.






Now it runs warm cause I couldn't stand the noise of these arctic cooling F8 PWM fans.  They ran at full speed even when using the dell pwm splitter.  So, can anyone recommend silent fans that seem to run at full speed anyway?


----------



## Retrorockit (Feb 8, 2019)

I don't see the blue RAM  cooling shroud which guides air fron the CPU fan through the CPU heatsink. This and the HDD tray forms a duct there like the older BTX used. Air coming out of a fan doesn't want to go straight it wants to spread out in a wide cone unless it's contained somehow.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 8, 2019)

sepheronx said:


> 1066. It is what came with the system.


Would recommend getting 1333 modules as they will give better performance overall. Try to stick with 7-7-7 timings, but 8-8-8 will still give better results.


----------



## sepheronx (Feb 8, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> I don't see the blue RAM  cooling shroud which guides air fron the CPU fan through the CPU heatsink. This and the HDD tray forms a duct there like the older BTX used. Air coming out of a fan doesn't want to go straight it wants to spread out in a wide cone unless it's contained somehow.



I wont be able to get it to fit tbh.



lexluthermiester said:


> Would recommend getting 1333 modules as they will give better performance overall. Try to stick with 7-7-7 timings, but 8-8-8 will still give better results.



I would but I cant spend anymore money atm.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 8, 2019)

sepheronx said:


> I would but I cant spend anymore money atm.


Fair enough. File it under future upgrade advice.


----------



## Retrorockit (Feb 8, 2019)

sepheronx said:


> I wont be able to get it to fit tbh.


A piece of cardboard stood up between the RAM and CPU heatsink would guide the air through the CPU cooler. I don't see why you would need the exhaust fans at this point if everything else is working properly. I'm not a big believer in them anyway. In an ATX they can give the disorganized air flow some direction. But with the straight through cooling layout of the BTX style Dell I think the air will find it's way out.


----------



## sepheronx (Feb 8, 2019)

If anyone is interested, here is a quick video test of the game on my T3500 setup:










As noted, video recording did eat up system resources and did hit performance a bit.  Any recommendations to having lossless recordings?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 8, 2019)

sepheronx said:


> Any recommendations to having lossless recordings?


External HDMI video capture device. There are a ton of them on Amazon/Ebay and various other sites. B&M has a few really good ones, but are pricey.


----------



## sepheronx (Feb 8, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> External HDMI video capture device. There are a ton of them on Amazon/Ebay and various other sites. B&M has a few really good ones, but are pricey.



Can you link any?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 8, 2019)

sepheronx said:


> Can you link any?


Sure, here's a couple.
Inexpensive and has a good variety of inputs. Full 1080p recording. It's a noname brand though;
https://www.amazon.com/DIGITNOW-Capture-Converter-Adapter-Recorder/dp/B0747R2VMZ
Here's one from AVerMedia for a good price, but only HDMI;
https://www.amazon.com/AVerMedia-EzRecorder-Definition-Recording-ER130/dp/B00LAP3GC8
Here's one from Pyle that's a bit more spendy, but very high quality;
https://www.amazon.com/Pyle-Video-Game-Capture-Card/dp/B0771145S7


----------



## DarthBubba (Feb 9, 2019)

sepheronx said:


> If anyone is interested, here is a quick video test of the game on my T3500 setup:  As noted, video recording did eat up system resources and did hit performance a bit.  Any recommendations to having lossless recordings?



I dunno man, without recording during game play I imagine that the game looks pretty good - as good as many "current" dedicated gaming machines.  It looks like you've hit that inflection point where the next 10% performance improvement is gonna cost 50% more money.  Your system setup is what I am aiming for, give-or-take a few minor differences.  How tightly is your CPU wound up?  What GHz?


----------



## Retrorockit (Feb 9, 2019)

If he gets the cooling under control Throttlestop overclocking costs $0.


----------



## sepheronx (Feb 9, 2019)

DarthBubba said:


> I dunno man, without recording during game play I imagine that the game looks pretty good - as good as many "current" dedicated gaming machines.  It looks like you've hit that inflection point where the next 10% performance improvement is gonna cost 50% more money.  Your system setup is what I am aiming for, give-or-take a few minor differences.  How tightly is your CPU wound up?  What GHz?



current test was at 3.4ghz (stock).  If I threw in my GTX1070 from my other machine, I would be able to get max settings at around 100fps as I do on my other machine with a core i7 4770.  This machine is a beast (Dell T3500).

I ran throttlestop and got it stable at about 30x (so around 4ghz) but the front fans started to really spin up and made a horrible noise.


----------



## DarthBubba (Feb 9, 2019)

sepheronx said:


> current test was at 3.4ghz (stock).  If I threw in my GTX1070 from my other machine, I would be able to get max settings at around 100fps as I do on my other machine with a core i7 4770.  This machine is a beast (Dell T3500).
> 
> I ran throttlestop and got it stable at about 30x (so around 4ghz) but the front fans started to really spin up and made a horrible noise.



Not being insulting but are the "details" taken care of, like new thermal paste under the CPU heat sink, etc?  Can you add a DIY wind shroud of some type to better direct the airflow from the front fan to the CPU heat sink if the blue RAM duct and HD flap are absolutely a no-go?  My EVGA GTX 970 overlaps the blue RAM duct by 1.5" (but passes above it by .125 ") and both still fit in there at the same time.  A GTX 1070 would be a nearly 50% performance boost for the same power draw - and I'll add a 1070 as soon as someone gives me one.  

I'm of the opinion that Dell's engineers designed the box as an integrated system where the cooling is concerned, and believe that taking pains to keep that aspect of the case structure as original as possible is a worthwhile goal.  Airflow in a hobby game box with six fans is one thing, but my beasts ran almost ten years in hot Georgia airbase hangars with only TWO fans. They checked out 100% using Dell's own diagnostics with all the dust still inside them.  They looked like new after I gave them an air bath and all the little dust kitties ran away.  

Just my two cents, and worth every penny you paid me  

-DB


----------



## sepheronx (Feb 9, 2019)

DarthBubba said:


> Not being insulting but are the "details" taken care of, like new thermal paste under the CPU heat sink, etc?  Can you add a DIY wind shroud of some type to better direct the airflow from the front fan to the CPU heat sink if the blue RAM duct and HD flap are absolutely a no-go?  My EVGA GTX 970 overlaps the blue RAM duct by 1.5" (but passes above it by .125 ") and both still fit in there at the same time.  A GTX 1070 would be a nearly 50% performance boost for the same power draw - and I'll add a 1070 as soon as someone gives me one.
> 
> I'm of the opinion that Dell's engineers designed the box as an integrated system where the cooling is concerned, and believe that taking pains to keep that aspect of the case structure as original as possible is a worthwhile goal.  Airflow in a hobby game box with six fans is one thing, but my beasts ran almost ten years in hot Georgia airbase hangars with only TWO fans. They checked out 100% using Dell's own diagnostics with all the dust still inside them.  They looked like new after I gave them an air bath and all the little dust kitties ran away.
> 
> ...



As I shown above in pictures, the W3680, was cleaned. I then applied some MX-4 thermal compound.  I also ghetto modded a 80mm fan to the CPU cooler and added two 80mm fans in the back. Unfortunately, even with the Dell 5 pin to 4 pin pwm adapter, the 80mm F5 Arctic cooling fans are very very loud.  So I instead am looking to replace them with something dead quiet at full blast. Reason is front fans are even louder as they seem to rattle and vibrate in the case of they manage to go full speed.

Otherwise, this setup is awesome.  Some more future adjustments needed. Otherwise, it's great.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 9, 2019)

sepheronx said:


> the 80mm F5 Arctic cooling fans are very very loud.


What speed are they?


sepheronx said:


> Reason is front fans are even louder as they seem to rattle and vibrate in the case of they manage to go full speed.


I'm using zip-ties. They hold strong, look good and are easy to remove. Only a suggestion though.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Feb 9, 2019)

I swapped the fans on my 290x to 3 x high amp 80x35mm server fans and overclocked (1150/1500) never goes above 63 C...could probably run 1200/1600 and barely break 70 C...if you can bstand the noise...server fans are great!


----------



## sepheronx (Feb 9, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> What speed are they?
> 
> I'm using zip-ties. They hold strong, look good and are easy to remove. Only a suggestion though.



I took a look again, I was wrong on name.  They are F8 80 mm fans.

https://www.arctic.ac/worldwide_en/arctic-f8-pwm.html

rated to 2,000 RPM.


----------



## Retrorockit (Feb 9, 2019)

I like to start right at the CPU and sand them flat on a piece pf glass until they're flat and smooth aka "lapping". You'd be surprised how caved in some of them are.
You should be able to stick something soft in between the front fans and the housing. to keep them from rattling. Or switch them and see if one is bad. They are ball bearing and can get noisy when they dry out. If you poke a hole in the center of the decal and put a couple drops of oil in there it will get to the bearings.
I don't think the rear fans are going to do much for you. I would concentrate on getting the front fan working properly, and make sure the air is going where it's supposed to. The case, the HDD tray, and the RAM shroud form a 4 sided duct forcing the air into the CPU cooler.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 9, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> I don't think the rear fans are going to do much for you.


Have to disagree with this. When I added the rear fans in my T3500, the temps came down in all areas of the system. The thing is, it doesn't take powerful fans. They just need to be there to pull air through. 1200rpm fans are what I have and they're quiet. Can't even hear them over the front fans.


----------



## Retrorockit (Feb 9, 2019)

I guess with the monstrous front fans I run they aren't needed, but w/o that I guess theyr'e useful.


----------



## sepheronx (Feb 9, 2019)

System runs relatively cool when I close side of the case. So I don't have temp issues now.  But when it does get warm, front fans speed up and vibrate/grind sound. So gotta adjust again but otherwise, you aren't even aware what temps I'm having so don't jump to conclusions so much. I'm idling at around 33C


----------



## SoNic67 (Feb 12, 2019)

Well, I decided that enough is enough, I need to upgrade my T5500:

T7610 with two (2) E5-2630v2@ 2.6Ghz and 24GB RAM for $526


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 12, 2019)

SoNic67 said:


> Well, I decided that enough is enough, I need to upgrade my T5500:
> T7610 with two (2) E5-2630v2@ 2.6Ghz and 24GB RAM for $526


That's damn decent! What else comes with it?


----------



## SoNic67 (Feb 12, 2019)

A Quadro K2000 and two 500GB HDD (T7610 it has two types of RAID on board, don't know exactly which one). Will see how it plays with my Radeon RX580... and with my own LSI 9750-8i RAID controller.
I am curious if my own DDR3 (48GB) would be ok on this motherboard.
Unfortunately, I just re-activated my Windows 10 license when I replaced the motherboard from T3500 to T5500... and I think I was allowed only to one transfer, being a Windows 7 free upgrade. So I might need another Windows 10 license (listing said it doesn't come with one).
It arrives on Feb 14. Coincidence 

https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/sho...r-workstation/spd/precision-t7610-workstation


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 12, 2019)

SoNic67 said:


> Unfortunately, I just re-activated my Windows 10 license when I replaced the motherboard from T3500 to T5500... and I think I was allowed only to one transfer, being a Windows 7 free upgrade. So I might need another Windows 10 license (listing said it doesn't come with one).


The upgrade inherits the status and licensing terms of the originating copy of Windows. So if your Windows 7 was a retail copy, it can be transferred an unlimited number of times and thus the upgrade Windows 10 can also be transferred the same way.


----------



## SoNic67 (Feb 12, 2019)

I guess I'll see. This seems to say that I am allowed only one transfer:
https://www.groovypost.com/howto/transfer-windows-10-license-new-pc/
"If you upgraded from a retail copy of Windows 7, Windows 8 or 8.1, the Windows 10 license carries the retail rights from which it was derived – *can be transferred*. But under Microsoft’s rules, you are only entitled to a one time transfer."
Or that means between Windows 7 and Windows 10? Not between Windows 10 to Windows 10?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 12, 2019)

SoNic67 said:


> But under Microsoft’s rules, you are only entitled to a one time transfer.


That means one time upgrade transfer of license. Put another way, the Windows 7 product key you used in the upgrade process can only be used that one time to perform an upgrade. However, the right to transfer from system to system through upgrades and system replacements still applies, as long as it was a full retail copy. Does that make sense?


----------



## SoNic67 (Feb 12, 2019)

I guess it makes sense. I hope it will be less painful now then when I transferred last time. I had to get chat support involved and they remote connected into Windows for activation.
The Office license transferred fine, just by me being logged in with my MS email account.


----------



## SoNic67 (Feb 15, 2019)

I have my new Dell Precision T7610 up and running. The case had a sticker with a Windows 7 Pro serial... and I used that to activate a new install of Windows 10 (using the USB media prepared previously). Painless install, I preferred that to moving the SSD, since I already had another 1TB SSD laying around. The two LSI controllers were recognized automatically - the LSI SAS2 2308 Mustang (on board) and my own LSI 9750 RAID5 (my 3 drive array). I had to swap the locations of the SAS-SATA cable and add mine to put the default 4-drive bay on the RAID card (left just the SSD boot on the 2308).

It was listed with "24GB" which would imply a triple channel (wrong for the E5-2630 V2, it's either dual or quad)... well inside were 4 sticks of 8GB each, but one of the memory sticks was not set right, after pressing it in, now I have 32GB RAM. The remaining slots look so empty...

I have posted my Cinebench score already: 1518 with stock frequency and cooling.

One negative... the case's lateral door doesn't like my RX580, it can't close, hits the card. Card it's too "tall", in comparation with the professional cards that were supposed to be installed (blower style). The "bar" that was keeping the Quadro cards seated, now interferes with the RX's shroud and possibly even a heat pipe. The Quadro K2000 is "lower" in height, picture shows that.
Hmm, I need to remove that square bar, I see it's just welded in a few points.


----------



## Retrorockit (Feb 15, 2019)

Yeah it's just welded! This is what I love about working on Dells. Where else in computing do you get to say something like that.


----------



## SoNic67 (Feb 15, 2019)

Or... should I get a blower-type Vega 64 to match my new system? XFX, MSI...


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 15, 2019)

SoNic67 said:


> Or... should I get a blower-type Vega 64 to match my new system? XFX, MSI...


Not an NVidia fan? There are plenty of GTX cards that will fit perfectly.


----------



## SoNic67 (Feb 15, 2019)

Price...


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 15, 2019)

SoNic67 said:


> Price...


Used market. You can get a great cards for cheap on Ebay.


----------



## SoNic67 (Feb 15, 2019)

Definitely used...
Vega 64 is in $335-350 buy now range.
I can't get close to a decent RTX 2060 on those prices. And they are not normal profile usually, they are tall.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 15, 2019)

I did find these which should fit properly(judging by your picture);
https://www.ebay.com/itm/EVGA-NVIDI...-Condition-Original-Box-Warranty/113643940488
https://www.ebay.com/itm/PNY-NVIDIA...s-3-0-x16-Graphic-Card-Dual-Fans/143012324903
https://www.ebay.com/itm/EVGA-GeFor...0-KR-8GB-GDDR5-BLOWER-STYLE-CARD/303061680889
https://www.ebay.com/itm/USED-ASUS-...1070-8G-GPU-CARD-ONLY-AS-SHOWN-3/223344080804
Also found a Vega56;
https://www.ebay.com/itm/XFX-RX-VEG...M2-2048-bit-1156MHz-Original-Box/323680906484


----------



## SoNic67 (Feb 17, 2019)

I might wait a little more for the GPU. With side door open.

Meanwhile, I took out some RDIMM from my other board and stick it in this one, to get it working in 4 channel mode. This is the result:
https://valid.x86.fr/hgge83

Does anyone here managed to OC a Dell T7610 platform?

LE: Took a pic of the PLL IC: ICS932SQ420DGLF . SetFSB doesn't have this exact IC, closest seems to be ICS932S401EGLF or ICS932S421BGLF. Well... any of them locks up the PC.
Datasheet: https://www.idt.com/document/dst/932sq420d-datasheet
So... ICS 932SQ420D (GLF refers to the housing type and being tube not reel delivered).


----------



## Retrorockit (Feb 17, 2019)

It's been reported that the lockup happens even with a supported PLL due to SATA going out of timing. A PCIe drive controller is reported to solve this.
The developer of SetFSB stopped supporting it (adding PLL numbers) shortly after LGA775 ended. Not too much after that.
The T3600,5600 7600 series hasn't been very popular due to the proprietary PSU, and even single CPU machines needing RDIMMs (I think). The learning curve is a little steeper, unlike The T3500 which is basically a locked BIOS X58 system.


----------



## SoNic67 (Feb 17, 2019)

That, IMO, is just a story. Changing the clock in SetFSB doesn't affect the PCIe speeds. Affects just the CPU "FSB" and the memory frequency.
However, I don't have anything on the internal SATA. Boot SSD is on a LSI SAS 2308, RAID5 drives on a more capable LSI 3ware 9750-8i.
Changing just one "tick" and hit apply locks up instantly the PC.

I think is related somehow to proprietary access to SMBus. I can "read" fine those PLL freq, but it seems that I cannot write properly the PLL registers.
Also, the memory SPD (SMBus) cannot be read by any program that I have tried. Same issue maybe?


----------



## Retrorockit (Feb 17, 2019)

Some chipset/ PLL change the SATA clock with SetFSB and going to a PCIe controller avoids that. A user at OCN with a T7400 and a supported  PLL got a SetFSB overclock that way. But if you're already using a PCIe controller something else is going on.
 Have you tried RWEverything?
http://rweverything.com/


----------



## SoNic67 (Feb 17, 2019)

Thanks for that link. I have tried but I can't see anything at the clock generator...


----------



## Retrorockit (Feb 18, 2019)

There  is a thing called TME (time management execute) Some PLL have this to lock the frequency from rising. The SATA problem appears a limited increase. The TME is  hard limit. If you can get the spec. sheet for your PLL you should be able to see this. The T7400 didn't have this because it supported 400fsb CPUs so couldn't be locked lower than that. It's usually multiplexed with a 33mhz PCI output to thwart electrical spoofing. There is a locking bit set during POST by the BIOS,  then the PCI output begins. >7h is locked<7h is open. My programming experience=0. I've only read about this. I believe Setfsb editor can read this and change it in Windows if you can figure out which bit to set.
You can look around in here.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...ing-methods-and-examples.393027/#post-4998927
The notebook stuff  is mostly Core2 Mobile CPUs on socket 478. So not directly translateable.


----------



## SoNic67 (Feb 19, 2019)

I did found that datasheet, is linked above. Now... Understanding what it means is a different problem


----------



## Retrorockit (Feb 19, 2019)

There are some FSB utilities that are based on RWEverything with a Windows shell. Might support newer chipsets also. SetFSB is not the only game in town.


----------



## Retrorockit (Feb 20, 2019)

SoNic67 said:


> I did found that datasheet, is linked above. Now... Understanding what it means is a different problem


Can you lower your BCLK? This would indicate whether or not you have a valid connection to your PLL. 
The FSB signal to the PLL is the actual frequency number translated to hexadecimal.


----------



## SoNic67 (Feb 21, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> Can you lower your BCLK?


No, it still locks up. But I am using a "close enough" PLL chip, since the exact one that is on the board is not listed....


----------



## Retrorockit (Feb 21, 2019)

The x6xx series of workstations are kind of strange. The single CPU machines seem to use the 2 CPU chipset, and 2 QPI CPUs with RDIMMS. This makes them one more step removed from unlocked gaming hardware than other Dell workstations. It also means no unlocked CPUs even for the single socket versions. Intel XTU might get you Turbo speed on all cores. I would try some other FSB tools and see if you get lucky.
 I'm seeing some pretty potent builds for that here.
https://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Dell-Precision-T7610/2081


----------



## DarthBubba (Feb 24, 2019)

Noob questions, but they're not answered in the various .pdfs that Dell has available:  Can the T3500 motherboard 09KPNV support non-ECC as well as ECC RAM?  Are there any specific voltages required for suitable RAM.  I've contacted some vendors and am relaying their replies to me.

I've already established that the DDR3 RAMs can be 1333MHz and need to be unregistered/unbuffered.  The service manual states that dual rank RAM is needed for a 24GB complement. This is for the 09KPNV mobo with an X5680 or W3680 CPU.

Thanks,

-DB


----------



## Susquehannock (Feb 25, 2019)

DarthBubba said:


> Noob questions, but they're not answered in the various .pdfs that Dell has available:  Can the T3500 motherboard 09KPNV support non-ECC as well as ECC RAM?  Are there any specific voltages required for suitable RAM.  I've contacted some vendors and am relaying their replies to me.
> 
> I've already established that the DDR3 RAMs can be 1333MHz and need to be unregistered/unbuffered.  The service manual states that dual rank RAM is needed for a 24GB complement. This is for the 09KPNV mobo with an X5680 or W3680 CPU.
> 
> ...


Yes it can. Far as I know that goes for all X58 based boards.
The T3500 service manual does state on the Specifications page:

"_Memory type: DDR3 1066 MHz & 1333 MHz (Both ECC and Non-ECC)_".

[edit]
As for voltages. Have only run 1.5v modules so far. Both XPDFK and 9KPNV boards. Hope that helps.


----------



## DarthBubba (Feb 25, 2019)

Susquehannock said:


> Yes it can. Far as I know that goes for all X58 based boards.
> The T3500 service manual does state on the Specifications page:
> 
> "_Memory type: DDR3 1066 MHz & 1333 MHz (Both ECC and Non-ECC)_".



Okay, that was on page 5, I was looking on page 74, the Memory and Supported Memory Configurations section.



Susquehannock said:


> As for voltages. Have only run 1.5v modules so far. Both XPDFK and 9KPNV boards. Hope that helps.



It does, thank you!


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Feb 25, 2019)

I run a mix of standard DDR3 2GB modules, (5x2GB), and CPU-Z still reports 1333MHz with my W3570+09KPNV.


----------



## rock (Feb 25, 2019)

hey so i am running a t3500 on a w3680 at 4.1 and a gtx 1060   and im using the stock psu

but i want to upgrade my gtx 1060 to a rtx 2060

any 1 got an idea what psu is the best for this setup.

sorry for my bad english.


----------



## DarthBubba (Feb 26, 2019)

rock said:


> hey so i am running a t3500 on a w3680 at 4.1 and a gtx 1060   and im using the stock psu
> 
> but i want to upgrade my gtx 1060 to a rtx 2060
> 
> any 1 got an idea what psu is the best for this setup.



The rtx 2060 is only 12 watts more power draw than the gtx 970 I have in my T3500 (with the original 525W PSU); you may not need a bigger PSU.  Have you added more hard drives or other internal devices?


----------



## rock (Feb 26, 2019)

DarthBubba said:


> The rtx 2060 is only 12 watts more power draw than the gtx 970 I have in my T3500 (with the original 525W PSU); you may not need a bigger PSU.  Have you added more hard drives or other internal devices?



well im getting a 1080ti 

would this psu:  *crosair cx750m psu * work with the t3500?


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## Retrorockit (Feb 26, 2019)

That PSU is designed to run a 150W GPU. 75W MB + 75W PCIe cable. Even if the 2060 takes an 8 pin connector if it's under 150W it should be OK with an adaptor.
You need to look up the TDP of a GPU not the "recommended" PSU power.
If you want something like a 1080ti than an aftermarket ATX PSU will work. Then the recommended aftermarket PSU rating will be appropriate.
There are bigger Dell PSUs that can be made to work, but you will need the exact matching wiring harness, and the MB needs to be removed to swap it out. You'll need to do that to remove the old one.
 Be sure the new PSU has an adequate 5V. rating to match the old one. Newer computers don't use it much and some newer PSUs can fall short there.


----------



## rock (Feb 26, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> That PSU is designed to run a 150W GPU. 75W MB + 75W PCIe cable. Even if the 2060 takes an 8 pin connector if it's under 150W it should be OK with an adaptor.
> You need to look up the TDP of a GPU not the "recommended" PSU power.
> If you want something like a 1080ti than an aftermarket ATX PSU will work. Then the recommended aftermarket PSU rating will be appropriate.
> There are bigger Dell PSUs that can be made to work, but you will need the exact matching wiring harness, and the MB needs to be removed to swap it out. You'll need to do that to remove the old one.
> Be sure the new PSU has an adequate 5V. rating to match the old one. Newer computers don't use it much and some newer PSUs can fall short there.




oh oke oke thank you
does the motherboard need a specific aftermarket psu?


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## Retrorockit (Feb 26, 2019)

No but quality matters. Look for ones that have been actually load tested, not just user reviews. There are tier lists. Johnnyguru ,OCN, and Tomshardware have them. Often they can be found on sale for little more than what the inferior ones sell for. The Dell PSUs are "above average" in reliability and protection. An overclocked T3500 with a big GPU will need something equl to the task.


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## rock (Feb 26, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> No but quality matters. Look for ones that have been actually load tested, not just user reviews. There are tier lists. Johnnyguru ,OCN, and Tomshardware have them. Often they can be found on sale for little more than what the inferior ones sell for. The Dell PSUs are "above average" in reliability and protection. An overclocked T3500 with a big GPU will need something equl to the task.




ight thank you very mutch


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## DarthBubba (Feb 27, 2019)

rock said:


> oh oke oke thank you
> does the motherboard need a specific aftermarket psu?



Search Ebay for "Dell T5500 J556T 0J556T Power Supply 875W."  That's the PSU for the Dell T5500, a much bigger brother to the T3500.  It's basically a drop-in replacement for the stock T3500 PSU, but with 875 Watts of Silver Rated 80+ efficiency power.  Be sure to get one WITH the wiring harness as it is a little different than the T3500's harness.  This is the unit I bought for my T3500.  Once installed it looks like the original PSU and wiring, but with two six-pin cables for the GPU, and an eight-pin connector for the extra CPU in the T5500.  DO NOT use that eight-pin connector for a graphics card unless you know how to rewire it.

If you really want an aftermarket power supply, please go to page 22 of this message forum, message #540, and watch the third video to see how someone else approached the PSU replacement using an EVGA 700B PSU.

Hope this helps...



rock said:


> well im getting a 1080ti
> 
> would this psu:  *crosair cx750m psu * work with the t3500?



The 1080Ti is a 250 Watt video card, a 750 watt PSU might be just over the minimum for hard gaming with an overclocked CPU and additional fans to keep the temperatures at reasonable levels inside the case.


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## rock (Feb 27, 2019)

DarthBubba said:


> Search Ebay for "Dell T5500 J556T 0J556T Power Supply 875W."  That's the PSU for the Dell T5500, a much bigger brother to the T3500.  It's basically a drop-in replacement for the stock T3500 PSU, but with 875 Watts of Silver Rated 80+ efficiency power.  Be sure to get one WITH the wiring harness as it is a little different than the T3500's harness.  This is the unit I bought for my T3500.  Once installed it looks like the original PSU and wiring, but with two six-pin cables for the GPU, and an eight-pin connector for the extra CPU in the T5500.  DO NOT use that eight-pin connector for a graphics card unless you know how to rewire it.
> 
> If you really want an aftermarket power supply, please go to page 22 of this message forum, message #540, and watch the third video to see how someone else approached the PSU replacement using an EVGA 700B PSU.
> 
> ...



Soo what do u recomend a 850 aftermarket psu or get a dell t5500 psu and get a adapter/connctor from 6 pin to 8x2 pcie power cabel?


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## king of swag187 (Feb 27, 2019)

Curious, but could you do the inverse? IE run the T5500's PSU with a normal system? I think I remember reading somewhere people had issues getting the PSU to start or something crazy


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## DarthBubba (Feb 27, 2019)

rock said:


> Soo what do u recomend a 850 aftermarket psu or get a dell t5500 psu and get a adapter/connctor from 6 pin to 8x2 pcie power cabel?



As I wrote earlier, I bought a Dell T5500 (Dell T5500 J556T 0J556T Power Supply 875W ) for one of my T3500s.  I think that's a recommendation.  Six-to-eight pin video adapters are 99 cents each from China; just over $3 each from US vendors (and they look just like the ones from China.)  As I type this there are several tested Dell T5500 J556T 0J556T 875W PSUs (with wiring harnesses) on Ebay for around $40 with free US delivery.  Some of the vendors have dozens of them and have very high seller ratings.  If you go this route buy two six-to-eight pin PCI-E adapters and use one on each of the Dell 875 Watt PCI-E video cables, rather than a six-pin-socket to 2 eight-pin-plugs adapter.  This is just in case the PCI-E video power cables are on different power busses.  My GTX 970 has two six-pin PCI-E sockets on its "spine," so there's no need for adapters.

My point here is that the T5500 PSU and its wiring harness are designed for the same wiring layout as in the T3500.  All the T5500 wires go right into the places where the T3500's wires went, including those two long SATA power connections for the HDs/SSDs attached to the drive "flap."  Wiring is tidy and organized, original airflow/cooling is preserved, and it just looks right.  A good aftermarket PSU will also be high quality, but you may end up with the excess length of the SATA wires for the DVD drive(s) being wadded up and shoved under the drive, and extensions plugged onto the other SATA power wires so that they reach the HDs/SSDs clear across the case.  And you'll likely pay more.

All the above is my opinion based on my experience with my personal T3500 workstation(s).  No promise or guarantee is made or implied; YMMV; experience is the best teacher - bad experiences are the lessons we remember best.  If you're a complete beginner ask a more experienced friend to watch over your shoulder so that he/she can say "Oh, I wouldn't do THAT!" right before he ducks down behind your back.  



king of swag187 said:


> Curious, but could you do the inverse? IE run the T5500's PSU with a normal system? I think I remember reading somewhere people had issues getting the PSU to start or something crazy



Given that last statement I'll stay with "I don't know."


----------



## rock (Feb 27, 2019)

DarthBubba said:


> As I wrote earlier, I bought a Dell T5500 (Dell T5500 J556T 0J556T Power Supply 875W ) for one of my T3500s.  I think that's a recommendation.  Six-to-eight pin video adapters are 99 cents each from China; just over $3 each from US vendors (and they look just like the ones from China.)  As I type this there are several tested Dell T5500 J556T 0J556T 875W PSUs (with wiring harnesses) on Ebay for around $40 with free US delivery.  Some of the vendors have dozens of them and have very high seller ratings.  If you go this route buy two six-to-eight pin PCI-E adapters and use one on each of the Dell 875 Watt PCI-E video cables, rather than a six-pin-socket to 2 eight-pin-plugs adapter.  This is just in case the PCI-E video power cables are on different power busses.  My GTX 970 has two six-pin PCI-E sockets on its "spine," so there's no need for adapters.
> 
> My point here is that the T5500 PSU and its wiring harness are designed for the same wiring layout as in the T3500.  All the T5500 wires go right into the places where the T3500's wires went, including those two long SATA power connections for the HDs/SSDs attached to the drive "flap."  Wiring is tidy and organized, original airflow/cooling is preserved, and it just looks right.  A good aftermarket PSU will also be high quality, but you may end up with the excess length of the SATA wires for the DVD drive(s) being wadded up and shoved under the drive, and extensions plugged onto the other SATA power wires so that they reach the HDs/SSDs clear across the case.  And you'll likely pay more.
> 
> ...




Well tnx m8t yea  that gave me the info that i needit 
and yea im a beginner at this stuff so yea still learing from this site but u guys give good info 100%


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## Susquehannock (Feb 27, 2019)

PSU replacement ... I can understand using another Dell unit for ease of installation. Other than that I could not with good conscience recommend a used one of unknown origin. What kind of use has it seen? Heavy load for years straight possibly. They may say the PSU is tested. Very likely that just means they hit the power switch and it worked. Doubtful the rails were tested for variance under load. 99% chance they did not hook it up to an oscilloscope. Why is any of this important? A 12 volt rail (or any other) that is fluctuating can put a lot of stress on your components.

An aftermarket PSU will give piece of mind, better connection options, and more importantly, some kind of warranty. All the connectors are same as the Dell units. Main thing to deal with is different length cables. Being a beginner you could read some online guides or watch YouTube videos to give an idea what is involved.


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## rock (Feb 27, 2019)

Susquehannock said:


> PSU replacement ... I can understand using another Dell unit for ease of installation. Other than that I could not with good conscience recommend a used one of unknown origin. What kind of use has it seen? Heavy load for years straight possibly. They may say the PSU is tested. Very likely that just means they hit the power switch and it worked. Doubtful the rails were tested for variance under load. 99% chance they did not hook it up to an oscilloscope. Why is any of this important? A 12 volt rail (or any other) that is fluctuating can put a lot of stress on your components.
> 
> An aftermarket PSU will give piece of mind, better connection options, and more importantly, some kind of warranty. All the connectors are same as the Dell units. Main thing to deal with is different length cables. Being a beginner you could read some online guides or watch YouTube videos to give an idea what is involved.




Yea i did  and i looked up on the aftermarket psu that im getting if the cpu cabel is long enough.

Im getting the croisair tx750M V2   i saw on tomshardware that it is a really good psu so yea it a bit on the expensive side but   i know that its good.


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## Susquehannock (Feb 27, 2019)

rock said:


> Yea i did  and i looked up on the aftermarket psu that im getting if the cpu cabel is long enough.
> 
> Im getting the croisair tx750M V2   i saw on tomshardware that it is a really good psu so yea it a bit on the expensive side but   i know that its good.


Seems like a decent unit. Large single 12 volt rail design which is good. Not sure how long the 8-pin CPU is. If you want to run it behind the main board like original it needs to be at least 25 inches (650mm) long. Otherwise you will need an extender.

By the way ... I am just finishing up installing one of these EVGA units in my #2 box (in signature).


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## lexluthermiester (Feb 27, 2019)

DarthBubba said:


> Search Ebay for "Dell T5500 J556T 0J556T Power Supply 875W." That's the PSU for the Dell T5500, a much bigger brother to the T3500.


This is what I would recommend because the existing wiring harness is a perfect match for that case and will work perfectly with the 825w Dell PSU, but..


rock said:


> Im getting the croisair tx750M V2


..this is also a good option. The only concern is the CPU 8pin EPS power connector cable length as it has to reach all the way down to the bottom corner of the motherboard at the bottom of the case. If it'll reach that far you'll be ok. Make sure though.


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## sepheronx (Feb 27, 2019)

@lexluthermiester 

You have a RTX2080 correct?  Which system do you have it in?  Cause I am reading that 2060 doesn't work in Legacy.  So that would mean that pretty much the RTX series are no good for the T3500?


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## rock (Feb 27, 2019)

Susquehannock said:


> Seems like a decent unit. Large single 12 volt rail design which is good. Not sure how long the 8-pin CPU is. If you want to run it behind the main board like original it needs to be at least 25 inches (650mm) long. Otherwise you will need an extender.
> 
> By the way ... I am just finishing up installing one of these EVGA units in my #2 box (in signature).



The cabel is 600mm but imma run it on top   but imma take a look at that psu that u are using   
May i ask what u are running in ur t3500?


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## Susquehannock (Feb 27, 2019)

rock said:


> The cabel is 600mm but imma run it on top   but imma take a look at that psu that u are using
> May i ask what u are running in ur t3500?


600mm may or may not be just long enough to reach. The board will need to be taken out to remove the old harness anyway.  Just a thought.
Still running the 525w Dell unit in that box. Tested it with a multimeter about a year ago and the 12 volt rail was fluctuating about 2-3% during heavy gaming with the power hungry RX 480. Not awful (5% is max) but not optimum either.

[edit]


lexluthermiester said:


> This is what I would recommend because the existing wiring harness is a perfect match for that case and will work perfectly with the 825w Dell PSU, but..


So the 525w harness works with the 825w unit? That sure makes things easier for those who want to convert. Though they would still be limited to a single 6-pin for GPU power.


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## Retrorockit (Feb 27, 2019)

The Dell PSU is thicker than the aftermarket ATX units so the swap doesn't work the other way sometimes. Also Dell makes the cables just the right length for each Dell system so you can have issues there depending on which harness you get.
 The Dell PSUs are multi rail. the power from the T5500  2nd CPU connector might not be available to power other devices depending on which rails are going to it. A single rail aftermarket PSU has all the power available at all the connectors as needed. It's more of a "universal" solution. But the T5500 PSU is a known solution as long as you get the wiring harness with the extra connectors.


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## lexluthermiester (Feb 27, 2019)

sepheronx said:


> You have a *RTX2080 correct*? Which system do you have it in? Cause I am reading that 2060 doesn't work in Legacy. So that would mean that pretty much the RTX series are no good for the T3500?


Correct. Mine plugged right in and worked first time, no issues. Maybe the Founders Edition cards are limited to UEFI? EVGA's are not.


Susquehannock said:


> So the 525w harness works with the 825w unit?


Yes, the wiring is the same.


Susquehannock said:


> Though they would still be limited to a single 6-pin for GPU power.


On one of my T3500's I got a 6pin to dual 8pin "Y" cable. The electrical load isn't a problem and everything is stable so it will be ok for the card Rock will be using.


Retrorockit said:


> The Dell PSUs are multi rail. the power from the T5500 2nd CPU connector might not be available to power other devices depending on which rails are going to it. A single rail aftermarket PSU has all the power available at all the connectors as needed. It's more of a "universal" solution. But the T5500 PSU is a known solution as long as you get the wiring harness with the extra connectors.


I think you might be right on this.

@rock
If you are going to go with a 2060 it might be a good idea to go with a brand that supports legacy bios, such as EVGA, Asus, Palit, Galax, MSI or Gigabyte.


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## rock (Feb 27, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> Correct. Mine plugged right in and worked first time, no issues. Maybe the Founders Edition cards are limited to UEFI? EVGA's are not.
> 
> On one of my T3500's I got a 6pin to dual 8pin "Y" cable. The electrical load isn't a problem and everything is stable so it will be ok for the card Rock will be using.
> 
> ...



mm oke oke yea im looking to get a deal for a gtx 1080ti so im probably gonna get that 

so a 6 to dual 8 pin is good to power a gtx 1080ti if i use the dell t5500 psu?

my other question is:  ur rtx 2080 is pcie 3.0 yea  and the t3500 pcie socket is 2.0   will that impact any performance or  just a little bit?


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## lexluthermiester (Feb 27, 2019)

rock said:


> im looking to get a deal for a gtx 1080ti so im probably gonna get that


That's a great card, however there is one catch, the 1080ti is a high wattage card..


rock said:


> so a 6 to dual 8 pin is good to power a gtx 1080ti if i use the dell t5500 psu?


If you are going to get that card, the 825w PSU makes more sense and make sure you get the T5500 cable harness with it as that card will need power from the additional 12v rails.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-J556T...-Workstation-Power-Supply-TESTED/253458934454
$50 with cables + $13 for shipping
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Precision-T5500-825W-Power-Supply-N875EF-00/352565582222
$40 shipped but without cables
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Preci...omputer-Power-Supply-Cable-R951H/123632153037
$13 shipped for cables

However, this one is the best value I found, 875w PSU with the cable harness;
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Preci...-Harness-D-PN-0J556T-DP-N-0W299G/202562487525
$35 shipped
That is the one I'd go with if you're going to get the 1080TI, and it's a great deal from a good seller!


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## rock (Feb 27, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> That's a great card, however there is one catch, the 1080ti is a high wattage card..
> 
> If you are going to get that card, the 825w PSU makes more sense and make sure you get the T5500 cable harness with it as that card will need power from the additional 12v rails.
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-J556T...-Workstation-Power-Supply-TESTED/253458934454
> ...





Yea that is way cheaper 


The 1080ti draws allot of power yea i might look at something a little bit cheaper and less power hungry
What would u recomend for good 2560×1440p wqhd gaming?


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## Susquehannock (Feb 27, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> That's a great card, however there is one catch, the 1080ti is a high wattage card..


Yes indeed. nVidia lists the 1080ti at 250 watts. You would be pushing it trying to power with the Dell unit's single 18 amp rail in my opinion.

As for the 6-pin on 525w unit. My concern was not so much power available but connectors. Some that are using older cards may require more than one. Have a 560ti (170w card) in my second box. Two 6-pin connectors needed. Using Dell PSU meant connecting the only 6-pin, then 4-pin molex to 6-pin adapter for the other. Made me cringe since that is recipe for 'magic smoke' but it was all I could do at the time. Only ran a few tests and watched that single 12 volt wire on the second connector closely.


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## Retrorockit (Feb 27, 2019)

The GTX 1070 sneaks in at 150W and should be OK on the 525W PSU with a 6 to 8 pin adaptor. IDK if it can do what you want or not, but it's probably as good as it gets w/o a PSU upgrade.
 Lex is right about UEFI and various vendors. Zotac and PNY tend to be Legacy and MSI has worked for me with their recent cards but some older ones had issues.
You could go to userbenchmark.com and see what cards others have had success with.
https://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Dell-Precision-WorkStation-T3500--/2522


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## rock (Feb 27, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> The GTX 1070 sneaks in at 150W and should be OK on the 525W PSU with a 6 to 8 pin adaptor. IDK if it can do what you want or not, but it's probably as good as it gets w/o a PSU upgrade.



mmm yea that could work 2

well tnx everyone for the help


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## lexluthermiester (Feb 27, 2019)

rock said:


> The 1080ti draws allot of power yea i might look at something a little bit cheaper and less power hungry
> What would u recomend for good 2560×1440p wqhd gaming?


I would say if you can get a 1080ti for a good deal, grab that 875w PSU with it and have fun. That combo will provide a great gaming experience at 1440p and for a few years yet to come!


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## Susquehannock (Feb 27, 2019)

Not to be hating on the 875w unit. You might consider a new one like this for about same price as those used ones. If only powering one CPU and graphics card, and not a lot of accessories, 600w should be more than adequate.

Be that as it may ... typing this from box #2 now. Plugging away with the EVGA 750w installed. Ran FurMark for over two hours just to stress things. All good thus far. Only issue with install was the retaining tabs as shown in post #576. The 8-pin CPU connector is bulky and a tight fit with the front fan assembly. And I sure would like to cut about 15 inches of wire from this 24-pin connector. One nice thing about the proprietary harness. Only long as it need be for the application.

[edit]
Found that same EVGA 600w from two suppliers at under $33 with rebate. Offer ends tomorrow.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1012720-REG/evga_100_b1_0600_kr_600b_bronze_power_supply.html
https://www.outletpc.com/gc2222-evga-600b-80-plus-bronze-atx-power-supply.html


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## rock (Feb 27, 2019)

Susquehannock said:


> Not to be hating on the 875w unit. You might consider a new one like this for about same price as those used ones. If only powering one CPU and graphics card, and not a lot of accessories, 600w should be more than adequate.
> 
> Be that as it may ... typing this from box #2 now. Plugging away with the EVGA 750w installed. Ran FurMark for over two hours just to stress things. All good thus far. Only issue with install was the retaining tabs as shown in post #576. The 8-pin CPU connector is bulky and a tight fit with the front fan assembly. And I sure would like to cut about 15 inches of wire from this 24-pin connector. One nice thing about the proprietary harness. Only long as it need be for the application.
> 
> ...



Yea i know what u mean   the aftermarket psu are more relible cause they are newer  ill take a look  tnx for sharing


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## Susquehannock (Feb 28, 2019)

rock said:


> Yea i know what u mean   the aftermarket psu are more relible cause they are newer  ill take a look  tnx for sharing


Seriously considering one of those for myself. The B series are not top of the line but decent. And a deal at $33. Trying to figure out what form the rebate comes in. If they mail a check I am there.


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## lexluthermiester (Feb 28, 2019)

Susquehannock said:


> Found that same EVGA 600w from two suppliers at under $33 with rebate. Offer ends tomorrow.


That as long as the rebate is easy to get back. Still though, I have a lot of confidence in Dell's PSUs, even the used ones. Dell's quality controls are very strict and demanding resulting in them remaining solid for many years. Never had one fail on me and have rarely had to replace them in client machines. Additionally, I've bought from that seller and they are very professional and I recommended that 875W PSU with confidence from them. Still it's up to @rock.


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## rock (Feb 28, 2019)

yea im gonna keep looking see whats best for me


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## pawnslinger (Feb 28, 2019)

I am a newbie to this forum and to Dell Workstations.  I have worked on and own several Optiplex's, but a couple of weeks ago I acquired my first T5500, a dual X5675 system with 24GB of ram and 2x 500GB HDDs.  It has the 875W psu.  I have added a 1TB ssd and some fans and a fan controller.  The cpu on the motherboard has the upgraded mini tower cooler.

I am running into a problem that may seem a bit strange.  Once I am finished setting up the system, it will live in my living room, running headless next to my router/cable modem.  And there is the rub.  In testing the system is running fine, but a little loud.  I installed Speedfan, with the Dell optiuon enabled, and that has helped somewhat, but the fans are not very responsive.  They seem to be either on very low or very high.  Not much of a happy medium.  So I was thinking about moving it all to a new case with better ventilation.

However this presents a problem.  The mobo is a reversed (upside down) ATX form factor (maybe a little wider than it should be), so when I mount it in the new case I am worried about the riser card for the 2nd cpu.  Am I right to be worried?  Is the riser card secure hanging from the top of the board, if I reverse the board to fit a full or mid tower case?

Or should I just put up with the noise?

I am using the system on a 50% utilization basis, long term, as a Chess server.  The temps are very good so far, so I may try for more utilization, if I could get it up to 80% I would be ecstatic.  But I believe the noise of the fans in the current case would be too loud to support that level.  The usage of the system will basically be at a constant level for long periods, as Chess positions are deeply analyzed.

Any help or advice would be appreciated.  Thanks!


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## rock (Feb 28, 2019)

soo i was doing some benchmarks today and noticed that my ssd score was lower because its using sata 2.0.

i know that the t3500 does not have a sata 3.0 slot so how can i upgrade to sata 3.0?  

im using the ssd for booting and a few games.


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## king of swag187 (Mar 1, 2019)

It shouldn't realistically matter, but a SATA card would solve that, not sure if you will loose being able to boot off it however


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## lexluthermiester (Mar 1, 2019)

rock said:


> i know that the t3500 does not have a sata 3.0 slot so how can i upgrade to sata 3.0?


In real world practical usage, you're not going to feel a difference. However, if you want to..


king of swag187 said:


> It shouldn't realistically matter, but a SATA card would solve that, not sure if you will loose being able to boot off it however


..make sure you get a PCIE Sata card with a boot rom on board.


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## rock (Mar 1, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> In real world practical usage, you not going to feel a difference. However, if you want to..
> 
> ..make sure you get a PCIE Sata card with a boot rom on board.



Will do  tnx


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## SoNic67 (Mar 1, 2019)

rock said:


> soo i was doing some benchmarks today and noticed that my ssd score was lower because its using sata 2.0.
> 
> i know that the t3500 does not have a sata 3.0 slot so how can i upgrade to sata 3.0?
> 
> im using the ssd for booting and a few games.



I wasn't able to boot from multiple PCI-e card on my T3500. Even if the adapter BIOS code was recognized (it would appear on the screen), that controller it would NOT see the attached SSD's in BIOS. This was true for three different cards with ASMEDIA ASM1061 chip.
Funny, if I was booting from other device, once Windows was up and running, with drivers active, devices connected to the adapter would be seen.
More, I have replaced the Motherboard with a T5500 one and I had almost the same results.
Eventually I found a controller that seemed to work, with Marvell 88SE9235 chipset:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/PCIe-x2-longer-slot-SATA-III-4-port-PCI-e-Ver-2-V2-0/273596717064
However, that came with a power filtering capacitor un-soldered from board (in was rolling in the box) and it was unstable, so I return it. After all that trying I decided to splurge $500 on a Dell T7610 with two CPU and native SATA3, USB3.
My thread:
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/sata3-adapter-on-dell-t5500.252155/


----------



## rock (Mar 1, 2019)

SoNic67 said:


> I wasn't able to boot from multiple PCI-e card on my T3500. Even if the adapter BIOS code was recognized (it would appear on the screen), that controller it would NOT see the attached SSD's in BIOS. This was true for three different cards with ASMEDIA ASM1061 chip.
> Funny, if I was booting from other device, once Windows was up and running, with drivers active, devices connected to the adapter would be seen.
> More, I have replaced the Motherboard with a T5500 one and I had almost the same results.
> Eventually I found a controller that seemed to work, with Marvell 88SE9235 chipset:
> ...




tnx for sharing i think imma stay with the normal 2.0    

de difference between 2.0 and 3.0 isnt allot right?


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## king of swag187 (Mar 1, 2019)

Its around double, but you shouldn't see the difference IRL unless you're constantly moving around files anyways


----------



## SoNic67 (Mar 1, 2019)

Is not double in reality... My SSD's speed tests for SSD (and not only) are posted here to compare SATA2 with SATA3:
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/post-your-crystaldiskmark-speeds.250319/


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## rock (Mar 1, 2019)

king of swag187 said:


> Its around double, but you shouldn't see the difference IRL unless you're constantly moving around files anyways




soo i guess that the m.2 pcie ssd is not bootable either?


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## king of swag187 (Mar 1, 2019)

I would assume not


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## rock (Mar 1, 2019)

king of swag187 said:


> I would assume not



yea ill keep it like it is tnx for the info


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## lexluthermiester (Mar 1, 2019)

rock said:


> yea ill keep it like it is tnx for the info


If you change your mind, both of the following are known to work in T3500/T5500/T7500 series PC's;
Syba SI-PEX40071
https://www.sybausa.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=160
Highpoint Rocket 620A
http://www.highpoint-tech.com/USA_new/series_r600-overview.htm

For Sata M.2 bootable cards, Startech makes a good one;
https://www.startech.com/Cards-Adap...s/pcie-m2-ngff-ssd-adapter-card~PEXM2SAT32N1#


----------



## rock (Mar 1, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> If you change your mind, both of the following are known to work in T3500/T5500/T7500 series PC's;
> Syba SI-PEX40071
> https://www.sybausa.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=160
> Highpoint Rocket 620A
> ...



so i can use these to boot and they work better then 2.0?


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## lexluthermiester (Mar 1, 2019)

rock said:


> so i can use these to boot and they work better then 2.0?


They do run faster, but whether or not you'll actually "feel" the difference with SSDs is debatable. Mostly they're used for mechanical HDDs to help improve performance. 

The M.2 card however will give the ability to add M.2 Sata(not NVME) drives to a system without M.2.


----------



## rock (Mar 1, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> They do run faster, but whether or not you'll actually "feel" the difference with SSDs is debatable. Mostly they're used for mechanical HDDs to help improve performance.
> 
> The M.2 card however will give the ability to add M.2 Sata(not NVME) drives to a system without M.2.



yea whats the point getting it then if u dont see the difference  i might upgrade later but for now imma let it like it is. ty


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## Susquehannock (Mar 1, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> If you change your mind, both of the following are known to work in T3500/T5500/T7500 series PC's;
> Syba SI-PEX40071
> https://www.sybausa.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=160
> Highpoint Rocket 620A
> http://www.highpoint-tech.com/USA_new/series_r600-overview.htm


Work with and backward compatible - yes. Without an onboard controller chipset, and only using one bus lane, how do they increase speed? Can anyone show me actual benchmarks where such cards approach SATA 3.0 speeds in a 2.0 system?


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## lexluthermiester (Mar 2, 2019)

Susquehannock said:


> Work with and backward compatible - yes. Without an onboard controller chipset, and only using one bus lane, how do they increase speed? Can anyone show me actual benchmarks where such cards approach SATA 3.0 speeds in a 2.0 system?


To be fair I've never actually benchmarked them. I'd imagine there's at least some improvement. They've mostly been used to make more drives available to the system. There are also RAID variations of these cards which are used for obvious purposes.


----------



## TopHatProductions115 (Mar 2, 2019)

Hey - I currently have Precision T7500 with a pair of X5680's and 48GB (all 4GB sticks), and am just curious as to how high I can push FSB (or other frequency/clocks) before the onBoard SATA and other components start acting squirrelly. I was reading around when I ran into pages similar to this:

https://www.overclock.net/forum/5-i...rclocking-dual-xeon-dell-precision-t7500.html
But, since I have no way of obtaining a PCIe SSD or anything of the sort (to free myself from the use of onBoard SATA), I'm forced to use a more tame FSB adjustment, if applicable. What are your suggestions?


----------



## rock (Mar 2, 2019)

well im back with another question....

so right now i have the stock 2x 120mm fans in front but thez make allot of noise..

i was looking around and found this:




 soo my question is if i get a 4 pin fan that has a lower DB   and cut the wire of the fan  and solder them to the 4 wires of the 5pin del connector would that work? 

i know the that the normal dell fan is  0.9A   so do i need to get a  0.9A fan as well?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 3, 2019)

rock said:


> well im back with another question....
> 
> so right now i have the stock 2x 120mm fans in front but thez make allot of noise..
> 
> ...


A little while back this discussion came up. You can get adapters for normal fans to plug into Dell jacks, and they're inexpensive.
Amazon;
https://www.amazon.com/Pocaton-Female-Socket-Connector-Cooling/dp/B073XJV5L9
Ebay;
https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-pin-to-4...Line-Extension-Cable-For-Dell-JK/153395075498



rock said:


> i know the that the normal dell fan is 0.9A so do i need to get a 0.9A fan as well?


The fan jacks on Dell motherboards are rated from up to 3.0A(IIRC) so you do not have to limit yourself. In one of my systems a pair of these are installed;
https://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-SickleFlow-120-Radiators/dp/B0046U6DTC


----------



## rock (Mar 3, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> A little while back this discussion came up. You can get adapters for normal fans to plug into Dell jacks, and they're inexpensive.
> Amazon;
> https://www.amazon.com/Pocaton-Female-Socket-Connector-Cooling/dp/B073XJV5L9
> Ebay;
> ...



o that would save me some time nice tnx

do u know what the db and the cfm is of the stock 120mm dell fans?


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## lexluthermiester (Mar 3, 2019)

rock said:


> o that would save me some time nice tnx


No worries, YW.


rock said:


> do u know what the db and the cfm is of the stock 120mm dell fans?


That's a good question. I know that the Cooler Master fans are about the same noise level and they claim to be 19db but they seem to push more air than the stock Dell fans;
http://www.coolermaster.com/product/Detail_aj01/cooling/P1302180347c280/Specs.html


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## pawnslinger (Mar 5, 2019)

rock said:


> well im back with another question....
> 
> so right now i have the stock 2x 120mm fans in front but thez make allot of noise..
> 
> ...



The first thing I would be careful about is make sure that the replacement fans offer adequate CFM.  While the Dell fans (Foxcon) are noisy, they move a lot of air.  I believe they are rated around 150 CFM.  A quiet fan is going to be a lot less than that.  But there are some relatively quiet high output fans on the market, just avoid the mistake I made, avoid the super quiet 1000 RPM fans.  They just won't push enough air.  

I am told that replacement fans might also run into a F1 boot error... apparantly some fans do and some fans don't.  I am not sure which do and which don't.  I am running my Dell headless, so this was a big deal for me (no keyboard attached to hit F1).

You can run a fan that uses less than 0.9 amp, but I would not exceed that value.  I would avoid fans, like some Delta fans, that pull 3 amps.  They are way to amp humgry.  Most fans should be okay though, for example, the new Noctua 3000 RPM fan pulls less than 1 amp.


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## rock (Mar 5, 2019)

pawnslinger said:


> The first thing I would be careful about is make sure that the replacement fans offer adequate CFM.  While the Dell fans (Foxcon) are noisy, they move a lot of air.  I believe they are rated around 150 CFM.  A quiet fan is going to be a lot less than that.  But there are some relatively quiet high output fans on the market, just avoid the mistake I made, avoid the super quiet 1000 RPM fans.  They just won't push enough air.
> 
> I am told that replacement fans might also run into a F1 boot error... apparantly some fans do and some fans don't.  I am not sure which do and which don't.  I am running my Dell headless, so this was a big deal for me (no keyboard attached to hit F1).
> 
> You can run a fan that uses less than 0.9 amp, but I would not exceed that value.  I would avoid fans, like some Delta fans, that pull 3 amps.  They are way to amp humgry.  Most fans should be okay though, for example, the new Noctua 3000 RPM fan pulls less than 1 amp.



yea i was looking around and found these: *noctua nf-a12x25 pwm*   it puts around 60 cfm and 20 db max

but i might do a mod that i can fit 2x 140mm like these: *noctua nf a14 industrial-ppc * the put out 159 cfm and has a 35 db at max so yea there a little bit expensive.


----------



## pawnslinger (Mar 5, 2019)

rock said:


> yea i was looking around and found these: *noctua nf-a12x25 pwm*   it puts around 60 cfm and 20 db max
> 
> but i might do a mod that i can fit 2x 140mm like these: *noctua nf a14 industrial-ppc * the put out 159 cfm and has a 35 db at max so yea there a little bit expensive.



Those are good choices, but I was thinking more along the lines of Noctua NF-F12 iPPC 3000 PWM.  The NF-F12 iPPC puts out a little less air than the 140mm one, but you don't have to mod anything, it should fit.  I think it pushes about 10 CFM less than the 140mm.  The 120mm is slightly more noisy than the 140mm.  I guess the bigger they are, the quieter they are.


----------



## Retrorockit (Mar 5, 2019)

TopHatProductions115 said:


> Hey - I currently have Precision T7500 with a pair of X5680's and 48GB (all 4GB sticks), and am just curious as to how high I can push FSB (or other frequency/clocks) before the onBoard SATA and other components start acting squirrelly. I was reading around when I ran into pages similar to this:
> 
> https://www.overclock.net/forum/5-i...rclocking-dual-xeon-dell-precision-t7500.html
> But, since I have no way of obtaining a PCIe SSD or anything of the sort (to free myself from the use of onBoard SATA), I'm forced to use a more tame FSB adjustment, if applicable. What are your suggestions?


There are many surplus PCIe SATA controller cards available to move onto the PCIe bus using your existing SATA drives.
SetFSB has not been supported for a very long time. There are other FSB utilities based on RW Everything that don't have the SATA issue (I've beeen told). When you start overclocking locked BIOS Dell 2 CPU workstations you're going to have to do some of your own R&D work. Nobody really knows the answer, and others don't usually post what doesn't work so even that information isn't available. The terminology changed from FSB to BCLK with the move away from LGA775/771 so that may help with your searches.
SoftFSB, CPUFSB, GetFSB, and Clockgen are some of the others.



rock said:


> so right now i have the stock 2x 120mm fans in front but thez make allot of noise..


The other thing about the Dell fans is they are 120x38mm and most aftermarket fans are 120x25mm. The Foxconn fan is 150CFM ( says so right on the fan). Some of the older 2 CPU workstations like the 490 had a much bigger 150x50mm 275CFM fan with a smalller 92mm case fan. It draws 1.8A and would need both pairs of power leads to run it. It's very quiet but you will need to remove the HDD tray to make room for it, and power the cage fan from somehwere else. I show the mod in the TS overclocking thread on page 8. The first photo got moved to last place. If you start the sldeshow from the last photo it will make sense. Post #186
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/page-8


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## king of swag187 (Mar 5, 2019)

Would you happen to have a P/N on the 275CFM fans?


----------



## rock (Mar 5, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> The other thing about the Dell fans is they are 120x38mm and most aftermarket fans are 120x25mm. The Foxconn fan is 150CFM ( says so right on the fan). Some of the older 2 CPU workstations like the 490 had a much bigger 150x50mm 275CFM fan with a smalller 92mm case fan. It draws 1.8A and would need both pairs of power leads to run it. It's very quiet but you will need to remove the HDD tray to make room for it, and power the cage fan from somehwere else. I show the mod in the TS overclocking thread on page 8. The first photo got moved to last place. If you start the sldeshow from the last photo it will make sense. Post #186
> https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/page-8



mm that looks good yea how do u power it do? did u solder the 2    5pin wires to 1 fan?


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## Retrorockit (Mar 5, 2019)

Part numbers are in the page I linked to. You want the whole Precision 490 fan assy. since it drop right into the T3500/5500 case, and the matching 2nd fan also.
I would just pair up the 2x12V. wire, 2 x Grd wires, and 2x rpm wires, and leave the aux. fan PWM wire off. This will give 1.8A. power, and the BIOS will sense a fan on both headers, but the speed will be just CPU temperature based.  There is a 3rd fan header for an HDD fan on the MB. I would power the aux. cage fan from there.
http://www.globalcomputerparts.net/us/proddetail.php?prod=JD850


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## rock (Mar 5, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> Part numbers are in the page I linked to. You want the whole Precision 490 fan assy. since it drop right into the T3500/5500 case, and the matching 2nd fan also.
> I would just pair up the 2x12V. wire, 2 x Grd wires, and 2x rpm wires, and leave the aux. fan PWM wire off. This will give 1.8A. power, and the BIOS will sense a fan on both headers, but the speed will be just CPU temperature based.  There is a 3rd fan header for an HDD fan on the MB. I would power the aux. cage fan from there.
> http://www.globalcomputerparts.net/us/proddetail.php?prod=JD850



mm tnx for the info is it really quiet or is it like the 2x 120mm? and do u know the db?


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## Retrorockit (Mar 6, 2019)

It's a 2000RPM Max. fan. IDK the decibles but it's not obnoxious at full speed, and the rating is usually irrelevant since you're not likely to ever hear it above 1200RPM anyway. It doesn't need to speed up very often. Idles at 900rpm. You will hear a bunch of air moving around if you turn it up.


----------



## rock (Mar 6, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> It's a 2000RPM Max. fan. IDK the decibles but it's not obnoxious at full speed, and the rating is usually irrelevant since you're not likely to ever hear it above 1200RPM anyway. It doesn't need to speed up very often. Idles at 900rpm. You will hear a bunch of air moving around if you turn it up.



mm oke yea ill try that instead it mutch cheaper   tnx for the help


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## pawnslinger (Mar 7, 2019)

rock said:


> mm oke yea ill try that instead it mutch cheaper   tnx for the help



Okay, I just replaced my front fans with 2 Noctua 120mm iPPC fans.  At first I got the F1 boot error, but with no keyboard attached, I just powered down and up again.  On the 2nd power-up the F1 error did not re-appear!!  So looks like I am okay.


----------



## Retrorockit (Mar 9, 2019)

FWIW the AFC1512DG 150x50mm Delta fan is what I upgraded to from the 120x50mm 2 motor GFB1212VHG 3.4A fan.  More air, less noise and less power required.


----------



## Retrorockit (Mar 10, 2019)

In my Optiplex 380 with 120W X5470 running Prime 95 small FFT @ 1200RPM I get 52*C.,and @ 2000RPM I get 42*C. I did undervolt this CPU to 1.125V. to research Manguptas situation. I think it was 57*C at stock Voltage and maybe PWM?  This is in 76*F A/C environment. This is with an old Opti 745 heatpipe cooler D9729. This would be the stock cooler for a 120W Pentium D Opitiplex. Of course in the old BTX Optis the fan is completely ducted to the cooler. A situation I was trying to duplicate with my fan/ cooler mod on page 8 of the TSOC thread.


----------



## Retrorockit (Mar 13, 2019)

The 2nd video above also shows why I'm not in a hurry to install exhaust fans when using these blowers. But I do use them if I have GPU or other areas being heated up by the CPU outlet air.
You could install 2x80mm outlet fans and not even have to plug them in!


----------



## rock (Mar 14, 2019)

is the w3690 unlocked and is it better then the w3680?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 14, 2019)

rock said:


> is the w3690 unlocked and is it better then the w3680?


Only slightly, and it's much more expensive. So unless you get one for a great deal, go with the W3680.


----------



## ManGupta (Mar 14, 2019)

I am getting this Boot Error Message on my Dell Precision T3500  too often nowadays. 

But after 4-5 Restarts my system boots successfully to Windows 10. 

But after shutdown whenever I start my T3500, sometimes my system boots and sometimes it does not,  giving this boot error message. 
In case of boot error, after 4-5 restarts system boots to windows 10.

I changed both power cable and sata cable. But still the problem persists. This is happening only since last few days.

Request forum members to advice me on solution to this issue.

Thanks in advance.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 14, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> I am getting this Boot Error Message on my Dell Precision T3500  too often nowadays.
> 
> But after 4-5 Restarts my system boots successfully to Windows 10.
> 
> ...


You might have a drive going bad, a bad SATA cable or PSU problem. So get a different SATA cable and see if the problem still persists . If it does, get a known working drive and test to see if the same issue happens.. If the problem persists after that, you might have a power supply going out. Might also be the motherboard. It doesn't happen often, but it is possible.



hat said:


> A bit off topic, but I gotta say I'm eyeballing these used workstations. It appears the T7500 is dual CPU? Dual 6 core Xeons would really kick ass for multithreaded workloads (thinking mainly WCG). And they can be found cheap.
> 
> I'm still not sure I'd ever buy a new prebuilt system, but the _used_ prebuilt market seems fantastic these days.


@MrGenius @hat 
Bringing that over to this thread, both the T5500 and the T7500 are available in dual CPU configurations. A pair of X56xx CPU's would give a serious(and still relevant) level of processor power, even though they're older.


----------



## ManGupta (Mar 15, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> @MrGenius @hat
> Bringing that over to this thread, both the T5500 and the T7500 are available in dual CPU configurations. A pair of X56xx CPU's would give a serious(and still relevant) level of processor power, even though they're older.



If you want more horsepower for your system, you may also consider T7600
T7600 supports dual 8C/16T processor + Quad Channel Memory bandwidth Vs T7500 Dual 6C/12T processor + Tripple Channel Memory bandwidth.

However used T7600 may be priced higher giving lesser Price to Performance ratio as compared to T7500/T5500/T3500.
But if you get any good deal, it may be worth going for.

PS- T7600 also supports PCIE 3 & USB 3 Vs T7500 PCDIE 2 & USB 2 (However PCIE USB3 Adapter can enable support for USB3 in T3500/7500/5500)


----------



## Retrorockit (Mar 15, 2019)

"I'm still not sure I'd ever buy a new prebuilt system, but the _used_ prebuilt market seems fantastic these days. "

If you're earning your living with a computer or running a large business the prebuilts with warranty and tech support are the way to go. But for an individual who does their own support, the cost- performance of the used workstations is hard to beat. The 3600/5600/7600 systems are a bit different in the PSU dept. and the single CPU machines run dual CPU processors and RDIMM RAM. This makes modding more restricted so you should buy one with the performance you need already available.


----------



## TopHatProductions115 (Mar 16, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> There are many surplus PCIe SATA controller cards available to move onto the PCIe bus using your existing SATA drives.
> SetFSB has not been supported for a very long time. There are other FSB utilities based on RW Everything that don't have the SATA issue (I've beeen told). When you start overclocking locked BIOS Dell 2 CPU workstations you're going to have to do some of your own R&D work. Nobody really knows the answer, and others don't usually post what doesn't work so even that information isn't available. The terminology changed from FSB to BCLK with the move away from LGA775/771 so that may help with your searches.
> SoftFSB, CPUFSB, GetFSB, and Clockgen are some of the others.
> ...



I apologise for being unlcear when I mentioned this, but the reason I can't acquire any new hardware right now is due to monetary concerns. So, I'm currently stuck with on-board SATA for the foreseeable future. With that said, I went on and looked into the tools that you mentioned, since SetFSB is woefully out-of-date and unsupported. The only one that still supported and looks current is Clockgen (from what I saw). I'll have to start searching for the PLL  model of my workstation now. Once I get that info, I'll be able to use Clockgen properly...

EDIT :: I went on and downloaded ClockGen. The UI doesn't allow me to edit anything  And it looks different from what the website depicts it. Something tells me that this application isn't compatible with Windows 10


----------



## Caring1 (Mar 17, 2019)

TopHatProductions115 said:


> EDIT :: I went on and downloaded ClockGen. The UI doesn't allow me to edit anything  And it looks different from what the website depicts it. Something tells me that this application isn't compatible with Windows 10


Either look for a modified BIOS or try Throttlestop, that may give options that help.


----------



## Retrorockit (Mar 17, 2019)

I mentioned the T3600/5600/7600 series but there is a lesser known T3610 which is making some interesting numbers at userbenchmark.com
https://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Dell-Precision-T3610/1177
E5-1650 v2 looks like a good CPU for those. Many of the E series Xeons were unlocked so a TS overclock could be possible.
https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/xeons-with-an-open-multiplier.15983/page-3
I know nothing more about these systems or modding them. But people are getting 1080 and 2080 GPUs running so I guess PSU isn't an issue at some level.


----------



## Retrorockit (Mar 22, 2019)

I'm seeing reports of 8 core CPUs running in T3600s.  IDK if it's only 2 CPU versions or the possibly unlocked single CPU chips.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 22, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> I'm seeing reports of 8 core CPUs running in T3600s.  IDK if it's only 2 CPU versions or the possibly unlocked single CPU chips.


I thought they were available like that from Dell? Fairly certain they work without a hitch.


----------



## dorsetknob (Mar 22, 2019)

if its a westmere Xeon   its LGA 1567  8 and 10 core varients


----------



## Retrorockit (Mar 23, 2019)

There seems to be an optional proprietary 685W PSU for the 3600/3610 that can power the newer high end GPUs.


----------



## ManGupta (Mar 29, 2019)

Apart from Dell Workstations 3500/5500/7500 ......... other option include Dell servers like Poweredge R410 ....... which can be Modded and converted into a Gaming and/or Productivity PC.


----------



## M0rafic (Mar 31, 2019)

Hi, this is my first post here. Oh for the days when I worked in server support for Dell and was just given servers to play with (so long as they were 12 months old no-one wanted them back ...) and I got a healthy discount if I needed to buy stuff. AnyHoo As I type this any my suitably overclocked 12 year old  3.2 GHz m1330  I was wondering if you had any problems with the Noctua fans in your T7500 as I was thinking of trying some in my T7500. I picked it up off fleabay for £30 including delivery and the poor guy put his back out carrying it from the van. It only had one x5520 but I managed to find a cheap riser, upped the ram to 48Gb but could only stretch to a pair of X5650's for £25.  I did splash out on a WD Black NVMe to as a boot disk (which is bloody fast even at PCIe2.0 speeds). Just now it has received a perc H710 ( I put in a low bid and was the only bidder again on fleabay along with 4 Hitachi 3TB SAS2 drives which were new but had been sat on a shelf since 2012 and so were also cheap.  Unfortunately the new bit (the £25 4 way mini SAS cable seems to have a duff connector on it so I can only get three of the disks to work. Its raid5  so random reads and writes aren't great but sequential reads and writes are at Sata3 ssd speeds so I'm pretty happy apart from the cable though performance may well improve once the virtual disk has finished initialising. I copied about 250Gb onto it earlier from an external usb2 drive and found it quit amusing that the poor old usb drive was maxed out at 34Mb/s and nothing else was happening except the occasional flicker to 1% activity on the perc and the music the T7500 was streaming.  I'm no longer exactly mobile and I live in the middle of nowhere so fleabay is really the only option for getting stuff, unfortunately. The only slight annoyance now is that now the T7500 no longer has a Sata hard drive in it and the perc isn't setup as a boot drive I have to press F1. Bummer.


----------



## ManGupta (Mar 31, 2019)

M0rafic said:


> Hi, this is my first post here. Oh for the days when I worked in server support for Dell and was just given servers to play with (so long as they were 12 months old no-one wanted them back ...) and I got a healthy discount if I needed to buy stuff. AnyHoo As I type this any my suitably overclocked 12 year old  3.2 GHz m1330  I was wondering if you had any problems with the Noctua fans in your T7500 as I was thinking of trying some in my T7500. I picked it up off fleabay for £30 including delivery and the poor guy put his back out carrying it from the van. It only had one x5520 but I managed to find a cheap riser, upped the ram to 48Gb but could only stretch to a pair of X5650's for £25.  I did splash out on a WD Black NVMe to as a boot disk (which is bloody fast even at PCIe2.0 speeds). Just now it has received a perc H710 ( I put in a low bid and was the only bidder again on fleabay along with 4 Hitachi 3TB SAS2 drives which were new but had been sat on a shelf since 2012 and so were also cheap.  Unfortunately the new bit (the £25 4 way mini SAS cable seems to have a duff connector on it so I can only get three of the disks to work. Its raid5  so random reads and writes aren't great but sequential reads and writes are at Sata3 ssd speeds so I'm pretty happy apart from the cable though performance may well improve once the virtual disk has finished initialising. I copied about 250Gb onto it earlier from an external usb2 drive and found it quit amusing that the poor old usb drive was maxed out at 34Mb/s and nothing else was happening except the occasional flicker to 1% activity on the perc and the music the T7500 was streaming.  I'm no longer exactly mobile and I live in the middle of nowhere so fleabay is really the only option for getting stuff, unfortunately. The only slight annoyance now is that now the T7500 no longer has a Sata hard drive in it and the perc isn't setup as a boot drive I have to press F1. Bummer.



Hi M0rafic, Wecome to the forum.

I think Noctura Fan maybe possible in T7500.  Retrorockit has done some awesome Fan Mods in his T5500 system. You can browse for his posts. T7500 being a bigger case will have more room to play with fans.

I had bought X5680 for $35 from Aliexpress, but now price seems to have moved up a bit.

What mod you did to make NVME to work as a boot drive ?

Link to some of the Retrorockit's post -



https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/...ocking-desktop-pcs.235975/page-8#post-3825043

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/...ocking-desktop-pcs.235975/page-9#post-3828002

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/dell-workstation-owners-club.243124/page-16#post-3942913

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/dell-workstation-owners-club.243124/page-17#post-3943654

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/dell-workstation-owners-club.243124/page-18#post-3946579

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/dell-workstation-owners-club.243124/page-18#post-3946602

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/dell-workstation-owners-club.243124/page-28#post-4008839

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/...cking-desktop-pcs.235975/page-18#post-3893645

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/...cking-desktop-pcs.235975/page-18#post-3893947


https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/...cking-desktop-pcs.235975/page-24#post-3974225


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## M0rafic (Mar 31, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> Hi M0rafic, Wecome to the forum.
> 
> I think Noctura Fan maybe possible in T7500.  Retrorockit has done some awesome Fan Mods in his T5500 system. You can browse for his posts. T7500 being a bigger case will have more room to play with fans.
> 
> ...




I used a kryoM.2 card (a decent bit of kit if a little pricey) an old scabby usb stick I found down the side of the sofa and a combination of Duet & Refind which together form a sort of cut down version of the Clover UEFI used for creating a Hacintosh.  I did contemplate dual booting the T7500 as a Hacintosh but I grew up with 3 button mice and one button is just plain wrong. Should you be interested the info can be found here:-

https://www.win-raid.com/t3286f50-G...h-legacy-BIOS-and-older-UEFI-DUET-REFIND.html 

read page one and then from around page 20 as the info you need is on page one but it was updated at around the same time that the posts between about pages 17 - 23 were made so some of page one post dates quite a lot of what appears to come after it.

I shall go and have a look at Retrorockits fan mods, if the Noctua fans do move enough air and are nice and quiet then they may be well be worth the extra and a little investigation.  There are a pair of X5680's on fleabay at the moment from China but I don't have the £95 their asking. The T7500 did get treated to a vega 56 which I forgot to mention earlier which has sort of broken the budget to say the least.

Mike


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## ManGupta (Mar 31, 2019)

M0rafic said:


> I used a kryoM.2 card (a decent bit of kit if a little pricey) an old scabby usb stick I found down the side of the sofa and a combination of Duet & Refind which together form a sort of cut down version of the Clover UEFI used for creating a Hacintosh.  I did contemplate dual booting the T7500 as a Hacintosh but I grew up with 3 button mice and one button is just plain wrong. Should you be interested the info can be found here:-
> 
> https://www.win-raid.com/t3286f50-G...h-legacy-BIOS-and-older-UEFI-DUET-REFIND.html
> 
> ...



well about 7-8 months back a pair of X5680 costed only $70  (equal to £54) on Aliexpress, but now price seems to moved up quite a lot. Now it is showing as $45 (for one) and X5675 for$31 (for one, pair at $62)


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## M0rafic (Mar 31, 2019)

Maybe I should take a look on Aliexpress, the price I quoted earlier is  around half of the next cheapest I've seen in the last month on ebay and after that that its several hundred a pair, which is just ridiculous 



rock said:


> soo i guess that the m.2 pcie ssd is not bootable either?



My T7500 is booting from an nMVe  ssd with a little jiggery pokerey and the assistance of a crappy old usb stick I found down the side of the sofa and a decent NVMe card from overclockers. It did mean a fresh install of windows 10 though and once I've finished playing around and building it, I will put the tiny little usb stick in one of the internal ports out of harms way. At the moment its round the back hidden between the cat5 cable and the usb keyboard cable. I'm sure I have a one of those indestructible old IBM ones somewhere but I'm buggered if I can find it.

Anyway assuming you have a pci-e card to mount the ssd  and your machine will boot from an external usb  then the method I I used should work. But it does require a clean install of windows. The method can be found here:-

https://www.win-raid.com/t3286f50-G...h-legacy-BIOS-and-older-UEFI-DUET-REFIND.html

The meat of the method is about half-way down page one but there is useful clarification if needed between around pages 17 to 23 or so. Don't read all the way through from page 1 to 17 because the stuff in-between happened before the middle of page 1, which was edited and tidied up towards the end of the thread (if that makes sense!!).







As you can see the WD black ssd on the left is pretty good at streaming stuff but not so clever at random writes and even worse at random reads. Perhaps I should have gone with Samsung who at least supply proper drivers rather than relying on native windows support.

I just remembered that I left the bios set to prioritise pci-i/o maybe that's what's killing the small packets of random stuff.

Mike

Well I solved my stupid little press F1 to boot problem, like a pillock I hadn't unchecked sata-0 in the list of drives...... 

I turned off the pcie-i/o priority and also numa support and lost a couple hundred Mb/s on the sequential reads & writes without making much difference elsewhere.


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## AwesomeMarioFan (Apr 3, 2019)

Hey guys,

I had purchased a T5500 a few years ago (2016), and was wondering when running 24/7 how long these machines last? (I guess more specifically I am wondering about the motherboard since that would be the most difficult component to replace.) It is mostly sitting idle but I wasn't sure what kind of lifespan the motherboard has.


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## Retrorockit (Apr 3, 2019)

Dell's are pretty much designed for 24/7 service. The MB is a $40 part and sometimes NOS spares get sold when the systems become obsolete. I would have a spare sitting around.
But it depends on how important your data is. Capacitors do age at some point. Building gaming rigs out of old workstations is one thing. Running serious mission critcal apps. on 10 year old hardware is another.


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## XerXen (Apr 3, 2019)

Hi @ all xD
I musst say I love my T3500
I will ad some pics tomorow and hope anyone give me a tip for some nice DDR 3'S

I mean Tested,worked and rly Big enought :')
Also need 2 silence and nice little fans for more auf Flow for my 1070 GPU

The little corsair h45 is nice rly enought for x5680......rly the little money Worth!!!!

Read my profile for my set up


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## PenX (Apr 4, 2019)

Hi guys, this is my first post here. I have Dell T5500 with Xeon 5650, 24 GB RAM and 1050ti graphic. Im thinking upgrading to RX580 8GB but im not sure can this rig handle that card. PSU is 875W but i dont know does it have 8pin connector needed for this card. I have 2 6pins and one 8 pin but it is in white color and im not sure is it for card or for second cpu. I new Dell user so I don't relly know how this sistems work. Also i read that RX580 cannot boot into bios, and i alredy dont have quadro card that came with it. Can i go with this card or not. Thanks.


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## XerXen (Apr 4, 2019)

PenX said:


> Hi guys, this is my first post here. I have Dell T5500 with Xeon 5650, 24 GB RAM and 1050ti graphic. Im thinking upgrading to RX580 8GB but im not sure can this rig handle that card. PSU is 875W but i dont know does it have 8pin connector needed for this card. I have 2 6pins and one 8 pin but it is in white color and im not sure is it for card or for second cpu. I new Dell user so I don't relly know how this sistems work. Also i read that RX580 cannot boot into bios, and i alredy dont have quadro card that came with it. Can i go with this card or not. Thanks.



You can upgrade with riser for a second cpu  
For that is the second 8pin

Your psu handle it easy when Alu habe only 1 cpu i Think

Ive a t3500 but my solution for my only 1x6pin was a cable 
1x6pin to 2x6/8 pin
Links for Cable 
And with it my only 525 psu handle a x5680 and a gtx 1070oc   
I Think ist np for your psu


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## PenX (Apr 4, 2019)

XerXen said:


> You can upgrade with riser for a second cpu
> For that is the second 8pin
> 
> Your psu handle it easy when Alu habe only 1 cpu i Think
> ...


Thanks mate, i was thinking of buying that cable just 8pin cpu to 8 pin gpu. I just find out there is such cable or il go with 6pin to 8pin option


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## XerXen (Apr 4, 2019)

The 8 Pin is for the riser (second cpu)
XD when you not plan it to add a second cpu ok

:') i have no knowelege about it
(My t3500 dont Support this Great riser    )
Buy the cable for the pocket money and Wave the Otter 8pin for the riser Later
XD its a bit expensive but a great addon

8pin on 4 and 6 picture
The Riser with 8 Pin and the pictures on ebay

I Think its your choise how xD


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## PenX (Apr 4, 2019)

None of the risers i found online does not ship to my country so im screwed with that, ill just ask people in GPU store when im buying my card what is the best option CPU to GPU or 6pin to 8pin. Thanks for help. I was more of concern can my PSU handle RX580 because it is 875W but some people said to me you must have enough amps on that rail pins to provide enough power for specific card. I hope it will all go down smmootly, if nothing ill return damn thing and stick to 1050ti 4GB.


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## olddatsunfan (Apr 10, 2019)

Hi, I'm new here and just spent the evening reading this thread.  I've somehow managed to acquire a T3400, 2xT3500 and an M4500 in the past month and I wish I found this forum sooner.

So far I've upgraded the T3400 to 8gb of memory and a Q9550 along with an old Nvidia Geoforce 8400gs.  I've upgraded both of the T3500's with X5650 cpu's and I'm awaiting 24gb of memory from ebay.  I've also upgraded the M4500 to 10gb of memory.  These old machines have been fascinating thus far and very inexpensive, I've only spent $415 so far!


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## olddatsunfan (Apr 14, 2019)

Welp, I went and bought a Z400 workstation for $80 today, it's got a W3503, 8gb of ram and a Quadro 4000 in it.  Here's a new toy to play with!

I'd like to upgrade the CPU, will I have to change out the "Mainstream", 2 copper pipe heatsink, fan with the "Performance" one?  I'm thinking about trying out the W3680 as an upgrade.


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## Jeffro80 (Apr 16, 2019)

Has anyone managed to get a USB 3.0 expansion card to work on a T5500? I have tried two different Orico expansion cards and neither worked (both work fine in another computer with an ASUS P6X58D-E motherboard).  I've tried different PCI-E slots, using Sata and Molex power from the PSU, installing drivers etc. but no luck.

Problems include: 


USB unable to start due to power issue (when checked in device manager)
Computer freezing
BSOD with clock_watchdog_timeout and "IRQL_NOT_GREATER_OR_EQUAL" messages etc.

Bios version A11
Dual X5670's
Windows 10

Any suggestions would be appreciated!


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## Susquehannock (Apr 16, 2019)

Been a while since I have posted. Systems in my signature have been working great.  Nothing new to report until now. Have wanted more RAM for the T3500 but could not stomach the cost. Found a good deal on a matched set of six used 1,600mhz Micron 4gb 1Rx8 non-ECC modules. Passed all tests with the W3680 at 4.0ghz. Doubling to 24gb even shortened load times on games, which I did not expect.

>> https://valid.x86.fr/ryds0z

Knew that non-ECC would be a no go in the T5500 but popped them in just for confirmation. Got the following error.


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## lexluthermiester (Apr 16, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> Apart from Dell Workstations 3500/5500/7500 ......... other option include Dell servers like Poweredge R410 ....... which can be Modded and converted into a Gaming and/or Productivity PC.


That's a bit unwieldy. But hey, if it works... 



M0rafic said:


> At the moment its round the back hidden between the cat5 cable and the usb keyboard cable.


IIRC, the T7500 mobo has a bootable internal USB port, does it not? The T3500's and T5500's do.


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## juiseman (Apr 16, 2019)

olddatsunfan said:


> Welp, I went and bought a Z400 workstation for $80 today, it's got a W3503, 8gb of ram and a Quadro 4000 in it.  Here's a new toy to play with!
> 
> I'd like to upgrade the CPU, will I have to change out the "Mainstream", 2 copper pipe heatsink, fan with the "Performance" one?  I'm thinking about trying out the W3680 as an upgrade.



Check the boot block date; before you buy a cpu, the older one doesn't support W3600's or X5600's cpus that I know of....

Easy way to tell is the newer boot block BIOS will have 6 RAM slots and usually come in 2x2x2 RAM configuration.
I have still found the newer one on Ebay for like $45 plus Shipping with a CPU, 6GB of ram and a old HD.
you may be maxed at a 3500's series CPU

This is a good read:

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Busin...Sale-Systems/HP-Z400-CPU-upgrade/td-p/5048908

W3580 may be as far as you can go if you have the high performance cooler...

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...80-8m-cache-3-33-ghz-6-40-gt-s-intel-qpi.html

http://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/search?dir=desc&q=Hp+Z400+Xeon+W3580&sort=multicore_score

There is a pin mod to fix that if not; or just deal with the bios post message......no big deal.


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## M0rafic (Apr 16, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> That's a bit unwieldy. But hey, if it works...
> 
> 
> IIRC, the T7500 mobo has a bootable internal USB port, does it not? The T3500's and T5500's do.



Indeed it does and I have since moved the usb stick inside out of the way


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## olddatsunfan (Apr 17, 2019)

juiseman said:


> Check the boot block date; before you buy a cpu, the older one doesn't support W3600's or X5600's cpus that I know of....
> 
> Easy way to tell is the newer boot block BIOS will have 6 RAM slots and usually come in 2x2x2 RAM configuration.
> I have still found the newer one on Ebay for like $45 plus Shipping with a CPU, 6GB of ram and a old HD.
> you may be maxed at a 3500's series CPU



Hi juiseman, I've checked the boot block and the dimm configuration, I have 6 dimms and it seems a later boot block so the X series Xeons should work, I shall test it by installing a X5650 from my T3500.  My prices are all in Canadian fiat dollars, it's only worth 3/4 of that of the US dollar these days and dropping, plus shopping locally means no shipping charges ...  I've temporarily installed a W3565 and I get the irritating message that I need a high performance cooler, I can try the pin mod, I believe to connect pin 1 to pin 5 to fool the bios, but, the message disappears after I boot into windows !  I did run into a problem with a password protected bios, but, after a bit of searching I found out how to reset the bios and clear it so I could access the options.  I've read that thread you kindly posted on Sunday after I purchased the Z400, it's very good information!

I've managed to acquire enough memory that I now have 12gb or 24gb in each machine.  Everything seems to work pretty well thus far.  I'm fairly new to working with computers and it's been very interesting so far!  I think my favourite one is the T3400 which I started off with first, that's a reasonable machine with the Q9550 installed.


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## lexluthermiester (Apr 17, 2019)

olddatsunfan said:


> I've managed to acquire enough memory that I now have 12gb or 24gb in each machine. Everything seems to work pretty well thus far. I'm fairly new to working with computers and it's been very interesting so far! I think my favourite one is the T3400 which I started off with first, that's a reasonable machine with the Q9550 installed.


Nice! And welcome to the TPU Forums!


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## data00 (Apr 17, 2019)

Hi. I'm new here. I have a Dell Precision WorkStation T5500 (0CRH6C) with x2 Xeon x5675s and i was wondering if it can be overclocked in SetFSB and if it is, what "clock generator" do i choose? (not very familiar sorry) Thanks.


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## lexluthermiester (Apr 17, 2019)

data00 said:


> Hi. I'm new here. I have a Dell Precision WorkStation T5500 (0CRH6C) with x2 Xeon x5675s and i was wondering if it can be overclocked in SetFSB and if it is, what "clock generator" do i choose? (not very familiar sorry) Thanks.


Not sure it'll work as SetFSB is unsupported at this point. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.


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## data00 (Apr 17, 2019)

Dang, guess i have to play around with the settings. Thanks though


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## juiseman (Apr 17, 2019)

olddatsunfan said:


> Hi juiseman, I've checked the boot block and the dimm configuration, I have 6 dimms and it seems a later boot block so the X series Xeons should work, I shall test it by installing a X5650 from my T3500.  My prices are all in Canadian fiat dollars, it's only worth 3/4 of that of the US dollar these days and dropping, plus shopping locally means no shipping charges ...  I've temporarily installed a W3565 and I get the irritating message that I need a high performance cooler, I can try the pin mod, I believe to connect pin 1 to pin 5 to fool the bios, but, the message disappears after I boot into windows !  I did run into a problem with a password protected bios, but, after a bit of searching I found out how to reset the bios and clear it so I could access the options.  I've read that thread you kindly posted on Sunday after I purchased the Z400, it's very good information!
> 
> I've managed to acquire enough memory that I now have 12gb or 24gb in each machine.  Everything seems to work pretty well thus far.  I'm fairly new to working with computers and it's been very interesting so far!  I think my favourite one is the T3400 which I started off with first, that's a reasonable machine with the Q9550 installed.



Great! you have the later boot block date!

2 options you can do.

In the Z400 that I still run; I just went with Xeon 5675. I didn't feel like doing pin mod. I have the 95w cooler also....
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...5-12m-cache-3-06-ghz-6-40-gt-s-intel-qpi.html
The performance is not much different than a 5680 or 5690. And they are a lot cheaper most of the time...


Or you can buy this:
*Performance" 463981-001 heatsink/fans that can handle the 130W max TDP processors*
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAJCJ8HH3781&Description=Performance" 463981-001&cm_re=Performance"_463981-001-_-9SIAJCJ8HH3781-_-Product

*Here is some info from HP:*

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Busin...0-X5690-W3690-Fastest-Processors/td-p/5683601

*update the bios to 3.61 before you install the new CPU*

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/hp-z400-workstation/3718668

*HP Z400 Workstation Product Specifications: *

https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c01709672

The PSU is 475W 85% keep that in mind if your upgrading the GPU. that is fine for most current GPU's

One reason my favorite is the Z420's (boot block date2013) they have a 600W PSU at 90%
look into those for your next build. you can get them around $150-$175 USD. Look for any that come
with the V2 Xeon; then you will know its the later boot block date. Not all sellers post that info.


Hope all goes well!!


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## olddatsunfan (Apr 17, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> Nice! And welcome to the TPU Forums!



Thanks, I'm sure I will be posting here with dumb questions as some point!


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## olddatsunfan (Apr 17, 2019)

juiseman said:


> The PSU is 475W 85% keep that in mind if your upgrading the GPU. that is fine for most current GPU's
> 
> One reason my favorite is the Z420's (boot block date2013) they have a 600W PSU at 90%
> look into those for your next build. you can get them around $150-$175 USD. Look for any that come
> with the V2 Xeon; then you will know its the later boot block date. Not all sellers post that info.



I've been peeking through the lists of processors and I've come to the same conclusion as you had that going with the X5675 with the "mainstream" heatsink rather than upgrading is my best option going forward for the Z400.  I now see them priced at $42 Canadian on ebay and aliexpress.  I have ordered the HDD mounting screws and SSD adapters from aliexpress already and I think I'm going to noodle about for awhile with the current hardware I have.  The Z400 that I purchased does indeed have a 475 watt power supply.  I currently have bios version 3.57 and do plan on updating the bios this week.

I'm also planning on trying out throttlestop (it's how I ended up on this forum) so help with the temperatures on the Dell M4500 I acquired, I've replaced the thermal paste on the GPU and CPU on it and it still seems to run quite warm with the I7 940xm that came with it so I think the next step is to try out throttlestop to help lower the temperatures a bit more.

I've acquired an NVS 290, an FX 580, a Quadro 2000 and a Quadro 4000 in these machines.  The Quadro 4000 seems to be the most powerful, however, it draws 145 watts!  Not very efficient for what it does.  I may upgrade the GPU to a GTX 1050ti in the future, but, that can wait.  I have installed a GTX 750 ti into one of the T3500's at my nephew's insistence, he told me I would need it to help play 1080p video which was why I started in on this upgrade path, (I think he wants to try out games on it)!

I have discovered the local not for profit computer recycling shop in my area, they are called "Free Geek".  Very nice people and very helpful, they have a Z420 in stock at the moment which can be had for $350 Canadian complete without a graphics card installed.  I'm not sure if it has the later bios boot block to allow V2 Xeons, I've thought about it, but, I now have the T3400 as the spare computer and I'm not convinced I need another spare!  As a side note, the folks at Free Geek have told me if I volunteerer with them, they will teach me how to use Linux, that seems like a fair trade to me as they want me to sort through their pile of pulled CPU's and memory as they somehow think I know enough to help them, oh boy!


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## lexluthermiester (Apr 17, 2019)

olddatsunfan said:


> the X5675 with the "mainstream" heatsink rather than upgrading


Define mainstream? Are you referring to the full aluminum block or the one with 4 copper heatpipes?


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## olddatsunfan (Apr 17, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> Define mainstream? Are you referring to the full aluminum block or the one with 4 copper heatpipes?



I believe the "mainstream" heatsink and fan with the Z400 is the 2 copper pipe version, the "performance" version that Juise mentioned is a 3 copper pipe version that is slightly larger.  Aside from that, it seems that the fan connector is but 4 pins on the "mainstream" and 5 pin on the "performance" ...

The Dell difference is a bit more pronounced, the T3400 I have has that "U" shaped, aluminium heatsink and the T3500's both have the 3 copper pipe "tower" heatsink which seems to be the same as the HP "performance" heatsink sans cooling fan.


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## juiseman (Apr 17, 2019)

he has the 4 pin ver. (or 4 wires.. on a 5 pin plug I forget )
I have the same in my Z400. It does get a little loud running prime95, but the temps were under control when I
had a w3580 installed.... the x5675 I have in there now is fine.


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## olddatsunfan (Apr 17, 2019)

juiseman said:


> he has the 4 pin ver. (or 4 wires.. on a 5 pin plug I forget )
> I have the same in my Z400. It does get a little loud running prime95, but the temps were under control when I
> had a w3580 installed.... the x5675 I have in there now is fine.



The "mainstream" heatsink fan does indeed have a 5 pin connector, but, only 4 wires are actually connected.

So, after thinking things over, I re allocated the resources that I have amongst the T3500 and the Z400.  I've installed 18gb of memory (3x4gb and 3x2gb) into each of them, installed the X5650 into the Z400 and the W3565 into the T3500.  Everything is working better than before, no more irritating 517 bios warning from the Z400!  The other T3500 I left with a X5650 and 12gb of memory.  I suspect that the 2 workstations with the X5650's will be adequate for my wife and daughter so I'm going to leave them as they are until the SSD adapters and drive rails I've ordered from aliexpress arrive.  As an interesting side note, I've discovered that the heatsink on the T3500 is better at cooling the W3565 than the one in the Z400, it's running about 20 degrees f cooler in the T3500 than it was in the Z400.  The X5650 runs about 10 degrees f hotter in the Z400 than in the T3500 ...

I can now consider ordering a new CPU to replace the W3565 in the T3500.  I'm thinking that since I will only be ordering 1 CPU then I shall order the W3680 to install into the T3500.  That should give me some flexibility in trying out throttlestop on it also!  I'm guessing that I should install a fan on the heatsink for the W3680 before doing anything rash.


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## XerXen (Apr 19, 2019)

VS The 5pin problem because that is no t rly a problem 

MY Water Cooling Solution with no error XD (+ need 2 Cablle!!! 1x for pump + 1x for FAN) h45 is cheap 
my x5680 never rly break the 50C on Far Cry 5 or shadow of Tomb Raider (information....its a 130w TPD and never rly hot )
(only on stress test but there also never rly hot  i can add pictures when any want to see ;P )

I have spend only 35€ for this Upgrade :*
Here some Pics XD







WITH HDD BTX CLOSED




It RLY COOL and GREAT Solution for Overheat Problem

YA Need 2x Cable (PumP on Case_FAN and Fan on CPU_FAN connector)
The Corsair H45 (AIO is rly easy to handle and silent......The Fan never becomes much RPM on stress test XD)
Important are the 4 screw that i grab From any saved  Its For The Backplate To Corsair Connection That have Dell rly make spcly ...... here a pic what i grab from old lga socked





The Rest is only a bit  skill ya need 

Only First boot come fan error
after then never comes again :*



( SRY FOR THE BIG SAMSUNG S8 PICTURES   )


----------



## olddatsunfan (Apr 19, 2019)

HP has this liquid cooling solution as an OEM part, does Dell have anything like this?

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Hewlett-Pac...989246?hash=item23b914953e:g:Px0AAOSwEbxcmabk


----------



## XerXen (Apr 19, 2019)

UHHH Heavy Price my Friend


----------



## olddatsunfan (Apr 19, 2019)

You are right there, but, I've seen them as low as $80 USD.  I don't need one though as I'm staying with the X5650 on the Z400.


----------



## XerXen (Apr 19, 2019)

olddatsunfan said:


> You are right there, but, I've seen them as low as $80 USD.  I don't need one though as I'm staying with the X5650 on the Z400.



Its a nice solution! Dell have only a big passive cooler switch is rly weak for gaming .... but for "normal" surfing its ok , also with x5680
These hp workstation are interesting for me but my t3500 is my baby At the moment xD
Hope my storage upgrade with m.2 nvme pcie will be usefull xD
I need more GB's for these moofucking big games and stuff i use.......

Money is here the key that i dont have my Friend

Ahhh at Summer that comes is watercooling everytime a good Option


----------



## olddatsunfan (Apr 19, 2019)

XerXen said:


> Its a nice solution! Dell have only a big passive cooler switch is rly weak for gaming .... but for "normal" surfing its ok , also with x5680
> These hp workstation are interesting for me but my t3500 is my baby At the moment xD
> Hope my storage upgrade with m.2 nvme pcie will be usefull xD
> I need more GB's for these moofucking big games and stuff i use.......



I have the T3500 for myself and my daughter will be using the Z400.  Neither of us are very demanding of the systems so we should be fine I think.  In fact my nephew got me download a free game yesterday, something called Assassin's Creed Unity, it took me 5 minutes to figure out how to move the character in game !


----------



## sweet2th (Apr 20, 2019)

Hey all,

I've recently come into possession of a T7500, and I'm wondering the best place to buy a 2nd CPU riser? They're massive amounts of money on eBay UK, and I just want to know if they can be bought cheaper elsewhere.

Cheers!


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 20, 2019)

sweet2th said:


> I'm wondering the best place to buy a 2nd CPU riser?


No, unfortunately. Unless you're will to troll the computer refurbishers and PC shops, you're stuck with Ebay in the UK. How expensive are we talking about?
BTW, Welcome to the forums and the thread mate!


----------



## sweet2th (Apr 20, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> No, unfortunately. Unless you're will to troll the computer refurbishers and PC shops, you're stuck with Ebay in the UK. How expensive are we talking about?
> BTW, Welcome to the forums and the thread mate!



Thanks for having me! The cheapest assembled unit is £115. I paid £100 for the system itself!


----------



## XerXen (Apr 20, 2019)

olddatsunfan said:


> I have the T3500 for myself and my daughter will be using the Z400.  Neither of us are very demanding of the systems so we should be fine I think.  In fact my nephew got me download a free game yesterday, something called Assassin's Creed Unity, it took me 5 minutes to figure out how to move the character in game !



XD only need a XBOX Joypad or one with same looking Layout 
Than its easy because mostly the games have implement nice Pad (color + Lettern shown for ever Action on screen ) 

But i must say it will be difficult for me top to Play games xD 
Only favorites i Play because the damn Hardware Controll sometimes! 
Ive Played diablo 2 5+years and that so simple to Play ...... you dont need rly skillz xD


----------



## olddatsunfan (Apr 20, 2019)

I think the problem XerXen is that I don't really play games, in fact, I noticed when I did a fresh Windows install yesterday on my new SSD, that Microsoft has been installing games on my computer for me!  I uninstalled them though!


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 20, 2019)

sweet2th said:


> Thanks for having me! The cheapest assembled unit is £115. I paid £100 for the system itself!


And unfortunately that is the premium you're going to pay for that particular luxury. I would instead get a better CPU for the existing socket. A X5675 or X5680 would be a great match for that system and wouldn't be very expensive at all.


----------



## sweet2th (Apr 20, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> And unfortunately that is the premium you're going to pay for that particular luxury. I would instead get a better CPU for the existing socket. A X5675 or X5680 would be a great match for that system and wouldn't be very expensive at all.



That sucks, although the 5675 will probably suit my needs for now. I can always upgrade in the future. 

If anyone on the forums is getting rid of a riser though, get in touch.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 20, 2019)

sweet2th said:


> That sucks, although the 5675 will probably suit my needs for now. I can always upgrade in the future.
> 
> If anyone on the forums is getting rid of a riser though, get in touch.


The X5680 would be the better choice if you can find one for a decent price, say 45GBP or lower.


----------



## sweet2th (Apr 20, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> The X5680 would be the better choice if you can find one for a decent price, say 45GBP or lower.



Is it worth double the price?



sweet2th said:


> Is it worth double the price?



Of the X5675, I mean.


----------



## XerXen (Apr 20, 2019)

Here ive buy my x5680 for only under 60€ comes After 2 days
It is out of stock at moment but the price for 5675 is nice top    Shop


----------



## olddatsunfan (Apr 20, 2019)

sweet2th said:


> Is it worth double the price?



My guess is yes if you have the cooling to handle it.  The W3680 has an unlocked multiplier as well as being 10% faster in clock speed.  Both are Westmere EP 32nm chips so I would expect a nice increase in performance.  From my snooping about, it seems that the W3680 is about $70 Can as opposed the X5675 is about $45 Can, hence my consideration of the W3680 at this point.  The W3680 is meant for single CPU workstations though, the X5675 is capable of working in dual CPU workstations.

So I went and had a look at a Z420 this morning, unfortunately it had the 2011 bios so I turned it down.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 20, 2019)

sweet2th said:


> Is it worth double the price?
> 
> Of the X5675, I mean.


That depends on your need. IF you need the extra 10-15%(accounting for turbo boost speeds) than yes. If you don't need it, go with the X5675. For me, the extra cost was worth it for certain usage scenario's.



olddatsunfan said:


> My guess is yes if you have the cooling to handle it.


The heatsink included with all T7500's was rated to handle all socket 1366 CPU's, so that should not be a concern in this situation.


----------



## sweet2th (Apr 20, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> That depends on your need. IF you need the extra 10-15%(accounting for turbo boost speeds) than yes. If you don't need it, go with the X5675. For me, the extra cost was worth it for certain usage scenario's.
> 
> 
> The heatsink included with all T7500's was rated to handle all socket 1366 CPU's, so that should not be a concern in this situation.



Neat. Do you think the W3680 is a better buy than the X5680 though?


----------



## Susquehannock (Apr 21, 2019)

sweet2th said:


> Neat. Do you think the W3680 is a better buy than the X5680 though?


Won't work in the T7500. Both that and the T5500 boards are based on the Intel 5520 chipset that require two QPI link CPUs, even in single CPU configuration. The W3680 is single QPI. And are great choice for the X58 based T3500s which can use either type.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 21, 2019)

sweet2th said:


> Neat. Do you think the W3680 is a better buy than the X5680 though?





Susquehannock said:


> Won't work in the T7500. Both that and the T5500 boards are based on the Intel 5520 chipset that require two QPI link CPUs, even in single CPU configuration. The W3680 is single QPI. And are great choice for the X58 based T3500s which can use either type.


This. You will need the X56xx series Xeons for your system. Also I think the W3680's are a bit on the pricey side.


----------



## sweet2th (Apr 21, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> This. You will need the X56xx series Xeons for your system. Also I think the W3680's are a bit on the pricey side.



The W3680 is actually cheaper, believe it or not. My T7500 hasn't actually shipped from eBay, and it's been a week, so I might cancel the order. Since I can't afford the dual CPU upgrade anyway, may it be worth switching over to a T3500 and a 3680 instead?


----------



## jlegelis (Apr 21, 2019)

Gents - T5500 owner here ~10 years old, original owner, been perfect, until lately.   Recently, when rebooting, it will go in to a reboot loop *before* even getting to the bios screen.  Just displays 3 & 4 on the front panel, then reboots itself.   After 10 times, it will then boot normally to Windows 10 like nothing ever happened, and sounds like just the issue described here.  I was running A16, then upgraded to A17 which has a note about addressing the 'associated Intel Reboot issue', but no improvement.   Also updated to A18, same thing.  This definitely seems to be a thing - I've reseated all memory and it passes all firmware tests.   Any wisdom from the 'club' greatly appreciated!


----------



## olddatsunfan (Apr 21, 2019)

sweet2th said:


> he W3680 is actually cheaper, believe it or not. My T7500 hasn't actually shipped from eBay, and it's been a week, so I might cancel the order. Since I can't afford the dual CPU upgrade anyway, may it be worth switching over to a T3500 and a 3680 instead?



Hi sweet, I'm thinking that it depends on your usage needs.  If you need the power of dual cpu's they can be had quite inexpensively, locally there is a T5500 with dual X5650's, 24gb of memory, ssd and hdd for $550 Can.  Can you find something local to you, that would save you shipping charges at the very least.  Personally, I won't even begin to tax the single cpu T3500 I've set aside for myself.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 21, 2019)

sweet2th said:


> The W3680 is actually cheaper, believe it or not. My T7500 hasn't actually shipped from eBay, and it's been a week, so I might cancel the order. Since I can't afford the dual CPU upgrade anyway, may it be worth switching over to a T3500 and a 3680 instead?


It might be. That choice is up to you. The W3680 is a solid performer and the T3500 is a likewise solid system. However, the T7500 case has a better PSU(750w vs the T3500's 525W), a ton of expansion potential which can not be understated and there is the potential that you will find the riser card at another time for a good price. If it were me, I'd keep the system you've purchased and upgrade incrementally using the X5675 or X5680.


----------



## sweet2th (Apr 21, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> It might be. That choice is up to you. The W3680 is a solid performer and the T3500 is a likewise solid system. However, the T7500 case has a better PSU(750w vs the T3500's 525W), a ton of expansion potential which can not be understated and there is the potential that you will find the riser card at another time for a good price. If it were me, I'd keep the system you've purchased and upgrade incrementally using the X5675 or X5680.



Good point, especially as he's just told me he's shipped it! I've worked with a few Dells before, but not this particular machine. Might phase out my Ryzen if it can come anywhere close.


----------



## Susquehannock (Apr 21, 2019)

Agree. For gaming and light computing the T3500 is quite adequate. Ability to run W3680 overclocked is nice. If doing a lot of number crunching and video editing, the T5500s second CPU capability helps much. But no overclockable CPUs. The T5500 and T7500 will accept RDIMMs which are much cheaper. Populated mine with 8gbx6=48gb for under $70 (US dollars).

Wanted to mention BIOS again here. Older versions are not Westmere compatible. That started around 'A07' or so. If your system came with one and boots you're good. If it comes with an older CPU check BIOS version before upgrading. In that situation you need to upgrade to newer BIOS *before* changing to the Westmere or it will not boot.

[edit]


jlegelis said:


> Gents - T5500 owner here ~10 years old, original owner, been perfect, until lately.   Recently, when rebooting, it will go in to a reboot loop *before* even getting to the bios screen.  Just displays 3 & 4 on the front panel, then reboots itself.   After 10 times, it will then boot normally to Windows 10 like nothing ever happened, and sounds like just the issue described here.  I was running A16, then upgraded to A17 which has a note about addressing the 'associated Intel Reboot issue', but no improvement.   Also updated to A18, same thing.  This definitely seems to be a thing - I've reseated all memory and it passes all firmware tests.   Any wisdom from the 'club' greatly appreciated!


Welcome to the club. Your link does not work so not sure of the issue described. Given the 3 & 4 code you are on right track suspecting RAM. Some problems can be solved by clearing the CMOS. Instructions are on page 6 of the service manual here. Another possibility is board damage since It can warp from weight of the CPU riser over time. I believe Retrorockit brought this up a few pages back. You might try starting the system without side panel, case flat on it's side , and applying gentile pressure on the slots. If that solves the issue we have your answer.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 21, 2019)

sweet2th said:


> Might phase out my Ryzen if it can come anywhere close.


That would be very optimistic unless you're running the lowest end Ryzen3. The 1366 platform is a great one and still relevant, however let's be honest, the Ryzen 5/7 CPUs easily eclipse the whole platform.


----------



## sweet2th (Apr 21, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> That would be very optimistic unless you're running the lowest end Ryzen3. The 1366 platform is a great one and still relevant, however let's be honest, the Ryzen 5/7 CPUs easily eclipse the whole platform.



I'm running a 1600, but most of my games are on the lighter side. Coupled with the fact that I play at 1080p/60hz, my current setup is likely a little overkill.



Susquehannock said:


> Wanted to mention BIOS again here. Older versions are not Westmere compatible. That started around 'A07' or so. If your system came with one and boots you're good. If it comes with an older CPU check BIOS version before upgrading. In that situation you need to upgrade to newer BIOS *before* changing to the Westmere or it will not boot.



The unit I've bought comes with a 5650 preinstalled. Am I safe from a BIOS update?


----------



## Susquehannock (Apr 21, 2019)

sweet2th said:


> The unit I've bought comes with a 5650 preinstalled. Am I safe from a BIOS update?


If preinstalled also means it was tested/booted afterward. Then yes. You should be fine. Worst come to worst one could buy a lower end CPU like the W3520 for $4 and boot with that to get things going. Then upgrade BIOS if need be.


----------



## olddatsunfan (Apr 22, 2019)

sweet2th said:


> The unit I've bought comes with a 5650 preinstalled. Am I safe from a BIOS update?



Very nice, I have two of those installed in a T3500 and a Z400.  They work pretty well for me!


----------



## beta5500 (Apr 22, 2019)

Jeffro80 said:


> Has anyone managed to get a USB 3.0 expansion card to work on a T5500?



T5500, A11, W7, ORICO BCU3-2PU, Molex power
Installed driver OK, card found, connection OK,
but with occasional drop-outs. Fine again after Uninstall/Search for new hardware.
Did not try W10


----------



## olddatsunfan (Apr 22, 2019)

Do you guys think this fan will work with the 5 pin connector for cooling the CPU or will I have to repin it?

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Fre...lgo_pvid=61afb76f-dc21-4744-a341-24d0e85294ac


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 22, 2019)

olddatsunfan said:


> Do you guys think this fan will work with the 5 pin connector for cooling the CPU or will I have to repin it?
> 
> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Fre...lgo_pvid=61afb76f-dc21-4744-a341-24d0e85294ac


Yes, it's a Foxconn fan and the connector has the proper wire pinout.


----------



## olddatsunfan (Apr 22, 2019)

Thanks Lex!  I'll order 2 today then!  I also ordered a W3680 CPU for the T3500 today, I guess I'll get my hands on the stuff in a couple of months.

So, I now have 2 of these Xeon W3505 dual core Xeons left over from the upgrades.  Are they useful for anything or should I turn them in at the recycling depot?  Hmmm, why is it when I enter a new post it adds itself into the last post I entered?


----------



## jlegelis (Apr 23, 2019)

Susquehannock said:


> >>
> Welcome to the club. Your link does not work so not sure of the issue described. Given the 3 & 4 code you are on right track suspecting RAM. Some problems can be solved by clearing the CMOS. Instructions are on page 6 of the service manual here. Another possibility is board damage since It can warp from weight of the CPU riser over time. I believe Retrorockit brought this up a few pages back. You might try starting the system without side panel, case flat on it's side , and applying gentile pressure on the slots. If that solves the issue we have your answer.


<<
Hey thx appreciated that.  Couldn't find the Retrorockit post, curious about the CMOS idea.  Is there a way to back up the CMOS so I don't lose settings, or should I just take a picture of each screen?


----------



## Susquehannock (Apr 25, 2019)

jlegelis said:


> <<
> Hey thx appreciated that.  Couldn't find the Retrorockit post, curious about the CMOS idea.  Is there a way to back up the CMOS so I don't lose settings, or should I just take a picture of each screen?


Clearing the CMOS will just change everything back to factory defaults, and hopefully fix any settings that may have been corrupted. You could write down your settings in the BIOS screens or take pictures. Up to you.

The post about warpage from weight of the T5500 riser may have been in the ThrottleStop overclocking thread.


----------



## Jeffro80 (Apr 28, 2019)

beta5500 said:


> T5500, A11, W7, ORICO BCU3-2PU, Molex power
> Installed driver OK, card found, connection OK,
> but with occasional drop-outs. Fine again after Uninstall/Search for new hardware.
> Did not try W10


Thanks, I guess I'll have to play around with it some more when I can find the time.


----------



## MaxCobos (Apr 30, 2019)

Hi Guys,

Found this forum from searching for the copper heatsink for a T5500 I'm upgrading and thought I would throw in my two pence.

I have 2x T3500 and 1x T5500

One of the T3500 had a W3503, 2x Intel Quadro 600, 12GB RAM and a 3.5" HDD (this was used a security viewer PC viewing 64 cameras across 4 screens and will be again, once it been upgraded!)

I've since added an X5690, ASUS GTX 1060, Samsung EVO SSD and just installed Windows 10 to see how it runs and turn HT on. I've ordered a few sticks of 4GB RAM as I've found quite a lot of people saying you can't go over 24GB on the T3500 but then some people are saying they have gone way over this, depending on the CPU they have. What are you guys running on your T3500/T5500 (I'm aware they can use different RAM as well)

I've also got another pair of X5690's to put into the T5500 (MB is compatible with 6 cores) but just waiting on a riser board to arrive. What is max RAM you can have with all 9 slots used on a T5500?

I'm having a bit of fun with the machines, so they will be slightly overkilled for what they are used for, but could become quite good gaming machines from what I've seen with the right hardware.. so you never know!

I have one pressing question as to what these circled heatsinks are for on the T3/5500 MB's, I'm trying to ensure the units will be as cool as possible without going down the water cooling method so was thinking to upgrade the heatsinks on these as well if it would make a difference? I'm already adding minimum two fans to the back of the units to pull hot air out (so the 2 front pull cold air, back two continue to the flow) and an additional fan on the CPU heatsink as others have done earlier in the thread. But again, no idea what these are actually cooling, any ideas?




Also please ignore the GTX560, These PC's haven't been touched in a very long time... but these machines have been running 24/7 with no faults so far, so quite like them! Once they are setup a bit more i'd like to look into pushing these to their limit, Overclocking the CPU's maybe, who knows.

Cheers,


----------



## slaine_mcroth (May 2, 2019)

Hello all, i join this discussion as a T3500 owner, hereafeter some pictures of my build




CPU : Xeon X5687 3.6Hgz QC
GPU : Sli 2x Quadro M4000 8gig (with different Sli software)
Ram : 15gig PC3-10700 (3x 4 gig + 3x 1 gig)
Drives : SSD SAMSUNG 500gig + Seagate 4To
PSU : Aurum CM 750W
USB 3.0 front + pci-e card


I also own a precision 370,  a precision 380, an Optiplex 755, an optiplex GX620 and some laptops : a Precision M6700, a precision M7710 and a latitude E7470


----------



## MaxCobos (May 2, 2019)

slaine_mcroth said:


> Hello all, i join this discussion as a T3500 owner, hereafeter some pictures of my build
> 
> 
> View attachment 122160View attachment 122161
> ...



Hey, is that an internal speaker on the left at the front of the case? Is it the OEM dell one?

Is the USB 3.0 card linked to the front panel as well? Or have you replaced the original?


----------



## slaine_mcroth (May 2, 2019)

Maxcobos93 said:


> Hey, is that an internal speaker on the left at the front of the case? Is it the OEM dell one?
> 
> Is the USB 3.0 card linked to the front panel as well? Or have you replaced the original?




Hey Maxcobos93, yes right, it's an internal speaker from dell delivered with T3500
I kept the front USB 2.0 from dell (for basic stuff like pad or usb dongle of mouse) and add another front USB 3.0 interface for data transfert, here a picture of front face


----------



## juiseman (May 2, 2019)

*Dell/Precision T3610-T/Xeon E5-1620 v2 3.7GHz/8192/750/HDD-3.5/DVDRW/Win10P64 * 

*$191.99 + Free Shipping*
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883996047&Description=t3610&cm_re=t3610-_-83-996-047-_-Product
Not a Bad deal at all. About $20-$30 cheaper than Ebay plus free shipping and 30 day return which is always nice.......


----------



## de.das.dude (May 2, 2019)

Hey guys! I received a Dell Optiplex with an i7 8700 and 32GB of ram! I CAN JOINZ CLUB?

I am a software dev irl. And when i am working on micro services the fan will speed up to super high suddenly and then it slows down slowly.. Any clue what the shit is up?


----------



## king of swag187 (May 2, 2019)

It's getting hot, then cold, then hot etc. Try replacing the thermal paste.


----------



## juiseman (May 2, 2019)

What is the temp of the CPU when the fan spins at the highest setting?

I would check that before you start pulling the cooler off.


----------



## MaxCobos (May 3, 2019)

slaine_mcroth said:


> Hey Maxcobos93, yes right, it's an internal speaker from dell delivered with T3500
> I kept the front USB 2.0 from dell (for basic stuff like pad or usb dongle of mouse) and add another front USB 3.0 interface for data transfert, here a picture of front face
> 
> 
> View attachment 122181



Ahh looks neat, where did you get that from? I probably won't get one because I have the additional HDD caddy with the fan on the front behind that panel so there is no room. But may find a use for this in future builds.

Can the speaker be quite loud? I ask as my T3500 currently has 6 fans in it, so not sure whether to include an internal speaker or just get some plug in ones that will sit on the desk.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 3, 2019)

de.das.dude said:


> Hey guys! I received a Dell Optiplex with an i7 8700 and 32GB of ram! I CAN JOINZ CLUB?


Welcome to the club mate!


----------



## Jeffro80 (May 3, 2019)

slaine_mcroth said:


> Hey Maxcobos93, yes right, it's an internal speaker from dell delivered with T3500
> I kept the front USB 2.0 from dell (for basic stuff like pad or usb dongle of mouse) and add another front USB 3.0 interface for data transfert, here a picture of front face
> 
> 
> View attachment 122181



What USB 3.0 card did you install and did you have to do anything to get it to work for you?


----------



## king of swag187 (May 4, 2019)

Any 3.0 card should work fine


----------



## Jeffro80 (May 4, 2019)

king of swag187 said:


> Any 3.0 card should work fine


I've tried two Orico cards but no luck so far (they work fine in a different rig).


----------



## de.das.dude (May 4, 2019)

juiseman said:


> What is the temp of the CPU when the fan spins at the highest setting?
> 
> I would check that before you start pulling the cooler off.


no softwares are available to us for that. Cant take out the heatsink either or open it. Its taken care of by another dept sadly.


----------



## slaine_mcroth (May 4, 2019)

Jeffro80 said:


> What USB 3.0 card did you install and did you have to do anything to get it to work for you?



this one :
https://www.xcsource.com/product-page/2ports-pcie-to-usb3-0-expansion-ac390
Nothing special as i remember w10 has already the correct drivers



Maxcobos93 said:


> Ahh looks neat, where did you get that from? I probably won't get one because I have the additional HDD caddy with the fan on the front behind that panel so there is no room. But may find a use for this in future builds.
> 
> Can the speaker be quite loud? I ask as my T3500 currently has 6 fans in it, so not sure whether to include an internal speaker or just get some plug in ones that will sit on the desk.



I bought it on rakuten website (at this moment it was the cheapest...) but you could also find it on amazon, it's the AC390 from xcsource
not sure it's loud, the speaker is only used for boot diagnostic beep code


----------



## olddatsunfan (May 6, 2019)

So, I just got back from my holiday in Hawaii and the 2.5" adapters and the W3680 that I ordered off of Aliexpress and Ebay have arrived!  Now I just have to wait on the 2 cooling fans for the heatsink to come in to finish up my T3500.


----------



## Kickstart (May 9, 2019)

hi mates,

i am new (registered today) and will come back to tell a story about the Dell T7500 i bought few years ago ( during the Christmas period 2015 )
I just have to remember and list a few things that came up with, power up and grab some system pictures.

regards


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 9, 2019)

Kickstart said:


> hi mates,
> 
> i am new (registered today) and will come back to tell a story about the Dell T7500 i bought few years ago ( during the Christmas period 2015 )
> I just have to remember and list a few things that came up with, power up and grab some system pictures.
> ...


Welcome to TPU and the club!


----------



## olddatsunfan (May 10, 2019)

So the Foxconn fans arrived today from China and they have a very short wire harness.  The only open fan header that I seem to be able to find on the T3500 motherboards is off on the other side of the motherboard beside the FDD connector and seems to be for the HDD bay fan (not present in mine).  Is there another fan header I'm missing somewhere that's open closer to the CPU or will I have to splice in longer wires?


----------



## ManGupta (May 11, 2019)

Susquehannock said:


> Clearing the CMOS will just change everything back to factory defaults, and hopefully fix any settings that may have been corrupted. You could write down your settings in the BIOS screens or take pictures. Up to you.
> 
> The post about warpage from weight of the T5500 riser may have been in the ThrottleStop overclocking thread.











						Dell Workstation Owners Club
					

The 6 core compatibility was addressed by a BIOS update, maybe that's something similar with the CPU riser? Very possible. However there have been times where I've had to work on Dell PC's and encountered parts that are specific to certain versions of hardware and the T5500 and T7500 are no...




					www.techpowerup.com


----------



## data00 (May 14, 2019)

Hello everyone again. I recently got a ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1080 TI and it will only display 2 monitors. I installed drivers, checked the BIOS, and ran diagnostics to no avail. My monitors are Dell Ultrasharp 2407WFP, i appreciate any help.

Edit: Never mind, i fixed it by changing the undetected monitor to "Extend desktop to this display" in multiple displays.


----------



## rock (May 16, 2019)

hey guys 
so ive been playing on my t3500 and i love it but when i connect a Xbox wireless dongle to my pc i keep getting this warning/ troubleshoot:
not enough USB controller Resources. 
and after that my wireless headset just turns off and sometimes my keyboard  turns off 2.

any 1 knows a fix for this?


----------



## Auer (May 16, 2019)

T3600, Xeon 1620-0, 32Gb Ram, RTX2070, Bunch o drives. 
Used as a Adobe CS machine for mostly Photography work. Can game a bit at 4k with a 32" LG monitor as well.
Case fans replaced with BeQuiet and the CPU fan with Noctua. 

I keep saying I'm going to upgrade but here it still sits...Keeping some Mac Pro's company


----------



## dorsetknob (May 16, 2019)

rock said:


> i keep getting this warning/ troubleshoot:
> not enough USB controller Resources.
> and after that my wireless headset just turns off and sometimes my keyboard turns off 2.



Too many Device's on usb controller ( each controller can only handle 500ma )
Move some devices to other ports ?
if that don't work add a 4 /5 port PCI USB Expansion Card


----------



## rock (May 16, 2019)

dorsetknob said:


> Too many Device's on usb controller ( each controller can only handle 500ma )
> Move some devices to other ports ?
> if that don't work add a 4 /5 port PCI USB Expansion Card



yea i have allot of stuff plug in so i will get a usb card.
but does the 3.0 pcie usb card work like a usb 3.0? beacause the the t3500 only has 2.0 slots?


----------



## dorsetknob (May 16, 2019)

USB 3 can supply more power for devices
you could also use an external USB HUB with its own power supply which should solve your problem
as at the moment your devices are drawing power from the USB ports.
with a powered Hub your only using the Computer USB ports for Data/signaling ( and in theory you can Daisy-chain up to 128 self powered devices)


----------



## rock (May 16, 2019)

dorsetknob said:


> USB 3 can supply more power for devices
> you could also use an external USB HUB with its own power supply which should solve your problem
> as at the moment your devices are drawing power from the USB ports.
> with a powered Hub your only using the Computer USB ports for Data/signaling ( and in theory you can Daisy-chain up to 128 self powered devices)



Mm ok id be better off with a hub then the pcie card.  
Tnx for the info and help


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 16, 2019)

rock said:


> hey guys
> so ive been playing on my t3500 and i love it but when i connect a Xbox wireless dongle to my pc i keep getting this warning/ troubleshoot:
> not enough USB controller Resources.
> and after that my wireless headset just turns off and sometimes my keyboard  turns off 2.
> ...


Might want to get a USB PCI/PCIe card and plug your headset and XBox controller into it. They're not expensive. Maybe $10 on Ebay/Amazon.


----------



## Susquehannock (May 16, 2019)

Been following this USB 3 discussion and did few tests with the T3500 using a cheaper 256gb stick (seen in purple) for redundant storage, so it will not win any benchmark contests. But it gives us an idea what's going on.

First image is benchmark on internal USB header just below the PCI slot. Speeds same with headers in back of case and front panel. Second image is same 256mb stick connected through this Inatek 7 port PCI card. Also moved a few very large video files around and results were about same - roughly 3 times faster than the T3500s 2.0 headers.

Top two motherboard PCI slots are incompatible with the PCI card physically. So ...  with this fat gaming GPU only slot available was the bottom one. Card is powered direct from the Dell PSUs 4-pin molex by way of SATA adapters run behind the GPU.

[edit]
Win10 drivers for the card were downloaded direct from the Inateck website.


----------



## rock (May 16, 2019)

Susquehannock said:


> Been following this USB 3 discussion and did few tests with the T3500 using a cheaper 256gb stick (seen in purple) for redundant storage, so it will not win any benchmark contests. But it gives us an idea what's going on.
> 
> First image is benchmark on internal USB header just below the PCI slot. Speeds same with headers in back of case and front panel. Second image is same 256mb stick connected through this Inatek 7 port PCI card. Also moved a few very large video files around and results were about same - roughly 3 times faster than the T3500s 2.0 headers.
> 
> ...



tnx for the info and the test ill get the same pci-e card that u have and a hub just to make sure.


----------



## Susquehannock (May 16, 2019)

rock said:


> tnx for the info and the test ill get the same pci-e card that u have and a hub just to make sure.


Seems to me any good USB 3 solution will require direct power since the spec is about twice that of USB 2. Not sure what your case looks like inside. You may want to consider an adapter as extender since the included wires are rather short. What I did is buy a six inch 4-pin to female SATA adapter, then used the included male to female SATA at the card end.


----------



## ManGupta (May 17, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> That would be very optimistic unless you're running the lowest end Ryzen3. The 1366 platform is a great one and still relevant, however let's be honest, the Ryzen 5/7 CPUs easily eclipse the whole platform.



If using a higher end GPU like RTX2080, one should go for ryzen 7, because if one has budget for rtx2080, vega 56, vega64 then cheaping it out on cpu won't make sense.

But if one goes for mid range GPU like 1660, 1060,1070 etc (which higher percentage of pc user would be doing).  6c/12t xeons won't bottleneck.

Cheapest 6 core Ryzen would cost 4 times that of used Xeon x5680, w3680.










In this vedio a cheaper $18 3rd gen 6c/12t Xeon was used which had clock speed of only 2.5 GHz, but with 3.33ghz x5680 or w3680 OCed up to 4ghz , there isn't any bottleneck for mid range gpus.


----------



## ManGupta (May 18, 2019)

data00 said:


> Hello everyone again. I recently got a ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1080 TI and it will only display 2 monitors. I installed drivers, checked the BIOS, and ran diagnostics to no avail. My monitors are Dell Ultrasharp 2407WFP, i appreciate any help.
> 
> Edit: Never mind, i fixed it by changing the undetected monitor to "Extend desktop to this display" in multiple displays.



Does your processor bottleneck gtx1080ti ?


----------



## Darmok N Jalad (May 18, 2019)

I'm not part of the club, but this thread really got me interested in these old workstations. I shopped around and ended up with an HP z420 with E5-2650 v2 for $205. I almost went with a dual Xeon T7500, but it was hard to pass up an 8C/16T Ivy Bridge-E for that price. The rig didn't come with an HDD or GPU, but I'd prefer it that way since I'd want to upgrade both of those right away anyway. Thanks for the inspiration!


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 19, 2019)

Darmok N Jalad said:


> I'm not part of the club, but this thread really got me interested in these old workstations. I shopped around and ended up with an HP z420 with E5-2650 v2 for $205. I almost went with a dual Xeon T7500, but it was hard to pass up an 8C/16T Ivy Bridge-E for that price. The rig didn't come with an HDD or GPU, but I'd prefer it that way since I'd want to upgrade both of those right away anyway. Thanks for the inspiration!


You're welcome! Have fun with that HP!


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## data00 (May 19, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> Does your processor bottleneck gtx1080ti ?


Sometimes, but most of the time it doesn't. Works great!


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 19, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> If using a higher end GPU like *RTX2080*


I have one...


ManGupta said:


> But if one goes for mid range GPU like 1660, 1060,1070 etc (which higher percentage of pc user would be doing). 6c/12t xeons won't bottleneck.





ManGupta said:


> Does your processor bottleneck gtx1080ti ?


...and it is only bottlenecked in certain games and then only marginally. Should I upgrade? Maybe. For much of what I do, my X5680 is more than enough.


----------



## data00 (May 20, 2019)

Hi everybody. Does anyone know if a Xeon W3690 works on T5500 mobo?

I'm currently investing on the processor itself along with T3500 mobo because i could not find any forums that confirms t5500 compatible besides X56XX & E5XXX processors. May seem like a stupid question, i just want a answer if that's not too much to ask.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 20, 2019)

data00 said:


> Xeon W3690 works on T5500 mobo?


Should work fine.



data00 said:


> i could not find any forums that confirms t5500 compatible besides X56XX & E5XXX processors


Consider it confirmed.


----------



## Darmok N Jalad (May 20, 2019)

data00 said:


> Hi everybody. Does anyone know if a Xeon W3690 works on T5500 mobo?
> 
> I'm currently investing on the processor itself along with T3500 mobo because i could not find any forums that confirms t5500 compatible besides X56XX & E5XXX processors. May seem like a stupid question, i just want a answer if that's not too much to ask.


The W3690 is basically the single CPU version of the X5690. The X-series supports dual socket, the W-series does not. I liked using the X-series chips in my old single socket 4,1 Mac Pro.


----------



## data00 (May 20, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> Consider it confirmed.





Darmok N Jalad said:


> The W3690 is basically the single CPU version of the X5690. The X-series supports dual socket, the W-series does not. I liked using the X-series chips in my old single socket 4,1 Mac Pro.


Oh thanks! That saves me from a lot of hassle, especially the mobo! Appreciate the responses guys. Also, i heard the W3690 has a unlocked multiplier and from this link here: https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/3125524, it can be overclocked all the way to 4.0Ghz on the T3500. Can you confirm this please?


----------



## phanbuey (May 20, 2019)

This thread might be bolstered by the massive amount of chips about to come on the market due to MDS attacks.  they dont matter for consumers, so there might be a bunch of high performing systems for cheap soon that would be excellent gaming/workstation rigs.


----------



## ManGupta (May 20, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> I have one...
> 
> 
> ...and it is only bottlenecked in certain games and then only marginally. Should I upgrade? Maybe. For much of what I do, my X5680 is more than enough.



Th





lexluthermiester said:


> I have one...
> 
> 
> ...and it is only bottlenecked in certain games and then only marginally. Should I upgrade? Maybe. For much of what I do, my X5680 is more than enough.



In your case do you use single Xeon system like T3500 or Dual Xeon System like T5500, T7500.

Dual Xeon may not bottleneck but what about single cpu system like T3500.



lexluthermiester said:


> Should work fine.
> 
> 
> Consider it confirmed.



In this thread in some post in some pages back someone had posted that single qpi cpu like w3680 w3690 won't run on T5500 MB even if using it in a single processor setup. I.e., without Raiser.









						Dell Workstation Owners Club
					

We have a separate thread for overclocking these computers (and others).  https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/  Many of us here follow both threads. But if that's not your thing then you're in the right place. Skulltrail was an Intel 2xCPU...




					www.techpowerup.com


----------



## data00 (May 20, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> In this thread in some post in some pages back someone had posted that single qpi cpu like w3680 w3690 won't run on T5500 MB even if using it in a single processor setup. I.e., without Raiser.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Oof, guess I should get the motherboard too.

Thanks for mentioning that because the last thing I want to do is spending money on a processor that isn't guaranteed to work on my T5500!


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## Susquehannock (May 20, 2019)

Yes. As mentioned previously, the T5500 and T7500 boards are Intel 5520 chipset based and require a dual QPI processor. Both W3680 and W3690 are single QPI. Being there are no unlocked dual QPI, this means no overclocking with T7/5500. Best we can do is hex core X5690.

[edit]
Should also be mentioned that newer BIOS (A07 or later) is required for 32nm Westmere and Gulftown CPUs. Otherwise the system will not boot. In this case you need to use an older 45nm Bloomfield or Nehalem CPU, install latest BIOS, then change over to the newer 32nm CPU.


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## lexluthermiester (May 21, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> In your case do you use single Xeon system like T3500 or Dual Xeon System like T5500, T7500.


T3500 single socket.


Susquehannock said:


> Yes. As mentioned previously, the T5500 and T7500 boards are Intel 5520 chipset based and require a dual QPI processor. Both W3680 and W3690 are single QPI. Being there are no unlocked dual QPI, this means no overclocking with T7/5500. Best we can do is hex core X5690.


Are we sure the 5520 chipset will not still take a single QPI CPU like the W3690? IIRC, I've seen a T5500 running a single QPI i7 running in single socket mode.. Could be wrong though..


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## Susquehannock (May 21, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> T3500 single socket.
> 
> Are we sure the 5520 chipset will not still take a single QPI CPU like the W3690? IIRC, I've seen a T5500 running a single QPI i7 running in single socket mode.. Could be wrong though..


There could be anomalies. I looked into this extensively testing my T5500 boards. None of the single QPI would even boot regardless of CPU family or BIOS version. And far as I can tell looking at the Dell pages and sales brochures none of the T5500 or T7500 were ever offered with anything but dual QPI, single CPU config or with riser.


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## lexluthermiester (May 21, 2019)

Susquehannock said:


> There could be anomalies. I looked into this extensively testing my T5500 boards. None of the single QPI would even boot regardless of CPU family or BIOS version. And far as I can tell looking at the Dell pages and sales brochures none of the T5500 or T7500 were ever offered with anything but dual QPI, single CPU config or with riser.


Fair enough.


----------



## ManGupta (May 25, 2019)

I am getting a used T3600 for $200 with E5 1650 3.20ghz 3.80 turbo , 8 Gb RAM.

I tend to decline this Deal. What do you guys advice.

Pros:
1) Processor can be upgraded to 8C/16T

2) Quad Channel Memory Bandwidth

3) PCIE Gen 3

4) SATA 3 6 gb/s

5) USB 3

6) UEFI BIOS

7) Better Cabinet, toolless, HDDs can be inserted/ removed from outside without opening the case. Handle on top, easy to carry the case.

Cons:
1) Although Processor can be upgraded to 8C/16T, Used 2nd Gen Xeons are very very expensive as compared to used 1st Gen X5680/W3680

2) In my existing T3500 I am already getting benefit of USB 3 via PCIE Adapter, Sata3 I donot care much  as I used sata SSD and planning to use M.2 NVME SSD via PCIE Adapter. I do understand however that relying on PCIE Gen2 (as compared to Gen 3 PCIE)  will reduce the advantage by 50%

3)  Unlike T3500, T5500, T7500, power supply cannot be upgraded by aftermarket PSU like Corsair, EVGA etc. In T3600 Power Supply is the ultimate limiting factor so I cannot upgrade GPU to GTX 1080ti/ RTX 2080 ti. T3600 comes with either Dell propriety 635 watt or 425 Watt Power supply, and in this case seller has 425 Watt PSU only.

4) mixed reports about success of overclocking of T3600 system.


UPDATE:
PSU  can be upgraded by a Dell 09JX5 80 Plus Gold 1300W Power Supply from a T7610  that costs 75 to 100 USD on ebay.  BUT unfortunately does not ships to India.


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## lexluthermiester (May 25, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> I do understand however that relying on PCIE Gen2 (as compared to Gen 3 PCIE) will reduce the advantage by 50%


Not really. I look at the performance of my GPU(RTX2080) with the X5680 and compare to other benchmarks and the difference is on par with most of the other systems I compare to. Not as much of a disadvantage as you might think. However, that is a damn good system for the price and even if you have to spend an extra $150 to get an 8C CPU it's still worth it if you're transplanting most of your other parts.


----------



## ManGupta (May 25, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> Not really. I look at the performance of my GPU(RTX2080) with the X5680 and compare to other benchmarks and the difference is on par with most of the other systems I compare to. Not as much of a disadvantage as you might think. However, that is a damn good system for the price and even if you have to spend an extra $150 to get an 8C CPU it's still worth it if you're transplanting most of your other parts.



How does the two options compare -

1) Upgrading 6C T3500 to 8C T3600 ($200+$150+$100 (Dell 09JX5  PSU from T7600) = $ 450

2)  Upgrading 6C T3500 to 12C T5500 ($350+ $50 for X5680) = $400 (This comes with 48 GB RAM, a Quadro1800, 1 TB HDD, 2 * X56** Xeons , (but not X5680, so I will have to get one, as one I already have).

UPGRADING to a 8 Core  is more expensive than upgrading to a 12 Core (6+6) System.


----------



## Darmok N Jalad (May 25, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> How does the two options compare -
> 
> 1) Upgrading 6C T3500 to 8C T3600 ($200+$150+$100 (Dell 09JX5  PSU from T7600) = $ 450
> 
> ...


I was deciding between Gulftown vs Sandy-Bridge-E vs Ivy-Bridge-E as well. I ended up with an Ivy Bridge-E 8C setup for cheap, but it was not a Dell, it was the HP Z420. I almost did the dual socket Gulftown, as the X56xx series are so cheap. Sure, with later models, you will get newer board specs (PCIe 3.0, SATA 3.0), but you also get better energy efficiency: The E5-2650 v2 is a 95W chip, and the Z420 only needs a 600W PSU. My Kill-A-Watt meter has the HP idling at 75W, and with 16T loaded, it hits 140W.


----------



## ManGupta (May 25, 2019)

Darmok N Jalad said:


> I was deciding between Gulftown vs Sandy-Bridge-E vs Ivy-Bridge-E as well. I ended up with an Ivy Bridge-E 8C setup for cheap, but it was not a Dell, it was the HP Z420. I almost did the dual socket Gulftown, as the X56xx series are so cheap. Sure, with later models, you will get with later models is newer board specs (PCIe 3.0, SATA 3.0), but you also get better energy efficiency: The E5-2650 v2 is a 95W chip, and the Z420 only needs a 600W PSU. My Kill-A-Watt meter has the HP idling at 75W, and with 16T loaded, it hits 140W.



You really got a Deal.  Z420 / T3600 with 8 core E5-2650 for just $200 is a steal. In my case I am only getting 6 core E5-1650. and Used 8 Core Xeons are very expensive. Even the PSU is only 425 watts. BTW what Cinebench score  you get with 8 cores?

Qualiy-wise Dell and HP are equal.

Power efficiency improves with every Generation of Processors/platforms. It also is a factor where do you live and what are electricity charges there.

Not just power efficiency wise but also feature wise each generation is improvement over the earlier .... like Pcie3, SATA3, USB3.

But X56XX series System's Cost to Performance ratio is just too good to resist. If price is not an issue I would had moved over to Ryzen System.

PSU in T3600 system is an issue to me as the unit offered to me only have 425 watts. Aftermarket PSUs like Corsair/EVGA cannot be used. This is an issue for me as I in future will upgrade  to GTX 1080ti/RTX 2080ti or when AMD releases their best GPU in fag end of 2019.

PSU in T3600 can be upgraded only by an Used Dell T7600 system 1300 watt PSU available on Ebay from $75 to $100 , but does not ships to my country.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 25, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> How does the two options compare -
> 
> 1) Upgrading 6C T3500 to 8C T3600 ($200+$150+$100 (Dell 09JX5  PSU from T7600) = $ 450
> 
> ...


This depends on your needs. If you need more GPU power(gaming) the T3600 is going to be the better option long term. If you need more CPU power, the T5500(with the extra CPU riser and X5680) will be the better option. Make sure the T5500 includes the extra CPU riser card and heatsink.

Personally, I love my set of T3500's. My main gaming rig is one and my internet system(typing on it currently) is the other. For my gaming rig, I "downgraded" from a i7-5820 and hardly felt a difference. Sure the benchmarks showed some drops in certain area's but I didn't feel that difference. Gaming performance was almost an unnoticeable change. Been happy with it since.

If you don't "need" the extra cores from the T3600 option or T5500 option, stick with your T3500 for a while and save your money for an RTX2070 or RTX2080. The RTX2080ti will be mildly bottlenecked by an X5680 so if that card is your future, then you'll need something newer.


----------



## Darmok N Jalad (May 25, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> You really got a Deal.  Z420 / T3600 with 8 core E5-2650 for just $200 is a steal. In my case I am only getting 6 core E5-1650. and Used 8 Core Xeons are very expensive. Even the PSU is only 425 watts. BTW what Cinebench score  you get with 8 cores?
> 
> Qualiy-wise Dell and HP are equal.
> 
> ...


Oh, you can still get the same deal I got if you can do eBay. Here’s the listing. I made an offer to get it for $205 with shipping and it was auto-accepted. I’m kicking myself for not starting out lower! RAM was actually 4GB x 2, and mine has 2 6-pin PCIe cables. Condition is actually pretty good. A few scratches and a chip in the paint, but it looks great for a used machine, IMO. Seller shipped fast, too.

I’m waiting on my SSD to arrive today and I’ll get it set up with Windows and Mint. I’m still waiting on my extra RAM to arrive, so I’m currently only running dual channel. I guess I’ll find out how much 2 extra channels will help on benches, too.

Edit:
Cinebench on dual channel memory:


Spoiler


----------



## sepheronx (May 26, 2019)

So my T3500 has been sitting dormant for a bit. Only because I just got my GTX 970 back from my friend and that I couldn't stand the vibration loudness of the front fans when I used throttlestop to overclock.

Was thinking of getting an AIO for it. Can be hand for about $90 CAD.  What you all think?


----------



## ManGupta (May 26, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> If you don't "need" the extra cores from the T3600 option or T5500 option, stick with your T3500 for a while and save your money for an RTX2070 or RTX2080. The RTX2080ti will be mildly bottlenecked by an X5680 so if that card is your future, then you'll need something newer.



Maybe the whole scenario will change with the launch of new Ryzen3000 7nm  in the fag end of this year. Particularly after zombieload effect all intel CPU's hyper-threading has to be disabled.



Darmok N Jalad said:


> Oh, you can still get the same deal I got if you can do eBay. Here’s the listing.



Yes listing still there but for  Shipping  to my country shipping cost is being quoted as $925


----------



## hashico (Jun 3, 2019)

Hello everyone, I just got a T5500 for cheap (150€+100€ for a used GTX970) with a x5687 and 24GB of RAM. The system is quite capable for my needs (CPU heavy data analysis and a little of 1080p gaming) but I'm struggling with cooling, as the system came equipped with the lower performance heatsink. I see that for my CPU it is suggested to use an "high performance one" (PN U016F)  but I'm struggling finding one for cheap in my country. Does anyone here have any "non official" cooling solution (even if they require some hardware "hacking")?


----------



## ManGupta (Jun 3, 2019)

hashico said:


> Hello everyone, I just got a T5500 for cheap (150€+100€ for a used GTX970) with a x5687 and 24GB of RAM. The system is quite capable for my needs (CPU heavy data analysis and a little of 1080p gaming) but I'm struggling with cooling, as the system came equipped with the lower performance heatsink. I see that for my CPU it is suggested to use an "high performance one" (PN U016F)  but I'm struggling finding one for cheap in my country. Does anyone here have any "non official" cooling solution (even if they require some hardware "hacking")?


 
Only 1 out of 2 Heatsink is weak.

The one on raiser kit is good copper heatpipe heatsink, but the other on motherboard is weak  aluminium heat-sink which needs to be replaced with this one -






						Dell Precision T3500 T5500 T7500 Workstation Heatsink U016F  for sale online
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dell Precision T3500 T5500 T7500 Workstation Heatsink U016F at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				




Also clean and reapply the thermal paste, use a good one like Thermal greasily cryonaut .

Still problem with cooling then consider adding additional 90mm or 80 mm fans to the heatsink.





__





						Page Not Found - Aliexpress.com
					





					www.aliexpress.com


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## hashico (Jun 3, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> Only 1 out of 2 Heatsink is weak.
> 
> The one on raiser kit is good copper heatpipe heatsink, but the other on motherboard is weak  aluminium heat-sink which needs to be replaced with this one -
> 
> ...



Forgot to say I have a single CPU configuration. The heatsink you linked is what I was searching for, it's just that I can't find one for cheap in my country, might be cheaper to just buy the one you linked and get it shipped to me from the USA if I can't find any alternatives.


----------



## ManGupta (Jun 3, 2019)

hashico said:


> Forgot to say I have a single CPU configuration. The heatsink you linked is what I was searching for, it's just that I can't find one for cheap in my country, might be cheaper to just buy the one you linked and get it shipped to me from the USA if I can't find any alternatives.



Which country you are from?


----------



## hashico (Jun 3, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> Which country you are from?


Italy


----------



## ManGupta (Jun 3, 2019)

hashico said:


> Italy



How much is this heatsink costs in Italy ?


----------



## hashico (Jun 3, 2019)

Can't find one on eBay located in Italy (at least no Buy It Now listings) and a local shop thinks he can order one for 70€.


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## ManGupta (Jun 3, 2019)

hashico said:


> Can't find one on eBay located in Italy (at least no Buy It Now listings) and a local shop thinks he can order one for 70€.



try this for 28 Euro including international shipping.









						US $30.8 |U016F for Precision T3500 T5500 T7500 CPU Cooling Heatsink|Servers|   - AliExpress
					

Smarter Shopping, Better Living!  Aliexpress.com




					www.aliexpress.com
				





Or the one on USA Ebay and pay for International shipping ....... see which comes cheaper.


----------



## hashico (Jun 13, 2019)

I finally got an U016F heatsink and it looks like it makes a nice difference:






Both tests were performed with _stress_ utility on Ubuntu at 30°C room temperatures using Noctua NT-H1 thermal paste: idle and peak temperature are only 5 degrees lower (even though I stopped the test earlier on the old heatsink, in the past it reached 90°C) but now the action of the CPU fan is visible). 
Might try adding an exhaust fan on the rear of the case and a fan attached to the heatsink (as soon as I find a silent one).


----------



## beastmaster64 (Jun 16, 2019)

Hello, i own a dell t5500 since 2015 and about 3 or 4 days ago my fans ramped up full and i shut off my pc, when i started it again there were three problems or alerts
Alert! Card Cage Fan Failure error
Alert! unable to initialize the fan controller
Alert! Air temperature sensor not detected
the pc works fine and all fans are on,but the fans are max speed very loud
i tried speedfan and it doesnt change the speed of fans,
i tried powering off dissconecting all the things from the pc and it worked, but only for 30 secs and the fans are still full power,
any help would be appreciated.(sry for my english)


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## lexluthermiester (Jun 16, 2019)

beastmaster64 said:


> Hello, i own a dell t5500 since 2015 and about 3 or 4 days ago my fans ramped up full and i shut off my pc, when i started it again there were three problems or alerts
> Alert! Card Cage Fan Failure error
> Alert! unable to initialize the fan controller
> Alert! Air temperature sensor not detected
> ...


This is a problem that happens from time to time on Dell systems from the time-frame the T3500/5500/7500 systems were made.
The fan controller on a particular run of motherboards can sometimes glitch out. Here's how to resolve the issue;

1. Power down the system and unplug the system power cable from the PSU.

2. Unplug and reseat(plug back in) all of the fan connectors in the system. Sometimes the connectors lose connection and this sets off a system alert in the bios.

3. Find the Power Supply Reset button on the back of the PSU(this presumes you are using a Dell PSU, if you have a non-Dell ATX PSU skip steps 3 & 4)

4. Press and hold the PSU reset button.

5. Press the system power button. This will fully drain the PSU of power(and reset stored info in the PSU internal IC if a Dell PSU is used).

6. Plug the system power cable back back in and power on the system.

7. Enter the BIOS by holding down the " F2 " key until the screen shows " Enter Setup " is highlighted.

8. Go to the logs entry and clear the system alerts.

9. Select save and restart.

The problem should be solved at that point and the system should boot normally with the fans not running full blast.
If this does not solve the problem try this procedure a second time. Otherwise your board might have developed a fault and may need replacement.


beastmaster64 said:


> (sry for my english)


Your english is good. No worries.


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## beastmaster64 (Jun 16, 2019)

Thank you ,but i just tried this and it doesn't seem to work.
Maybe it broke because of hot weather we are having this week.


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## Valantar (Jun 16, 2019)

Hey, didn't know about this thread. 35 pages of other people doing cool stuff with these OEM boxes is pretty neat! I've been working on stuffing an RX 570 into an old Optiplex 990 that I got for free off the IT department at work - pretty much done, spent an hour today filing down the rough edges on the vents I cut in the side panel. Just missing some minor touch-ups (black sharpie to the rescue!) and adding some mesh to cover the vents. Makes for a pretty good SFF sleeper gaming box, and the craptastic 240W PSU (65% mean efficiency!) has yet to explode - I didn't even need to downclock the GPU! I can post some pics when I have more time, or you can look up my build thread over on smallformfactor.net. Pretty happy with it, but definitely work-intensive - some rather major surgery to the case, a custom semi-modular cable harness for the PSU (to get a 6-pin PCIe out of it), and a lot of troubleshooting back when I still had the hope of getting it working with a cheapo IDE-ribbon style PCIe riser. Had to get an "expensive" ($30 on AliExpress) Riser, but ever since it's completely stable.


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## Darmok N Jalad (Jun 16, 2019)

Valantar said:


> Hey, didn't know about this thread. 35 pages of other people doing cool stuff with these OEM boxes is pretty neat! I've been working on stuffing an RX 570 into an old Optiplex 990 that I got for free off the IT department at work - pretty much done, spent an hour today filing down the rough edges on the vents I cut in the side panel. Just missing some minor touch-ups (black sharpie to the rescue!) and adding some mesh to cover the vents. Makes for a pretty good SFF sleeper gaming box, and the craptastic 240W PSU (65% mean efficiency!) has yet to explode - I didn't even need to downclock the GPU! I can post some pics when I have more time, or you can look up my build thread over on smallformfactor.net. Pretty happy with it, but definitely work-intensive - some rather major surgery to the case, a custom semi-modular cable harness for the PSU (to get a 6-pin PCIe out of it), and a lot of troubleshooting back when I still had the hope of getting it working with a cheapo IDE-ribbon style PCIe riser. Had to get an "expensive" ($30 on AliExpress) Riser, but ever since it's completely stable.


Can't believe you are running an RX570 off that PSU.  How are you feeding the PCIe connector on the card?


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## bonehead123 (Jun 16, 2019)

I have friends who got some dell towers for very little $$ from when the company was upgrading to HP's year before last....

Some of them said they liked the cases but not the components inside & wondered if I could upgrade them....

My reply was:

"With enough coffee, zip ties, *AND* dremel tool cutting wheels/drill bits, anything is possible"   

I ended up sucessfully modding/upgrading 5 of the 6 to standard, non-proprietary, non-bottom-of-the-barrel components and turned them into pretty decent rigs.

The 1st one was my test case, and I hacked the crap out of it just to see what would work & what wouldn't before starting on the rest..........


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## Valantar (Jun 16, 2019)

Darmok N Jalad said:


> Can't believe you are running an RX570 off that PSU.  How are you feeding the PCIe connector on the card?


I made a custom wiring harness by snipping off the sata and EPS wires, crimping on on some connectors at the cut, and splitting out the 12V cables to get the extra 6-pin. Also added a couple of Molex to the SATA chain at the same time to power my USB 3.0 card (gotta use that second PCIe slot!) and the riser cable, though I ended up not needing the last plug with my new "fancy" riser. Still, that harness is one complicated piece of wiring. 

I'm pretty shocked it works myself - I was really expecting to have to spend some time downclocking and undervolting the GPU. I've measured 265W at the wall while gaming, which translates to around 175W internally if the efficiency is indeed the 65% the spec sheet says. Of course, efficiency being non-linear and usually highest around the middle of the output range, it's likely even lower at those kinds of output. Still, I'm pushing it pretty close to its limits given that the 12V rail is only rated for 17A (204W), particularly since the PSU is from 2012 or so. Don't think it's ever seen more than 70W sustained loads before now though. I have a plan to replace it, but hopefully it'll last for a while nonetheless.


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## Darmok N Jalad (Jun 17, 2019)

Valantar said:


> I made a custom wiring harness by snipping off the sata and EPS wires, crimping on on some connectors at the cut, and splitting out the 12V cables to get the extra 6-pin. Also added a couple of Molex to the SATA chain at the same time to power my USB 3.0 card (gotta use that second PCIe slot!) and the riser cable, though I ended up not needing the last plug with my new "fancy" riser. Still, that harness is one complicated piece of wiring.
> 
> I'm pretty shocked it works myself - I was really expecting to have to spend some time downclocking and undervolting the GPU. I've measured 265W at the wall while gaming, which translates to around 175W internally if the efficiency is indeed the 65% the spec sheet says. Of course, efficiency being non-linear and usually highest around the middle of the output range, it's likely even lower at those kinds of output. Still, I'm pushing it pretty close to its limits given that the 12V rail is only rated for 17A (204W), particularly since the PSU is from 2012 or so. Don't think it's ever seen more than 70W sustained loads before now though. I have a plan to replace it, but hopefully it'll last for a while nonetheless.


Can you upgrade to a newer PSU? Hate to see your system go up in smoke.


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## bhetcaker (Jun 17, 2019)

Hello I just recently bought a T5500 and migrated it to a case I had sitting around. I pretty much have it all ready to go but my only issue is where to plug the case's PWR, Reset SW, and HDD LED plugs? I don't see any pins like normal ATX motherboards. Am I SOL?
Any help is appreciated!


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## hashico (Jun 17, 2019)

bhetcaker said:


> Hello I just recently bought a T5500 and migrated it to a case I had sitting around. I pretty much have it all ready to go but my only issue is where to plug the case's PWR, Reset SW, and HDD LED plugs? I don't see any pins like normal ATX motherboards. Am I SOL?
> Any help is appreciated!
> View attachment 125177



I think they are all part of the front I/O panel on the original case that plugs into connector Number 6, don't know if anyone knows the actual pinout of the connector.


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## bhetcaker (Jun 17, 2019)

hashico said:


> I think they are all part of the front I/O panel on the original case that plugs into connector Number 6, don't know if anyone knows the actual pinout of the connector.
> 
> View attachment 125183


I actually tried to locate a pinout but no luck. I looked at the cable that connects the front panel to the actual motherboard and there are 5 wide cables that go into each plug. 4 out of the 5 have a stamp that says USB on it. So I was wondering if the last cable (which is made of 8 smaller cables) is what I want. The case only requires 8 pins I believe. I was wondering if I could just cut the wires on the case and then plug them into the connector from the Dell? Picture is of the cable I'm talking about.


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## hashico (Jun 17, 2019)

bhetcaker said:


> So I was wondering if the last cable (which is made of 8 smaller cables) is what I want.



Given that there are 6 leds and a power button (so power 7 lines with a common ground)  it might work. You could try reversing the pinout using a multimeter in continuity mode if you got the original front panel.


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## bhetcaker (Jun 17, 2019)

hashico said:


> Given that there are 6 leds and a power button (so power 7 lines with a common ground)  it might work. You could try reversing the pinout using a multimeter in continuity mode if you got the original front panel.


Yeah I literally bought the Dell T5500 with the intentions to move it into a different case lol. I have only used a multimeter a few times so I have no idea what continuity mode is lol. I took the front connector panel thing (where the cable above connects to) to see if there were any labels. Do you have any other suggestions of what I could do? This is the only thing keeping it from running lol. I did kinda mess up by plugging those case cables into the 5 slot of the motherboard instead of the 6. Do you think I messed anything up? It automatically turns on when I plug it into the wall with or without those front controls plugged in.


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## hashico (Jun 17, 2019)

bhetcaker said:


> Yeah I literally bought the Dell T5500 with the intentions to move it into a different case lol. I have only used a multimeter a few times so I have no idea what continuity mode is lol. I took the front connector panel thing (where the cable above connects to) to see if there were any labels. Do you have any other suggestions of what I could do? This is the only thing keeping it from running lol. I did kinda mess up by plugging those case cables into the 5 slot of the motherboard instead of the 6. Do you think I messed anything up? It automatically turns on when I plug it into the wall with or without those front controls plugged in.



https://www.fluke.com/en-us/learn/b...test-for-continuity-with-a-digital-multimeter

Slot 5 is floppy connector, as long as power cable was disconnected you probably didn't mess up anything.

Assuming that T5400 front panel is the same of T5500 this is all I found




I would try to test for continuity beetween pins 19 and 21 on the front panel when power button is pressed.


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## bhetcaker (Jun 17, 2019)

hashico said:


> https://www.fluke.com/en-us/learn/b...test-for-continuity-with-a-digital-multimeter
> 
> Slot 5 is floppy connector, as long as power cable was disconnected you probably didn't mess up anything.
> 
> ...


So I would just plug the power switch onto 19-21 to test for continuity? And then if that does work then I could just follow a normal diagram to plug the rest in? I read on some Dells there's a space between the connectors.


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## hashico (Jun 17, 2019)

bhetcaker said:


> So I would just plug the power switch onto 19-21 to test for continuity? And then if that does work then I could just follow a normal diagram to plug the rest in? I read on some Dells there's a space between the connectors.


Take the original front panel, attach the original cable and find which pins *on the cable *correspond to pin 19-21 of motherboard connector (we don't want to short the pins on the motherboard before we are sure they are the right ones) and check for continuity on these pins *on the cable *when power button is pressed (if they are the right pins you should get open circuit when the button is not pressed and continuity when it's pressed, assuming it works like a standard case power button).


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## lexluthermiester (Jun 17, 2019)

beastmaster64 said:


> Maybe it broke because of hot weather we are having this week.


That might be possible. Sorry to hear that!


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## Valantar (Jun 17, 2019)

Darmok N Jalad said:


> Can you upgrade to a newer PSU? Hate to see your system go up in smoke.


I have a plan to replace it with a high-efficiency custom PSU solution down the line (specifically a MeanWell UHP-350-12 AC-12VDC PSU and a separate ATX plug-in DC-DC unit, either a PicoPSU or a G-Unique unit), but I hope to hold off on this until I either have a bit more spare cash, or even better, until I want to upgrade the motherboard/CPU to a more modern setup. It's worth noting that this isn't a PC that'll see heavy use - it's more of a hobby project to see if I could make a semi-portable gaming PC with as low cost as possible. All in all my total budget for this has been somewhere around $200 (maybe $250) including the GPU, riser cable, Noctua L9i CPU cooler, two 80mm case fans, a rotary tool (Dremel-alike), and a bunch of various connectors and stuff. Of course, I got off cheap by getting the PC for free and having a spare 500GB SSD and 8GB of DDR3 lying around.

I've tried finding a more convenient replacement PSU, but given the proprietary form factor there's nothing that will fit (I could likely squeeze a FlexATX or possibly a TFX unit in there if I replaced the motherboard with an ITX board, but, well, that would kind of miss the point), and finding a new/unused version of the "higher-end" SKU for this PC (also 240W, but 80+ Gold IIRC) has so far been impossible, at least at a reasonable price. 240W is the highest Dell ever went for this PC, for obvious reasons  The only replacement PSUs I've found have been the same bargain-basement 65% mean efficiency version, and buying off Ebay it might be completely trashed, so not worth the risk whatsoever. At least I know the one I have has barely seen a strenuous load in its lifetime. Anyhow, I'll happily take my chances of this not blowing up on me until I can afford to get a better PSU solution in there


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## Retrorockit (Jun 17, 2019)

Valantar said:


> Hey, didn't know about this thread. 35 pages of other people doing cool stuff with these OEM boxes is pretty neat! I've been working on stuffing an RX 570 into an old Optiplex 990 that I got for free off the IT department at work - pretty much done, spent an hour today filing down the rough edges on the vents I cut in the side panel. Just missing some minor touch-ups (black sharpie to the rescue!) and adding some mesh to cover the vents. Makes for a pretty good SFF sleeper gaming box, and the craptastic 240W PSU (65% mean efficiency!) has yet to explode - I didn't even need to downclock the GPU! I can post some pics when I have more time, or you can look up my build thread over on smallformfactor.net. Pretty happy with it, but definitely work-intensive - some rather major surgery to the case, a custom semi-modular cable harness for the PSU (to get a 6-pin PCIe out of it), and a lot of troubleshooting back when I still had the hope of getting it working with a cheapo IDE-ribbon style PCIe riser. Had to get an "expensive" ($30 on AliExpress) Riser, but ever since it's completely stable.


The Dell PSUs are rated at "continuos output", not "peak power" like the aftermarket uses for advertising. In Dells market a lower number  looks better to their customers. They're actually quality parts.








						Dell H305P-01 Power Supply Review - Hardware Insights
					

Contents1First Look2Load Testing3Actual Specifications and ConclusionsFirst Look Once again, we’re looking at a unit from a major OEM. Unlike last time, however, we’re looking at a unit from a PC […]




					www.hardwareinsights.com
				



If you go back to the Pentium 4 era you can get some 275W PSUs from SFF systems that ran 130W CPUs. The XPS210 aka Dimension 9200C.


bhetcaker said:


> Hello I just recently bought a T5500 and migrated it to a case I had sitting around. I pretty much have it all ready to go but my only issue is where to plug the case's PWR, Reset SW, and HDD LED plugs? I don't see any pins like normal ATX motherboards. Am I SOL?
> Any help is appreciated!
> .
> View attachment 125177


Motherboard swapping with Dells is usually not a good idea because of this sort of thing. Use the whole system and mod the cooling, PSU, and GPU is usually the best plan. HP stuck a lot closer to ATX than Dell, but still borked with the PSU wiring a little bit. Dell not only uses a proprietary front I/O harness, they change it all the time adding and removing various features, and don't publish the pinouts. Air temperature sensors are sometimes there, sometimes not, and it won't run if you don't get that right also.
 Best chance for success is to work the OEM cbale and front I/O board into your project.


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## bonehead123 (Jun 17, 2019)

Trust me when I say that proprietary, non-standard/custom wiring harnesses-cables, connectors and PSU's are by far the absolute worst aspects of OEM machines, and cause more people more heartburn than anything else when attempting to convert/upgrade these boxes to something more current & useful. Been there, done that, too many times 

Complicating this situation is the fact that they only make as many of the these parts as they need for the number of a particular model they intend to produce, plus a few extra to account for defects/borked installs/warranty claims etc.  About 6-12 months after that production run is over, they move on to the next new model with a completely new/different assortment of cables/connectors etc...BUT then they trash all the leftovers from the previous models, making it damned near impossible to find replacements outside of fleecebay, discount warehouses, or mom & pop shops that may have a few just laying around here & there...

This is the primary reason I would never buy a pre-built/off the shelf desktop rig for myself or family members.  I suspect that many members here feel the same way, as we have some really skilled & talented folks here who can literally build/mod/upgrade practically anything any which way you want it, or at the very least, walk you through doing it yourself


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## Valantar (Jun 17, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> The Dell PSUs are rated at "continuos output", not "peak power" like the aftermarket uses for advertising. In Dells market a lower number  looks better to their customers. They're actually quality parts.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


AFAIK any respectable aftermarket/retail PSU these days is rated for continuous output as well (and most handle overloads gracefully, often including OCP), though I'm well aware how shady advertised PSU outputs could be 10-15 years ago. I have an old unit lying around that used to run my first NAS (built in an actual cardboard box from Ikea!), and it's rated at "400W", but in reality that's 380W from adding up the totals of the 12V, 5V and 3.3V rails - the 12V is only rated at 15A, or 180W. Not much of a PSU these days, in other words!  Still, I would never have attempted this build if I didn't think the 240W (200W 12V) was a continuous rating. That would be a recipe for disaster.


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## Retrorockit (Jun 17, 2019)

It's true about the "respectable" brands. Unfortunately the ones making 400W SFF PSUs are not respectable. The Dell 305W Optiplex PSU, and the T3400 375W PSU both have the same 2x18A. 12V. rails. One has a 65W PCIe cable the other doesn't. So Dell's rating can just as easily be about what connectors are provided for each system as any difference in actual power produced. Dell doesn't sell PSUs by the Watt. They do sell to IT managers who care very much about TCO (total cost of ownership). Power consumption, repair costs, downtime, all get added up and compared. if the numbers don't add up they can take their 1000s of computers conract elsewhere. Leases, service contract, extended warranties are normal for Dell computers. You don't want a sketchy PSU in those scenarios.
I used to have a link to a Johnnyguru bargain basement PSU test that's been taken down. The Dell/Delta 305W is the only one that made it's rated  power without catching fire when overloaded.  It was actually the only one that stilll ran.
I haven't looked, but I wonder how many "respectable" PSUs actually have a UL (Underwriters Laboratory) fire safety certification?


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## Valantar (Jun 17, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> It's true about the "respectable" brands. Unfortunately the ones making 400W SFF PSUs are not respectable. The Dell 305W Optiplex PSU, and the T3400 375W PSU both have the same 2x18A. 12V. rails. One has a 65W PCIe cable the other doesn't. So Dell's rating can just as easily be about what connectors are provided for each system as any difference in actual power produced. Dell doesn't sell PSUs by the Watt. They do sell to IT managers who care very much about TCO (total cost of ownership). Power consumption, repair costs, downtime, all get added up and compared. if the numbers don't add up they can take their 1000s of computers conract elsewhere. Leases, service contract, extended warranties are normal for Dell computers. You don't want a sketchy PSU in those scenarios.
> I used to have a link to a Johnnyguru bargain basement PSU test that's been taken down. The Dell/Delta 305W is the only one that made it's rated  power without catching fire when overloaded.  It was actually the only one that stilll ran.
> I haven't looked, but I wonder how many "respectable" PSUs actually have a UL (Underwriters Laboratory) fire safety certification?


My 240W 2012-era Dell does, at least 





Of course there's no doubt there are still shady OEM PSUs out there, but anything made for business/workstations is built to last first and foremost - to eliminate downtime, as you say. Of course they don't add connectors that aren't needed (that would get expensive fast), but I wouldn't worry about an office/workstation-grade PSU to be made poorly - though I _would_ expect that from an OEM consumer-grade PSU. On the other hand, labels don't lie - that's illegal, even if the PSU itself isn't sold at retail. Certification and power input/output labels have to be accurate, and they're always rated for continuous output. Again, I'd trust huge companies like Dell or HP more than smaller ones here, simply as they're far more likely to get caught cheating, but generally, labels don't lie these days if the product is sold in western markets.

As for your argument about the two Dell PSUs, how are the non-12V rails between the two units? It sounds extremely unlikely that they'd be identical and one being sold as 305W and the other as 375W, regardless of the connectors. If that's the case, then the 305W is essentially massively overbuilt (two 18A 12V rails is 432W combined!), which definitely isn't a bad thing.


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## Retrorockit (Jun 17, 2019)

.

As far as the proprietary stuff goes, that's why Dells need their own forum.  The best way to approach Dells is as individual systems that each have strengths, weaknesses, and limitations ( usually intentional). Welcome to locked BIOS Hell!
Optiplexes are the worst, 95W CPU limit (1 or 2 exceptions), and often no room for a 2 slot GPU, and no PCIe power cable.
The XPS,Alienware series. Multimedias machines, the higher end ones are gaming ready, but overclocking is hit or miss.
The Workstations- 130w CPUs many of them unlocked, high RAM capacity, good  GPU support.very cost effective since supply is high and demand is low.
The T3500 X58 system is king of the hill so far in the overclocking area.








						Throttlestop overclocking Desktop PCs
					

Back then I knew it wasn't worth the bother because the performance increase was so small in P4. But I came into overclocking during the Core 2 era which did away with it altogether. I would still do without it unless there was a need for the extra cores. But bebop350 is a Linux user so he...




					www.techpowerup.com
				




Dell doesn't "sell them" as 305W or 375W PSUs, they build them into systems. If one only has connectors to provide 305W then that's what it is honestly and safely capable of providing. Without the extra connectors of an aftermarket one size fits all it's also virtually impossible to overload it.
 If that PSU cost $1 less for the missing coonnector I would love to have $1 for every Optiplex 305W PSU they built. That would be millions of $$$.
They both have the high 22A. +5V. rail that Dell BTX era systems require. EVGA is up to this others IDK. I would look into the old P4 275W SFF PSU. It's from that era and might be beastly.
When the 265W PSU in my $20 Optiplex 380 came up bad i tossed an old 375W, and an X5470 Xeon with a GTX1060 ITX card in it and it hasn't missed a beat.
One reason the Optiplex 305/375W is still worth a look is most of them never powered more than a 65W 2 core CPU with onboard graphics.


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## Darmok N Jalad (Jun 17, 2019)

Valantar said:


> I have a plan to replace it with a high-efficiency custom PSU solution down the line (specifically a MeanWell UHP-350-12 AC-12VDC PSU and a separate ATX plug-in DC-DC unit, either a PicoPSU or a G-Unique unit), but I hope to hold off on this until I either have a bit more spare cash, or even better, until I want to upgrade the motherboard/CPU to a more modern setup. It's worth noting that this isn't a PC that'll see heavy use - it's more of a hobby project to see if I could make a semi-portable gaming PC with as low cost as possible. All in all my total budget for this has been somewhere around $200 (maybe $250) including the GPU, riser cable, Noctua L9i CPU cooler, two 80mm case fans, a rotary tool (Dremel-alike), and a bunch of various connectors and stuff. Of course, I got off cheap by getting the PC for free and having a spare 500GB SSD and 8GB of DDR3 lying around.
> 
> I've tried finding a more convenient replacement PSU, but given the proprietary form factor there's nothing that will fit (I could likely squeeze a FlexATX or possibly a TFX unit in there if I replaced the motherboard with an ITX board, but, well, that would kind of miss the point), and finding a new/unused version of the "higher-end" SKU for this PC (also 240W, but 80+ Gold IIRC) has so far been impossible, at least at a reasonable price. 240W is the highest Dell ever went for this PC, for obvious reasons  The only replacement PSUs I've found have been the same bargain-basement 65% mean efficiency version, and buying off Ebay it might be completely trashed, so not worth the risk whatsoever. At least I know the one I have has barely seen a strenuous load in its lifetime. Anyhow, I'll happily take my chances of this not blowing up on me until I can afford to get a better PSU solution in there


Back when I had a 4,1 Mac Pro, I was reading about powering modern GPUs, as those old Macs only had 2 6-pin PCIe connectors that came off the system board, and overloading them can screw up the whole works. Apparently the old Xbox 360 power brick is great at providing power to GPUs, you just have to mod in a wiring harness. I believe people were driving Titan X’s through these means.


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## Retrorockit (Jun 17, 2019)

I have an old Mac Pro and a Dell T5500 MB. I haven't sized them up yet but if your going to put things together that don't belong why not go all the way! I actually haven't figured out how to take the MP apart yet.


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## Valantar (Jun 17, 2019)

Darmok N Jalad said:


> Back when I had a 4,1 Mac Pro, I was reading about powering modern GPUs, as those old Macs only had 2 6-pin PCIe connectors that came off the system board, and overloading them can screw up the whole works. Apparently the old Xbox 360 power brick is great at providing power to GPUs, you just have to mod in a wiring harness. I believe people were driving Titan X’s through these means.


Yeah, I've considered that as an emergency option, the only problem is I'd still have to get a DC-ATX unit capable of handling >200W, which isn't cheap or easy to get. Also, I absolutely hate power bricks


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## Darmok N Jalad (Jun 17, 2019)

Valantar said:


> Yeah, I've considered that as an emergency option, the only problem is I'd still have to get a DC-ATX unit capable of handling >200W, which isn't cheap or easy to get. Also, I absolutely hate power bricks


Yeah, I thought it was funny that users took the cleanness of the Mac Pro and sullied it with external power bricks, but I guess when power is your main goal, looks take a back seat!


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## bhetcaker (Jun 17, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> The Dell PSUs are rated at "continuos output", not "peak power" like the aftermarket uses for advertising. In Dells market a lower number  looks better to their customers. They're actually quality parts.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I was thinking about contacting them just to ask about it for my specific motherboard. I don't mind tinkering around with it I actually enjoy it! That being said I wouldn't mind just testing for continuity if I'm unable to get a pinout diagram. I'll have to look at it again once I return home. I even thought about contacting Foxconn who actually made the motherboards apparently.


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## Retrorockit (Jun 18, 2019)

bhetcaker said:


> I was thinking about contacting them just to ask about it for my specific motherboard. I don't mind tinkering around with it I actually enjoy it! That being said I wouldn't mind just testing for continuity if I'm unable to get a pinout diagram. I'll have to look at it again once I return home. I even thought about contacting Foxconn who actually made the motherboards apparently.



I know some people enjoy the challenge of reverse engineering secret pinouts. I like doing hardware mods myself. I just put the warning in the forum for those who are interested in these systems but might want another way forward. It's quite a shock for people who are used to the ATX aftermarket where everything fits every computer.
 Some people have measured the resistance of the thermal sensor and spoofed the ribbon cable with a matching resistor, or even a rheostat to get a variable speed fan. In the workstations I think it's on the MB. But there may be more than one sensor.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 19, 2019)

I forgot to mention that there are also separate Dell thermal sensors that have their own cable and plug into a MB header.


----------



## Susquehannock (Jun 21, 2019)

beastmaster64 said:


> Hello, i own a dell t5500 since 2015 and about 3 or 4 days ago my fans ramped up full and i shut off my pc, when i started it again there were three problems or alerts
> Alert! Card Cage Fan Failure error
> Alert! unable to initialize the fan controller
> Alert! Air temperature sensor not detected
> ...


My opinion is you have a bad front panel board. Dell part # M884G (mounting screw seen below). Common issue with older ones before the switch away from the often defective UCC brand capacitors. We can duplicate the errors and fan actions by leaving the 40-pin from front panel detached during boot. I have a T3500 case that did exactly the same as yours.  A new (unused) front panel found on Ebay fixed it right up. Is that an option for you?








hashico said:


> https://www.fluke.com/en-us/learn/b...test-for-continuity-with-a-digital-multimeter
> 
> Slot 5 is floppy connector, as long as power cable was disconnected you probably didn't mess up anything.
> 
> ...


Not sure this helps the board in other case subject. These Tx500 will run without the front panel and fan cage provided you don't mind extra step of F1 command at the boot Alerts during start up. System defaults to constant on state. A switch on power strip or back of aftermarket PSU takes care of that. Something to consider.


----------



## data00 (Jun 21, 2019)

Hi everyone again 

I now have the money for the T3500 motherboard along with the processor(W3680) and unbuffered RAM(16GB 2x8GB), and was wondering about cooling since I plan to overclock the W3680 at 4Ghz.

I have a T5500 riser board with a heatsink and fan, and since I don't need the riser board anymore, I figured I use it.

I just wanted to ask if anyone would recommend this or I should just get the 0U016F heatsink?

Thanks.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 21, 2019)

data00 said:


> Hi everyone again
> 
> I now have the money for the T3500 motherboard along with the processor(W3680) and unbuffered RAM(16GB 2x8GB), and was wondering about cooling since I plan to overclock the W3680 at 4Ghz.
> 
> ...


What model is the pictured heatsink?


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 21, 2019)

You should be running 3 channel RAM. 3x4 or 3x8GB for best performance with X58.
Generally it's best to get a whole T3500 system.  They're not directly ATX compatable. The HP Z400 is more ATX like if that's waht you need. Get the newer 6 RAM slot version, and be prepared to do the HP PSU 24 pin connector mod/ adapter.
 The T5500 heatsink comes with a fan, the T3500 heatsink doesn't have one. It's common to add one but the MB doesn't have an extra fan header except maybe an HDD fan connector.
if you look around in this thread and the Throttlestop overclocking thread you'll see a few coolimg and fan mods. 4GHz isn't a problem with a fan added to the stock cooler in a T3500 system. They come with a 120x38mm fan right at the CPU already.


----------



## data00 (Jun 21, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> You should be running 3 channel RAM. 3x4 or 3x8GB for best performance with X58.
> Generally it's best to get a whole T3500 system.  They're not directly ATX compatable. The HP Z400 is more ATX like if that's waht you need. Get the newer 6 RAM slot version, and be prepared to do the HP PSU 24 pin connector mod/ adapter.
> The T5500 heatsink comes with a fan, the T3500 heatsink doesn't have one. It's common to add one but the MB doesn't have an extra fan header except maybe an HDD fan connector.
> if you look around in this thread and the Throttlestop overclocking thread you'll see a few coolimg and fan mods. 4GHz isn't a problem with a fan added to the stock cooler in a T3500 system. They come with a 120x38mm fan right at the CPU already.



I can't really afford 3x8GB and i have plans of maxing out the RAM to 48GBs. I could go 4x4GB if you recommend it. Also i have a T5500 case, which I'll be putting the T3500 motherboard in, the T3500 mobo is pretty much the same as the T5500 mobo except no mount for the riser and some other small changes, the screw holes are in the same place so it should fit well with the T5500 case. And both mobos have 3 fan headers; 2 for the front fans and 1 for the HDD. I found that the top front fan cable could actually reach to the HDD fan header with no problem so i could just connect the cable there while the CPU fan could use the front fan header.

EDIT: I found a sell of 32GB 4x8GB unbuffered RAM and got paid so i could afford it now



lexluthermiester said:


> What model is the pictured heatsink?



The heatsink model is 0W715F.


----------



## ManGupta (Jun 22, 2019)

data00 said:


> I can't really afford 3x8GB and i have plans of maxing out the RAM to 48GBs. I could go 4x4GB if you recommend it. Also i have a T5500 case, which I'll be putting the T3500 motherboard in, the T3500 mobo is pretty much the same as the T5500 mobo except no mount for the riser and some other small changes, the screw holes are in the same place so it should fit well with the T5500 case. And both mobos have 3 fan headers; 2 for the front fans and 1 for the HDD. I found that the top front fan cable could actually reach to the HDD fan header with no problem so i could just connect the cable there while the CPU fan could use the front fan header.
> 
> EDIT: I found a sell of 32GB 4x8GB unbuffered RAM and got paid so i could afford it now
> 
> ...



You did not  get the point 32 gb ram 4 X 8 gb will run but not in triple channel bandwidth (for higher ram performance).

Use ram in set of three sticks like-
4gb x3, 8gbx3,2gbx3, 2gbx6,4gbx6,8gbx6.
While populating ram slots with only 3 sticks put them in either slot no 1,3,5 or 2,4,6.

Otherwise you won't get benefit of triple channel memory bandwidth.

By using even number of ram sticks i.e., 4x8gb, you won't get benefit of triple channel.
Your system will work and full 32 gb ram will be available but it will run in dual or single channel.


----------



## data00 (Jun 22, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> You did not  get the point 32 gb ram 4 X 8 gb will run but not in triple channel bandwidth (for higher ram performance).
> 
> Use ram in set of three sticks like-
> 4gb x3, 8gbx3,2gbx3, 2gbx6,4gbx6,8gbx6.
> ...



Oh, figured it would work like that, but oh well. I'll install only 3 of the 4x8GB modules and save the other one for later, when get the other 2. Thanks for correcting me!

Also sorry if I come across as annoying; _*very*_ ambitious with my build and i just want to make sure that what i'm doing is correct


----------



## ManGupta (Jun 22, 2019)




----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 22, 2019)

X58 and Dell workstations are not common knowledge to most users. There's a learning curve involved. But if you don't go off script it can be a very easy 4+GHz overclock experience.
It's actually very simple. A T3500, an unlocked CPU, an extra fan on the heatsink, and Throttlestop software. In about an hour you will have an overclocked X58 computer.
 In the world of aftermarket ATX parts swapping is considered normal. In Dell computers it's all on a part by part basis and based on rumors and folklore as much as anything else. There's nothing wrong with that. It's actually my hobby. But the T3500 platform makes it mostly unnecessary.


----------



## Valantar (Jun 27, 2019)

An update on my Optiplex 990 SFF, now 99% done and renamed the OptiplRX 570:


http://imgur.com/a/8HWJS2N

All that's missing is removing the front I/O holes and filling in that+the ODD bay with mesh.

Performance is fine, thermals are okay - mid-to-high 70s on the GPU, CPU in the high 70s while gaming (45 minutes of Rocket League and a Fire Strike stress test directly after that). 235W at the wall during both of these - within reason, something like 155-170W depending on the specific efficiency at that load. The PSU should handle that.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 27, 2019)

I see some i7-2700K running in that here.


			UserBenchmark: Dell OptiPlex 990 Compatible Builds
		

Maybe a Throttlestop overclock is in your future.


----------



## ManGupta (Jun 28, 2019)

SoNic67 said:


> I have my new Dell Precision T7610 up and running. The case had a sticker with a Windows 7 Pro serial... and I used that to activate a new install of Windows 10 (using the USB media prepared previously). Painless install, I preferred that to moving the SSD, since I already had another 1TB SSD laying around. The two LSI controllers were recognized automatically - the LSI SAS2 2308 Mustang (on board) and my own LSI 9750 RAID5 (my 3 drive array). I had to swap the locations of the SAS-SATA cable and add mine to put the default 4-drive bay on the RAID card (left just the SSD boot on the 2308).
> 
> It was listed with "24GB" which would imply a triple channel (wrong for the E5-2630 V2, it's either dual or quad)... well inside were 4 sticks of 8GB each, but one of the memory sticks was not set right, after pressing it in, now I have 32GB RAM. The remaining slots look so empty...
> 
> ...



Dell Cabinets since sandybridge onwards have become so small and compact. I liked the larger cabinets Dell made earlier. Air  Flow was so good on the larger cabinets in Precisions like T3500, T7500,T5500 and earlier. In newer models ever the power units are made to just spaced in thin and flatter area.


----------



## Valantar (Jun 28, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> I see some i7-2700K running in that here.
> 
> 
> UserBenchmark: Dell OptiPlex 990 Compatible Builds
> ...


Interesting, but I doubt it's feasible. The PSU is already pushed to its limits, and the L9i (only CPU cooler I could possibly fit) already hits high 70s with the 2400. Increasing either power or heat output would be ... problematic. Besides, those CPUs are too damn expensive


----------



## ManGupta (Jun 28, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> There are many surplus PCIe SATA controller cards available to move onto the PCIe bus using your existing SATA drives.
> SetFSB has not been supported for a very long time. There are other FSB utilities based on RW Everything that don't have the SATA issue (I've beeen told). When you start overclocking locked BIOS Dell 2 CPU workstations you're going to have to do some of your own R&D work. Nobody really knows the answer, and others don't usually post what doesn't work so even that information isn't available. The terminology changed from FSB to BCLK with the move away from LGA775/771 so that may help with your searches.
> SoftFSB, CPUFSB, GetFSB, and Clockgen are some of the others.
> 
> ...



Did you use 490 Fan housing assembly to mount Delta 150x50mm 275CFM fan  or you  did some other mod ? 

Delta 150x50mm 275CFM is available at Aliexpress at around the same price as NIDEC  90mm x 38mm fan. But I cannot find any 490  fan housing available to mount them on. Can be just tied with steel wires to the front vent holes in the body of cabinet, but these are very heavy fans, so not sure about mounting it that way.

Presently I mounted one Nidec fan on the back of cpu heatsink and left the  t3500 front  fan assembly as it is by default. Temps are OK in this hot season. So I didnot undervolted nor used any low TDP summer CPU like X5675 (95 TDP).  Using the same X5680 (130 TDP).



king of swag187 said:


> Would you happen to have a P/N on the 275CFM fans?



DG168



rock said:


> mm tnx for the info is it really quiet or is it like the 2x 120mm? and do u know the db?



[Rated Speed]: 3800 r.p.m 
[Temperature Range]: -10 - 70 ¡ã C 
[Life expectancy]: (25 ¡ã C) L10 life expectancy of 50,000 hours 
[Bearings]: Maintenance-free double ball bearing 
[Rotation]: air discharged from the stent, the face of the rotor counterclockwise rotation 
[Maximum air volume]: 440.0 m3 / h (259 cfm)
[Motor Protection]: overload protection 
[Wind pressure]: 123 Pa
[Noise Indicator]: 56.5 dB (A) 
[Material Material]: Glass fiber reinforced plastic, PBT housing, PA blade


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 28, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> Did you use 490 Fan housing assembly to mount Delta 150x50mm 275CFM fan  or you  did some other mod ?
> 
> Delta 150x50mm 275CFM is available at Aliexpress at around the same price as NIDEC  90mm x 38mm fan. But I cannot find any 490  fan housing available to mount them on. Can be just tied with steel wires to the front vent holes in the body of cabinet, but these are very heavy fans, so not sure about mounting it that way.
> 
> ...


I just order the 490 fan assembly which comes with the fan inside already, often cheaper than just the fan. Sometimes with the JD850 90x38mm cage fan included. MC527 is the number for the fan assy. Fits the T3500/T5500 case easily. The 150x50 fan is much quieter than the 120x38mm. I don't think the 3800 RPM is correct. More like 2200-2400 RPM. It moves so much more air at idle that it hardly ever speeds up anyway.
On Page 8 of the Throttlestop overclocking thread I did a slideshow of the 490 fanmod. Slide#7 should be #1. it shows the added mounting screw nut, and metal tab folded down to make it a drop in conversion. Also be aware thet the 120x38mm fan with all parts installed (HDD tray,RAM duct) is ducted to the CPU cooler. Unless you put a bigger cooler, or make a duct you might actually lose cooling. The dead spot in the middle of this fan is huge. The 490 housing redirects some of the air to that area.








						Throttlestop overclocking Desktop PCs
					

I'm used to BTX Dells being able to handle a 1.8A. fan w/o problem. But this isn't BTX so I should probably be careful. So 2 fan connectors, but just 1 CPU PWM wire. I'm finding that the T7500 uses this size fan in a 150mm+120mm setup and a bigger heatsink U402F.  I really appreciate the in...




					www.techpowerup.com
				



You're replacing a .9A fan with 1.8A. so be careful.
This fan is also a drop in replacement for BTX Optiplex Mini towers. The 1.8A is not an issue there, and the BTX CPU duct matches perfectly. You just replace the whole fan and housing with the bare 150x50mm fan and velcro it in place.



Valantar said:


> Interesting, but I doubt it's feasible. The PSU is already pushed to its limits, and the L9i (only CPU cooler I could possibly fit) already hits high 70s with the 2400. Increasing either power or heat output would be ... problematic. Besides, those CPUs are too damn expensive


There may be some cheaper 2500K in there further down the list. It's not uncommon for people to use these CPUs in Dells and not overclock them. The SFF may be limited on heatsink size, but there can be some serious Delta fans out there that can provide more airflow. The Optiplexes all had 95W CPU limits, but the older XPS/Dimension 9200C had 120W CPUs so I would look there for heatsinks and fans for that. Glueing some finsinks on the VRM MOSFETs can make some more power available. YK840 is the 275W SFF PSU. It's 17A on the 12V rail so IDK how that compares to what you already have. Those old BTX did send a bunch of power to the 5V. rail.
 Actually the Opti 990 isn't LGA775 or BTX so the heatsinks won't work. My bad.


----------



## data00 (Jun 29, 2019)

Update on my W3680 upgrade.

Got the parts, and installed them, they fit perfectly on the T5500 case! I was able to overclock the W3680 to 3.87Ghz with the highest temp at 90*°*C! Setting the multiplier higher than x29 would make it unstable, ran 3DMark and it BSOD during the benchmark.



Susquehannock said:


> Been playing around with this W3680 at 4.0ghz in my Dell T3500. Looks good. System gets buggy at 4.2ghz and will fail during IETU more often than not. Pretty sure it would be stable with more voltage.
> 
> Very happy with the temps so far. Max of 60c at full load with 25c room temp. Grizzly Kryonaut is expensive but seems to do the trick. Stock cooler with 80mm fan in pull config, both case fans set to 100% with SpeedFan.


Comparing Susquehannock's benchmark to mine, its obvious that I need to do something. Used SpeedFan and i got this.



There was no option to change the speed of the fans or anything besides viewing the temps. I went to Configure -> Advanced then selecting the chip and change the value the PWM to software controlled but nothing except changing temp offset so i'm wondering how Susquehannock was able to set the fan speeds.

For the heatsink, I'm going to get the 0U016F heatsink then attach a 80mm fan to it. I used Arctic MX4 thermal paste, not sure if I should get Grizzly Kryonaut.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 29, 2019)

Valantar said:


> Interesting, but I doubt it's feasible. The PSU is already pushed to its limits, and the L9i (only CPU cooler I could possibly fit) already hits high 70s with the 2400. Increasing either power or heat output would be ... problematic. Besides, those CPUs are too damn expensive


One place to look for CPU coolers for the Opti 990 would be rackmount servers. They vary from extruded aluminum, and folded fin or skived copper, but the good stuff is the Vapor Chamber type.
The fan will have to blow across it. Dynatron is a player in that market.


			https://c1.neweggimages.com/productimage/35-114-132-02.jpg
		

There is a Dell 315W SFF PSU. VX372. It comes with a 75 Watt 6 pin PCIe cable. But it's for the later Optiplexes w/o the 24 pin header. 12V only. The interesting thing is it has 3x 12V. rails. 14A.,13A, and 11A. It's from the Optiplex XE2
I don't own one and haven't seen inside it. But the possibility exists that the 11A. rail powers the 6 pin PCIE, and MIGHT be a discrete part added to the 240W Optiplex 9020 PSU. Of course it's a completely different 240W PSU to start with. This is the upgrade PSU for the Opti 9020. This is just a guess based on the strangeness of a 3 rail Optiplex SFF PSU.


			https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/715ikR%2B1ByL._SX466_.jpg


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 29, 2019)

data00 said:


> Got the parts, and installed them, they fit perfectly on the T5500 case! I was able to overclock the W3680 to 3.87Ghz with the highest temp at 90*°*C! Setting the multiplier higher than x29 would make it unstable, ran 3DMark and it BSOD during the benchmark.


What cooler are you using? Have attached a fan to it directly? If you haven't, you need to.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 29, 2019)

There is a discussion of the 150x50mm fan back on page 28 in this thread. It runs 2000RPM and while the fan itself is pretty quiet if you turn it up you will hear a bunch of air moving around.
On my Optiplex 380 X5470 (120W) Prime 95 small FFT =42* C.
On page 24 in the Throttlestop overclocking thread there is a Dynatron heatpipe cooler mod for the T3500 that might be an option. The fan shown was for Manguptas 40*C. ambient situation. But that type of thermal controlled fan only needs 12V. to run.









On page 17 of this thread is another fan/cooler mod.


----------



## data00 (Jun 29, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> What cooler are you using? Have attached a fan to it directly? If you haven't, you need to.



I'm using the cooler I showed from previous post.
The 0W715F and it does have a fan attached to it. I seen it and the fan is working, but as mentioned i can't control the fan speed. Not sure about that.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 29, 2019)

That's the heatsink and fan for the 2nd T5500 CPU. Basically the same as the T3500 heatsink with a fan added. If you splice the blue wire to the blue wire on the CPU fan they should be able to share the PWM signal. If you disconnect the Blue PWM wire it will go to 100% speed.

HWInfo64 which I think is an Unclewebb product has a sensor tab that allows fan speed control. I got 2500RPM out of my 150x50 fan so I gues that's the max. speed. i got 47-51*C running small FFT so that's where i'm actually at with my Opti 380. 42*C. might have been with the light TS benchmark running. If you have the CPU fan tied into one of the MB headers it should work.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 29, 2019)

data00 said:


> The 0W715F and it does have a fan attached to it. I seen it and the fan is working, but as mentioned i can't control the fan speed. Not sure about that.


Ah there is the problem. Don't use Dell fans connected to the mobo. Use an aftermarket fan connected through a molex adapter for the CPU heatsink.


----------



## data00 (Jun 30, 2019)

Ah i see. So i can use the 0W715F heatsink and have a 80mm fan and connect it to molex. 

Would it be crazy to replace the fans on the fan assembly? I also want to replace them with aftermarket fans but i don't know what size they are and not sure if it would be worth it.


----------



## ManGupta (Jun 30, 2019)

data00 said:


> Ah i see. So i can use the 0W715F heatsink and have a 80mm fan and connect it to molex.
> 
> Would it be crazy to replace the fans on the fan assembly? I also want to replace them with aftermarket fans but i don't know what size they are and not sure if it would be worth it.




Have a look at this NIDAC fan. You can mount this 90 mm fan to the cpu heatsink and run it connected directly with 12V connection  .........   still it will have PWM function as it has a thermal sensor of its own in form of a blue capacitor attached to  fan motor. It has 130 CFM it cost $15 on aliexpress.

For $ 16.50 you can also get 259 CFM 150 mm X 50 mm Delta fan, but its huge and not  meant to be mounted on the heatsink but it can replace the T3500 Front fan assembly.









						15.74US $ 25% OFF|Ta350dc M35105-58 Case Cooling Thermal Sensor Fan 12v 1.8a 3-pin (3-wire Lead) 90mm X 90mm X 38mm - Fans & Cooling - AliExpress
					

Smarter Shopping, Better Living!  Aliexpress.com




					www.aliexpress.com
				












						22.0US $ |used Free Shipping original  blower fans AFC1512DG 15050 15cm 150mm DC 12V 1.8A NC466 powerful server inverter cooling cooler|blower fan|inverter cooler12v dc cooler - AliExpress
					

Smarter Shopping, Better Living!  Aliexpress.com




					www.aliexpress.com


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 30, 2019)

data00 said:


> Ah i see. So i can use the 0W715F heatsink and have a 80mm fan and connect it to molex.


Yes, exactly. That is what I and many others are doing. I'm using a 1800rpm 80mm fan with a 3-pin to molex adapter(which came with the fan). It keeps the CPU cool and it's near silent. I can only hear it when the side of the case is off and then only just.


----------



## ManGupta (Jun 30, 2019)

5700 RPM NIDAC FAN Speed Demo










This video explains the Principles on which a Thermal Resistor Controled Fan Works


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 30, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> 5700 RPM NIDAC FAN Speed Demo
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That would be a tad to fast and noisy for what is needed of it. Interesting though!


----------



## ManGupta (Jun 30, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> That would a tad to fast and noisy for what is needed of it. Interesting though!



As  long as it is controlled by the thermistor, it wont speedup so much, hence  relatively quieter.  But if CPU temp rises up the fans speed up and noise level rises.

The one in the  video is running at full 5700 RPM by sorting the two legs of the thermistor to run at max speed.

Have You Noticed one thing .........

The Fidget on the outer edge speeded faster than the one at the center nearer to the fan.

As Retrorockit had posted in his post .......

Fans generally have tendency to spread out air towards the outer boundaries leaving dead spots at the center thereby reducing the cooling effect on the heatsink because the heatsinks are placed at the center of the fan.

Hence there is need to redirect the air from the outer boundaries back towards the center (towards the heatsinks.)

So I have been so long under estimating the ROLE OF AIR DUCT in cooling solutions.

Thanks to Retrorockit to make me aware about this phenomenon.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 30, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> As long as it is controlled by the thermistor, it wont speedup so much, hence relatively quieter. But if CPU temp rises up the fans speed up and noise level rises.


That's the problem, the on-board connectors in T3500/T5500/T7500 systems generally don't ramp up the fan speed until the CPU is already hitting TJmax. Whereas a steady state fan will provide the needed airflow at all CPU load states and thus the CPU will never overheat. Most 1800-2400rpm fans are very quiet these days, are inexpensive and generally very reliable.


----------



## ManGupta (Jun 30, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> That's the problem, the on-board connectors in T3500/T5500/T7500 systems generally don't ramp up the fan speed until the CPU is already hitting TJmax. Whereas a steady state fan will provide the needed airflow at all CPU load states and thus the CPU will never overheat. Most 1800-2400rpm fans are very quiet these days, are inexpensive and generally very reliable.



This fan does not uses the on-board connectors in T3500/T5500/T7500 systems.

It uses its own thermistor, a blue colored resistor connected to the motor of the fan to control the fan speed based on temp of air passing through it.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 30, 2019)

I agree with Lex that Dell speeds up the fans too late. If you can get HWInfo64 to work you can set a faster idle speed on the 120x38mm CPU fan. It's actually a very good fan. Another option is to run the thicker 90x38mm fan as a 2nd CPU fan like Mangupta listed which moves more air per RPM. Instead of shorting out the thermistor as shown in the video you could connect a variable resistor in parallel to increase rpm as needed manually. But it's probably overkill for anyone except Mangupta.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 30, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> It uses its own thermistor, a blue colored resistor connected to the motor of the fan to control the fan speed based on temp of air passing through it.


Oh I see. To work correctly, one would need to turn the heatsink backwards and mount the fan pulling air through the heatsink so the thermistor can detect the temp of the heat coming off the CPU.


----------



## ManGupta (Jul 1, 2019)

This video explains how to repair / fix a very noisy fan.












lexluthermiester said:


> Oh I see. To work correctly, one would need to turn the heatsink backwards and mount the fan pulling air through the heatsink so the thermistor can detect the temp of the heat coming off the CPU.



Correct. And it should run from 12v directly and let the thermistor do it's job.
It has got the Dell 5 pin connector, but it is not advisable to put in Dell mb fan header otherwise
1) Dell mb shitty fan controller will also control it.
2) it draws more amperage. Dell header is for .9 amperage but this fan draws 1.8 amp that is twice of that. So it would be safer to run directly connected to 12 volts.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 1, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> This video explains how to repair / fix a very noisy fan.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That video lost me at "use butter". Butter degrades badly over time and with the heat the fan coils generate. Dielectric grease is infinitely better and will not degrade over time. White lithium grease will also work well.


----------



## ManGupta (Jul 1, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> That video lost me at "use butter". Butter degrades badly over time and with the heat the fan coils generate. Dielectric grease is infinitely better and will not degrade over time. White lithium grease will also work well.



Yes only grease can last longer and one is not going to do this exercise every couple of months, so  only something like grease that last longer make sense.

If one donot want the hassle of  whole disassemble and reassemble of the fan, one can just remove the sticker and rubber cover and drop few drops of motor oil using a dropper, and it also may work.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 1, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> If one donot want the hassle of whole disassemble and reassemble of the fan, one can just remove the sticker and rubber cover and drop few drops of motor oil using a dropper, and it also may work.


I've done that. Over the years I've found that synthetic 10w40 motor oil mixed 50/50 with dielectric grease and injecting it with a dentists syringe works wonders.


----------



## Valantar (Jul 1, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> That video lost me at "use butter". Butter degrades badly over time and with the heat the fan coils generate. Dielectric grease is infinitely better and will not degrade over time. White lithium grease will also work well.


Yeah, that's some terrible advice. The butter will likely split, and the milk solids will - at best - gunk up the shaft, though they'll likely start growing mold after a while. Especially inside of a warm place like a fan hub.

Besides that, the video seems to assume all PC fans have the same type of bearing. Some can be maintained, some can't, and some will break if you try to take them apart.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jul 1, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> Oh I see. To work correctly, one would need to turn the heatsink backwards and mount the fan pulling air through the heatsink so the thermistor can detect the temp of the heat coming off the CPU.


 Yes they're exhaust only fans. But they self regulate so don't need a MB PWM header to run.  They come in other sizes and power ratings, but Mangupta needs to use 40*C. air for cooling so he needs a lot of it!


----------



## Jriker1 (Jul 6, 2019)

I have owned from the beginning two Dell Precision R5500 rack mount units.  Am looking to upgrade them for a couple reasons:

1. To get faster CPU processing for my video encoding which these devices do.  Today have two of the 2.40 GHz XEON's.
2. I want to get 6 Gbps SSD drives for this system but the included PERC 6/i isn't going to cut it.

Couple recommendations I'm looking for:

1. Think the X5690 or the X5675 CPU is better to get?  I know the 5690 is faster but seems the 5675 is not noticeably slower and uses less juice.  That said open to recommendations.
2. I know people think the PERC H700 supports full speed SSD but not 6 Gbps only 3. Was considering going to the H730 or H740p.  Any thoughts?  Cable ends are different so will have to order something specific for my setup and hope it works.
3. One other thing.  I keep hearing about 2.5" and 3.5" backplanes.  Is this basically just the size of the drive the bays support?  Mine has 6 2.5" bays in it.  For some reason people are saying the cable that connects to the backplane is different between the 2.5" and 3.5" and even though they both connect, it won't work?  As far as i can tell it's just a SFF-8087 right angle connector so not sure.

EDIT:  And by the way, a lot and I mean a lot or most of the CPU's like this you can buy on eBay are from China.  Should I be skeptical?

Appreciate the input on my upgrade plans.

Thanks.

JR


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 6, 2019)

Jriker1 said:


> 1. Think the X5690 or the X5675 CPU is better to get?  I know the 5690 is faster but seems the 5675 is not noticeably slower and uses less juice.  That said open to recommendations.


X5675's are good CPU's and are much better performers than the 2.4ghz that you have in there now. However since you mentioned the X5690, the X5680's are the better option as they are only 133mhz away from the 5690's but 333mhz above the 5675's. If you can get them for a good price, they're worth it.



Jriker1 said:


> 2. I know people think the PERC H700 supports full speed SSD but not 6 Gbps only 3. Was considering going to the H730 or H740p. Any thoughts? Cable ends are different so will have to order something specific for my setup and hope it works.


From what I've read, stay with the Dell H700. The other two are very expensive, unless you're ok with that expense. Otherwise you will just not notice the difference in speed, especially with multiple drives connected.



Jriker1 said:


> 3. One other thing. I keep hearing about 2.5" and 3.5" backplanes. Is this basically just the size of the drive the bays support? Mine has 6 2.5" bays in it. For some reason people are saying the cable that connects to the backplane is different between the 2.5" and 3.5" and *even though they both connect, it won't work?* As far as i can tell it's just a SFF-8087 right angle connector so not sure.


That depends on how they connect. There are several differing configs out there. Show us pictures of your unit so we can see which setup you're running. 
It's the power delivery to the drives that is the worry. If your backplanes deliver power as a part of the assembly then the cable you mentioned should work. If not, then you'll need a cable similar to the following;








						Mini SAS 36P SFF-8087 to 4 SFF-8482 Connectors With SATA Power Cable 1M US SHIP  | eBay
					

Mini SAS 36 pin SFF-8087 to 4 x SFF-8482 cable. Internal miniSAS SFF-8087 to (4) SFF-8482 connectors with SATA power power.   SFF-8482 side with the 15 pin power. 1PCS   SFF-8087 to 4 x SFF-8482 Cable.



					www.ebay.com


----------



## Jriker1 (Jul 6, 2019)

Thanks for the input.



lexluthermiester said:


> X5675's are good CPU's and are much better performers than the 2.4ghz that you have in there now. However since you mentioned the X5690, the X5680's are the better option as they are only 133mhz away from the 5690's but 333mhz above the 5675's. If you can get them for a good price, they're worth it.



I saw that X4580 CPU, but problem I had is it was never listed as an option for the R5500.  Think the T7500 had it but not the R5500.  Not sure if being Dell and all, if it would load that CPU being as proprietary as they are with things.



lexluthermiester said:


> From what I've read, stay with the Dell H700. The other two are very expensive, unless you're ok with that expense. Otherwise you will just not notice the difference in speed, especially with multiple drives connected.



I had some people say if you put in a 6Gbps SSD drive it will link at 6Gbps.  But the manual says otherwise.  They say it was enabled with some firmware updates but concern I have is how do I really know before I start buying used H700 cards and adapted cables and the like.



lexluthermiester said:


> That depends on how they connect. There are several differing configs out there. Show us pictures of your unit so we can see which setup you're running.
> It's the power delivery to the drives that is the worry. If your backplanes deliver power as a part of the assembly then the cable you mentioned should work. If not, then you'll need a cable similar to the following;
> 
> 
> ...



Definitely believe the backplane powers the units.  I believe only two SSF-8087 right angle connectors connect to the backplane and from there to the card with the bigger PERC 6/i cable.  As soon as I'm done encoding on this box I'll open the top and provide images.  Need to measure the length of the cables anyway if I'm going to replace them.  I can basically tell you this is what they look like:



			https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/812HcJnelFL._SL1500_.jpg
		


Almost wonder if there is an adapter from those big connectors to standard SFF-8087.  Maybe there is and can just do that if the big connector ends don't get in the way.

Thanks.

JR


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 6, 2019)

Jriker1 said:


> I had some people say if you put in a 6Gbps SSD drive it will link at 6Gbps.


Only if both the drive and controller are 6gbps compatible. Otherwise one or the other will sync down to the fastest speed possible both can reach.


----------



## Jriker1 (Jul 6, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> Only if both the drive and controller are 6gbps compatible. Otherwise one or the other will sync down to the fastest speed possible both can reach.



Thanks, yeah kind of new that.  My comments are around if the H700 is really capable of 6gbps with SATA SSD.  If you aren't sure or have experience directly with that unit maybe someone else will know.

Thanks.

JR


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 7, 2019)

Jriker1 said:


> Thanks, yeah kind of new that. My comments are around if the H700 is really capable of 6gbps with SATA SSD.


It can through the PCIe connection with multiple drives connected, but the drive/controller interconnect can not. Does that make sense?


----------



## ManGupta (Jul 11, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> It can through the PCIe connection with multiple drives connected, but the drive/controller interconnect can not. Does that make sense?



SATA RAID Controller cards are outdated now ......

in 2019 ........  For NVME Raid Setup ........

Probably a PCIE Card of this sort would be required ........ also required an empty slot on motherboard (full 16X pcie slot at it would require 4 lanes for each of the 4 nvme ssd.)












						HighPoint SSD7101A-1 NVMe RAID Controller Review – Samsung and Toshiba M.2 SSDs Tested - The SSD Review
					

When it comes to storage management, RAID configurations of some kind have proven to be top dog when




					www.thessdreview.com


----------



## olddatsunfan (Jul 12, 2019)

So I've finished refurbishing the T3500's and put them into service.  #1 has 18gb of ram, 240gb ssd, 1TB 7200 rpm hdd, Gtx 750ti and an X5650.  #2 has 18gb of ram, 240gb ssd, 1TB 7200 rpm hdd, Gtx 1050 and a W3680.  I've also refurbished a Z400 with 12gb of ram, 240gb ssd, 7200 rpm hdd, Gtx 750ti and an X5650.  That was a lot of fun putting them together and testing them.  Now I'm working on a Z420, it has so far, 32gb of ram, 480gb ssd, 2TB 7200 rpm hdd, Gtx 1050ti and a E5-1650v2 in it.  This has been interesting replacing all of the old broken or slow machines in our house!


----------



## sweet2th (Jul 25, 2019)

Hey everyone, T7500 owner here. I've got a single X5650, 24GB of RAM and a 980 Ti. Unfortunately, while the system POSTs, it won't boot into Windows. Any ideas? There aren't any beep codes or lights on the front panel.


----------



## Susquehannock (Jul 27, 2019)

sweet2th said:


> Hey everyone, T7500 owner here. I've got a single X5650, 24GB of RAM and a 980 Ti. Unfortunately, while the system POSTs, it won't boot into Windows. Any ideas? There aren't any beep codes or lights on the front panel.


No error codes on the screen either? Have you run the onboard diagnostics by typing 'F12' at startup?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 27, 2019)

sweet2th said:


> Hey everyone, T7500 owner here. I've got a single X5650, 24GB of RAM and a 980 Ti. Unfortunately, while the system POSTs, it won't boot into Windows. Any ideas? There aren't any beep codes or lights on the front panel.


Do you have any bootable USB drive the system is looking too?


----------



## sweet2th (Jul 27, 2019)

Susquehannock said:


> No error codes on the screen either? Have you run the onboard diagnostics by typing 'F12' at startup?



Yep, on-screen diagnostics don't flag any errors. The drive works in another machine too.



lexluthermiester said:


> Do you have any bootable USB drive the system is looking too?



Nope, there are no bootable USBs plugged in.

The only thing that happens after the Dell splash screen is an infinitely flashing underscore.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 27, 2019)

sweet2th said:


> Nope, there are no bootable USBs plugged in.
> 
> The only thing that happens after the Dell splash screen is an infinitely flashing underscore.


Based on that description, it would seem that the BIOS is handing off to the boot sectors of the hard drive but getting stuck part way. Did you reinstall the OS recently? And if so, did you let Windows partition the drive or did you select one that was already present on the drive?


----------



## sweet2th (Jul 28, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> Based on that description, it would seem that the BIOS is handing off to the boot sectors of the hard drive but getting stuck part way. Did you reinstall the OS recently? And if so, did you let Windows partition the drive or did you select one that was already present on the drive?



I haven't reinstalled recently, no. After a recommendation on Dell Community, I did scan it for errors and repair them whilst it was in another system, although the issue was there beforehand.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 28, 2019)

sweet2th said:


> I haven't reinstalled recently, no. After a recommendation on Dell Community, I did scan it for errors and repair them whilst it was in another system, although the issue was there beforehand.


What is very likely is that your boot sector is borked somehow. Would you like to repair it or is a fresh install of Windows a better option?


----------



## sweet2th (Jul 28, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> What is very likely is that your boot sector is borked somehow. Would you like to repair it or is a fresh install of Windows a better option?



I'd prefer to repair it. How do I go about doing that?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 28, 2019)

sweet2th said:


> I'd prefer to repair it. How do I go about doing that?


It's a bit lengthy of a process.
1. You need a spare PC, or spare hard drive with Windows installed to download and install the utility to.
2. Download Aomei's Partition Manager. It's free for personal use, but will ask for an email. If you don't want to get them yours put in something fake such as " nowayjose256@yahoo.com ".





						Free Partition Manager for Windows PC-AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard
					

AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard is a free partition manager that can help users to safely and easily manage disk partitions on Windows 11/10/8/7.




					www.aomeitech.com
				



3. Install and run it.
4. Once you start the program make sure the drive in question is attached to the spare system and is being seen but the the utility. It will likely show up as " Disk 2"
5. Right click on the drive in question and select " Rebuild MBR ". See picture below;



6. A dialog will open asking you to select the type of MBR you wish to use, go with the default show below and click " Ok ".



7. In the upper left corner, click the " Apply " button, see below;



8. A dialog will ask you if you wish to apply the changes, click " Proceed ".
9. After this is completed, connect the drive as it was to boot and give it a try. It should boot to Windows assuming the partition isn't corrupted in some manner.

Let us now how it goes.


----------



## sweet2th (Jul 28, 2019)

Well, I can use the F1 and F2 keys in bootup again. Unfortunately, now it says that no Boot Drive is available.


----------



## Susquehannock (Jul 28, 2019)

sweet2th said:


> Yep, on-screen diagnostics don't flag any errors. The drive works in another machine too.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Have you tried clearing the CMOS? That should change everything back to factory defaults, and hopefully fix any errors where perhaps the boot sequence is not looking for the drive. This page outlines the procedure. It's worth a shot.


----------



## sweet2th (Jul 29, 2019)

Susquehannock said:


> Have you tried clearing the CMOS? That should change everything back to factory defaults, and hopefully fix any errors where perhaps the boot sequence is not looking for the drive. This page outlines the procedure. It's worth a shot.



Tested another drive in the Dell and it worked. Turns out my W10 install was wrecked. Had to reinstall. Working great now!

Well, great other than the DIMM1 slot has seemingly suddenly died.


----------



## Susquehannock (Jul 29, 2019)

sweet2th said:


> Tested another drive in the Dell and it worked. Turns out my W10 install was wrecked. Had to reinstall. Working great now!
> 
> Well, great other than the DIMM1 slot has seemingly suddenly died.


Too bad it required a re-install but good to hear it's solved. And now a DIMM problem? Has to be frustrating. Just to cover obvious. You did move them around to see if it was the slot or that particular module?


----------



## juiseman (Jul 29, 2019)

[U][LEFT][B][SIZE=4][FONT=TPU-Body][COLOR=rgb(34, 51, 68)]olddatsunfan[/COLOR][/FONT][/SIZE][/B][/LEFT][/U]Nice job  on the HP's...I have z420's and Z400's also; I did the exact same thing, phasing out all of the old amd's and the Z77/Z87/Z97 custom builds.
Here is a thread I created if you want to post your progress or pictures of your builds!!








						HP Workstations Owners Club
					

https://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Z420-Workstation-XEON-E5-1607-V2-3-0GHz-8GB-1TB-HDD-DVDRW-NVS-310-NO-OS/163619271257?hash=item261877f259%3Ag%3AE5QAAOSwGLZciWuF&LH_BIN=1  HP Z420 Workstation XEON E5-1607 V2 3.0GHz 8GB 1TB HDD DVDRW NVS 310 NO OS Free Shipping $162.00 + "accepts offers"...




					www.techpowerup.com


----------



## ManGupta (Jul 30, 2019)

sweet2th said:


> Tested another drive in the Dell and it worked. Turns out my W10 install was wrecked. Had to reinstall. Working great now!
> 
> Well, great other than the DIMM1 slot has seemingly suddenly died.



Was it working earlier ? Did you changed the amount of RAM or changed the dimm slots? How many and which slots are populated now?


----------



## ManGupta (Jul 31, 2019)

One area which has been apparently completely unaffected by the launch of Ryzen 3000 series is .......

the USED PRE-BUILT systems like Dell Optiplexes and Precisions ........ they are still great VFM ...


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 17, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> SATA RAID Controller cards are outdated now ......


That is an opinion, one the market does not agree with. However, your selection is a solid one.


----------



## sweet2th (Aug 24, 2019)

Sorry for the late reply, stuff's been a bit hectic. Tried moving all the RAM but no luck. Frustrating because it worked when I bought it, literally died all of a sudden. Could be something blocking contact, I don't know. 

Also, has anyone done a case swap? I'm thinking of either doing that or spray painting the case and modding in a side panel window. 

Also, anyone know where I can get the kit to add in a second CPU?


----------



## data00 (Aug 29, 2019)

Hi everyone again.

I just gotten the Delta AFC1512DG and the Nidec Beta V TA350DC with the thermal resistor as ManGupta has recommended.
First of all, the Delta fan *BIG*. It won't fit in the assembly, but i can put it in the computer case.

This fan does not have PWM apparently.

As for the Beta V, i don't have the molex to 3-pin yet. I'm expecting to receive in Sept. 4th.
Hopefully by then, i could bring the W3680 up to 4 GHz!


----------



## ManGupta (Aug 29, 2019)

data00 said:


> Hi everyone again.
> 
> I just gotten the Delta AFC1512DG and the Nidec Beta V TA350DC with the thermal resistor as ManGupta has recommended.
> First of all, the Delta fan *BIG*. It won't fit in the assembly, but i can put it in the computer case.
> ...



Nidec Beta V  TA350DC  is not meant to have PWM (anyway Delll's default PWM is a shitty fan controller that does not sufficiently increases the fan speed even when temp hits TJ Max) as the  Fan Controller is Thermistor Based and you need to use this fan in PULL Configuration that is you mount this fan on the back side of the heatsink so that it pulls in air through it and the temp of the air passing thru its thermistor will regulate the fan speed.

BUT

Delta AFC1512DG that Retrorockit used and recommended had recommended with certain caveats.

1) He advised to buy the whole Dell Precision 490 Fan assembly with contained AFC1512DG and a smaller 90 mm fan all in the Dell Fan Housing which will replace the default Dell Precision t3500 front fan assembly.

2) This change must be accompanied with change in the Dell Default heatsink which needs to ne replaced with a larger heatsink like ninja scythe or thermaltake one.

3) Delta AFC1512DG  is not meant to be used with dell smaller heatsink because it will make thermal performance worse. (Please go back and read Retrorockit's replies to my post regarding the "Role of Air Duct in cooling solution".

4) If you are not using larger Heatsink  like ninja scythe or thermaltake but just using the smaller Dell's default HS or any other smaller HS like Dynatron, you would be better of with dell existing front fan assembly (instead of  Delta AFC1512DG) plus just a Nidec Beta V  TA350DC  mounted on it in Pull Configuration.













						Dell Workstation Owners Club
					

I have a plan to replace it with a high-efficiency custom PSU solution down the line (specifically a MeanWell UHP-350-12 AC-12VDC PSU and a separate ATX plug-in DC-DC unit, either a PicoPSU or a G-Unique unit), but I hope to hold off on this until I either have a bit more spare cash, or even...




					www.techpowerup.com
				












						Throttlestop overclocking Desktop PCs
					

The Optiplex 745 has a very compromised VRM. 3 phase which is actually OK in itself, but only 2 MOSFETS per. Due to the full multiplier steps on the QX6800 3.45GHz is about it. Heatsinks on the VRM Mosfets will of course help. If you look at CPUZ 3.45 GHZ is actually the average overclock on an...




					www.techpowerup.com


----------



## data00 (Aug 29, 2019)

I see. I guess should've done more research. It also explains the bad performance on XTU benchmark. Thanks ManGupta!

I found out that the fans in the assembly are Foxconn PV123812DSPF and they are 120mm, so could I just install aftermarket 120mm fans like the Cooler-Master JetFlo 120s?

I'm unsure if any heatsink could be installed besides Dell heatsinks so that's why.

EDIT: I think I'll take back on replacing the Foxconn fan, I found out they are rated at* 150 CFM* while the JetFlo's are *95 CFM*, so I think I should just look into the "*replacing the heatsink with a larger one*" plan if that's possible.


----------



## ManGupta (Aug 29, 2019)

data00 said:


> I see. I guess should've done more research. It also explains the bad performance on XTU benchmark. Thanks ManGupta!
> 
> I found out that the fans in the assembly are Foxconn PV123812DSPF and they are 120mm, so could I just install aftermarket 120mm fans like the Cooler-Master JetFlo 120s?
> 
> ...



T3500 dual 120 mm front fans are actually very good fans, industrial grade fans. It's the Dell's shitty fan controller that holds it back. One way to get around it is adding a thermistor controlled fan like Nidec that does not rely on Dell fan controller.


But be warned that changing the Dell heatsink is not simple nor everyone's cup of tea. It involves a hell lot of metalwork mods. Retrorockit is a very seasoned and veteran mechanic and what may be easy for him may be very tall order for others.

I advice you to go back to this thread and read Retrorockit's various posts and pics posted regarding the cooling mods done by him, before going ahead ........


----------



## data00 (Aug 29, 2019)

Ok, will do.


----------



## data00 (Aug 31, 2019)

I got the wire necessary for the Nidec fan. Benchmarked it in XTU and it was a big improvement!


----------



## data00 (Aug 31, 2019)

Got the zip-tie to strap the Nidec to heatsink and ran the benchmark, it improved! But scored 382?


----------



## pacmancat (Sep 27, 2019)

Here's a strange one, maybe someone here has experience with something like it...  

I just bought a "gently used" T7610 to use as a proper workstation after having a good experience using a cheap refurbished T3500 as a home server for the past year. After getting a fresh install of 64-bit Win10 up and running on it, I noticed it was only reporting 8GB of RAM (it should have had 16GB).

A quick trip into the BIOS showed 4 active channels, but the DIMMs in slots 3&4 were being reported as "*0 GB ECC RDIMM*" (as opposed to _*** DIMM slot empty ***_ or some other more obvious error)... and swapping the DIMMs around between slots 1&2 and 3&4 gave the same results, so it didn't seem to be an issue with the RAM itself.


On a lark I tried a dual-channel setup, populating only slots 1&2 for each CPU... which resulted in all 16GB being recognized.

I had planned to upgrade to 32GB, so I already had on hand an identical set of 16GB 4x4GB Micron 1866MHz RDIMMs, same part number as was already installed in the machine... and populating the RAM according to the recommended install chart for quad-channel (4GB DIMMs in slots 1,2,3,&4 on both CPUs, (the ones with the white release-levers)) results in a similar issue--DIMMs 3&4 on *both* CPU1 and CPU2 are reported as "0 GB" in the BIOS, showing up as 16GB in both Windows and the built-in hardware test.  Even weirder:  going against the recommended install chart and just putting all of the RAM in CPU1's slots also shows 16GB, but with slots 1,2,5&6 reporting "4 GB" and slots 3,4,7&8 reporting "0 GB"

_Random things I've tried:_

Updated to the latest BIOS (it arrived running the BIOS it shipped with in 2014)
Turning off RMT
Allowing Memory Map IO above 4GB
Booting with just about every combination of available DIMMs in only slots 1&2 just to make sure they're all working
...but nothing seems to make a difference, or point me in the right direction for a solution.

_Other possible related issues:_

It came set up in a dual-processor configuration with two E5-2630 v2's, and 16GB of PC3-14900R in a 4x4GB configuration. The service tag implies that the original config was single-socket, and someone added a second 2630v2 at some point, but the machine is otherwise configured to match its service tag.
The machine seems to have taken a spill during shipping; the front bottom corner near the SAS cage slightly crumpled and bent out of true, and some rivets had popped out of the case frame and were rattling around inside.  I had hoped that this was just cosmetic, but could it have caused cracked traces on the motherboard or shorted something..?
I've had a few "WHEA uncorrectable error" BSODs, including one from the install environment while first trying to install Windows (!). Probably not a great sign on a fresh install with everything stock and no additional software running.

I've wasted about 5 hours on this already, and am about to give up and return the thing.  

Any ideas before I throw in the towel?  This is my first dual-socket LGA2011 machine, so I'm not 100% confident I'm not screwing something up myself here, but I can't for the life of me figure it out. Physical/electrical issue with motherboard or DIMM sockets? (seems weird that it'd be the same slots on both CPUs)... Memory controller issue in the Xeon(s)?  Or just a time-suck mystery not worth solving?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Sep 28, 2019)

pacmancat said:


> A quick trip into the BIOS showed 4 active channels, but the DIMMs in slots 3&4 were being reported as "*0 GB ECC RDIMM*" (as opposed to _*** DIMM slot empty ***_ or some other more obvious error)... and swapping the DIMMs around between slots 1&2 and 3&4 gave the same results, so it didn't seem to be an issue with the RAM itself.


Seen this before. Either you have bent pins in the CPU socket, damaged conductor traces on the motherboard or a damaged CPU. Going to need to disassemble and inspect.


----------



## pacmancat (Oct 1, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> Seen this before. Either you have bent pins in the CPU socket, damaged conductor traces on the motherboard or a damaged CPU. Going to need to disassemble and inspect.



Thanks for the tip; disassembly has revealed that between the two CPU sockets there are at least a dozen bent pins. I'll probably try and source a cheap mobo replacement.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 1, 2019)

pacmancat said:


> Thanks for the tip; disassembly has revealed that between the two CPU sockets there are at least a dozen bent pins. I'll probably try and source a cheap mobo replacement.


That sucks. Hope you find one for a good price! 

Took the liberty of looking. Your english is very good so I'm think you're in the US? Maybe?
$160 Shipped, 100% reputation;








						Dell Precision T7610 Dual Lga2011 Socket Server Motherboard 0NK70N for sale online | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dell Precision T7610 Dual Lga2011 Socket Server Motherboard 0NK70N at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				




Also $160 shipped, good reputation;








						Dell NK70N Dual Socket Workstation Motherboard for Precision T7610 for sale online | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dell NK70N Dual Socket Workstation Motherboard for Precision T7610 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				




This one comes with a pair of CPU's. If they're better than the ones you already have, the extra $20 is worth it at $180, decent reputation;








						Dell NK70N Dual Socket Workstation Motherboard for Precision T7610 for sale online | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dell NK70N Dual Socket Workstation Motherboard for Precision T7610 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com


----------



## data00 (Oct 1, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> That sucks. Hope you find one for a good price!
> 
> Took the liberty of looking. Your english is very good so I'm think you're in the US? Maybe?
> $160 Shipped, 100% reputation;
> ...



On the one with pair CPUs, i recommend not buying it because the seller has 12 negatives in 1 month. The negatives say the seller is a liar, selling defective items, items never received, *one of which is a motherboard, *and so on. The other 2 are acceptable since they are long time sellers.


----------



## Susquehannock (Oct 2, 2019)

At least a dozen bent pins. Ouch! A few can be bent back pretty easy. That many, not so much. Is a return and/or replacement not an option for you? Sounds like you got a defective item. If the case had CPUs already installed from the seller it is not likely the bent pins came from that shipping incident.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 2, 2019)

data00 said:


> On the one with pair CPUs, i recommend not buying it because the seller has 12 negatives in 1 month. The negatives say the seller is a liar, selling defective items, items never received, *one of which is a motherboard, *and so on. The other 2 are acceptable since they are long time sellers.


Saw that, many of those negatives are from the same set of users. Vendetta feedback is something I usually ignore.


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## data00 (Oct 2, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> Saw that, many of those negatives are from the same set of users. Vendetta feedback is something I usually ignore.


Fair enough.


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## pacmancat (Oct 4, 2019)

It was an eBay sale; I got the seller to refund me $165 for the replacement since that seems to be the going rate for a used board (thanks *lexluthermiester)*. I'll probably wait until I have some more free time to purchase and do the swap (I have a newborn at home, so things like free time and adequate sleep are in short supply).  

If I'm feeling lucky I'll try my hand at the pin repair before making the purchase, but getting in there with a magnifier shows that some of the pins aren't just out of skew, they're bent backwards and clean in half.  Blah.  In any case, after the refund I'm only out less than $200 total, so I'm not feeling too bad about it, assuming it can be repaired.

Can I solicit a few more tips? 

Since the factory config was 1CPU, it didn't come with the plastic RAM cooling shrouds.  Should I try and find a pair, or are they unneeded/over-engineered unless you're running a full bank of DIMMs and high-TDP CPUs?
Speaking of CPUs, the aftermarket CPU addition in the second slot has a lower-profile heatsink/fan accessory than stock, looks like part # G4T9T.  I assume this is intended for lower-TDP CPUs... It's currently running dual E5-2530v2's (85W), but should I be looking to replace this cooler with the larger size (part # 1TD00?) if I end up upgrading to a 115W or 130W set of CPUs down the line?


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## dhrag5t (Oct 16, 2019)

Has anyone tried a Vega 56 or 64 in their T3500? I'm wondering if it will work since I've read about how they require UEFI bios to work with Windows 10, else you're stuck on Windows 7. Currently rocking a GTX 1060 which is more than enough for my light gaming but there are so many fantastic deals on local markets in my area for Vega 56 (around $200) and Vega 64 (around 240) ...


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## totalzen (Oct 16, 2019)

Hi all, have a question I hope some of my fellow Dell workstation owners here can help with.

I'm currently using a T3500 with a W3680 as a secondary workstation right now, and was hoping to set up another for a friend. Exact same parts and routine as I did it last time, but the newer workstation does not want to boot from the W3680, with the LED error code being 1- Off 2- Blink 3- Blink 4- Blink (System on. BIOS not execution. This is the transition state to POST states.). I've confirmed the motherboard and parts do work from a spare W3530 I have - BIOS updated to latest A17 revision. 

One thing I do notice is that both motherboards on the one I'm currently using and the one that doesn't boot are both model 09KPNV, but the working one is A00 while the newer one is A01. Is there anyone here who perhaps has some insight into this? Thanks in advance!


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## Retrorockit (Oct 16, 2019)

Did you try the 2nd W3680 in the running machine to see if the CPU is bad? You might try the CMOS Clear/RST jumper to see if some old settings need to be flushed out of the BIOS.
 The memory controller is on the CPU, and the new ones are different than the older ones. Not sure what specific problem this might cause but it's something to look into.


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## data00 (Oct 16, 2019)

dhrag5t said:


> Has anyone tried a Vega 56 or 64 in their T3500? I'm wondering if it will work since I've read about how they require UEFI bios to work with Windows 10, else you're stuck on Windows 7. Currently rocking a GTX 1060 which is more than enough for my light gaming but there are so many fantastic deals on local markets in my area for Vega 56 (around $200) and Vega 64 (around 240) ...


AMD GPU requires a *UEFI BIOS* while the T3500 is *only legacy*, and it doesn't matter if its Windows 7 or 10, the computer *won't boot with an AMD GPU*.

IIRC you can add a NVIDIA GPU along with the AMD GPU to get around this. Although I won't recommend adding a Vega 56 or 64 to your T3500 anyways because it would most likely be *bottlenecked by the CPU*. I have a 1080 Ti with a Xeon W3680 overclocked to 4Ghz (T3500 mobo) and although it performs well, it is definitely bottlenecked by the processor.

You should *stay with your mighty GTX 1060*.

If you still want to get the Vega 56 or 64, you should *build a new PC instead*. You will be disappointed how the Vega performs in the T3500.


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## dhrag5t (Oct 17, 2019)

data00 said:


> AMD GPU requires a *UEFI BIOS* while the T3500 is *only legacy*, and it doesn't matter if its Windows 7 or 10, the computer *won't boot with an AMD GPU*.
> 
> IIRC you can add a NVIDIA GPU along with the AMD GPU to get around this. Although I won't recommend adding a Vega 56 or 64 to your T3500 anyways because it would most likely be *bottlenecked by the CPU*. I have a 1080 Ti with a Xeon W3680 overclocked to 4Ghz (T3500 mobo) and although it performs well, it is definitely bottlenecked by the processor.
> 
> ...



Thanks for that info. Though I did see some guy on YouTube claiming to run a Vega on the x58 platform, and he said he was limited to Windows 7 for gaming. I'll comment on his video and check it out. 

Most of my gaming is in 4K, which is why I was looking to upgrade the GPU as the 1060, while certainly capable of reaching 30-50FPS (sometimes even 60) in a lot of titles, is still a bottleneck at that resolution. Obviously the CPU matters too, but my W3690 overclocked at 4.13 GHZ has kept up very nicely in every title.    

I guess I'll just wait for a 1080 or the new RTX series to drop in price. I'm not in a huge rush to upgrade just yet.


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## Retrorockit (Oct 17, 2019)

UEFI  support usually varies from one card vendor to another, not AMD or Nvidia. I see a couple Vegas, and other AMD cards running at userbenchmark.com in T3500. But the specific card may not always be identifiable. It is possible that Vegas ARE all UEFI, I haven't looked at them myself. But there are  other issues that can keeep an AMD from running.


			UserBenchmark: Dell Precision WorkStation T3500   Compatible Components
		

 I think Susquehannock had some insight on a chipset driver issue that causes a problem, and T3400 and other BTX Dells had a specific problem with AMD cards not displaying the VESA 103 video resolution their BIOS required. I would look through the thread at Susquehannocks posts and see what results he had. He also posts in the Throttlestop Overclocking thread so it may be in there. I've had trouble with AMD cards that had a dual BIOS switch.
 When I was answering questions at Tomshardware I've seen many statements that new GPUs were all UEFI, from Nvidia or AMD. Usually the 2nd tier Vendors like PNY, or Zotac provide Legacy compatable products for older computers. The sellers are typically clueless about this . AMD/ Dell issues are very real, but not always UEFI related.


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## Susquehannock (Oct 17, 2019)

Cannot speak for all AMD cards but I have never had an issue. Two T3500 running RX 480 right now. MSI and Gigabyte.  Have put RX 460 and 470 in other boxes for friends. That was some time ago. Believe they were PNY and ASUS cards.

First thing I do when these T3500 come into my hands is update both the BIOS and Intel chipset driver. (here) Have never tried the cards before that so not sure it helped with compatibility. Certainly worth a try. Good idea to update regardless.

[edit]
What I am wondering is if anyone has had success with 5700 or 5700 XT in these T3500. Sure it will bottleneck some but would like to have one more GPU upgrade to hold me off until DDR5 systems hit mainstream in a couple years.


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## dhrag5t (Oct 17, 2019)

> What I am wondering is if anyone has had success with 5700 or 5700 XT in these T3500. Sure it will bottleneck some but would like to have one more GPU upgrade to hold me off until DDR5 systems hit mainstream in a couple years.



I'm very curious about this as well. The 5700 and 5700 XT can be found open box at Micro Center (if you're fortunate enough to live close to one) for around $280-$330, which is fantastic value. There would be a bottleneck at 1080P even with a setup like mine (W3690 at 4.26 Ghz) but you can just increase the resolution to 1440p or 4K to let the GPU shine. 

And even with the minimal bottlenecks at 1080P, you'd still get 60+ FPS in any title and the bottleneck wouldn't be severe to the point where your frametimes are suffering and your overall experience is sluggish. Tech Yes City has a video with an X5660 (he has an unlocked motherboard so he managed to overclock the CPU to 4.5 Ghz) paired with a 2080Ti and while there were small bottlenecks at 1080P, it didn't really impact performance all that much compared with newer CPUs (he compared them with the Ryzen 5 3600 and i5 9400F), as the average, 1% and .1% low framerates were very smooth, and there was no stutter. 

Power consumption might be an issue with these cards though. I'm still rocking the stock 525W power supply on the T3500. I might just wait for the next gen RTX cards to come out in a year or two before buying the "60" tier model RTX (2160?) which are generally less power-hungry and offer comparable performance to the "70" cards of the previous series.


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## totalzen (Oct 18, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> Did you try the 2nd W3680 in the running machine to see if the CPU is bad? You might try the CMOS Clear/RST jumper to see if some old settings need to be flushed out of the BIOS.
> The memory controller is on the CPU, and the new ones are different than the older ones. Not sure what specific problem this might cause but it's something to look into.



I did try the CPU in my primary workstation and it did work, so my earlier suspicion about the board in the T3500 still stood. Good news though, the CPU did start working on the newly bought T3500, but only after over a dozen attempts at reseating the CPU. I'm assuming the pins weren't making good contact or some nuanced situation with the socket. As to how long this will work without issue, who knows, but I'm just happy it's up and running now. Now on to overclocking it with TS and extracting all that goody value!


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## Retrorockit (Oct 18, 2019)

dhrag5t said:


> Power consumption might be an issue with these cards though. I'm still rocking the stock 525W power supply on the T3500. I might just wait for the next gen RTX cards to come out in a year or two before buying the "60" tier model RTX (2160?) which are generally less power-hungry and offer comparable performance to the "70" cards of the previous series.


 The Dell PSUs multirail design allows certain things, and doesn't allow others. Basically the 6 pin PCIe cable will supply the rated 75W of power it's supposed  to, but might not allow much more than that or it will shut down to protect the system. If you look at the actual power comsumtion of the GPU, and not the suggested PSU size you may find that even though it requires a 150W 8pin adapter the GTX1070 is only a 150W total GPU and is therefore within spec. if you don't OC it. Dell PSU ratings can be misleading. They give full power continuos rating and not a peak power "advertised" rating the aftermarket uses. A 525W Dell PSU will basically equal a 600W aftermarket PSU. 
 You can also look at each rail on the PSU. They have different color codes on the wires, and a seperate 12V. Amp rating listed on the PSU label for each rail.
White,Yellow, and Blue are the 12V. colors. If the GPU rail also powers the HDD cable, and  you moved the SSDs to say the DVD rail, then you should be able to run up to the full wattage of that rail for the GPU using an adapter (assuming it's not powering something else also). The overload protection is on a rail by rail basis. Map out the PSU rails on your wiring harness and see where you end up.


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## Valantar (Oct 18, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> The Dell PSUs multirail design allows certain things, and doesn't allow others. Basically the 6 pin PCIe cable will supply the rated 75W of power it's supposed  to, but might not allow much more than that or it will shut down to protect the system. If you look at the actual power comsumtion of the GPU, and not the suggested PSU size you may find that even though it requires a 150W 8pin adapter the GTX1070 is only a 150W total GPU and is therefore within spec. if you don't OC it. Dell PSU ratings can be misleading. They give full power continuos rating and not a peak power "advertised" rating the aftermarket uses. A 525W Dell PSU will basically equal a 600W aftermarket PSU.
> You can also look at each rail on the PSU. They have different color codes on the wires, and a seperate 12V. Amp rating listed on the PSU label for each rail.
> White,Yellow, and Blue are the 12V. colors. If the GPU rail also powers the HDD cable, and  you moved the SSDs to say the DVD rail, then you should be able to run up to the full wattage of that rail for the GPU using an adapter (assuming it's not powering something else also). The overload protection is on a rail by rail basis. Map out the PSU rails on your wiring harness and see where you end up.


Serious aftermarket/retail PSU brands haven't advertised peak power output for a decade or more, and anything rated by 80+ must be capable of outputting its full rating continuously (otherwise they wouldn't be able to measure efficiency at full load). Most PSUs these days are rated for their full load at 40C ambient, while good ones raise that to 50. There are of course bargain-basement garbage units that don't follow these best practices (and are only rated for full output at 25C, for example) but they are relatively rare, and nonexistent among serious brands.


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## Retrorockit (Oct 18, 2019)

It's true that serious brands  do use a realistic rating. The thing about Dell PSUs is the rating often as not reflect the connectors on the wiring harness as much as the actual output of the PSU.
 Here is an old used Dell Optiplex 305W PSU that most people think is junk.








						Dell H305P-01 Power Supply Review - Hardware Insights
					

Contents1First Look2Load Testing3Actual Specifications and ConclusionsFirst Look Once again, we’re looking at a unit from a major OEM. Unlike last time, however, we’re looking at a unit from a PC […]




					www.hardwareinsights.com
				



On a test bench it makes 400W. But the cables it provides only require 305W. So that's it's official output.
It has the same 2x 18A. 12V. rails as the 375W T3400 PSU that adds a 75W PCIe cable. It's the rail protection that limits the output not the hardware itself. Dell doesn't sell PSUs by the Watt. They provide them to work in specific systems. Often in their market a low rating looks better than a high one. You can take your Dell PSU, add up the 12V. rails and calculate what you have. These old Dell PSUs also send many more watts to the 5V. rail than newer aftermarket types.
EVGA is pretty good about this but many others are not. I would always give the Dell PSU a try first. Dell  does what's best for Dell. Conservatively rated reliable PSUs save them a lot of trouble in tech support , warranty, and long term lease value.


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## Susquehannock (Oct 18, 2019)

The 75 watt spec on the 6-pin PCIe connector is often misunderstood. It is a requirement not a mandatory maximum. Depending how the PSU is set up the connector and corresponding wires can be capable of far more. Case in point the 525w units in these T3500s. If our suspicions on rail division are correct we have 18 amps / 216 watts for the 6-pin.  Combine that with 75 watts from the PCI slot and we have potential of 291 watts for the GPU. No wonder my RX 480s can top out around 220-225 watts under heavy gaming with ease, while using 6-pin to 8-pin adapters. 75+75 = 150 watts? No way. Some of the new gaming 5700 XT are topping out around 250 watts total. With upcoming 5800 and 5900 series expected higher. Too close for my comfort. Especially with potentially 10 years old PSUs. Fortunately aftermarket units fit rather easily.


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## Retrorockit (Oct 19, 2019)

AMD cards are known to be power hungry compared to Nvidia. But thanks  for the confirmation about the Dell PSUs capability. Also for getting the AMD stuff to work on these machines.
 The 525W PSU lists 3x 18A. 12V. rails which adds up to about 650W. But it also says max. output is 500W combined 12V. power. Of course Dell expects there workstations to be running 24/7 for some of their customers. There is another 20A. on the 5V. rail. IDK what happens if you try to pull 600W.+ 12V. from one, but Dell PSUs typically just shut down without any damage to the system when overloaded.


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## lardyl (Oct 20, 2019)

Hi Guys
I'm new here but not new to Dell Precisions. Had a M90 and M4600 laptop from new and a T5500 from new. The old workstation is about dead and I'm trying to revive it or a secondhand one that I just bought. So I've a few questions.

My old one is a X5550 based dual processor machine with the older (?) D883F mobo.
The newer one is E5503 dual processor and dual core with the CRH6C mobo.

I am wondering if the two motherboards have the same chipset and can accept RAM and processors from each other?

The CRH6C seems very fussy about RAM (only works with the Riser in/out and 2+1+1on the main board *not* with 2+1+1 in the riser as well). So I can only run one machine with 4Gb of ram at present.

The D883F wants to power off abruptly a couple of minutes after booting each time.

I suspect that there might be issues with processors on both boards?

Maybe memory management on the newer one and thermal protection on the older one as I get an error report (if the machine doesn't power down beforehand) indicating lthr??  (didn't get time to see it as the machine powered off)

Before I go and get some thermal paste and a new processor or swap over all the RAM sticks I have ( I have 6x 4Gb matched, 4x4Gb matched, 2x 4Gb matched and the original ram from my machine when new - that seems the most stable - 2x2Gb matched and 4x1Gb matched) ..

.... is there anything else I should know?

The failures on the newer machine happen before POST, after POST, before Wind10 splash screen, during Win10 splash screen and after windows has begun to load. Which is really frustrating. I'm getting lots of DIMM1 and DIMM3 errors after POST and some double beeps and blank screens, depending on which RAM is where....

Cheers, LL


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## Retrorockit (Oct 20, 2019)

The memory controller on the newer 56xx series CPUs is much better than the one on the older 55xx Xeons. The older one drops speed as you add modules, the newer one holds 1333 on most configurations.
An X5687 (or 2) with 6x4GB RAM would be a huge upgrade from the 2x2 E5503 setup.
Some of your memory issues may be from running dual channel configuration on a 3 channel MB. They should work in "compatability mode" but it's just more stress on the CPU's memory controller, and some of the RAM may end up running single channel speed.
You will probably need a BIOS update to get support for the newer CPUs.
 I recall one of the vendors telling me that early T5500 MB had problems with the riser socket for the 2nd CPU.


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## lardyl (Oct 22, 2019)

Thanks for that advice Retrorockit.
I'm digging deeper with the newer machine that doesn't have the power issue and has the DIMM3 issue.

Found that I can populate every mobo DIMM slot (1-6) (with riser removed) except for DIMM3 with 4Gb sticks and it is stable. Now if I put a 4Gb stick in DIMM3 it fails to get past the Win10 splash screen. But if I change that for a lower speed 2Gb stick in DIMM3 this works as well! Boots to Win10 and does everything promised with the extra RAM recognised. Now that is something of a turn up for the books. I don't understand why 4Gb fails and 2Gb works, maybe due to width of the channel....?

Not sure exactly how we progress from here but I've been advised to check some other possible issues:
CPU socket bent pins
CPU fouled sockets
DIMM3 clean socket
DIMM3 check for bent pins

So will pull the CPUs and have a look and probably then upgrade the CPU in case it's an onboard CPU memory management issue.

I do have a question about upgrading to the X5687 or X5690. What RAM timings do I need for these processors?
I have 1333 RAM available to populate the main board and the riser.
And if I don't populate DIMM3 on the mainboard will that have a significant impact on the operation in windows - I use the machine mainly for CFD modelling of fires and the odd bit of video editing along with a little bit of gaming 

Cheers, LL

Oh and one more thing.....can the A18 BIOS CRH6C mobo cope with the 6 core processors like X5650 ?
That seems to be the best value processor as a server pull from AliExpress at the moment.
Thanks Again, LL


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## Retrorockit (Oct 22, 2019)

All the MB can run the 6 cores with the correct BIOS. RAM speed is 1333 on the high end Xeons, but 1066 on the i7 and some of the slower Xeons. The 5650 is Ok there. The 4  core CPUs were almost all 45nm, the 6 cores are 32nm so they draw about the same power. The X5687 is a 32nm 4 core 8 thread and runs much faster due to that.
 Does that 4GB module work if it's installed in another slot? 6x4GB is a good setup. Some people are running 6x8GB single CPU on X58 so bandwidth isn't the problem.


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## lardyl (Oct 23, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> ...Does that 4GB module work if it's installed in another slot? 6x4GB is a good setup. Some people are running 6x8GB single CPU on X58 so bandwidth isn't the problem.


The 3rd white DIMM slot on the main board won't take a 4Gb stick and I've tried about 10 different sticks of 3 different types (all 1333 from this and another machine) but it will take one 2Gb (that's a 1066 stick that came with my X5505 machine when new).
I've also put a 2Gb stick in the 3rd black DIMM slot on the motherboard and that's fine.
The riser won't take any RAM as far as I can tell but the riser CPU is working. If I put any more on the riser (in any slot or all of them) then there is a BIOS error reported and windows reports 20Gb not the 32Gb installed.
I might go with a single CPU and 24Gb on the machine that works and then have a go sorting the other one, which has a better PSU and might just need another CPU. So I was thinking of sourcing 2 or 3 CPUs from China of X5550 (at $5 each) and a couple of the 6 core processors, either 5675 or 5650 (the former is twice the price but might be worthwhile).


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## lardyl (Oct 25, 2019)

Given that the riser isn't working in my system then perhaps I could go for a single 6 core CPU? Maybe the X5680 or X5690?
As those are 130W CPUs do they need improved cooling solutions with the heatsink that has the heatpipes? Or can you repurpose a heatsink from the riser - I have a spare riser  to play with...... the heatsink on the riser looks similar (underneath the fan and plastic casings) to the bare heatsink for the mainboard....??


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## Retrorockit (Oct 25, 2019)

130W CPUs were standard on those so that's not an issue. Most people just add an extra 80/92mm  fan to the stock cooler. Unfortunately the T5500 chipset requires dual CPU procs. to run so overclocking isn't an option.


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## Retrorockit (Oct 26, 2019)

In the Throttlestop Overclocking thread about a week ago there was discussion about some self regulating fans that don't need a PWM header to run. Some part# were given there. 
The only issue with the riser heatsink is it may not clear the HDD tray correctly. The HDD tray is part of the cooling. It forms a duct with the case,the MB, and the RAM shroud to force all the air through the front CPU cooler and over the VRM MOSFETS. I don't own one so I can't say for sure. But even overclocked an added heatsink fan is all that's needed.

If anyone here is interested Mangupta just posted #770 a tuorial in the Throttlestop Overclocking thread on getting an NVME PCIe SSD to boot Windows on a T3500. Definitely a performance mod, but productivity should improve also.


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## lardyl (Oct 27, 2019)

My heatsinks are plain aluminium alloy (and I'm not sure how they could have a fan directly attached unlike the riser CPU heatpipe model). Mine look like these:


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## ManGupta (Oct 27, 2019)

lardyl said:


> My heatsinks are plain aluminium alloy (and I'm not sure how they could have a fan directly attached unlike the riser CPU heatpipe model). Mine look like these:View attachment 135002


what is yr system ?   T3500? T5500? T7500?

This heatsinks in yr system is pathetic and needs replacement with something like








						CPU Fans & Heat Sinks for Sale - eBay
					

Save Big on new & used CPU Fans & Heat Sinks from top brands like Cooler Master, AMD, Intel & more. Shop our extensive selection of products and best online deals. Free Shipping for many items!



					www.ebay.com
				




or









						US $30.8 |U016F for Precision T3500 T5500 T7500 CPU Cooling Heatsink|Servers|   - AliExpress
					

Smarter Shopping, Better Living!  Aliexpress.com




					www.aliexpress.com


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## Retrorockit (Oct 27, 2019)

The riser heatsink is almost identical to the front CPU heatpipe cooler, and already has a fan. Some people say they fit.
The aluminum cooler is for 65W 2 core CPUs. They use the same X58 foootprint and mounting. I would try it.


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## lardyl (Oct 28, 2019)

Thanks guys. 

ManGupta, I have 2 T5500s. One original to me from new, with 2xX5550s and the other with 2xE5502s (now they are puny Xeons). Both had the fin only heatsinks fitted. I suspected that the riser had a similar h-sink to the one for the main CPU slot (would make sense) but having stripped several Dell laptops (for work on investigations into fires) I didn't want to risk stripping one of the risers down an fitting it to the CPU on the main board only to find it fouled the ram air duct. 

But I have a friend who used to buy these used and sell them on, waiting for him to come up with a heat sink as suggested. If not I'll probably buy from Ali Express as suggested. Cheers.

Talking about puny..... Back in the day when I was ahead of the game in computer tech we had a heatsink like this one.... on the voltage regulator (top right corner). Mine used to get very hot so we put it on some fly leads and dangled it off the board into a coffee cup. So not quite that setup. I still have one of these in my parents' attic somewhere. It was still working in the 90s.

That was a 6502 onboard (just above the keys in the centre)  running at 1.0Mhz, with a base of 4k of system ram, 1k of screen ram and a baud rate of 300 bps, recording data to compact cassettes.


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## Retrorockit (Oct 28, 2019)

The difference in the heatsink itself is that the one for the MB has one heatpipe shorter than the others. The HDD cables run up through there. This seems to be to allow a larger radius if the wires get caught between the tray and the heatsink. I move the wires to behind  the tray instead of under it to make room for a fan.
 FWIW the wiring under  the MB ties you into the modular Dell PSU wiring harness. You can change the PSU but the harness is built in. If an aftermarket PSU is in your plans you might want to move the wiring out from behind the MB anyway.


			Redirect Notice


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## ManGupta (Oct 29, 2019)

lardyl said:


> Thanks guys.
> 
> ManGupta, I have 2 T5500s. One original to me from new, with 2xX5550s and the other with 2xE5502s (now they are puny Xeons). Both had the fin only heatsinks fitted. I suspected that the riser had a similar h-sink to the one for the main CPU slot (would make sense) but having stripped several Dell laptops (for work on investigations into fires) I didn't want to risk stripping one of the risers down an fitting it to the CPU on the main board only to find it fouled the ram air duct.
> 
> ...



X5550 is 95 watt TDP and E5502 is 80 waats TDP whereas That Aluminium heatsink is only 65 watts TDP.

Edit: Sorry I had not read your earlier posts and hence was not aware about the issues in your system. The raise CPU Cooler HS is of same size compared to U016F heatsink but with one pipe shorter to accommodate for cables to the HDD Tray . So you may consider moving the spare raiser  HS to mainboard if you  move the HDD from tray to the area below Optical Drive, or you may rewire the cables and donot route it through under the MB. Both U016F  and raiser HS is capable of 130 watt TDP CPUs (6 core cpus).
The X5690 is very expensive on ebay/aliexpress, and X5675/X5680/X5687 will give better value in terms of cost to performance ratio. But if price is not a concern to you X5690 will give slight advantage in performance ....... but only a marginal advantage. But if you get a good deal locally in X5690 then that's it.


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## Susquehannock (Oct 29, 2019)

The X5687 is a great price to Mhz ratio if 4 core CPU is acceptable. Only stumbling block I see using the riser cooler on the main board socket is getting power to the fan since it draws from headers on the riser itself. Easily addressed with some wiring. The U016F cooler is actually very good. Places all heatpipes across air flow as opposed to many aftermarket cooler where they are behind eachother. Mount a fan on there and it's even better. Once that is done ducting effect from the swing out HDD panel is no longer needed. My preference is to remove it and associated wiring altogether and mount drives up top. Actually space for three if done right. Places them directly behind the front air vent, provided that bay has not been populated by an optical drive.


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## ManGupta (Oct 30, 2019)

lardyl said:


> *The D883F wants to power off abruptly a couple of minutes after booting each time.*



Maybe the Power Supply is on the verge of failing .....

Have you checked / diagnosed  this system with another PSU ?


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## Susquehannock (Oct 31, 2019)

PSU is a good thought. A multimeter attached during BOOT power off issue may show spike or drops in respective voltages.

Would also like to mention possibility of bad capacitors. Inspect closely but know they can appear fine and still be defective. 'D883F' is indeed the earlier T5500 board and uses United Chemicon KZG series caps that are known to be failure prone. Dell was heavily fined for intentionally hiding this from customers. A fact that soiled their reputation and likely resulted in their fall from top dog to distant third in the business computer market.

Image below is a comparison of D883F and newer CRH6C T5500 boards that show capacitor change. From what I have seen this extends to T3500 boards, and the small I/O front panel daughter board as well. Part #M884G. Have fixed boot, thermal probe, and fan errors by replacing with a newer one that had the Rubicon brand caps. And re-produced same errors by putting old one back. New unused parts can still be found. Though it may be difficult to tell which the vendor is offering. Cannot hurt to ask. Something to consider.


----------



## Retrorockit (Nov 1, 2019)

The notches in the top of the caps are for pressure release to avoid explosions, any swelling or dark staining  in the grooves  is a sign of failure.
 There is a funny twist to the bad capacitor story. They came about because someone stole a secret capacitor formula, and it got used. The secret was the formula was no good. Industrial espionage gone wrong.


----------



## Nater (Nov 1, 2019)

Just saw this thread, we have T3620's here at work, against my wishes. (I wanted to build my own rig)

Core i7 6700K, 16GB ram, Quadro K620.

I'll never let my work buy another Dell Workstation on the simple fact that they sold us "K" series CPU's, and the multiplier is completely locked down in the bios.


----------



## ManGupta (Nov 1, 2019)

Nater said:


> Just saw this thread, we have T3620's here at work, against my wishes. (I wanted to build my own rig)
> 
> Core i7 6700K, 16GB ram, Quadro K620.
> 
> I'll never let my work buy another Dell Workstation on the simple fact that they sold us "K" series CPU's, and the multiplier is completely locked down in the bios.



If the multiplier of processor is unlocked but multiplier is locked in BIOS you can still OC your system via Throttlrstop  Software.









						Throttlestop overclocking Desktop PCs
					

Myself and a few others have used Throttlestop software and unlocked CPUs to overclock OEM locked BIOS PCs.  Throttlestop was designed for underclocking, and undevolting laptop computers to extend battery life. It also allows full control of Voltage and multiplier on unlocked CPUs. There is a...




					www.techpowerup.com


----------



## Susquehannock (Nov 2, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> The notches in the top of the caps are for pressure release to avoid explosions, any swelling or dark staining  in the grooves  is a sign of failure.
> There is a funny twist to the bad capacitor story. They came about because someone stole a secret capacitor formula, and it got used. The secret was the formula was no good. Industrial espionage gone wrong.


If only all caps bulged or leaked when they go bad. Would make it a lot easier on us.

How are your larger cooler projects for the T3500 going? Couple of them looked really interesting.


----------



## Retrorockit (Nov 2, 2019)

I did the physical installation of those but everybody seems to be satisfied with just the fan mods to the stock cooler. It seems to handle Manguptas 40*C situation and all the overclocks so far. The Dynatron G17 was a very easy bolt in cooler upgrade. It was designed for the X58 server/workstation market so matches the footprint fairly well. I put that on a spare MB but never ran it.


----------



## ManGupta (Nov 2, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> I did the physical installation of those but everybody seems to be satisfied with just the fan mods to the stock cooler. It seems to handle Manguptas 40*C situation and all the overclocks so far. The Dynatron G17 was a very easy bolt in cooler upgrade. It was designed for the X58 server/workstation market so matches the footprint fairly well. I put that on a spare MB but never ran it.



The NIDAC Thermistor Fan does the good work for me 4.133 GHz stable with AIDA64/ P95 SFF temp goes to 71°C  max . Best part is it helps me to bypass useless Dell Fan Controller.

Dynatron G17 is very good cooler but it blocks airflow to the VRM Mosfets, besides it is priced ridiculously high in India.

So CPU cooling, VRM Cooling and Northbridge cooling has been provided for,

Now only cooling mod in T3500 system  I lack is that of Southbridge Cooling. (without Fan NB and SB on T3500 becomes very hot).

I cannot add heatsink and fan on SB as it comes in way of Graphics Card.


----------



## Retrorockit (Nov 9, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> Now only cooling mod in T3500 system I lack is that of Southbridge Cooling. (without Fan NB and SB on T3500 becomes very hot).


The very early T5500 MB D883f had active SB cooling. 0G422G is the part#. Prices vary wildly on this item and other MB wont have the 4 pin header to run the fan.


			G422G - Google Search
		

Here's one from china with a relaistic price.





						[USD 10.40] DELLT5500 motherboard chip fan t7500 motherboard chip fan 0g422g North and South Bridge fan - Wholesale from China online shopping |  Buy asian products online from the best shoping agent - ChinaHao.com
					

buy DELLT5500 motherboard chip fan t7500 motherboard chip fan 0g422g North and South Bridge fan at taobao agent Computer hardware monitors computer peripherals




					www.chinahao.com


----------



## ManGupta (Nov 9, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> The very early T5500 MB D883f had active SB cooling. 0G422G is the part#. Prices vary wildly on this item and other MB wont have the 4 pin header to run the fan.
> 
> 
> G422G - Google Search
> ...



Actually the issue is not getting a decent SouthBridge Cooler.

The issue is that the SouthBridge Cooler is coming in way of Graphics Card, no matter in which of the two pcie X16 slot Graphics-card is being mounted.

Because all mid range gaming Graphics Card are at least Dual Slot Wide and even the mini version is at least 17 cm long.

Because there is very little distance between X16 Slots and the SB area.


----------



## Retrorockit (Nov 10, 2019)

I have glued 4x RAM heatsinks on a chip like that. Anything that's thin enough to fit under the GPU latch should work.
I stuck a pair of GTX 1060 2 fan GPUs on my t5500 MB and there is room there. I put an 11mm thick heatsink in and it touched the lever. There are 9mm thick copper RAM heatsinks that should work. I've seen 5mm thick listed also.








						Enzotech RAM-cooler BCC9 Low Profile - passive - Newegg.com
					

Buy Enzotech RAM-cooler BCC9 Low Profile - passive with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!




					www.newegg.com
				



 If those aren't available to you I take heatsinks off of old low end GPUs and cut them to size as needed. It won't have a fan but it should be much cooler anyway.


----------



## ManGupta (Nov 15, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> I have glued 4x RAM heatsinks on a chip like that. Anything that's thin enough to fit under the GPU latch should work.
> I stuck a pair of GTX 1060 2 fan GPUs on my t5500 MB and there is room there. I put an 11mm thick heatsink in and it touched the lever. There are 9mm thick copper RAM heatsinks that should work. I've seen 5mm thick listed also.
> 
> 
> ...



I used a very old and dead laptop's heat sink, it cools the Southbridge very effectively and without coming in the way of GPU and any other components.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 15, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> I used a very old and dead laptop's heat sink, it cools the Southbridge very effectively and without coming in the way of GPU and any other components.


Those picture are something that would be right at home in the following thread;








						Ghetto Mods
					

Post Your own or Found Ghetto / DIY style mods here:D  EXAMPLE : FOUND 3870X2




					www.techpowerup.com
				



Very cool and creative, but very ghetto! LOL!


----------



## imrazor (Nov 22, 2019)

I've read through some of the earlier posts, but didn't see a conclusion. Did anyone ever get a W3680/90 running in a T5500?

I currently have a T5400 that OC's nicely with SetFSB and a _very_ particular 4x2GB memory configuration. This old DDR2 RAM runs super hot when it's overclocked. Any tips on cooling it? 

The T5400 might be useful for gaming, but I keep running into games that require instructions that the poor old Xeon in this thing can't run. I guess I'll have to relegate it to retro gaming (Pre-2010).

I do have a much more useful T5500 running dual X5670s. I'm considering trying the SetFSB method to OC one of the X5670s, then try to double the fun. Does anyone know what model of clock chip the T5500 motherboard uses?


----------



## Retrorockit (Nov 22, 2019)

We've found that the T5500 requires dual QPI CPUs. This means none of the unlocked Xeons will work.
X5687 is the fastest clocked CPU 3.6 base, and 3.86 turbo. 32nm 4c/8t.
We'd like to see your T5400 OC results either here or in the Throttlestop Overclocking thread.
The FBDIMM memory has a controller chip on each module and they are what's producing the heat. Fans and heatsinks are about the only solution. The Apple Mac Pro FBDIMMs had huge heatsinks but you would have to space the modules apart to use them. 
There were several versions of the T5500 MB. They may or may not all use the same PLL chip.
My early one has an ICS 932S42BGLF. There is a virus warning at the SetFSB page. I unplug my SSD/HDD boot a Linux live DVD and go there anyway. Support ended there around 2010 so not much newer PLL support.
There is also RWEverything if you can do manual editing of the PLL yourself. IDK how.
FWIW the T7400 has native support for 400fsb CPUs. So maybe a pinmod on one of those beasts will get you something. Maybe read the PLL on one with RWE and see what the difference is?
I always wanted to try a reverse LGA771 mod on a QX9650 to see if switching the 2 pins with the LGA775/771 adapter tape will produce an unlocked LGA771. There is the QX9775 unlocked LGA771 CPU. TS should get one or 2 of those going for you. Haven't looked at prices in a while. Congrats on the SetFSB workstation OC. The consumer Dells have that pretty much locked down.
The Dell T3400 goes 4.15GHz with a TS overclock and QX9650 easily.


----------



## imrazor (Nov 22, 2019)

I’ve only OC’d by 500Mhz to 3.495 GHz. The main limiter I’m running into is the FB-DIMM temps (at 90C in the photo.) In order to get SetFSB to work with two banks of RAM in quad channel, I had to put 2 533Mhz DIMMs in sockets 1 and 5. This slowed the bus down which allowed me to OC the E5450 to 3.5GHz. Otherwise SetFSB would just lock up the workstation. 

The two 533Mhz DIMMs do not have heat spreaders, which is why they get so toasty. Can I just get some aftermarket spreaders and put them on? Where would I get some?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 22, 2019)

imrazor said:


> The main limiter I’m running into is the FB-DIMM temps (at 90C in the photo.)


This is solved by arranging a fan over the DIMM's to keep them cool.


imrazor said:


> Can I just get some aftermarket spreaders and put them on? Where would I get some?


Depends, but yes. If your FB-DIMM's are standard height, then any heatspreader should work. If they are extended height FB-DIMM's than you'll be out of luck.
Presuming you're in the US;








						ram heat spreader in "Computer Fans, Heatsinks and Cooling Components": Search Result | eBay
					

Get the best deals for ram heat spreader at eBay.com. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items!



					www.ebay.com


----------



## Retrorockit (Nov 22, 2019)

The FBDIMMS mostly came with spreaders. The big controller chip in the middle means normal RAM heatsinks probably wont fit. I think the the Mac Pros had faster RAM also.





						FBDIMM at DuckDuckGo
					

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.




					duckduckgo.com
				



If  you started with a 10x fsb X5470 you would have a decent overclock to 3.83Ghz. My X5470 came with 1.345V. but runs Prime 95 at 1.1125V so there seems to be some headroom on those CPUs. All I get out of SetFSB is 3.37GHz.



imrazor said:


> I've read through some of the earlier posts, but didn't see a conclusion. Did anyone ever get a W3680/90 running in a T5500?


There might be a way to do this mod. On the Dell LGA775 Optiplexes that can run LGA771 CPUs one way the BIOS gets modded is by changing the Platform identifier of the CPU family. This removes support for LGA775, and adds it for otherwise identical LGA771 CPUs. The CPUID, and steppings stay the same. You might ask at BIOS Mods.com.
If you don't have the 2nd CPU riser this might make sense. The VRM on the T5500 has a few more chips in it than the T35000 and active chipset cooling. This would be going the other way. Removing 2 QPI support and replacing it with single QPI CPUs, some of which are unlocked. It might be possible to splice the needed data from a T3500 BIOS into a T5500 BIOS. I would upload a couple BIOS files there for them to look at and see what happens.
Genius239 is one of the modders that does this mod.


----------



## Retrorockit (Nov 23, 2019)

There is a guy at OCN who successfully overclocked his T7500. That should be worth a look also.








						How To : Overclocking Dual Xeon Dell Precision T7500
					

I hopefully have a source for either pc3-12800 or pc3-14XXX, going to try putting some higher binned memory in and see if I get anything more out of it, will report back. Im running hynix pc3 10600 cl11 1.5v currently I believe.  Nice man yeah let know, yeah i get 3563mhz a core on mine x5675 x2




					www.overclock.net


----------



## unreviewed (Nov 23, 2019)

I just picked up a T7610, DDR3 and USB 3.0 vs the T7910, DDR4 and USB 3.1. The T7910 also has chipset support for bootable NVME. But at half the price The T7610 is a much better deal for my use case. I picked up two Dell Precision T7610 Workstation 2X E5-2690 Eight-Core (16 Cores) 2.9Ghz Max Turbo Frequency 3.80 GHz. They have plenty of PCIe expansion slots so the upgrade to USB 3.1 and NVME is under $100. To boot from NVME I use Clover, a software bios emulator (FREE), I can boot from my NVME Samsung 970 pro plus. So really the only thing I had to give up was the DDR4 ram. I'm not using this for gaming so ram quantity over speed will help balance that for me. This is my first Dell and I'm very impressed with the quality and elegant design of these systems. The cooling is amazing and the machines run almost silent.


----------



## sepheronx (Nov 24, 2019)

im still waiting to get new fans for my t3500 as it was idling around 60C for the W3680.  Its such a wonderful machine but temps were climbing.  So I got lots of work ahead of me in order to reduce heat and noise.


----------



## ManGupta (Nov 24, 2019)

sepheronx said:


> im still waiting to get new fans for my t3500 as it was idling around 60C for the W3680.  Its such a wonderful machine but temps were climbing.  So I got lots of work ahead of me in order to reduce heat and noise.



Cooling T3500 is not very difficult. Its rather easy.

in India room temp can go over 40° C during summer.
My T3500 cpu temp never go above 71°C under P95 / AIDA64 stress testing.

CPU's idle temps are in 30ies. at present ambient temp here is 23°C.




unreviewed said:


> I just picked up a T7610, DDR3 and USB 3.0 vs the T7910, DDR4 and USB 3.1. The T7910 also has chipset support for bootable NVME. But at half the price The T7610 is a much better deal for my use case. I picked up two Dell Precision T7610 Workstation 2X E5-2690 Eight-Core (16 Cores) 2.9Ghz Max Turbo Frequency 3.80 GHz. They have plenty of PCIe expansion slots so the upgrade to USB 3.1 and NVME is under $100. To boot from NVME I use Clover, a software bios emulator (FREE), I can boot from my NVME Samsung 970 pro plus. So really the only thing I had to give up was the DDR4 ram. I'm not using this for gaming so ram quantity over speed will help balance that for me. This is my first Dell and I'm very impressed with the quality and elegant design of these systems. The cooling is amazing and the machines run almost silent.



What was your total cost for this system ?


----------



## unreviewed (Nov 24, 2019)

Total cost per unit not including the Samsung 970 and other NVME SSD's was about 2000 CAD or about 1500 USD, the systems also came with a 1tb SATA SSD. The T7610 was made in 2013, the T7910's came out in 2014. I would have prefered the T7910 but not at double the price for a similarly equipped box. Purchased VIA Amazon, got to love that free shipping.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Nov 24, 2019)

It would probably be nearly as cheap to buy new FB-DIMM than to try to find heatspreaders for them...the controller thing in the middle of the chip is what gets super hot, even with proper heatsinks attached.  I remember FB-DIMM being very inexpensive, but haven't checked in awhile.  I've used generic heatspreaders from ebay, still using some, but they wouldn't work on FB-DIMM...and honestly, I doubt they do much of anything except make the RAM look better.


----------



## Retrorockit (Nov 24, 2019)

sepheronx said:


> im still waiting to get new fans for my t3500 as it was idling around 60C for the W3680.  Its such a wonderful machine but temps were climbing.  So I got lots of work ahead of me in order to reduce heat and noise.


In the Throttlestop Overclocking thread post #706, and #605 pages 25 and 28 there is a fan mod shown and some part numbers. This works with the stock heatsink also. Do you have the HDD tray and RAM shroud installed. Those form a duct around the CPU cooler. 60*C. idle something  is definitely wrong.

@ Aaron Hemderson
How does that W3570 perform at 4GHz? A  $20 unlocked CPU! Much cheaper than the similar QX9650 and Hyperthreading too.


----------



## ManGupta (Nov 24, 2019)

unreviewed said:


> So really the only thing I had to give up was the DDR4 ram. I'm not using this for gaming so ram quantity over speed will help balance that for me. This is my first Dell and I'm very impressed with the quality and elegant design of these systems. The cooling is amazing and the machines run almost silent.



If I am not wrong, T7610 supports ddr3 1600 MHz in quad channel.

Quad channel 1600 MHz is almost equivalent  to dual channel 3200 MHz.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Nov 24, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> @ Aaron Hemderson
> How does that W3570 perform at 4GHz? A  $20 unlocked CPU! Much cheaper than the similar QX9650 and Hyperthreading too.



I honestly haven't ran any benchmarks really.  It's not at 4GHz, well, 1 core is 4GHz, any more and it's at 3.86GHz.  If I have 4 core load at 4GHz, I get random crashes from time to time.  I have a fan on the NB heatsink, bare SB.  My AIO cooler died recently and replaced it temporarily with a Deepcool Gammaxx 400, but temps are still fine.  Really though, despite no benchmarking, it has done everything I have needed it to, to the point of still not buying a W3680...still plan to, but I think I might replace my GPU first...the fans died awhile back, and I have 3x80mm server fans on it, and it's basically a rocketship.  I really only use my computer for gaming, web browsing, and occasional streaming / recording with AMD driver, and it's been great.  I somewhat competitively play Quake Champions with it, and do well enough.  I have more than got my use out of cheap CPU, that's for sure.  I don't think I'll really "need" to build a new PC for some time...new GPU and the W3680 will probably satisfy my needs for at least another year or two, I guess.  I think clock for clock, there is a small performance difference between W3570 and QX9650?  Also, triple channel RAM, upgrade path...W3570+T3500/z400 board is still tough to beat, IMO.


----------



## sepheronx (Nov 24, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> In the Throttlestop Overclocking thread post #706, and #605 pages 25 and 28 there is a fan mod shown and some part numbers. This works with the stock heatsink also. Do you have the HDD tray and RAM shroud installed. Those form a duct around the CPU cooler. 60*C. idle something  is definitely wrong.
> 
> @ Aaron Hemderson
> How does that W3570 perform at 4GHz? A  $20 unlocked CPU! Much cheaper than the similar QX9650 and Hyperthreading too.



I cannot get the Ram shroud back on as after everything I put in it, and replacing the PSU (which the cables do not fit behind the motherboard), it cannot go back on.  So the next best thing I am able to do is use the fan splitter device I purchased and the Dell 5 pin to 4pin adapter, is to replace the two front 120mm fans with Noctua 120mm's, zip tie a noctua 80mm to the CPU heatsink and two 80mm noctuas on the back.  Initially I had zip tied Aerocool 80mm fans I had and just used a splitter to a 2pin fan adapter and then connected it directly to the powersupply but it ran very very loud.  So I couldn't handle that anymore.  So I am gonna go and spend money I dont have on some fans.  lol.


----------



## unreviewed (Nov 25, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> Quad channel 1600 MHz is almost equivalent  to dual channel 3200 MHz.



Yes, good point. It's not the speed with Quad, it is the bandwidth. So not much help with gaming, but for large database sets and video editing, it make all the difference in the world.


----------



## Retrorockit (Nov 25, 2019)

unreviewed said:


> Yes, good point. It's not the speed with Quad, it is the bandwidth. So not much help with gaming, but for large database sets and video editing, it make all the difference in the world.


  I don't think that's the whole story.
 From what I see here-








						RAM Memory Speeds & Compatibility
					

Better understand your computer's RAM speeds & the compatibility of different types of memory to work out how to get the most from your desktop or laptop.




					www.crucial.com
				



bandwidth (peak transfer rate) is the same.
 The latency chart (in n/s) shows an advantage to the fastest CL6 DDR3 1600 7.50ns vs. CL14 DDR4 3200 8.75ns





						CAS latency - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org
				



 This is due to the increase in latency being higher than the increase in clock speed.
of course you can find slower DDR3 that can't keep up. 
 This just equals the latency of CL4 DDR2 1066 7.5ns. LOL
Fastest latency on the chart in is the 7CL DDR3 2200 6.3ns. So I don't think DDR3 4 channel is quite dead yet.


----------



## Mikelly VR (Dec 1, 2019)

Random question? Does anyone else have a Dell T3610 with a GTX 1070 with no issues at all? Mine black screens randomly and never leaves a trace of what went wrong. I've been troubleshooting it forever and am wondering if there are just compatibility issues with this specific setup. I've literally tried everything I know how to do  

Any tips would be amazing. If I can't fix these random blackouts I'm considering selling them separately, so I don't sell someone a system with issues. I really think it may come down to compatibility unless there's some random thing I haven't tried. Here are my specs if it helps.


UserBenchmarks: Game 73%, Desk 71%, Work 58%
CPU: Intel Xeon E5-1650 v2 - *71.9%*
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1070 - *78.2%*
SSD: Kingston SSDNow KC400 512GB - *94.5%*
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 500GB - *71.2%*
RAM: Hynix HMT325U6EFR8C-PB 8x2GB - *97%*
MBD: Dell Precision T3610


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 1, 2019)

Mikelly VR said:


> I've literally tried everything I know how to do


Have you tried a new PSU?


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 1, 2019)

There are 2 different PSU listed for that. 425W and 685W on page 62 of the manual.


			https://topics-cdn.dell.com/pdf/precision-t3610-workstation_owners-manual_en-us.pdf
		

The GTX 1070 is right at the limit for single GPU power on those. It may be sensing an overload on that rail, especially if the GPU is overclocked, or other devices on that rail. If you could underclock the GPU and see if the problem goes away that would be an indicator. Those were offered with 2 GPU setups. Unfortunately the manual says nothing about GPUs at all. If you could get the bigger PSU and harness the power for both to run the 1 card it might solve the problem. 








						PC Server & Parts | eBay Stores
					

PC Server & Parts (PCSP) is a refurbisher and seller of OEM and surplus technology hardware. We have been doing business from our location in Michigan for over 25 years, and have served over 100,000 customers worldwide. We are proud to offer our customers high-end IT hardware priced 50% to 90%...



					www.ebaystores.com
				



I believe that is an unlocked CPU. We would love to see one of those in the Throttlestop Overclocking thread.
This one looks like an overclock. https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/21548648
I personally haven't seen one of these machines. Each rail from the PSU will have it's own color code. White, yellow, and blue for 12V. Perhaps you can get an idea whats going on from that.
There are GTX1080 ,and 2080 running in those at userbenchmark. So I don't think it's hopeless.








						T3610 and GTX 1080 power with 685 watt PS
					

I've read a few posts on this but was unable to reply because the thread was locked. Just wanted to let people know that a Dell T3610 can run a GTX 1080 fine on a 635 watt (from T3600) or 685 watt with no issues. You just need a 8 pin to 8 pin VGA cable or a 8 pin to 8 + 6 pin connector. There...




					www.dell.com


----------



## Mikelly VR (Dec 1, 2019)

Thanks so much for the responses guys. Power was my first concern as well. I may still be missing something about power consumption though but this is what I've done to test that.

I have the 685 watt power supply and am running two 6 pin connectors to the one 8 pin connector that is on the card itself. The other thing that confuses me is I can run furmark at 100% (and overclocked the GPU just to try to make it purposely draw too much power, It was drawing as much as 178 watts at times) while also running a CPU burner for all 12 threads at 100% for literally hours and haven't been able to reproduce the black screen on purpose.

I've been logging sensor readings as well and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to any consistent number that pushes it over the edge. I can run my card at 85 degrees forever (I don't normally, I usually have an adjusted fan curve that keeps it at about 70 degrees. it has black screened at both temps.) in testing and then it will black out when it's in the 60's or the 70's. It happens most often when I'm playing virtual reality but has happened when I'm not as well. Just not as often... (even if the readings show that nothing is being pushed overly hard. GPU bouncing between 70 and 90 something percent and CPU maybe at 50%-70% max, even on individual cores.

Seriously thanks for the responses @lexluthermiester and @Retrorockit , please let me know if I'm totally missing something. Thoughts?

edit: just trying to clarify/fix my jumbled mess haha


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 1, 2019)

I've had Kombustor run just fine and had Firestrike black screen on me also, but Superposition runs just fine. My GTX 1060 is well within limts of my T3400 375W PSU. No idea really except may be roll back your GPU drivers? Latest drivers is when my issue started. But I wasn't testing before the new drivers. That system is rated for 300W total GPU power. I ramped up my fan also for 70* running and it didn't help. MSI Afterburner may be the culprit, try running w/o that. No overclock software no issues for me.


----------



## unreviewed (Dec 1, 2019)

Mikelly VR said:


> have the 685 watt power supply and am running two 6 pin connectors to the one 8 pin connector that is on the card itself.



According to the thread referenced by Retrorockit, the guy with a working card bought a power cable splitter from Amazon.

"No its not a Dell Y splitter, the dell wont work as its a 6+6 pin.  Need one 8 pin.   So i got one off Amazon.  I put the link in the previous post. "





						Re: T3610 and GTX 1080 power with 685 watt PS
					

No its not a Dell Y splitter, the dell wont work as its a 6+6 pin.  Need one 8 pin.   So i got one off Amazon.  I put the link in the previous post.




					www.dell.com


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 1, 2019)

unreviewed said:


> According to the thread referenced by Retrorockit, the guy with a working card bought a power cable splitter from Amazon.
> 
> "No its not a Dell Y splitter, the dell wont work as its a 6+6 pin.  Need one 8 pin.   So i got one off Amazon.  I put the link in the previous post. "
> 
> ...


He's got a point there. You may be going from 8pin to 6+6 and back to 8pin with different vendors parts. The 6 pin uses 2x12V ea, and the 8 pin has 3x 12v. There are a couple ways that can  go wrong. Especially if Dell just used 2x12V wires on each 6 pin instead of all 3 like  aftermarket cables have. See if you can go 8pin to 8pin directly from the PSU adapter card. No telling how the power is distributed between the rails with that setup.


----------



## Mikelly VR (Dec 1, 2019)

Oh i see where you're coming from. The guy I got it from had it running from one 6 pin to an 8 pin. That is why I got the adapter to go from two 6's to one 8 pin. I didn't realize this power supply had an 8 pin. Figured it was too old or something haha. I'm not always the brightest apparently. I'll have to dig deeper into the power supply and see what I can find. Thanks again for the ideas!

I may have to roll back my video driver a ton too... just to see.


----------



## unreviewed (Dec 1, 2019)

The link in the dell thread isn't working but here is the item, https://www.amazon.com/LODFIBER-Power-Cable-T5600-FX4800/dp/B07CSQGKZT/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Lodfiber+8pin+to+6pin+8pin+Power+Adapter+Cable+for+DELL+T5600+and+GPU&qid=1575219703&sr=8-1






						Re: T3610 and GTX 1080 power with 685 watt PS
					

No its not a Dell Y splitter, the dell wont work as its a 6+6 pin.  Need one 8 pin.   So i got one off Amazon.  I put the link in the previous post.




					www.dell.com
				




Nice helpful image of the PSU


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 1, 2019)

That PSU is "hot swappable?". At least it's plug and play. The PSU itself plugs into a card that has the cables to the MB , CPU and GPU(s). I believe the CPU is standard 8 pin ,and the GPU is standard 8 pin. You may need to remove a cover to see it. That cable should power 1x 225W 8 pin GPU. The missing 75W would come from the 2nd x16 GPU slot for 2x 150W cards.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 2, 2019)

@Mikelly VR 
If changing/rearranging cables doesn't work. You may wish to try the following steps;

Fresh install the latest drivers. This involves a complete uninstall of your current drivers using the following utility; https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/display_driver_uninstaller.html 
This will remove all elements for the driver from your system including stray files and registry entries. Then reinstall the latest drivers and take a little while testing. 

If that doesn't work, you may have an OS problem(wouldn't be surprising with Windows 10) or even a hardware problem.


----------



## Mikelly VR (Dec 3, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> That PSU is "hot swappable?". At least it's plug and play. The PSU itself plugs into a card that has the cables to the MB , CPU and GPU(s). I believe the CPU is standard 8 pin ,and the GPU is standard 8 pin. You may need to remove a cover to see it. That cable should power 1x 225W 8 pin GPU. The missing 75W would come from the 2nd x16 GPU slot for 2x 150W cards.



Yes, I just took it out to have a look. It's definitely a 635 watt just like his picture and my power is coming from the exact same port he labeled. The slot says 75W for PCIe and EXT 225 W so I really doubt it's a power issue. Pics included of the 8 pin, power supply, PCIe slot and 1070 installed in case you guys see something I don't. 

Thanks again for all the help! You guys are awesome!






lexluthermiester said:


> @Mikelly VR
> If changing/rearranging cables doesn't work. You may wish to try the following steps;
> 
> Fresh install the latest drivers. This involves a complete uninstall of your current drivers using the following utility; https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/display_driver_uninstaller.html
> ...



I may have to start this process as soon as I can get to it. It's so funny because I have a completely fresh install of windows 10 but I will fresh install again if the drivers don't help. Seriously thanks again and I hope I can narrow this down and get it sorted haha!



Retrorockit said:


> He's got a point there. You may be going from 8pin to 6+6 and back to 8pin with different vendors parts. The 6 pin uses 2x12V ea, and the 8 pin has 3x 12v. There are a couple ways that can  go wrong. Especially if Dell just used 2x12V wires on each 6 pin instead of all 3 like  aftermarket cables have. See if you can go 8pin to 8pin directly from the PSU adapter card. No telling how the power is distributed between the rails with that setup.



Wait a minute... I think I might be an idiot. I'm finally catching on. Are you saying my cable setup may not carry enough power from an 8 pin to two 6 pins back to an 8 pin?

Here is how he originally had it set up with the single 8 pin going into the graphics card from a single 6 pin.
I then bought a two 6 pin to one 8 pin adapter to try to get all the power from the 8 pin to the other 8 pin. Will this still not transfer the power needed for this card? Sorry if I should already know this. I just assumed it would be ok haha.


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 3, 2019)

You will notice on the PSU label 5 different 18A. 12V. rails. They each have their own overload protection and can drop out individually. Also the optional PSU for that was the 685W from the 2 CPU T5610, you seem to have the 635W from the T3600. It's said to work, but these things do get old, and 50W is missing somewhere. It's up to you if you want to try software first, or hardware swapping. Considering that 5x18A.=90A. x12V.= 1080W it's probably the same PSU at some level.
From an overclocking standpoint newer firmware can bring things like digital signing which make BIOS modding hard (but probably not needed on these) , and hard to roll back to older non signed versions . Intel has been rumoured to have locked down the "unlocked" Xeons in this series with updated patches to disable that feature. Not sure if it's BIOS or chipset drivers. From a workstation perspective newer is better. Also I'm known to be a hardware geek (see pages 8,9 of the TSOC thread). One way or another I think you'll get it sorted out.
 I made a post in the Throttlestop Overclocking thread with my take on that system as a gaming rig.

Another thought if it isn't power, then try the other GPU slot and see what happens.


----------



## Mikelly VR (Dec 4, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> You will notice on the PSU label 5 different 18A. 12V. rails. They each have their own overload protection and can drop out individually. Also the optional PSU for that was the 685W from the 2 CPU T5610, you seem to have the 635W from the T3600. It's said to work, but these things do get old, and 50W is missing somewhere. It's up to you if you want to try software first, or hardware swapping. Considering that 5x18A.=90A. x12V.= 1080W it's probably the same PSU at some level.
> From an overclocking standpoint newer firmware can bring things like digital signing which make BIOS modding hard (but probably not needed on these) , and hard to roll back to older non signed versions . Intel has been rumoured to have locked down the "unlocked" Xeons in this series with updated patches to disable that feature. Not sure if it's BIOS or chipset drivers. From a workstation perspective newer is better. Also I'm known to be a hardware geek (see pages 8,9 of the TSOC thread). One way or another I think you'll get it sorted out.
> I made a post in the Throttlestop Overclocking thread with my take on that system as a gaming rig.
> 
> Another thought if it isn't power, then try the other GPU slot and see what happens.



Thanks for all the info and tips. I have tried the other graphics card slot and it did the same thing. 

In your opinion do you think it's worth it to try changing out my current cabling situation? (currently one 8 pin to two 6 pins back to one 8 pin) or do you think that should be able to get enough power through? 

Could it be that as my power supply heats up over time it becomes less efficient and overloads because the graphics card is still pulling so much power? It does seem to just stop the display and the rest of the system may still be getting power...(the sound freezes too though and eventually stops) But the system doesn't recover. That's why I have to do a hard reset every time. There's also no logs that I can find left behind about failures of any kind in Windows either.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 4, 2019)

Mikelly VR said:


> In your opinion do you think it's worth it to try changing out my current cabling situation? (currently one 8 pin to two 6 pins back to one 8 pin) or do you think that should be able to get enough power through?


Forgive me if this was already tested, but have you tried a different PSU?


----------



## Mikelly VR (Dec 4, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> Forgive me if this was already tested, but have you tried a different PSU?



I don't have another one to try but I may have to end up buying one. Sorry I'm dragging my feet on it because I'm trying to do the cheapest things possible first haha. You're probably right. Thanks.


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 4, 2019)

I think trial and error is where you're at. Software is cheaper. But won't solve it if its "mechanical". Looking at the cables I don't think that's the issue. It looks like it's going 3x12V. to 6x 12V. and back to 3X12V, If it went 3x, to 4x ( which Dell might do), to 3X, I would be worried. Dell does things differently than aftermarket, and having some insight into what they do differently doesn't hurt. The multirail PSU going "soft" could explain what's happening. If you want to try other things first there's no reason not to. With a good PSU you should definitely have enough power. Do you have another GPU to try?  Even an older power hungry one.
With an old system like that , which requires a proprietary PSU having a spare wouldn't be a bad idea. Of course I'm knee deep in old Dell parts so feel free to ignore that advice!
What difference there may be between the 635W, and 685W PSU is unknown. It's 50W per 12V. lead to the GPU cable. One missing 12V lead could do it. I've seen Dell rate PSUs more on the output connectors available than what the PSU actually produces. The old Optiplex 305W, and mid tower 375W both have 2x 18A, 12V, rails. One has a 6 pin PCIe, the other doesn't. They both make 400W on a test bench. Dell rarely publishes their proprietary  pinouts.
 There may be nothing wrong with that PSU except it's the wrong PSU.


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 5, 2019)

Looking through the manuals for the T3600 and T3610 I come away a little confused. Photos of the PSU card show what seems to be a 24pin MB power connector, and it's identified as such in the callout for the MB photo. But in the specifications it becomes 28 pin for both systems.
 Looking at the base 425W PSU for the T3600 and T3610 I found this note that they are not interchangeable. Dell made them physically incompatable for some reason.


			https://topics-cdn.dell.com/pdf/precision-t3610-workstation_owners-manual_en-us.pdf


----------



## ManGupta (Dec 6, 2019)

I myself do not have  T3600/T3610/T5600/T5610  system, and I donot know these system properly. I am more comfortable with T3500 stuff

BUT

There are some youtube videos where Russians are running T3600/T3610/T5600/T5610  on aftermarket ATX PSUs, even in an aftermarket Case.


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 6, 2019)

I saw the Russian pinout post.  If it was written I could have it translated, but spoken it didn't seem useful for me. Maybe there's more there than I thought? Dell seems to think the T3600 and T3610 require different 425W PSUs.
The 635W and 685W are obviously not the same somehow. I don't own these either.
The numbers listed are for MB and not PSUs. Export of Dells may not be legal to Russia. They may have no choice, and who knows what results they actually produced. I saw a BIOS screen, and a fan running. But it does look like a 24 pin MB connector not 28 pin. But Dell and HP have both been known to bork the pinouts on those at various times.


----------



## borat192 (Dec 7, 2019)

Hi, I'm new. I'm From Spain and i come across this thread while i was looking for some info about my "new" T5500, although this is not the only Dell Workstation I owe: I also have a T3500 wich i bought some time ago when my Gigabyte's I5 4th gen board suddenly died. Right now i'm not planning to replace my T3500 for the T5500 but i have some questions:

-Is it worth to go for the CPU riser card and install a 2nd processor (with its RAM)? I mean, does does it make a difference when using standard user software like games, video editing software, etc? This is an old system and i guess that the Xeons from that era won't be as efficient as newer processors, so perhaps, new processors with less cores, are able to perform the same tasks in similar time.
-Right Now this T5500 has 6GB installed, but my idea is to replace them for 6x8GB ecc modules. Having a look at ebay i've seen that, attending to the ranks, there're different types of Memory. Wich ones shoud  give better performance? 1R4, 2R4, 2R8, etc Will it make a difference if i buy 1600MHZ dimms instead of 1333MHz? 

Regards and thanks for your help!


p.d my T5500 has a x5690 installed


----------



## sepheronx (Dec 7, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> I saw the Russian pinout post.  If it was written I could have it translated, but spoken it didn't seem useful for me. Maybe there's more there than I thought? Dell seems to think the T3600 and T3610 require different 425W PSUs.
> The 635W and 685W are obviously not the same somehow. I don't own these either.
> The numbers listed are for MB and not PSUs. Export of Dells may not be legal to Russia. They may have no choice, and who knows what results they actually produced. I saw a BIOS screen, and a fan running. But it does look like a 24 pin MB connector not 28 pin. But Dell and HP have both been known to bork the pinouts on those at various times.


As a note, Dell operates in Russia. So does HP. So completely legal.


----------



## ManGupta (Dec 7, 2019)

borat192 said:


> Hi, I'm new. I'm From Spain and i come across this thread while i was looking for some info about my "new" T5500, although this is not the only Dell Workstation I owe: I also have a T3500 wich i bought some time ago when my Gigabyte's I5 4th gen board suddenly died. Right now i'm not planning to replace my T3500 for the T5500 but i have some questions:
> 
> -Is it worth to go for the CPU riser card and install a 2nd processor (with its RAM)? I mean, does does it make a difference when using standard user software like games, video editing software, etc? This is an old system and i guess that the Xeons from that era won't be as efficient as newer processors, so perhaps, new processors with less cores, are able to perform the same tasks in similar time.
> -Right Now this T5500 has 6GB installed, but my idea is to replace them for 6x8GB ecc modules. Having a look at ebay i've seen that, attending to the ranks, there're different types of Memory. Wich ones shoud  give better performance? 1R4, 2R4, 2R8, etc Will it make a difference if i buy 1600MHZ dimms instead of 1333MHz?
> ...




2 CPU system are slower than single CPU system in case of applications where both cpus work on same data set, hence latency.

2 CPUs would be advantage in case of applications which use more cores like Video rendering, editing, 3D modelling, Virtualization Cinebench etc.

But in normal daily use applications, gaming etc latency may be disadvantageous.

So it is about using right system for right task.  

For Gaming you can take T3500 put in CPU like W3680, use throttlestop to OC it to 4.1 GHz and it will give better result in gaming as compared to T5500.

Take T5500 put in 2 CPU like X5690/X5680 and it will give much much better result in Video rendering, editing, 3D modelling, Virtualization Cinebench .


----------



## ManGupta (Dec 14, 2019)

borat192 said:


> Hi, I'm new. I'm From Spain and i come across this thread while i was looking for some info about my "new" T5500, although this is not the only Dell Workstation I owe: I also have a T3500 wich i bought some time ago when my Gigabyte's I5 4th gen board suddenly died. Right now i'm not planning to replace my T3500 for the T5500 but i have some questions:
> 
> -Is it worth to go for the CPU riser card and install a 2nd processor (with its RAM)? I mean, does does it make a difference when using standard user software like games, video editing software, etc? This is an old system and i guess that the Xeons from that era won't be as efficient as newer processors, so perhaps, new processors with less cores, are able to perform the same tasks in similar time.
> -Right Now this T5500 has 6GB installed, but my idea is to replace them for 6x8GB ecc modules. Having a look at ebay i've seen that, attending to the ranks, there're different types of Memory. Wich ones shoud  give better performance? 1R4, 2R4, 2R8, etc Will it make a difference if i buy 1600MHZ dimms instead of 1333MHz?
> ...


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 14, 2019)

borat192 said:


> Hi, I'm new. I'm From Spain and i come across this thread while i was looking for some info about my "new" T5500, although this is not the only Dell Workstation I owe: I also have a T3500 wich i bought some time ago when my Gigabyte's I5 4th gen board suddenly died. Right now i'm not planning to replace my T3500 for the T5500 but i have some questions:


Now that you've seen that video, you should look at the Throttlestop Overclocking thread  where the Dell T3500 is very popular. 6C/12T 4+ GHz speeds and 48GB of 3 channel DDR3 1333 RAM can be more than enough, and very cost effective for most applications.








						Throttlestop overclocking Desktop PCs
					

Myself and a few others have used Throttlestop software and unlocked CPUs to overclock OEM locked BIOS PCs.  Throttlestop was designed for underclocking, and undevolting laptop computers to extend battery life. It also allows full control of Voltage and multiplier on unlocked CPUs. There is a...




					www.techpowerup.com
				



  We haven't succeeded in overclocking the T5500 single CPU. IMO the best use for the 2 CPU T5500 is if you need virtualization for several VM applications running at once.
Depending upon the application you're running, an X5687 4C/8T may give better performance in the T5500. They'll go almost 3.9GHz in a single threaded situation, but can run 8 threads if called upon to do so. They aren't very expensive due to the unpopular 4 core architecture. 2 of them is also the fastest 2CPU option in  the T5500 giving 8C/16T capability.


Here are the userbenchmark.com benchmarks for the T3500. You can look at the CPU scores and see what the various setups can do. There are a few overclocks in there. The OC speed isn't always picked up in the text, but the CPU% score, and the ranking next to other similar CPUs can reveal them.


			UserBenchmark: Dell Precision WorkStation T3500   Compatible Components
		

Here are the ones for the T5500 also


			UserBenchmark: Dell Precision WorkStation T5500 Compatible Components
		


The CPU% rankings for the X5xxx series CPU can be misleading because single CPU, dual CPU, and overclocks on unlocked MB are all lumped in together. Not the performance scores, just the ranking against the same X5xxx CPUs.
For instance an X5690 in a T3500 may show 40% ranking against other X5690 due to overclocks, and dual CPU setups using that CPU.
Here is an example of a T3500 scoring 71% CPU but not showing the OC except for the 96th % ranking for that unlocked CPU.


			Dell Precision WorkStation T3500   Performance Results - UserBenchmark
		

Other 6 core T3500 make around 60% CPU level, and the 4 core X5687 goes 63%. Possibly tweaked to run Turbo on all cores.


----------



## nathna (Dec 16, 2019)

Hey been reading and browsing the web for the past few days after i got a t3610 (685w psu) for $90 / a EVGA gtx 1080  for $225 / A 512gb 2.5 sata  ssd for $40
and I have some questions. 

I have come to the conclusion that I want to upgrade the cpu to one of these. 
Xeon E5-1650 v2 about $80
Xeon E5-1660 v2 about $150
Xeon E5-1680 v2 about $190

Upgrade the ram to 32 gb of ddr3 registered ecc ram 1866mhz about $40

Add 3TB 7.2K 3.5 SATA HDD about $30

Add Noctua NH-U9DXi4 90mm SSO2 CPU Cooler about $62

Few questions. 
Would everything work together?
Is there better options that I am not seeing? 
Can I overclock any? (I have saw some post about using Throttle-stop or Intel extreme tuning utility)

Would appreciate any and all help.
Thanks


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 16, 2019)

You can look around in here for T3610 builds and see what others are getting performance wise with the various parts.


			UserBenchmark: Dell Precision T3610 Compatible Builds
		

You didn't say what your intended use is. Any serious workstation work will make certain things necessary while gaming only will allow others.
There is a separate TS overclocking thread, and my research on the T3610 is the last post there.








						Throttlestop overclocking Desktop PCs
					

PS: After PCIE NVME Drive if you also add a PCIE USB3 adapter, Your Dell Precision T3500 becomes at par with any modern system.  One last question ... what would the difference in speed be between NVME on a PCI express x4 2.0 compared with an SSD running off SATA 2? Still on the fence on if I...




					www.techpowerup.com
				



I would avoid updateing the BIOS to the latest version, or chipset drivers, as Intel/Dell may have blocked the unlocked Multiplier on those Xeons.
But no one at that forum has tried it yet. Unclewebb the developer of Throttlestop posts in that forum so it's a good one to be a member of. Other OC forums are full of all kind of settings that only apply to unlocked MB. The TS forum is focused on TS overclocking. AFAIK XTU  gets you full Turbo speed on all cores. TS gets full unlocked multiplier, and full power settings. TS overclocks from inside Windows and saves the settings for Startup. So  a locked BIOS has no effect on it. Dell workstation overclocking is very popular there. There will be lots of interest in that OC project.
I would be careful about the CPU cooler. Dell often uses a narrow cooler bolt pattern the same as the 2 CPU machines in their single CPU work stations. An aftermarket cooler for a normal MB may have the square bolt pattern that is normal for that family of CPUs. The Dell cooler with a fan upgrade may be all you need. Dynatron makes coolers for the narrow pattern workstation market. Their fans tend to be weak IMO, but then that's an upgrade opportunity also.

I'm not finding a lot of listings for T3610 specific coolers. But T3600 and T5600 look the same and the 2CPU machines had 8/12 core CPUs to cool so this is probably what you need.





						Amazon.com: Aquamoon Trading New System Pull 1TD00 Genuine Dell Precision 7000 R7910 Fixed Workstations CPU Type A Heatsink Fan DC brushless DC12V 0.80A Fan Assy 79CFM 9CWCH 8025 80x80x25mm w/ 5p 4w Cable BSLSN: Computers & Accessories
					

Buy Aquamoon Trading New System Pull 1TD00 Genuine Dell Precision 7000 R7910 Fixed Workstations CPU Type A Heatsink Fan DC brushless DC12V 0.80A Fan Assy 79CFM 9CWCH 8025 80x80x25mm w/ 5p 4w Cable BSLSN: Electronics - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases



					www.amazon.com
				



 Also Dell mounting hardware can be "unique".


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 17, 2019)

nathna said:


> Hey been reading and browsing the web for the past few days after i got a t3610 (685w psu) for $90 / a EVGA gtx 1080 for $225 / A 512gb 2.5 sata ssd for $40
> and I have some questions.


First, Welcome to the site! You've come to a good forum thread.


nathna said:


> I have come to the conclusion that I want to upgrade the cpu to one of these.
> Xeon E5-1650 v2 about $80
> Xeon E5-1660 v2 about $150
> Xeon E5-1680 v2 about $190


This will depend greatly on your usage scenario. The first two are 6core/12thread parts, the last is an 8core/16thread part. The first two run at 3.5ghz and 3.7ghz respectively, while the 1680 runs at 3ghz. If your primary usage will be gaming the 1660 would be the best balance of performance/cost, but if you are doing anything else that requires lots of CPU power, the 1680 would be of more benefit with it's two additional cores. However, if cost is a limiting factor then the 1650 will be a solid choice and render excellent performance.



nathna said:


> Upgrade the ram to 32 gb of ddr3 registered ecc ram 1866mhz about $40


You will not need to upgrade your ram anytime soon! LOL! Nice upgrade!


nathna said:


> Can I overclock any? (I have saw some post about using Throttle-stop or Intel extreme tuning utility)


No overclocking is supported on Dell systems, but with ThrottleStop you can force the CPU to is max turbo on all cores, which is generally a good boost.


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 17, 2019)

lexluthermiester said:


> No overclocking is supported on Dell systems, but with ThrottleStop you can force the CPU to is max turbo on all cores, which is generally a good boost.


Those are unlocked Multiplier CPUs and Throttlestop can go beyond Turbo on all cores. Intel goofed and left the Xeons unlocked like the Extreme series CPUs they were based on. Throtttlestop costs nothing and makes no permanent changes. A boot to Safe Mode undoes anything you tried. The Dell T3500 has gone as high as 4.3Ghz using TS method and the unlocked  LGA1366 Xeons. Way beyond Turbo speeds for X58 systems. The TS overclock happens in Windows, "Dell" has nothing to do with  it.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 17, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> Those are unlocked Multiplier CPUs and Throttlestop can go beyond Turbo on all cores. Intel goofed and left the Xeons unlocked like the Extreme series CPUs they were based on.


Was not aware that they were unlocked, I'll take your word on that one. Given that info, I think the 1650 would be the best choice unless the 2 additional cores are needed.


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 17, 2019)

That's the word on the street (OCN etc.). Waiting for someone to try TS method in the OC thread for confirmation.





						Xeons with an open multiplier
					

Multiplier-unlocked Xeons according to overclocking results from HWBOT: Bloomfield: W3570 (source) W3580 (uncertain) Gulftown: W3680  W3690  Gainestown: W5580 (most probably not unlocked, despite of one CPU-Z validation; please see also...




					forums.servethehome.com
				




BTW that heatsink I listed was just an example. If you shop by the Dell part# you may find one for much less.








						Dell Heatsink | 1TD00  | eBay
					

TYPE Heatsink. If you prefer you may also feel free to recycle such materials to any local R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.



					www.ebay.com


----------



## Macio4ever (Dec 22, 2019)

Hello there with my T5500 (0D883F) 2xX5687 rig.


----------



## OEMOC (Dec 22, 2019)

I was fortunate enough to get a t3500 yesterday for $5. The only catch being it had no memory or gpu. The gpu is no problem as I will be reusing a rx580 from my current pc, but I do need ram as I've been told my 4gbx2 Samsung kit won't work due to it being high density. I'm excited to install a W3680, overclock to 4ghz, and enjoy an absurdly cheap upgrade from my fx-6350. My main concern is making sure I get the correct memory, but am looking to keep the ram under $30.

*How can I identify low density t3500 compliant (non ECC or Ecc unbuff) ram?
--I'll run 12gb 4gbx3 or 2gbx6 1333+mhz. 
--I *_*really *_*don't want to accidentally get the wrong memory.

Do you have any recommended pcie sata III or usb 3 cards?
--I see wildly varying prices even amongst generics.*


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 22, 2019)

OEMOC said:


> *How can I identify low density t3500 compliant (non ECC or Ecc unbuff) ram?
> --I'll run 12gb 4gbx3 or 2gbx6 1333+mhz.
> --I *_*really *_*don't want to accidentally get the wrong memory.*



Low density ram is described by Micron as x64, high density as x128.  Sometimes x64 is called PC RAM, and X128 as AMD RAM, but that's no longer true. The T3500 Xeons have the memory controller on the CPU so 1333 is going to be the speed. This won't change with a TS overclock. 3 channel setup is where the performance comes from.

Now here comes the tricky part. CAS latency can vary greatly and it's programmed into the modules as far as we're concerned. If you have CAS7 1333 RAM, and CAS7 1600RAM, there's a very good chance the CAS7 1600 will run CAS6 @1333. But I've never seen these 2ndary speed timings published. On a running computer PC Wizard will show all the CAS at all the speeds the module can run. This will produce almost the same performance increase as running the 1333 RAM @ 1600. Vendors who sell only RAM might be able to guide you on this. Resellers will be hopeless. But @ $30 it's something you can try your luck on. ECC RAM takes an added clock cycle for the parity check. If the accuracy of your data is important use it.

The T3500 has RAID 0 in the BIOS. You might try striping a couple small SSDs together for SATA3 speed.
 The dirt cheapest unlocked CPU for those are the W3570 W3580 4 C/8T 45nm @ $20 or so. How low do you want to go?



Macio4ever said:


> Hello there with my T5500 (0D883F) 2xX5687 rig.


Nice rig. The 0D883f has the active chipset cooling the later ones don't. 8C /16T with nice turn of speed.
There's actually been some success overclocking a 2 CPU T7500 with Setfsb.








						How To : Overclocking Dual Xeon Dell Precision T7500
					

Finally managed to break 5,000 points Time Spy using SetFSB... It's that PCIe Frequency that yields higher CPU Physics & Frames Per Second. Onboard SATA cuts out so I am using 2x PCIe SATA Adapters to bypass BSOD, but if you use Onboard SATA it will BSOD. Need PCIe SATA.




					www.overclock.net


----------



## Macio4ever (Dec 22, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> Nice rig. The 0D883f has the active chipset cooling the later ones don't. 8C /16T with nice turn of speed.
> There's actually been some success overclocking a 2 CPU T7500 with Setfsb.
> 
> 
> ...



I have tried Setfsb but it immediately stop responding and reboots. Maybe I did something wrong.

Now I am thinking to step up to T5610 with 2 x E52667 v2


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 22, 2019)

Macio4ever said:


> I have tried Setfsb but it immediately stop responding and reboots.


  He found that it was crashing the SATA bus. He went to a PCIe based controller to fix it. But the T5500 is based on the T3500 and may be quite different. There are other explainations for that also. We tried TS overclocking on the T5500 and got nowhere due to the locked 5xxx Xeons. But a very nice rig as is.
The Dimension E520 in my sig. was like that. Throttlestop is the only thing that ever worked at all.

 There is a setting in the BIOS called TME that sets a hard limit on the FSB speed the PLL chip provides. It's in read only mode when used. Not much can be done about it. You didn't do anything wrong. In a workstation environment it makes sense to do things like that. The best you can hope for is Turbo speed on all cores which at 3.89GHz is not too bad at all.


----------



## Macio4ever (Dec 22, 2019)

I looked at the thread about T7500 and have tried fsb again. I have managed to OC to 134ish and any further rig freezes  - probably due to SATA as you have mentioned.

BTW - I have had a few pitfalls regarding CPU. I have read I think all of the threads which MB of T5500 works with what CPU. The funny thing is that I have discovered by incident why some CPU did not want to work with my rig. Not due to bios/MB  It is second CPU riser board.
Long story short - in one of the threads I read about seller on ebay who claimed that some issues with T5500 are due to riser board which is supported by plastic rails. Those rails bend down a bit and do not allow to make proper connection. It is really hard to notice. But - when you close riser hatch having rig in horizontal position (riser vertical) it closes witch noticeable squeak -> it means that now  it is fully closed and connectors are in right position.

I have additionally supported riser with small piece of wood cut to right dimensions to make sure it will not bend down - which has been suggested anyway in one of the threads.


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 23, 2019)

Running in a horizontal configuration is actually a feature of Dell workstations. They can be rack mounted, or used in a desktop mode. The optical drives can be installed sideways (minus the 2nd 3.5" bay) and a horizontal faceplate added. The logo even spins 90*. We all love the chipset cooler on the original T5500 MB, but I think those are the ones most affected by that issue. You can get SATA3, and USB 3.0 on a bootable PCIe riser card I think to test the SATA issue.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 23, 2019)

OEMOC said:


> How can I identify low density t3500 compliant (non ECC or Ecc unbuff) ram?
> --*I'll run 12gb 4gbx3 or 2gbx6 1333+mhz.*


All T3500's can run any non-ECC or ECC 4GB DIMMS. Later revisions can run 8GB DIMMS. If you want to run 6x4GB for a total of 24GB, you're good to go. If you're wanting to run 8GB DIMMS then you need to determine which board revision you have.


OEMOC said:


> Do you have any recommended pcie sata III or usb 3 cards?
> --I see wildly varying prices even amongst generics.


This following is a good USB 3.0 that I have purchased before;








						Tiergrade SuperSpeed 7 Ports Pci-e to USB 3.0 Expasion Card With 15-pin SATA POW for sale online | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Tiergrade SuperSpeed 7 Ports Pci-e to USB 3.0 Expasion Card With 15-pin SATA POW at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				



Comes with everything you need to get it running and fit perfectly into the 8x PCIe slot below the 16X slot in the T3500.
Below is another good one, but doesn't have as many ports;








						ORICO 4 Port Pci-e to USB 3.0 Super Speed PCI Express Card Adapter Vl800 for PC for sale online | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for ORICO 4 Port Pci-e to USB 3.0 Super Speed PCI Express Card Adapter Vl800 for PC at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				




As for SATA 3 cards
There is this one which is very solid;








						3.5mm Gaming Headset Noise Cancelling Headphone for PS4 Nintendo Computer Laptop  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 3.5mm Gaming Headset Noise Cancelling Headphone for PS4 Nintendo Computer Laptop at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				



And this one with fewer ports;








						PCIe PCI Express to Sata3.0 2-port SATA III Expansion Controller Adapter Card 6g for sale online | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for PCIe PCI Express to Sata3.0 2-port SATA III Expansion Controller Adapter Card 6g at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				




Then there's this card with both USB 3 and SATA 3, two ports each;








						Syba Sd-pex50055 Combo USB 3.0 SATA III 6gbps V2.0 PCI X4 Slot Controller Card for sale online | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Syba Sd-pex50055 Combo USB 3.0 SATA III 6gbps V2.0 PCI X4 Slot Controller Card at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				



With the exception of that last one, none are very expensive, but even the last one is only $35.


----------



## OEMOC (Dec 23, 2019)

Thank you Retro and Lex for your information that will help me not waste money on incompatible components. I'll be using your suggested cards Lex when the time comes to push my overclock. Retro, I wanted a sata III card, and specifically mentioned 1333+ ram because I plan on using TS *and *SetFSB to get the absolute most out a w5680 without worrying about sata and/or ram instability from FSB overclocking. I appreciate the cheap 4c/8t unlocked cpu suggestions, but even with a tight budget I'm set on a w5680 W3680  as I really do need more than 4c.

*Can I determine a ram's density by the 1Rx8, 2RX8, 1RX4, 2RX4 designations I often see on ram listings?
--If not is there any way to visually identify low/high density ram visually, short of being able to read the chips and googling their respective datasheets?

Is **this**, **this**, or **that** ram compatible with a T3500?
--I've never been so meticulous about ram in one of my custom PCs in the past, but since Retro told me that my **current **DDR3 is high density AMD applicable only and as such wouldn't work I want to make sure I buy the right variety. *

Thanks again for your input. I'm excited as can be to start tinkering, overclocking, and posting the results of my efforts on the TS OC thread.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 23, 2019)

OEMOC said:


> *Is **this**, **this**, or **that** ram compatible with a T3500?*


All three of those will be fine.



OEMOC said:


> Thanks again for your input. I'm excited as can be to start tinkering, overclocking, and posting the results of my efforts on the TS OC thread.


You're welcome! Have fun!


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 23, 2019)

OEMOC said:


> I'm set on a w5680 as I really do need more than 4c.


 You need a W3680 for TS overclocking. None of the 5xxx are unlocked. With a W5680 you will be SetFSB only, and that has no Voltage control if it works at all. W3680,W3690,and the cheapo W3570,W3580 are the unlocked Xeons for T3500 TS OC. You may need an older Nehalem CPU to boot an old BIOS so you can update the BIOS for the Westmeres.



OEMOC said:


> *Is **this**, **this**, or **that** ram compatible with a T3500?*


 The first of those is 1600 non ECC, the other 2 are 1333 ECC. The 9th chip in the middle is the parity chip. They will be x72 instead of x64 due to that.


----------



## demilich (Dec 23, 2019)

Hi all - I've just joined this thread to ask for some advice.  I have a T5500 which I think has just died - it's showing symptoms very similar to this: https://www.dell.com/community/Prec...s/T5500-diagnostic-lights-3-amp-4/m-p/6066338

It's a dual-CPU with 2 x E5620 with 12 GB RAM (6 x 2 GB).  From the above link and the troubleshooting I've attempted, I think the motherboard is the issue.

I've tried:

fiddling around with the RAM (taking it all out, putting it in different slots, pretty much every combination)
resetting the CMOS jumper
removing/cleaning the CMOS battery
removing the graphics card
So my questions are:

How can I be sure it's the motherboard and not something else?
Is it worth getting a replacement motherboard?  I think I can get one for about £50 on eBay (I'm in the UK).  That is for a Dell one - is there anything else that would work instead that people could recommend?
If I get a new motherboard, maybe I should upgrade the CPUs.  What would people recommend?  There seem to be lots of LGA1366-compatible CPUs on eBay for pretty cheap.
I'm not too bothered about overclocking (never done it before), but if I'm going to get my hands dirty I don't mind some tinkering.  I don't really _need _this PC for anything in particular - its primary functions have been superseded by a Raspberry Pi cluster. It would just be something to play around with (maybe an extra gaming rig for my kid's friends when they come over).  It would be a shame to just toss it  - it was a good machine.

Thanks!


----------



## OEMOC (Dec 23, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> You need a W3680 for TS overclocking. None of the 5xxx are unlocked. With a W5680 you will be SetFSB only, and that has no Voltage control if it works at all. W3680,W3690,and the cheapo W3570,W3580 are the unlocked Xeons for T3500 TS OC. You may need an older Nehalem CPU to boot an old BIOS so you can update the BIOS for the Westmeres.




Haha this is the third time I've flubbed the W3680 for a W5680. Even though I have a listing for a W3680 on the next tab over from this thread I still keep writing W5680.


----------



## Macio4ever (Dec 23, 2019)

Remove riser board and check if it helps. *If yes *- look 3 posts above as I described my adventures with T5500 - basically insert riser in vertical position. As for CPU - I use 2xX5687 and they work very well.


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 23, 2019)

For diagnosticwarning lights I would look in the Dell service manual.


			https://downloads.dell.com/manuals/common/precision-t5500_setup%20guide_en-us.pdf
		

As mentioned above the T5500 is known to have issues with the 2nd CPU riser. Maybe set it up a s 1CPu and see if that's related.

The E5620 is 4C/8T 2.4Ghz and DDR3 1066 RAM 80W
The X5687 is 4C/8T 3.6GHz and DDR3 1333 RAM 130W 3.89 turbo. You will probably need a heatsink upgrade.
It's under the radar as far as the overclockers go. So prices are pretty reasonable.

FWIW you could buy a T3500 MB and one of the unlocked CPUs and do some overclocking if it comes to buying a CPU and MB.


----------



## demilich (Dec 24, 2019)

Hi guys - thanks for the tips.  Yes I tried removing the riser and it didn't seem to help, although it's worth another try.  T3500 MB: interesting that didn't occur to me.  I don't need the 2nd CPU so that's a good option - thanks.  I'm guessing that will fit OK in the T5500 case?

Re: the warning light.  Yes i had looked at that manual and lights 3 and 4 come on before the reboot happens, so I'm guessing it's checking the RAM at that point which is what made me think it was a dodgy RAM stick.

Also - with unlocked processors - can you overclock with the stock Dell motherboards?  For some reason I thought you couldn't....


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 24, 2019)

Since it's so alien to normal workstation use (and normal overclocking) we have a separate thread for overclocking these.








						Throttlestop overclocking Desktop PCs
					

Myself and a few others have used Throttlestop software and unlocked CPUs to overclock OEM locked BIOS PCs.  Throttlestop was designed for underclocking, and undevolting laptop computers to extend battery life. It also allows full control of Voltage and multiplier on unlocked CPUs. There is a...




					www.techpowerup.com
				



But it's mostly the same users posting there. The T3500 has turned out to be the most popular platform there because it gives a very good result and great value also. The T5500 is a T3500 with a 2nd CPU added. You will have a larger PSU already and with an adapter can use the 2nd CPU cable for another PCIe cable. Don't plug the 8 pin CPU into an 8pin GPU socket, they're wired differently. Basically a 6C/12T X58 Xeon 4+GHz gaming rig can be built easily. There is even a $20 4C/8T CPU option. Your 2nd CPU probably has the heatsink you need for the OC.


----------



## borat192 (Dec 26, 2019)

ManGupta said:


> 2 CPU system are slower than single CPU system in case of applications where both cpus work on same data set, hence latency.
> 
> 2 CPUs would be advantage in case of applications which use more cores like Video rendering, editing, 3D modelling, Virtualization Cinebench etc.
> 
> ...



Hi, thanks for the videos and the explanation. When i began to look for information about W36x0 and X56x0 i thought that the performance of the last ones would be a bit less than the W36x0... but what i now understand, that's only true with one processor configurations, when it comes to two processor configurations, it depends on the task you intend to do.



Retrorockit said:


> Now that you've seen that video, you should look at the Throttlestop Overclocking thread  where the Dell T3500 is very popular. 6C/12T 4+ GHz speeds and 48GB of 3 channel DDR3 1333 RAM can be more than enough, and very cost effective for most applications.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thanks for your reply Retrorockit. I think i'm gonna keep my T3500 as my first computer. Right now I'm not interested into overclocking because i don't need it. It's also good to know it can be achieved as easily because, at first, being a branded computer, i thought it would be impossible.

About the benchmarks, the way they show the results is, as you say, everything as clear as you must take care of the data and analyze. They shoud, at least, add a field in wich the user could say what's exactly it's configuration. May be, in the near future i'll try to benchmark mine and see where it stands on those benchmarks.



OEMOC said:


> I was fortunate enough to get a t3500 yesterday for $5. The only catch being it had no memory or gpu. The gpu is no problem as I will be reusing a rx580 from my current pc, but I do need ram as I've been told my 4gbx2 Samsung kit won't work due to it being high density. I'm excited to install a W3680, overclock to 4ghz, and enjoy an absurdly cheap upgrade from my fx-6350. My main concern is making sure I get the correct memory, but am looking to keep the ram under $30.
> 
> *How can I identify low density t3500 compliant (non ECC or Ecc unbuff) ram?
> --I'll run 12gb 4gbx3 or 2gbx6 1333+mhz.
> ...



OEMOC that's an excellent bargain! In my case i bought this two usb3 cards from amazon: *U3N04S_BG* and *Zerone PCI-E a USB3.0**. *The one i've right now connected to my T3500 seems to have, from time to time, problems with one of the ports as it won't detect one external hard drive. I haven't used the other because the idea was to use it with a Sharkoon Quick Port i had installed in my i5 case, but this thing can't be used in a T3500 (T5500), so as i needed more than 2 usb 3 ports, i decided to buy the first one. The other reason why i chose one of this cards it's because with one single chip on the pcie, you have 4 ports and also because it seems it has more power protections/filter than the cheaper usb 3 cards you can find out there*.*



lexluthermiester said:


> All T3500's can run any non-ECC or ECC 4GB DIMMS. Later revisions can run 8GB DIMMS. If you want to run 6x4GB for a total of 24GB, you're good to go. If you're wanting to run 8GB DIMMS then you need to determine which board revision you have.



¿Do you know with T3500's motherboard are compatible with 8GB DIMMs?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 27, 2019)

borat192 said:


> ¿Do you know with T3500's motherboard are compatible with 8GB DIMMs?


After doing some research, I've come to the conclusion that it is more dependent on the BIOS revision. Update the BIOS to " A17 " and you should be alright. 
Found the following most helpful;


----------



## nathna (Dec 31, 2019)

Retrorockit said:


> You can look around in here for T3610 builds and see what others are getting performance wise with the various parts.
> 
> 
> UserBenchmark: Dell Precision T3610 Compatible Builds
> ...



I ended up with a t3610
e5-1660 v2
64gb ddr3 reg ecc 1866
gtx 1080
500gb ssd
3tb hdd
685w psu

Though it does not seem like I can overclock with throttlestop. There is no fiver option and under Turbo Ratio limits it says "Turbo Overclocking Locked".
It also will not turbo to 4ghz
Any ideas?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 31, 2019)

nathna said:


> I ended up with a t3610
> e5-1660 v2
> 64gb ddr3 reg ecc 1866
> gtx 1080
> ...


Nice!


----------



## Retrorockit (Dec 31, 2019)

nathna said:


> I ended up with a t3610
> e5-1660 v2
> 64gb ddr3 reg ecc 1866
> gtx 1080
> ...


Post in the Throttlestop overclocking thread. Unclewebb the developer of Throttlestop posts there. He knows how to apply TS to the various generations of  CPUs. I'll look into it and see what I can figure out. No one has tried a T3600/3610 there yet. We figure these things out as we go there. Intel did try to lock these up with patches after it became known they were unlocked. A BIOS update could have locked it down.
Here's an E5 1650 v2 @ 4.2GHz in a T3610 , so it can be done.


			Dell Precision T3610 Performance Results - UserBenchmark
		



			Dell Precision T3610 Performance Results - UserBenchmark
		

 Dell DCCU (Dell Client Configuration Utility) might let you back date the BIOS if needed.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jan 2, 2020)

We had a round of Dell Workstation overclocking at the TS OC thread. T 3610 @4.3GHz with stock cooling. Thanks to nathna!

There are some links there to an HP workstation forum that is overclocking their Z420 Ivy Bridge systems. We ended up using XTU for this.

 I haven't had my hand on either of these systems but in researching this I gleaned a little insight into the T3600 vs. T3610 question.

 T 3600 is a Sandy Bridge 32nm LGA 2011 with 4 RAM slots in 4 channel mode DDR3 1600. Unlocked 4, and 6 core Xeons available.
 It  has several advantages. More heatpipes in the stock heatsink. Room for normal aftermarket heatsink mountings. Soldered heat spreader on the CPU. Chipset supports cheap RDIMMs.
 Cons- Small 80mm fan on heatsink. Added RAM channel and speed bump over LGA1366. Probably not worth a whole lot of improvement. Proprietary PSU. Shared with 2CPU machines so not hopeless, but take it or leave it situation. No confirmed overclocks so far. But should suit the hobbyist overclocker.

 The T3610 is different. 22nm Ivy bridge Xeons. Unlocked 4,6, and 8 core CPUs. 6 pipe cooler down from 8. TIM CPU heatspreader runs hotter when OC. Narrow ILM server size LGA2011 heatsink mounting. 8 DDR3 1866 4 channel RAM slots, but closer to the CPU. Very limited heatsink choices. Same PSU "choices". Confirmed overclocks at userbenchmark. With a stock cooler the same speed and a little more performance than the T3500.
 As a workstation it's a nice bump up from the T3500.
Cons- It's going to fight you every step of the way with cooling mods. But if you're a hardcore modder, delidded with a water loop is possible. Some HP workstation guys are already getting 4.7GHz software H2O overclocks on these CPUs (no delidding yet).


----------



## Macio4ever (Jan 2, 2020)

Just to share info about test I did on my T5500. I am still Win 7 user but decided to prepare myself for the migration.
To make things more complicated  I have bought Samsung 950pro and put this little thing inside using cheap extension PCIE card. I expected some troubles but to my surprise - everything worked flawlessly.
Bios (A16) recognizes 950 pro as boot device.
Windows install process went without any problems. Everything has been recognized, no hassle with drivers.
Boots up quick, works fine.
NO magic difference between 860 EVO on Sata II vs 950PRO  - in terms of Windows experience.
Samsung Magician shows 1700 MB/S reads and 1600 MB/S writes


----------



## Retrorockit (Jan 2, 2020)

I wonder what you would get if you used the Dell BIOS to stripe another SATAII SSD in RAID 0?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 3, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> I wonder what you would get if you used the Dell BIOS to stripe another SATAII SSD in RAID 0?


I don't think that would work. Both drives would need to be connected via sata and one of his are M.2 on a PCIe card.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jan 3, 2020)

I would have tried a matching SATA drive first. But everyone seems obsessed with M2 now. Before that it  it was SATA3.
But it's nice to know the T5500 recognized the new tech. Everyone seems to want what they don't have. But 3 or 4 way Raid0 or SAS drives are supported. 12Gb/s seems to be already there. Full duplex too.





						Amazon.com: Dell PX05SMB040Y 400GB 12GB/s SAS Write Intensive Solid State Drive Bundle with Drive Tray - 5VHHG (Renewed): Computers & Accessories
					

Buy Dell PX05SMB040Y 400GB 12GB/s SAS Write Intensive Solid State Drive Bundle with Drive Tray - 5VHHG (Renewed): Internal Solid State Drives - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases



					www.amazon.com


----------



## Macio4ever (Jan 5, 2020)

I think that 950pro is more than enough for my needs. I do not have many cases when very high transfer is required. I have tested starting up VMs from nvme and it is quicker but still do not saturate nvme (Drives meter shows about 300MB/s when VM Player starting up VM on nvme vs 100MB/s on sata).


----------



## Retrorockit (Jan 5, 2020)

Macio4ever said:


> I think that 950pro is more than enough for my needs. I do not have many cases when very high transfer is required. I have tested starting up VMs from nvme and it is quicker but still do not saturate nvme (Drives meter shows about 300MB/s when VM Player starting up VM on nvme vs 100MB/s on sata).


I was just making the point that these workstations, and particularly the 2 CPU versions have server type storage options. A look at owners s manual and online surplus vendors may get you what you need. I think the controller on the MB may be 6GB/s and a controller card would be needed for 12GB/s anyway. They have native RAID0 and SAS support in them. Consumer MB and chipsets don't. Before spending money on the latest consumer fad, take as look at what's already there. You may be surprised. SATA3 vs. a 2nd SSD in RAID0?


----------



## ManGupta (Jan 7, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> *everyone seems obsessed with M2 now*.
> That's because the price of NVME drives have come down significantly and its now affordable. Besides only addition cost is a PCIE NVME Adapter which cost $10 on Aliexpress.
> 
> But it's nice to know the T5500 recognized the new tech.
> ...


----------



## SixteenWest (Jan 7, 2020)

Hello everyone!  I'm posting to introduce myself.

I discovered this thread last week, and have read through it twice front-to-back already.  What a gold mine of information!  Thank you everyone for posting.  I'd like to contribute to the knowledge base in the next few weeks, and here's how; For the last 6 weeks, I've been focused on video editing (my GF wants to start an English/Russian bilingual Vegan Youtube channel), and going through an iterative process of hardware selection.  My first purchase was a $100 computer with an AMD A8-7600 APU with 4 cores.  I installed Linux Mint 19.2, an AMD Radeon RX Vega 64, and some SSDs (1 x480gb, 3 x120gb in RAID0).  After dabbling at length with the free open source video editing software available, it became clear to me that I needed more binary horsepower.

I hit kijiji and found a local guy selling some workstations and server racks.  He had a HP Z600 and a Dell T7500 listed (among other pieces).  The T7500 was set up with dual quad-cores (X55xx series IIRC) and I think 72gb RAM, all for $280CDN.  I started doing research on the T7500 and discovered this forum.  By the time I confirmed what a good value it was, it had already sold.  I was heartbroken, and asked him to let me know if any more T7500 came his way.  He told me to stay tuned, because he had a Dual 6-core on deck to be listed.  Long story short, I got myself a T5500 with dual 6-core x5650s, 32gb RAM, Quadro 4000 GPU, and 120bg SSD, all for $280CDN!  My eyes sure did bulge the first time I saw 24 logical cores on my system resources display.

In the meantime I've been waiting on parts to arrive (USB3.0 adapters, etc etc...) pricing out CPU upgrade options.. RAM upgrade options.....  At the same time, I'm preoccupied with the idea of having the full 12 RAM slots of the T7500, rather than the 9 slots on the T5500...  I'm also preoccupied with the larger PSU in the T7500....  I HAVE AN ITCH.

Fast forward to today, and I have a different T7500 lined up from Kijiji.  Dual x5680s, 48gb RAM...  I'll be picking it up this coming Sunday for $350CDN.

Here's what you can expect from me in the next weeks:  I'll be reporting on my build as it progresses, and posting some benchmark scores.  For video editing, my build performance focus will be on storage speed;  
-I will attempt to set up a PCIe m2 NVME adapter and use it for my principal operating drive (Linux Mint 19 OS install, LinMint19 OS boot data on a bootable thumb drive).
-I will attempt to use all 7 SATAII ports (actually 3 x SATAII and 4x SAS -which I believe is backwards compatible to SATAII- ) to set up a 7x120gb SSD RAID0 softRAID array using mdadm.

Predictions:  
-Given that my current config on the $100 AMD A8-7600 (SATAIII 3xSSD RAID0) does  ~800MB/s read and ~700MB/s write, downgrading to SATAII on the T7500 should decrease the rate by 50%, but going from 3 drives to 7 (+133%) should bring me back up to a comparable (or better?) R/W rate. 
-Adding the PCIe x4 M2 NVME...  I have no solid basis by which to make an accurate guess at what kind of rates I'll get.  I'll install the drive on my AMD machine (which has PCIe 3), and benchmark the R/W rates.  Following that, I'll install the drive on my T7500 (PCIe 2) and benchmark the R/W rates.  I'm just going on blind hope that I can get something north of 1000MB/s

Wish me luck. I'll report back with wins and losses.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 8, 2020)

SixteenWest said:


> Wish me luck. I'll report back with wins and losses.


Welcome to TPU's forums and the thread. Good luck!


----------



## SixteenWest (Jan 8, 2020)

Update:

Today I received two pieces of kit:
*ASUS Hyper M.2 X16 PCIe 3.0 X4 Expansion Card V2*





						ASUS Hyper M.2 X16 PCIe 3.0 X4 Expansion Card V2 Supports 4 NVMe M.2(2242/2260/2280/22110)Up to 128 Gbps for Intel VROC & AMD : Amazon.ca: Electronics
					

ASUS Hyper M.2 X16 PCIe 3.0 X4 Expansion Card V2 Supports 4 NVMe M.2(2242/2260/2280/22110)Up to 128 Gbps for Intel VROC & AMD : Amazon.ca: Electronics



					www.amazon.ca
				



*Silicon Power 512GB NVMe PCIe Gen3x4 M.2 2280*





						Silicon Power 512GB NVMe PCIe Gen3x4 M.2 2280 TLC R/W up to 3,400/2,300 MB/s SSD (SU512GBP34A80M28AB) : Amazon.ca: Electronics
					

Silicon Power 512GB NVMe PCIe Gen3x4 M.2 2280 TLC R/W up to 3,400/2,300 MB/s SSD (SU512GBP34A80M28AB) : Amazon.ca: Electronics



					www.amazon.ca
				




I was unable to benchmark this assembly on my $100 PCIE 3.0 machine, as the MoBo (A58M-E3) only has one PCIEx16 slot, and yanking the Vega GPU seemed like an unneccessary hassle.   So much for that.  I went ahead and installed the assembly in a PCIEx16 slot in my current T5500.  I did an initial benchmark having while booted from the 120gb SSD (Linux Mint OS Drive), and did a R/W on the NVME drive.  I was disappointed to see that I was only getting ~400MB/s read speed.  I ran lspci in the shell terminal and saw that the LinkCap was listed as Width 4x, but the LinkSta was only 1x.  A disappointing result, but I decided to go ahead and attempt an OS install anyway.

After some messing around, I was able to successfully install the Mint root directory onto the NVME, and the boot system onto a 4gb thumb drive.  The thumb drive currently sits in one of the rear USB slots.  I have an inclination to move this boot thumb drive to the little USB slot inside the tower on the MoBo.




Having successfully installed the OS on the NVME, I ran a benchmark (Read-only, as a write test isn't permitted while disk is in use) and scored 1.5GB/s!



Somehow, the LinkSta got set to 4x to match the LinkCap!  Worth mentioning:  At one point in my toils I removed an un-needed network card from a PCIE slot (I'm fine with using the MoBo's jack).  I suppose this could maybe account for the rise from 1x to 4x?  I hope it's not the culprit, because a USB 3.0 PCIe card is in my plans.



I'll call that my small victory for today.  If I can shake come cash loose in the next little while, I'll try and score some cheap M2 NVME drives and see if I can populate the other three slots on the Asus Hyper M2.  I'd ideally like to try benchmark some softRAID RAID 0configs on  it (NVME x 2, and NVME x3).  I'll maybe start with one more NVME and see if it shows up on the lspci report.

Stay tuned!

===================Next Post, 10 minutes later =============================

That went well.

I move the boot thumb drive to the MoBo internal USB port, and it booted up properly.



I installed a USB 3.0 controller in a PCIex8 slot, and fired up the machine.  The USB 3.0 controller It showed up on bus #23.  Its LinkCap is 1x and its LinkSta is 1x



Miraculously, the NVME controller is still showing x4 in both places where it matters.  I even scored a 1.6GB/s on a subsequent benchmark.

DELLicious.

==================== Next post, 10 minutes later ======================================

I plugged a USB 3.0 card reader with a Sandisk 32gb grade 10 SD card into the USB controller and ran a benchmark, which read at ~45MB/s and wrote ~10 MB/s.



Disappointed, I plugged in a USB 3.0 external drive and tried it out.  I managed to get an average of ~120MB/s read, and 110MB/s write.



Side note:  While screwing around I disabled the "Fast Boot" option in the bios.  Big mistake.  Took about 15 minutes to boot up.

Also, my BIOS version is C56.  Has anyone heard of this before?


----------



## ManGupta (Jan 8, 2020)

SixteenWest said:


> Update:
> Also, my BIOS version is C56.  Has anyone heard of this before?



For Dell T5500 latest Bios Version is A18





__





						Support for Precision T5500 | Drivers & Downloads | Dell India
					





					www.dell.com


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 9, 2020)

SixteenWest said:


> Also, my BIOS version is C56. Has anyone heard of this before?


Is that what the BIOS itself is telling you?


----------



## SixteenWest (Jan 9, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Is that what the BIOS itself is telling you?



Indeed.  The main boot screen says Bios Version C54 (Sorry, not C56..)  And the System Board section of the BIOS menu confirms it.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jan 9, 2020)

I would get the service tag# and go to Dell.com and see what BIOS updates are listed there.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 10, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> I would get the service tag# and go to Dell.com and see what BIOS updates are listed there.


I'll echo this. It is possible you have a prototype or engineering sample board. Tell us what Dell's website tell you.


----------



## ManGupta (Jan 10, 2020)

SixteenWest said:


> Indeed.  The main boot screen says Bios Version C54 (Sorry, not C56..)  And the System Board section of the BIOS menu confirms it.



What does msinfo32 shows ??

(run command "msinfo32")


----------



## SixteenWest (Jan 10, 2020)

@Lex In the BIOS I can see that the system was built for the Honeywell Corporation, and per Dell's service tag lookup, it was shipped in March of 2011.  It was originally built with dual X5667 processors, 2GB RAM, and a quad-DVI NVidia NVS 420.  Apart from that, nothing remarkable jumps out in the system configuration list on Dell.com.

@ManGupta:  No msinfo32 on my machine:  Running Linux Mint. 

@Retrorockit:  Dell.com lists A12-A18 available for this machine.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jan 10, 2020)

I would download the owners manual and go through the setup section and see if there are any different settings available in that BIOS that aren't listed for the rest of us. Honeywell is a Gov't contractor and probably gets whatever they want. I would certaqinly try to make a backup copy of it. Dell charges too much for RAM upgrades. 2GB was probably a shipping configuration.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 11, 2020)

SixteenWest said:


> @Lex In the BIOS I can see that the system was built for the Honeywell Corporation, and per Dell's service tag lookup, it was shipped in March of 2011. It was originally built with dual X5667 processors, 2GB RAM, and a quad-DVI NVidia NVS 420. Apart from that, nothing remarkable jumps out in the system configuration list on Dell.com.


Ok, so a custom bios is installed. It might be possible to update with the retail bios. The update EXE will not allow if it's determined that it is incompatible. So it would be harmless to try, however it might be best to leave the bios as is. Honeywell goes the extra mile to keep their systems updated and hardened.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jan 11, 2020)

Dell stops providing updates for their BIOS and will hope you buy a newer system. But Honeywell may have recieved some extra consideration. I would look at the date on the BIOS and see if it's newer than what Dell offers. That may be why it recognized the NVMe drive.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 11, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> That may be why it recognized the NVMe drive.


This requires testing..


----------



## ManGupta (Jan 12, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> Dell stops providing updates for their BIOS and will hope you buy a newer system. But Honeywell may have recieved some extra consideration. I would look at the date on the BIOS and see if it's newer than what Dell offers. That may be why it recognized the NVMe drive.



In my case Dell BIOS does not recognize NVME drive, but it is just that its First Boot Priority  is made to boot from external usb drive that contains a Custom BIOS (not from Dell) which is an UEFI bios with NVME Drivers .

But strangely msinfo32 as well as AIDA64 displays it as Dell / Phoenix A17 BIOS with UEFI Support.


----------



## SixteenWest (Jan 18, 2020)

An update on the NVMe install:

When I had initially installed Linux Mint 19 onto NVMe on my T5500, I had the following drives on board:
1x NVMe M2 on a PCIe adapter board
1x SATA III SSD wired to the MOBO SATA 0
1 x USB Stick (as the Linux boot drive) in a rear port.

When I procured the T7500, I transplanted the following from the T5500 to the T7500:
-The NVMe/PCIe adapter combo (PCIe X16 slot)
-The USB boot stick (internal MoBo USB port)
The T7500 booted correctly, apart from a BIOS AHCI error message requiring an F1 keystroke to continue booting.

For the sake of a clean slate I attempted to do a fresh LM19 install on the NVMe (now in the T7500) using the same steps I used on the T5500.  All attempts were failures, with AHCI errors at boot up. After numerous iterations I eventually was able to do a successful install onto the NVMe/USB as I had done on the T5500, by having a SATA drive on board and recognized by the BIOS.  Despite the fact that the SATA drive was not involved in the Linux Mint install, its absence was an obstructing factor.

If I unwire (or disable through BIOS) the SATA SSD, the linux OS will boot from the NVMe drive just fine, but will require an F1 keystroke to acknowledge the AHCI error message at bootup.

TLDR:  If you install Linux onto an NVME via PCIe adapter card (using a first-boot-priority USB stick as boot drive), you must have a SATA drive on board and recognized by the BIOS at the time of install or the install will fail to boot.  You can boot and run Linux on a NVMe/PCIe adapter in conjunction with a USB stick boot drive, but if the BIOS does not detect a SATA drive in the configuration, you will have to acknowledge an error message at bootup.

Here's the article with the steps I used to perform the install.
https://delightlylinux.wordpress.com/2017/12/21/system-boot-when-using-nvme/


----------



## Macio4ever (Jan 18, 2020)

Possibly boot sequence should be USB only and SATA ports temporary switched off (during install). My nvme pcie (Sammy 950pro) boots up without any issues.


----------



## ManGupta (Jan 19, 2020)

Macio4ever said:


> Possibly boot sequence should be USB only and SATA ports temporary switched off (during install). My nvme pcie (Sammy 950pro) boots up without any issues.





SixteenWest said:


> An update on the NVMe install:
> 
> When I had initially installed Linux Mint 19 onto NVMe on my T5500, I had the following drives on board:
> 1x NVMe M2 on a PCIe adapter board
> ...



As Macio4ever stated ....... the Dell Boot problem without a SATA Drive maybe because Sata Drives may not had been disabled in Dell BIOS and Dell BIOS was looking for it and hence throwing AHCI error.

On powering on the Dell Machine it will first go to Dell BIOS and (if success) then only it will go to Custom BIOS on USB (as set in First Boot Order Priority in Dell BIOS).
But if first steps itself fails ....... it wont go any further.


----------



## Junglist (Jan 23, 2020)

Hi, I need some help.

I would like to fit a USB 3.0 or 3.1 PCIe card to get faster write times than my current eSATA external HDD set up. I also want to get one that is appropriate for the speeds my motherboard will allow. However, I don’t understand the PCIe specs.

The board itself is a 0XPDFK and has two x8 slots that I understand are wired as x4, one of which I think will be suitable for the card. Next to one of these slots “SLOT1 PCIe2 x4” is printed onto the motherboard. On the other “SLOT1 PCIe x4” is printed. However, in the service manual it says the following:

Bus type

PCI 2.3
PCI Express 2.0 (PCIe-x16)
PCI Express 1.1 (PCIe-x1)
SATA 1.0 and 2.0
USB 2.0
eSATA

Bus speed

133 MB/s (PCI)
x1-slot bidirectional speed - 500 MB/s (PCI Express)
x16-slot bidirectional speed - 8 GB/s (PCI Express)
1.5 Gbps and 3.0 Gbps (SATA)
480-Mbps high speed, 12-Mbps full speed, 1.2-Mbps
Low speed (USB)


Does this mean the x8(x4) slots are PCIe 1.1 at x1 (one lane?) Doesn’t this contradict “PCIe2 x4” that is printed on the board?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 23, 2020)

Junglist said:


> Does this mean the x8(x4) slots are PCIe 1.1 at x1 (one lane?) Doesn’t this contradict “PCIe2 x4” that is printed on the board?


Both of the PCIe4x slots are what they claim to be. They are physically 8x slots, but electrically 4x.

I currently have a USB3 card in the one below the GFX card slot and it works perfectly. It's not bootable, just a heads up there.

And welcome to the forums!


----------



## Remeca (Jan 23, 2020)

Thought this would be a good place to put my writeup instead of creating a new thread for it. Just a bunch of things people should know about that plan to upgrade the GPU in their Optiplex 9020 mt. 

This is just some information for people thinking about upgrading their Optiplex 9020 mt, or who are thinking about buying one for a budget gaming PC, and are looking for information on what will fit. Before I started, I swear I read every forum post on the internet and every Optiplex upgrade video at least twice, so I thought I knew what I was working with. Well, I ran into a couple of problems anyone looking at these should be aware of, that didn't get much or any mention. First, the well known limitations:

1) 8 pin motherboard power plug. You have to buy an adapter to use any PSU other than the stock 290W. Regular ATX PSU drops in though.

2) No GPU longer than 10" (250mm) without removing the hdd cage.
(not exactly true, see item 1 below)

3) Not much you can do about cable management, especially with a non-modular PSU. 

4) Proprietary front panel connections (isn't worth the headache of trying to put into a new case.)

5) Proprietary fan headers on motherboard. Adapter needed to use any fans besides the stock CPU and system fan.

I was prepared for these things. I wasn't prepared for everything else :

1) The front panel wires are very short and take an almost direct route to their plug, which is on the other side of the GPU. If you leave the hdd cage, the GPU needs to be around 9" (228mm) to allow room for these cables behind it. They aren't long enough to go around through the cage, or over it, and the plug is too close to the GPU to go under it.

2) Double wide cards may or may not fit. Mine is 43mm wide (2.2 width slot), and it wouldn't fit between the RAM and the front panel plug. I had to shave the excess plastic off the plug to get them both to fit at the same time. I would say no cards wider than 36mm, if you're not comfortable shaving plastic off the front panel plug. It is also very close to the primary SATA ports, but didn't have to be modified in my case. 

3)  If you're using a double wide GPU with a backplate, or any 2.2+ card, you can't remove the RAM without first removing the GPU.

4) If you want to keep the HDD cage and get a new PSU, it either has to have enough 90 degree SATA plugs for what you have in there, or you have to keep using the 6pin power cable from the motherboard that has them,  as the side panel will not go on with a standard SATA plugged into a HDD in the cage. 

5) If you remove the HDD cage, you can't secure a 3.5" HDD in the hanging bay, as the wires from the front panel prevent it being fully inserted so the screw holes line up. Mine is just resting there, and the SSD is just hanging out until I figure out my final mounting solution for them. 

6) If your GPU has a shroud rising above the backplate, you won't be able to use the standard Dell expansion card holder clip thing, you'll have to switch to screws.

I think that's it. I'll post more if I remember more, or if anybody has questions. I would not recommend this route for a "budget" gaming rig, as I ended up spending as much as I would have buying new components with similar (and better) specs, and am now pretty much fully upgraded, it isn't worth the time or trouble going any further. 

Specs before: 
Optiplex 9020 mini tower
i7-4770 4c8t 3.4 Ghz
14GB DDR3 1600
R7 260x (ran with SATA adapter from original PSU)
500GB 7200rpm HDD
Dell 290W PSU

What I added:
Kingston A400 240GB SATA SSD
EVGA 500W 80+ PSU
Saphhire Nitro+ RX 570 8GB


Here are some pictures:

Clearance between Ram and backplate:







The front panel plug is the one behind the blue SATA. It had to be shaved at the top or it won't fit at the same time as the graphics card. It also has to be plugged in first. 






The entire rats nest.







I hope this helps people understand all the problems and limitations they can run into trying to upgrade even the tower version of one of these prebuilt enterprise machines.

Took these after I "cable managed." 

I remounted the SSD and HDD, moved the optical to the top and put them under it. Did my best to cable manage, it isn't great, but I think the airflow is about 90% better. It would have been a lot easier without the 8 pin adapter. 

This mess was half crammed up above the optical drive:





Mounted drives:





The final result:


----------



## ManGupta (Jan 24, 2020)

Junglist said:


> Hi, I need some help.
> 
> I would like to fit a USB 3.0 or 3.1 PCIe card to get faster write times than my current eSATA external HDD set up. I also want to get one that is appropriate for the speeds my motherboard will allow. However, I don’t understand the PCIe specs.
> 
> ...



What speed are you getting with eSATA ?



Remeca said:


> Thought this would be a good place to put my writeup instead of creating a new thread for it. Just a bunch of things people should know about that plan to upgrade the GPU in their Optiplex 9020 mt.
> 
> This is just some information for people thinking about upgrading their Optiplex 9020 mt, or who are thinking about buying one for a budget gaming PC, and are looking for information on what will fit. Before I started, I swear I read every forum post on the internet and every Optiplex upgrade video at least twice, so I thought I knew what I was working with. Well, I ran into a couple of problems anyone looking at these should be aware of, that didn't get much or any mention. First, the well known limitations:
> 
> ...



Regarding adjusting HDD + SSD in the Optical drive bay, I use one slot of 5.25 inch Optical Drive Bay to adjust one 3.5 inch HDD + one 2.5 inch SSD+ 2 ports  USB3 Front Out.

I got this from aliexpress-


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## Remeca (Jan 24, 2020)

That's a handy drive bay thing, especially if you don't have usb 3 in the front. Luckily I have 4 usb in the front, 2 of them 3.0. I'm not going to run out and buy one, but if I see something like that browsing local ads I'd definitely pick it up. Much neater solution than double sided taping the hdd to the bottom of the dvdrw drive like I did.


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## lexluthermiester (Jan 24, 2020)

ManGupta said:


> Regarding adjusting HDD + SSD in the Optical drive bay, I use one slot of 5.25 inch Optical Drive Bay to adjust one 3.5 inch HDD + one 2.5 inch SSD+ 2 ports USB3 Front Out.


Including your MDisc BDR, This is what my T3500 looks like. Nice!


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## Remeca (Jan 24, 2020)

Here's my entire Dell desktop stable:

Dell Dimension 5150
Pentium D 945 3.2Ghz
4GB DDR2
ATI Radeon x600
Windows XP

Use this one for old games, and my daughter draws on it with a fisher price digital arts and crafts studio accessory.





Dell Inspiron 530s
Core 2 Duo E6600 3.06Ghz
4GB DDR2
AMD r7 260x
Windows 7
This one plays Xbox 360/PS3 era PC games great, and my son also uses it for Roblox.





Optiplex 9020mt
i7-4770
14GB DDR3 @ 1600
Kingston A400 240GB SATA SSD
500GB 7200 HDD
RX 570 8GB
Windows 10

My main gaming and working PC. I like the handy air vent down by the GPU, it lets me admire the bling, and brings in cold air right where the GPU needs it.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 24, 2020)

Remeca said:


> Dell Inspiron 530s
> Core 2 Duo E6600 3.06Ghz
> 4GB DDR2
> AMD r7 260x
> Windows 7


Quads are very cheap, it'd be worth the upgrade..


----------



## Remeca (Jan 24, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Quads are very cheap, it'd be worth the upgrade..


Yeah, that's on my list, just haven't gotten around to it yet. I've almost pulled the trigger a couple of times, found a Q6600 locally for $10. Didn't get it though, because I thought I'd need to upgrade the cooler too and decided to buy the i7 based system instead.


----------



## Junglist (Jan 24, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Both of the PCIe4x slots are what they claim to be. They are physically 8x slots, but electrically 4x.
> 
> I currently have a USB3 card in the one below the GFX card slot and it works perfectly. It's not bootable, just a heads up there.
> 
> And welcome to the forums!


 Thanks



ManGupta said:


> What speed are you getting with eSATA ?



My current external drive is SATA II HDD. I plan buying a 3.5" SATA III HDD and a suitable enclosure to replace it.
See below for the current drive's speed:


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 24, 2020)

Junglist said:


> My current external drive is SATA II HDD. I plan buying a 3.5" SATA III HDD and a suitable enclosure to replace it.
> See below for the current drive's speed:


You will only see an improvement over ESATA if you are using SSD's over USB3. Mechanical HDD's will show little or no improvement. This is a physical limitation with the drives themselves, not the respective data buses.


----------



## Junglist (Jan 24, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> You will only see an improvement over ESATA if you are using SSD's over USB3. Mechanical HDD's will show little or no improvement. This is a physical limitation with the drives themselves, not the respective data buses.


 I see. Thanks for your help.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 24, 2020)

Junglist said:


> I see. Thanks for your help.


I mean, 105MB per second is very good for a mechanical HDD. USB3 will not help that speed much for the same or similar drive.


----------



## Junglist (Jan 24, 2020)

I think I'll still get a USB card for my USB flash drives and I also have a USB 3.0 hub on my monitor.

As far as I can see my x8 slots wired as x4 are PCIe 1.1 generation. Am I able to run at USB 3.0 or 3.1 speeds using this slot?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 24, 2020)

Junglist said:


> I think I'll still get a USB card for my USB flash drives and I also have a USB 3.0 hub on my monitor.


Oh, I'm sorry, didn't mean to sound like I was talking you out of it, only that you should get it for other reasons and was trying to set reasonable expectations for you.



Junglist said:


> As far as I can see my x8 slots wired as x4 are PCIe 1.1 generation. Am I able to run at USB 3.0 or 3.1 speeds using this slot?


Mine is a 3.0 card and I'm getting speeds very nearly spot on what they should be.


----------



## Junglist (Jan 24, 2020)

It's okay I understood, thanks for your help.

I have a question about the motherboard and chipset drivers. I have the latest BIOS (A17) but I’m not sure about the chipset driver version and I’m not sure exactly what the chipset is/does.

I understand that the motherboard has a built in RAID controller and it seems this was giving me problems when upgrading from Win 7 to Win 10. With only C:\ connected everything seemed fine, but when I connected my other HDD, DVD, or eSATA HDD it would get stuck at the windows loading screen. If I booted with only the C:\ and then attached another SATA drive, Windows would freeze. I suspected the RAID controller was at fault (I have never used RAID configuration). In the Device Manager I uninstalled “Intel RAID Controller” which resulted in the C:\ not being able to boot, so I just did a clean install of Windows 10, which is now working perfectly without “Intel RAID Controller” being present in the Device Manager.

My question is what chipset driver am I currently using (Speccy tells me “chipset revision 13”) but following this link states the last update was “x64 | chipset R0JHR_A02-00 | Intel Chipset Device Software | A02 | 9.1.1.1025” which confuses me. I just want to make sure I have everything up do date without installing something that might mess up my Windows 10 install.


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## Retrorockit (Jan 25, 2020)

The Optiplex XE2 MT has a 365W PSU with a 6 pin PCIe cable and the 8pinMB 4 pin CPU setup. No ATX rats nest needed.
 Newegg has new ones, but you can grab the part# and shop if you want to.








						NEW Dell Optiplex XE2 MT T1700 T20 365Watt Power Supply T1M43 7VK45 07VK45 - Newegg.com
					

Buy NEW Dell Optiplex XE2 MT T1700 T20 365Watt Power Supply T1M43 7VK45 07VK45 with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!




					www.newegg.com


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## Remeca (Jan 25, 2020)

The chipset revision is different than the chipset driver version. The revision means hardware version. If you don't use the driver supplied by Dell, you're just getting the latest generic Windows version for your chipset,which may not support all the features offered by your chipset. Dell does not provide Windows 10 chipset drivers for your board though, that I could find in a quick search, so that could be what was causing issues before.


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## ManGupta (Jan 26, 2020)

ManGupta said:


> 2 CPU system are slower than single CPU system in case of applications where both cpus work on same data set, hence latency.
> 
> 2 CPUs would be advantage in case of applications which use more cores like Video rendering, editing, 3D modelling, Virtualization Cinebench etc.
> 
> ...


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## rossco_50 (Feb 8, 2020)

Hi, hoping someone can advise.

I have a T3500 and upgraded the CPU from a W3503 to a X5677. Latest A17 Bios running. The machine originally had 12GB (6x2gb) Hynix HMT325U7BFR8A (H9 1333 version) but with the X5677 I have only ever been able to get 3 x 2gb working (any combination of 3 from the 6 sticks works, making me think all sticks are ok).

As I am doing more CAD work on the machine than previously and using the latest software I am keen to at least get back to 12Gb if not upgrade to the full 24Gb. Can anyone advise if I should theoretically be able to to run all 6 of these hynix modules with the westmere processor and suggest a fix if so?

I am hesitant to buy other modules until I know it is definitely the RAM and not the CPU. Any advice greatly appreciated. 

kind regards,
Rossco


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## ManGupta (Feb 9, 2020)

6 X 2GB is Supported Memory Configuration ..... 6 X 4GB is also Supported Memory Configuration ....... as per Dell T3500 Service Manual



Both Should Work .......


Try Cleaning all the memory Stick and the Slots any then try reseating  the Memory Sticks.


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## rossco_50 (Feb 9, 2020)

ManGupta said:


> 6 X 2GB is Supported Memory Configuration ..... 6 X 4GB is also Supported Memory Configuration ....... as per Dell T3500 Service Manual
> 
> Both Should Work .......
> 
> ...



Thanks mangupta. Yes I knew that, and the 6 sticks all work with the w3503. I have cleaned and swapped memory many times. Just wondering if anyone knew of a fundamental difference between the CPUs that could make this happen? (I have also tried 2 different x5677s and same thing happens with both - admittedly both from the same seller). Seems I either have to settle for 6gb, go back to the old cpu or try another CPU/RAM. Picking up another Xeon probably cheaper than buying more memory.


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## ManGupta (Feb 9, 2020)

rossco_50 said:


> Thanks mangupta. Yes I knew that, and the 6 sticks all work with the w3503. I have cleaned and swapped memory many times. Just wondering if anyone knew of a fundamental difference between the CPUs that could make this happen? (I have also tried 2 different x5677s and same thing happens with both - admittedly both from the same seller). Seems I either have to settle for 6gb, go back to the old cpu or try another CPU/RAM. Picking up another Xeon probably cheaper than buying more memory.



This is baffling ........  CPU should not ought to be the problem,

56XX Xeons actually have seen to support even 6 X 8GB (Total 48 GB RAM) on X58 systems.

I have 6 X 4GB RAM Sticks on one of my T3500 with X5680 processor. Once it was showing only 12 GB RAM ........ I tried few times reseating the Memory sticks but it still showed only 12 GB, then I tried a couple of more times  and ...... then it was showing all the six sticks (total 24 GB).

I never was able to understand ......

1) Why the problem happened.  
2) How it just got solved. 

because I only did reseating /swapping RAM sticks many times.


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## Retrorockit (Feb 9, 2020)

I would closely inspect the pins in the CPu socket. May be some thing happened there? Does the old CPU still support 6x2GB? May be 3x4GB will be the solution for you?
Here is my best guess for something that doesn't make sense to begin with.
The 2 CPU Xeon may have been in a system where 3 modules for 1 CPU , and 3 modules on the riser card for the 2nd CPU were used and it's burnt itself in for 3 local modules. I would suggest getting a single QPI Xeon that never would have learned to do this. Of course I'm partial to the W3680 due to it's overclocking potential. But a W3670 might solve the problem.
It's certainly not working the way it's supposed to.


----------



## rossco_50 (Feb 10, 2020)

Thanks all. I've got a new MB on the way, hopefully will solve it.


----------



## Retrorockit (Feb 10, 2020)

rossco_50 said:


> Thanks all. I've got a new MB on the way, hopefully will solve it.


Unfortunately the memory controller is on the CPU. Let us know if it works though. We would all like to know what the solution for this unusual problem turns out to be. In HP workstations it is required to swap MB versions for later CPUs so it's not unheard of.


----------



## ManGupta (Feb 15, 2020)




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## rossco_50 (Feb 16, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> Unfortunately the memory controller is on the CPU. Let us know if it works though. We would all like to know what the solution for this unusual problem turns out to be. In HP workstations it is required to swap MB versions for later CPUs so it's not unheard of.


Everything is work


rossco_50 said:


> Thanks all. I've got a new MB on the way, hopefully will solve it.


Everything is working with the new motherboard! must have been the socket, just weird though that it worked with the old CPU. Thanks for your replies and suggestions!


----------



## ManGupta (Feb 21, 2020)




----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 24, 2020)

ManGupta said:


>


Bizarre! Interesting though.


----------



## Retrorockit (Feb 24, 2020)

ManGupta said:


>


 Room for a taller heatsink. Like the Scythe Ninja 4 in the TSOC thread on page 9.


----------



## silie96630 (Apr 17, 2020)

I recently installed an SSD into my T3500 and a fresh copy of Windows. I removed my old HDD in case I needed to use my PC again if I messed something up. Everything worked flawlessly and after a week I was normally uing my PC when my screen turned black and sound stopped. I turned it off from the power button and after 15 seconds turned it on. It goes to the "start Windows normally" screen but there are red lines and patterns and when I press enter it just stays black. My T3500 isn't making any sounds, no signal codes and the GPU fan is spinning. All cables are plugged in properly into both the PC and the monitor. I added my old HDD disconnecting the SSD and I went into BIOS and changed from AHCI to the option it was on before and rebooted but the same thing happened. When going into system repair it shows an image but the screen is full off red lines (tried windows restore point but doesnt boot) . I tried removing the RAM sticks one by one however I get the same black screen after seeing the Windows logo screen. I don't understand why that happened and my suspicions are that the GPU is faulty but still has electrity passing through as the diagnostics code on the front of the PC do not light up. Has anyone had such a problem before and what was the issue? I doubt it's a DVI cable issue as it outputs image in Windows restore menu. I have attached a picture of the red lines but you have to zoom in as they are faint. Thanks in advance, I'm really panicking.
Update: I ran Dell on board diagnostics full test and its telling me none of the hardware are broken. I dont know what to do. Red Line Images


----------



## data00 (Apr 17, 2020)

silie96630 said:


> I recently installed an SSD into my T3500 and a fresh copy of Windows. I removed my old HDD in case I needed to use my PC again if I messed something up. Everything worked flawlessly and after a week I was normally uing my PC when my screen turned black and sound stopped. I turned it off from the power button and after 15 seconds turned it on. It goes to the "start Windows normally" screen but there are red lines and patterns and when I press enter it just stays black. My T3500 isn't making any sounds, no signal codes and the GPU fan is spinning. All cables are plugged in properly into both the PC and the monitor. I added my old HDD disconnecting the SSD and I went into BIOS and changed from AHCI to the option it was on before and rebooted but the same thing happened. When going into system repair it shows an image but the screen is full off red lines (tried windows restore point but doesnt boot) . I tried removing the RAM sticks one by one however I get the same black screen after seeing the Windows logo screen. I don't understand why that happened and my suspicions are that the GPU is faulty but still has electrity passing through as the diagnostics code on the front of the PC do not light up. Has anyone had such a problem before and what was the issue? I doubt it's a DVI cable issue as it outputs image in Windows restore menu. I have attached a picture of the red lines but you have to zoom in as they are faint. Thanks in advance, I'm really panicking.
> Update: I ran Dell on board diagnostics full test and its telling me none of the hardware are broken. I dont know what to do. Red Line Images


It does seem to indicate the GPU is the problem.

Is the GPU making a good connection on the PCIE slot? You should try to remove the GPU and place it back in, and screw it in place for good measure.

I think its a good start for troubleshooting in my opinion.


----------



## TDMiles (Apr 17, 2020)

I happen to have a i7-980X laying around. Any decent workstations that support that chip from Dell or otherwise? Seems like kind of a waste to see a 6 core/12 thread piece become a paperweight.


----------



## ManGupta (Apr 17, 2020)

silie96630 said:


> I recently installed an SSD into my T3500 and a fresh copy of Windows. I removed my old HDD in case I needed to use my PC again if I messed something up. Everything worked flawlessly and after a week I was normally uing my PC when my screen turned black and sound stopped. I turned it off from the power button and after 15 seconds turned it on. It goes to the "start Windows normally" screen but there are red lines and patterns and when I press enter it just stays black. My T3500 isn't making any sounds, no signal codes and the GPU fan is spinning. All cables are plugged in properly into both the PC and the monitor. I added my old HDD disconnecting the SSD and I went into BIOS and changed from AHCI to the option it was on before and rebooted but the same thing happened. When going into system repair it shows an image but the screen is full off red lines (tried windows restore point but doesnt boot) . I tried removing the RAM sticks one by one however I get the same black screen after seeing the Windows logo screen. I don't understand why that happened and my suspicions are that the GPU is faulty but still has electrity passing through as the diagnostics code on the front of the PC do not light up. Has anyone had such a problem before and what was the issue? I doubt it's a DVI cable issue as it outputs image in Windows restore menu. I have attached a picture of the red lines but you have to zoom in as they are faint. Thanks in advance, I'm really panicking.
> Update: I ran Dell on board diagnostics full test and its telling me none of the hardware are broken. I dont know what to do. Red Line Images



Its approaching Summer now. Maybe the TIM on the GPU has dried up. Time to clean and replace the GPU Thermal Paste with a good one like Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut.


----------



## data00 (Apr 17, 2020)

TDMiles said:


> I happen to have a i7-980X laying around. Any decent workstations that support that chip from Dell or otherwise? Seems like kind of a waste to see a 6 core/12 thread piece become a paperweight.











						Refurbished: DELL Desktop Computer Precision T3500 Intel Core i7 1st Gen 950 (3.06GHz) 12 GB 500GB HDD Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit - Newegg.com
					

Buy Refurbished: DELL Desktop Computer Precision T3500 Intel Core i7 1st Gen 950 (3.06GHz) 12 GB 500GB HDD Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!




					www.newegg.com
				



The Dell Precision T3500 seems to support the i7-950, at least that's what Newegg had said.






						Would i7 920 works in the Dell Precision T3500 board?
					

My brother in law computer died.  I got a i7 920 and some DDR3 RAM.  I just need a board.  The board only list for the Xeon processors.  Would a i7 920 works in this board?  I don't want to reinstall all of the OS and software, what's the best way so I could just put the old hard drive back into...




					forums.anandtech.com
				



This forum said that the T3500 with i7-920 is found on seller listings.


It should theoretically work on the T3500, but I cannot confirm it will work with the i7-980x however, I'll see if I can find more.


EDIT: 




__
		https://www.reddit.com/r/hardwareswap/comments/8v7s32

This reddit post says the HP Z400 motherboard supports the i7-980x.


----------



## ManGupta (Apr 17, 2020)

TDMiles said:


> I happen to have a i7-980X laying around. Any decent workstations that support that chip from Dell or otherwise? Seems like kind of a waste to see a 6 core/12 thread piece become a paperweight.



i7-980X  is LGA 1366 processor and it supports X58 Chipset. So theoretically it should work on T3500 but you have to use Non-ECC RAM only, it wont work with ECC RAM. (T3500 supports both ECC and Non-ECC RAM, only thing is that one cannot mix n match both)

But I cannot tell it for sure as I haven't met anyone using Core I7 on T3500.  Maybe the Dell BIOS may or may not recognizance that chip.

So, it may be trial and error.


----------



## SamirD (Apr 17, 2020)

ManGupta said:


> i7-980X  is LGA 1366 processor and it supports X58 Chipset. So theoretically it should work on T3500 but you have to use Non-ECC RAM only, it wont work with ECC RAM. (T3500 supports both ECC and Non-ECC RAM, only thing is that one cannot mix n match both)
> 
> But I cannot tell it for sure as I haven't met anyone using Core I7 on T3500.  Maybe the Dell BIOS may or may not recognizance that chip.
> 
> So, it may be trial and error.


Dell is really forgiving about cpu choices between xeons and non-xeons so my hunch is that it will work if you can find at least one configuration online of someone running it successfully.



Darmok N Jalad said:


> I'm not part of the club, but this thread really got me interested in these old workstations. I shopped around and ended up with an HP z420 with E5-2650 v2 for $205.


A little late to your HP party, but that model can take RDIMMs and LRDIMMs as I recently discovered--to the tune of 256GB of ram, which is what I have via 8x32GB LRDIMMs.


----------



## C7flat13 (Apr 18, 2020)

Hi I'm glad to find this community. Hopefully this is the right thread to find my answer. Apologies if it's not. I have a T5810 motherboard I would like to use with an EVGA Supernova 1300w G2. I have not received the PSU yet. I have browsed this entire thread and searched extensively but cannot find any conclusive info about ATX PSU compatibility with this particular board. I understand it's proprietary and uses an adaptor from the factory PSU etc. From what I can tell the motherboard power is the standard 24 pin? Or is it different? Also the CPU power connection is a 10 pin. Will an 8 pin (4+4) work? I have tried to piece together as much as I can so far. Some indications are the extra 2 pins are for sensors and should work? Anyway, I am familiar with X99 and may go that route just happen to have this board and would like to make use of it. The EVGA G2 PSU I read somewhere has a 10pin connector but I can't find that thread again and not even sure if it was referring to CPU power.  If it is conclusively incompatible then any info about adaptors would be appreciated. Thanks!


----------



## Retrorockit (Apr 18, 2020)

The i7-980X should work just fine in the T3500. Dell doesn't usually offer the unlocked CPUs because the BIOS doesn't support that feature. But Throttlestop can unlock them in Windows. Be sure you have the BIOS and chipset drivers updated. Some older BIOs won't support the newer 32nm CPus.
Here's the overclocking thread. The W3680 Xeons settings should work for that CPU.








						Throttlestop overclocking Desktop PCs
					

Myself and a few others have used Throttlestop software and unlocked CPUs to overclock OEM locked BIOS PCs.  Throttlestop was designed for underclocking, and undevolting laptop computers to extend battery life. It also allows full control of Voltage and multiplier on unlocked CPUs. There is a...




					www.techpowerup.com
				




Hi I'm glad to find this community. Hopefully this is the right thread to find my answer. Apologies if it's not. I have a T5810 motherboard I would like to use with an EVGA Supernova 1300w G2. I have not received the PSU yet. I have browsed this entire thread and searched extensively but cannot find any conclusive info about ATX PSU compatibility with this particular board. I understand it's proprietary and uses an adaptor from the factory PSU etc. From what I can tell the motherboard power is the standard 24 pin? Or is it different? Also the CPU power connection is a 10 pin. Will an 8 pin (4+4) work? I have tried to piece together as much as I can so far. Some indications are the extra 2 pins are for sensors and should work? Anyway, I am familiar with X99 and may go that route just happen to have this board and would like to make use of it. The EVGA G2 PSU I read somewhere has a 10pin connector but I can't find that thread again and not even sure if it was referring to CPU power.  If it is conclusively incompatible then any info about adaptors would be appreciated. Thanks!
[/QUOTE]
If you don't get an answer here. Try BambiboomZ at the HP modding forum. He said he can't sign up to post here for some reason, but he's the best hands on workstation modder I know of. If you get an answer there please share it here.








						BambiBoomZ
					

Join the conversation in HP’s Support Community / Forum to find solutions, ask questions, and share tips for HP Notebooks, Printers, Desktops, tablets, more.




					h30434.www3.hp.com
				





C7flat13 said:


> There was an EVGA PSU for the unlocked 2 CPU Classified SR2 MB and I believe it had a 10 pin CPU plug, but whether it's the same as Dells 10 pin plug is anybodys guess. EVGA SR2 was one of a kind, and Dell does their own thing quite often.


----------



## C7flat13 (Apr 19, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> The i7-980X should work just fine in the T3500. Dell doesn't usually offer the unlocked CPUs because the BIOS doesn't support that feature. But Throttlestop can unlock them in Windows. Be sure you have the BIOS and chipset drivers updated. Some older BIOs won't support the newer 32nm CPus.
> Here's the overclocking thread. The W3680 Xeons settings should work for that CPU.
> 
> 
> ...


If you don't get an answer here. Try BambiboomZ at the HP modding forum. He said he can't sign up to post here for some reason, but he's the best hands on workstation modder I know of. If you get an answer there please share it here.








						BambiBoomZ
					

Join the conversation in HP’s Support Community / Forum to find solutions, ask questions, and share tips for HP Notebooks, Printers, Desktops, tablets, more.




					h30434.www3.hp.com
				



[/QUOTE]
Thanks and will try that and return with answer if provided. 

Didn't mean to quote that guys post sorry man. I just hit reply on the first page. Thought it would just post a new one. Noob move.



C7flat13 said:


> If you don't get an answer here. Try BambiboomZ at the HP modding forum. He said he can't sign up to post here for some reason, but he's the best hands on workstation modder I know of. If you get an answer there please share it here.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks and will try that and return with answer if provided.

Didn't mean to quote that guys post sorry man. I just hit reply on the first page. Thought it would just post a new one. Noob move.
[/QUOTE]
BambiBoomZ did not have the answer specifically although he did have some useful information. Will update after build with results.


----------



## Blob of old outdated part (Apr 20, 2020)

I bought my t3500 work station as a cheap project green gaming rig.  Thanks to a lot of your guys post in dell forums ect ect I learned that my t3500 with a bios flash ( did that a month ago when I got my gtx 960) just to be sure the board would not barf the upgrade back up also needed such for the cpu I am getting x5687. To say the least I save myself a mint the rig cost me $100 the graphics card I bought from china galaxy 960 sc for 90 and a few ram module to fill my bays around $50 I say my reuse of hardware saved me my old rig died and I could not spend $800 so I went this route. I am satisfied and will give details when it back up and running.


----------



## sepheronx (Apr 20, 2020)

Please post pictures and any of the sort when you are finished.  My T3500 is still going strong with the GTX 970 in it.  Was playing Resident Evil 3 Remake on high details at 1080p and it ran smooth.


----------



## BartPC24 (Apr 21, 2020)

Hi Everyone  

First of all, greetings from Poland. Found this forum, and I`m very glad about it 

Quick specs of my T5400:






How far can I go with upgrade on it ? Or it`s maximum of what I can get from it ? Already have 2xCPUs 

TIA for tips 

BR,

BartPC24


----------



## SamirD (Apr 21, 2020)

Greetings!  Seems like the e5450 and x5460 are both upgrade candidates that would give you a noticeable boost:


			Intel Xeon E5420 @ 2.50GHz vs Intel Xeon E5450 @ 3.00GHz vs Intel Xeon X5460 @ 3.16GHz [cpubenchmark.net] by PassMark Software
		


You would just have to watch out for the heat of the 120w x5460 as you may need a new heatsink.


----------



## BartPC24 (Apr 21, 2020)

SamirD said:


> Greetings!  Seems like the e5450 and x5460 are both upgrade candidates that would give you a noticeable boost:
> 
> 
> Intel Xeon E5420 @ 2.50GHz vs Intel Xeon E5450 @ 3.00GHz vs Intel Xeon X5460 @ 3.16GHz [cpubenchmark.net] by PassMark Software
> ...



On the other hand, thinking about buying something similar to HP Z420 from DELL, as it costs around $300 with following specs:

Intel Xeon E5-1603 max. 2,8 GHz
32GB DDR3
SSD 120 Gb + HDD 500 GB
DVD-RW
Nvidia Quadro FX580 - 512Mb DDR3 - DisplayPort+DVI
Gigabit LAN 10 / 100 / 1000 Mbit/s,
Integrated audio 
W10 Home 64bit

I`d change that Quadro for 1050Ti currently owned.

Which way is better ? X5460 will cost $22 per piece.

TIA for response

BR,

BartPC24





Is it normal ?! I`ve re-applied new thermal paste like 2-3 days ago, yet these temps frightens me a bit  I know that they can heat up max to 125 degrees Celsius, but isn`t it too high anyway ?


----------



## Blob of old outdated part (Apr 21, 2020)

I found that most built in sensors do not respond well to speed fan. I always believed in the overclocking software as a good monitor for temps. Tho does your computer step the cpu down? Second if not then your can be at least rest easy that it not to hot.  I can go in depth about the thermal dynamics of cooling a pc but for me I used a negative pressure scream basically meaning you suck out the heat and cold will replace it from high pressure to low pressure much like our weather. Hope this helps now maybe other people cool in different methods that just the one I like to use.


----------



## BartPC24 (Apr 21, 2020)

Blob of old outdated part said:


> I found that most built in sensors do not respond well to speed fan. I always believed in the overclocking software as a good monitor for temps. Tho does your computer step the cpu down? Second if not then your can be at least rest easy that it not to hot.  I can go in depth about the thermal dynamics of cooling a pc but for me I used a negative pressure scream basically meaning you suck out the heat and cold will replace it from high pressure to low pressure much like our weather. Hope this helps now maybe other people cool in different methods that just the one I like to use.



Thing is I`ve downloaded a set of special instructions for designated mobo from SpeedFan website, so it`s not like the usual way of using generic values of various sensors. This set is especially designed for Precision 490/690 or T5400 mobo`s - therefore I feel they`re as much accurate readings as they possibly could  - correct me if I`m wrong 

If someone`s interested, here`s a link that`ll work with Dell Precision 490/690 and T5xxx series mobo:



			SpeedFan Configuration Manager
		


Select Precision 690 and follow onscreen instructions 

BR,

BartPC24


----------



## SamirD (Apr 22, 2020)

BartPC24 said:


> On the other hand, thinking about buying something similar to HP Z420 from DELL, as it costs around $300 with following specs:
> 
> Intel Xeon E5-1603 max. 2,8 GHz
> 32GB DDR3
> ...


I actually have a z420.   It's a nice box and moves you up a couple of levels in terms of processor generations but the performance won't be as great unless you step up to an 8 core processor since you have duals now.

The good thing is that even though the specs for the z420 say ecc udimms, it can definitely take RDIMMs and LRDIMMs as I have 256GB of LRDIMMs in mine.   Mine also has the 600w power supply so I have a nice big beefy gpu of yesteryear in there.  I haven't yet started to use it as a vm machine, but I feel pretty confident it will be pretty decent in that capacity.

You Dell is in the same league as my poweredge 2950 servers, and they've got a decent amount of power and use a decent amount of power too.  I'm not sure if power is a consideration, but the z420 will be more efficient in that area.  Personally, I always go the cheapest route with upgrades and try to max things out before moving on so I would do the processor upgrades and see how you like them.  Worse case, if you still want to get a z420, and it will hopefully be even cheaper.


----------



## ManGupta (Apr 22, 2020)

BartPC24 said:


> On the other hand, thinking about buying something similar to HP Z420 from DELL, as it costs around $300 with following specs:
> 
> Intel Xeon E5-1603 max. 2,8 GHz
> 32GB DDR3
> ...



LGA 775 / 771 system cpu lacks AES instruction set.

If one can afford it is always advisable to upgrade to something newer ....... But it dependents on your requirement ............. you will be upgrading only if you have specific requirement  ........ not for just getting higher score in synthetic benchmark. Depends upon the applications (both productivity and/or gaming, (if at all you are in gaming)) used by you ......


----------



## data00 (Apr 26, 2020)

Hi everyone again.

I tried to use SpeedFan to control my fans, but every few seconds my computer would freeze. It would do the same for Aida64 and HWiNFO64. It will only stop freezing if I uncheck "Enable Dell Support" on SpeedFan, stop monitoring the sensors in Aida64, and disable monitoring for "Dell EC: Dell Precision Workstation T3500" in HWiNFO64.

I left two YouTube clips of the freezing. Sorry the poor video quality, I couldn't use capture software as it will jumpcut it.



















Is this normal? Any help will be appreciated.

P.S. I do run Throttlestop in the background, not sure if it could interfere, but I did quit the program while using SpeedFan as a test and it still would freeze unfortunately.


----------



## Retrorockit (Apr 26, 2020)

A lot of people here just add a 2nd fan to the back of the CPU heatsink to improve cooling.
My favorite is the M35105-57 Nidec 92x38mm 1.8A. thermistor controlled fan which works for Mangupta in India. with very high ambient temperatures. But just about any 80-92mm fan will work. There are less powerful versions of the thermal controlled fan. But IDK the part numbers for them right off the bat.


----------



## ManGupta (Apr 26, 2020)

data00 said:


> Hi everyone again.
> 
> I tried to use SpeedFan to control my fans, but every few seconds my computer would freeze. It would do the same for Aida64 and HWiNFO64. It will only stop freezing if I uncheck "Enable Dell Support" on SpeedFan, stop monitoring the sensors in Aida64, and disable monitoring for "Dell EC: Dell Precision Workstation T3500" in HWiNFO64.
> 
> ...



It was not heating issue as the temps displayed is normal .......

Thing is that ...... I guess, and I may be wrong ...... all the apps like SpeedFan, Aida64, HWiNFO64, Throttlestop, etc access and/or Control the system's Sensors .,......

Sometimes various app may trying to access and/or Control the system's Same Sensors simultaneously ....... may cause conflict in system leading to system crashing .......

Try running one such App at a time and see if that works.


----------



## data00 (Apr 26, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> A lot of people here just add a 2nd fan to the back of the CPU heatsink to improve cooling.
> My favorite is the M35105-57 Nidec 92x38mm 1.8A. thermistor controlled fan which works for Mangupta in India. with very high ambient temperatures. But just about any 80-92mm fan will work. There are less powerful versions of the thermal controlled fan. But IDK the part numbers for them right off the bat.




I actually have that fan installed on my CPU, the Xeon never touches 70c on full load.



ManGupta said:


> It was not heating issue as the temps displayed is normal .......
> 
> Thing is that ...... I guess, and I may be wrong ...... all the apps like SpeedFan, Aida64, HWiNFO64, Throttlestop, etc access and/or Control the system's Sensors .,......
> 
> ...


I'll give it shot, I run HWiNFO64, Afterburner, ThrottleStop and Radeon Software (Adrenaline), I'll see if this helps.


----------



## Retrorockit (Apr 27, 2020)

I'm just wondering why you need to bother with Speedfan etc. in the first place? I would keep Throttlestop and ditch the fan control apps. I see the HDD tray is there in the photo so the ducting to the heatsink should be intact.
Speedfan is known to have issues with Dells. With a PWM fan, and a Thermal control fan, and good temps. what are you trying to do?
 I would look at having Afterburner, and Adrenaline running together as a possible source of conflict. also.


----------



## candle_86 (Apr 27, 2020)

T3600 owner here with the e5-1660, 16gb ecc ram, and rx470 my main rig, second t3600 e5-1620, gt610 my wife's rig for Facebook and browser games



Remeca said:


> Thought this would be a good place to put my writeup instead of creating a new thread for it. Just a bunch of things people should know about that plan to upgrade the GPU in their Optiplex 9020 mt.
> 
> This is just some information for people thinking about upgrading their Optiplex 9020 mt, or who are thinking about buying one for a budget gaming PC, and are looking for information on what will fit. Before I started, I swear I read every forum post on the internet and every Optiplex upgrade video at least twice, so I thought I knew what I was working with. Well, I ran into a couple of problems anyone looking at these should be aware of, that didn't get much or any mention. First, the well known limitations:
> 
> ...



Done a fair bit of modding to that era Optiplex case. Since you removed the front cage you can improve thermals with a 120/140mm fan. You need a drill and either a Dremel with cutting wheel, hole saw of the right side or a pair of snips and alot of patience. For hdd mounting you can grab a 5 1/4 to 3 1/2 adapter for the CD bay area or drill holes from the bottom of the case and mount the drive that way to secure them. You can also make an extension for the front panel quite easily by visiting Amazon and buying the right headers and wires to make an extension cable


----------



## Retrorockit (Apr 27, 2020)

candle_86 said:


> T3600 owner here with the e5-1660, 16gb ecc ram, and rx470 my main rig, second t3600 e5-1620, gt610 my wife's rig for Facebook and browser games
> 
> 
> 
> Done a fair bit of modding to that era Optiplex case. Since you removed the front cage you can improve thermals with a 120/140mm fan. You need a drill and either a Dremel with cutting wheel, hole saw of the right side or a pair of snips and alot of patience. For hdd mounting you can grab a 5 1/4 to 3 1/2 adapter for the CD bay area or drill holes from the bottom of the case and mount the drive that way to secure them. You can also make an extension for the front panel quite easily by visiting Amazon and buying the right headers and wires to make an extension cable


There is a drop in Dell 365W PSU with a 6 pin PCIe cable from the Optiplex XE2  computer. Dell #T1M43








						7VK45 T1M43 7020 9020 upgrade power supply for DELL D365EM-00 HU365EM-00  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 7VK45 T1M43 7020 9020 upgrade power supply for DELL D365EM-00 HU365EM-00 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				



Also I'm seeing some i7-4790K running in those.




__





						UserBenchmark: Dell OptiPlex 9020 Compatible Builds
					





					www.userbenchmark.com
				



With some CPU cooling mods an Intel XTU overclock should be possible to somewhere around 4.5Ghz. Since it has 4.4 Turbo listed in the spec. sheet. The 4790K has better cooling than the i7-4770K and starts off 500MHz faster base clock. No confirmation of this mod on that system yet.


----------



## Blob of old outdated part (Apr 27, 2020)

Update 

The cpu came in today xeon x5687.
runs like a charm 3.7 GHz is more than fast enough for me.

Processor (CPU)
CPU Name

Intel® Xeon® CPU           X5687  @ 3.60GHz

Threading

1 CPU - 4 Core - 8 Threads

Frequency

3733.47 MHz (28 * 133.34 MHz) - Uncore: 2666.8 MHz

Multiplier

Current: 28 / Min: 12 / Max: 29

Architecture

Westmere-EP / Stepping: B1 / Technology: 32 nm

CPUID / Ext.

6.C.2 / 6.2C

IA Extensions

MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, EM64T, VT-x, AES

Caches

L1D : 32 KB / L2 : 256 KB / L3 : 12288 KB

Caches Assoc.

L1D : 8-way / L2 : 8-way / L3 : 16-way

Microcode

Rev. 0x1F

TDP / Vcore

130 Watts /

Temperature

63 °C  /  145 °F

Type

Retail (Stock Frequency : 3600 MHz)
Motherboard
Model

Dell 09KPNV

Socket

Socket 1366 LGA

North Bridge

Intel X58 rev 22

South Bridge

Intel 82801JR (ICH10R) rev 00

BIOS

Dell Inc. A17 (05/28/2013)
Memory (RAM)
Total Size

12288 MB

Type

Triple Channel (192 bit) DDR3-SDRAM

Frequency

533.4 MHz (DDR3-1066) - Ratio 2:8

Timings

7-7-7-20-2 (tCAS-tRC-tRP-tRAS-tCR)

Slot #1 Module

Kingston 2048 MB (DDR3-1337) - P/N: 9905472-001.A00LF

Slot #2 Module

Kingston 2048 MB (DDR3-1337) - P/N: 9905472-001.A00LF

Slot #3 Module

Kingston 2048 MB (DDR3-1337) - P/N: 9905472-001.A00LF

Slot #4 Module

Kingston 2048 MB (DDR3-1337) - P/N: 9905472-001.A00LF

Slot #5 Module

Samsung 2048 MB (DDR3-1062) - P/N: M391B5673EH1-CF8

Slot #6 Module

Samsung 2048 MB (DDR3-1062) - P/N: M391B5673EH1-CF8
Graphic Card (GPU)
GPU Type

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 (GM206) @ 746 MHz

GPU Brand

Galaxy Microsystems Ltd.

GPU Specs

GM206-300 / Process: 28nm / Transistors: 2940M / Die Size: 227 mm² / TDP: 120W

GPU Units

Shader Units: 1024 / Texture Units (TMU): 64 / Render Units (ROP): 32

GPU VRAM

2048 MB GDDR5 / 128-bit Bus @ 810 MHz (Samsung)

GPU APIs

DirectX 12.0 / OpenGL 4.6 / OpenCL 1.2 / Vulkan 1.0
Storage (HDD/SSD)
Model #1 Name

Western Digital WDC WD5000LPVX-28V0TT0 (FW: 01.01A01)

Model #1 Capacity

465.8 GiB (~500 GB)

Model #1 Type

Fixed - Bus: ATA (3)

Model #2 Name

HITACHI HTS725050A7E630 (FW: GH2ZB390)

Model #2 Capacity

465.8 GiB (~500 GB)

Model #2 Type

Fixed - Bus: ATA (3)

Model #3 Name

KINGSTON SV300S37A240G (FW: 583ABBF0)

Model #3 Capacity

223.6 GiB (~240 GB)

Model #3 Type

Fixed, SSD - Bus: ATA (3)

Model #4 Name

Seagate ST1000DX001-1CM162 (FW: CC43)

Model #4 Capacity

931.5 GiB (~1000 GB)

Model #4 Type

Fixed - Bus: ATA (3)
Display
Screen #1

 ELEFW247 (ELE0000)

Screen #1 Spec

24 inches (61 cm) / 1920 x 1080 pixels @ 48-62 Hz
Miscellaneous
Windows Version

Microsoft Windows 10 (10.0) Professional 64-bit

CPU-Z Version

1.91.0 (64 bit)


----------



## data00 (Apr 27, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> I'm just wondering why you need to bother with Speedfan etc. in the first place? I would keep Throttlestop and ditch the fan control apps. I see the HDD tray is there in the photo so the ducting to the heatsink should be intact.
> Speedfan is known to have issues with Dells. With a PWM fan, and a Thermal control fan, and good temps. what are you trying to do?
> I would look at having Afterburner, and Adrenaline running together as a possible source of conflict. also.


I wanted to add a fan into the northbridge heatsink because it gets very hot. I seen images of a fan attached to it IIRC and I have a spare 80mm fan from the riser card heatsink so I figured I could use the fan for the northbridge. It is a 5-pin fan so its PWM, I tried using SpeedFan, it would freeze on me and here we are. It concerned me so that's why I asked about if it was normal for the T3500.

Here's the northbridge and the 80mm fan.

The wires are not touching the heatsink,
just in case if you are wondering.

I probably should've said this earlier so sorry for that.


----------



## Retrorockit (Apr 28, 2020)

The cooling in the T3500 is a variation of the BTX cooling layout.
BTX was designed to cool Pentium4 CPUs at speeds up to 4GHz. They got as far as  3.73Ghz before Core2 architecture made them instantly obsolete.
BTX cooling used 1 huge fan with VRM cooled first, Then a CPU turned 45* for shorter traces to the chipset, then the column of cooling air went over the chipset and out the back. The fan was ducted to the CPU. It's a positive pressure design so the air should go out the back vent without an added fan there. The T3500 uses those design principles except with the memory controller on the CPU the 45* twist is no longer needed. The chipset heatsink is located behind the RAM cooling shroud. It already has air moving over it.
Instead of a fan I just put a bigger passive heatsink I had laying around on mine.


			https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/attachments/trifire-002-jpg.99713/


----------



## ManGupta (Apr 28, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> The cooling in the T3500 is a variation of the BTX cooling layout.
> BTX was designed to cool Pentium4 CPUs at speeds up to 4GHz. They got as far as  3.73Ghz before Core2 architecture made them instantly obsolete.
> BTX cooling used 1 huge fan with VRM cooled first, Then a CPU turned 45* for shorter traces to the chipset, then the column of cooling air went over the chipset and out the back. The fan was ducted to the CPU. It's a positive pressure design so the air should go out the back vent without an added fan there. The T3500 uses those design principles except with the memory controller on the CPU the 45* twist is no longer needed. The chipset heatsink is located behind the RAM cooling shroud. It already has air moving over it.
> Instead of a fan I just put a bigger passive heatsink I had laying around on mine.
> ...



I was wondering that with a relatively very heavy HS on NB ...... it may cause warpage in MB if kept the Cabinet in Tower Orientation.
Do you keep the case in Horizontal /Desktop Orientation ? ....... Does it actually have any issue  if it is  kept it in Vertical / Tower orientation ?


----------



## Retrorockit (Apr 28, 2020)

I actually wandered off onto E bikes at that time and never ran that rig. Riding urban south Florida means I have some serious skin in the game. But a smaller heatpipe cooler could be used.
Now that I'm shut in and not riding I may get back to it. I think I put a foam rectangle under the heatsink so it has broader support than just the chip in the center.
That's on page 8-9 of the Throttlestop Overclocking thread. It was kind of an exercise to see what would and wouldn't fit in a T3500 case. But horizontal operation is a feature of the Dell workstations. There is a turned face plate for the drive area and the Dell badge rotates 90*.
 The thing is Dell workstations are often leased, under warranty, or extended service contracts. Down time and repairs are a big deal. Especially when competeing for many millions of dollars with HP and Lenovo. They're designed to run hard and long. AT/ATX is based on cloned 386 era computers and cooling them has always been a mess of fans all over the place. I just upgraded what was already there and working. If the heatsink is hot that means it's working. If it was cold then you would have a problem. A heatpipe cooler for a 65W CPU would be more than enough.


----------



## Macio4ever (May 1, 2020)

Happy, happy.  I have just bought Dell T7810 as a new rig. I have run basic tests with some old GPU and one CPU only (waiting for upgrade parts). Very nice machine, much lower noise than my old T5500. I am thinking about purchase E5-2643 v3 as it seems to be good allrounder - for general usage and some gaming. I am considering RTX2060 Super or 1660ti - still not decided...


----------



## remixedcat (May 4, 2020)

Cloned from a Lenovo W530 laptop to my main Dell w Xeon and Linux acted like  nothing happened. Works so super smooth. 

I used a drive dock and it was quick as well.


----------



## ManGupta (May 4, 2020)

Now Linus goes our way .......


----------



## Retrorockit (May 4, 2020)

That's a start. Here's one with a 3770K.




__





						Dell OptiPlex 9010 Performance Results - UserBenchmark
					





					www.userbenchmark.com
				



Intel XTU and some heatsinks on the VRM MOSFETs would get an overclock going. With an SSD you can take the HDD cage out and put a real GPU in there.
I saw some Xeons running in that also. Many of those are unlocked and could save some money.
I'm pretty sure they have a PSU ,GPU, and some cooling solutions sitting around their lab. They need to finish the job.

I found this dual X5687 overclock chart at CPUZ








						Intel Xeon @ 6003.15 MHz - CPU-Z VALIDATOR
					

[025um0] Validated Dump by DR4G00N (2016-02-27 16:23:28) - MB: Gigabyte X58A-OC - RAM: 4096 MB




					valid.x86.fr
				



There a dual CPU hyperthreaded T5500 going 5GHz there on 16 threads. Beating the 8 thread EVGA SR2.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm?








						Intel Xeon @ 5053.24 MHz - CPU-Z VALIDATOR
					

[zqtdfm] Validated Dump by AILEM-PC (2016-07-06 21:17:25) - MB: Dell 0CRH6C - RAM: 11262 MB




					valid.x86.fr
				




Actually looking closer I'm seeing a multiplier of 38 on a locked CPU so I'm going to say it's bogus.


----------



## sepheronx (May 6, 2020)

So I finally made the switch and moved my GTX 1070 to the Dell T3500 and moved the GTX 970 to my core i7 4770 and used my itx 4770 as my home theater and use the T3500 as my main machine.  Been playing some games and really enjoying it but I feel that the 1066mhz DDR3 ram is holding it back.  Plus I was thinking of getting a SATA3 card to improve the SSD speeds and eventually a USB3 card with more ports (current one only has 2 USB 3 ports).  But unsure if I want to spend any money on the T3500 as it may just be better to hold off till I have enough to build a new intel or Ryzen machine with the newer generation coming out (4000 AMD and 10000 Intel).

What do you guys think?  Should I shell out and get ddr 3 1333mhz memory and the expansion cards?


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 6, 2020)

sepheronx said:


> and use the T3500 as my main machine.


Remind me, what CPU do you have for it?


----------



## sepheronx (May 6, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Remind me, what CPU do you have for it?


W3680. I ran it at 4ghz but the fans sped up to the point I think it was taking off.  So I lowered It back to 3.4


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 6, 2020)

sepheronx said:


> W3680. I ran it at 4ghz but the fans sped up to the point I think it was taking off.  So I lowered It back to 3.4


Yeah you'll need a solid third-party heatsink for that kind of performance.


----------



## sepheronx (May 6, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Yeah you'll need a solid third-party heatsink for that kind of performance.



I zip tied a 80mm fan to the heatsink and it works quite well but the darn thing is loud.

I was thinking of watercooling it but I just dont have the money nor want to spend much on this system as it will eventually be turned into a nas eventually.


----------



## Retrorockit (May 6, 2020)

sepheronx said:


> W3680. I ran it at 4ghz but the fans sped up to the point I think it was taking off.  So I lowered It back to 3.4


 The W3680 should support 1333 RAM, but if you have 1066 then new parts will be in order. Simce it can run ECC you might get a deal.
You might try the added CPU fan mod. Nidec MS35105-57 is a good one. No PWM needed, just add 12V. Thermistor controlled so must be pulling through the heatsink. Mangupta reports it's working well for him in India with no A/C.








						Lot Of 2 Nidec Beta V Ta350Dc M35105-57 Cooler Fan 12V • $18.69
					

LOT OF 2 Nidec Beta V Ta350Dc M35105-57 Cooler Fan 12V - $18.69. FOR SALE!  LOT OF 2 NIDEC BETA V TA350DC M35105-57 COOLER FAN 12V 192971479034




					picclick.com
				




I did this aftermarket heatsink swap with that fan also. Dynatron G17. Pretty close to bolt in.








						Throttlestop overclocking Desktop PCs
					

Always wanted an older Mac Pro...Where'd you put the pics?




					www.techpowerup.com


----------



## sepheronx (May 6, 2020)

What I have is a 80mm Arctic cooling F8 fan zip tied to the cooler.  I connected it to a splitter that I use that is connected via an adapter from the Dell 5 pin onboard the motherboard and split between the 80mm fan and a noctua 120mm fan I have on the front.   Cooling is rather fine now.

Cant seem to find a decent price on DDR3 1333 memory, ECC or non.   So I am not sure its worth the price to replace the 1066 memory.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 6, 2020)

sepheronx said:


> I zip tied a 80mm fan to the heatsink and it works quite well but the darn thing is loud.
> 
> I was thinking of watercooling it but I just dont have the money nor want to spend much on this system as it will eventually be turned into a nas eventually.


Youn would be well served by one of these;








						GeminII S524 Ver.2 CPU Air Cooler
					

Cooler Master, industry leader for PC components and cooling, releases a revision of GeminII S524 featuring exclusive technology and incredible performance with a top-down design. With 5 heatpipes Continuous Direct Contact (CDC) tech, GeminII S524 Ver.2 provides better heat dissipation than the...




					www.coolermaster.com
				



Or one of these;








						GeminII M5 LED CPU Air Cooler
					

The new GeminIIM5 LED low-profile CPU air cooler packs even more performance into its compact design with a red LED and five heat pipes using Direct Contact technology. This is a great entry-level cooler finds its strength in smaller PC configurations like mini-ITX or HTPC. Not only does the...




					www.coolermaster.com
				




Both will fit into the T3500 chassis and provide exceptional cooling. Fair tip though, install a pair of 80mm fans in the rear exhaust locations to properly vent warm air.


----------



## sepheronx (May 6, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Youn would be well served by one of these;
> 
> 
> 
> ...



well, unless I am willing to spend over $100 CAD for coolers then yeah.  But I dont know if it is worth it tbh.  Good silent 80mm fans are about $22 CAD each and then that cooler?  Who knows.  And the Geminii 5 doesnt seem to exist on amazon.ca

Currently my temps hover around 40C under load when playing games at 3.4ghz.

I may buy into the 80mm noctua fans though to help reduce heat and the noise levels.


----------



## Retrorockit (May 6, 2020)

The fan I listed is 1.8A and was used as a primary CPU fan for 130W CPus. 90x38mm thick. I doubt if an 80mm Arctic will produce the same result. It willl need it's own power souce. It speeds up sooner than the T3500 fan profile.


			http://www.nidecpg.com/fanpdfs/ta350dc38.pdf


----------



## sepheronx (May 6, 2020)

thats a pretty good idea except that...... Walmart.ca doesnt have it, ebay has it listed for $53 CAD with $26 shipping and when I checked amazon.ca, I got a Chinese video with a woman packing some serious ballistics.

The video is a tad expensive ($150) but I may buy it for @lexluthermiester


----------



## Retrorockit (May 6, 2020)

Lot Of 2 Nidec Beta V Ta350Dc M35105-57 Cooler Fan 12V • $18.69
					

LOT OF 2 Nidec Beta V Ta350Dc M35105-57 Cooler Fan 12V - $18.69. FOR SALE!  LOT OF 2 NIDEC BETA V TA350DC M35105-57 COOLER FAN 12V 192971479034




					picclick.com
				



2 for $20.
Or brand new $13.99 ( says lot of 6????)








						M35105-57 Nidec Ta350dc Double Ball Inverter Cooling Fan for sale online | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for M35105-57 Nidec Ta350dc Double Ball Inverter Cooling Fan at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com


----------



## sepheronx (May 6, 2020)

Well, ~$30 after shipping isn't too bad.  Hopefully I wont get scammed from the import duties.

Thanks mate.


----------



## Retrorockit (May 6, 2020)

Those were used in old pre BTX Dell Dimensions. You might get a whole computer with one for free. If you have a local scrapper they probably have some. They're not rare. The only reason I know about them is I saved them from old Dells.
How does $6 sound?
I'm having trouble linking it but if you scroll down in the lot of 6 link they have them for about $6 shippped. Which is about FMV for used ones.


----------



## sepheronx (May 6, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> Those were used in old pre BTX Dell Dimensions. You might get a whole computer with one for free. If you have a local scrapper they probably have some. They're not rare. The only reason I know about them is I saved them from old Dells.



We arent like the USA where things come cheap or scrappers dont try to nickle and dime you over junk.  I used to travel to the US regularly to pick up computer parts cause it came out to a bit cheaper than buying here and plus availability of parts (for instance the 1600x AF doesnt exist up here).

I will search to find a dell PC with the fans but I guarantee you there will be a zero find.


----------



## Retrorockit (May 6, 2020)

I edited in a comment above. $6 shipped for used ones. Scroll down in the lot of 6 link.
I think he really intends to send you 6 for $13.99


----------



## sepheronx (May 6, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> I edited in a comment above. $6 shipped for used ones. Scroll down in the lot of 6 link.
> I think he really intends to send you 6 for $13.99



If that's the case, I'll take it!


----------



## Retrorockit (May 6, 2020)

I'm seeing $3.40 single used, $13.99 new, and $2.20 each for 6 used. Plus freight in most cases.
The ATX guys can't run 1.8A. fans,and they're not PWM. Huge supply and almost no demand.
Here's my favorite. 150x50mm 1.8A 265cfm Delta AFC1512DG $11.99








						Dell MC527 Precision 490 PewerEdge SC1430 Fan & Shroud Assembly  | eBay
					

Model number MC527. PowerEdge SC1430. Compatibility Precision 490. Contents Fan & shroud. Manufacturer Dell. No exceptions. 747 Church rd. Compeve Corporation.



					www.ebay.com
				



 I stick these in my BTX Optiplexes. Drops right in.


----------



## rGBurninator (May 12, 2020)

Hey everyone jumping over from another thread. Thought I would show my setup.

Dell T3500
Haf X case
X5687 Turbo locked
EVGA 1060 3gb SSC overclocked
24gbs ECC ram
Cooler master 212
USB 3.0 pcie card
Thermaltake 700w psu


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 12, 2020)

rGBurninator said:


> Hey everyone jumping over from another thread. Thought I would show my setup.
> 
> Dell T3500
> Haf X case
> ...


That is very cool! Looks good as well. How did you get the power button and front panel connectors to work?


----------



## rGBurninator (May 12, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> That is very cool! Looks good as well. How did you get the power button and front panel connectors to work?


Thanks! It has been fun but never done! Haha the front panel io was removed and I just connected the power button cable from the haf x which was two pin and the exact pic set up to the board, just had to shave the connector down a little. The pin location on the board was shown to me by another user. I do get the front panel missing error but F1 gets me passed it.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 12, 2020)

rGBurninator said:


> I do get the front panel missing error but F1 gets me passed it.


If it were me, I'd find a way to hook it up, even if I had to break out the soldering gun and rewire it a bit. But hey it's all good, if it works for you that's what counts!


----------



## rGBurninator (May 12, 2020)

I would totally have done that but not to sure exactly how and nervous about messing something up! But for now it does work, I would rather not push F1. If anyone knows a way around this please let me know!


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 12, 2020)

rGBurninator said:


> I would totally have done that but not to sure exactly how and nervous about messing something up! But for now it does work, I would rather not push F1. If anyone knows a way around this please let me know!


You could plug in it to the board and just tuck into the back of the case. That front panel unit disassembles fairly easily.


----------



## rGBurninator (May 12, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> You could plug in it to the board and just tuck into the back of the case. That front panel unit disassembles fairly easily.


Yes I could do that, but what about using the power button on the case? Would I need to modify the front panel connector to be able to still use it?

Also, off topic question. So I have the X5687 currently and it is turbo locked right now and doing pretty good, would the W3680 at 4ghz be that much of a boost in performance? They are both 32nm chips and the X5687 turbos at 3.86, but is the W series better in any way beside being unlocked?


----------



## ManGupta (May 12, 2020)

rGBurninator said:


> Yes I could do that, but what about using the power button on the case? Would I need to modify the front panel connector to be able to still use it?
> 
> Also, off topic question. So I have the X5687 currently and it is turbo locked right now and doing pretty good, would the W3680 at 4ghz be that much of a boost in performance? They are both 32nm chips and the X5687 turbos at 3.86, but is the W series better in any way beside being unlocked?



Depends upon what you do with your system. W3680 means $46 (from Aliexpress) investment. I use my system also for Video Editing with Da Vinci. So 12 Threads for editing $46 was worth investing. If you only game ..... then depending upon which games you play ....... evaluate if 4 cores is sufficient. If yes then X5687 is a decent CPU.


----------



## Retrorockit (May 12, 2020)

As far as the F1 issue goes, I had an AMD GPU issue with another Dell system that required F1 and I just used hibernate/ restore to skip that.
The 2 advantages the W3680 has are 50% more cores, and it's multiplier unlocked.
The X5687 can be run dual CPU in a T5500 so nobody here looks down their nose at them.


----------



## rGBurninator (May 12, 2020)

ManGupta said:


> Depends upon what you do with your system. W3680 means $46 (from Aliexpress) investment. I use my system also for Video Editing with Da Vinci. So 12 Threads for editing $46 was worth investing. If you only game ..... then depending upon which games you play ....... evaluate if 4 cores is sufficient. If yes then X5687 is a decent CPU.


I mostly use it for streaming and pulling clips from my stream to post or make small videos and it seems to be doing fine for that. I do game on it as well but mostly to see what it can handle haha.


Retrorockit said:


> As far as the F1 issue goes, I had an AMD GPU issue with another Dell system that required F1 and I just used hibernate/ restore to skip that.
> The 2 advantages the W3680 has are 50% more cores, and it's multiplier unlocked.


I have been using this same method for now and seems to be working fine.
Yes, those are two known and good advantages but I just need to figure out if it is worth it to me. I would love to have an unlocked CPU and more threads, who wouldn't!

Ok, I said the heck with it and ordered one....but I won't get it for a while as it is coming from China.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 12, 2020)

rGBurninator said:


> Yes I could do that, but what about using the power button on the case? Would I need to modify the front panel connector to be able to still use it?


No, you could just solder it to the power button lines, if you are so inclined.



rGBurninator said:


> Also, off topic question. So I have the X5687 currently and it is turbo locked right now and doing pretty good, would the W3680 at 4ghz be that much of a boost in performance? They are both 32nm chips and the X5687 turbos at 3.86, but is the W series better in any way beside being unlocked?


Short answer, yes. Your X5687 is a quad core part. The W3680 is a 6 core part that can clock to similar levels by default. You will gain 2 extra cores and the ability to clock higher(with the assistance of ThrottleStop), which I can personally attest to the benefit of. I recently got a set of W3680's and they are a cut above. I just looked on ebay and in the US they're going for a reasonable $40-$45. I would upgrade if you can get one for a similarly reasonable price and keep your X5687 as a spare, just in case.


----------



## Retrorockit (May 12, 2020)

rGBurninator said:


> Ok, I said the heck with it and ordered one....but I won't get it for a while as it is coming from China.



I own one of each too. The biggest difference was you already owned one of them.


----------



## rGBurninator (May 12, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> No, you could just solder it to the power button lines, if you are so inclined.
> 
> 
> Short answer, yes. Your X5687 is a quad core part. The W3680 is a 6 core part that can clock to similar levels by default. You will gain 2 extra cores and the ability to clock higher(with the assistance of ThrottleStop), which I can personally attest to the benefit of. I recently got a set of W3680's and they are a cut above. I just looked on ebay and in the US they're going for a reasonable $40-$45. I would upgrade if you can get one for a similarly reasonable price and keep your X5687 as a spare, just in case.



I'm sorry for the confusion on this but do you mean on the io board itself or the "ribbon" cable on the main plug for the io?

I ordered one but did not see any in the us but since I have the x5687 I can wait for it to come from China 


Retrorockit said:


> I own one of each too. The biggest difference was you already owned one of them.


Lol yeah but always need more power! Also very curious on what the benchmark will be compared to what it is now.


----------



## ManGupta (May 12, 2020)

rGBurninator said:


> Also very curious on what the benchmark will be compared to what it is now.



What Cinebench R15 Score do you now get for X5687 ?


----------



## rGBurninator (May 12, 2020)

ManGupta said:


> What Cinebench R15 Score do you now get for X5687 ?


X5687 Benchmark

There's is the link to it above
EDIT: Just realized you asked for the cinabench score, sorry. I can get that later tonight or tomorrow. It is saved on my computer


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 12, 2020)

rGBurninator said:


> I'm sorry for the confusion on this but do you mean on the io board itself or the "ribbon" cable on the main plug for the io?


The board itself. The contact points are in the open and easily soldered.


rGBurninator said:


> I ordered one but did not see any in the us but since I have the x5687 I can wait for it to come from China


Fair enough. I just looked on Ebay and nothing. Kinda strange.


----------



## Macio4ever (May 12, 2020)

Dell T5500, stock settings, 2xX5687, 24GB RAM, Win7 64bit

R11.5 - 12,43
R15 -  1128
R20 - 2364


----------



## Imprecision (May 12, 2020)

Sorry to barge in like this, I have a random question about a Dell T3610 and a gpu upgrade:

I'm planning to upgrade to a gpu that can use a whopping 235W!
It needs a 6 pin and an 8 pin auxiliary power.

PSU has enough power I think (685W), but the connectors are a problem.
The PSU board has an 8 pin port, with an 8 pin to two 6 pin connectors cable plugged in. (a bit of an odd cable really, two of the pins on the 8 pin end aren't actually used).













The PCIe slot gives 75W to the card.

My concern is that if I replace this cable with an 8 pin to 8 + 6 pin cable, or put a 6 pin to 8 pin adapter on _one_ of the cables, won't the cables and the port on the PSU board have to manage 235W-75W=160W going through them?

Aren't 8 pin connectors usually made for 150W, and 6 pin connectors for 75W?

Can the 8 pin port on the PSU board really handle 160W?

The Dell T3610 spefications sheet says the system can handle a dual setup with maximum 300W total, but I always imagined 150W are from the two PCIe slots the cards are in, and the remaining 150W are from that 8 pin port on the PSU board. Is this wrong? Can that port handle more than 150W?

PSU sticker:


----------



## Caring1 (May 12, 2020)

Imprecision said:


> Sorry to barge in like this, I have a random question about a Dell T3610 and a gpu upgrade:
> 
> I'm planning to upgrade to a gpu that can use a whopping 235W!
> It needs a 6 pin and an 8 pin auxiliary power.
> ...


Your PSU will not have enough Amperage on the 12V rail to power a 235W card.


----------



## Imprecision (May 13, 2020)

Caring1 said:


> Your PSU will not have enough Amperage on the 12V rail to power a 235W card.




Hi thanks for your reply! May I ask how you saw that? Did you do 12*18= 216W? and thus less than 235W?


----------



## Caring1 (May 13, 2020)

Imprecision said:


> Hi thanks for your reply! May I ask how you saw that? Did you do 12*18= 216W? and thus less than 235W?


Lol no, the picture of your PSU shows the Amps per 12V rail as 18A.
You will need a PSU with around 30 - 40A output on the Rail.


----------



## Imprecision (May 13, 2020)

Caring1 said:


> Lol no, the picture of your PSU shows the Amps per 12V rail as 18A.
> You will need a PSU with around 30 - 40A output on the Rail.



How do you see that though lol? (I wanna learn)

So if it can't run 235W on the 12V, why does the manual say it can run two cards using 300W total?


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 13, 2020)

Imprecision said:


> Sorry to barge in like this, I have a random question about a Dell T3610 and a gpu upgrade:
> 
> I'm planning to upgrade to a gpu that can use a whopping 235W!
> It needs a 6 pin and an 8 pin auxiliary power.
> ...


That PSU has the wattage to handle the card you're going with, but not the connectors. As it's a standard ATX PSU, I would highly recommend a new PSU that has the connectors you need to accomadate the video card in question. 650w or 700w will do fine, but a 750w would be better.


----------



## ManGupta (May 13, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> That PSU has the wattage to handle the card you're going with, but not the connectors. As it's a standard ATX PSU, I would highly recommend a new PSU that has the connectors you need to accomadate the video card in question. 650w or 700w will do fine, but a 750w would be better.



AfterMarket PSU won't go into Dell Propriety System in case of T3600/T3610/T3620 ......... Unlike T3500 / T5500 / T7500.

But the problem with Dell Propriety PSU is that its a Multi-Rail PSU, unlike Aftermarket PSU which are mostly Single Rail


----------



## Retrorockit (May 13, 2020)

The proprietary multirail PSU complicates things. My first question is can you use a 225W GPU? 75W PCIe+ 150W should be good to go.
The 6 pin and 8 pin both use 3x12V. pins for power. 2 of the 6 pin are GRD, and one can be blank. This will be the middle one at the GPU end if they did this.
The 8 pin can jump the last 2 Grd pins from the others at the GPU end. If your cable has 2x6 ends there is probably a Dell 8 pin cable available for 1x225W GPU with all 8 pins at  both ends. If you can't find one under T3610 try T3600.
The next choice would be a 6 to 8 pin adapter and don't use the 2nd 6 pin plug.
If you just have to have 235W then another 50W can be had from an SATA cable. Dell's color codes for 12V. are White, Yellow, and Blue, with stripes to make more than 3 rails.
I've never seen a T3610. I hope they continued this.
Get the 8 pin going then add an SATA to 6 pin adapter. The worst that will happen is the overload protection will shut it down. You may need to try an SATA from a different rail. But if you have 2 SATA on the same rail, and another one is not in use you should be good for 100W.
The multirail is there for overload protection. Any rail drawing more than 216W shuts down the computer safely before there is a fire or other damage. A single rail PSU can only detect a + 750W problem.
edit: Traditionally the HDD SATA power is on one rail, and the Optical drives are powered from another based on the color codes in the older PSU wiring harness. if you can power SSDs off of the optical drive cables the HDD cables should be free for what you want. I've seen Dell 1000W PSUs with the same 5x12V. rails. So I don't think your going to run out of power.
One option since you're only looking for 10W over the 225W limit, is to try a 6-8 pin adapter and use the other 6 pin connector. There's obviously some extra power on some of those rails. It might work just fine at that power level. It won't make the 75W+ 225W the 6+8 pin "should" theoretically provide. But 75W+ 160W  will probably work.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 13, 2020)

ManGupta said:


> AfterMarket PSU won't go into Dell Propriety System in case of T3600/T3610/T3620 ......... Unlike T3500 / T5500 / T7500.
> 
> But the problem with Dell Propriety PSU is that its a Multi-Rail PSU, unlike Aftermarket PSU which are mostly Single Rail
> 
> View attachment 154997


Oh wow, you're right. I had to look that up.


----------



## Retrorockit (May 13, 2020)

The difference for me in which method I would use is whether a tuning utility is going to be used to overclock the GPU.
The MB to 8+6 will probably be just fine at stock speed, but with tuning I would add power from another rail. But it's always best to supply connectors with their rated power when possible. It can avoid confusion down the road.


----------



## Imprecision (May 13, 2020)

@Retrorockit Thanks for the very detailed answer! Much appreciated!

The gpu will not be overclocked, rather underclocked to get rid of those extra 10 watts.
Not sure if it's factory overclocked though, it's a Sapphire Nitro+ RX 580.

I actually read a post on reddit where people are able to run that exact card with just the 8 pin plugged in. (for mining though, not gaming)

Quote from Reddit thread:
_well I did a test. I connected both 8+6pin and ran a benchmark on furmark. According to gpu-z card was going at about 200-210 watt. Than I connected the 8 pin only and card never passed 180 watt. _

So that is a bit odd. I think I will try that and see what happens.

Do you think it's ok to use a _two _6 pin to_ one _8 pin adapter and use that with the cable that is already there, instead of getting an 8 to 8 cable or an 8 to 8+6 cable?

Edit: Also why is it so important to use a Dell cable? Is the pinout different?


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 13, 2020)

Imprecision said:


> @Retrorockit Thanks for the very detailed answer! Much appreciated!
> 
> The gpu will not be overclocked, rather underclocked to get rid of those extra 10 watts.
> Not sure if it's factory overclocked though, it's a Sapphire Nitro+ RX 580.
> ...


Ok, I've had some time to research your system situation. With a PCIe power cable adapter similar to the one you posted pictures of above, your system should be able to provide the power needed to run that card without any foreseeable problems.


----------



## Imprecision (May 14, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Ok, I've had some time to research your system situation. With a PCIe power cable adapter similar to the one you posted pictures of above, your system should be able to provide the power needed to run that card without any foreseeable problems.



Thanks for taking time to look at it

I would love to hear your rationale as to why it will work so I can learn.

I think you mean a different cable though? The cable in the photo is the one I already have, it's an 8 pin to 6 pin + 6 pin. The gpu wants 8 pin + 6 pin.


----------



## Retrorockit (May 14, 2020)

The pinout at the MB end of the 2x 6 pin adapter ( your photo) is a Dell specific pinout and not standard 2x3= 6 pin. It only has 6 pins to the 8 pin MB header. But as far as "power" goes 3x12v. and 3x GRD for 8 pin  150W are there. The extra 2 pins to make 8 pin are GRD also. If you have an old aftermarket PSU around you might be able to add the 6+2 pin connector to replace 1of the 6  pin. Many of them just have GRD. jumpers to the extra 2 pins anyway. Some have all 8 wires. The extra GRD pins tell the GPU that 150W is available there instead of 75W. A 6 to 8 pin adapter at the GPU end keeps the Dell pinout at the MB and adds 2 GRD pins. For a 225-235W GPU that should be OK. For the full 300W that should be available to a 6+8 GPU not so much. Convert 1 of the 6 pin to 8 pin at the GPU end solves the problem without getting into what Dell is up to at the MB end.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 14, 2020)

Imprecision said:


> I think you mean a different cable though? The cable in the photo is the one I already have, it's an 8 pin to 6 pin + 6 pin. The gpu wants 8 pin + 6 pin.


Yes, you'll need and 8pin to 8+6pin cable. Keep in mind as well, don't apply any overclocking to that card. Run the factory clocks, but otherwise enjoy!


----------



## Retrorockit (May 14, 2020)

The cable you have already provides 150W of power. No need to change the MB end for what your doing. Just change 1 of the 6 pin ends to 8pin for 6+8. I wouldn't disturb Dells non standard MB pinout if I didn't have to. There probably wouldn't be a problem, but IDK why Dell borked that pinout. Not all 8 pin connectors are keyed the same. Not just the latch. The shape of the various plastic pegs/sockets also. CPU 8 pin is different than GPU 8 pin. Dell has more ways to screw things up than you can imagine when they want to. It's their MB, it's their connector, it's their pinout, it's their PSU. I would take the easy way out. But it's your computer. You can plug something else in there if you want to.

 Another strange thing about that PSU is I've seen 1000W Dell PSUs for workstations, and Alienware gaming rigs with the same 5x18A. 12V. rails. Which adds up. This one has 685W. It seems there's a lot of extra power in there somewhere. But without a wiring harness to track which rails are powering what there's no way to know where it is, or isn't available.
 The standard PSU for that is 425W with 3x18A. 12V. rails. The 685W is optional for the t3610, and standard for the 2 CPU T5610.  If the 2 extra rails are there just to run a 2nd GPU then you don't have any power problems.


----------



## Imprecision (May 14, 2020)

@Retrorockit @lexluthermiester 

Okay thanks a lot guys!

I will order an adapter and test the card and see if the cable melts lol


----------



## Retrorockit (May 16, 2020)

This is worth a look. There's a good chart there. Maybe Dells pinout makes sense for it to be a 2x6 150W cable.








						PCIe 6pin, 8pin - differences
					

Hello,  I looked at PCIe 6 pin and 8 pin connectors specification.  6pin can deliver only 75w when 8 pin 150w.  Physical differences - two more ground pins. How it works? Did anybody test it?




					www.techpowerup.com
				



But it would also make sense to use the other 2 GRD. Obviously I don't trust them.


----------



## Imprecision (May 17, 2020)

Yes, the cable I have has no pin 7 or 8 on the 8 pin connector. Testing the cable with a multimeter shows pin 1 on the 8 pin connector is connected to pin 1 on the 6 pin connector on the cable, pin 2 is connected to pin 2, pin 3 to pin 3, etc. There are also three yellow wires and three black ones, so it's likely there are three 12V wires.

A helpful fellow at the Dell community forums actually tested running a card (overclocked 2080) at 235W in the T3610 and it was stable. He used this cable, so I ordered that as well.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 17, 2020)

Imprecision said:


> Yes, the cable I have has no pin 7 or 8 on the 8 pin connector. Testing the cable with a multimeter shows pin 1 on the 8 pin connector is connected to pin 1 on the 6 pin connector on the cable, pin 2 is connected to pin 2, pin 3 to pin 3, etc. There are also three yellow wires and three black ones, so it's likely there are three 12V wires.
> 
> A helpful fellow at the Dell community forums actually tested running a card (overclocked 2080) at 235W in the T3610 and it was stable. He used this cable, so I ordered that as well.


Sweet! Glad you got it figured out. BTW, I don't think you mentioned, what card are you using?


----------



## Imprecision (May 17, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Sweet! Glad you got it figured out. BTW, I don't think you mentioned, what card are you using?



The one I currently have is an old Quadro K2000, the one I'm getting is a Sapphire Nitro+ RX 580


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 18, 2020)

Imprecision said:


> The one I currently have is an old Quadro K2000, the one I'm getting is a Sapphire Nitro+ RX 580


That's a solid card, performance wise. It'll be a good match for that system.
(side note: I just looked above and saw that you had mentioned it, I just missed the post. Sorry about that..)


----------



## Retrorockit (May 18, 2020)

That's quite a find. I notice that it's for Dell ONLY MB connector. So just plugging any 8 pin adapter in there probably wasn't a good idea. It looks like they're sending 300W up that cable. It's wired for 24Ax12V. current. That PSU can probably provide that.
If you have any interest in overclocking one of the unlocked Xeons in that, it's been discussed in the Throttlestop Overclocking thread around page 34. The discussion was based on the successful overclocking done by some HP guys on the Z420 system. I think the Dell has gone 4.3Ghz. Intel XTU was the software of choice for the HP modders.








						Throttlestop overclocking Desktop PCs
					

Excuse me if I'm posting this on the wrong place but I have a ques bout Intel turbo boost and how it works like if I bought a 9100f and had good motherboard and good cooling could I run it at Max speed as long as the temp was good, would I need throttlestop to do that? or if I got an optiplex...




					www.techpowerup.com


----------



## Macio4ever (May 18, 2020)

In T7810 there is one 8 pin GPU connector on PSU power board. In owner manual states in video section that "up to 2 full-height,  full-length (maximum of single 225 W) ", the same for T5810
I have checked older models like 3610/5610 (up to 2 full-height,full-length (maximum of 300 W)  and T7610 (2x8pin) [up to 4 full-height, full length (maximum of 600 W)]

It seems like one 8 pin PSU connector can deliver 300W (2x150)...


----------



## Retrorockit (May 18, 2020)

Macio4ever said:


> In T7810 there is one 8 pin GPU connector on PSU power board. In owner manual states in video section that "up to 2 full-height,  full-length (maximum of single 225 W) ", the same for T5810
> I have checked older models like 3610/5610 (up to 2 full-height,full-length (maximum of 300 W)  and T7610 (2x8pin) [up to 4 full-height, full length (maximum of 600 W)]
> 
> It seems like one 8 pin PSU connector can deliver 300W (2x150)...




You need to take into account the 75W each PCIe MB connector provides for GPUs with no added power cable.
2x75W PCIe 16x slots, plus 2x 75W, 6 pin PCIe cables =300W total for 2 GPUs. Or 1x75W slot and 150W cable (2x6, or 1x8 pin)=225W single GPU. That's what the dell specification means. The T7610 doubles that.

So the MB cable provides 150W (2x75W 6 pin )officially. I'm not seeing 300W on that cable officially from Dell.
6+8 pin would be a 75W stretch. 8+8 pin would be double the rated power. The 300W 6+2(8) and 6+2(8) cable IS available, it's FOR Dell, but not FROM Dell. For the OP who just needs a few Watts over the rated 225W it's a good solution. But if you tried to run 2x225W  8 pin  GPUs there's no guarantee it would work.

Here's something I found that may be useful. The computers using those 685W power supplies have a PSU card in between the PSU and the MB. The T5610 card has a 2nd CPU 8 pin connector.




The extra CPU connector could be adapted to power a bigger GPU.
The T3610 card doesn't have that extra connector. It should also allow the T5610 optional 825W PSU. But w/o the 2nd CPU probably not needed. Warning- The CPU 8 pin pinout is not at all like the PCIe 8 pin. Don't plug the same cable into it.


----------



## Macio4ever (May 18, 2020)

You are probably right and my understanding of Dell manual was wrong...


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## Retrorockit (May 19, 2020)

You mentioned a user at Dell Community Forums running just the 8 pin connector. It might be interesting to run the 2x6 cable Dell provides and see if it produces a similar result. The 2nd 8 wire sense pin tells the GPU 150W is available, with just the sense 1 wire the G{U should "know" that only 75W is there.
 I used to refer people to some "unofficial" CPU compatability listings there. Dell took the pages down. Now I can't even view their public pages. I seem to be banned there. It's a good place to look and see what others have tried. Just be aware that some kinds of success stories get edited out.
 I stopped reading Dell Comics a long time ago.


----------



## sepheronx (May 19, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> You mentioned a user at Dell Community Forums running just the 8 pin connector. It might be interesting to run the 2x6 cable Dell provides and see if it produces a similar result. The 2nd 8 wire sense pin tells the GPU 150W is available, with just the sense 1 wire the G{U should "know" that only 75W is there.
> I used to refer people to some "unofficial" CPU compatability listings there. Dell took the pages down. Now I can't even view their public pages. I seem to be banned there. It's a good place to look and see what others have tried. Just be aware that some kinds of success stories get edited out.
> I stopped reading Dell Comics a long time ago.



I have an Alienware Aurora R5 headed my way, do you have that unofficial cpu support list?


----------



## Retrorockit (May 19, 2020)

Those things happened on a system by system basis there.
userbenchmark.com is a good place to start. You can see what has actually worked in those, and the relative performance. You can also spot some overclocks by looking for out of line CPU rankings.
I haven't looked at that one yet.
Ok now I looked.
i7-6700K 90% CPU ranking 4.5GHz turbo.


			Alienware Aurora R5 Performance Results - UserBenchmark
		

In all 39 pages of results the i7-6700 is looking like the default CPU. So not a lot of reason to swap CPUs. No Xeons seen, and everything else was a step down.


----------



## sepheronx (May 19, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> Those things happened on a system by system basis there.
> userbenchmark.com is a good place to start. You can see what has actually worked in those, and the relative performance. You can also spot some overclocks by looking for out of line CPU rankings.
> I haven't looked at that one yet.
> Ok now I looked.
> ...



Yeah, I saw that and was hoping to find some kind of Xeon or something else that would work.  Cause those 6700's are ridiculously expensive.


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## Retrorockit (May 19, 2020)

Skylake Xeons require a workstation chipset to run and are all 2 CPU versions so no cheap unlocked Xeons.

IDK what the Alienware supports in the way of OC settings but there is this.
*Overclocking of unsupported processors[edit]*
Officially Intel supported overclocking of only the "K" and "X" versions of Skylake processors. However, it was later discovered that other "non-K" chips could be overclocked by modifying the base clock value – a process made feasible by the base clock applying only to the CPU, RAM, and integrated graphics on Skylake. Through beta UEFI firmware updates, some motherboard vendors, such as ASRock (which prominently promoted it under the name "Sky OC") allowed the base clock to be modified in this manner.[30][31]

In February 2016, however, an ASRock firmware update removed the feature. On February 9, 2016, Intel announced that it would no longer allow such overclocking of non-K processors, and that it had issued a CPU microcode update that removes the function.[32][33][34] In April 2016, ASRock started selling motherboards that allow overclocking of unsupported CPUs using an external clock generator.[35][








						Skylake (microarchitecture) - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org
				




Alien Arena is an AW forum for enthusiasts maybe they know something.


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## Imprecision (May 21, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> You mentioned a user at Dell Community Forums running just the 8 pin connector. It might be interesting to run the 2x6 cable Dell provides and see if it produces a similar result. The 2nd 8 wire sense pin tells the GPU 150W is available, with just the sense 1 wire the G{U should "know" that only 75W is there.
> I used to refer people to some "unofficial" CPU compatability listings there. Dell took the pages down. Now I can't even view their public pages. I seem to be banned there. It's a good place to look and see what others have tried. Just be aware that some kinds of success stories get edited out.
> I stopped reading Dell Comics a long time ago.



Yeah I can try that when I get my hands on it (shipping takes forever). The guy who tried with just the 8 pin used it for mining, not sure if he had flashed some VGA BIOS for mining on it.

I also read that card actually has two different BIOS chips, one with a "Boost" BIOS that sets the clock to 1411MHz, and a "Silent BIOS" that sets the clock to 1340 MHz. I will try to set it to silent bios to see if that takes care of those 10 extra watts.


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## bullet308 (May 26, 2020)

Hi, all.

I have been a longtime fan of the T3500, having run one as my main rig for the past five or six years now. It has done everything I have asked of it and it is still fabulous. I didn't particularly need to upgrade from it, but the bug bit me and so I bought a T5500 motherboard and installed it into a spare T3500 case I have. Combined with a T5500 wiring harness and a 1000w T7400 power supply, it all went together and functions perfectly... as a single processor machine.

But a T5500 with one processor is pretty much just a T3500, and so I ordered in the appropriate riser board and installed it along with a matching processor and RAM. Plugged everything up and went to start it up. It POSTs okay, but it keeps throwing an error about something being wrong with one of the DIMMs on the riser, and it seems specific to SLOT 2 and not a particular stick of RAM. Looked at it and cleaned it a little bit. Still with the RAM error. But that is not the big problem. I hit F1 and it continues to boot normally, then it starts to load the OS and suddenly, the power is cut. <click>, and off. 

I don't think it is thermal, because I can run the entire pre-boot memory test without issue and it will idle indefinitely at the BIOS screen, but the first time it tries to load Windows or Linux off of either a hard drive or a flash drive, it gets to the same point in loading the OS and just shuts off. 

Any ideas? 

Thanks


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## Retrorockit (May 27, 2020)

You might see if tipping it over to desktop orientation makes any difference. One of the 2nd hand Dell vendors said the T5500 can have an issue with the 2 nd CPU riser sockets not working as they should. Not sure if it's the MB or the riser card.

Post #502 in this thread is where the reply on this was posted.


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## Macio4ever (May 27, 2020)

Dismount riser, put case in horizontal position and put riser back. I use also a piece of wood under riser to support it. It may help.


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## jeanpat (May 27, 2020)

Hello
I have a T5500 with 3x4 Gb Ram (4Gb 2Rx*8* PC3 10600R-09-10-B0-D2):




I'd like to upgrade to 24Gb for less than 25€, the same ref can be found for ~75€ (42+33 shipping) on ebay.

I Found a similar RAM in my budget, but the ref is: 4Gb 2Rx*4* PC3-10600R*-**09-10-E1-D2*



for less than 25€ (with shipping!):




Can I mix these RAM modules with mine?

Thank you for your advises.


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## Retrorockit (May 27, 2020)

One possibility I see is to buy 6 of the 2Rx4 and sell the 2Rx8 and maybe come out ahead.
I've seen 2Rx4 being sold secifically for T5500. So that looks good.





						Dell 8 Gb Memory Module for Select Dell Systems - 2rx4 Rdimm 1333mhz Lv Manufacturer Part# : Snpp9rn2c/8g | Dell Part# : A6996808 Compatible with Precision Workstation R5500 Precision Workstation T5500 Precision Workstation T5600 Precision Workstatio
					

Buy Dell 8 Gb Memory Module for Select Dell Systems - 2rx4 Rdimm 1333mhz Lv Manufacturer Part# : Snpp9rn2c/8g | Dell Part# : A6996808 Compatible with Precision Workstation R5500 Precision Workstation T5500 Precision Workstation T5600 Precision Workstation T7600 Poweredge C1100 Poweredge C2100...



					www.amazon.com
				



I've seen some notes that many systems can't run x4 and that's why it's cheaper than x8. So in some way they're not fully interchangeable.
Dell lists rules for 1R,2R, and 4R modules being different (especially 4R) but no mention of X4, and X8 considerations.


			https://downloads.dell.com/manuals/common/precision-t5500_setup%20guide_en-us.pdf
		

Nehalem, and Westmere based Xeon  CPUs handle RAM a little differently regarding populating all 6 slots. Nehalems will slow down RAM speed with 6 modules. That would work against this suggestion.
But there is memory control on the chipset, the CPU, and the RDIMMs themselves. So there may not be an answer that applies to all situations and configurations.


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## jeanpat (May 27, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> One possibility I see is to buy 6 of the 2Rx4 and sell the 2Rx8 and maybe come out ahead.
> I've seen 2Rx4 being sold secifically for T5500. So that looks good.
> 
> 
> ...



This is a batch of 8x8 =64Gb for 34$ ? wow


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## Retrorockit (May 27, 2020)

I think it's 8x1GB modules. They're using the term "module" loosely. You notice 64GB is not mentioned anywhere.
It is "a" matching "module" of 8GB capacity. I count 8 sticks of RAM.
Not 8x 8GB "modules".
That would be my interpretation unless someone clarifies it otherwise.
I only posted that to show that the T5500 supports that type of RAM. Not because it was a good deal.
 I may be wrong. The Dell part# they use A6996808 does bring up a "single" 8GB DDR3 module. So I "guess" that's what you would get. Not sure what the photo would represent then? Not 8x1GB, and not 8x8GB?


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## jeanpat (May 27, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> I think it's 8x1GB modules. They're using the term "module" loosely. You notice 64GB is not mentioned anywhere.
> It is "a" matching "module" of 8GB capacity. I count 8 sticks of RAM.
> Not 8x 8GB "modules".
> That would be my interpretation unless someone clarifies it otherwise.
> ...


Thank you, it gives a reference. I can try to three 2Rx4 4Gb modules and bet it would be fine, if ready to possibly loose 25$


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## Retrorockit (May 27, 2020)

Or buy 3 more and cash out the 2Rx8s if needed. My guess is it will work. But it IS a guess.


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## jeanpat (May 28, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> Or buy 3 more and cash out the 2Rx8s if needed. My guess is it will work. But it IS a guess.


I found this thread regarding 2Rx4 vs 2Rx8. I'll try to deepen the subject...


----------



## Retrorockit (May 28, 2020)

I've been told that the x4,x8 issue is related to , but not exactly the same as, the old X64 low density, vs x128 high density RAM issue. LGA775 Dells all required the older X64 low density AKA "PC" RAM, and the x128 was known as "AMD" RAM at that time. Later Intel boards could accept it so that terminology went away. But the price difference is still there. "Dell Certified" RAM was x64 from various suppliers. 4GB DDR2 x64 UDIMMs are hard to find and about $50 each. But the X38 Dell T3400,and XPS420 can use them $ooooo.
It's been reported that the T3500/5500 can run either type. Running both at once is another question. The BIOS may not be able to set up that way. But even if it doesn't work it produces useful information.


----------



## crazydrve` (Jun 5, 2020)

Hello everyone, 

Does anyone know if you can use a normal atx power supply in the Dell t5500 workstaiton? my power supply and or system is not powering on at all. from what i can tell its the power supply

any help is appreciated. 

Thank you.


----------



## ManGupta (Jun 5, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> Does anyone know if you can use a normal atx power supply in the Dell t5500 workstaiton? my power supply and or system is not powering on at all. from what i can tell its the power supply
> 
> ...


 
T3500/T5500/T7500 can all use aftermarket power supply without any issue. But in case of T5500 / T7500 if you have 2 CPUs , you will need a aftermarket PSU with  2 8pin EPS connectors ..... and of course the wattage of psu should the adequate to power your system.


----------



## crazydrve` (Jun 5, 2020)

Thank you for the responese, i guess either the extra power supply has doenst have enough power or my board is fried.


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## ManGupta (Jun 5, 2020)

Are you able to run Dell Diagnostics mode that is boot with F12 and select Diagnostics Mode? How much wattage is your power supply ? You run 2 cpus or one ?


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 5, 2020)

The Dell PSUs tend to have a lot of power on the 5V rail. 32A in the ones I see online for that. Not many aftermarket PSUs can provide that.


			https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.pushauction.com%2F0%2F0%2F55b58722-f39b-4070-a86c-f74f98e4ba96%2F6988940e-b301-4922-9863-40b3322ef6c1.jpg&f=1&nofb=1


----------



## crazydrve` (Jun 5, 2020)

Hi @ManGupta no, I am not able to get it to boot at all, I have the n875ef-00 DP/N 0W299G 875 watt, I press and hold the button on the psu and it starts spinning but nothing shows up and it doesnt act like it fully boots either.

I took out everything but the ram video card and only 1 cpu. only usb kb plugged in. 

@Retrorockit I kinda figured that last night  with the other power supply I have, but I didnt think about the 5V rail, thanks. Guess I will order a new power supply and then hope for the best. 

Thank you both for your help. I love my t5500 and I am trying to improve it too.


----------



## crazydrve` (Jun 8, 2020)

Hi all,

Does anyone know if this would work in the Dell T5500? 






						Amazon.com: Dell Genuine R622G 1100W Power Supply Without Harness for The Precision T7500 System, Compatible Part Number: G821T : Electronics
					

Buy Dell Genuine R622G 1100W Power Supply Without Harness for The Precision T7500 System, Compatible Part Number: G821T: Internal Power Supplies - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases



					www.amazon.com
				




*Dell Genuine R622G 1100W Power Supply Without Harness for The Precision T7500 System, Compatible Part Number: G821T                                                                                                                        *


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 8, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Does anyone know if this would work in the Dell T5500?
> 
> ...


I would get one with the harness. If you plug your old harness in you won't have any of the extra connectors to access the extra power. It should have a few more PCIe cables available, and probably a bunch of SATA power leads also. A look in the T7500 owners manual should show what's there. My 1000W Dell PSU is 9" long w/o the harness. I have had to replace some older DVD drives with newer (shorter) ones to fit big PSUs in some Dells. I think ASUS was good for this. I don't have an 1100W in my pile  to measure. The 875W is 6 1/2" long.


----------



## crazydrve` (Jun 8, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> I would get one with the harness. If you plug your old harness in you won't have any of the extra connectors to access the extra power. It should have a few more PCIe cables available, and probably a bunch of SATA power leads also. A look in the T7500 owners manual should show what's there. My 1000W Dell PSU is 9" long w/o the harness. I have had to replace some older DVD drives with newer (shorter) ones to fit big PSUs in some Dells. I think ASUS was good for this. I don't have an 1100W in my pile  to measure. The 875W is 6 1/2" long.



Thanks @Retrorockit I do see the measurements are different but I didn't think about the addition wires with the harness, good idea. If I don't have a dvd drive that's no big deal for me, I would rather have the additional power. lol


----------



## sepheronx (Jun 8, 2020)

Having a dvd/BR burner just saved me a massive headache.

Customer who brought me his laptop said it fell when his son was carrying it. Wasn't his laptop either. Displace was broken so I replaced it. After replacing it and testing it, was good to go. He returned it later saying it's now giving graphical issues. I took a look and the connection to the Mobo for the display cable is loose. I am not eager to use solder and it's an old laptop so he said just backup data and he will buy new one. I don't have spare 2.5" external drives to convert his laptops HDD into external so I backed up all his stuff into my Dell t3500 and used my DVD burner and 4 dl disks and got it all onto disk.  He is darn happy.

I then realized importance of physical media again.

Boring story, I know.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 9, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Thanks @Retrorockit I do see the measurements are different but I didn't think about the addition wires with the harness, good idea. If I don't have a dvd drive that's no big deal for me, I would rather have the additional power. lol


 With an aftermarket PSU you usually lose a DVD bay to store the extra wires anyway.


----------



## MickeyPadge (Jun 9, 2020)

Hey guys, I have a Dell 685W PSU in a T3610 case, everything is working fine. I have found out the PSU doesn't use a standard ATX 24 pin setup (although the connector looks the same, you'd never know otherwise). Was wondering if there was any way to adapt/convert the PSU to work in a standard 24 pin ATX motherboard? Just thinking of upgrading the motherboard to a more standard config, but the PSU is holing me back. Or maybe a new standard ATX PSU, but the case is also very small...

Cheers!


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 9, 2020)

It's usually best to approach Dell workstations as "whole systems". There are some unlocked Xeons that will work in that and can be overclocked. Parts interchangeability is very limited, even with other Dells.
 If you don't like the Dell PSU, the case, and the MB, there won't be much left when you get through anyway.
If you go back to page 49,50  here, you can see some  posts on upgrading to a bigger Dell PSU in the T3610.
The whole Dell modding scene is nothing like the ATX "everything fits everything else" hobby.
There are people who do the type of modding you're asking about. But the answer will be different for each Dell system. You're pretty much going to be on your own to figure it out. Even the Dell PSUs that "fit" ATX systems will have wiring that is only the right length for the Dells they came in.
 Here is a page showing the performance that system is capable of.


			UserBenchmark: Dell Precision T3610 Compatible Builds


----------



## crazydrve` (Jun 10, 2020)

Would anyone be able to tell me the differences in the different T7500 power supply models? They look the same???


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 11, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Would anyone be able to tell me the differences in the different T7500 power supply models? They look the same???


The form factor should be the same across all models. They are meant to be universal.



sepheronx said:


> Having a dvd/BR burner just saved me a massive headache.
> 
> Customer who brought me his laptop said it fell when his son was carrying it. Wasn't his laptop either. Displace was broken so I replaced it. After replacing it and testing it, was good to go. He returned it later saying it's now giving graphical issues. I took a look and the connection to the Mobo for the display cable is loose. I am not eager to use solder and it's an old laptop so he said just backup data and he will buy new one. I don't have spare 2.5" external drives to convert his laptops HDD into external so I backed up all his stuff into my Dell t3500 and used my DVD burner and 4 dl disks and got it all onto disk.  He is darn happy.
> 
> ...


This is exactly why optical media is still useful.


----------



## inspirashun (Jun 11, 2020)

Im thinking Ive got the touch of death, or Im missing something painfully obvious. 2 of my 3 T3610 w/ 1650 v2 wont get into BIOS. Ill press F2 and after the Dell logo screen, Im left with a blinking _ in the top left corner. Ive tried different cards in different slots, CMOS battery out to reset, different DIMMs, different drives, no SATA plugged into mobo, etc.

Both computers worked initially for an hour or so then failed on reboot. Are the odds that bad that Ive somehow fried 2 motherboards?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 11, 2020)

inspirashun said:


> Im thinking Ive got the touch of death, or Im missing something painfully obvious. 2 of my 3 T3610 w/ 1650 v2 wont get into BIOS. Ill press F2 and after the Dell logo screen, Im left with a blinking _ in the top left corner. Ive tried different cards in different slots, CMOS battery out to reset, different DIMMs, different drives, no SATA plugged into mobo, etc.
> 
> Both computers worked initially for an hour or so then failed on reboot. Are the odds that bad that Ive somehow fried 2 motherboards?


Have you tried a different/spare CPU? Perhaps both need a BIOS update?


----------



## inspirashun (Jun 11, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Have you tried a different/spare CPU? Perhaps both need a BIOS update?


I think they were both on older BIOS, I didnt get a chance to run the Dell BIOS exe, but should have. Whats the safest new BIOS that doesnt interfere with ThrottleStop? I also am not sure how I can update the BIOS at this point, even with the flash drive option, I cant access BIOS menu or one time boot setup. I can pull a CPU out of the third machine to see if that does anything.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 11, 2020)

inspirashun said:


> Whats the safest new BIOS that doesnt interfere with ThrottleStop?


The newest one. They are all safe for Throttlestop AFAIK.


inspirashun said:


> I can pull a CPU out of the third machine to see if that does anything.


Worth a try.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 11, 2020)

Intel XTU was written to overclock that family of CPUs. The HP guys are having good results with it. HWBOT is involved with Intel in developing that and sharing settings. So there is another option available. But we'd still love to hear about it in the TS overclocking thread.


----------



## inspirashun (Jun 11, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> The newest one. They are all safe for Throttlestop AFAIK.
> 
> Worth a try.


Nada on new CPU, put PC3 CPU in to PC2 and PC2 CPU into PC3. No boot on PC2 still, good boot on PC3. Tried all sorts of DIMM configs on PC2. I really think somehow I bricked 2 MOBOs that were working on their dying breathes. But what would the odds of that really be?

Now that PC3 fired up, I updated the BIOS immediately, handled it just fine. Down to 1/3 T3610s being operational


----------



## crazydrve` (Jun 11, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> The form factor should be the same across all models. They are meant to be universal.
> 
> 
> This is exactly why optical media is still useful.



Thank you, I was just curious why there are two different models but look the same, just seems weird.


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## Retrorockit (Jun 11, 2020)

inspirashun said:


> Nada on new CPU, put PC3 CPU in to PC2 and PC2 CPU into PC3. No boot on PC2 still, good boot on PC3. Tried all sorts of DIMM configs on PC2. I really think somehow I bricked 2 MOBOs that were working on their dying breathes. But what would the odds of that really be?
> 
> Now that PC3 fired up, I updated the BIOS immediately, handled it just fine. Down to 1/3 T3610s being operational


You might check the wiring on your 120V. outlet. Sometimes the common get's switched with the power lead.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 12, 2020)

I just came across a powerful 150W GPU. RX5600XT








						AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT Review: Look out, RTX 2060
					

1660 Ti-like pricing and better-than-2060 performance!




					www.tomshardware.com
				



 I also noticed some bitching about PCIe3.0 bandwidth not being up to PCIe4.0
This looks interesting since these workstations all have 2x GPU slots.








						RX 5700 XT CROSSFIRE (and RX 5600 XT) | TekTick
					

Do RX 5700 XT and RX 5600 XT Crossfire setups make any sense today or should you just skip over this whole chapter?




					www.tektick.com


----------



## crazydrve` (Jun 12, 2020)

Hello, 

Would anyone be able to tell me if the 825 watt power supply from the dell t5500 would work in a dell t5500? 

If I read it right the t5500 has way more amps on the 5v? 

Here is my situation, my dell t5500 is dead, system wont turn on, no lights for diagnosis, I press the button(have to hold it) on the power supply and it seems likes it's running but no video, etc, just all fans spinning. 

I have access to a t5600 and wondering if I can put the t5500 power supply in the t5500? 

Any ideas or suggestions? 

Thank you
Bill


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 12, 2020)

I think you're asking if the T5500 PSU will fit the T5600. The answer is no. Dell went from an ATX based PSU to a proprietary "plug 'n'  play" PSU for the T3600,3610,5600,5610 etc.
There are pictures of these on page 49/50 in this thread. Dell felt this gave them a servicing advantage over HP for that market.


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## crazydrve` (Jun 12, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> I think you're asking if the T5500 PSU will fit the T5600. The answer is no. Dell went from an ATX based PSU to a proprietary "plug 'n'  play" PSU for the T3600,3610,5600,5610 etc.
> There are pictures of these on page 49/50 in this thread. Dell felt this gave them a servicing advantage over HP for that market.



Yea I know they don't fit, I probably didn't explain good enough, What I am hoping is if I can temporarily hookup the t5500 power supply to see if it works, just cant find much info on the t5600 power supply. I dont want to hurt the computer if the power supply is too much for it.


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## Retrorockit (Jun 12, 2020)

I don't  think anyone is going to tell you to do that. I know that HP has borked the pinout of the 24 pin PCIe connector when it suits their purpose. Dell has done it in the past also. Unless you can find a published pinout for the MB connectors I wouldn't try it.


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## crazydrve` (Jun 12, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> I don't  think anyone is going to tell you to do that. I know that HP has borked the pinout of the 24 pin PCIe connector when it suits their purpose. Dell has done it in the past also. Unless you can find a published pinout for the MB connectors I wouldn't try it.



Ok Thanks, thats what i was afraid of, guess I just need to by a repalcement power supply and hope it works. 

thanks for all the help.


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## Caring1 (Jun 13, 2020)

inspirashun said:


> Im thinking Ive got the touch of death, or Im missing something painfully obvious. 2 of my 3 T3610 w/ 1650 v2 wont get into BIOS. Ill press F2 and after the Dell logo screen, Im left with a blinking _ in the top left corner. Ive tried different cards in different slots, CMOS battery out to reset, different DIMMs, different drives, no SATA plugged into mobo, etc.
> 
> Both computers worked initially for an hour or so then failed on reboot. Are the odds that bad that Ive somehow fried 2 motherboards?


I had similar with a system and moving the GPU in to another slot helped get past the blinking cursor.
I'm not sure why the primary slot affected it that way.


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## lexluthermiester (Jun 13, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> I dont want to hurt the computer if the power supply is too much for it.


That won't happen. PC PSUs will only give a system as much power as is needed up to the rated limit. You don't have to worry about overpowering your system with a 1100w PSU. However.....


Retrorockit said:


> I don't  think anyone is going to tell you to do that. I know that HP has borked the pinout of the 24 pin PCIe connector when it suits their purpose. Dell has done it in the past also. Unless you can find a published pinout for the MB connectors I wouldn't try it.


This can be a thing for servers, but for workstations and desktops intended for the general public the pinouts are standard for the vast majority of systems, which is needed for compatibility.


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## Retrorockit (Jun 13, 2020)

HP on the Z400 which is their T3500 they added 2x 12V. wires to the MB 24 wire pinout instead of using an 8 pin CPU connector. Sending 12V. down a 3V. rail probably would not end well. HP went to 18 pin on the Z420  PSU which is the T3600/3610 equivalent. What Dell may or may not have done on the T3610 where PSU compatability was no consideration at all IDK. But  Dells consumer Optiplex 3020 went to 8 pin MB connectors ( maybe some 10 pin also). So they definitely don't worry about ATX compatability when they don't feel like it. Optiplex XE2 is another.





						Amazon.com: COMeap 24 Pin to 8 Pin ATX PSU Power Adapter Cable Compatible with DELL Optiplex 3020 7020 9020 Precision T1700 12-inch(30cm): Computers & Accessories
					

Buy COMeap 24 Pin to 8 Pin ATX PSU Power Adapter Cable Compatible with DELL Optiplex 3020 7020 9020 Precision T1700 12-inch(30cm): Internal Power Supplies - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases



					www.amazon.com
				



If you want to try it go ahead. But please be sure to let us know how it goes either way. It would be nice if it works.
The reason for my concern is the T3610 24 pin connector is now providing power to all the SATA drives, which previously had their own cables from the PSU. You could probably power those drives the old fashioned way, but how the MB will react IDK. Dell definitely had a "reason" to change things there.


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## crazydrve` (Jun 14, 2020)

Does anyone know the pinot on the dell boards to start them without the front panel? 

I think my power supply is fine but believe my board is bad?


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## Susquehannock (Jun 14, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Does anyone know the pinot on the dell boards to start them without the front panel?
> 
> I think my power supply is fine but believe my board is bad?


This Dell page should tell everything you need to know. Pin outs. Part numbers ...






						Installing Precision T3500 motherboard into a new chassis?
					

I'm doing up an old T3500 and want to make use of liquid cooling, obviously I will need to buy a new case and transfer the mainboard into it, however the motherboard does not seem to be normal ATX size and am wondering what the actual size/design of the motherboard is (taking into account screw...




					www.dell.com
				




Quite common for that front board to go bad. Have replicated it myself. Especially if it's an older unit with the brown colored United Chemicon 'KZG' series caps that are known to be failure prone. When getting a new piece be sure it has the blue Rubycons. Goes for motherboards too. Dell was heavily fined for intentionally hiding the bad capacitor issue from customers actually.


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## crazydrve` (Jun 14, 2020)

Susquehannock said:


> This Dell page should tell everything you need to know. Pin outs. Part numbers ...
> 
> 
> 
> ...




I didnt know that thanks, the caps look ok but I do wonder about the power on board.


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## lexluthermiester (Jun 14, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> I think my power supply is fine but believe my board is bad?


Ebay.








						OEM Dell M884g Front I/o Panel W/ Cables Jn454 for Precision T3500 T5500 for sale online | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for OEM Dell M884g Front I/o Panel W/ Cables Jn454 for Precision T3500 T5500 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				






Susquehannock said:


> Quite common for that front board to go bad. Have replicated it myself. Especially if it's an older unit with the brown colored United Chemicon 'KZG' series caps that are known to be failure prone. When getting a new piece be sure it has the blue Rubycons. Goes for motherboards too. Dell was heavily fined for intentionally hiding the bad capacitor issue from customers actually.


Or he could just replace the caps. It's not difficult.


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## crazydrve` (Jun 15, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Ebay.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I ordered another board and power supply and then I will see if I need that Front I/O Panel, thanks for the Link.


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## crazydrve` (Jun 22, 2020)

Hey everyone, I got a new/different board from server worlds and now I get an error.

Although the bios seems the 24gb ram.

Alert memory error detected in DIMM 3, I have swapped all my ram, which was good with other board.

Does this mean the board has an issue or is there something else I should check.

Dell t5500 xeon 5560

Thank you
Bill


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## ManGupta (Jun 22, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Hey everyone, I got a new/different board from server worlds and now I get an error.
> 
> Although the bios seems the 24gb ram.
> 
> ...



What happens if you press F1 to continue to boot in OS. Does the OS shows 24 GB or only 16 Gb.
Have you checked cleaning the ram slots and the Ram-sticks or swapping the Ram-sticks across the ram slots.


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## rGBurninator (Jun 22, 2020)

Hello all. I have an off topic question but don't want to be an unwanted intruder.

As I wait for my w3680 , I have been playing with an Inatek 3.0 expansion card. It works for data and my webcam but for some reason I cannot get it to work with  my Elgato HD60S. Has anyone here had any luck using a capture card on a t3500 utilizing an expansion card? I have tried all the common solutions and none of them have worked. Any help would be appreciated.


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## Mazer (Jun 22, 2020)

Very interesting thread 
I found a t3500 for sale locally with a W3680 and 16gb ram some quadro gpu couple of hdds I'd replace other than that looks pretty solid for $200 but the thing is worrisome is the PSU and hearing about proprietary ones, and it's x58 which means the mobo goes, it's pretty expensive to replace for me would I be able to switch out the PSU in the T3500 with a better one than the stock dell to replace? I am thinking of getting one just need clarification.


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## lexluthermiester (Jun 22, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Hey everyone, I got a new/different board from server worlds and now I get an error.
> 
> Although the bios seems the 24gb ram.
> 
> ...


Check the contacts on the bottom of the CPU to be sure they're clean. Also check the CPU socket for bent pins. Remember Socket 1366 CPU have their memory controller on-chip and those connections run through the socket.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 22, 2020)

To answer your question ATX aftermarket PSUs will fit and work. Be sure and check the power on the 5V. rail. Not all of the newer ones still have enough power there.
The Dell PSUs are quality parts. But a little tricky to add more cables than Dell intended. Up to about GTX1070 the stock one should be OK.
T3500 motherboards don't cost as much as aftermarket X58 ones. There is also an overclocking thread that applies to these if that interests you. Aftermarket MB won't fit these anyway. The W3680 is an unlocked multiplier CPU and is the favorite for overclocking these. Page 4 has the settings for these.








						Throttlestop overclocking Desktop PCs
					

Hey everyone, Sorry to intrude in the middle of any conversations that might be going on.  No worries at all!  I am new to the forum but not this page as I have read literally all 37 pages of this thread to help me with achieving the best performance out of my T3500.  Welcome to TPU, and we hope...




					www.techpowerup.com
				



 The 16GB RAM configuration is suspect on a 3 channel RAM system. 12GB, or 18GB would make more sense.


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## rGBurninator (Jun 22, 2020)

I have a ThermalTake 700w PSU and it was in my T3500 case until I did a case swap. I do not have any issues as of now with the selection of PSU, it was pretty inexpensive too. I can't wait until I get my W3680, going to be such a difference to have those extra 2 cores and being unlocked. The link Retro posted is VERY helpful, but please read all of the information because if you have a questions they are probably already answered in that thread. I actually just bought a GTX1070 and installed it over the weekend, its a great GPU for the money, now I just need to figure out my capture card problem! haha


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## Retrorockit (Jun 23, 2020)

ATX PSUs will work. It's the rest of it that's proprietary.


----------



## bullet308 (Jun 23, 2020)

Hi:

Still playing with my T3500 w/ T5500 mobo and T7400 power supply (w/ T5500 harness), and I have run into a bit of a jam. I am trying to get two Zotac GTX 970 cards up and working in SLI. To that end, I have them both installed into the two x16 PCIe slots and a high-bandwidth SLI bridge in place. With the latest drivers installed, both cards are seen by the OS and work fine for Folding@Home work, but the SLI option stubbornly will not appear in the Nvidia Control Panel. Using GPU-Z to look at things, I note that it says that one card is running at x16 and the other at x8. No other PCIe, PCI or PCI-X devices are installed.

Any ideas about how to work around this issue? 

TIA


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## ManGupta (Jun 24, 2020)

bullet308 said:


> Hi:
> 
> Still playing with my T3500 w/ T5500 mobo and T7400 power supply (w/ T5500 harness), and I have run into a bit of a jam. I am trying to get two Zotac GTX 970 cards up and working in SLI. To that end, I have them both installed into the two x16 PCIe slots and a high-bandwidth SLI bridge in place. With the latest drivers installed, both cards are seen by the OS and work fine for Folding@Home work, but the SLI option stubbornly will not appear in the Nvidia Control Panel. Using GPU-Z to look at things, I note that it says that one card is running at x16 and the other at x8. No other PCIe, PCI or PCI-X devices are installed.
> 
> ...



I am not sure if the Dell system supports SLI.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 24, 2020)

ManGupta said:


> I am not sure if the Dell system supports SLI.


It should. the T3500/T5500/T7500 should all support SLI and CrossFire AFAIK.


----------



## bullet308 (Jun 24, 2020)

Yeah, I had read elsewhere that the T5500 would in fact support SLI, but I couldn't find anything on troubleshooting. Sitting here at work, it occurred to me that perhaps it might be something I can tweak in the BIOS, like the video card selection options...


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## rGBurninator (Jun 24, 2020)

Is it worth an upgrade? I am looking into a gigabyte ga-x58-ud3r v2.0 for my w3680. I can get one on eBay for about 100 bucks. Had anyone had experience with this board?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 24, 2020)

rGBurninator said:


> Is it worth an upgrade? I am looking into a gigabyte ga-x58-ud3r v2.0 for my w3680. I can get one on eBay for about 100 bucks. Had anyone had experience with this board?


Good board, decent price.


----------



## ManGupta (Jun 24, 2020)

rGBurninator said:


> Is it worth an upgrade? I am looking into a gigabyte ga-x58-ud3r v2.0 for my w3680. I can get one on eBay for about 100 bucks. Had anyone had experience with this board?



If you can get Asus or EVGA x58 board in similar price , that would be better.

watch this video at 10:15 ...... there is a comment on Gigabyte X58 MB problem.


----------



## rGBurninator (Jun 24, 2020)

I was looking at the EVGA X58 SLI3 for about 129 on eBay, it does seem nicer and look better


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 24, 2020)

rGBurninator said:


> I was looking at the EVGA X58 SLI3 for about 129 on eBay, it does seem nicer and look better


That one is good too, just pricier. However, that Gigabyte model is a solid board and OC's well.


----------



## rGBurninator (Jun 24, 2020)

Hmmm, the choices the choices. The guys selling the EVGA has better reviews lol


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 24, 2020)

rGBurninator said:


> Hmmm, the choices the choices. The guys selling the EVGA has better reviews lol


Links?


----------



## rGBurninator (Jun 24, 2020)

EVGA https://www.ebay.com/itm/114268480677

Gigabyte https://www.ebay.com/itm/313119769544


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 24, 2020)

rGBurninator said:


> The guys selling the EVGA has better reviews lol


Are you talking about feedback? The Gigabyte seller is 100%. The EVGA seller is 98%. 

Still, I'd go with the EVGA because it comes with a CPU which would be handy as a spare for testing/troubleshooting.


----------



## rGBurninator (Jun 24, 2020)

Oh yeh sorry I had it backwards, I'm at work doing 100 things at once lol. Thanks for the advice, I like that choice as well


----------



## ManGupta (Jun 24, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Are you talking about feedback? The Gigabyte seller is 100%. The EVGA seller is 98%.
> 
> Still, I'd go with the EVGA because it comes with a CPU which would be handy as a spare for testing/troubleshooting.



Correct but The Gigabyte seller is 100% for sample size of just 11 while  The EVGA seller is 98.7%  for sample size of 1191.

But actually main problem in Gagabyte X58 board Bios setting while overclocking is if you do not have uncore frequency in certain ratio in regards to cpu ratio your pc wont boot.

This issue has been discussed in this video at 10:15 timestamp.


----------



## rGBurninator (Jun 24, 2020)

Just purchased the EVGA board. I am currently waiting for my W3680 to get here so hopefully my X5687 will work on this board just in case the board comes first. I checked supported CPUs and didn't see it on the list.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 25, 2020)

_It's not uncommon for those lists to not be updated on older tech. But the BIOS usually get updated._


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 25, 2020)

ManGupta said:


> Correct but The Gigabyte seller is 100% for sample size of just 11 while The EVGA seller is 98.7% for sample size of 1191.


Negatives are still negatives in my book.


rGBurninator said:


> Just purchased the EVGA board. I am currently waiting for my W3680 to get here so hopefully my X5687 will work on this board just in case the board comes first. I checked supported CPUs and didn't see it on the list.


Yeah but that board comes with a CPU, and a decent one. You don't need the Xeon right away.


----------



## rGBurninator (Jun 25, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Negatives are still negatives in my book.
> 
> Yeah but that board comes with a CPU, and a decent one. You don't need the Xeon right away.



I agree but Ebay has a good return policy. The CPU it comes is decent but I am hoping my X5687 will work since I already own it and it is much better. If the CPU is not compatible and I install it, will it hurt anything? Or will it just not function/power cycle properly?


----------



## ManGupta (Jun 25, 2020)

rGBurninator said:


> I agree but Ebay has a good return policy. The CPU it comes is decent but I am hoping my X5687 will work since I already own it and it is much better. If the CPU is not compatible and I install it, will it hurt anything? Or will it just not function/power cycle properly?


most probably x5687 & w3680 should work. If it wont work it wont brick the board. Just use Core i 7 to update the bios then all those cpus should work.  probably x56xx & w36xx were incompatible with older bios version.
with w3680 you can oc with good air-cooler to 4.5 GHz but beyond that you may need water cooler.

One more thing .... with 7-8 year old board you need to clean and change TIM of Northbridge and Southbridge. In case X58 both NB & SB  become very hot. Use a good TIM like Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut .


----------



## rGBurninator (Jun 25, 2020)

ManGupta said:


> most probably x5687 & w3680 should work. If it wont work it wont brick the board. Just use Core i 7 to update the bios then all those cpus should work.  probably x56xx & w36xx were incompatible with older bios version.
> with w3680 you can oc with good air-cooler to 4.5 GHz but beyond that you may need water cooler.
> 
> One more thing .... with 7-8 year old board you need to clean and change TIM of Northbridge and Southbridge. In case X58 both NB & SB  become very hot. Use a good TIM like Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut .



Good idea! I will definitely do that with the i7, it will be my grunt chip. I currently have the Cooler Master 212 (new version) on my X5687 and it seems to work pretty well. I can't wait to OC that W3680 to 4.5ghz and see it's potential. I will definitely be using a good thermal past and making sure everything is clean. I have a couple different kinds but I might take your advice and just buy the Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 25, 2020)

rGBurninator said:


> If the CPU is not compatible and I install it, will it hurt anything?


No, it just will not boot. However, updating the BIOS should resolve that problem.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 26, 2020)

If you need a CPU to boot so you can update the BIOS the W3570/80 are unlocked 4 core Nehalems and can be found for around $20. They probably won't run much faster than the X5687 with turbo on all cores.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 26, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> If you need a CPU to boot so you can update the BIOS the W3570/80 are unlocked 4 core Nehalems and can be found for around $20. They probably won't run much faster than the X5687 with turbo on all cores.


The board he bought comes with a CPU, he'll be able to boot it upon arrival.


----------



## crazydrve` (Jun 27, 2020)

ManGupta said:


> What happens if you press F1 to continue to boot in OS. Does the OS shows 24 GB or only 16 Gb.
> Have you checked cleaning the ram slots and the Ram-sticks or swapping the Ram-sticks across the ram slots.



Hello, it was only registering 48 out of 72gb, I fixed it. Found cpu paste on bottom of chip. 

Now I have other issues, front panel error but still boots.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 27, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Now I have other issues, front panel error but still boots.


The front panel thing is easily fixed with a replacement. What other issues are you having?


----------



## crazydrve` (Jun 27, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> The front panel thing is easily fixed with a replacement. What other issues are you having?



I think my video card went had because it keeps spinning at 100%. The system wouldn't boot past the raid card with it in jbod mode. Had to put in raid mode. That could be the card. 

Today I'm gonna look it over thoroughly and check things out 

Thank you for your help. I want to get this going better. Hope to get a better video card and the t7500 power supply too, if it would fit.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 27, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> and the t7500 power supply too, if it would fit.


It'll fit. The 750W model should be enough for most use-case-scenario's.



crazydrve` said:


> Thank you for your help.


You're Welcome.


----------



## ManGupta (Jun 27, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> I think my video card went had because it keeps spinning at 100%.
> 
> Maybe you need to clean and change the TIM on your video card and also the thermal pads on vram of GPU
> 
> ...


----------



## crazydrve` (Jun 27, 2020)

Thank you @ManGupta, I am also trying the card in a different system, because it was working befor my server died. I probably need to do a fresh install of the OS also. It would be great if the t7500 supply would fit, I dont worry about having a dvd drive. lol

thank you 
Bill


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 27, 2020)

ManGupta said:


> T7500 PSU is 2 inch longer than that of T5500. To mount it you may need to remove the Optical Drive or replace it with a shorter optical drive or a slim optical drive. It should not matter much though.


First, please use the reply system in the way it's intended. Second, that information depends on the PSU in question. The 1100W PSU is longer. The 750W is not any longer than the 525W PSU that came standard with the T3500. I have both. 

@crazydrve`
If you get the 1100W PSU you'll need to make an accommodation. You shouldn't really need that much power so I would recommend the 750W.


----------



## ManGupta (Jun 28, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> First, please use the reply system in the way it's intended. Second, that information depends on the PSU in question. The 1100W PSU is longer. The 750W is not any longer than the 525W PSU that came standard with the T3500. I have both.
> 
> @crazydrve`
> If you get the 1100W PSU you'll need to make an accommodation. You shouldn't really need that much power so I would recommend the 750W.




Oh ... I see .... I was not aware of the T7500 750 Watt PSU.

I thought all T7500 PSUs are mostly 1100 Watt.

So I stand Corrected.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 28, 2020)

ManGupta said:


> Oh ... I see .... I was not aware of the T7500 750 Watt PSU.
> 
> I thought all T7500 PSUs are mostly 1100 Watt.
> 
> So I stand Corrected.


Actually, the PSU line for the entire T3500/T5500/T7500 range is identical. The T3500 came standard with the 525w PSU, but the 750w was optional. The T5500 came with the 750w standard, but the 1100W was optional. The T7500 also came with the 750w standard but 1100w was optional. It was automatically upgraded to the 1100w should the buyer choose a full RAID kit and the second CPU combination. All of them were designed to be inter-operable and fully compatible. They only thing users needed to be aware of is the wiring harness, which was different for each system.

There was also an 875W PSU that was only available as an option.


----------



## AndyRE (Jun 30, 2020)

Hi new member here abut  long time work station user builder etc
Quick question for anyone which is how searching google brought me here and enjoying reading everything 

I have what I believe to be a functional T5500 power supply @ 825 watts but without the harness the workstation long gone split for other spares I expect
I also have a T3500 WITH AN X5690 but with a failing psu I believe so question is if I install the t5500 psu using the existing t3500 loom in place of the 525watter am I going to gain anything or in fact worse lose any power etc due to not having the correct loom with cpu2 and extra pcie which are not needed but I know that the loom fits both 
Any help TIA might save me a bit of trouble and not to mention cost psus seem to be crazy prices at moment due to lock down and all others here are below 500watts and this has a gtx 570 but that was running for 3 years ok with orig 525w

Looks like a forum I may be spending a bit of time in so Hello


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 30, 2020)

You might pull the harness out from behind the MB so you can get a better one later. But should work just fine.
You should be able to use a 2CPU harness from a T3500, or the T5500 harness, and use the 2nd CPU cable to power something else.


----------



## AndyRE (Jun 30, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> You might pull the harness out from behind the MB so you can get a better one later. But should work just fine.
> You should be able to use a 2CPU harness from a T3500, or the T5500 harness, and use the 2nd CPU cable to power something else.


Hi yes thanks already did that save cutting it as was held in behind MB with ties 
Was told that the t5500 psu had its loom by other here so got it ready as knew they had extra outs when it arrived it had just a few sata cables in box they probably sent it to scrap  so yeah will be sourcing other loom perhaps but wanted to check this one was ok as could not remember last time did this and having a 170 watt gfx in it as well as the x5690 plus other audio recording card oodles of ram etc  so Ill give it a try tomorrow or check the drawers and cupboards first


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 30, 2020)

AndyRE said:


> if I install the t5500 psu using the existing t3500 loom in place of the 525watter am I going to gain anything or in fact worse lose any power etc due to not having the correct loom with cpu2 and extra pcie which are not needed but I know that the loom fits both


You will lose nothing. The 825W PSU can be used as a drop-in replacement to the failing PSU. The T3500 wiring harness will fit the new PSU perfectly. You need only swap out PSU's and you're done.


Retrorockit said:


> You should be able to use a 2CPU harness from a T3500


There exists no such thing. The T3500 was never made in a dual CPU configuration. Only the T5500 and T7500 came in dual CPU configs. If a dual CPU config is intended in a T3500 chassis, a T5500 wiring harness will be needed.



AndyRE said:


> Looks like a forum I may be spending a bit of time in so Hello


Indeed welcome to the thread and to TPU!


----------



## AndyRE (Jun 30, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> You will lose nothing. The 825W PSU can be used as a drop-in replacement to the failing PSU. The T3500 wiring harness will fit the new PSU perfectly. You need only swap out PSU's and you're done.


Thanks thats good to know wonder though if I would gain anything over another 525w using standard t3500 loom .
or is the extra amps on the 825 watts on another rail that feeds the extra plugs on the t5500 harness if so although I dont require an extra cpu ever I may try and source the correct loom and update the gfx Im unsure what the sound stuff he has takes though as its also used as a recording mixer encoder hence the X5690 I guess 
Perhaps too many questions for one day though .
Thanks again


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 30, 2020)

AndyRE said:


> standard t3500 loom


When you say "loom", what are we talking about? Can you take a picture to point it out?


----------



## AndyRE (Jul 1, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> When you say "loom", what are we talking about? Can you take a picture to point it out?


Ah we call wiring harnesses wiring looms in my other role in life its a panel wiring and automotive thing  

https://www.interconnect-wiring.com/blog/why-are-wiring-harnesses-sometimes-called-looms/


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 1, 2020)

AndyRE said:


> Ah we call wiring harnesses wiring looms in my other role in life its a panel wiring and automotive thing
> 
> https://www.interconnect-wiring.com/blog/why-are-wiring-harnesses-sometimes-called-looms/


Fair enough. Had a hunch, but never knew that before. Thank You for the enlightenment!


----------



## Retrorockit (Jul 1, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> There exists no such thing. The T3500 was never made in a dual CPU configuration. Only the T5500 and T7500 came in dual CPU configs. If a dual CPU config is intended in a T3500 chassis, a T5500 wiring harness will be needed.


 Probably an assumption on my part from the 2-x16 PCIe slots.
 It was an option on the spec. sheet for the T3400 with the uprated 525W PSU. But that harness won't work in a T3500.


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 3, 2020)

How everyone, 

I recently replaced my t5500 mobo and power supply, I'm getting weird issues. 

Is there a way I can test the power supply and mobo to make sure its stable?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 3, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> I'm getting weird issues.


Define "weird"?


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 3, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Define "weird"?



Well its hard to say but 1st is my raid card is showing different voltages, plus having issues with the raid cards. I am still doing some tests to see if I can narrow it down.

And my power button wont shut off when I hold it for a few seconds, I have to unplug the cord if not in OS, it could be the front panel.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 3, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Well its hard to say but 1st is my raid card is showing different voltages, plus having issues with the raid cards. I am still doing some tests to see if I can narrow it down.


Have you tried booting the system without any RAID cards in it?


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 4, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Have you tried booting the system without any RAID cards in it?


Yea and it seems ok. That is what I am doing right now. Running only minimum stuff. Also going through the power supply troubleshoot steps.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 4, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Also going through the power supply troubleshoot steps.


If you have one, have you tried a spare PSU?


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 4, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> If you have one, have you tried a spare PSU?



Unfortunately all I have is my old one and it does the same thing, one thing I noticed is my raid card shows the wrong voltages. 


CPU Temperature31 ºCController Temp.-1 ºC12V15.504 V5V6.854 V3.3V4.080 VDDR-II +1.8V4.080 VCPU    +1.8V4.080 VCPU    +1.2V4.080 VCPU    +1.0V4.080 VDDR-II +0.9V4.080 V

without the raid card is there software I can use to see what the voltages are? 

or is there a special dell power supply tester I can use? I am not good at using a multimeter. 

Would the front panel cause issues if it was bad? even though system turns on fine, etc.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 4, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Unfortunately all I have is my old one and it does the same thing, one thing I noticed is my raid card shows the wrong voltages.


Two PSU's doing the same thing, to me, says the PSU's are not the problem.


crazydrve` said:


> without the raid card is there software I can use to see what the voltages are?
> 
> or is there a special dell power supply tester I can use? I am not good at using a multimeter.


This tells me that the RAID card is the problem. Whether it's defective or simply incompatible remains to be seen.


crazydrve` said:


> Would the front panel cause issues if it was bad? even though system turns on fine, etc.


No. Based on what you've said so far in the thread, I'm very much inclined to suggest your problem is that RAID card.


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 4, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Two PSU's doing the same thing, to me, says the PSU's are not the problem.
> 
> This tells me that the RAID card is the problem. Whether it's defective or simply incompatible remains to be seen.
> 
> No. Based on what you've said so far in the thread, I'm very much inclined to suggest your problem is that RAID card.



Crap that's what I am afraid of... ugh. 

Thank you.


----------



## sepheronx (Jul 4, 2020)

Other T3500 users here with USB headphones. Do you guys have popping issues with your headsets?  I tested two headsets and tried other ports. All ports causing issues.  I decided to pull the headset out of its lousy external sound card and plug it in my ht omega striker 7.1 and it's gone!  Of course now the cable is only very short and can't use it's MiC.

So anyway, any solutions or should I just buy a new headset that is 3.5 and a y splitter so I just use my striker card?

Im looking at mpow based headsets.


----------



## rGBurninator (Jul 6, 2020)

Ok so I got my EVGA X58 SLI3 and W3680 all put together finally. I started playing with the OC'ing through BIOS and so far I am stable at 4.1ghz. My settings are at 25x166mhz at 1.35v. I haven't gone Any higher yet as I got busy today but would like to get to a stable 4.3 or 4.5ghz. I didn't mess with any other settings in the bios as I am not familiar enough to adjust them. Any suggestions would be appreciated


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 6, 2020)

sepheronx said:


> Other T3500 users here with USB headphones. Do you guys have popping issues with your headsets?  I tested two headsets and tried other ports. All ports causing issues.  I decided to pull the headset out of its lousy external sound card and plug it in my ht omega striker 7.1 and it's gone!  Of course now the cable is only very short and can't use it's MiC.
> 
> So anyway, any solutions or should I just buy a new headset that is 3.5 and a y splitter so I just use my striker card?
> 
> Im looking at mpow based headsets.


I personally have not had such an experience as I've never used a USB headset. Never heard of the problem you described either. Possibly a quirk with that headset? I would recommend a standard 3.5mm based headset, lots to choose from and effortless usage.


rGBurninator said:


> Ok so I got my EVGA X58 SLI3 and W3680 all put together finally. I started playing with the OC'ing through BIOS and so far I am stable at 4.1ghz. My settings are at 25x166mhz at 1.35v. I haven't gone Any higher yet as I got busy today but would like to get to a stable 4.3 or 4.5ghz. I didn't mess with any other settings in the bios as I am not familiar enough to adjust them. Any suggestions would be appreciated


Would be happy to help, let's start another thread to keep things on topic here.


----------



## sepheronx (Jul 6, 2020)

Any you recommend?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 6, 2020)

sepheronx said:


> Any you recommend?


Do you want microphone functionality, or just a straight headset?

EDIT;
These are the sets I carry in my shop and I have a set myself. There very nice and not too expensive. They have a microphone built into, but it's not great for gaming. Lots of colours to choose from too!


			https://www.amazon.com/Cancelling-Headphones-Bluetooth-Microphone-Comfortable/dp/B019U00D7K
		


For a set with microphone, the following are the other set I carry in the shop. I don't personally own a set, but have used them and they work very well;





						Amazon.com: Logitech USB Headset H390 with Noise Cancelling Mic: Electronics
					

Amazon.com: Logitech USB Headset H390 with Noise Cancelling Mic: Electronics



					www.amazon.com


----------



## sepheronx (Jul 6, 2020)

More gaming oriented.  I was looking at the MPow from amazon






						Mpow EG10 Gaming Headset for PS5,PS4, PC, Xbox One, Ultra Light Over Ear Headphones with Noise Cancelling Mic, Stereo Bass Surround PC Headset, LED Light, Soft Memory Earmuffs for Laptop Mac Switch: Amazon.ca: Electronics
					

Mpow EG10 Gaming Headset for PS5,PS4, PC, Xbox One, Ultra Light Over Ear Headphones with Noise Cancelling Mic, Stereo Bass Surround PC Headset, LED Light, Soft Memory Earmuffs for Laptop Mac Switch: Amazon.ca: Electronics



					www.amazon.ca
				




it comes with a Y splitter as the USB is simply only for its crappy RGB.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 6, 2020)

Looks solid, great ratings too.


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 6, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Two PSU's doing the same thing, to me, says the PSU's are not the problem.
> 
> This tells me that the RAID card is the problem. Whether it's defective or simply incompatible remains to be seen.
> 
> No. Based on what you've said so far in the thread, I'm very much inclined to suggest your problem is that RAID card.



Looks like it's my t5500, I was able to get my hands on a t5600 and the card is running as expected. 

Thank you for your help.


----------



## ManGupta (Jul 6, 2020)

rGBurninator said:


> Ok so I got my EVGA X58 SLI3 and W3680 all put together finally. I started playing with the OC'ing through BIOS and so far I am stable at 4.1ghz. My settings are at 25x166mhz at 1.35v. I haven't gone Any higher yet as I got busy today but would like to get to a stable 4.3 or 4.5ghz. I didn't mess with any other settings in the bios as I am not familiar enough to adjust them. Any suggestions would be appreciated



There are some youtube videos on X58 OC you can refer to .......


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 6, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Looks like it's my t5500, I was able to get my hands on a t5600 and the card is running as expected.
> 
> Thank you for your help.


Maybe the motherboard then?


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 7, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Maybe the motherboard then?



it was supposed to be certified good, bought from server worlds, still doing some research. any ideas of tests to run? btw the voltages are showing normal now.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 7, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> it was supposed to be certified good, bought from server worlds, still doing some research. any ideas of tests to run? btw the voltages are showing normal now.


Weird. If things are back to normal after removing the RAID card, it is possible that the card has an incompatibility with the system.


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 7, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Weird. If things are back to normal after removing the RAID card, it is possible that the card has an incompatibility with the system.



I hate scenarious like this where its hard to tell... although I did get a error notice for pci express slot 3 and a memory config error. I could have bad ram, I am testing it now. 

Thank you again for all your help, I want to get this machine going, its a beast if I can.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 7, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> I hate scenarious like this where its hard to tell... although I did get a error notice for pci express slot 3 and a memory config error. I could have bad ram, I am testing it now.
> 
> Thank you again for all your help, I want to get this machine going, its a beast if I can.


I feel you. No worries, happy to help. Try testing one stick at a time, in slot 1. The system will boot like that and it will make narrowing down which stick might be bad much easier.


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 7, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> I feel you. No worries, happy to help. Try testing one stick at a time, in slot 1. The system will boot like that and it will make narrowing down which stick might be bad much easier.



Right now I am testing all at once. I keep wondering if is the stick of ram on the raid card, I have no way to test that.

It has a 1GB ddr2 ecc module


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 8, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> I keep wondering if is the stick of ram on the raid card, I have no way to test that.


Find a spare stick? DDR2 isn't expensive and a 1GB or 2GB ECC module will not be hard to come by. What's the model number for the RAID card?


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 8, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Find a spare stick? DDR2 isn't expensive and a 1GB or 2GB ECC module will not be hard to come by. What's the model number for the RAID card?



It's a areca 1880ix-12, I'm taking a chance and ordered a 4GB stick


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 8, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> It's a areca 1880ix-12, I'm taking a chance and ordered a 4GB stick


Have you checked the specs page for that card?





						Products - SAS RAID Adapters | 廣安科技 Areca
					

The new third generation ARC-1883 family offers advanced technology for increased performance and improved enterprise data protection. They were designed with 1.2 GHz dual core ROC processor, DDR3-1866 memory architecture and PCIe 3.0 connectivity for the most performance-hungry data center	 and...



					www.areca.com.tw
				



Those specs state that it takes DDR3.

Scratch that, was looking at the wrong product page.
The product manual shows it'll take a 4GB DIMM.


----------



## jeanpat (Jul 8, 2020)

Hello,
I've been asked advises regarding the spec of PC gaming to run elderscroll. As an happy owner of a T5500, I start to search a deal on ebay. I found a T3600 on ebay uk for 324 €(no auction)  with:

RAM 16 Gb
ssd 120 Gb + Hd 1Tb
cpu E5 1620 v?
quadro 4000
PSU ?
Would it be a good deal to play elderscroll online?
As a gpu upgrade seems mandatory (the quadro 4000 possibly doesn't meet the minimal requirement), which graphic card could be considered to keep the budget tight keeping in mind that I don't know if the PSU is a 425W or 625W?

I do not dare to advice to buy on auctions since it is not my money. It may be an error since one can find interresting products:

 dell T5600
dell T3600


----------



## Macio4ever (Jul 9, 2020)

I have T5500 (2 x5687) with 24 GB RAM - with midrange GPU (1660ti) I can play FHD even a demanding titles. Secondary PC is T7810 with 2x e5-2637 v3 - it is faster ~ 30% (synthetic benchmarks)  but in games there is no significant diference on the same GPU.

IMHO there is no such big differnce T5500 vs T5600 - that's why I have decided to move to T7810. Hope this helps

I would try to buy 625W PSU.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 9, 2020)

Macio4ever said:


> I have not noticed bottlenecks, T5500with those CPUs can easily saturate GPU to 100% on AA games.


To a point this is true. I have an RTX2080 and the X5680 it had was holding it back a little bit. The W3680 I swapped out when OC'd does better but not a lot. This suggests strongly that the highest end CPU's of 1366 platform are nearing the bottleneck phase of CPU lifecycles, so...


Macio4ever said:


> Secondary PC is T7810 with 2x e5-2637 v3 - it is faster ~ 30% (synthetic benchmarks) but in games there is no significant difference on the same GPU.


..this would likely be an indication of GPU bottlenecking. Get a better GPU for that system and games will run much faster.


----------



## Macio4ever (Jul 9, 2020)

I think I have to make my post more clear 

Bottleneck no 1 - I have only referred to 1660ti and rtx 2060 which I have tested. It may be different story with high end GPU. So I only told my story with my equipment.
Bottleneck no 2 - I meant that having i.e. 150 FPS (Apex, max details 1920x1200) vs 130 FPS which I do not consider significant for my needs. I am sure that other people may have different perception.

I think my English is not good enough.  I meant 30% in benchmarks was to show difference between X5687 vs e5-2637 v3 (the same number of cores, similar clocks) and impact in such configuration in few games was not that big for me. 144p or 4K it may be a different story.


----------



## ManGupta (Jul 10, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> To a point this is true. I have an RTX2080 and the X5680 it had was holding it back a little bit. The W3680 I swapped out when OC'd does better but not a lot. This suggests strongly that the highest end CPU's of 1366 platform are nearing the bottleneck phase of CPU lifecycles, so...



1366 platform maybe nearing bottleneck phase    ..... BUT ..... X79 still have juice left .....


----------



## Nepo Rood (Jul 12, 2020)

Hello fellow members,

I picked up a Dell T7500 from a friend in our Android community a couple years (+/-) back.  He needed money to move so I helped him out, it came with all the drive bays full, mostly HDDs, but there were 2 SSDs.  Installed RAM was a bit on the "low end" at 12Gb (6 x 2GB/1Rx8 modules), when compared to max amount of 192Gb.  Dual E5645 Xeon processors, and an AMD graphics card (HP Radeon HD 8490 1GB X16).

The main purpose of this box is compiling Android ROMs for "smart" phones, more specifically my own Android ROM project.  I have Libre Office installed for work related reasons as I need to work with spreadsheets and such.

Over the past few months I've been looking for some ways to "upgrade" this system, as I really don't want to go out and drop a ton of money on something more modern at this time (yes, the Rona has me "working" from home in front of my own PC #Bored).  A friend of mine just shelled out $3000-ish for a new setup, and yes, it's a beast of a thing.

The road so far:

* I've pulled the original RAM and added 6 x 16Gb/2Rx8 modules, for a total of 96Gb @ 1333Mhz.
* Replace the installed Radeon graphics card with a GeForce GT710
   ~Side Note:  I had purchased the  GT710 for my sons PC, but he lacked the necessary PSU to run it properly (later fixed, but that's a different tale)
* Added 2 PCIe cards:
   - 4 port SATA III (I boot one of my SSD drives from this card, boot times are faster if you disable the integrated SAS controller)
   - M.2 NVMe "M" Key (Haven't figured out how to boot from this yet with "standard" means, but that's really not a problem for me)

The road ahead:

* Ordered a couple Xeon X5680's today, hopefully after I get those installed, it will improve my compile time.  I've heard that my T7500 would thank me for the CPU upgrade...
* TBD


*Additional Info:*

I picked up a couple Samsung EVO drives to use with the PCIe cards mentioned above.  The 860 EVO SATA and the 970 EVO NVMe M.2, read/write is pretty decent considering the PCIe slots on my board are of the  v2.0 variety.  Motherboard has 3 SATA II ports, the other 4 are attached to the SAS controller.


Regards,
Nepo


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## lexluthermiester (Jul 12, 2020)

Nepo Rood said:


> * Ordered a couple Xeon X5680's today, hopefully after I get those installed, it will improve my compile time. I've heard that my T7500 would thank me for the CPU upgrade...


Make sure you update your BIOS before installing those CPU's. See PM.


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## crazydrve` (Jul 13, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Have you checked the specs page for that card?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



So it looks like there is some sort of incompatibility with the T5500 and the ARC-1880, I disabled the bios on the raid card and all is working good now. this is so weird. must be a boot bios issue. 

thank you for all your help. 
Bill


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## lexluthermiester (Jul 13, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> So it looks like there is some sort of incompatibility with the T5500 and the ARC-1880, I disabled the bios on the raid card and all is working good now. this is so weird. must be a boot bios issue.


Yeah, that sucks. It happens though.


crazydrve` said:


> thank you for all your help.
> Bill


You're welcome Bill. Sorry it didn't work out for you. Are you going to try another raid card? If so, I have a suggestion you might find compelling;








						Syba SY-PCI40037 5 Port SATA II Port Multiplier RAID 0 / 1 / 3 / 5 / 1+0 Card  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Syba SY-PCI40037 5 Port SATA II Port Multiplier RAID 0 / 1 / 3 / 5 / 1+0 Card at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				



That card is hardware based set-it-and-forget-it RAID. I personally have used one of these and it was effortless.


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 13, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Yeah, that sucks. It happens though.
> 
> You're welcome Bill. Sorry it didn't work out for you. Are you going to try another raid card? If so, I have a suggestion you might find compelling;
> 
> ...



So far I am going to stick with the raid card, I don't believe I need the bios, I can still manage it through the OS. I am going to go through lots of different tests to make sure its stable. 

This card was expensive. here is the card, FYI. 









						areca ARC-1880ix-12 PCI-Express 2.0 x8 SATA / SAS Controller Card - Newegg.com
					

Buy areca ARC-1880ix-12 PCI-Express 2.0 x8 SATA / SAS Controller Card with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!




					www.newegg.com


----------



## Nepo Rood (Jul 13, 2020)

I got decent card from Amazon, works well for my needs.  I haven't tried the RAID on it, but get decent R/W from my SSDs

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KYP5RRL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Edit:
See where you are keeping the current card, lol


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## lexluthermiester (Jul 13, 2020)

Nepo Rood said:


> I got decent card from Amazon, works well for my needs.  I haven't tried the RAID on it, but get decent R/W from my SSDs
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KYP5RRL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
> 
> ...


Unfortunately, that card does not do RAID 5 which is what @crazydrve` needs(IIRC).


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## crazydrve` (Jul 13, 2020)

@Nepo Rood 

I needed a card with some serious expansion and power, I can hook this card up to expanders and get many hdds with multiple raids going. I hook this up to another case that has my hdds in them. 

This is essentially what I am doing... 








						SAS Expanders, Build Your Own JBOD DAS Enclosure and Save – Iteration 1
					

Guide to building your own low cost 4U JBOD DAS Enclosure using a HP SAS Expander to save money




					www.servethehome.com
				




It seems weird that a bios on a raid card can conflict that badly. With disabling the bios on the card I now have 40TB I am building.
Thanks for all the help everyone,


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## crazydrve` (Jul 17, 2020)

Has anyone seen in the bios where it doesnt show anything on the boot sequence?


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## lexluthermiester (Jul 17, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Has anyone seen in the bios where it doesnt show anything on the boot sequence?


What do you mean?


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## crazydrve` (Jul 17, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> What do you mean?



I go to the boot sequence section in the bios and it was just a blank area. 

I completely reset the bios using the pins and now it seems good.


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## lexluthermiester (Jul 17, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> I go to the boot sequence section in the bios and it was just a blank area.
> 
> I completely reset the bios using the pins and now it seems good.


Likely just a glitch.


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## crazydrve` (Jul 17, 2020)

I'm getting glitches here and there. This board may still be bad.


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## Caring1 (Jul 18, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> I go to the boot sequence section in the bios and it was just a blank area.
> 
> I completely reset the bios using the pins and now it seems good.


No drives recognised or installed.
Check the cables, connections.


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## elfoam (Jul 18, 2020)

Hello, Dell Workstation fans. Long time fan myself and often end up reading this thread so I figured I should join in.

I'm currently running 2 x T7500s and 2 x T5500s in various states of cases full and cases more empty. I've been trying to figure something out for a very long time but the answer seems hidden.. and I wonder why. Do these machines run crossfire?... I have never been able to find any evidence that they do and it bothers me .. because with those 1100 watt PSUs in the 7500s it's a real shame to not use two low end cheap gpus like RX-570s if in fact that does work and I'd like to run something like that if it's working. All I need in my life is to find one single person that's tried it with success and perhaps this is the best place to find the truth.


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## lexluthermiester (Jul 18, 2020)

elfoam said:


> Do these machines run crossfire?


This is a good question. Have no idea. Can anyone test this or chime in if you know?

BTW, Welcome to TPU!


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## elfoam (Jul 19, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> This is a good question. Have no idea. Can anyone test this or chime in if you know?
> 
> BTW, Welcome to TPU!



Thanks, I'd try it myself if I had two identical cards. I've seen pretty convincing evidence the T5400 (And T7400) can run crossfire, but never from the T5500 and T7500. I am convinced SLI does not work, but the crossfire.. still unsure. I'm currently trying to build a very budget gaming machine from a spare T7500 with single Xeon rather than dual to save on power. A single X5675, X5687 or X5690 will be the cpu I run, If I could run dual rx 570s or even 470s that would be a nice budget box.


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## lexluthermiester (Jul 19, 2020)

elfoam said:


> X5687


Did you mean an X5680? The X5687 is a quad core..


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## elfoam (Jul 19, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Did you mean an X5680? The X5687 is a quad core..


No I meant the X5687, yes it's a 4 core but very fast (and cheap). I have two of them in one of my T7500s


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## lexluthermiester (Jul 19, 2020)

elfoam said:


> No I meant the X5687, yes it's a 4 core but very fast


Gotta disagree with you there. I'd rather have the two extra cores(@3.33ghz) than the extra 266mhz on four cores...


elfoam said:


> (and cheap)


Totally understand this though.


elfoam said:


> I have two of them in one of my T7500s


And that's a thing.


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## elfoam (Jul 19, 2020)

The X5687 has a faster single core and more cache per core, if you were playing a game that can not max out all 4 cores then it's a better choice for gaming than the X5675 but it depends on the application. The X5675 is the one I would normally choose in a single cpu machine because it's similar performance and lower wattage.. But it depends.. For my dual machine I decided on the X5687 because 8 cores at 3.86ghz is.. (very good). It's a super responsive machine, I have no regrets on the choice for that machine. P.S I did end up ordering a X5675 to replace the E5649 in my sons T5500 so I can get a bit faster QPI speed. But still no decision on the single CPU T7500 I'm building.

Meanwhile after weeks of searching I found this video from some guys in Bulgaria that had the T5500 running crossfire on some (now) old GPUs in 2013... Not sure why they have been the only people to ever document it working. Perhaps on only works on cards with a crossfire cable.


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## lexluthermiester (Jul 20, 2020)

elfoam said:


> it's a better choice for gaming than the X5675 but it depends on the application


True but I was comparing to the X5680, a 3.33ghz 130W part, not the X5675, a 3.06ghz 95w part.


elfoam said:


> The X5675 is the one I would normally choose in a single cpu machine because it's similar performance and lower wattage..


That's fair to say, but i've got both as well as a W3680 and the temp differences are minimal, likely due to Intel's binning process.


elfoam said:


> But still no decision on the single CPU T7500 I'm building.


Go with a pair of X5680s or W3680s. You'll thank yourself later, especially with the W3680s which can OC in software(ThrottleStop) on Dell systems.


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## elfoam (Jul 20, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Go with a pair of X5680s or W3680s. You'll thank yourself later, especially with the W3680s which can OC in software(ThrottleStop) on Dell systems.



Nah I wont run dual cpu's of that generation on this next machine, it isn't worth the power consumption for a gaming machine that will be switched on several hours a day. I don't like to spend much money in general that's why I run all this old surplus hardware :0. I run a pair of L5640s in the machine I use all day, total system wattage out of the wall is 150 watts. It's a little bit laggy under big load compared to the X5687 (which uses 360 watts! idling..  ) but they still both perform well, I have Perc H700s in them both with Raid arrays and 48 gig of ram. The original plan for the latest T7500 was to gut it for spare parts and run a pair of E5 V3 Xeons on a X99 motherboard (bit of metalwork needed also), but before I do that I want to see how it goes with a single first. The 5520 chipset boards like the T5500 and T7500 can't run the W series cpus by the way.  That's an advantage the T3500 has for a little gaming box, the W can't run much ram either so isn't suitable for a workstation even if it could run in a pair.

I've ordered a crossfire cable.. I guess I'll have to try and find a pair of cheap GPUs to try out crossfire now.


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## lexluthermiester (Jul 20, 2020)

elfoam said:


> (which uses 360 watts! idling..  )


You might want to look into that, doesn't seem right to me. I have several T3500's and I'm not pulling that much wattage in any of them at idle. I'm measuring with a Kill-a-watt unit. Under load the most I've measured is 480ish. That was with an RTX2080 and a W3680 clocked at 4.1ghz. That system idles at 105ish watts. The one I'm typing on is currently pulling 130w right now, playing OpenRCT2 and watching Youtube. It also has a W3680, but has a GTX980 currently.


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## elfoam (Jul 20, 2020)

The wattage is correct, that's with 2 X5687s, 5 x 15,000 RPM SAS drives and a pretty old power hungry GPU.  Those drives use something like 20 watts each


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## lexluthermiester (Jul 21, 2020)

elfoam said:


> 5 x 15,000 RPM SAS drives and a pretty old power hungry GPU.


Ah, there it is. 15kRPM drive often pull as much as 25w per, so that does explain it.


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## uco73 (Jul 21, 2020)

I have 8 years old PC but is still very powerful today.


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## crazydrve` (Jul 25, 2020)

Does anyone know of a way to test a board other than just posting it? 

I keep getting weird issues and or pcie slots are bad. 

I do get a bsod dpc watchdog violation sometimes too.


----------



## uco73 (Jul 25, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Does anyone know of a way to test a board other than just posting it?
> 
> I keep getting weird issues and or pcie slots are bad.
> 
> I do get a bsod dpc watchdog violation sometimes too.


Greeting! Do you have a diagnostic light on the front panel?


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## crazydrve` (Jul 25, 2020)

uco73 said:


> Greeting! Do you have a diagnostic light on the front panel?



I will check again but I haven't noticed any.



uco73 said:


> Greeting! Do you have a diagnostic light on the front panel?


I will check again but I haven't noticed any


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## Caring1 (Jul 25, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Does anyone know of a way to test a board other than just posting it?
> 
> I keep getting weird issues and or pcie slots are bad.
> 
> I do get a bsod dpc watchdog violation sometimes too.


Check the CPU is seated correctly and pins aren't missing or bent.


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## crazydrve` (Jul 25, 2020)

Caring1 said:


> Check the CPU is seated correctly and pins aren't missing or bent.



I checked it again and did find some minor paste on the bottom side of the cpu, I cleaned it up and put it back together, the pins look fine from what I can see. 

Now to run tests, etc. hoping this will fix the issues.

Has anyone used the dell diagnostics to test there system?


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## uco73 (Jul 26, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Has anyone used the dell diagnostics to test there system?


Go here and click "Quick Test" or "Full Test".


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## crazydrve` (Jul 26, 2020)

uco73 said:


> Go here and click "Quick Test" or "Full Test".



I ran the pre testing before os boot but doing that website test didnt work, I think its because I am running server 2016. I might try installing windows 10 to see if that makes a difference.


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## elfoam (Jul 27, 2020)

I ordered a RX 480 gpu today. In a few weeks I'll finally be able to test the crossfire on the 500 series workstations. As I can use the 480 and 570 together in crossfire.


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## uco73 (Jul 29, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> I ran the pre testing before os boot but doing that website test didnt work, I think its because I am running server 2016. I might try installing windows 10 to see if that makes a difference.


Install Windows 10 Pro x64.


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## crazydrve` (Jul 29, 2020)

uco73 said:


> Install Windows 10 Pro x64.



yea I went ahead and did that, all tests seem good. Thank you for your help. now to figure out the raid card.


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## crazydrve` (Jul 30, 2020)

This may be a dumb question but can anyone tell me what the price of aluminum is that outlines the pcie slots? 

If that's missing could that cause issues?


----------



## elfoam (Jul 31, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> This may be a dumb question but can anyone tell me what the price of aluminum is that outlines the pcie slots?
> 
> If that's missing could that cause issues?


Got a photo of this part? I dont recall any aluminum on my 5500's


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## uco73 (Jul 31, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> yea I went ahead and did that, all tests seem good. Thank you for your help. now to figure out the raid card.


I'm glad I helped you. If you need any help regarding the DELL T5500 feel free to contact me.


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## crazydrve` (Jul 31, 2020)

elfoam said:


> Got a photo of this part? I dont recall any aluminum on my 5500's



I cant find a photo but it was a very thin piece of what looked to be aluminum that was on the inside outlining the pcie brackets, I wanna say it's a shield of some sort?



uco73 said:


> I'm glad I helped you. If you need any help regarding the DELL T5500 feel free to contact me.



Thank you very much, right now trying to make sure the board and power supply are good. I'm thinking of testing the power supply with a multimeter. 

I get weird voltage readouts sometimes from my arc-1880ix-12 raid card. Not sure if its the card going bad or something else is going on.


----------



## Caring1 (Jul 31, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> I cant find a photo but it was a very thin piece of what looked to be aluminum that was on the inside outlining the pcie brackets, I wanna say it's a shield of some sort?


This?




It's marketed as reinforcing for the slot.


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## crazydrve` (Jul 31, 2020)

elfoam said:


> Got a photo of this part? I dont recall any aluminum on my 5500's



Here I have them pointed out by the green line 



http://imgur.com/a/Mt9nlo7




uco73 said:


> I'm glad I helped you. If you need any help regarding the DELL T5500 feel free to contact me.



Can I contact you via PM?

Does anyone know software that will show me the voltages?


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 1, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Here I have them pointed out by the green line
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The slot covers are there mostly to keep out pests and close up wholes in the case. The system's functionality will be unaffected by their absence.


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 1, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> The slot covers are there mostly to keep out pests and close up wholes in the case. The system's functionality will be unaffected by their absence.



@lexluthermiester @uco73 

I realized I am not explaining it right, on mine there was this piece of thin metal or aluminum outlining the inside of the pcie slots. I am guessing its some sort of fiting for ground or something.

It looks like I have a grounding issue because the card seems to move when I touch it, so its not fitting tight. 

I hope I am explaining this right, and I really do appreciate all the help from everyone, I feel I am close to my system being stable except for this what I think is a grounding issue.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 1, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> I realized I am not explaining it right, on mine there was this piece of thin metal or aluminum outlining the inside of the pcie slots. I am guessing its some sort of fiting for ground or something.


Oh I see. It's a grounding thing. Not really effective. You can safely remove it if it's giving you problems. I've removed it on all of my systems and they've have never been any issues.


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## Aaron_Henderson (Aug 2, 2020)

Had to "upgrade" my T3500 setup...my Gigabyte Windforce 290X had been on its last legs for awhile, and it finally bit the dust completely.  Turns out I had to spend nearly $300 Cad to get a new card that is barely faster than my old one...but whatever, at least I have a working PC.  Ended up getting an RX 580 8GB...it was basically the cheapest card that was still faster than the 290X.  After that upgrade, I decided to go all out with some RGB fans, for no reason what-so-ever...they should be here tomorrow.  And I think I am finally going to bite the bullet and order that W3680 I've wanted for awhile.  I'll post some updated photos here after I get the fans installed.  Looks like I'm going to limp out another year or two on this thing...


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 2, 2020)

Aaron_Henderson said:


> Had to "upgrade" my T3500 setup...my Gigabyte Windforce 290X had been on its last legs for awhile, and it finally bit the dust completely.  Turns out I had to spend nearly $300 Cad to get a new card that is barely faster than my old one...but whatever, at least I have a working PC.  Ended up getting an RX 580 8GB...it was basically the cheapest card that was still faster than the 290X.  After that upgrade, I decided to go all out with some RGB fans, for no reason what-so-ever...they should be here tomorrow.  And I think I am finally going to bite the bullet and order that W3680 I've wanted for awhile.  I'll post some updated photos here after I get the fans installed.  Looks like I'm going to limp out another year or two on this thing...


Nice upgrade! Take pictures. LOL!


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## crazydrve` (Aug 2, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Oh I see. It's a grounding thing. Not really effective. You can safely remove it it's giving you problems. I've removed it on all of my systems and there have never been any issues.



Ah ok well it seems like since I removed it I'm getting issues, not sure if it helped keep the cards tighter in the slots? 

And now I'm getting a pci error initializing but suspect bad card. 

Thank you 
Bill


----------



## elfoam (Aug 2, 2020)

I got completely sucked in with this latest single cpu T7500 I bought... I was going to pull it apart and put a more modern board in the case. I resisted buying parts for it for a while.. But now I've found myself buying a RX 480.. 48 gig of ram and the big U402F heatsink. I know it would be REALLY dumb to buy a X5690.. when I should buy a X5680 for half the price.. but I'm in a dumb kind of mood this week.

Have any of you booted these up with clover on a USB stick so you can run a NVMe drive on a PCIE card as the main drive?


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Aug 2, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Ah ok well it seems like since I removed it I'm getting issues, not sure if it helped keep the cards tighter in the slots?
> 
> And now I'm getting a pci error initializing but suspect bad card.
> 
> ...



I think this is just coincidence...I've removed those things plenty of times...but...they are a pain to remove...is there a chance you scraped the motherboard while removing it?  Really, I usually have to remove the motherboard to properly remove that piece, that, thank god, I've only ever seen on OEM cases and servers.  What is the PCI card?  Can probably just pull it out.


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 2, 2020)

Aaron_Henderson said:


> I think this is just coincidence...I've removed those things plenty of times...but...they are a pain to remove...is there a chance you scraped the motherboard while removing it?  Really, I usually have to remove the motherboard to properly remove that piece, that, thank god, I've only ever seen on OEM cases and servers.  What is the PCI card?  Can probably just pull it out.



Whats weird now is all is working fine. 

One question I do have is there a software that can read the t5500 board voltages?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 3, 2020)

elfoam said:


> I know it would be REALLY dumb to buy a X5690.. when I should buy a X5680 for half the price..


Um, yes? A W3680 or W3690 would be the better choice as they are unlocked and allow for software overclocking. Not expensive either.



crazydrve` said:


> One question I do have is there a software that can read the t5500 board voltages?


HWInfo





						HWiNFO - Free System Information, Monitoring and Diagnostics
					

Free Hardware Analysis, Monitoring and Reporting. In-depth Hardware Information, Real-Time System Monitoring, Reporting & more




					www.hwinfo.com
				



Generally, if the voltages can be read that software will read it. Dell didn't put voltage monitors on everything.


----------



## elfoam (Aug 3, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Um, yes? A W3680 or W3690 would be the better choice as they are unlocked and allow for software overclocking. Not expensive either.



You forgot the W series doesn't run in the 5520 server/workstation chipset (only the X58 in the 3500) or have a high enough thermal limit to not be constantly throttling under load without extra fans to keep it under 67c (the X series can run more than 10c warmer). Actually can you disable the thermal limiter with software on those cpus in the 3500? The W3690 and X5690 are the same price (about 70 usd) which is getting pretty close to half the price I paid for the entire machine. The W3680 is close to twice the price as the X5680. I'm probably going to go with the X5690 just because I think that cpu may go up in value over time and the x5680 may not ever be worth more than it's current price... this isn't being very rational but I don't think I can resist the silliness this time around. 

Anyway the most important thing to have in my life is a very big case, the reason I can't do much to my T5500 is the small case which is completely full. The rest I can work around. That's 90% of the reason I'm using the T7500 whichever way it ends up in the future. 

I ordered a PCI-E to M.2 adapter yesterday.. Should run about 1300-1600 meg a second as a main drive on pcie 2. I'll report back on that later on when I get it booting from the m.2. Wont be for a couple of months. I will have tested the crossfire by then too. I'm sure 5x regular sata ssds on a raid controller would outperform that but.. there's a big price advantage to the M.2, since this machine wont have anything important on it I wont need the raid array.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 3, 2020)

elfoam said:


> You forgot the W series doesn't run in the 5520 server/workstation chipset (only the X58 in the 3500)


Oh damn! That's right... Crap. Forgot about that. What lame-brain at Intel thought that was a good idea?



elfoam said:


> Actually can you disable the thermal limiter with software on those cpus in the 3500?


Yes, Throttlestop does this. You need a good heatsink though. The standard Dell units will not be enough to handle the extra heat.



elfoam said:


> I'm probably going to go with the X5690 just because I think that cpu may go up in value over time and the x5680 may not ever be worth more than it's current price... this isn't being very rational but I don't think I can resist the silliness this time around.


The extra money is not worth the 133mhz difference between them. Save your money, get an X5680.


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## ManGupta (Aug 3, 2020)

elfoam said:


> Have any of you booted these up with clover on a USB stick so you can run a NVMe drive on a PCIE card as the main drive?



I use Duet with Refind ....... not tried clover.      But I think both works.


----------



## elfoam (Aug 4, 2020)

ManGupta said:


> I use Duet with Refind ....... not tried clover.      But I think both works.



I hadn't heard about that one.. I'll read up on it . Should make a big difference in keeping these machines running fast for quite a few years yet.


----------



## ManGupta (Aug 4, 2020)

elfoam said:


> I hadn't heard about that one.. I'll read up on it .



I had posted a tutorial in the Throttlestop thread. You can go through it.









						Throttlestop overclocking Desktop PCs
					

to clarify, I game on Windows 10, which is running on my Apple Mac Pro. I dual boot macOS and Windows. but yes you are correct, I have stock clocks on my Xeons. It is Apple hardware I think that makes it rather troublesome to overclock (or alter in any way really), no way to get into anything...




					www.techpowerup.com


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 5, 2020)

Hello all, I want to thank everyone who has helped me, I think my T5500 is finally stable, now the question of whats the best way to cool this down. I already have two 80mm fans in the rear but still have the stock fans in the front, and stock heatsinks. 

I am looking at this heatsink for the main cpu but not sure what to do about 2nd cpu?

0U016F 


Thank you
Bill


----------



## ManGupta (Aug 5, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> now the question of whats the best way to cool this down.



*Retrorockit * has done some awesome cooling mods in T5500. You can refer to his posts in Throttledstop Thread as well as in this thread also .


----------



## elfoam (Aug 5, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Hello all, I want to thank everyone who has helped me, I think my T5500 is finally stable, now the question of whats the best way to cool this down. I already have two 80mm fans in the rear but still have the stock fans in the front, and stock heatsinks.
> 
> I am looking at this heatsink for the main cpu but not sure what to do about 2nd cpu?
> 
> ...



I have the 0U016F in both my T5500s but I don't run the high wattage 6 cores so I can't say if it can cool the 130 watt cpus. The heatsink on the riser card doesn't have a Dell upgrade path but it's similar in performance to the 0U016F  (much better than the stock Aluminum block). If you run an artificial benchmark on them you could probably hit the thermal limit on the cpu no matter which heatsink you run. But in the real world they stay very cool.


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 5, 2020)

@elfoam @ManGupta

I do run 2x X5650 and 72GB ram

Thanks guys, right now on the main I am running the stock cooler which I believe is this right?









						Refurbished: DELL T021F Heatsink For Precision T3500 T5500 T7500 - Newegg.com
					

Buy Refurbished: DELL T021F Heatsink For Precision T3500 T5500 T7500 with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!




					www.newegg.com
				




so the 0U016F  would be better, and then replacing the case fans too.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 5, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> and 72GB ram


2x36GB?



crazydrve` said:


> DELL T021F Heatsink For Precision T3500 T5500 T7500 - Newegg.com  Buy DELL T021F Heatsink For Precision T3500 T5500 T7500 with fast shipping and top-rated customer service.Once you know, you Newegg!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


NO! That damn thing is terrible. Avoid it. Look for the ones with aluminium fins & copper heatpipes.


----------



## elfoam (Aug 5, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> @elfoam @ManGupta
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yes Both true ^, and the 0U016F will be a lot better

Pretty cheap on ebay https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/USED-0U...m54887a175b:g:lA4AAOSwr-1fKS30&frcectupt=true


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 5, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> 2x36GB?
> 
> 
> NO! That damn thing is terrible. Avoid it. Look for the ones with aluminium fins & copper heatpipes.



Hi @lexluthermiester 

Unfortunately I have that pos heatsink, thats the first thing I am looking at. 

Here are detailed specs that I am trying to gather:

Dell System WorkStation T5500
Board 0CRH6C  - this is a recent replacement -








						Dell Workstation Owners Club
					

TS only overclocks unlocked CPUs. This is per Unclewebb the developer of Throttlestop. We have a separate thread about TS overclocking. https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/throttlestop-overclocking-desktop-pcs.235975/ The cheapest unlocked CPU is the W3570 Nehalem. If you don't already...




					www.techpowerup.com
				




DELL 0T021F Heatsink For Precision T5500
Dell Precision T5500 Secondary CPU Assembly
Blower Fan F306F, Proc/Memory Board F623F, CPU Fan W715F, Heatsink W344F

Socket B0 LGA-1366  Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU X5650 @ 2.67GHz  (Intel Xeon X5600 XC (Westmere-EP) 2.67GHz [B1] )

and I have 72GB (8GB x 9) bought here:





						Server Memory & Workstation Memory Modules | Upgrade Kits  | ServerMonkey
					

At ServerMonkey, we take pride in providing businesses with the necessary hardware to speed past the competition. With our great selection of server and workstation memory modules, you can find what your company needs! To start right away please contact us today!




					www.servermonkey.com
				




stock front fans
2x 80mm quiet fans for the rear.

If I can add any other info let me know. 

Thank you
Bill


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Aug 6, 2020)

Some updated photos of my T3500 based system since I have replaced a dead 290X with an RX 580 8GB, and added some cheap RGB fans (which actually are not that bad considering they are around 1/3 the price of typical ARGB fans).  My Pixel 2 can't really seem to capture the brightness of the LED for some reason, but you get the idea.  Also...keep in mind this is a very cheap build and many of these parts have been in service for 5+ years...I am disabled and can't ever really afford a new build, so I just keep replacing parts in my main PC as absolutely necessary.  I'd honestly buy a new case, but that would basically require upgrading my motherboard as well since this case has been modified to specifically fit the T3500 motherboard and I won't have the means to modify another case for some time.


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 6, 2020)

Aaron_Henderson said:


> Some updated photos of my T3500 based system since I have replaced a dead 290X with an RX 580 8GB, and added some cheap RGB fans (which actually are not that bad considering they are around 1/3 the price of typical ARGB fans).  My Pixel 2 can't really seem to capture the brightness of the LED for some reason, but you get the idea.  Also...keep in mind this is a very cheap build and many of these parts have been in service for 5+ years...I am disabled and can't ever really afford a new build, so I just keep replacing parts in my main PC as absolutely necessary.  I'd honestly buy a new case, but that would basically require upgrading my motherboard as well since this case has been modified to specifically fit the T3500 motherboard and I won't have the means to modify another case for some time.
> 
> View attachment 164804
> View attachment 164805
> View attachment 164806



That looks great....


----------



## ired (Aug 8, 2020)

Hi, 
I have a T3610 which I plan to repurpose as linux home-server and I'd like to make it as quiet as possible..
ideal would be fully passive
3x8g ecc ram, e5-2630v2, hd5450, ssd
I'm ok with leaving the case open and even some downclocking (in current usage ram seems to be the hottest part)

any tips-experience on disabling fans in this pr similar model are welcome
can the psu run passive with the above limited load?
thanks


----------



## ManGupta (Aug 8, 2020)

ired said:


> Hi,
> I have a T3610 which I plan to repurpose as linux home-server and I'd like to make it as quiet as possible..
> ideal would be fully passive
> 3x8g ecc ram, e5-2630v2, hd5450, ssd
> ...



The T3610 you are  planning to use not as Desktop or Workstation but as Server, then why do you want to make it quite. ...??

 You can simply shift the Server to another room ...... access that server through Home network and keep the Client Machine as well as area around client machine as quite as possible. 

That way you do not have to under-clock the T3610 ...... rather you can use the full horsepower and while doing so if the fan speed ramps up to a high level making it noisy ...... it will anyway be located in a different Room / Area.


----------



## ired (Aug 8, 2020)

I don't have another unused room to put it.
It will be running mostly torrents/minimal file serving, so I don't need it running full-speed.

thanks for trying to help, but "you dont want that" is not really helpful (except maybe for expert opinion that this is unsafe-will catch fire)


----------



## ManGupta (Aug 8, 2020)

ired said:


> I don't have another unused room to put it.
> It will be running mostly torrents/minimal file serving, so I don't need it running full-speed.
> 
> thanks for trying to help, but "you dont want that" is not really helpful (except maybe for expert opinion that this is unsafe-will catch fire)



Well in that case

1) you can change the fans with quieter one
or
2) Use SpeedFan App to lower the Fan Curve
and

3) Lubricate the fans with mix of motor oil and grease

4) Use ThrottleStop to underclock the cpu.

You can leave the case open if you donot have any domestic pet around.

Unfortunately, you cannot do much about PSU as aftermarket PSU is non compatible with Dell T3610


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Aug 9, 2020)

ired said:


> I don't have another unused room to put it.
> It will be running mostly torrents/minimal file serving, so I don't need it running full-speed.
> 
> thanks for trying to help, but "you dont want that" is not really helpful (except maybe for expert opinion that this is unsafe-will catch fire)



There are some typical style aftermarket CPU coolers that support socket 2011 narrow ILM, which appears to be what your T3610 uses...you could start with a beefy heatpipe cooler with no fan, if you don't mind running without your side panel on.  I doubt the PSU will run fanless...I've tried on several similar style server CPU, and they overheat with even a basic load.  You might be able to replace the two small fans in the PSU...but that could also cause issues, as I'm not sure the PSU will run unless the fans report the same RPM as the stock ones...if that makes sense.  All you can do is try.  Just hook up any random 12V fan in the place of one of the PSU fans, and see what happens...if it works, grab a couple small Noctua fans and toss them in your PSU.  Keep in mind to not be going into your PSU if you're not sure what you're doing.  Just remove the front panel fans, you'll probably get an error on startup about all the fans you mess with, but from what I understand, you just press F1, or usually there is a setting in BIOS to not show the errors.  If you end up needing some airflow through the case and around the motherboard, you might be able to replace a front fan with something more quiet, or, possibly attach a fan to the rear exhaust...might take a tiny bit of modding, might be lucky and have the holes in the "mesh" line up with a 90mm or so fan mounts.  If you can't get passive running, you should at least be able to make it much quieter, and probably even keep full speed of your CPU.


----------



## elfoam (Aug 10, 2020)

Aaron, that is a one hell of a machine, coolest PC build I've seen all year. Did you take photos of the build along the way? I'll have a search up of the forum.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Aug 10, 2020)

elfoam said:


> Aaron, that is a one hell of a machine, coolest PC build I've seen all year. Did you take photos of the build along the way? I'll have a search up of the forum.


Wow, thanks!  And unfortunately, I didn't really take many photos along the way...this "build" is basically ever evolving, and it's not so much a "build" as it is a PC I just replace parts as necessary.  There are likely a few photos in this thread somewhere, of my PC in various states.  I can take more photos of specific parts of my build, or if you have any questions, feel free to ask away.

EDIT - here is the earliest photo I could find of my T3500 based setup (2018) -





There are earlier photos, but I can't seem to find them.  I believe this picture is running Coolit Eco II 120 AIO, Gigabyte Windforce 290X 4GB (garbage, fans died super quickly), and the fans are the classic screamers "Scythe Ultra Kaze 3000".  No SSD yet.  And a W3565 instead of a W3570.  Added a fan to the NB (I think NB?).  And yes, I am also still rocking 10GB of RAM with purple heatsinks lol


----------



## elfoam (Aug 11, 2020)

Aaron_Henderson said:


> Wow, thanks!  And unfortunately, I didn't really take many photos along the way...this "build" is basically ever evolving, and it's not so much a "build" as it is a PC I just replace parts as necessary.  There are likely a few photos in this thread somewhere, of my PC in various states.  I can take more photos of specific parts of my build, or if you have any questions, feel free to ask away.
> 
> EDIT - here is the earliest photo I could find of my T3500 based setup (2018) -



I've been looking for purple ram heatsinks myself lol. I think I may have talked to you years ago in a LGA 771-775 thread about a rack server to gaming pc build? Can't be many people around doing your stuff. I have a IBM 2U rack server here that I always felt like modding but at this point I think I'll keep it as a collectable. But with my most recent T7500 I plan on doing the reverse of what you've done here. I wont do it yet but once the westmere Xeon can not longer run the latest games at 60 frames I will put a more modern X99 based xeon in it.. Still deciding on single or dual cpu board.

I'm pretty interersted in how well the ATX and EATX boards will go into the Dell case. It seems to me it'll fit quite well.. It'll just go in.. inverted. The big PSU in the T7500 and the nice case (I had another one for years already) is the reason I wanted to go down that path. I keep thinking.. perhaps I should paint the case.. perhaps I shouldn't.. Maybe I'll just mirror polish the alloy front panel or not even do that.. For now I'm just buying X99 parts. The single cpu Huananzhi _X99_-TF with a E5-2678 V3  and 4 sticks of my existing 8 gig ddr3 sticks is a very tempting plan.


----------



## elfoam (Aug 12, 2020)

I spent the last week wondering if the stainless steel stand which was an option for the 690 (Part number KH525) also fits the T7400 and T7500.. Eventually I found that the clips on the bottom of the cases at least were the same part number across all 3 machines.. So I assume the stand is also and I've ordered one. should add a touch of class to the T7500 if it fits as I expect it will.


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 13, 2020)

Has anyone been able to get speed fan to work with the dell T5500?


----------



## elfoam (Aug 13, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Has anyone been able to get speed fan to work with the dell T5500?


Should be the same as this


----------



## Susquehannock (Aug 13, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Has anyone been able to get speed fan to work with the dell T5500?


Yes. Captured this image few minutes ago. We gain access to all four fans, including the active northbridge (5520 chip) fan/cooler only present on the older D883F boards. The newer CRH6C with passive cooler on the northbridge only show the three fans of course.
As a side note ... the T5500 will run with two main front fans disconnected, after bypassing the start up warning. Disconnecting either chipset fan stops you at the start up prompt and can go no further.

Above said. Speed Fan on an overcloked T3500, with either TS or XTU, has been glitchy. Random black screen lock ups. So I don't even bother using it on them anymore unless at stock speed.


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 13, 2020)

@elfoam @Susquehannock 

I think I have it going, still doing some testing, I think I need to redo the thermal paste, can anyone recommended one to use? 

also is there a better 2nd cpu fan and assembly I can get? 

I currently have... 

Dell Precision T5500 Workstation 2nd Processor CPU HeatSink + Riser Assembly F623F W715F W567F F306F


----------



## elfoam (Aug 14, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> @elfoam @Susquehannock
> 
> also is there a better 2nd cpu fan and assembly I can get?
> 
> ...



I've never seen an optional heatsink for the T5500's risers It does get a couple degrees hotter the optional 0U016F main cpu heatsink which I guess you have now?. The easy answer is to run the CPUs that have a high thermal limit.  That's the "Tcase" rating you see in intels site. Most of the top shelf X series CPUs cut out at about 80c, some a little over some a little under. The less fancy E, W and L series cut out in the upper 60c range to mid 70 kind of range. I'm just here trying so hard to resist buying a cheap T5810 on ebay... I've sat here all morning and watched 6 of them sell.. 2 left. It would be a good upgrade for me but I'd regret not waiting for a T7810.

As for thermal paste I'm using Arctic MX-4.. seems to work fine.

You can look at the Tcase thermal ratings for all the Westmere cpus here https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/codename/54534/westmere-ep.html


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 14, 2020)

elfoam said:


> I've never seen an optional heatsink for the T5500's risers It does get a couple degrees hotter the optional 0U016F main cpu heatsink which I guess you have now?. The easy answer is to run the CPUs that have a high thermal limit.  That's the "Tcase" rating you see in intels site. Most of the top shelf X series CPUs cut out at about 80c, some a little over some a little under. The less fancy E, W and L series cut out in the upper 60c range to mid 70 kind of range. I'm just here trying so hard to resist buying a cheap T5810 on ebay... I've sat here all morning and watched 6 of them sell.. 2 left. It would be a good upgrade for me but I'd regret not waiting for a T7810.
> 
> As for thermal paste I'm using Arctic MX-4.. seems to work fine.
> 
> You can look at the Tcase thermal ratings for all the Westmere cpus here https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/codename/54534/westmere-ep.html



Thanks, I have the x5650 so its at 95 for the tmax, and i ordered that thermal paste.


----------



## elfoam (Aug 15, 2020)

So... I ordered a T5810.. I couldn't resist. Now I have to wonder what's the best price per performance cpu at the moment


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 15, 2020)

elfoam said:


> So... I ordered a T5810.. I couldn't resist. Now I have to wonder what's the best price per performance cpu at the moment


What did you get with it?


----------



## elfoam (Aug 15, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> What did you get with it?



Not much..  it's a very basic T5810 but it was also very cheap (250 USD shipped). It has the super slow 4 core E5-1603 V3. 8gig of DDR4 (2 4gig sticks)a 500gig drive and a Quadro K620. There was a much better spec T5810 for a couple hundred dollars more but as I would have been replacing all the stuff in either machine.. I'll go with the cheapest one.

I think I'll go with the 12 core E5 2673 V3, another 2 sticks of ram for 16 gig total and run my RX 480 GPU in it for now with the idea to go to a stronger GPU later. You can do the Russian all core turbo bios hack with the T5810.. Which is one of the main reasons I've been intrested in them. That locks the 2.4ghz E5 2673 V3 to about 3.2ghz all 12 cores. Which should be pretty decent hopefully. These machines are 5 years old now so just starting to run out of Dell support and comming into the used market. I really wanted a T7810.. or even better yet a Lenovo P900 but I'll wait it out for one of those beasts. Maybe next year. Oh yeah the T5810 can boot directly from a M.2 drive.. which is something I am happy to have.

Also the T5810 is pretty future proof, being able to run stuff like the E5-2696 v4 22 core.


----------



## Retrorockit (Aug 16, 2020)

Here's something for anyone playing with an old BTX T3400 or an of the similar XPS computers. The 525W PSU from the T3500, with a 0KP500 harness will have all the right wiring for the BTX systems with proper dual GPU support.
The options for the T3400 would be .
The 375W 2x18A, rail  T3400 PSU. Probably limited to an actual 150W GPU if using a 6 to 8 pin adapter.
The 425W 3x18A, rail with the same connectors as the 375W  plus a 2nd 75W GPU cable..
The 525W 3x18A, rail T3500/t3400 optional PSU which officially has connectors for 2x 150W GPUs, or 1x225W and another 75W on the MB.
The first 2 have integrated wiring. the 525W has a detachable harness.
My thoughts on these-
I see the 375W as an Optiplex 305W with an added 75W GPU cable. Not a lot of head room left.
The 425W is another matter. An added 216W rail with another 75W connector. I wouldn't be afraid to add a 150W 8pin adapter on this one.
The 525W / KP500 is basically the 425W with more GPU power added and a detachable harness. On the T3500 harness it has a very long 8 pin CPU, and  single GPU support. The KP500 harness has a very short 4 pin CPU cable, and added 2x GPU support. The 24 pin on the T3500 harness is too short for BTX.


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 17, 2020)

Does anyone know how to identify the fans on the dell T5500?

I am using speed fan and there is a fan I cant identify.

the only other would be either the power supply or chipset fan?





Any ideas would be appreciated.

Also would anyone be able to tell me what this means? or does it mean my 2nd cpu is bad. I add the 2nd cpu assembly and I get this error.


Pb71- Off 2- Blink 3- Blink 4- BlinkACPI S0, hand off to BIOS controlSystem on. BIOS not execution. This is the transition state to POST states.


----------



## elfoam (Aug 17, 2020)

I think I've had that PB7 error before when plugging the CPU risers in. There's a bit of a trick to getting those seated well and it's really easy to put them in without them actually being pushed in properly/all the way plugged in. I don't run speed fan so I can't help you there. But try and see if you can get the riser card more well seated in the sockets.


----------



## Retrorockit (Aug 17, 2020)

With 2 CPUs you should have a fornt CPU fan, A cage fan for the expansion slot area, and a fan for the 2nd CPU inside the heatsink assembly.
A vendor of used workstations says that the T5500 MB is hit or miss as far as the 2nd CPU riser working properly. Laying it down in desktop orientation is supposed to help. The drives can be installed sideways, and a  desktop front bezel is available for this.


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 17, 2020)

elfoam said:


> I think I've had that PB7 error before when plugging the CPU risers in. There's a bit of a trick to getting those seated well and it's really easy to put them in without them actually being pushed in properly/all the way plugged in. I don't run speed fan so I can't help you there. But try and see if you can get the riser card more well seated in the sockets.



For years its been running fine and I even took it out a few times to clean, this time though I redid the thermal paste on the cpu and so I am thinking I might have screwed something up there. ugh. 

I will see if something is blocking it but I think I had it in all the way like normal. 

Thank you.



Retrorockit said:


> With 2 CPUs you should have a fornt CPU fan, A cage fan for the expansion slot area, and a fan for the 2nd CPU inside the heatsink assembly.
> A vendor of used workstations says that the T5500 MB is hit or miss as far as the 2nd CPU riser working properly. Laying it down in desktop orientation is supposed to help. The drives can be installed sideways, and a  desktop front bezel is available for this.



I was doing thermal paste on both and wanted to start it up first with out the 2nd cpu, which i have done a few times. for years all has been working. with that pic I only had the main cpu installed. so there are two front fans and then the little chipset fan i think. then video and power supply. couldnt figire out the last fan. 

But now I need to figure out why my 2nd cpu asseblemy isnt working and causing that error. 

Thank you

This may be a dumb question but if you have identical cpus they can be swapped from cpu 1 to the cpu assembly?

Ok, I'm one step closer, got the better hearsink and its booting now with both cpus, but getting an error now. 

Memory failure detected in riser dimm 3...

I checked the Cpu again and it looks clean. No paste on back side. 

Has anyone seen this?


----------



## elfoam (Aug 18, 2020)

Memory failure on dimm 3 will be just needing a clean and re-seat or worst case what it says.. a bad ram stick.  But it's great news that you have the cpu booting. And yes you can put the cpu from one slot to the other.. but not any point when they are the same


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 18, 2020)

elfoam said:


> Memory failure on dimm 3 will be just needing a clean and re-seat or worst case what it says.. a bad ram stick.  But it's great news that you have the cpu booting. And yes you can put the cpu from one slot to the other.. but not any point when they are the same



Does that mean repeat the cpu or ram?



elfoam said:


> Memory failure on dimm 3 will be just needing a clean and re-seat or worst case what it says.. a bad ram stick.  But it's great news that you have the cpu booting. And yes you can put the cpu from one slot to the other.. but not any point when they are the same



Does that mean repeat the cpu or ram?


----------



## elfoam (Aug 18, 2020)

Just take that stick of ram out and put it back in. You might have lost the connection while you've been playing around with things. Sometimes you need to re seat ram sticks after a machine has been shipped somewhere etc.


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 18, 2020)

elfoam said:


> Just take that stick of ram out and put it back in. You might have lost the connection while you've been playing around with things. Sometimes you need to re seat ram sticks after a machine has been shipped somewhere etc.



I'm working on that now, Keep getting memory population error now ugh.


----------



## cobaltcosmic (Aug 18, 2020)

Hi all, fellow Dell owner here, with a twist.  All (read: way too many) of my systems at home are Dell Rack systems, all being used as workstations or NAS.  At present, I have four R5400 workstations, one R5500 & R7910 being delivered later this week, four R610s, two R310s running UNRAID (with pfSense & Zabbix VMs) and a single R210 running a Dell PV132T tape library.  Non critical systems are racked up in a 42U rack in my non air conditioned garage with video being served in the house via PCoIP (Teradici), with some of the other temperature/critical systems residing in a 15U rack in my basement lab.  I did install Windows 10 onto the R610s and installed a PCoIP host card with a 25W video card.

I'm currently gearing up to push a couple of the systems as far into the gaming world as possible.  To date, none of them have a serious gaming GPU installed.  To start, I will continue working with the PCoIP setup and see how far I can take it with these systems.  The main gaming rig will consist of a R5500 with dual video cards and dual PCoIP cards.  Since only one PCoIP card can host peripherals, the other will be installed in stand-alone mode by not plugging it into a PCIe slot and powered via a floppy connector (don't ask, still working out the pathway for that).

I'm curious to see how far, if at all, I can take any of these systems down the overclocking road, too!

Anyway, thanks for reading!


----------



## Retrorockit (Aug 19, 2020)

I believe the single CPU workstations are designed to be rack mounted. A T3500 get's you instantly into the gaming/overclocking game.
I know just about nothing related to what you're doing already so it may not be what you want.


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 19, 2020)

I moved the ram around and still get a memory failure detected in riser dimm 3, and now I'm getting also error initializing pci express slot 3 ... and from what i can tell I get a non population error if I take it out.

Can the slot go bad that easy?


----------



## elfoam (Aug 19, 2020)

cobaltcosmic said:


> The main gaming rig will consist of a R5500 with dual video cards and dual PCoIP cards.  Since only one PCoIP card can host peripherals, the other will be installed in stand-alone mode by not plugging it into a PCIe slot and powered via a floppy connector (don't ask, still working out the pathway for that).
> 
> I'm curious to see how far, if at all, I can take any of these systems down the overclocking road, too!
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading!



Sounds look a nice collection !. I kinda want a R5500 myself, not that I need it.. but I just like the fact that it exists. I don't think you'll have much trouble turning it into a gaming machine, I've played games on my IBM x3650 m2 with a GPU and windows 10 on it, same generation as the R5500 but a full blown server, so if that can game your R5500 will.  The most annoy thing with the IBM is that it wont show anything like splash screen bios or configuration when you are booting to something other than not onboard graphics. So you can't see anything until windows starts. But once you are up and running it's just as fast as a dual T5500/T7500.



crazydrve` said:


> I moved the ram around and still get a memory failure detected in riser dimm 3, and now I'm getting also error initializing pci express slot 3 ... and from what i can tell I get a non population error if I take it out.
> 
> Can the slot go bad that easy?



I still think you have a connection problem somewhere,  if you are still getting an error on slot 3 of the riser and it doesn't follow the ram stick.. I can't see how just one slot can go bad unless it's physically broken a trace somewhere. Seems more likely a connection problem with the riser since you've had that out and they can be hard to get connected right.


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 19, 2020)

elfoam said:


> Sounds look a nice collection !. I kinda want a R5500 myself, not that I need it.. but I just like the fact that it exists. I don't think you'll have much trouble turning it into a gaming machine, I've played games on my IBM x3650 m2 with a GPU and windows 10 on it, same generation as the R5500 but a full blown server, so if that can game your R5500 will.  The most annoy thing with the IBM is that it wont show anything like splash screen bios or configuration when you are booting to something other than not onboard graphics. So you can't see anything until windows starts. But once you are up and running it's just as fast as a dual T5500/T7500.
> 
> 
> 
> I still think you have a connection problem somewhere,  if you are still getting an error on slot 3 of the riser and it doesn't follow the ram stick.. I can't see how just one slot can go bad unless it's physically broken a trace somewhere. Seems more likely a connection problem with the riser since you've had that out and they can be hard to get connected right.



Would cpu cause an issue at all? I had checked it once and looked ok to me. Back of cpu and board on the riser


----------



## unoproph (Aug 19, 2020)

Hi I'm new to the Dell Owners group as I just recently picked up a Dell T3500 last week for $60 and looking for some guidance on where to go next with the budget systems. I just also had a two for one pick up on GPUs. One was an R9 380 and the other was the R9 290. Reading about the power consumption of that card makes me hesitant to put that in with the 525w PSU in here. 

It came with a w3530 which I believe is not overclock-able with the Dell Bios and I can't seem to get XTU to recognize the chip or OC this with the Techpowerup utility with the chip either. So from what I've been reading it looks like a W3680 is where I may need to go. Would this be correct as a good next step?

After I do the CPU what is recommended for the PSU upgrade later if I choose to use the R9 290?  I believe I read on here the T5500 / Alienware 875w PSUs pop in here nice. If that's the case does the current wiring harness work or will I need to take apart the PC to correct get that one in?

I appreciate some responses to the very late newcomer to the X58. I'm really just looking for a good budget deal on a PC that will give me a lot more performance than a Raspberry Pi for retro gaming and I know what's in here currently is many times better already. I just would like to get to that next step if possible. So trying to keep the next upgrades to $100 or so. Thanks.


----------



## Retrorockit (Aug 19, 2020)

unoproph said:


> Hi I'm new to the Dell Owners group as I just recently picked up a Dell T3500 last week for $60 and looking for some guidance on where to go next with the budget systems. I just also had a two for one pick up on GPUs. One was an R9 380 and the other was the R9 290. Reading about the power consumption of that card makes me hesitant to put that in with the 525w PSU in here.
> 
> It came with a w3530 which I believe is not overclock-able with the Dell Bios and I can't seem to get XTU to recognize the chip or OC this with the Techpowerup utility with the chip either. So from what I've been reading it looks like a W3680 is where I may need to go. Would this be correct as a good next step?
> 
> ...


Throttlestop is probably the best choice for overclocking that. XTU was designed for later CPUs. There's a forum on doing this and most of us here post there also. The T3500 W3680 is the prefered setup there. The Dell BIOS is not involved in the overclocking at all.








						Throttlestop overclocking Desktop PCs
					

Myself and a few others have used Throttlestop software and unlocked CPUs to overclock OEM locked BIOS PCs.  Throttlestop was designed for underclocking, and undevolting laptop computers to extend battery life. It also allows full control of Voltage and multiplier on unlocked CPUs. There is a...




					www.techpowerup.com
				



As far as the GPUs go The R9 380 is newer tech than the R9 290 and more efficient at 190W vs. 275W.  So if you don't want to buy a PSU go with that one. But the overclocked 6 core CPU and the R9-380 will probably have that PSU on the ragged edge. it would probably be time to go for an aftermarket PSU with enough power (20A.) on the 5V. rail to match what Dell provided there. EVGA makes some with that capacity.
Another option would be the 875W T5500 PSU. Dell PSUs come with several 18A. 12 V rails. The 525W has 3, the 875W has 5 of them.
The harness will have 2x 6 pin GPU cables, but the extra 8 pin CPU cable can be adapted  to an 8 pin PCIe.


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 19, 2020)

Can anyone recommend what magnification I would need for looking at the cpu pins? I am wondering if the pins are bent slightly. 

Currently I am getting two errors. 

Alert ! Error initializing PCI express slot 3
Alert! Memory failure detected in RISER DIMM 3. 

The dell bios tests are all good. 

either my board is bad or something wierd is up?

I do want to thank everyone for help. 
Bill


----------



## elfoam (Aug 19, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Can anyone recommend what magnification I would need for looking at the cpu pins? I am wondering if the pins are bent slightly.



I use jewelers "goggles" (I don't know their official name) for looking at things like that, I guess bent cpu socket pins could explain your issues.


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 19, 2020)

elfoam said:


> I use jewelers "goggles" (I don't know their official name) for looking at things like that, I guess bent cpu socket pins could explain your issues.



So far they seem OK, but I don't have magnification to check. jewelers goggles are a good idea, thank you.

here are some pics I took, I cant see anything. I did order a magnifier that will be here tomorrow, then maybe I can find out whats going on?


----------



## elfoam (Aug 20, 2020)

I can't see any pins obviously out of whack. The machine works perfectly without the riser and second cpu in it?


----------



## dorsetknob (Aug 20, 2020)

I bought a  cheap USB Microscope  a while ago and its perfect for checking for bent lga pins amongst other things
would recommend one for anyone's toolbox.


----------



## Susquehannock (Aug 20, 2020)

May be the lighting. Pin in upper left marked RED (first image) looks bent to me - rotated clockwise a bit. Possibly making contact with other pin when clamping pressure applied. All it takes.

A 10X jeweler's loupe works for me. (second image). Inexpensive at $15.
That t5500 board showed as dead with the bent pins shown and now works again. Mechanical pencil with lead removed slipped over the pin makes it easy to bend if needed.


----------



## elfoam (Aug 20, 2020)

Nice find ^ I never saw that one but it's clear as day now you pointed it out

Looks like that is pin F1 ? = DDR0_DQ[34]F1CMOSI/O  

Could be a winner


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 20, 2020)

elfoam said:


> I can't see any pins obviously out of whack. The machine works perfectly without the riser and second cpu in it?



Yea so far, and it even works works with it in, Just get that riser dimm 3 error and then only showing 64gb, not 72gb.

I started over completely and with only 1 cpu tested all the ram sticks, so I know those are good.

Plus no errors, so its something to do with the 2nd cpu and riser.

Thank you



Susquehannock said:


> May be the lighting. Pin in upper left marked RED (first image) looks bent to me - rotated clockwise a bit. Possibly making contact with other pin when clamping pressure applied. All it takes.
> 
> A 10X jeweler's loupe works for me. (second image). Inexpensive at $15.
> That t5500 board showed as dead with the bent pins shown and now works again. Mechanical pencil with lead removed slipped over the pin makes it easy to bend if needed.



Hey thanks, that gives me something to try, I ordered a magnifier 30x and should get it today so I can check that out.

FYI This is the ram I am using, I also want to make sure its correct. Anyone can confirm?









						MT36JSF1G72PZ-1G4M1FF Micron 8GB DDR3 PC10600 Memory
					

Buy Micron 8GB DDR3 PC10600 Memory MT36JSF1G72PZ-1G4M1FF on discounted price with Free Ground Shipping.




					www.memory4less.com
				






Thank you for all your help @everyone


----------



## elfoam (Aug 20, 2020)

I hope straightening that pin fixes it for you. If not maybe you can find a cheap riser card. 

MY T5810 was supposed to be delivered today but the truck just drove around and went back the the depot without dropping it off.. I guess tomorrow is the day. If it's still working when it arrives I'll immediatly order ram and a cpu.. Not that I've totally decided on which cpu you get yet, there's so many that machine can run that it's a bit confusing .


----------



## Susquehannock (Aug 21, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Hey thanks, that gives me something to try, I ordered a magnifier 30x and should get it today so I can check that out.
> 
> FYI This is the ram I am using, I also want to make sure its correct. Anyone can confirm?
> 
> ...


Seems to me those modules should work. They show on the Intel 5520 comparability list. <

Have also confirmed in my T5500 boards (see link in signature below) the IBM #49Y1415 modules work regardless of re-brand. If used/refurbished modules are an option for you they typically sell for $11 - $15 on Ebay. Shipping and price may vary by location of course.


----------



## elfoam (Aug 21, 2020)

Well the T5810 arrived. Some thoughts on the machine.. The case isn't as high quality as the T5500/T7500 series but the components on the motherboard look just as good.

Here is the geekbench 4 run as purchased with I think.. the slowest CPU that can be put in the machine.. It's still actually very snappy to use as is.





						Dell Inc. Precision Tower 5810  - Geekbench Browser
					

Benchmark results for a Dell Inc. Precision Tower 5810 with an Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-1603 v3 @ 2.80GHz processor.



					browser.geekbench.com
				




I remembered that I ordered a couple of E5 2620 V3 six cores on aliexpress a while ago when they were very cheap (15 dollars).. just in case I ever build a dual X99 machine and needed something to boot it up with. Those CPU's should arrive soon so I will run one of those in this machine for now. As I will only have a Rx 480 GPU for this machine I'll be GPU limited even with the cheap 6 core so for now I'll run that. When the faster 8 core or 12+++++ cores drop in price I can pick one of those up, but being sensible.. there is no point right now.

Expected performance vs the current 4 core is here


			Dell Inc. Precision Tower 5810 vs Dell Inc. Precision Tower 5810  - Geekbench Browser
		


For now I will sink all my coins into ram sticks. It's currently running 2x4 gig sticks but with only 8 ram slots onboard if I stick to 4 gig I'm limited to total ram of 32gig.. That wont be enough for the 5 years I plan to keep this machine running. So I will start again with 8 gig sticks. At first I'll order 4 x 8 gig sticks so I can get the full 4 channel ram bandwidth and I'll order 2400 mhz ddr4 ram so that I am ready for the V4 Xeons once they drop in price.

The power consumption on this machine should be next level for me. At the moment the cpu idles around using windows at 10 watts... ! and only makes it to 38 watts under full load all 4 core turbo.. It can't pull more power than that despite being a 140 watt TDP. Very impressive. It's also a basically silent machine so no regrets on this purchase. Now it's just matter of waiting around for some parts to arrive before I can test it on some games.

Just for fun here's the T5810 with the basic 4 core versus my sons T5500 which is running the average E5649 core, there's a X5675 on the way for my sons machine but it plays games at 1080p above 60 frames no problem with the E5649 and a RX 570. Sons machine is running 24gig of ram in triple channel these days so marginally faster than in this benchmark.



			Dell Inc. Precision WorkStation T5500 vs Dell Inc. Precision Tower 5810  - Geekbench Browser
		


Update: Ordered 2 x 8 gig sticks of 2400mhz ECC ram, I want to see if the machine will happily run these with the 2 exsiting 4 gig sticks in quad channel or not before I buy all 8 gig sticks.


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 21, 2020)

elfoam said:


> Well the T5810 arrived. Some thoughts on the machine.. The case isn't as high quality as the T5500/T7500 series but the components on the motherboard look just as good.
> 
> Here is the geekbench 4 run as purchased with I think.. the slowest CPU that can be put in the machine.. It's still actually very snappy to use as is.
> 
> ...



Those are some interesting results, I need a way better video card before I can try and see my performance. 

And now I am attempting to repair that pin, it seems loose but I think I fixed it, here is a current pic.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 21, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> And now I am attempting to repair that pin, it seems loose but I think I fixed it, here is a current pic.


Looks good to me.


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 21, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Looks good to me.



Looks like its finally working, OMG... I have rebooted several times and no errors on boot. all ram and cpus are recognized. Yahoo. thank you everyone.

One question i have now is which way to put the main cpu cooler and fan?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 21, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> One question i have now is which way to put the main cpu cooler and fan?


On one of my T3500s that have that heatsink I've got it in that configuration with an 80mm fan attached using metal tape pulling[sucking] air through toward the back of the case. A 2000rpm fan will do the job well without much noise. See picture below;


It should be noted: the drive tray the swings down from in front of the CPU location can be removed if not in use. I don't use that tray on any of my T3500's.


----------



## unoproph (Aug 22, 2020)

Looking at the image of the fan above. What tape and fan would you specifically recommended and since I really haven't cracked open my mobo where does the fan plug into on the Mobo headers?  Will I need some kind of splittter?

Sorry I'm not the most versed on this machine yet.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 22, 2020)

unoproph said:


> where does the fan plug into on the Mobo headers?


None. I use molex to 3pin fan adapters for all non-Dell brand fans. There are 4 total in that system and they are all plugged into the molex to 3pin fan header adapter.


unoproph said:


> Will I need some kind of splittter?


Yup. You can use a cable similar to one of the ones below:


			Amazon.com
		






						Amazon.com: ModTek 4-Pin Molex to 4 x 3-Pin Fan Connector Cable (Power 4 Fans from 1 Molex Connection!) (ModTek 4-Pin Molex to 4 x 3-Pin Fan Connector Cabl): Computers & Accessories
					

Buy ModTek 4-Pin Molex to 4 x 3-Pin Fan Connector Cable (Power 4 Fans from 1 Molex Connection!) (ModTek 4-Pin Molex to 4 x 3-Pin Fan Connector Cabl): SATA Cables - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases



					www.amazon.com
				








						Amazon.com: 2 Pack 4-Pin Molex (Actual 2-Pin) to 2 x 3 Pin / 4 Pin PMW 12V PC Case Fan Power Adapter Cable, 3-Pin or 4-Pin (PWM Connector) to Molex Computer Cooler Cooling Fan Splitter Y Power Cable : Electronics
					

Amazon.com: 2 Pack 4-Pin Molex (Actual 2-Pin) to 2 x 3 Pin / 4 Pin PMW 12V PC Case Fan Power Adapter Cable, 3-Pin or 4-Pin (PWM Connector) to Molex Computer Cooler Cooling Fan Splitter Y Power Cable : Electronics



					www.amazon.com
				



For fans a generic fan would be good enough but you can get quality fans for cheap;





						Amazon.com: Noctua NF-R8 redux-1800 PWM, High Performance Cooling Fan, 4-Pin, 1800 RPM (80mm, Grey) : Electronics
					

Buy Noctua NF-R8 redux-1800 PWM, High Performance Cooling Fan, 4-Pin, 1800 RPM (80mm, Grey): Case Fans - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases



					www.amazon.com
				








						Amazon.com: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 80mm, BL044, Cooling Fan, Black: Computers & Accessories
					

Amazon.com: be quiet! Pure Wings 2 80mm, BL044, Cooling Fan, Black: Computers & Accessories



					www.amazon.com
				




But there is currently a 3 pack with adapter on sale for $10;





						Amazon.com: Apevia AF38S-BK 80mm 4pin Molex + 3pin Motherboard Silent Black Case Fan (3-pk): Computers & Accessories
					

Amazon.com: Apevia AF38S-BK 80mm 4pin Molex + 3pin Motherboard Silent Black Case Fan (3-pk): Computers & Accessories



					www.amazon.com
				



Apevia is actually a decent fan brand so that is a good deal. There's also a 5pack on the same page.


----------



## elfoam (Aug 22, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Looks like its finally working, OMG... I have rebooted several times and no errors on boot. all ram and cpus are recognized. Yahoo. thank you everyone.
> 
> One question i have now is which way to put the main cpu cooler and fan?
> 
> View attachment 166263



Yes the main body of the heatsink facing the front of the machine as you have it here is the correct way around, we can tell this because the T7500s optional big heatsink can only be installed that way (there's holes in the shroud for the heat pipes). Very cool that you have the machine working ! Susquehannock has done hero's work seeing that.

GPU next ?.


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 22, 2020)

Susquehannock said:


> Seems to me those modules should work. They show on the Intel 5520 comparability list. <
> 
> Have also confirmed in my T5500 boards (see link in signature below) the IBM #49Y1415 modules work regardless of re-brand. If used/refurbished modules are an option for you they typically sell for $11 - $15 on Ebay. Shipping and price may vary by location of course.



I would Buy more ram, but as far as I know I'm maxed out. I have 72gb 9x8gb right now. 

But thank you so much finding the pin error. My system is working so far and has for hrs. Currently running prime95.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 22, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> I would Buy more ram, but as far as I know I'm maxed out. I have 72gb 9x8gb right now.


Yeah, you're good with RAM. I would focus on a GPU next. That FX3800 is older than the system it's in...


----------



## elfoam (Aug 22, 2020)

Yep even a RX 570 is 7 times faster than the FX3800. You wouldn't know yourself 

I've pretty much moved on from that single cpu T7500 I got a few weeks ago (going to turn it into a hacknitosh now) but I made a video of it running a game just as I bought it. Got lucky that it had a reasonable Quadro K2200 in it. Even a K2200 is no where near as fast as a RX 570.. Very low power consumption though (60 watts) and can still play some games. Was a pretty good deal at 160 usd shipped for that entire system. I don't have more than 48 gig in any of my machines, the most I ever have used is about 30 gig and thats with a couple thousand browser tabs open.


----------



## ManGupta (Aug 22, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> It should be noted: the drive tray the swings down from in front of the CPU location can be removed if not in use..



But that tray forms  part of the Air Duct for incoming from front case fan, thereby directing more airflow to CPU Heatsink, also keeps HDD cooler.

In my case I use three 3.5 inch HDDs, 2 on the tray and one mounted in area below Optical Drive. The 2 HDDs on tray are 4-5 Celcius cooler than HDD in the area below Optical Drive.


----------



## elfoam (Aug 22, 2020)

The top half of the fold out drive tray on T5500 can be removed btw, you need to do that to fit most full sized GPUs in it. You don't need to take the whole thing out to make enough space for a big GPU.


----------



## ManGupta (Aug 22, 2020)

elfoam said:


> The top half of the fold out drive tray on T5500 can be removed btw, you need to do that to fit most full sized GPUs in it. You don't need to take the whole thing out to make enough space for a big GPU.



Yes Correct! for longer GPUs you need to do that. There are 2 types of Drive Trays. In certain systems top half of the fold out drive is removable (as in your case), in other systems you will have to remove the entire tray as top half of the fold out drive tray is not removable.

I have 2 T3500 systems. Both have different kind of Drive Trays.


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 22, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Yeah, you're good with RAM. I would focus on a GPU next. That FX3800 is older than the system it's in...



Thats will be the next buy, only problem is will be finding the best 1 slot style, a double fit video card wont work, I have too many cards. lol


----------



## elfoam (Aug 22, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Thats will be the next buy, only problem is will be finding the best 1 slot style, a double fit video card wont work, I have too many cards. lol


Maybe move something that doesn't need much bandwidth to a USB-Pcie?  I have my raid card on one of the x16 slot and the GPU on the other x16.


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 22, 2020)

Now I just need to make sure my fans are good, I have 2x 80mm in the back, the two front ones, the 80mm on the main cpu and the 2nd cpu fan, that's it so far. Does anyone know if I can put in more fans?



elfoam said:


> Maybe move something that doesn't need much bandwidth to a USB-Pcie?  I have my raid card on one of the x16 slot and the GPU on the other x16.



I have my raid card and video card on the x16 slots, but then I have two pcie quad nic cards, plus a pci-x quad nic card. lol. for labs.

Right now I am running prime95 and the highest is 70c.

I do want to thank everyone who has helped, I finally have it running good so far.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 22, 2020)

ManGupta said:


> But that tray forms part of the Air Duct for incoming from front case fan, thereby directing more airflow to CPU Heatsink


It's A LOT less effective than you might think. It's really just a drive tray mounted sideways in the case and put on a hinge.


ManGupta said:


> also keeps HDD cooler.


Again not really. And if you are mounting your drives in the 3.5" and/or 5.25" bays, the tray is useless.


crazydrve` said:


> only problem is will be finding the best 1 slot style, a double fit video card wont work, I have too many cards. lol


There's only one card I know of that is decent but it's impossible to find.


crazydrve` said:


> but then I have two pcie quad nic cards, plus a pci-x quad nic card. lol. for labs.


You'll have to make a choice then, solid GPU or one of the PCIe NICs. To me the choice is simple, but then again, I don't know what your use-case scenario is.


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 23, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> It's A LOT less effective than you might think. It's really just a drive tray mounted sideways in the case and put on a hinge.
> 
> Again not really. And if you are mounting your drives in the 3.5" and/or 5.25" bays, the tray is useless.
> 
> ...



Right now I'm not much of a gamer or need good video. I'm mostly using ot for ccna/mcsa labs, etc. Once I get a 2nd server then I can get a better video.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 23, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Right now I'm not much of a gamer or need good video. I'm mostly using ot for ccna/mcsa labs, etc. Once I get a 2nd server then I can get a better video.


Then that FX3800 will do very well for you. I thought you were going to game on it.


----------



## ManGupta (Aug 23, 2020)

Apparently the Newest Dell Systems are not as ROBUST as the Good Old 5,7,10 years old Dell Systems used to be ........ one more reason why to buy old Used Vs New System.


----------



## elfoam (Aug 23, 2020)

No doubt the quality is going downhill but it's happening with HP also. Then again a build your own is going to end up just as nasty unless you spend several grand. All this is why going forward to more modern machines I'll buy Lenovo Workstations.. They are still legit


----------



## sepheronx (Aug 23, 2020)

I have myself a Dell Aurora R5 that I got from a friend for building his PC.  It has a i5 6400 in it and 16gb of RAM.  While it is a pain to work in due to how cluttered it is, it isn't all that bad either.  I have replaced the stock PSU with a basic 650w cooler master PSU, replaced the thermal paste on the CPU and put in a GTX 970 currently.  After cleaning it and putting on new thermal paste, it runs a lot quieter as it runs cooler.  The motherboard proprietary connections do suck but oh well.

Don't take to heart what a lot of these youtubers say.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 23, 2020)

ManGupta said:


> Apparently the Newest Dell Systems are not as ROBUST as the Good Old 5,7,10 years old Dell Systems used to be ........ one more reason why to buy old Used Vs New System.


I disagree with Kyle's conclusions. I'll leave it there.


----------



## elfoam (Aug 24, 2020)

After many hours of self debate in my budget vs performance mind I have decided on upgrade plans for the T5810.

E5 1660 V3 3.0ghz 8 core (will be running the E5 2620 V3 6 core for the first couple months)
Either 4 x 8 gig sticks for 32 gig of DDR4 2400 (Running at 2133) or 2 x 8gb (2400@2133) and 2 x4gb (2133) for 24gb (if this works I will go with this option)
128gb M.2 boot drive
RX 480 GPU

I will slowly gather all these things over the next couple of months. Most are on the way.


----------



## elfoam (Sep 4, 2020)

Just a quick update on the T5810, first upgrade is in.. This cpu wont be in it long term but the E5 2620 V3's I ordered in case I felt like building a dual X99 machine one day arrived.. So I put one of them in the 5810.

Here's the benchmark comparason between the 4 core E5 1603 V3 which the machine shipped with vs the 20 dollar E5 2620 V3 6 core.



			Dell Inc. Precision Tower 5810 vs Dell Inc. Precision Tower 5810  - Geekbench Browser
		


Not a bad little upgrade. The machine feels much better to use.. Next step is the ram sticks so I can run quad channel. ps.. This 6 core CPU uses only 46 watts at full load.


----------



## tonichan (Sep 5, 2020)

Retrorockit said:


> You need to take into account the 75W each PCIe MB connector provides for GPUs with no added power cable.
> 2x75W PCIe 16x slots, plus 2x 75W, 6 pin PCIe cables =300W total for 2 GPUs. Or 1x75W slot and 150W cable (2x6, or 1x8 pin)=225W single GPU. That's what the dell specification means. The T7610 doubles that.
> 
> So the MB cable provides 150W (2x75W 6 pin )officially. I'm not seeing 300W on that cable officially from Dell.
> ...


I'm actively considering this solution. However, two problems exist:
1. Are the plug definitions for the T3610 and T5610 the same for the 24-pin motherboard? I'm considering swapping the power distribution board for my T3610. (Based on my understanding to those russians listing them together when testing mb voltages I think they are the same)
2. Are you sure Dell uses standard EPS here? If so then I can surely find an adapter to convert EPS to PCIe 8pin to feed the GPU.


----------



## ManGupta (Sep 5, 2020)

tonichan said:


> I'm actively considering this solution. However, two problems exist:
> 1. Are the plug definitions for the T3610 and T5610 the same for the 24-pin motherboard? I'm considering swapping the power distribution board for my T3610. (Based on my understanding to those russians listing them together when testing mb voltages I think they are the same)
> 2. Are you sure Dell uses standard EPS here? If so then I can surely find an adapter to convert EPS to PCIe 8pin to feed the GPU.



I believe plug definitions for the T3610 and T5610 are same for the 24-pin motherboard and EPS  connectors also I believe to be standard.

Information available are internet are unverified but nevertheless they are information.

But If I were in your situation then I would Double Check.

you can be double sure and mitigate any risk of wrong pinout.

if you are willing to invest 1 hour of your time, get a multi-meter, put it on DC Voltage Mode and check what voltage from each of the pin is coming. That is what I would do if I were in your shoes. That is better than blindly believing on unverified web info.

You can find an adapter to convert EPS to PCIe 8pin for GPU or you can yourself make DIY Adapter, the pinout difference of EPS 8 pin and PCIe 8 Pin is -


----------



## tonichan (Sep 5, 2020)

ManGupta said:


> I believe plug definitions for the T3610 and T5610 are same for the 24-pin motherboard and EPS  connectors also I believe to be standard.
> 
> Information available are internet are unverified but nevertheless they are information.
> 
> ...


Indeed, thinking of doing double-checks anyway. Just wondering if anyone has this piece of information here.


----------



## elfoam (Sep 5, 2020)

So long as you have the PSU, power board and wiring harness I bet you can run a PSU from the 3610. 5610, 5810, 7810 or even the 1300 watt 7910 (part number 0T6R7)  in the 3610.  I was looking up the PSU parts last week, we probably need to investigate this more as there isn't much info around on the net yet.

Everyone lists the 1300 watt PSU as being able to go in the 5810, 7810 and 7910. Yet the board between the PSU and motherboard isn't the same on the 5810 vs 7910 but it seems the PSU itself goes into either board. They list the 825 watt 0FT7T6 as being able to go in the 5610 5810 7810 and 7910.

The 685 watt for the 5810 and 5610.. and the 425 watt  as going in the 3600, 3610 and 5810... So you can see what's going on here. A large degree of interchangeability must be possible.


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## crazydrve` (Sep 5, 2020)

This may be a dumb question but how do you decide how many amps I would be using, I am having some power issues so I am looking at the T5500, my power cord (which I have no clue on) and my pdu. 

here is what I have...

Dell T5500 875 watt power supply - not sure how to judge the power cord.
I also run another 875 watt power supply running 12 hdds

CyberPower CPS1215RMS Surge Protector, 120V/15A, 12 Outlets, 15ft Power Cord, 1U Rackmount

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks you
Bill


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## DailymotionGamer (Sep 5, 2020)

I bought a new computer a few days ago , was using a HP Z420, now i bought a Dell T5810 (2678 v3, 16gb ddr4), and i was curious should i leave on C-state and Intel Speedstep?
Would it affect performance?


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## tonichan (Sep 5, 2020)

elfoam said:


> So long as you have the PSU, power board and wiring harness I bet you can run a PSU from the 3610. 5610, 5810, 7810 or even the 1300 watt 7910 (part number 0T6R7)  in the 3610.  I was looking up the PSU parts last week, we probably need to investigate this more as there isn't much info around on the net yet.
> 
> Everyone lists the 1300 watt PSU as being able to go in the 5810, 7810 and 7910. Yet the board between the PSU and motherboard isn't the same on the 5810 vs 7910 but it seems the PSU itself goes into either board. They list the 825 watt 0FT7T6 as being able to go in the 5610 5810 7810 and 7910.
> 
> The 685 watt for the 5810 and 5610.. and the 425 watt  as going in the 3600, 3610 and 5810... So you can see what's going on here. A large degree of interchangeability must be possible.


The hot-swap PSU is one thing that I have confirmed as granted; the problem lies in how to send power properly to the power-hungry GPUs that would need 2*8pin to push, which the T3610 can't gracefully do with its only 1*8pin available. So now the focus is on the power distribution board-side, since it is this little board specific to each model that sends the power to the mobo. 

What I'm doing is swapping the power distribution board to get extra pins, instead of only trying to allow more power (which, as you said, can be easily done by swapping PSUs).


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## Caring1 (Sep 6, 2020)

u2konline said:


> I bought a new computer a few days ago , was using a HP Z420, now i bought a Dell T5810 (2678 v3, 16gb ddr4), and i was curious should i leave on C-state and Intel Speedstep?
> Would it affect performance?


My understanding of C states is you only need them enabled if you like your system to sleep or hibernate.
Personally my computers are either off or on, and I leave Speedstep enabled to allow lower idle speeds when idle.


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## lexluthermiester (Sep 6, 2020)

u2konline said:


> i was curious should i leave on C-state and Intel Speedstep?
> Would it affect performance?


Yes, and no. Speedstep only allows the CPU to down-clock each/all cores when not in high demand. C-States take that a step further. In high performance instances those settings being disabled will not affect your upper-range speeds.


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## UmbralSamurai (Sep 7, 2020)

So, I'm a first time poster (heck, I just registered tonight xD), but I've been reading this form for at least a year now. I've got both a T3500 (old server build), and now a T7500 (secondary/backup gaming system (I've already put a GTX1660Super SC into it, along with a LOT of other stuff performance wise). What I'd REALLY like to do is change the heatsink (I have the steel/copper/aluminum half "office building" heat sink) over to a Hyper 212 Black Edition. I only have one X5690 in it, and don't ever plan on putting a second one (which would require me to also get the riser).

I know I'll have to modify the air duct shroud, but what I really would like to know is if ANYONE actually has put an aftermarket sink/fan on a T7500, and can offer advice other than "use the stock one, it's good enough".


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## ManGupta (Sep 7, 2020)

UmbralSamurai said:


> So, I'm a first time poster (heck, I just registered tonight xD), but I've been reading this form for at least a year now. I've got both a T3500 (old server build), and now a T7500 (secondary/backup gaming system (I've already put a GTX1660Super SC into it, along with a LOT of other stuff performance wise). What I'd REALLY like to do is change the heatsink (I have the steel/copper/aluminum half "office building" heat sink) over to a Hyper 212 Black Edition. I only have one X5690 in it, and don't ever plan on putting a second one (which would require me to also get the riser).
> 
> I know I'll have to modify the air duct shroud, but what I really would like to know is if ANYONE actually has put an aftermarket sink/fan on a T7500, and can offer advice other than "use the stock one, it's good enough".



I never used any aftermarket heatsink bur Retrorockit is expert in that area. I do however use aftermarket fans and mount it on the Dell  Heatsink Cooper Pipe version and also Overclock my T3500 system in weather condition of  ambiance temp over 40° C in Summer in India. Which Fan to use depends upon size of HS you will be using. For the Dell Default  HS 

 Nidec Beta V 92x38mm thermal control fan with thermistor controlled speed is what I use to OC in over 40° C temperature.








						15.74US $ 25% OFF|Ta350dc M35105-58 Case Cooling Thermal Sensor Fan 12v 1.8a 3-pin (3-wire Lead) 90mm X 90mm X 38mm - Fans & Cooling - AliExpress
					

Smarter Shopping, Better Living!  Aliexpress.com




					www.aliexpress.com
				




But for larger aftermarket HS you would need different fan depending upon the size of the HS, for which you can dig back Retrorockit's posts in this thread as well as ThrottleStop Thread.

I post here a couple of the Retrorockit's Posts , but if you dig back the two threads, you will get his some more posts on this subject.









						Dell Workstation Owners Club
					

I've never heard of that HDD cage. But the move to 2.5" SSD has made it redundant I think. Dell's use of the big blue drive caddys always made their drive cages use a lot of space. I picked up a T7400/ Precision 690 SLI riser card installation kit for $20 NOS. Not  the card but the raised rear...




					www.techpowerup.com
				












						Dell Workstation Owners Club
					

Bad news friends. No go with these RDIMMs and dual QPI processors in T3500/X58. Not with my small sampling of hardware at least. Same results as with the single QPI W3680. Only get "S8" error at any configuration - one, two, or three modules. BIOS won't even complete POST sequence.  To...




					www.techpowerup.com
				




One more thing you need to do for T3500 (which do not have active chipset cooling, unlike T7500/T5500) is mount a fan on NB and a HS (and fan if you find a suitable one) on SB. In case of X58 boards NB & SB become very hot.













						Dell Workstation Owners Club
					

The very early T5500 MB D883f had active SB cooling. 0G422G is the part#. Prices vary wildly on this item and other MB wont have the 4 pin header to run the fan...




					www.techpowerup.com


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## elfoam (Sep 7, 2020)

UmbralSamurai said:


> So, I'm a first time poster (heck, I just registered tonight xD), but I've been reading this form for at least a year now. I've got both a T3500 (old server build), and now a T7500 (secondary/backup gaming system (I've already put a GTX1660Super SC into it, along with a LOT of other stuff performance wise). What I'd REALLY like to do is change the heatsink (I have the steel/copper/aluminum half "office building" heat sink) over to a Hyper 212 Black Edition. I only have one X5690 in it, and don't ever plan on putting a second one (which would require me to also get the riser).
> 
> I know I'll have to modify the air duct shroud, but what I really would like to know is if ANYONE actually has put an aftermarket sink/fan on a T7500, and can offer advice other than "use the stock one, it's good enough".



There are three different heatsinks for the T7500, the "high performance" one is part number 0U402F, I recently bought one for a good price brand new on ebay (I have these in both my T7500's), I can put a link if you like. (they had more). it will keep your x5690 cool enough


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## crazydrve` (Sep 7, 2020)

would anyone know why a cpu2 fan error would occur?


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## Retrorockit (Sep 7, 2020)

On page 8,9 of the Throttlestop Overclocking thread there are some cooler and fan mods for the T3500.








						Throttlestop overclocking Desktop PCs
					

I'm used to BTX Dells being able to handle a 1.8A. fan w/o problem. But this isn't BTX so I should probably be careful. So 2 fan connectors, but just 1 CPU PWM wire. I'm finding that the T7500 uses this size fan in a 150mm+120mm setup and a bigger heatsink U402F.  I really appreciate the in...




					www.techpowerup.com


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## lexluthermiester (Sep 7, 2020)

UmbralSamurai said:


> but what I really would like to know is if ANYONE actually has put an aftermarket sink/fan on a T7500


I have. Take the shroud out of the system and leave it out(everything will work fine). Attach your 212 and away you go. You'll need to use a 3pin to molex or 3pin to sata power cable adapter.

You need to leave the fan assembly in as the system will annoy you with a prompt every time you boot with the fans not plugged in, but the ram/cpu shrouds are not, strictly speaking, required. See below;




__





						Dell T7500 Front Fan Assembly
					

Dell T7500 Front Fan Assembly . Front Fan Assembly, Removing the Front Fan Assembly



					manualsdump.com
				




BTW, welcome to TPU, offically as a user, not just a lurker!



ManGupta said:


> One more thing you need to do for T3500 (which do not have active chipset cooling, unlike T7500/T5500) is mount a fan on NB and a HS (and fan if you find a suitable one) on SB. In case of X58 boards NB & SB become very hot.


This!! Do this!


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## UmbralSamurai (Sep 9, 2020)

I could modify the shroud for the 7500 that way I still get airflow over the ram, or I could just rig something up.  I already have the pinout for the adapter on the 212+fan thankfully.  As for the 3500, I put a high CFM fan front and back (both have the "half office tower" heatsink), plus high flow 80s on the back, and a 60mm fan on the Northbridge (I needed it after I upgraded the W3530 to an X5660).  

On the 7500, thankfully I don't have the 2nd CPU (nor do I really need it, in my opinion with the X5690), but I can pick up a hobby box and Dremel it to fit so that the directed air will move over the ram.  I'll probably add a similar thing that I did to the 3500 for the northbridge, and just use a 60mm fan there as well.


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## tonichan (Sep 9, 2020)

tonichan said:


> Indeed, thinking of doing double-checks anyway. Just wondering if anyone has this piece of information here.



Updates: 
1. Got the 5600/5610 power distribution board (with wires) before the actual computer. Compared between the two P1 plug wiring and discovered that the two plugs are the same (plug format and the colors of wires) between T3600/3610 and T5600/5610. 
2. The CPU plugs has four yellows up four blacks down. It should be a standard EPS plug. 
3. Found reference about using the 8pin PCIe slot for dual-8pin output here 







. Also going to buy that 8pin to 2*8pin proprietary converter from Amazon:



Imprecision said:


> Yes, the cable I have has no pin 7 or 8 on the 8 pin connector. Testing the cable with a multimeter shows pin 1 on the 8 pin connector is connected to pin 1 on the 6 pin connector on the cable, pin 2 is connected to pin 2, pin 3 to pin 3, etc. There are also three yellow wires and three black ones, so it's likely there are three 12V wires.
> 
> A helpful fellow at the Dell community forums actually tested running a card (overclocked 2080) at 235W in the T3610 and it was stable. He used this cable, so I ordered that as well.




Given this my conclusions are here:
1. My plan should work, swapping a power distribution board to get power from the CPU slot;
2. Even that, I need not do this for now since the single 8Pin PCIe slot can supply the power that 2080Ti uses.
3. Thus I'll reserve the plan until I get another card, making this plan support powering dual top-tier GPUs instead.
4. All these are pending double check with multimeter after I get the actual computer.


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## Retrorockit (Sep 9, 2020)

Don't forget that if you find something that doesn't work publish that also. It can keep others from wasting time and money on dead ends.


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## elfoam (Sep 10, 2020)

I have a dual female 6 pin to 8 pin extension for my T5810 which will get it up to 225watts + a bit on the gpu power side of things. But after all this power board talk I'm going to have to open it up to see if there's a way to grab more power off the board. I'm going to attempt to do the all core turbo bios mod trick to it soon. It should get the E5 2620 V3 in it up to 3.2ghz turbo on all six cores. Currently it will cap out at 2.6ghz on all cores.


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## tonichan (Sep 10, 2020)

tonichan said:


> Updates:
> 1. Got the 5600/5610 power distribution board (with wires) before the actual computer. Compared between the two P1 plug wiring and discovered that the two plugs are the same (plug format and the colors of wires) between T3600/3610 and T5600/5610.
> 2. The CPU plugs has four yellows up four blacks down. It should be a standard EPS plug.
> 3. Found reference about using the 8pin PCIe slot for dual-8pin output here
> ...




Got the computer:
Testing shows that the voltage outputs from the T3610 mobo power cable when it's plugged to T5610's power dist board is identical. Power distribution board swap is possible, but you gonna use the T3610 cable instead of T5610's, because one of the unconnected holes on the plug is stuck on T3610 while it isn't on T5610.


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## elfoam (Sep 10, 2020)

Is the power board you got part number 0M6NP2  ?


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## tonichan (Sep 11, 2020)

tonichan said:


> Got the computer:
> Testing shows that the voltage outputs from the T3610 mobo power cable when it's plugged to T5610's power dist board is identical. Power distribution board swap is possible, but you gonna use the T3610 cable instead of T5610's, because one of the unconnected holes on the plug is stuck on T3610 while it isn't on T5610.


Further updates:
1. Used UserBenchmark as a pressure test, and found that the original 8pin cannot supply enough power, since the computer shut down because of too much current through the 8pin. Has swapped the board from T5610, and the computer is up. Testing to 100% GPU TDP and shows no problems.
2. The 825W PSU with code C2TXD doesn't fit into the computer, because there's a slot on the top of the PSU that doesn't align with the box.

So that's a success! YAY


			Dell Precision T3610 Performance Results - UserBenchmark
		




elfoam said:


> Is the power board you got part number 0M6NP2  ?


No, it is CVHT6. M6NP2 has double 10-pin, which is hard to deal with... CVHT6 has traditional 8-pin


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## elfoam (Sep 12, 2020)

I thought I should put these bench marks here since it shows the difference between dual and triple channel ram on the Dell T5500. (will be the same on a 7500).

So here is dual channel vs triple channel, no other changes.



			Dell Inc. Precision WorkStation T5500 vs Dell Inc. Precision WorkStation T5500  - Geekbench Browser
		


And I also did one more upgrade to this machine which will probably be it's final major upgrade and that was swapping out the E5649 6 core for another 6 core Xeon with a faster QPI speed, I used the X5675.



			Dell Inc. Precision WorkStation T5500 vs Dell Inc. Precision WorkStation T5500  - Geekbench Browser


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## Caring1 (Sep 13, 2020)

elfoam said:


> I thought I should put these bench marks here since it shows the difference between dual and triple channel ram on the Dell T5500. (will be the same on a 7500).
> 
> So here is dual channel vs triple channel, no other changes.


No other changes except tripling the amount of Ram. 
Try keeping the amount the same for a fair Dual channel V's Triple channel comparison.


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## lexluthermiester (Sep 13, 2020)

Caring1 said:


> No other changes except tripling the amount of Ram.
> Try keeping the amount the same for a fair Dual channel V's Triple channel comparison.


It wouldn't make much of a difference, if any.


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## elfoam (Sep 13, 2020)

Yes the amount of ram makes no difference to that bench mark, just the extra speed from the third channel. Makes not much difference to gaming of course, since that's 95% being done in the gpu, just a few frames. But I did gain about 5 more FPS changing to the X5675.


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## json666 (Sep 13, 2020)

Hi everyone.
I reviewed the whole thread but haven't found any replacement idea for heatsink and fan G422G in T5500 workstation (pic attached) I have cleaned up the fan, disassembled it, added some motor oil but still I can hear the fan. I would be grateful for any replacement idea.


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## lexluthermiester (Sep 13, 2020)

json666 said:


> Hi everyone.
> I reviewed the whole thread but haven't found any replacement idea for heatsink and fan G422G in T5500 workstation (pic attached) I have cleaned up the fan, disassembled it, added some motor oil but still I can hear the fan. I would be grateful for any replacement idea.


You're kind of out of luck. If you remove the fan, the BIOS will show an alert on every boot up. 

If you want you can splice a resistor into the 5V line leading to the fan motor, which will reduce the fan speed and thus noise, but that will also reduce the cooling effect for the chipset.


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## json666 (Sep 13, 2020)

yeah.. that's what I thought. Anyway if anyone knows some replacement please let me know. I will also update if I find something. Thanks!


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## lexluthermiester (Sep 13, 2020)

json666 said:


> yeah.. that's what I thought. Anyway if anyone knows some replacement please let me know. I will also update if I find something. Thanks!


BTW, welcome to TPU!


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## Caring1 (Sep 14, 2020)

json666 said:


> Hi everyone.
> I reviewed the whole thread but haven't found any replacement idea for heatsink and fan G422G in T5500 workstation (pic attached) I have cleaned up the fan, disassembled it, added some motor oil but still I can hear the fan. I would be grateful for any replacement idea.


What size fan, is it 40mm?
Northbridge chipset?
If you can't find a replacement 4 pin fan you could try a 3 pin and connect a bridge wire from the negative (black) to the outer most pin on the other side for the sensor.


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## unoproph (Sep 18, 2020)

Hello TPU. I'm back with some updates. Because of the TDP on the R9 290 and the R9 380 I sold both and picked up a RX570 which I under power and it stays around 90TDP and matched with the W3680 I feel better with the power consumption on the PSU.  I threw in the fan on the CPU cooler and I just picked up some other case fans to attach to the back of the machine so now I have a couple of questions.

Why wouldn't Throttlestop allow me to go higher than 27x multiplier on my CPU am I doing something incorrectly?  I ended up finding an older XTU that allowed me to use on the w3680. For now I'm at a 30x multiplier for 4ghz and curious what's a safe multiplier on stock cooler with fan?

How did you attach that small fan to the northridge heatsink?  Do you guys think metal tape would work like done with the CPU cooler to heatsink?

Also I'm trying to figure out why my DDR3 memory is stating it's only at 667 mhz. Where should I start troubleshooting to find out how to get the memory speeds correct. I'm assuming this is hurting my performance.

Lastly what's an expected Cinebench R15 with this setup. Currently I'm at 800 and pretty happy with that over the 420 I started with and about $150 into the PC

All in all pretty happy with this and might turn this into my VR machine with a USB3.1 card. This is scoring better than my FX8320 with and RX480 and I'm thinking the frame rate might be more consistent with this over that CPU.

Thanks
Uno


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## ManGupta (Sep 18, 2020)

unoproph said:


> Why wouldn't Throttlestop allow me to go higher than 27x multiplier on my CPU am I doing something incorrectly?  I ended up finding an older XTU that allowed me to use on the w3680. For now I'm at a 30x multiplier for 4ghz and curious what's a safe multiplier on stock cooler with fan?
> 
> How did you attach that small fan to the northridge heatsink?  Do you guys think metal tape would work like done with the CPU cooler to heatsink?
> 
> ...



Q-  Throttle stop allow me not to go higher than 27x multiplier on my CPU am I doing something incorrectly?

A-  In case of W3680 Throttlestop allows multiplier upto 31X but in case of some chips 30X or 4.00 GHz is more stable depending upon your silicon lottery. Post this querry on TS thread with the screenshot of what settings you are using.

Q- How did you attach that small fan to the northridge heatsink?
A - In my case is just use 4 screws of adequate thickness and shape which just gets struck between fins of HS of NB.



Q- what's an expected Cinebench R15 with this setup?
A- I get upto 903

Q-why my DDR3 memory is stating it's only at 667 mhz?
A- T3500 + W3680 supports ram speed upto 1333 mhz, = 667X2=1333
If you are getting 

 then it is OK.

In modern times PCIE-USB 3 adapter is almost necessary for T3500.








						Dell Workstation Owners Club
					

I've never heard of that HDD cage. But the move to 2.5" SSD has made it redundant I think. Dell's use of the big blue drive caddys always made their drive cages use a lot of space. I picked up a T7400/ Precision 690 SLI riser card installation kit for $20 NOS. Not  the card but the raised rear...




					www.techpowerup.com


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## theapprenticeco (Sep 18, 2020)

*Dell T7500 physical health parameters - how to monitor win 2012 / PRTG / other ?*

Good day:

I am happy to have found this community

I have purchased a Dell T7500 with a Xeon 5650 and 24 GB RAM, a few months ago and was very well impressed with the noise level, because it’s on my desktop.

I’m experimenting with it using Windows 2012 Server as OS.

I’m very curious about monitoring the *physical health parameters (temperature, FANs, GPU, disks, etc)*
however not being able to use the Dell Software because of the OS compatibility

I have some experience with PRTG monitoring software and installed it on this machine to “Self monitor” it, but suggested sensors are kind of basic.
Ping, http / https

I would appreciate some hints to monitor this good machine.

Thanks.


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## lexluthermiester (Sep 18, 2020)

Welcome to TPU!



theapprenticeco said:


> I’m experimenting with it using Windows 2012 Server as OS.


Are you going to use it as a server? If not, Windows 10 LTSB/LTSC might serve you better.

As far as hardware monitoring, I use Open Hardware monitor for basic stats, and HWInfo for more detail stats when needed.


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## unoproph (Sep 19, 2020)

ManGupta said:


> Q-  Throttle stop allow me not to go higher than 27x multiplier on my CPU am I doing something incorrectly?
> 
> A-  In case of W3680 Throttlestop allows multiplier upto 31X but in case of some chips 30X or 4.00 GHz is more stable depending upon your silicon lottery. Post this querry on TS thread with the screenshot of what settings you are using.
> 
> ...




Thanks for some guidance here. I played around a little more with Throttlestop and Intel XTU I can be stable at 30-31x Multiplier. When I push to 32 things freeze. So right where you said. If I push the power max up to give the base more frequnecy I see my CPU temps shoot up to mid 70s and only got 8 more Cinebench points. So didn't see the risk vs reward there so can back to 30x and hanging here for now. Assuming there's something major holding my Cinebench score back almost 100pts from your if everything else is equal and thinking that's my cooling on the system. I still need to do the NB cooling and exhaust cooling fans.  I appreciate the help on the memory I feel better that it's at 1333mhz.  I'll looking into the USB3 adapter you recommended.


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## ManGupta (Sep 19, 2020)

unoproph said:


> Thanks for some guidance here. I played around a little more with Throttlestop and Intel XTU I can be stable at 30-31x Multiplier. When I push to 32 things freeze. So right where you said. If I push the power max up to give the base more frequnecy I see my CPU temps shoot up to mid 70s and only got 8 more Cinebench points. So didn't see the risk vs reward there so can back to 30x and hanging here for now. Assuming there's something major holding my Cinebench score back almost 100pts from your if everything else is equal and thinking that's my cooling on the system. I still need to do the NB cooling and exhaust cooling fans.  I appreciate the help on the memory I feel better that it's at 1333mhz.  I'll looking into the USB3 adapter you recommended.



30X or 4 GHz is most stable OC for W3680, though in my case I can go upto 31X or 4.1 GHz and mostly system runs fine but when I process a large media file in HandBrake Application, sometimes system becomes unstable, so I also mostly run on 4 GHz, ................. It also depends upon the Silicon Lottery.

Don't bother much about Cinebench Score, which is synthetic benchmark. I had got 903 while running W3680 at 4.1 GHz all 6 cores, Intel Speedstep disabled in BIOS, 24 GB memory at 1333 MHz in Tripple Channel and no other Applications running on my system except Cinebench R15. Else if few apps are running, I also get 800+.


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## lexluthermiester (Sep 19, 2020)

ManGupta said:


> though in my case I can go upto 31X or 4.1 GHz


Same here. I'm using ThrottleStop on a T3500. Haven't had a crash yet.


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## elfoam (Sep 19, 2020)

So this happened

I can confirm after 10 years of google mystery that the Dell T7500 does indeed run crossfire. Here running two RX 480s. This machine is still running a single 4 core. I may test it with a 6 core or even in my dual CPU T7500 tomorrow. You need to use the two X16 slots to make it work, this means there's not much room between the cards but at least in this case they are not getting hot.

I'll just leave a note.. you run one card from the 8 pin GPU plug and the other card from the 6 pin (you can go 6 pin to 8 pin) with the blue white and black wires). These seem to be on separate rails and there's no problem powering both cards with the T7500s PSU.

Getting each game setup can be a bit finicky as crossfire is but with some work you can run 80% of games well in crossfire and this results in dead smooth ultra settings with these two GPUs, even with that single old 4 core. Can also be used as a house heater.


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## theapprenticeco (Sep 22, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Welcome to TPU!
> 
> 
> Are you going to use it as a server? If not, Windows 10 LTSB/LTSC might serve you better.
> ...



Thanks a lot for the Welcome and the hints

I have downloaded the hwinfo portable version and it's kind of cool! 
for first time I can see my CPU temperatures.

I have an old Toshiba with T3400 processor which usually gets hotter than this Xeon!





In my case I do need to use it like a server, both working and tweaking, it's like a lab for virtualization, file / backup server, app testing.

I like that I have a Xeon, but without the noise of a Dell R310
...to my surprise I can suspend it and wake up without issue

and my Geek's dream is to add the second CPU some day.


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## lexluthermiester (Sep 23, 2020)

theapprenticeco said:


> I have an old Toshiba with T3400 processor which usually gets hotter than this Xeon!


Those temps are a bit on the hot side. Is that picture showing the temps under load?


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## elfoam (Sep 23, 2020)

Hotter than a X5650 will get with the bigger heatsinks but that's about where they run with the alloy block, still well within the cpu's 81c limit though. So nothing to stress over.


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## lexluthermiester (Sep 23, 2020)

elfoam said:


> Hotter than a X5650 will get with the bigger heatsinks but that's about where they run with the alloy block, still well within the cpu's 81c limit though. So nothing to stress over.


Still, that depends on the load. If that system is idling at 70+C then they have a cooling problem. The X5650 is a lower wattage CPU, it should not be getting that hot under idle conditions.


----------



## elfoam (Sep 23, 2020)

Yeah, pretty safe to say that's either under a full stress test or it has no heatsink on it at all


----------



## lexluthermiester (Sep 23, 2020)

elfoam said:


> Yeah, pretty safe to say that's either under a full stress test or it has no heatsink on it at all


We could speculate all day, let's wait to hear back from them.


----------



## Caring1 (Sep 23, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> We could speculate all day, let's wait to hear back from them.


I'm going to speculate that it is running hot at idle, the minimum Core temp shown would be much lower otherwise.
For some reason the CPU fan seems to be at idle speed and not faster as it should be at that Temp.


----------



## unoproph (Sep 23, 2020)

Hey there again TPU. Thanks for all the help getting me to this point with my T3500. So far very happy after learning a little more about some of the setting of Throttlestop. I am able to run at 31x with the boost power levels pushed to 180TDP and running very stable at 4.13ghz all core turbo.  I have had a couple overheating concerns with longer stress tests pushing the CPU to 80 degrees under load. So I have pushed that back to 4.00ghz all core turbo at 30x. I am hitting 920 or so on Cinebench R15 and 1850 on R20 both higher scores then a standard I74770 or an I76700. 

Strong platform X58 and I'm amazed what it can do... So how big of a bottleneck is this platform for a 1070 or a 2060 gpu at 4ghz?  Would I see a significant performance increase over the RX570?  I'm going there be keeping an eye out after the new year on the second hand gpu market once both Nvidia and AMD drop their new cards assuming the prices will continue to fall another 15 to 25%. 

Uno


----------



## lexluthermiester (Sep 23, 2020)

unoproph said:


> Strong platform X58 and I'm amazed what it can do... So how big of a bottleneck is this platform for a 1070 or a 2060 gpu at 4ghz?


I'm running a 2080 with a W3680 in a T3500. Some games are CPU bottlenecked, but not many and not by much. It greatly depends on the game. A GTX1070 would be a solid match though a 1080 would be better. I had a 1080 in the same system before the 2080 and performance was rockin.


----------



## UmbralSamurai (Sep 23, 2020)

I know it's been a couple of weeks, but I wanted to give y'all an update on my T7500 project.  After making a modification to the fan shroud ducting, I got the Hyper 212 into the system, as well as putting a fan controller (5.25 bay, powered, with 3 additional connectors if needed, plus temp sensors) in. 

I certainly WON'T have to worry about temperatures ever again, I'll say that.  It's been on for the last 7 days solid, and I've been stress testing it at least once a day, and I don't see temperatures (according to HWinfo and CPUInfo sending info to my G510s keyboard (gotta love LCD displays on keyboards)) anywhere as high as I did before.  I'm idling somewhere around 73F (22.78C), and under stress, I'm not getting above 105F (40.55C).  Average load in Fallout 4 has been somewhere around 85-90F (29.44-32.22C)

The next project I have in mind for it, is mounting caster wheels on the bottom to make it easier to move around (I'm not getting any younger, and it's a heavy beast). I'm also looking into getting a "different" heatsink/fan configuration for the Northbridge as I happen to have the board that only has the Southbridge "fan" if you can call it that.  I'm thinking I can adapt something that will fit nicely over it, plus using the same mounting holes.   (I knew I should have taken pictures before I put it into it's location).


----------



## spankaroo (Sep 24, 2020)

Hey folks.    I'm hoping this is the right group to ask... I think this is a pretty good spot!

I just purchased a Dell PowerEdge T140 and I'm looking to make things a bit more quiet.   After all the settings I can possibly change in iDRAC9, I can't get the fans to spin below 69% at idle.

Unfortunately, the 5pin pinout seems different from all the "Dell 5pin fan connectors" out there.    So far, I think the noise is generally the chassis fan (connector image attached).  
Do I need to make a custom cable from one of the "Dell compatible" ones on Amazon?   What should I do for the pinout?    Ideas appreciated.

Spankaroo


----------



## KLiKzg (Sep 24, 2020)

Adding myself to this club also, as an owner of T5500.

It came with 2x E5645, 48GB RAM, SSD & ATi 7790 Radeon HD.
Now it's has 2x X5670 & NVIDIA GTX 1650.

Here are my previous struggles:
- https://www.dell.com/community/Precision-Fixed-Workstations/T5500-back-case-fans/m-p/7476900#M3590  - now running both fans from HDD power supply adapters.
- https://www.dell.com/community/Prec...blem-with-1650-graphic-card/m-p/7434075#M3281 - managed to get it working from HDMI.
- https://www.dell.com/community/Precision-Fixed-Workstations/Air-coolers-t5500/m-p/7625852#M4358 - now running both fans from HDD power supply adapters.

Next upgrade is the front cooler for mob CPU, ordered the bigger one (used on T5500 & T7500).


----------



## UmbralSamurai (Sep 24, 2020)

Yet another update, because, that's what we like to do... we like to keep our friends informed on things. 

This is all still for my T7500, my T3500 is just sitting in a corner pouting right now.

So, I went and bought an abs box just bigger than the Northbridge, and cut a hole for the fan to fit, plus modified for the clips (I'm still looking for a different heatsink to be honest as I don't have the Dell fan one).  Attached the fan as a pull "up" fan to bring the heat into the airflow, added it to my fan controller (see previous for the front fan on the Hyper 212), and powered it up. 

Works great, pulls the heat off, dumps it into the airflow, with one problem.  I do a smoke test every so often to check the airflow itself, and I'm noticing that it's becoming turbulent over that fan.  I tested it in a push "down" configuration, and while not as bad, there's still some turbulence, but the temperatures are about 20F different from the pull "up".

I'm wondering if in a down configuration, as it's sucking air out of the flow onto the northbridge, but because I don't have a vent hole for it to go (even though, I'm about an eighth of an inch up, it's simply trapping the air inside, which is causing the higher temperature.

The other option, which I just thought of while typing this, is this:  Does some aftermarket company make a much smaller heat pipe system that I could use, that way the fan itself stays inside the airflow?  Has anyone heard of something like this?  I have an old Frio 12 that I could cannibalize if I need to for testing, but is there such a thing already on the market?  And if so, would that be a significant temperature change from the pull "up" configuration?


----------



## unoproph (Sep 26, 2020)

Hey TPU

So I have a question about running dual GPU in the T3500.

So with the RX570 it performs very excellent with DX11,12 and Vulkan APIs but when running an app that uses openGL I found that AMD has pretty much given up on that API and nvidia runs circles around it. After reading up I saw a 1050 or 1650 would do very well in the specific application and I'm starting to see them around $50 but it's a big performance hit in gaming if I switched to one of those at this time for full time usage. I want to wait for a 1070ti after the first of the year (or mid next year) knowing people will start to replace them with 3070s and other cards. So now to my question if I found a great deal on a 1050 can I run both cards in the system at the same time?  And how does this work if I want one to take the main workload on a specific task but still have main output through the 570.  And how would the PSU do if I did this and kept the TDP of the CPU at 180 while running both cards. I imagine I'm asking a lot since the RX570 pulled 100TDP at load and know the 1050 will pull the 75TDP from the PCI slot.  I doudt if this was even possible both wouldn't pull heavy load at the same time when tasking the other but don't know . This may not be the best specific location on this forum but it does also involve the T3500 so hoping some expertise from this group may help as well.

Thanks
Uno


----------



## lexluthermiester (Sep 26, 2020)

unoproph said:


> So now to my question if I found a great deal on a 1050 can I run both cards in the system at the same time? And how does this work if I want one to take the main workload on a specific task but still have main output through the 570.


Technically yes. But the card that is connected to the Display would be the primary card and would be the only one used unless a program can address and use the other one directly.



unoproph said:


> And how would the PSU do if I did this and kept the TDP of the CPU at 180 while running both cards.


If you have one of the standard 525w PSU's you will likely run into issues. Those two cards on there own would not be a problem, but together with the CPU you're using the potential for issues is there. I would upgrade to a 750W PSU if you want to do such a config. But that is my school of thought, there are others who may have other opinions. I prefer to error on the side of caution rather than push the limit of a PSU.


----------



## UmbralSamurai (Sep 26, 2020)

So, since I couldn't figure out how to ... wait.. nevermind, there it is... 



lexluthermiester said:


> Technically yes. But the card that is connected to the Display would be the primary card and would be the only one used unless a program can address and use the other one directly.


I would have thought that the card in the Slot2, where the one in Slot4 would be the secondary in a two card system, but I haven't tried it yet.



lexluthermiester said:


> If you have one of the standard 525w PSU's you will likely run into issues. Those two cards on there own would not be a problem, but together with the CPU you're using the potential for issues is there. I would upgrade to a 750W PSU if you want to do such a config. But that is my school of thought, there are others who may have other opinions. I prefer to error on the side of caution rather than push the limit of a PSU.



I'd say at a minimum go with a modular supply sitting anywhere between 850W and 1050W to be on the safe side.  I say modular, only because you can add the second set of gpu power cables without having to deal with using an adapter of some kind.   I use that wattage range, only because it'll give a little more headroom when it comes to power.  A friend of mine runs 1080ti's in SLI (not your configuration, but using as example), and had issues until he went to an 850W supply.

The only other issue I see, is one of heat load.  You might want to see if you can find one of those expansion slot blower fan cards (attaches to a simple 4-pin molex, old HDD/CD drive power connection) to help push some of the heat out, or if you have a way to run the GPU fans at 100%, that'll help a bit as well.


----------



## KLiKzg (Sep 26, 2020)

unoproph said:


> Hey TPU
> 
> So I have a question about running dual GPU in the T3500.
> 
> ...


Why don't you watch for GTX 1660 Ti? That one is similar to 1070 in speed, but is only 120W - compared to 150W of 1070.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Sep 27, 2020)

UmbralSamurai said:


> I'd say at a minimum go with a modular supply sitting anywhere between 850W and 1050W to be on the safe side.


I was talking about Dell branded PSU's with the proper wiring harness. But there's nothing stopping you from using a third party modular PSU.


----------



## UmbralSamurai (Sep 27, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> I was talking about Dell branded PSU's with the proper wiring harness. But there's nothing stopping you from using a third party modular PSU.



In that case, yes.  The only problem I was thinking about was finding one of the bigger ones that'll fit in the T3500.  I live in the home of Dell, and even I had a problem finding a bigger supply that was new. ('d rather have new than refurbished, imho) But, I was thinking any modular PSU.  All the ones I've found are fully compatible for the T3500.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Sep 27, 2020)

UmbralSamurai said:


> In that case, yes.  The only problem I was thinking about was finding one of the bigger ones that'll fit in the T3500.  I live in the home of Dell, and even I had a problem finding a bigger supply that was new. ('d rather have new than refurbished, imho) But, I was thinking any modular PSU.  All the ones I've found are fully compatible for the T3500.


I wouldn't worry about used Dell PSU's. I buy them frequently and rarely does one come in that doesn't work. I think there's only ever been one. Seller replaced it swiftly.

750's can be a bit hard to find right now but I did find an 875w for a good price.





						Genuine Dell Precision T3500 825 Watt Switching Power Supply 0j556t for sale online | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Genuine Dell Precision T3500 825 Watt Switching Power Supply 0j556t at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com


----------



## UmbralSamurai (Sep 27, 2020)

That's a really good price for an 875w, and I keep forgetting that the 3500 and 5500 supplies are cross compatible (I haven't had a T5500). 

The last used supply I had was for my R210 which was refurbished (more like blown out with air and nothing else done, but compact PSUs), which tied after about 2 weeks.  The one before that for my T3500 took out half of the original motherboard because of a short inside of it, and that had been refurbished as well, so I might be biased a little bit.  (I've had my share of bad new PSUs as well.)  I generally look at what I can get available, and I know, that's weird coming from someone in Austin, but you'd be surprised what I don't see in the way of used/refurb.  

But, at the end of the day, as long as we can get everything working, and chugging along happily, that's what matters


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## lexluthermiester (Sep 27, 2020)

UmbralSamurai said:


> That's a really good price for an 875w, and I keep forgetting that the 3500 and 5500 supplies are cross compatible (I haven't had a T5500).


The PSU's are, but the wiring harnesses have a few differences. You'll have to decide which one works better for you. If you do go with a third party PSU, make sure it has the 8pin CPU EPS connector cable. Not all PSU's have them and the T3500 motherboard requires it.


----------



## Djordhan (Sep 27, 2020)

Hello there! First post around here. Found this forum while googling stuff because I'm trying to use an "old" T3500 as a music production PC. Currently have 16Gb of Ram, a Quadro FX4800, a small 250Gb HDD and a modest 500W supply.

Here are the issues I would need help with.

Is there a way to know what my CPU is without removing the heatsink. (DxDiag shows *n/a*) I want to upgrade but don't know what I already have.

When I try to enter the BIOS, it simply reboots instead.. The PC was given to me a while ago when I was working for a CAD software development company. Is there a possibility the access to the BIOS has been protected in some way? Or something is wrong? Tried pulling the battery off also, didn't help.

I have a lot more questions to come but I'll start by reading through this enormous thread first!

Thanks folks!


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## UmbralSamurai (Sep 28, 2020)

Djordhan said:


> Hello there!


Welcome!



Djordhan said:


> Is there a way to know what my CPU is without removing the heatsink. (DxDiag shows *n/a*) I want to upgrade but don't know what I already have.


There's a number of free 3rd party programs that you can use.  I personally use CPUz or CoreTemp (just for the processor information), or Speccy (if I want to know every little detail) just to get a general idea.  You also can plug the service tag number into support.dell.com and that'll at least tell you what it's original configuration was.  Whether it's that now, is still a question, but it's a good starting point.



Djordhan said:


> When I try to enter the BIOS, it simply reboots instead.. The PC was given to me a while ago when I was working for a CAD software development company. Is there a possibility the access to the BIOS has been protected in some way? Or something is wrong? Tried pulling the battery off also, didn't help.


Mash the F2 button as soon as you get lights on the keyboard itself (num lock/caps lock/scroll lock will flash)?  I know that you got it some time ago, but do you happen to know if the BIOS was password protected?  If so, there's a PSWD jumper. Beyond that, I don't know.  I would suggest though, that if all else fails, you could flash it to the most current version which is A17.


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## UmbralSamurai (Sep 28, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> The PSU's are, but the wiring harnesses have a few differences. You'll have to decide which one works better for you. If you do go with a third party PSU, make sure it has the 8pin CPU EPS connector cable. Not all PSU's have them and the T3500 motherboard requires it.


That's why I usually go with fully modular, or sometimes hybrid modular.  Most of the ones I found (not all) have the 8pin CPU cable.


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## Djordhan (Sep 28, 2020)

> ...personally use CPUz...


Ran CPUz and got the info I needed thanks  I have a W3550 so just bought an X5670.



> I would suggest though, that if all else fails, you could flash it to the most current version which is A17.


Mashing F2 was still rebooting. No password asked. So flashed the BIOS with A17 and that solved the issue. So double thanks!

Also added 2 more 8Gb stick for a total of 32Gb, and swapped the original 250Gb HDD for a 1Tb SSD + 3Tb HDD. And finally swapped the Quadro FX 4800 1.5Gb for a GTX 1050 Ti OC 4Gb that I found for cheap.  (totally unecessary for audio editing lol)

I should be good for a while now.


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## crazydrve` (Sep 29, 2020)

Hi all, 

I just started getting a cpu2 fan failire at boot. And its running full speed. 

I reset the bios and cmos and the dell Preboot system test,, not sure what else to check? 

Both cpus and all ram check out so far?

Can anyone offer suggestions?


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## lexluthermiester (Sep 29, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I just started getting a cpu2 fan failire at boot. And its running full speed.
> 
> ...


With the power off and PSU power cable unplugged, disconnect and reconnect all of the fans in the system from the motherboard. Plug the power cord back in and try again.


----------



## crazydrve` (Sep 29, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> With the power off and PSU power cable unplugged, disconnect and reconnect all of the fans in the system from the motherboard. Plug the power cord back in and try again.




Tried that and it didn't work, i just dont get it...


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## lexluthermiester (Sep 30, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Tried that and it didn't work, i just dont get it...


That might be a fan controller problem. Have you tried the PSU reset procedure? I detailed the procedure in a post earlier in the thread;








						Dell Workstation Owners Club
					

I finally got an U016F heatsink and it looks like it makes a nice difference:  Both tests were performed with stress utility on Ubuntu at 30°C room temperatures using Noctua NT-H1 thermal paste: idle and peak temperature are only 5 degrees lower (even though I stopped the test earlier on the old...




					www.techpowerup.com
				




You may also want to make reference to the following;


			Support for Precision T5500 | Documentation | Dell US
		



			Dell Precision Workstation T5500 System Guide | Dell US


----------



## crazydrve` (Sep 30, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> That might be a fan controller problem. Have you tried the PSU reset procedure? I detailed the procedure in a post earlier in the thread;
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Hi @lexluthermiester 

i actually got it going, had to take out all the ram and put the ram back in 1 step at a time. 

Thank you for your advice.


----------



## elfoam (Oct 2, 2020)

Slowly continuing with the T5810 upgrades, I put a KingDian M.2 NVME drive in it. Still waiting on ram and so on. It does boot straight off the m.2 no problems so that's all pretty nice.


----------



## elfoam (Oct 6, 2020)

Oops.. above benchmark was in the pcie2 slot.. this is what not wearing reading glass will do for your life.. Here it is plugged into the pcie3 slot. Well at least the above one shows you what you will get on the older machines.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 6, 2020)

elfoam said:


> Oops.. above benchmark was in the pcie2 slot.. this is what not wearing reading glass will do for your life.. Here it is plugged into the pcie3 slot. Well at least the above one shows you what you will get on the older machines.


The only tangible difference is in read speeds. At those speeds you're really not going to notice or perceive the difference. I'm not counting the random4k writes because those kinds of writes are not common and will almost never be perceived by the user.


----------



## crazydrve` (Oct 9, 2020)

Has anyone encountered the following error....
Error allocating upper memory block for pci device -

I installed a pci usb3 card.


----------



## elfoam (Oct 9, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Has anyone encountered the following error....
> Error allocating upper memory block for pci device -
> 
> I installed a pci usb3 card.



Is that an actual PCI card? I think I have seen that error when I had a catweasle PCI card in my T7500, its an old card that lets you write floppys for other non PC systems


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## crazydrve` (Oct 9, 2020)

elfoam said:


> Is that an actual PCI card? I think I have seen that error when I had a catweasle PCI card in my T7500, its an old card that lets you write floppys for other non PC systems



Yea its a pci card, Its a startech card



			https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00AWP9LMG?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title


----------



## elfoam (Oct 9, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Yea its a pci card, Its a startech card
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00AWP9LMG?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title


I just happened to notice there's an option in the bios of my T5810 to allocate upper memory for the PCI slot. But I don't remember ever seeing that option in the bios of the T5500 and T7500.


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 9, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Yea its a pci card, Its a startech card
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00AWP9LMG?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title


WOW! I understand why they made it, but it's kinda pointless as USB3.0 @6Gbps = 750MBps far exceeds the 133MBps limit of the PCI bus. It's better than USB2.0, but still. I guess every little bit helps right?


----------



## KLiKzg (Oct 9, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> WOW! I understand why they made it, but it's kinda pointless as USB3.0 @6Gbps = 750MBps far exceeds the 133MBps limit of the PCI bus. It's better than USB2.0, but still. I guess every little bit helps right?


Talk about "bottle-necking a product".


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 9, 2020)

KLiKzg said:


> Talk about "bottle-necking a product".


Well, one look at it this way; Any improvement is an improvement. On the PCI bus, USB3.0 would effectively more than double the performance found on USB2.0(133MBps VS 60MBps), but that would be the limit.


----------



## elfoam (Oct 9, 2020)

Old Mechnical drive hooked up to sata 3 vs old mechanical drive hooked up to a Perc H700 sas controller. Vs 2 x old mechnical drives in raid 0 on the H700. This is why I like to put a H700 in every machine. They are so inexpensive and so good.


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## crazydrve` (Oct 10, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> WOW! I understand why they made it, but it's kinda pointless as USB3.0 @6Gbps = 750MBps far exceeds the 133MBps limit of the PCI bus. It's better than USB2.0, but still. I guess every little bit helps right?



I was wondering about that too. Going to some speed tests, all my other slots are filled up with quad nics, I'm wanting usb3 but it will depends on speed. Right now its mostly for testing usb3 devices or light use.


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 11, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> I was wondering about that too. Going to some speed tests, all my other slots are filled up with quad nics, I'm wanting usb3 but it will depends on speed. Right now its mostly for testing usb3 devices or light use.


If all you have is a PCI slot, you will get a performance boost VS USB2.0, effectively double the bandwidth. It's just not optimal USB3.0. Those benchmarks should be interesting.


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## crazydrve` (Oct 11, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> If all you have is a PCI slot, you will get a performance boost VS USB2.0, effectively double the bandwidth. It's just not optimal USB3.0. Those benchmarks should be interesting.



I may not be able to make it work, Im getting the following error, even with the pci card out. 

07/00/0: error allocating upper memory block for pci device


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 11, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> I may not be able to make it work, Im getting the following error, even with the pci card out.
> 
> 07/00/0: error allocating upper memory block for pci device


Interesting error. Have you researched what it means? Screenshot?


----------



## crazydrve` (Oct 11, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Interesting error. Have you researched what it means? Screenshot?



I haven't been able to figure it out yet.


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 11, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> I haven't been able to figure it out yet.


Never seen that before. Weird as hell.


----------



## crazydrve` (Oct 11, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Never seen that before. Weird as hell.


Yea no kidding


----------



## KLiKzg (Oct 11, 2020)

Anyone had problem with T5500 about the sound with PCI card?
Have put in SB 0770, Windows 10 showed it...but no sound present in any of the mini-jacks...tried out with headphones, also nothing.
Got any ideas?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 11, 2020)

KLiKzg said:


> Have put in SB 0770, Windows 10 showed it...but no sound present in any of the mini-jacks...tried out with headphones, also nothing.
> Got any ideas?


That's a Windows 10 problem. Microsoft changed the way sound cards are handled and many older cards are no longer seen/used properly by Windows. You will need to use DanielK's wonderful custom drivers that have a solution to that problem.






						SB X-Fi Series Support Pack 5.0
					

This software/driver pack is unofficial, not supported by Creative Labs.   Use it at your own risk.    Supports the following Sound Blaster...




					danielkawakami.blogspot.com
				




Try those and let us know if the problem persists. It shouldn't, but let us know anyway.


----------



## crazydrve` (Oct 11, 2020)

Does anyone know if you fill all the slots on the motherboard would cause the following error?

 07/00/0: error allocating upper memory block for pci device


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 11, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Does anyone know if you fill all the slots on the motherboard would cause the following error?
> 
> 07/00/0: error allocating upper memory block for pci device


That could be a thing. Have you tried taking one of the other cards out to see if the error continues?


----------



## AwesomeMarioFan (Oct 11, 2020)

Hi again, I have 2 Dell T5500s and I was wondering if I should look into replacing the power supplies in them. They were manufactured 8 and 10 years ago, and the power supplies are currently working fine but I wasn't sure if I should proactively replace them or wait until they fail?


----------



## crazydrve` (Oct 12, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> That could be a thing. Have you tried taking one of the other cards out to see if the error continues?



I took the pci card out and it still shows error. Says bus #7? Any idea how to figure that out?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 12, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> I took the pci card out and it still shows error. Says bus #7? Any idea how to figure that out?


Have you tried standard troubleshooting methods, IE taking all the cards out, one by one, until the error goes away? I'm afraid I have no idea what that error is. Never seen it before.


----------



## crazydrve` (Oct 13, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> That could be a thing. Have you tried taking one of the other cards out to see if the error continues?



I took the pci card out and it still shows error. Says bus #7? Any idea how to figure that out?


lexluthermiester said:


> Have you tried standard troubleshooting methods, IE taking all the cards out, one by one, until the error goes away? I'm afraid I have no idea what that error is. Never seen it before.



I took the pci card out but not the others, will do that this weekend

Only thing I can think of is mine can't take all the slots filled.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 13, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Only thing I can think of is mine can't take all the slots filled.


Possible.


----------



## unoproph (Oct 13, 2020)

Just wanted to drop by and say thanks for the help and guidance from the group here to get the best out of this machine.  Last thing I did was to go ahead and sell my RX570 because I did find a never opened evga GTX 1060 6gb that will work for my needs for $120.  So after the swap it was only a difference of $20 for the ability to have better OpenGL support... and a new card too rather than one I dont know the whole history of.

One thing I ran across and wanted the opinion of the group here was the Spectre and Meltdown Anti-Hacking built into Windows and if anyone here turns them off from the InSpectre tool from GRC?  I only ran across this from a Tech Yes City Video on Youtube from last week talking about X58 chipsets and how he turns this off to boost performance.  He claimed up to 10%.  Just wondering if anyone has used this and seen this boost?

Thanks.
Uno


----------



## elfoam (Oct 13, 2020)

unoproph said:


> One thing I ran across and wanted the opinion of the group here was the Spectre and Meltdown Anti-Hacking built into Windows and if anyone here turns them off from the InSpectre tool from GRC?  I only ran across this from a Tech Yes City Video on Youtube from last week talking about X58 chipsets and how he turns this off to boost performance.  He claimed up to 10%.  Just wondering if anyone has used this and seen this boost?
> 
> Thanks.
> Uno



I switch it off on the T7500 I use to play some games on or if I want to go for a big benchmark, it makes a bit of a difference.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 13, 2020)

unoproph said:


> One thing I ran across and wanted the opinion of the group here was the Spectre and Meltdown Anti-Hacking built into Windows and if anyone here turns them off from the InSpectre tool from GRC? I only ran across this from a Tech Yes City Video on Youtube from last week talking about X58 chipsets and how he turns this off to boost performance. He claimed up to 10%. Just wondering if anyone has used this and seen this boost?





elfoam said:


> I switch it off on the T7500 I use to play some games on or if I want to go for a big benchmark, it makes a bit of a difference.


I do the same as well.

On my T3500, the difference depended on the type of task being performed, but the average was about 10% to 12%. The Spectre & Meltdown exploits are incredibly difficult to pull off in the real world and effectively require physical access to your machine to deploy. 

Unless you have anything worth such an effort, you have effectively nothing to worry about. Shut it off, reboot and delete the files " mcupdate_AuthenticAMD.dll " & " mcupdate_GenuineIntel.dll " found in the System32 folder inside the Windows folder.


----------



## elfoam (Oct 14, 2020)

I have a small update on my T5810 for future reference. My two sticks of DDR4 2400mhz ECC ram arrived. There was conflicting information on if it'll run with different sized ram installed but it does.

I have the two 8 gig 2400mhz (dual rank) sticks in slot 1 and 2 and the original 4 gig 2133mhz (single rank) sticks in 3 and 4 for a total of 24gig and it's running correctly in quad channel. The E5 2630 V3 6 core I have in it only runs ram at 1866mz so all 4 channels are running at 1866mhz. I got the dual rank 2400mhz sticks as the end goal with the machine is a high end E5 V4 Xeon and they run the ram at 2400mhz.

I'll add more 8 gig dual rank 2400mhz sticks soon.

Dual channel vs Quad channel benchmark below



			Dell Inc. Precision Tower 5810 vs Dell Inc. Precision Tower 5810  - Geekbench Browser


----------



## crazydrve` (Oct 14, 2020)

Has anyone here been able to fill all there PCI slots?

I have a T5500 and currently I cant get the PCI slot to work with all the other slots full without an error.

PCI-x         - quad nic card
PCI            -
PCIe x16  - video card
PCIe x16  - raid card
PCIe X8    - quad nic card
PCIe X8    - quad nic card

Thank you for any advice.


----------



## Susquehannock (Oct 15, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Has anyone here been able to fill all there PCI slots?
> 
> I have a T5500 and currently I cant get the PCI slot to work with all the other slots full without an error.
> 
> ...


Have you installed the latest Intel chipset Driver = A23? (not BIOS) may help with bandwidth and/or compatability issues with later hardware.

Link: 
	

			Support for Precision T5500 | Drivers & Downloads | Dell US


----------



## crazydrve` (Oct 15, 2020)

Susquehannock said:


> Have you installed the latest Intel chipset Driver = A23? (not BIOS) may help with bandwidth and/or compatability issues with later hardware.
> 
> Link:
> 
> ...



Thank you for the suggestions but the dell site won't load windows 10 drivers for the T5500, I checked and I have the latest driver available. I am thinking it might be the quad nic I am trying to use. 

I have been able to use this software to tell what bus number are the devices. 






						SIV - System Information Viewer
					

SIV - System Information Viewer




					rh-software.com


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 16, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Thank you for the suggestions but the dell site won't load windows 10 drivers for the T5500, I checked and I have the latest driver available. I am thinking it might be the quad nic I am trying to use.
> 
> I have been able to use this software to tell what bus number are the devices.
> 
> ...


The Windows 7 drivers will still work in Windows 10.


----------



## crazydrve` (Oct 16, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> The Windows 7 drivers will still work in Windows 10.



How would I find that its Intel chipset Driver version?

Well I found my problem with the pci error, my onboard nic is broadcom and so is one of my quad nic cards. I dont get the error if I disable the onboard or take out the broadcom card. 

ugh.



lexluthermiester said:


> If all you have is a PCI slot, you will get a performance boost VS USB2.0, effectively double the bandwidth. It's just not optimal USB3.0. Those benchmarks should be interesting.



Any idea of what I can use to benchmark usb 2 and 3? what program can I use?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 16, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> How would I find that its Intel chipset Driver version?


https://www.dell.com/support/home/e...5c5h2&oscode=w764&productcode=precision-t5500


crazydrve` said:


> Any idea of what I can use to benchmark usb 2 and 3? what program can I use?


CrystalDiskMark is a good one.





						CrystalDiskInfo
					

About CrystalDiskInfo A HDD/SSD utility software which supports a part of USB, Intel RAID and NVMe. Standard Edition Shizuku Edition Kurei Kei Edition Download System Requirements OS Windows XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10/11Windows Server 2003/2008/2012/2016/2019/2022 Architecture x86/x64/ARM64 IE 8.0~...



					crystalmark.info
				



HWInfo is another.








						Free Download HWiNFO Sofware | Installer & Portable for Windows, DOS
					

Start to analyze your hardware right now! HWiNFO has available as an Installer and Portable version for Windows (32/64-bit) and Portable version for DOS.




					www.hwinfo.com
				



Both are free and have a benchmark that gives solid performance info.


----------



## crazydrve` (Oct 16, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> https://www.dell.com/support/home/e...5c5h2&oscode=w764&productcode=precision-t5500
> 
> CrystalDiskMark is a good one.
> 
> ...



Thank you, I forgot about Crystal Disk. 
Going to run some tests today with the pcie usb3 card I have and the pci.


----------



## elfoam (Oct 18, 2020)

How did you go with the benchmarks ? I'm going to try and make one of my 5500s or a 7500 boot from clover on a small ssd to a NVME as my next project.


----------



## KLiKzg (Oct 18, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> That's a Windows 10 problem. Microsoft changed the way sound cards are handled and many older cards are no longer seen/used properly by Windows. You will need to use DanielK's wonderful custom drivers that have a solution to that problem.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Didn't work...so I'm back to original T5500 sound on MBO.

Does anyone know what chip is it?
Maybe even have drivers for Win 10?


----------



## Susquehannock (Oct 18, 2020)

KLiKzg said:


> Didn't work...so I'm back to original T5500 sound on MBO.
> 
> Does anyone know what chip is it?
> Maybe even have drivers for Win 10?


Sound is a Creative chip if memory serves. Driver "V1.00.20" is what shows up in device manager on my systems running Win10.

Here is the Dell link. Page says compatible with Tx500 systems. Hope that helps.

>> https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-gy/drivers/driversdetails?driverid=fnj43


----------



## crazydrve` (Oct 19, 2020)

elfoam said:


> How did you go with the benchmarks ? I'm going to try and make one of my 5500s or a 7500 boot from clover on a small ssd to a NVME as my next project.



Haven't been able to do them yet, I had to redo my server and now I think my raid card is dead all of a sudden, 9f that's even possible???


----------



## Haloss1 (Oct 19, 2020)

elfoam said:


> How did you go with the benchmarks ? I'm going to try and make one of my 5500s or a 7500 boot from clover on a small ssd to a NVME as my next project.


PCIE NVME SSD Booting works great on my T7500 with Clover, i used this russian guide for setting up the bootloader: https://habr.com/ru/post/472224/ (Use Google Translate).

I Installed Clover on a internal HDD connected to the Intel sata controller, the sas controller i'm using gives problems booting the bootloader (I guess you could use a USB drive as well sticked in the internal USB header, but i didn't tested that since i'm having problems booting with USBs at all with my system).
I installed Windows 10 Enterprise from another HDD who had the installer on it, in Rufus i used GPT and UEFI With a NTFS File System, The SSD was also in GPT format.

For the SSD im using a Sandisk Skyhawk Enterprise 2TB SSD, the thing makes the system fly, it's incredible how much stuff we can pack on these 10 year old systems.

EDIT: Whoops i was showing the wrong drive in CrystalDiskInfo


----------



## elfoam (Oct 19, 2020)

Haloss1 said:


> PCIE NVME SSD Booting works great on my T7500 with Clover, i used this russian guide for setting up the bootloader: https://habr.com/ru/post/472224/ (Use Google Translate).
> 
> I Installed it on a internal HDD connected to the Intel sata controller, the sas controller i'm using gives problems booting the bootloader (I guess you could use a USB drive as well sticked in the internal USB header, but i didn't tested that since i'm having problems booting with USBs at all with my system).
> I installed Windows 10 Enterprise from another HDD, in Rufus i used GPT and UEFI With a NTFS File System, The SSD was also in GPT format.



Excellent ! hopefully I can mange to get it up and running myself. That is roughly what I planed to do, using onboard sata and then switching to the NVME.. That's right about the performance I was expecting to see. After having had the NVME in my T5810 for a while now I cant go back to a sata ssd.


----------



## crazydrve` (Oct 19, 2020)

Would anyone know why when installing drivers for a raid card the system stalls at installing drivers?


----------



## BartPC24 (Oct 26, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Would anyone know why when installing drivers for a raid card the system stalls at installing drivers?



Did you install  all prerequsited drivers first ?

BR,

BartPC24


----------



## crazydrve` (Oct 27, 2020)

BartPC24 said:


> Did you install  all prerequsited drivers first ?
> 
> BR,
> 
> BartPC24



I tried too but my raid card is dead or something, can't even reflash the card



BartPC24 said:


> Did you install  all prerequsited drivers first ?
> 
> BR,
> 
> BartPC24



I tried too but my raid card is dead or something, can't even reflash the card


----------



## KLiKzg (Nov 1, 2020)

Susquehannock said:


> Sound is a Creative chip if memory serves. Driver "V1.00.20" is what shows up in device manager on my systems running Win10.
> 
> Here is the Dell link. Page says compatible with Tx500 systems. Hope that helps.
> 
> >> https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-gy/drivers/driversdetails?driverid=fnj43


Actually it's SoundMax integrated digital HD audio chip.

Link: https://www.dell.com/support/home/e...66tnr&oscode=w764&productcode=precision-t5500


----------



## hat (Nov 19, 2020)

I may be looking into getting a used workstation of some sort. Don't care too much about the brand... but it has to be a full tower (not some silly SFF thing) and it needs to be able to accept a decent graphics card. Not sure if these workstations come with power supplies that even have any pci-e connectors, or if the power supplies are proprietary?

Preferably, it should come with one already installed, something around 750Ti level at least.


----------



## elfoam (Nov 19, 2020)

hat said:


> I may be looking into getting a used workstation of some sort. Don't care too much about the brand... but it has to be a full tower (not some silly SFF thing) and it needs to be able to accept a decent graphics card. Not sure if these workstations come with power supplies that even have any pci-e connectors, or if the power supplies are proprietary?
> 
> Preferably, it should come with one already installed, something around 750Ti level at least.



The T7500 uses a standard format power supply (1100 watts) and has 8 pin connectors. They are 10 years old now so unlikely to come with a GPU that fast
, the common GPU you are going to get that is around 750ti performance is the K2200 and that often comes with the T5810 a (mid tower) and T7810 (full tower). But those are 5 year old machines. Right now I'm on my T5810 with a RX580 saphire nitro gpu. The T5810 is a bit small for me but they are inexpensive.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 19, 2020)

hat said:


> I may be looking into getting a used workstation of some sort. Don't care too much about the brand... but it has to be a full tower (not some silly SFF thing) and it needs to be able to accept a decent graphics card. Not sure if these workstations come with power supplies that even have any pci-e connectors, or if the power supplies are proprietary?
> 
> Preferably, it should come with one already installed, something around 750Ti level at least.


If you are willing to do some shopping, mixing and matching and go with older equipment, you can put together a solid system for $200. So the question is, what do you want to do with it?


----------



## hat (Nov 20, 2020)

Ah, this idea doesn't really seem to be a thing anymore. It was an idea I was floating, but things didn't go that way. Might return to the idea another time.


----------



## KLiKzg (Nov 20, 2020)

hat said:


> I may be looking into getting a used workstation of some sort. Don't care too much about the brand... but it has to be a full tower (not some silly SFF thing) and it needs to be able to accept a decent graphics card. Not sure if these workstations come with power supplies that even have any pci-e connectors, or if the power supplies are proprietary?
> 
> Preferably, it should come with one already installed, something around 750Ti level at least.


T5500 costed me in Croatia 300€.
Sold the shitty ATi card for 70€ & on last Black Friday bought GTX 1650 for 180€.
Put also GT 730 in it, so be cooled from 1650 fans.
Changes CPUs to X5670 for something like $40.
& not planning to put more RAM, as 48GB ought to be enough (for now).

Now thinking only to put dual non-cooled CPU coolers on it, just to test it.
As I have stock coolers in the front & dual ZALMANs 90x90mm in the back.


----------



## hat (Nov 20, 2020)

For sure, these used workstations are great for anyone needing a decent PC at a low price. They often come with gobs of RAM too. It just wasn't meant to be this time...


----------



## elfoam (Nov 20, 2020)

Talk about gobs of ram, I visited the local e-waste place the other day and saw a wool bale bag full of ram sticks. Sitting on top was an obvious stick of ddr3 ecc so I took that home, I bet if I looked carefully I could have found hundreds of sticks of ddr3 and filled up my T7500


----------



## unoproph (Nov 22, 2020)

Hello again all. I'm dropping a line again about my W3680 PC. Back a couple months ago I was looking at GPUs and just decided to stick with a GTX 1060 6GB for then and wait to see what happens with the used GPU market when new ones came out.  Well they did and it was as we all know enthusiast grade GPUs and more powerful than what the old X58 platform really can utilize, but during all this I read about the upcoming RTX 3050 TI and how it may outperform a RTX 2060 Super. Do you guys feel that would be a good match?  For under $200 I'm excited about tlwhat that GPU has to offer.



hat said:


> I may be looking into getting a used workstation of some sort. Don't care too much about the brand... but it has to be a full tower (not some silly SFF thing) and it needs to be able to accept a decent graphics card. Not sure if these workstations come with power supplies that even have any pci-e connectors, or if the power supplies are proprietary?
> 
> Preferably, it should come with one already installed, something around 750Ti level at least.



It really depends on what you can find around you and time and scrounging the second hand markets because chances of finding what you are looking for people are going to be asking more.  About 5 months ago I found a T3500 with a low end 4c/8t processor for $50 and threw in a $60 GPU R9 380 4gb at first.  I did some searching and buying and selling to upgrade ram and find better GPU and better CPU and ended up at about $150-$200 into the PC and running a W3680 OCd to 4.13ghz as recommended by the group here with the 1060 6gb.  .


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 22, 2020)

unoproph said:


> but during all this I read about the upcoming RTX 3050 TI and how it may outperform a RTX 2060 Super. Do you guys feel that would be a good match? For under $200 I'm excited about tlwhat that GPU has to offer.


I have an RTX2080 in my T3500 paired with a W3680 and I'm having no problems. There are a few games that have a bit of CPU bottlenecking going on, but not enough to be a big deal. An RTX3050/3060 will run just fine with yours.


----------



## unoproph (Dec 1, 2020)

It looks like the rumors on the sub $400 cards may be true.  The Verge just did their review of the 3060 TI a day early.  It is RTX 2080/S performance for half the price.









						Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti review: impressive performance for $399
					

Better than an RTX 2080 and priced at $399.




					www.theverge.com


----------



## sepheronx (Dec 1, 2020)

unoproph said:


> It looks like the rumors on the sub $400 cards may be true.  The Verge just did their review of the 3060 TI a day early.  It is RTX 2080/S performance for half the price.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Good luck getting those cards and even remotely at that those prices.  Which is sad for a xx60 series card.


----------



## elfoam (Dec 1, 2020)

If it turns out the playstation 5 can't do minecraft bedrock pathtracing at a decent level I will get the 3060 ti


----------



## unoproph (Dec 1, 2020)

I'm still going to wait till the 3050 TI gets released in February to see where I want to go with my money.  If it is real with it being faster than a 2060S for $200 this will be the card for me.  Entry into RT and low power usage.  Yes it'll be hard to find till the late spring/summer, but worthy of a good upgrade.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 1, 2020)

Folks, let's stay on topic.


----------



## nodif (Dec 8, 2020)

hi i'm new memer my t5500 wont turn on and show me 1 2 blink and 3 orange and power led orange help please


----------



## KLiKzg (Dec 8, 2020)

nodif said:


> hi i'm new memer my t5500 wont turn on and show me 1 2 blink and 3 orange and power led orange help please


Here's a link for help: https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/...workstations-diagnostic-lights-and-beep-codes


----------



## nodif (Dec 9, 2020)

KLiKzg said:


> Here's a link for help: https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/...workstations-diagnostic-lights-and-beep-codes


i found this message what does it mes 
PS_ON asserted, PS_PWRGOOD asserted, SYS_PWRGOOD re asserted)


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 9, 2020)

nodif said:


> i found this message what does it mes
> PS_ON asserted, PS_PWRGOOD asserted, SYS_PWRGOOD re asserted)


Seems like you have a serious hardware problem.


----------



## KLiKzg (Dec 10, 2020)

Does anyone have experiences running Xonar DG on PCI on T5500 system or similar?

Mine does recognize the card, install the drivers & works with sound up to 2~3 sec...& then mute. 

Anybody?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 10, 2020)

KLiKzg said:


> Does anyone have experiences running Xonar DG on PCI on T5500 system or similar?
> 
> Mine does recognize the card, install the drivers & works with sound up to 2~3 sec...& then mute.
> 
> Anybody?


OS?


----------



## KLiKzg (Dec 11, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> OS?


Win10, v2004


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 11, 2020)

KLiKzg said:


> Win10, v2004


I think that is likely your problem. In recent updates Microsoft changed the driver platform API somewhat which has had the effect of rendering older soundcards problematic or useless because the drivers don't work right. It sucks. Might be a good idea to either roll back the recent update(which might not work because of how much of a mess updates make of things), upgrade to a new sound card with current drivers or reinstall Windows 10 1909.


----------



## KLiKzg (Dec 11, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> I think that is likely your problem. In recent updates Microsoft changed the driver platform API somewhat which has had the effect of rendering older soundcards problematic or useless because the drivers don't work right. It sucks. Might be a good idea to either roll back the recent update(which might not work because of how much of a mess updates make of things), upgrade to a new sound card with current drivers or reinstall Windows 10 1909.


Thing is, on older intel DP35DP with same Win10, v2004 - everything works.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 11, 2020)

KLiKzg said:


> Thing is, on older intel DP35DP with same Win10, v2004 - everything works.


Exactly. It's crazy as hell. The latest update introduces a number of  squirrely problems. Windows 10 has become a pathetic crap show.


----------



## elfoam (Dec 14, 2020)

Seems my T5500 is ready for retirement.  It was just sitting in Windows then the fans starting running flat out, spent a good 24 hours trying to fix it but no luck. I can manually set them once in windows but one of the the temp sensors on the motherboard must have failed. Might be time to attempt a motherboard swap into the 5500 case


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 14, 2020)

elfoam said:


> Seems my T5500 is ready for retirement.  It was just sitting in Windows then the fans starting running flat out, spent a good 24 hours trying to fix it but no luck. I can manually set them once in windows but one of the the temp sensors on the motherboard must have failed. Might be time to attempt a motherboard swap into the 5500 case


Do you use the features that set the T5500 mobo apart from the T3500? IE dual CPU, more that 24GB of ram? If not, a T3500 board should fit right in. IIRC all the power plugs are in the same or similar places.


----------



## elfoam (Dec 14, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> Do you use the features that set the T5500 mobo apart from the T3500? IE dual CPU, more that 24GB of ram? If not, a T3500 board should fit right in. IIRC all the power plugs are in the same or similar places.


Yeah its running 48 gig and dual cpus. I use the T5810 as my regular machine now. The 5500 just has a lot of stuff on it for storage and has my blue ray burner in it etc.


----------



## Susquehannock (Dec 15, 2020)

elfoam said:


> Seems my T5500 is ready for retirement.  It was just sitting in Windows then the fans starting running flat out, spent a good 24 hours trying to fix it but no luck. I can manually set them once in windows but one of the the temp sensors on the motherboard must have failed. Might be time to attempt a motherboard swap into the 5500 case


Sounds to me the front I/O control panel is on it's way out. Common issue with these and pretty easy fix. Dell part # M884G.


----------



## elfoam (Dec 15, 2020)

Susquehannock said:


> Sounds to me the front I/O control panel is on it's way out. Common issue with these and pretty easy fix. Dell part # M884G.



I read that's a possibility with some of the Dell Workstations but haven't been able to find out if the sensor is on the IO panel on the 5500 or only the 390/490s. The machine does hold it's fans correctly for about 20 seconds but after that just sends every fan in the system flat out. I guess given that I can set the voltage in software inside windows that the main fan control IC is ok. Anyway I just ordered a IO board since they don't cost much to see if that will fix it.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 15, 2020)

elfoam said:


> Anyway I just ordered a IO board since they don't cost much to see if that will fix it.


Let us know how it goes.


----------



## rdizzle321 (Dec 16, 2020)

Hi everyone, brand new owner/user of a T5500 that my friend gave me. Have set it up with UnRAID and spent the weekend getting a windows 10 VM to work with an NVIDIA 1060 passthrough. Getting there!

I am struggling on the RAM upgrade front. I have 12GB in there right now, 3x 2GB 10600R in the mobo slots and the 3x 2GB 10600R in the riser. I am wondering about getting more RAM but I failed in my first attempts to purchase. Seems like I got non-ECC (didn't even know there was a diff between that, R, U, E, RAM etc.)... spent hours and then realized I was trying to mix R-ECC and non-ECC RAM and it would get stuck at the 1-3-2 beep code and 1-3 lights.

So my question is, what's the largest size RAM chip this mobo will support? 8GB? Will it really only support the memory configs in the setup manual or as long as i use groups of 3 I'm ok? It's really going to be setup for some like Plex Media Server, and for a gaming VM.

I believe i have the Xeon 2.4Ghz chips. Can I overclock?

thanks for the time and for patience on this. I used to tinker back in the late 90s/early 2000s with a desktop, but my first server and I feel very n00b like.


----------



## elfoam (Dec 16, 2020)

rdizzle321 said:


> So my question is, what's the largest size RAM chip this mobo will support? 8GB? Will it really only support the memory configs in the setup manual or as long as i use groups of 3 I'm ok? It's really going to be setup for some like Plex Media Server, and for a gaming VM.
> 
> I believe i have the Xeon 2.4Ghz chips. Can I overclock?
> 
> thanks for the time and for patience on this. I used to tinker back in the late 90s/early 2000s with a desktop, but my first server and I feel very n00b like.



Yeah they do take 8 meg sticks no problem at all, I think 16 gig sticks also but I don't have anything bigger than 8 in my machines. They do support memory configs other than those mentioned in the service manual but not all configs work without throwing an error.  You might have read something about different sized ram sticks on the mainboard and the riser card, I've done that on my T7500 and it works. I have the mainboard filled with 2 gig sticks and the riser filled with 4 gig sticks, that should work on the 5500 also just using less total sticks as you have less slots. If you want to put your 6 x 2 gig sticks on the mainboard and buy 3 x 4 gig sticks for your riser you should have no problem and be up to 24gig. You might also be able to do the 6 x2 on the mainboard and 3x8 on the riser.

Groups of 3 might work also but I haven't tried that myself. None of the dual cpu Xeons are overclockable on the T5500. But if you are upgrading the CPU don't look at any that have less then 6.4gig QPI speed and only the ones that support 1333 ram speed. The X5670/X5675 are good value in the 6 cores and the X5687 is the best deal in a 4 core.

I think the X5675 has very good price to performance for a machine like yours.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 16, 2020)

rdizzle321 said:


> I have 12GB in there right now, 3x 2GB 10600R in the mobo slots and the 3x 2GB 10600R in the riser.


That's a solid config. Do you need more? If so, go for 4GB REG-ECC DIMMs. They're cheap and will work with your system. 3x4GB for each CPU will likely be more than you really ever need. For example;








						24GB (6X4GB) DDR3 ECC REG. MEMORY FOR DELL PRECISION WORKSTATION T5500, T7500  | eBay
					

Dell P/N A2626072, A2626093, A2862069, A2862074,A3721482.



					www.ebay.com
				



Perfect kit for that system! $41 shipped and from a good seller.


rdizzle321 said:


> and then realized I was trying to mix R-ECC and non-ECC RAM and it would get stuck at the 1-3-2 beep code and 1-3 lights.


Don't worry to much, you didn't hurt anything, it just won't run with mixed RAM types.


elfoam said:


> I think the X5675 has very good price to performance for a machine like yours.


This. A pair of these would make that system leaps and bounds more powerful without breaking the bank or creating a lot of heat.








						Intel Xeon X5675 - 3.06GHz Hexa-Core (AT80614006696AA) Processor for sale online | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Intel Xeon X5675 - 3.06GHz Hexa-Core (AT80614006696AA) Processor at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				



$24 shipped so for $48 you have a solid upgrade set. These with the ram kit above and you'll have a bit of a power-house on your hands.

BTW, Welcome to TPU!


----------



## rdizzle321 (Dec 16, 2020)

Thank you elfoam and Lex for the comments and support. I found out the hard way about mixing non-ECC and reg-ecc ram - didn't know that was a thing, but then again, have never used server-type-hardware. Was pulling my hair out and just brute-force tested different combinations of RAM until could get past the beeps and see the video error about non-ECC. Doing an Amazon return for the 3x 4GB Patriot non-ECC chips I bought and will look for some deals you've suggested.

Curious about where I should focus my upgrade efforts first... For now, I don't do anything too fancy for gaming - a bit old school, did the FPS thing back in the late 90s/early 2000s when you had to build your own servers for hosting/live mics etc. but not my jam anymore - plus I'm over the hill (35) and just not good vs. most FPS'ers LOL.

Mainly I'll play things like Sim City, Civilization, Transport Giant, Cities Skylines etc.... A lot of simulation games on Steam and then N64/PS1/PS2/SNES roms. With this new rig I am going to try FIFA 21 so I don't have to buy a console. Right now I reserving 3 cores for UnRaid/Plex (and 4GB of RAM) and giving Windows 10 vm for gaming 5 core pass-through and 8GB of ram. *Do you think that the processor or the RAM would be a better first upgrade given my use case?*

Additionally - do you know which MOBO the T5500 has for PCPartPicker? I don't see a way of finding/choosing the Dell OEM one. I have the 0CRH6C one.


----------



## Susquehannock (Dec 16, 2020)

elfoam said:


> I read that's a possibility with some of the Dell Workstations but haven't been able to find out if the sensor is on the IO panel on the 5500 or only the 390/490s. The machine does hold it's fans correctly for about 20 seconds but after that just sends every fan in the system flat out. I guess given that I can set the voltage in software inside windows that the main fan control IC is ok. Anyway I just ordered a IO board since they don't cost much to see if that will fix it.


Yes. I believe a temp sensor and fan controller resides there in the Tx500 series as well. Seems I read some posts on the Dell forums to that effect. Reason for the 40-pin ribbon cable.  Have been able to fix and duplicate such errors by switching those front boards.



rdizzle321 said:


> So my question is, what's the largest size RAM chip this mobo will support? 8GB? Will it really only support the memory configs in the setup manual or as long as i use groups of 3 I'm ok? It's really going to be setup for some like Plex Media Server, and for a gaming VM.


Can say with certainty the t5500 main boards will support 6x8gb=48gb. IBM #49Y1415 modules are on the compatibility list and should work regardless of re-brand. Micron, Hynix, whatever. Valid link in my signature.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 16, 2020)

rdizzle321 said:


> Do you think that the processor or the RAM would be a better first upgrade given my use case?


12GB of ram is solid. And given what you're currently doing with the system, I'd go for the CPU's first. Inexpensive and more than worth it. After that, if you want to improve gaming a bit without spending too much, a used GPU like a GTX 760 or 770 would be a solid option, unless you already have a good one. What is your current GPU?


----------



## rdizzle321 (Dec 16, 2020)

My brother-in-law sold me his 1060 for cheap so I have that setup. It's the ASUS GTX 1060 6GB (DUAL-GTX-1060-06G), so I'm ok with that for a while. I'll prob pull the trigger on the processors. never installed one of those! should be fun. May grab some ram too. For $100 I can make a big leap


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 16, 2020)

rdizzle321 said:


> My brother-in-law sold me his 1060 for cheap so I have that setup. It's the ASUS GTX 1060 6GB (DUAL-GTX-1060-06G), so I'm ok with that for a while.


Nice! Yeah, that's a good card. Unless you want to play some CyberPunk2077 or something else very recent, that card will be good for a while.


rdizzle321 said:


> I'll prob pull the trigger on the processors. never installed one of those!


There's nothing super complicated about it. Just make sure you have thermal compound(ArcticSilver5 or MX4 will do well and are dead cheap) and take things carefully.


rdizzle321 said:


> May grab some ram too. For $100 I can make a big leap


With those two examples I list above, that's $90 shipped for 2 6core CPUs and 24GB of ram.


----------



## rdizzle321 (Dec 17, 2020)

Hi Lex,
I was poking around and I found this seller that is doing 6x 8GB chips for a similar price. Any reason why it wouldn't work?








						Micron 8gb Pc3-10600r Ddr3-1333 ECC Server Memory RAM MT36JSZF1G72PZ for sale online | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Micron 8gb Pc3-10600r Ddr3-1333 ECC Server Memory RAM MT36JSZF1G72PZ at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				




It's overkill to go to 48GB, but for a similar price/shipping time to Canada, I feel like it's worth it. Let me know please. Appears to be ECC Registered and "looks" right.

thanks you again for all the help.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 17, 2020)

rdizzle321 said:


> Hi Lex,
> I was poking around and I found this seller that is doing 6x 8GB chips for a similar price. Any reason why it wouldn't work?
> 
> 
> ...


Those will work! Good find, especially for Micron RAM. Go for it!


----------



## rdizzle321 (Dec 17, 2020)

sold already.. do T5500 use PC3 ram or is it required to be PCL3? Another lot...






						48gb 8GE614R04 EDGE 8GB 2RX4 PC3 10600R Memory MODULE 6x8GB Server RAM for sale | eBay
					

Find great deals on eBay for 48gb 8GE614R04 EDGE 8GB 2RX4 PC3 10600R Memory MODULE 6x8GB Server RAM. Shop with confidence.



					www.ebay.ca


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 17, 2020)

rdizzle321 said:


> sold already.. do T5500 use PC3 ram or is it required to be PCL3? Another lot...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Any DDR3 of matching type will work. So if you're going with ECC, all of it has to be ECC. If you're going with Reg it all has to be Reg and so on.


----------



## elfoam (Dec 17, 2020)

They can use both regular sticks and the low voltage sticks, you can mix voltages also but the lows will run at high voltage if mixed.


----------



## rdizzle321 (Dec 17, 2020)

thanks. I bought that lot of 6x 8GB. so it'll all be the same.


----------



## Azhrarn (Dec 19, 2020)

Hi I recently acquired a used Dell T7810. I was under the impression that it was supposed to be a silent machine. But I can hear the fans, some of them are louder then they should.
As I wanted to upgrade this system anyway. I took the whole system apart in order to acquire the information of the fans that are used and oil them a bit up as well.
This went reasonably well, but I am not happy about the resulting noise. I think that the cpu fan is gone (too noisy for my taste anyway)
And probably one of the three of the system assembly as well.
So I am thinking about replacing them...

Info about fans 
2* PSU FAN : 60*60*25 (Model DS06025B12U) -->DC 12V 0,7A (4 wire, PWM?)
CPU FAN : Foxconn PVA080F12H (80*80*20mm) 12V --> Special proprietary kabel. Needs adapter if change to other cable.
3 * Chassis Fan : Forcecon DFS923212MD0T : 92x92x32mm 12V 1.5A 4W

Problem is that these all seem to be pretty special fans... Not too much with these formats...
So ok, maybe I can swap the CPU cooler for another one. But which one. And i will also need the special adapter for 4pin pwn to 5pin dell latch type. Any good site for that in europe. Not china stuff that takes 2 months...
Also My PSU is a 685Watt.
This is ample for the current processor in it, but I have 4*E5-2697v4 lying on my desk as well as 8*32GB DDR4 2400T ECC RAM.
I am thinking of upgrading the system with either 1 or 2 CPU's. So if I choose 3rd party CPU Cooler they can not hinder each other. Or should I just stay with the Default Dell heatsinks. If so where do I buy a good used or new one. Because I hate noise.
Concerning the GPU i am running a feeble Quadro P600, that is fine for me.

You see first world issues, I know. Any advice for a newcomer?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 20, 2020)

Azhrarn said:


> Hi


Hi there! Welcome to TPU and this thread!



Azhrarn said:


> I recently acquired a used Dell T7810. I was under the impression that it was supposed to be a silent machine. But I can hear the fans, some of them are louder then they should.


I don't like starting on a down note, however whoever gave you that impression mislead you a little bit. They are are very quiet when idle, but they can make a hell of a racket when under load.



Azhrarn said:


> 2* PSU FAN : 60*60*25 (Model DS06025B12U) -->DC 12V 0,7A (4 wire, PWM?)


Not much you can do about those as they are custom fans in a custom config. They shouldn't be the source of too much noise though.



Azhrarn said:


> CPU FAN : Foxconn PVA080F12H (80*80*20mm) 12V --> Special proprietary kabel. Needs adapter if change to other cable.


These you can change if you find a 4pin PWM to Dell 4pin adapter cable.



Azhrarn said:


> 3 * Chassis Fan : Forcecon DFS923212MD0T : 92x92x32mm 12V 1.5A 4W


These you can also change, but again with adapter cables.



Azhrarn said:


> This is ample for the current processor in it, but I have 4*E5-2697v4 lying on my desk as well as 8*32GB DDR4 2400T ECC RAM.


The CPU swap might or might not be a good trade. It depends on what you have now and what your use-case-scenario will be. However the RAM is a good upgrade all day long, go for it.



Azhrarn said:


> So if I choose 3rd party CPU Cooler they can not hinder each other.


Again, whether or not you go with 1 or 2 CPU's will depend on what you have not and your needs. If you ultimately stay with a single CPU setup you can use any CPU cooler you wish that fit inside the confines of the case.



Azhrarn said:


> If so where do I buy a good used or new one. Because I hate noise.


Unfortunately noise is an almost unavoidable part of computing, especially with high end hardware like what you have. High power comes with noise. It's just par for the course. However, that noise can be reduced if you are willing to spend the money for the right equipment. You should consider an AIO water cooling solution if you go with one CPU and a custom loop water cooling setup for both CPU sockets being used if being quiet is important. However with that case your options are going to be limited somewhat.



Azhrarn said:


> Concerning the GPU i am running a feeble Quadro P600, that is fine for me.


You mean the Quadro P6000? There was no P600 and the Quadro 600 predates that system by 7 years. If so, that is the Quadro version of the Pascal based GP102 Geforce Titan. That's not a wimpy GPU and will make noise all on it's own under load.

So the questions I have for you are: What are you planning for this monster of a system? What are it's current specs and will you be keeping it for a short time or do you want to get a few years worth of use out of it?


----------



## elfoam (Dec 20, 2020)

The T5810 T7810 etc have a low fan speed option in the bios, makes a big difference, so check that is on, there's also a Dell watercooler for the CPU


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 20, 2020)

elfoam said:


> there's also a Dell watercooler for the CPU


As in made by Dell? I was not aware of that...


----------



## elfoam (Dec 20, 2020)

Yep, it's a T7910 part but does fit on the 7810 and 5810 also, video about it here


----------



## Azhrarn (Dec 20, 2020)

My current system.




NVIDIA Quadro P600 Specs | TechPowerUp GPU Database 

My usage will be homelab. Probably as a pure Hypervisor with Wake On Lan Enabled. So that I can wake it up when required.
How long will I keep it, I guess less then a year, but more then 3 months. 
So I think I will just use one e5-2697v4 with 128GB RAM. Probably enough. Selling the rest of as keeping it wil just devaluate it's money.

I don't want to run custom AIO Water Cooling no room in this case. In fact not even enough room for a normal CPU Heatsink If you don't get rid of the ODD Drive bay.
Also the Dell T7910 AIO solution is horrible without making a hole in the side panel, as the T7910 ventilated side panel doesn't fit the t7810...
Question : Can you run single CPU in CPU2 location? Probably not...

I was more thinking about something like a Noctua NH-U9S (125mm height clearance required) or if not fit the Noctua NH-D9DX i4 3U (110mm height clearance) or do you have a good recommendation?

About the 3 * Chassis Fan : Forcecon DFS923212MD0T : 92x92x32mm 12V 1.5A 4W  --> Which fans as searching around doesn't give much.
Also Can I buy new spare parts from Dell somewhere? Might be easier and hope they are more silent?

PS : Removing the Front Assembly Fans is a b*tch in this t7810. What an idea to need to remove the entire motherboard for that!


----------



## KLiKzg (Dec 20, 2020)

Mine T5500 is a lot of noise, when it's dusty. The sound of the "room size jumbo jet" airliner taking off, western - not russian one.
So every 1~2 months I need to open it, scoop up & dust off all the parts (meaning the coolers).

It's the price of using that kind of machine (workstation) with dual CPUs.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 20, 2020)

Azhrarn said:


> NVIDIA Quadro P600 Specs | TechPowerUp GPU Database


Damn, had no idea that card existed. Decent card though.


Azhrarn said:


> Question : Can you run single CPU in CPU2 location? Probably not...


It might be possible, but that's a guess.


----------



## Azhrarn (Dec 21, 2020)

OK I decided what to do.
I will first try to hackup the default Heatsink and "try to" attach a Noctua NF-A8 PWM on it using the dell 5 pin to 4 pin pwm adapter cable. (Waiting for it, Comes from England... Stuck in traffic now I guess).

If that fails or temps too high with the E5-2697v4 I will swap with Noctua NH-U9S. I prefer not as it will require the need to remove 5 1/4 bay as well as leave an ugly gap in the system.
--> I honestly have no idea how good/bad this standard heatsink is for CPU1.

Also bought a used (yeah, couldn't find a new in Europe...) 3xFAN Front Assembly Chassis. This gives me 6 fans to test which are the most silent ones. (I hope that the used ones are still good... RISK I know)

If system is silent enough in my opionion then. I keep it, otherwise I resell.


----------



## elfoam (Dec 27, 2020)

Susquehannock said:


> Sounds to me the front I/O control panel is on it's way out. Common issue with these and pretty easy fix. Dell part # M884G.



I got the replacement front I/O panel for the T5500 and plugged it in (just hanging out the side of the case for a test) and that seems to have fixed the full speed fan problem. That was a very helpful hero post, Thank you.

I will buy another for a spare since I still have two T5500s running.


----------



## crazydrve` (Dec 30, 2020)

Hello all, 

Has anyone tried to take a dell tower and put it in a generic case? 

I have a T5600 and want to put it in a different case.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 31, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Hello all,
> 
> Has anyone tried to take a dell tower and put it in a generic case?
> 
> I have a T5600 and want to put it in a different case.


That would take a big effort. The front panel controls would present a few serious problems. It's otherwise a standard ATX case and mobo.


----------



## elfoam (Dec 31, 2020)

crazydrve` said:


> Hello all,
> 
> Has anyone tried to take a dell tower and put it in a generic case?
> 
> I have a T5600 and want to put it in a different case.



It's a pretty common thing to do for the Russians, they use both Dell and HP motherboards for this.


----------



## sepheronx (Dec 31, 2020)

elfoam said:


> It's a pretty common thing to do for the Russians, they use both Dell and HP motherboards for this.


Because it's cheap and effective.  Although, some wiring is needed to be done to bypass sensors and proprietary connections. Harnesses can be picked up online though.


----------



## bgguy (Jan 13, 2021)

Anyone have any experience with their T3600 computer shutting off abruptly during gaming or heavy loads? (Basically the computer trips off kind of like you've pulled the plug, but it actually automatically boots up after a few seconds without needing to press the power button)
I have checked the temps and it is not an issue.

My T3600 Specs:
E5-1660
4x8GB DDR3 ECC RAM
NVIDIA RTX 2080
2 HDD in RAID + 1 SSD
WiFi PCIe card
635W PSU

The desktop runs fine in 99% of situations but 3 particular cases causes it the do a hard shutdown.
-Running GPU@100% and CPU@100% Using Kombustor and CPU Burner, it usually shuts down immediately or within 30 seconds of reaching 100% on both.
-Playing Assassins creed Odyssey on max settings (GPU was at ~95%, CPU also ~95% when it shut down), this occurred in one particular boss fight. I later on reduced game settings to prevent any crashes.
-Playing Half Life Alyx in VR on medium settings 1440p in one very specific elevator scene (Chapter 1) when a drone starts scanning you (GPU is close to 80% and CPU is maybe 60% ?). After I ran into this issue, I ran this scenario 4 more times times and the first 3 times it kept shutting down in the exact same spot of the game. On the 4th run, it actually kept going with no problems.
The last one is important because it's super weird. The CPU and GPU are not even maxed out....it's almost like something in the graphics or game is triggering the computer to trip out. Also odd that neither are reaching 100%, is something else bottlenecking it? Perhaps memory? Perhaps VRAM?


Things I have checked:
-Temperatures are all below spec and max out at 83C and in some cases it doesn't even exceed 80C.
-Used HWINFO to log all the sensors and checked if anything was out of the ordinary. Nothing stood out.
-Plugged in the desktop to an energy monitor and at the time the desktop shuts down, the PSU is running ~500W which is below 635W PSU limit.
-Tried reseating video card and some of the cables, including swapping around the 8-pin cables. (Noticed the original Dell cable doesn't even bother grounding 2 of the extra ground pins).
-Updated Graphic Card Drivers
-Updated BIOS to the newest A18 (I think)
-Running only the CPU at 100% for several minutes. No issues, no shutdown.
-Running only the GPU at 100% for several minutes. No issues, no shutdown.Further testing and it does indeed shuts down now. Definitely PSU not able to supply enough power to GPU.
-Windows Memory Diagnostic

Everything seems to point to the PSU but before I go out and buy a new PSU, is there anything else I can test?
Could it be the motherboard? Could it just be a faulty wire that causes this?

I did a search and one person seemed to have similar issues when playing games but I never saw a resolution and he disappeared.








						Dell Workstation Owners Club
					

The very early T5500 MB D883f had active SB cooling. 0G422G is the part#. Prices vary wildly on this item and other MB wont have the 4 pin header to run the fan...




					www.techpowerup.com


----------



## KLiKzg (Jan 13, 2021)

Just my 5cents worth:

Your Tcase is 64°C. Check more info here: https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...60-15m-cache-3-30-ghz-0-0-gt-s-intel-qpi.html

Did you do a:

clean-up of the dust on coolers?
vacuum/blow air on all fans & coolers?
rework the thermal paste between CPU & cooler? (might be old & not working, with your (83°C on CPU)
check which cooler you have? Maybe you don't have a proper cooler for 130W CPU.

I would say it's your CPU, who is faulty.
Here's a list of possible alternatives, which might work on your T3600 system: https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...622,64583,64595,64597,64602,64593,64591,64620
Check the text for A18 BIOS to confirm that.
& no, you don't need fastest lower core count for CPU - you're not running CAD programs like CATIA. All games support multi-CPU architecture, so no problem with having more cores.

2nd guess is the RAM, which can be checked with MEMtest bootable program.
3rd guess would be the PSU (but don't think it is).


----------



## elfoam (Jan 13, 2021)

It's just pulling too many watts on the 2080, you might be able to work around it if you supply some of the power to the card from another rail. Or try under volting the card a bit. The limit is somewhere around 200 watts and you'll be right on that with a 2080. Try use a cable that pulls 75 watts from the sata line or something like that.


----------



## bgguy (Jan 13, 2021)

@KLiKzg Why do you think it's CPU? I have tried CPU burner and it runs fine at 100% consistently. 
And the times when it shutdown in Half Life:Alyx temps were only 75C and 65C for CPU/GPU respectively. 
I just tested with a separate set of RAM and same issue. Still shuts down.  
And yes, bootup screen shows bios A18. 


@elfoam The 12V rail should be 18A, so 216W, plus another 75W from the PCIE slot which should be fine? I've run the GPU by itself at 100% for long periods with no issues.


----------



## elfoam (Jan 13, 2021)

Maybe it can't make those watts anymore like it used to? it's just that the PSU switching off like that is totally typical when you run out of power. Happened to me when I was running Crossfire RX 480s both on one rail with my Dell T7500, but I could run them no problem on seperate rails.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 14, 2021)

bgguy said:


> Everything seems to point to the PSU but before I go out and buy a new PSU, is there anything else I can test?


I'm going to lean in this direction as well. That behavior you've described seems like a Dell PSU fault protection cut-off. You might be over taxing that PSU.


----------



## bgguy (Jan 14, 2021)

Alright. So I realized I have a spare power supply so I hooked up one of the PCIE connections on the GPU to the spare PSU.
Dell PSU supplying essentially the whole PC and one 12V PCIE 8pin to the 2080 + one 12V PCIE 6pin connection from the spare PSU to my 2080.
Ran everything at 100% and it did not shutdown. So now I know it's definitely a power issue.


I guess the remaining question is whether I should get another 635W PSU hoping it won't trip? Or should I try to find a 825W PSU?  Or will a new PSU help at all considering each rail is always 12V x 18A, so maybe even an 825W won't work?

I checked the manual and it says: "Total allowed graphics power allowed in slot 2 is 225W"

The cost for the PSUs would be.
635W ~ $100
825W ~ $200-300.

Could someone explain how the 12V rails work?
On the 635W they have 12VA, VB, VC, VD, VE, but there are only 3 cables from the power distribution block, 1 CPU (I'm guessing 2 rails), 1 MOBO (Also 2 rails?), and POWER_VGA2(1 rail?). Is this correct?


----------



## elfoam (Jan 14, 2021)

Yeah there's a chance the 825w wont work either, I think I made a power cable adapter once to run a regular ATX power supply in a 5600? or 7600. Are the 3600 PSUs the same?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 14, 2021)

bgguy said:


> Or should I try to find a 825W PSU?


It's either this, downgrade your GPU to something like a GTX1080 or buy a new PC.



bgguy said:


> 825W ~ $200-300.


You're paying too much where ever you're looking. You can get a 1300w for $171 shipped.








						Dell Precision T7600 T7610 T3600 T3610 T5600 T5610 1300W POWER SUPPLY  | eBay
					

Condition is Used. We will match it. All part numbers are available.



					www.ebay.com
				











						Dell Precision T7600 T7610 T3600 T3610 T5600 1300W Power Supply   | eBay
					

Failure to do so may invalidate the warranty.



					www.ebay.com


----------



## KLiKzg (Jan 15, 2021)

bgguy said:


> @KLiKzg Why do you think it's CPU? I have tried CPU burner and it runs fine at 100% consistently.
> And the times when it shutdown in Half Life:Alyx temps were only 75C and 65C for CPU/GPU respectively.
> I just tested with a separate set of RAM and same issue. Still shuts down.
> And yes, bootup screen shows bios A18.
> ...


Hi,
when GPU fails, then computers keeps on working. In my case it even fried the RAM on GPU, but CPU still was working.

When CPU fails, it abruptly shuts down the computer.
When RAM fails (with errors), then the app shuts down. If it's kernel, then computer shuts down. Thankfully that can be checked with MEMtest - did you run it?
When PSU fails, yes it's shuts down the computer. But usually it shuts down once & never works again.

My experience is with T5500 with X5650 in them. Neither of those comes over 75°C, while being stressed on BOINC (CPU & GPU computing) & working 24/7.
So I believe that my machine is more stresses then yours with games.

For me, the problem is the CPU on 83°C. That's too hot for CPU which should work up to Tcase of 63°C.
What might be the problems:
a) dust on cooler
b) not much air flow (check dust on fans & fans)
c) thermal paste is OLD
d) CPU cooler is not designed for 130W TDP CPU - did you check which cooler you have?
Getting yourself new CPU will cost $10~$50. So this is where I would 1st go & get myself a lower powered, same computing power CPU (you can see in my last link some 110W or 95W TDP CPUs).

If those won't help, then the more expensive solution would be to get yourself a new PSU.
But before that, did you dust out a PSU? It might be dusty & have same problems from overheating.

When fixing computers or cars, I always go from least expensive to more expensive.

Edit:
& about downgrading your GPU, don't go to 1080.
As you might need to downgrade the power of GPU, so it's better to go down to 2070 or 2060 then 1080.


----------



## sepheronx (Jan 15, 2021)

Hello Friendo's

I purchased (for $150 CAD) a Dell t1650 with a E3 1275 v2 CPU.  This machine will be used for a build I am gonna sell which will sport a R9 390X GPU.  Anyway, I want to transplant it into a new case and aware of the ridiculous motherboard proprietary connections and was wondering if this will work for it?









						Dell Optiplex 790 & 990 and Precision T1600 Front Panel Header Adapter Kit  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dell Optiplex 790 & 990 and Precision T1600 Front Panel Header Adapter Kit at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.ca
				




Now I am aware that it says T1600 and not T1650 but I am wondering if the connections are the same between the two mobo's?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 15, 2021)

sepheronx said:


> Now I am aware that it says T1600 and not T1650 but I am wondering if the connections are the same between the two mobo's?


Sorry, but those will not work on a T1650. If you review the following, you see that they are very different systems.




__





						Support for Precision T1600 | Documentation | Dell US
					





					www.dell.com
				







__





						Support for Precision T1650 | Documentation | Dell US
					





					www.dell.com


----------



## sepheronx (Jan 15, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Sorry, but those will not work on a T1650. If you review the following, you see that they are very different systems.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hmm.

I'm on phone so I can't see the documentation.  But I am curious why they changed the motherboards connections between the 1600 and 1650?

Anyway, do you know of an alternative?

Edit: so it's similar to optiplex 9010









						Dell Optiplex 7010 9010 7020 9020 and Precision T1700 Front Panel Header Adapter  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dell Optiplex 7010 9010 7020 9020 and Precision T1700 Front Panel Header Adapter at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.ca
				




So this one?

Ok, I'm a doofus. The description tells me for second item. So I gotta buy that one.


----------



## TopHatProductions115 (Jan 16, 2021)

I've got a Titan Xp coming in the mail, and am waiting on a possible offer for a pair of Xeon X5690's. Can't get any better than that for a T7500, can it? Aside from getting more RAM


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 17, 2021)

sepheronx said:


> Ok, I'm a doofus. The description tells me for second item. So I gotta buy that one.


No worries. Let us know how it works for you.


----------



## sepheronx (Jan 17, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> No worries. Let us know how it works for you.



I will!


----------



## elfoam (Jan 17, 2021)

Since my T5500 is running like a champ again with the replacement IO board I decided to turn it into an Arcade machine for the moment. Got a HD 5450 gpu in it and running groovymame and CRTemudriver.  With a RGB to component converter and a outputting it to a nice standard definition CRT I have.  It's all running perfectly. I also seem to have an unlimited source of DDR3 ECC ram for my personal consumption at the local scrap yard. Grabbed another 3 sticks of 8gig from the scrap bin the other day.


TopHatProductions115 said:


> I've got a Titan Xp coming in the mail, and am waiting on a possible offer for a pair of Xeon X5690's. Can't get any better than that for a T7500, can it? Aside from getting more RAM


CPU wise that's are powerful as you can go make sure you have the full three channels of ram running on each cpu.


----------



## Susquehannock (Jan 19, 2021)

elfoam said:


> I got the replacement front I/O panel for the T5500 and plugged it in (just hanging out the side of the case for a test) and that seems to have fixed the full speed fan problem. That was a very helpful hero post, Thank you.
> 
> I will buy another for a spare since I still have two T5500s running.


Great news. Good to hear that fixed your problem.


----------



## biffzinker (Jan 21, 2021)

Here’s a recent video for both the Xeon, and Dell Workstation Club threads everyone should enjoy.


----------



## elfoam (Jan 21, 2021)

Been watching that kid since he had almost no subscribers, always liked his low budget builds. Great to see his channel went big


----------



## rdizzle321 (Jan 21, 2021)

Hi everyone, haven't posted in a while but just wanted to thank you for the support I got from ElFoam and Lex. I installed the 2x new processors and 48GB of ram and it was painless (nice change). I ended up also buying a 500GB SSD and directly passing it through to my VM which made the most difference of all.

I have a follow-up question as I want to buy a PCIe USB port card as a pass-through for the vm as the functionality when you use shared USB slots on the vm side and Unraid side is really finicky.

This card looks pretty good but I'm concerned about how "short" the PCIe connector is vs. my motherboard slot which are longer





						PCIE USB 3.0 Card, ELUTENG 4 Ports PCI Expree to USB Expansion Card Super Speed 5Gbps PCI-e USB3 Hub Controller Adapter Compatible with Windows 10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista-No Need Additional Power Supply : Amazon.ca: Electronics
					

PCIE USB 3.0 Card, ELUTENG 4 Ports PCI Expree to USB Expansion Card Super Speed 5Gbps PCI-e USB3 Hub Controller Adapter Compatible with Windows 10/8.1/8/7/XP/Vista-No Need Additional Power Supply : Amazon.ca: Electronics



					www.amazon.ca
				




Will it work properly in the PCIe2 x8, PCIe2 x16, PCIe2 x8 slots? Another newb question, but the connector is so small?!


----------



## biffzinker (Jan 21, 2021)

rdizzle321 said:


> Will it work properly in the PCIe2 x8, PCIe2 x16, PCIe2 x8 slots? Another newb question, but the connector is so small?!


It’ll be fine for the expansion slot.



The bottom note is for legacy PCI.


----------



## dorsetknob (Jan 21, 2021)

PCIx1 Card's will be functional and compatable with all PCIx Slots


----------



## biffzinker (Jan 21, 2021)

The only time to be concerned is if you were looking at a card with x4/x8/x16 data lanes, and your board only has x1 slots. Some x1 slots are open on the back allowing say x16 card to slot in.


----------



## sepheronx (Jan 21, 2021)

elfoam said:


> Been watching that kid since he had almost no subscribers, always liked his low budget builds. Great to see his channel went big



I like him because he does what we all do, budget stuff (well, most of us at least) and he seems like a good hearted kid.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 21, 2021)

rdizzle321 said:


> This card looks pretty good but I'm concerned about how "short" the PCIe connector is vs. my motherboard slot which are longer
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That's a solid USB3.0 card. It'll work in any of the PCIe slots you have. However in the picture you posted, the black slot on the bottom would be the best to use as it's on the back side of the video card and will not block ventilation or air flow.


----------



## rdizzle321 (Jan 23, 2021)

Thanks. Because I'm using an unraid server and will want to use this as a pcie passthrough do I need to make sure it supports Linux or any other driver/hardware specific things? That card doesn't obviously state Linux support


----------



## biffzinker (Jan 23, 2021)

rdizzle321 said:


> Thanks. Because I'm using an unraid server and will want to use this as a pcie passthrough do I need to make sure it supports Linux or any other driver/hardware specific things? That card doesn't obviously state Linux support


The chip advertised in the photo is VLI VL805-Q6. It's soldered on the Raspberry Pi 4 board for the two USB 3.0 ports so compatible with Linux. It's on my Raspberry Pi 4


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 24, 2021)

rdizzle321 said:


> Thanks. Because I'm using an unraid server and will want to use this as a pcie passthrough do I need to make sure it supports Linux or any other driver/hardware specific things? That card doesn't obviously state Linux support


Actually, Linux support is mentioned on the description page front and center, sadly, no Linux support.

However, you can use this one;





						Startech PEXUSB3S44V 4 Port PCI Express (PCIe) SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Card Adapter w/ 4 Dedicated 5Gbps Channels - UASP - SATA / LP4 Power : Amazon.ca: Electronics
					

Startech PEXUSB3S44V 4 Port PCI Express (PCIe) SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Card Adapter w/ 4 Dedicated 5Gbps Channels - UASP - SATA / LP4 Power : Amazon.ca: Electronics



					www.amazon.ca
				



Which states Linux is supported.


----------



## Spoons (Jan 26, 2021)

Hey guys, I have a t5500 with 2 xeon x5690s 48 gb of ram, and an rtx 3070. I was wondering if there was a way to use set fsb or throtle stop to overclock? Iv tried them before and the sliders were greyed out, and I coudn't really do anything. Are there older bios revisions that allowed it, or any functional custom bioses? Id love to squeeze as much preformance as I can out of these chips.


----------



## rdizzle321 (Jan 26, 2021)

Spoons said:


> Hey guys, I have a t5500 with 2 xeon x5690s 48 gb of ram, and an rtx 3070. I was wondering if there was a way to use set fsb or throtle stop to overclock? Iv tried them before and the sliders were greyed out, and I coudn't really do anything. Are there older bios revisions that allowed it, or any functional custom bioses? Id love to squeeze as much preformance as I can out of these chips.


I am by no means an expert, but when I was asking a few weeks ago, I believe I was told the T5500 do not support overclocking the CPUs. If you find out, let me know!


----------



## elfoam (Jan 26, 2021)

Spoons said:


> Hey guys, I have a t5500 with 2 xeon x5690s 48 gb of ram, and an rtx 3070. I was wondering if there was a way to use set fsb or throtle stop to overclock? Iv tried them before and the sliders were greyed out, and I coudn't really do anything. Are there older bios revisions that allowed it, or any functional custom bioses? Id love to squeeze as much preformance as I can out of these chips.


setfsb works (I've had it working) but it's really marginal gains and you need to run all your drives from a card rather than the onboard controller. End of the day.. it's not worth it


----------



## rdizzle321 (Jan 26, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Actually, Linux support is mentioned on the description page front and center, sadly, no Linux support.
> 
> However, you can use this one;
> 
> ...



Again, thanks lex! I see that card is $125... I searched for "linux usb pcie" on amazon and it seems like this $40 one achieves the same. Any reason it wouldn't work? Sorry for being so pedantic, but Amazon returns are annoying!


			Amazon.ca


----------



## Spoons (Jan 26, 2021)

elfoam said:


> setfsb works (I've had it working) but it's really marginal gains and you need to run all your drives from a card rather than the onboard controller. End of the day.. it's not worth it


Thanks for the response, what do you mean by a card rather than an on board controller?


----------



## elfoam (Jan 26, 2021)

Spoons said:


> Thanks for the response, what do you mean by a card rather than an on board controller?


The onboard sata can't handle running above standard bus speed but some sata/sas cards can deal with it better. Do you have your drives runnning from the motherboard or do you have a SAS card?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 26, 2021)

Spoons said:


> Hey guys, I have a t5500 with 2 xeon x5690s 48 gb of ram, and an rtx 3070. I was wondering if there was a way to use set fsb or throtle stop to overclock?


There is no way to change the bclk, and because you have X5690, which have locked multipliers the only OC you can get from them with ThrottleStop is to force max multi turbo on all cores. Still, for those CPU's that will give a health boost and you should enjoy the results.

BTW, welcome to the forums Spoonman!!



rdizzle321 said:


> Again, thanks lex! I see that card is $125... I searched for "linux usb pcie" on amazon and it seems like this $40 one achieves the same. Any reason it wouldn't work? Sorry for being so pedantic, but Amazon returns are annoying!
> 
> 
> Amazon.ca


Nice! The Startech was the cheapest Linux compatible one I could find. Of course I'm in the states and Amazon sorts by shipping area, so it's possible the others don't ship to the US from Canada. Glad you found a good card!


----------



## rdizzle321 (Jan 27, 2021)

Awesome thanks! For once something is available here and not there LOL, and at a cheaper price. 

all the best


----------



## Spoons (Jan 27, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> There is no way to change the bclk, and because you have X5690, which have locked multipliers the only OC you can get from them with ThrottleStop is to force max multi turbo on all cores. Still, for those CPU's that will give a health boost and you should enjoy the results.
> 
> BTW, welcome to the forums Spoonman!!
> 
> ...


Thanks for the warm welcome. I was at school yesterday when I commented, and couldn't really test throittle stop, but now when I go to change my trl, everything is greyed out, along with the options in the tpl. So how would you set an all core max turbo


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 27, 2021)

Spoons said:


> Thanks for the warm welcome. I was at school yesterday when I commented, and couldn't really test throittle stop, but now when I go to change my trl, everything is greyed out, along with the options in the tpl. So how would you set an all core max turbo


Have to "checked" the "Set Multiplier" and moved it up to it's maximum and then clicked "Turn On" followed by "Save"?

Remember that you have to uncheck "Speed Step" and "C1E" as well.


----------



## Spoons (Jan 27, 2021)

When I do that, my task mgr shows no change to my turbo. Everything is still greyed out in tpl and trl, incase your instructions were to fix that, rather than the turbo.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 27, 2021)

Spoons said:


> Everything is still greyed out in tpl and trl, incase your instructions were to fix that, rather than the turbo.


No, the locked status of the X5600 series means those settings are always greyed out. But forcing the multi to max all-core turbo should be doable. When I was using my X5680 and X5675 before it, this worked. I'm currently on a W3680 which is fully unlocked.


----------



## Spoons (Jan 27, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> No, the locked status of the X5600 series means those settings are always greyed out. But forcing the multi to max all-core turbo should be doable. When I was using my X5680 and X5675 before it, this worked.


ok, I always thought the 5690 was the only chip ion the family that could be overclocked, as I'v seen youtubers do it with the evga sr2 mobo, but i may be wrong. When I made thoes changes, nothing happened, but my pc wasn't under load. Would it need to be in order to see results?


----------



## mgv (Jan 29, 2021)

Hi, I have a T5600, and I'm replacing the PSU with a 1300W PSU from a T7600. My power distribution board CVHT6 has 1x 24-pin POWER1, 1x 8-pin VGA and 2x 8-pin EPS for the two CPUs. I see the power distribution board MGW39 for T7600 has 1x 24-pin POWER1, 3x 8-pin VGA, but for the two CPUs there is a single 20-pin connector. I assume the PSU would work fine with my current power distribution board, but I don't know if the extra power rails would be used. I've considered using the T7600 power distribution board, but is there any reasonable way to get 2x EPS from that 20-pin connector?


----------



## frankr2994 (Jan 30, 2021)

I'd use the 7600 board just for the added vga sockets. The eps harness should just be made up of black and yellow wires 12+ and ground. If you buy a 7600 board get one with the harnesses. Shouldn't be hard to find. Un pin the motherboard side of the eps harness and plug 16 of the wires to the correct spots on your 5600 8 pin eps connectors. Remove the 4 un used pins from the original 7600 psu board connector

After thought you may not be able to fit the psu board from the 7600. I was not able to find a pinout of a 7600 so I can't say if anything is switched up on the psu. I doubt it but can't be sure.


----------



## elfoam (Jan 30, 2021)

It seems I've blown up the PSU in my T5500. But I just wanted to ask a question. Does the self power test button on the back of the PSU work with the PSU unplugged from it's harness? IE it's independant from the T5500 itself?. Asking because I'm want to be sure it's the PSU that popped (something made a pop on power on) before I order another. I've had a look inside the PSU and can't find and obviously damaged component and it was a very small pop sound so I guess it might not be visible (fuse is ok).

Edit: Nevermind I unplugged the PSU on my T7500 and can confirm the PSU self test is totally independent to the machine. So the PSU in the T5500 has failed. I'll have a real good look for the failed component and if I can't find it I'll decide on replacing the PSU with either another T5500 unit or maybe even the 1100 watt from the 7500, people say it can be made to fit.

Update: Found the source of the pop, a cracked resistor. But this doesn't really explain what went wrong. Guess it can't hurt replacing the resistor and seeing if it pops again

Update 2:.. No change with new resistor but I think it's the IC TNY279PN that is the problem, seems these are dodgy


----------



## mgv (Feb 1, 2021)

frankr2994 said:


> After thought you may not be able to fit the psu board from the 7600. I was not able to find a pinout of a 7600 so I can't say if anything is switched up on the psu. I doubt it but can't be sure.



You're right. I got the power supply and psu board today, the T7600 psu board is significantly larger :-(
I've installed the power supply and it works with my current T5600 psu board, but I assume I'm not benefiting from the extra power because the extra power rails are not being used.


----------



## frankr2994 (Feb 1, 2021)

Don't be certain your not using all the rails. Just because there are less connections doesn't mean psu pins aren't shared. I'm willing to bet that the 7600 psu board has more pins than the psu has rails.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 2, 2021)

frankr2994 said:


> I'm willing to bet that the 7600 psu board has more pins than the psu has rails.


Most PSU's do, what's your point?


----------



## frankr2994 (Feb 2, 2021)

That he would be using all the psu rails with less pins...


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 2, 2021)

Spoons said:


> ok, I always thought the 5690 was the only chip ion the family that could be overclocked, as I'v seen youtubers do it with the evga sr2 mobo, but i may be wrong. When I made thoes changes, nothing happened, but my pc wasn't under load. Would it need to be in order to see results?


Not sure where you've seen that, but it seems that none of the X5600 series of Xeons was unlocked. Only the W3680 & W3690.


----------



## Susquehannock (Feb 3, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Not sure where you've seen that, but it seems that none of the X5600 series of Xeons was unlocked. Only the W3680 & W3690.


Yeah. And even if it were the lack of voltage control in the Dell Tx500 BIOS is a limiting factor. Wish my x5690 was unlocked. Still a very good CPU.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 3, 2021)

Susquehannock said:


> eah. And even if it were the lack of voltage control in the Dell Tx500 BIOS is a limiting factor.


Actually with the W3680 and ThrottleStop, OCing is very viable as you can alter the power limits. It's not direct voltage control, but it still works well. I'm currently at 4.2ghz stable in a T3500.


----------



## FIROGR (Feb 5, 2021)

Hi! 

I currently have T3500, W3680 @ 4.0GHz, 24GB ram. I have started to think about power consumption what it have compared to Ryze 3600 system. Ryzen have power consumption under full load arround 130-140W and idle arroun 60W. I dont have power meter so do you have any idea how much this consumes power?

If there is large difference on idle power I think that I sould move on from x58 because electric bill are pretty expensive in my country. Price is arround 0,4€/kWh and I spend arround 4-10h on computer daily. I have to do calculations when I know powerconsumption of T3500 to define is there point to buy new cpu + mobo + ram combo for 400€


----------



## frankr2994 (Feb 5, 2021)

There's more than just the cpu in play. How many things are going on with you pc. There's always some loss through the power supply and old big hard drives especially if they are fast enterprise drives can suck some juice.  Graphics cards are another factor. If you could deal with less all around you could probably save power buy building a new system.


----------



## leopardtag (Feb 8, 2021)

Hello everyone. I'm counting on your advice about the T5500. Currently I have a dual E5620 cpu, 32MB of ram, 3 SSD and recently made an GPU upgrade and installed an R9 290x 8Gb. The installation went well but everytime I try to run a game the PC just rebooted. I've tried to change to an R9 290 4Gb but no avail, the problem persists. I've used Heaven, OCCT and even Furmark but everytime I start the tests, the PC reboots. The Even Viewer informs that a Kernel power related event occured. The AMD drivers are OK.
 I'm thinking that the PSU maybe is not good enough for the GPU card but it's an 825w Dell Plus Silver PSU that is supposed to handle the upgrade! Can anyone give me an insight about this problem?

Thank you very much.


----------



## imrazor (Feb 8, 2021)

GPU power delivery on the T5500 is limited to 150w. Even with a software power limit of 135w I found that a Vega 56 would peak too high and flatline the system. I had to drop in an HD 7950 to prevent power related crashes. Also as PSUs age their ability to deliver quality power erodes.

IIRC the r9 290 is an extreme power hog. I’d recommend something more efficient, or you can try redirecting SATA power. I’ve heard that the T5500’s PSU can be replaced with an 1100w unit from a T7500, or even standard ATX. Never tried it myself though.


----------



## leopardtag (Feb 8, 2021)

imrazor said:


> GPU power delivery on the T5500 is limited to 150w. Even with a software power limit of 135w I found that a Vega 56 would peak too high and flatline the system. I had to drop in an HD 7950 to prevent power related crashes. Also as PSUs age their ability to deliver quality power erodes.
> 
> IIRC the r9 290 is an extreme power hog. I’d recommend something more efficient, or you can try redirecting SATA power. I’ve heard that the T5500’s PSU can be replaced with an 1100w unit from a T7500, or even standard ATX. Never tried it myself though.


So I should just upgrade the PSU to something like an Corsair CV650W? I can drop the second CPU and try to get a better one... Any ideas? Maybe a X5675 for example?


----------



## imrazor (Feb 8, 2021)

leopardtag said:


> So I should just upgrade the PSU to something like an Corsair CV650W? I can drop the second CPU and try to get a better one... Any ideas? Maybe a X5675 for example?


Yes a standard ATX PSU probably will not have a power connector for the 2nd CPU. More expensive ones may however. And you may need extensions for those long runs to the bottom of the case. Please do verify with another source though that it will take an ATX PSU; that’s just what I’ve heard.

As far as the CPU...well that depends on your intended use and budget. For gaming I’d recommend something like the quad core X5687 which can hit 3.8 GHz turbo. Otherwise the X5675 or X5680 are good choices.


----------



## crazydrve` (Feb 10, 2021)

HI everyone, 

Yesterday my machine started running the fans at high speed, I rebooted the T5500 and I get the following...

CPU2 fan failure

I have reset the cmos, etc. but its only good when I take out the cpu riser. 

Does anyone have any ideas? 

Thank you
Bill


----------



## imrazor (Feb 10, 2021)

Is the fan actually working? If not, replace it. If it is working, it might be a bad sensor.


----------



## crazydrve` (Feb 10, 2021)

imrazor said:


> Is the fan actually working? If not, replace it. If it is working, it might be a bad sensor.


@imrazor 

Thanks for responding, yes the fan is working but that's a good idea to replace it.


----------



## Wadadli (Feb 10, 2021)

Been lurking for some time, so time for a first post...............




bgguy said:


> My T3600 Specs:
> E5-1660
> 4x8GB DDR3 ECC RAM
> NVIDIA RTX 2080
> ...



Very similar to my system, except for the RTX2080. Got a Powercolor RX580 Red Devil (overclocked). I've had no issues at all, even with a power draw of 235-240W when stress testing, That's 10-15W over the theoretical maximum of  the 2*6pin(75W) cables from the 635W PSU. I saw a discussion some 20 pages back regarding converting a 6pin to 8pin and although I would generally urge caution, in this case it works fine as the exceedance is in practise rare. Maybe also a testament to (older?) Dell PSUs reputation of delivering rated power and beyond. 

Talking of PSUs and 12v rails check interviews with JohnnyGuru on YouTube and maybe this article Single Rail vs Multi-Rail Power Supplies (PSU) | PCPARTGUIDE. The short of it is with better protections now available, a 'good' PSU is fine with one high Amp 12v rail whereas previously it was spread over several rails so that a single failure of a rail would not mean a complete PSU failure.



KLiKzg said:


> Just my 5cents worth:
> 
> Your Tcase is 64°C. Check more info here: https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...60-15m-cache-3-30-ghz-0-0-gt-s-intel-qpi.html
> 
> ...



With regards to the temperatures, they're completely fine and indeed in line with mine. Of course a good clean of the CPU cooler and fan never hurts 

With regards to the Tcase of 64ºC that's  correct, but only half of it. The T3600 also uses the more advanced Digital Thermal Sensor (DTS) based thermal specification for acoustic and fan speed optimizations up to a maximum. This is 83.4℃ for the E5-1660. In essence this is max Tcontrol. There is then a further buffer of 6℃ to Tjmax beyond which throttling (TCC) kicks in at 91℃.









Hope this helps. Links for bedtime reading below:

Intel® Xeon® Processor E5-1600/E5-2600/E5-4600 Product Families Datasheet - Volume One
Intel® Xeon® Processor E5-1600/2600/4600 v1 and v2 Product Families Thermal/Mechanical Design Guide



crazydrve` said:


> @imrazor
> 
> Thanks for responding, yes the fan is working but that's a good idea to replace it.


I was about to suggest swapping the fans between the CPU risers, but that may not be an option having had a quick look in the manual


----------



## crazydrve` (Feb 12, 2021)

Machine is working now for some reason? I wonder if that means the cpu riser is going bad?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 12, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> Machine is working now for some reason? I wonder if that means the cpu riser is going bad?


What changed that now allows things to work properly?


----------



## crazydrve` (Feb 12, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> What changed that now allows things to work properly?


Not really sure, I had it out running on 1 cpu for a day. When I put it back in its quiet again.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 12, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> Not really sure, I had it out running on 1 cpu for a day. When I put it back in its quiet again.


Perhaps it was just a slightly loose connector. It happens from time to time in even the most high quality components.


----------



## leopardtag (Feb 12, 2021)

imrazor said:


> Yes a standard ATX PSU probably will not have a power connector for the 2nd CPU. More expensive ones may however. And you may need extensions for those long runs to the bottom of the case. Please do verify with another source though that it will take an ATX PSU; that’s just what I’ve heard.
> 
> As far as the CPU...well that depends on your intended use and budget. For gaming I’d recommend something like the quad core X5687 which can hit 3.8 GHz turbo. Otherwise the X5675 or X5680 are good choices.


Corsair PSU Cx650W installed and working fine. No more Thanos reboot! 

However I was thinking about that CPU upgrade. The X5675 is a 95W CPU vs the x5675 that is a 130W. Considering that I'm using an R9 290 card I should stick within the 95W cpu or go ahead and try to buy the 130W instead?!


----------



## imrazor (Feb 12, 2021)

leopardtag said:


> Corsair PSU Cx650W installed and working fine. No more Thanos reboot!
> 
> However I was thinking about that CPU upgrade. The X5675 is a 95W CPU vs the x5675 that is a 130W. Considering that I'm using an R9 290 card I should stick within the 95W cpu or go ahead and try to buy the 130W instead?!


So are you running on one CPU or two at the moment? You may have to use a PSU power estimator to be sure your Corsair can deliver enough juice.
And how hard was the PSU upgrade? Been thinking about doing one myself, but it looks like some of the cables run under that wacky motherboard...


----------



## leopardtag (Feb 12, 2021)

imrazor said:


> So are you running on one CPU or two at the moment? You may have to use a PSU power estimator to be sure your Corsair can deliver enough juice.
> And how hard was the PSU upgrade? Been thinking about doing one myself, but it looks like some of the cables run under that wacky motherboard...


Only one. I had to "drop" the second CPU since the CPU cable wasn't long enough (it can get to the end of the board but not the CPU riser). The PSU, according to various PSU wattage calculators, is more than enough to accommodate the muscled version of the family (x5690) but the prices are way to high (on ebay) comparing to the x5675.
I had to dismount and mount the board just to get those power cables out.


----------



## Azhrarn (Feb 15, 2021)

Azhrarn said:


> My current system.
> View attachment 180311
> NVIDIA Quadro P600 Specs | TechPowerUp GPU Database
> 
> ...


Just to give you guys a heads up.
My system (Dell T7810) is completely up and running now.

The reason for this extra announce is because I made some modifications to the system.
1. I replaced the fan on the MAIN CPU Heatsink with Noctua NF A9 PWM fan. (Together with Dell 5pin to 4pin fan adapter.)
    The plastic has been around the cpu was a bit cut to get the fan in and all is kept tightly together with a few tiestraps.
    Works fine and WAY more silent then old fan. (Idle as well under load.)
2.  I was unable to install the Noctua NH-U9S on the 2nd cpu location. This is because Dell uses a special kind of CPU Socket. In short the Noctua doesn't fit and contacting them did not help. They just mention it is special and they do not support it. You can replace the socket screws, but this requires disassembling the board a bit. Disassembly of the pc is fine for me, but I don't touch the board. So this was a no go. In the end I bought what everyone does and just got the 2nd CPU/FAN Heatsink from Dell.
3. The PSU fans have both been replaced with new ones found on aliexpress. The system is again way more silent now.
4. The Front Chassis fans have been tested and 2 were replaced for being too noisy.
5. System now has 2 * Intel E5-2697v4 and 256GB RAM (8*32GB). (Cinebench score are about 25% better then an AMD 5950 X)
6. No thermal throttling detected during cinebench R20 (half an hour run). I guess the cooling solution is good enough.
7. The fan noise when idle is barely audible. Even when running under a fractional load (25%) the system is still barely audible.
6. When running at full load the system does becomes noisy (in my opinion), but this doesn't happen very often and I have heard way worse then this workstation.
7. The most noisy is the GPU fan on the PNY Quadro P600. Wanted to fix that, but that seems to be quite tricky. Tried it, but abandonned soon. Too complicated and seems custom stuff...
8. I placed 4 extra Samsung 860 EVO 1TB in the system as well for storage reason.  (Mostly VM's)
9. In the future I might install an Asus Hyper M.2 X16 card for extra storage. But so far this is plentiful enough for my labo purposes.

In the end I am quite happy with my build. All my labs (GNS3 as well Cisco Voice) have no performance or RAM issues now. Nor are they killing my ears. Mostly silent.
Just one thing ennoys me. The boot time before I get to Bios screen is about a minute. Which is LONG when you are wiating for it...
I know this is not so long compared to servers. But this is my 3rd workstation. And the first one that takes really long to show BIOS... Is it normal? Can I do something about it?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 16, 2021)

Azhrarn said:


> Just to give you guys a heads up.
> My system (Dell T7810) is completely up and running now.
> 
> The reason for this extra announce is because I made some modifications to the system.
> ...


Pictures?


----------



## silie96630 (Feb 16, 2021)

Hello community,

I have a Dell Precision T3500 running Windows 7. I want to format it and install Windows 10. However, I am unsure about what to do with the drivers situation because my PC only supports Windows 7 drivers.

Now the model of computer I have is really popular so on benchmark sites such as "www.userbenchmark.com", almost every T3500 benchmark submitted is running Windows 10 so it must be possible. My question is - how do approach the situation with the drivers?

Furthermore, I have seen much older Dell and HPs run Windows 10 and perform great in games but I know for a fact they don't have officially supported Windows 10 drivers.

My GPU is a GTX 750 ti which has no issues with Win 10 drivers but what about* chipset drivers and audio*?

Am I correct in saying you can forcefully install Win 7 drivers on Win 10 and have them working fine? Or do you just install GPU drivers and call it a day?

Thank you in advance,

Silie96630


----------



## leopardtag (Feb 16, 2021)

Have you heard of Driver Booster? Not all people like it but it does find that driver that we somehow could not find. I've have windows 10 installed (even used the windows 7 key that came with the PC) and everything is ok. You should installed all the needed and updated drivers.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 16, 2021)

silie96630 said:


> I have a Dell Precision T3500 running Windows 7. I want to format it and install Windows 10. However, I am unsure about what to do with the drivers situation because my PC only supports Windows 7 drivers.


Windows 10 has most of the needed drivers built in. Those that are not built in, the Windows 7 drivers from the Dell support page will work fine in Windows 10. No worries. Install Windows 10 with confidence.



			Support for Precision T3500 | Drivers & Downloads | Dell US


----------



## Wadadli (Feb 16, 2021)

Azhrarn said:


> 2.  I was unable to install the Noctua NH-U9S on the 2nd cpu location. This is because Dell uses a special kind of CPU Socket. In short the Noctua doesn't fit and contacting them did not help. They just mention it is special and they do not support it. You can replace the socket screws, but this requires disassembling the board a bit. Disassembly of the pc is fine for me, but I don't touch the board. So this was a no go. In the end I bought what everyone does and just got the 2nd CPU/FAN Heatsink from Dell.



Isn't the socket the slim LGA2011-3? Then the NH-D9DX i4 3U might be more useful.

CPU SOCKET LGA2011-3 Narrow ILM | 3D CAD Model Library | GrabCAD

This guy used it here : Investigation – T3600 Fan Blog (wordpress.com)


Having checked the motherboard, the above blog and compared the two fans, I'm fairly certain it would be the better option, albeit perhaps a bit too late now?


----------



## bgguy (Feb 17, 2021)

So I've still been having issue with my T3600 randomly shutting off. This is even after power limiting my GPU so I am at a complete loss of why my desktop keeps shutting off during certain games that are both CPU and GPU intensive. I've thought of buying a new 635W or 825W PSU, but there is no guarantees I could overcome the 18A limit for the 12V rail. (Honestly, I'm not even sure this is an issue right now.)

But I just had a crazy and horrible and genius idea though.......

When you look at the 635W power supply, it looks like there are many pins and also 2 blank spots. When you compare it to the 825W power supply, you see that it's actually grouped together and presumably because the 825W adds 2 additional 12V rails, thats what the blank spots are.

The problem is that even though you're adding additional rails, the T3600 power distribution board doesn't have any outputs for it so they are essentially unused.
However, what if you were to connect 2 of the 12V buses together by soldering them together. You essentially get a 12V rail with now a 36A limit. I guess the remaining problem is there is no way to know which pin is which voltage. Nothing seems to be marked and the PCB traces seem to be internal to the board. Anyone have any ideas which are the 12V rails?


Any thoughts?

Disclaimer: Do not do anything I just mentioned above, this was purely a thought experiment and no one will be responsible if you accidentally burn down your house or destroy your desktop.


----------



## c12038 (Feb 17, 2021)

Dell Precision M6300 Workstation series laptop
2.5Ghz T9300
4GB DDR2 667Mhz
500GB HDD
Ralink N wifi card replaced the rubbish Anatel 54mbps one


----------



## silie96630 (Feb 17, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Windows 10 has most of the needed drivers built in. Those that are not built in, the Windows 7 drivers from the Dell support page will work fine in Windows 10. No worries. Install Windows 10 with confidence.
> 
> 
> 
> Support for Precision T3500 | Drivers & Downloads | Dell US



Hey thanks! Could you let me know what drivers you installed on your machine? I mean the ones from windows 7? Like was it just chipset or just audio?


----------



## Wadadli (Feb 17, 2021)

bgguy said:


> So I've still been having issue with my T3600 randomly shutting off. This is even after power limiting my GPU so I am at a complete loss of why my desktop keeps shutting off during certain games that are both CPU and GPU intensive. I've thought of buying a new 635W or 825W PSU, but there is no guarantees I could overcome the 18A limit for the 12V rail. (Honestly, I'm not even sure this is an issue right now.)
> 
> But I just had a crazy and horrible and genius idea though.......
> 
> ...


Might work

But this might be better. I remembered an old post in a different forum. This solution might be better using SATA power to the GPU:





Link to the above:

#RabbitHole


Something like this should give you 2x54W=108W plus the 150W from VGA_1.  So 258W plus the 75W from the PCIe slot should be sufficient.

Dual 15Pin SATA Male To PCIe 8Pin (6+2) Male Video Card Power Cable


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 17, 2021)

silie96630 said:


> Hey thanks! Could you let me know what drivers you installed on your machine? I mean the ones from windows 7? Like was it just chipset or just audio?


Chipset. I never use the onboard sound. However the one time I enabled it Windows had drivers that worked straight away.


----------



## firesnake (Feb 20, 2021)

Hello I'm new here. I have T3600 E5 -2658 / 28GB ram / Quadro 2000 etc. Can send anyone picture to me power supply baffle? (balck part end of power supply) Thank you. I bought used wokstation and this part is missing. I have 3D printer I would like to print similar one.


----------



## rtenor (Mar 12, 2021)

Hi.
Does anyone know if T5810 is compatible with E5-16xxL and E5-26xxL processors?


----------



## Cheese Burger Eddy (Mar 17, 2021)

I just joined the "Why did I think buying a 10+ year old Dual CPU machine was smart" club! I picked up a T7500 with Dual X5550's, 12gb of ram (6x2gb) with basically everything stock and 2, 1.5tb HDD in it. The thing was absolutely filthy inside. The Northbridge active fan (I think), front fans, HDD fan and rear fans where all, completely coated in a thick layer of grime/dust. I have blown through 3 cans of compressed air cleaning to thing out and still not done.

On order is 2, X5675's to replace the X5550s. After that I am getting a U402f heatsink (unless there is a better aftermarket in the $50 range), a ram upgrade, Sata card for running an SSD and the 2 HDDs. Other than that, the machine makes me super happy. It is confirmed working with the X5550's and I only paid $80 for the entire thing!

My plan is to swap out the current CPUs and sell them super cheap and hopefully get a good deal on some ram. I was lookin at 12x4gb or 6x8gb and honestly I would prefer the 8gb sticks since I could go to 12x8gb later instead of trying to offload the 4gb sticks first. The current 6gb of ram per CPU just won't cut it for me. Once I secure the ram, the CPUs show up and the cooler is installed, I will be switching to this system as my primary workstation, stripping my current i5-6600k build and selling the parts, then buying the upgrades for the i5 build I want (new CPU, Mobo, Ram, Maybe PSU and hopefully GPU). Once done, the T7500 becomes my gaming/media/home server.


So my question is regarding ram. The manual says PC3-8500R or PC3-10600R, but I have seen intermittent posts saying PC3-12800R also works. I know the performance difference between them is virtually nothing except in benchmarks. Honestly, I am just trying to get the cheapest upgrade to my ram possible. Everybody appears to be selling old tech for insane prices these days. The prices for 10600 are fairly high in the 6 sticks range, 8500 is the cheapest and 12800 seems to bounce around. Obviously the "higher" speed is preferable for me, but I would rathe get 6x16gb of 8500 than 6x4gb of 10600. Does 12800 work? I am looking at the manual and it appears 16gb sticks only work in 128gb or 192gb configs? Is that table just a guide?

Anyways, happy to be here and excited to dig into the dark secrets of my T7500.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 18, 2021)

Cheese Burger Eddy said:


> On order is 2, X5675's to replace the X5550s.


Excellent choice of CPU to pair up with each other and that system. They are 3GHZ but only 95W TDP. They do actually run cooler as well compared to 130W 1366 CPUs.


Cheese Burger Eddy said:


> After that I am getting a U402f heatsink


That's a solid heatsink and not expensive.


Cheese Burger Eddy said:


> (unless there is a better aftermarket in the $50 range)


Unfortunately aftermarket heatsinks are a difficult prospect because of the mounting bracket system Dell made in the T[X]500 series of systems.

BTW, welcome to TPU!


----------



## Cheese Burger Eddy (Mar 18, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Excellent choice of CPU to pair up with each other and that system. They are 3GHZ but only 95W TDP. They do actually run cooler as well compared to 130W 1366 CPUs.
> 
> That's a solid heatsink and not expensive.
> 
> ...



Originally I had placed an order for a pair of X5690's which was $104 Cad. The Seller on Ebay canceled the order claiming "out of stock" and refunded my money. I checked there store and they had about 8 listings of X5690's, both in pairs and singles, for $85-$110 per CPU. So nearly double the price, which makes me think they "ran out of stock" because they accidentally put down the wrong price. The X5680's on the same listing where $20 MORE than the X5690's. 

So I hunted around some more and I was reading that the X5675 is basically a X5690, just with a lower multiplier/power usage. If you look at the benchmarks between the 75, 80 and 90, they are nearly identical performance per watt. I know these aren't an over clockers dream, but I found a thread on overclock.net from 2018 where "chris89" used setFSB to push dual x5650's in his T7500 pretty hard. He then went to X5675s and did the same. I am still, digging through Ebay listings in the hopes of finding reasonably priced ram, right now, I think 12x4gb of 10600r is the sweet spot price wise. 

So all in, I will likely spend:

$80 on unit
$52 U402f
$63 2xX5675
$140~ 48gb 10600r
$50 SSD
$15 Compressed air
$60 Sata Cards

Total: Approximately $460. More than I planned, but to have a Dual Xeon, 48gb, 3.5tb storage monster? Not bad.


----------



## silie96630 (Mar 18, 2021)

Cheese Burger Eddy said:


> After that I am getting a U402f heatsink (unless there is a better aftermarket in the $50 range)


If you look on YouTube there is people who have used Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo heatsinks on Dell Precision T3500 machines and I'm pretty sure I have seen liquid cooled T5500s. But the issue is that in 99% of those cases, they had to take out their motherboards to mount backplates for the new heatsinks.  And since you're also using a riser card, I am unsure whether you have the mounting holes or are space constrained for a CM Hyper 212 Evo. I would suggest like @lexluthermiester said to just use the U402F, because it's not too costly and is a viable heatsink.



Cheese Burger Eddy said:


> Originally I had placed an order for a pair of X5690's which was $104 Cad. The Seller on Ebay canceled the order claiming "out of stock" and refunded my money. I checked there store and they had about 8 listings of X5690's, both in pairs and singles, for $85-$110 per CPU. So nearly double the price, which makes me think they "ran out of stock" because they accidentally put down the wrong price. The X5680's on the same listing where $20 MORE than the X5690's.
> 
> So I hunted around some more and I was reading that the X5675 is basically a X5690, just with a lower multiplier/power usage. If you look at the benchmarks between the 75, 80 and 90, they are nearly identical performance per watt. I know these aren't an over clockers dream, but I found a thread on overclock.net from 2018 where "chris89" used setFSB to push dual x5650's in his T7500 pretty hard. He then went to X5675s and did the same. I am still, digging through Ebay listings in the hopes of finding reasonably priced ram, right now, I think 12x4gb of 10600r is the sweet spot price wise.
> 
> ...



You never mentioned your GPU choice mate, genuinely intrigued


----------



## imrazor (Mar 18, 2021)

I've got a T5500 with dual X5687 CPUs (130w each) installed. I've tried and failed to get a Vega 56 working by using a vBIOS limited to 150w. However, somehow the card still manages to draw too much power and forces the machine to shut off when put under (gaming) load. Any troubleshooting suggestions?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 18, 2021)

silie96630 said:


> I would suggest like @lexluthermiester said to just use the U402F, because it's not too costly and is a viable heatsink.


There is a caveat to this: If you can find a pair. They are increasingly hard to find.

@Cheese Burger Eddy
You would actually be better off buying a set of U016F's, which are very good performers.








						Dell U016F Precision T3500 T5500 T7500 Workstation Heatsink 0U016F 50742441579 | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dell U016F Precision T3500 T5500 T7500 Workstation Heatsink 0U016F at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				




Attach an 80mm fan and you're good to go! See below. Ignore the dust. 90/92mm fans would work well also, but those are more difficult to find.


For powering the fans I use a molex to 3-pin fan adapter.








						Y-Cable, 4-Pin Molex to 2x 4-Pin (PWM) and 1x 3-Pin, 30cm, Sleeved, Black  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Y-Cable, 4-Pin Molex to 2x 4-Pin (PWM) and 1x 3-Pin, 30cm, Sleeved, Black at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				






Cheese Burger Eddy said:


> $140~ 48gb 10600r



Unless you need the 48GB, go with 24GB(12GB per CPU). You'll save a lot of money.








						4GB DDR3 ECC REG. MEMORY FOR DELL PRECISION WORKSTATION T5500, T7500  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 4GB DDR3 ECC REG. MEMORY FOR DELL PRECISION WORKSTATION T5500, T7500 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				






imrazor said:


> I've got a T5500 with dual X5687 CPUs (130w each) installed. I've tried and failed to get a Vega 56 working by using a vBIOS limited to 150w. However, somehow the card still manages to draw too much power and forces the machine to shut off when put under (gaming) load. Any troubleshooting suggestions?


Yes, get a higher wattage PSU. You likely have the 525W PSU model and you need a 825w minimum for that card to run with those CPU's.








						Mint Condition T5500 T5400 875W PSU N875E-00 POWER SUPPLY  | eBay
					

Pulled from a working system. Condition is "Used".



					www.ebay.com


----------



## imrazor (Mar 18, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Yes, get a higher wattage PSU. You likely have the 525W PSU model and you need a 825w minimum for that card to run with those CPU's.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'm about 80% sure I have a ~800w PSU, but I'll double check. If it is the 825w model, is there any other possible explanation?


----------



## Cheese Burger Eddy (Mar 18, 2021)

silie96630 said:


> You never mentioned your GPU choice mate, genuinely intrigued



Well, once I pry the money from my wallet and get everything, I am stripping my current, i5-6600k build and upgrading to an i5-10600k. The T7500 would hopefully replace my current build temporarily, so I can sell those bits (hoping for about $370) then use those profits to buy new bits ($600-670) so that I only spend around $230-300 on the new parts. During that time I would use my salvaged 1070ti, then once I have the new build up, I would switch that for my 7870. The 7870 is another card I want to sell off though. Best case, I get a new, 3060ti for a reasonable deal, sell the 1070ti for profit (I am into the card maybe $45) sell off my other assorted junk and run 3060ti in my main build and find something mid range for the T7500.

@lexluthermiester I have a Evo 212 on my current i5 build, so I guess I could try that? The stock aluminum heatsink obviously isn't good enough and the U016f is round half the price of the U402f. I was all in on the 402, I just did not know if another, better cooler for around $50 existed. My riser board has the full kit with the big heatsink, the dual fans, shroud etc. So I am just leaving it like that. The main heatsink though is the lowest tier aluminum one though. As for the RAM, Why only 6 sticks of 4? I am finding the best, per stick deal, to be in the 4gb sticks in lots. I found some 4x4gb, 6x4gb and then 8x4gb. The 8x4gb plus a 4x4gb order puts me around 120-140, which isn't bad.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 18, 2021)

imrazor said:


> If it is the 825w model, is there any other possible explanation?


The PSU might be weak or the card is overloading it, in which case you need the 1100w PSU.








						GENUINE Dell Precision T7400 T7500 1100W Power Supply H1100EF-00 G821T  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for GENUINE Dell Precision T7400 T7500 1100W Power Supply H1100EF-00 G821T at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				



That one will come with the wiring harness, but you can just swap PSU's as the T5500 and the T7500 harness's have the same pin-outs.



Cheese Burger Eddy said:


> @lexluthermiester I have a Evo 212 on my current i5 build, so I guess I could try that?


You'll have no way to attach it. The heatsink base plate is glued to the bottom of the T5500 motherboard. You are limited to Dell made heatsinks unless you want to MacGyver it. The U016F's are a perfect choice for the X5675's.


----------



## Cheese Burger Eddy (Mar 18, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> The PSU might be weak or the card is overloading it, in which case you need the 1100w PSU.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



When you say 2, U016F, do you mean one for CPU1 and the other on CPU2 on the riser? My Riser board has a heatsink that looks like the U402f currently, but I was unsure if it is different.


----------



## crispysilicon (Mar 18, 2021)

Heh, glad I found this page. I decided this was the way to go for my son's machine a few months ago.

So he now has a T5610 with 2x E5-2637v2 in it, and 64gb of 1600mhz DDR3.

Now, the only GPU I had laying about was a 7970ghz, which was more than enough for his use, but the power draw was a problem, way unstable.

Had to downclock the GPU to about 700mhz to get it to remain stable under gaming. Tore out the HDD RAID array and put in a single ssd. It'll get my GTX1080 when GPU stock becomes avail again.

Plays a heck of a game of minecraft ;-)


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 18, 2021)

Cheese Burger Eddy said:


> When you say 2, U016F, do you mean one for CPU1 and the other on CPU2 on the riser? My Riser board has a heatsink that looks like the U402f currently, but I was unsure if it is different.


Have you looked up pictures of the U402F and U016F? If you do have a U402F on the riser, then you should also have one on the main board CPU. Take a look at the following post on the Dell Forums. if you have the T021F, you should replace it with at least a U016F.








						T7500 dual CPU cooling - one CPU running hotter - wanted some kind of added CPU fan
					

Howdy.  I have a T7500 that has been and still is great except that one of the CPUs is running about 25 degrees F hotter than the other.  I put a cheap, noisy Ikea fan (on high) right up against the front of the tower air intake grill and that puts them both at about the same temperature. I...




					www.dell.com


----------



## Cheese Burger Eddy (Mar 18, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Have you looked up pictures of the U402F and U016F? If you do have a U402F on the riser, then you should also have one on the main board CPU. Take a look at the following post on the Dell Forums. if you have the T021F, you should replace it with at least a U016F.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I have a U402f on the riser, a T021F on the main board. Which is why I was planning on going U402f on the main board. I am guessing, since it came with dual X5550 and 6x2gb of ram, the system was a base model and they added stuff after.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 18, 2021)

Cheese Burger Eddy said:


> I have a U402f on the riser, a T021F on the main board. Which is why I was planning on going U402f on the main board. I am guessing, since it came with dual X5550 and 6x2gb of ram, the system was a base model and they added stuff after.


Are you sure you don't have one of these on the riser?








						New OEM Dell Precision T7500 2nd Processor Riser Heatsink/Fans G082W W567F GFF8K  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for New OEM Dell Precision T7500 2nd Processor Riser Heatsink/Fans G082W W567F GFF8K at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				



You could always buy a unit like that and cannibalize the heatsink for mainboard CPU. It'll fit, you just have to remove the rest of the fittings.


----------



## imrazor (Mar 18, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Are you sure you don't have one of these on the riser?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have two of these daughterboards/riser cards, and they both have the superior heatsink on them. The low end heatsink is nothing more than a chunk of aluminum, whereas the higher end models have proper heatpipes.


----------



## Cheese Burger Eddy (Mar 18, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Are you sure you don't have one of these on the riser?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yes that is the one I have on the riser. I thought it was the same heatsink as the U402f, but slightly different and riser specific. There are lots of U402f's on Ebay for about $50 cad, so I will just buy one of those. I just didn't know if there was a "better" option that was aftermarket and not Dell proprietary. You mentioned 24gb of ram, 6x4gb sticks. I currently have 6x2gb sticks, so if I went with just 6x4, could I run both? 3x4 and 3x2 on each CPU? That would give me 36gb of ram total, all 10600r. I was tempted to go 6x8gb, then upgrade with another 6x8 if I ever found a deal, but I can get 12x4 for a fair amount less than 6x8.



imrazor said:


> I have two of these daughterboards/riser cards, and they both have the superior heatsink on them. The low end heatsink is nothing more than a chunk of aluminum, whereas the higher end models have proper heatpipes.



Yes I have the low end, T021f aluminum block on the main CPU. That was the first thing I decided to replace. I was waffling between the U016f and the U402f, but I am going to try and push the X5675s so I figured the bigger, stronger heatsink was the better choice. It is also why I asked about aftermarket models, in case there was some secret sauce option.


----------



## Susquehannock (Mar 18, 2021)

When considering PSU replacement don't forget that many aftermarket PSUs fit easily into Tx500 cases and have twin CPU connectors available. The EVGA unit in my T5500 does even though I do not need it. No riser so that modular cable just sits in the box. Also more modern PCIe graphics card connectors besides the typical 6-pin from Dell, and active warranties. Something you do not get with a used Dell unit of unknown origin which may have 90-100,000 hours of hard use already.


----------



## imrazor (Mar 18, 2021)

And have 8-pin connectors...hmm, does the 1100 watt model have 8-pin connectors?

is there a list somewhere of compatible PSUs? What about the absurdly long SATA and CPU cables?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 19, 2021)

imrazor said:


> And have 8-pin connectors...hmm, does the 1100 watt model have 8-pin connectors?


You may have misunderstood my previous statement. The wiring harness currently in your case does not need replacement. It disconnects from the PSU and you can simple drop the 1100w PSU in place of the existing one.


Susquehannock said:


> When considering PSU replacement don't forget that many aftermarket PSUs fit easily into Tx500 cases and have twin CPU connectors available. The EVGA unit in my T5500 does even though I do not need it. No riser so that modular cable just sits in the box. Also more modern PCIe graphics card connectors besides the typical 6-pin from Dell, and active warranties.


However, this is a valid point. My only word of caution would be to make sure you find a PSU that has the correct connectors. Most PSU's don't have 2 8pin EPS CPU power connectors.


----------



## crazydrve` (Mar 21, 2021)

Has anyone tried to controll the fans on a fell t5500? 

I'm upgrading my fans to pwm models and was curious if I should use one of the 5 pin headers, or just use molex/sata power? 

Thank you
Bill


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 22, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> or just use molex/sata power?


This. Much easier.


----------



## Cheese Burger Eddy (Mar 23, 2021)

Can I do:

4gb in dimm 1, 2 3 then 2gb in dimm 4, 5, 6 on both the main board and riser? That would give me 36gb or 18gb per CPU. I have 6, 2gb sticks and am going to pull the trigger on 6 x 4gb sticks.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 23, 2021)

Cheese Burger Eddy said:


> Can I do:
> 
> 4gb in dimm 1, 2 3 then 2gb in dimm 4, 5, 6 on both the main board and riser? That would give me 36gb or 18gb per CPU. I have 6, 2gb sticks and am going to pull the trigger on 6 x 4gb sticks.


Yes, you'll be fine as long as all of the DIMMs are the same type. Example ECC unbuffered, ECC Registered, etc...


----------



## Cheese Burger Eddy (Mar 23, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Yes, you'll be fine as long as all of the DIMMs are the same type. Example ECC unbuffered, ECC Registered, etc...


I am currently using 6x2gb of M393B5673DZ1-CH9, which according to specs is 1.35v ECC Registered CL9, and I am looking at ECC Registered, 1.5v CL9 4gb sticks. Shouldn't be an issue yeah?

EDIT: apparently both are 1.5v


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 23, 2021)

Cheese Burger Eddy said:


> I am currently using 6x2gb of M393B5673DZ1-CH9, which according to specs is 1.35v ECC Registered CL9, and I am looking at ECC Registered, 1.5v CL9 4gb sticks. Shouldn't be an issue yeah?
> 
> EDIT: apparently both are 1.5v


Yup, you're golden.


----------



## HisMessengerDAB (Mar 23, 2021)

Hello everyone,

I must say that this forum seems like an oasis in the desert of the internet when it comes to information on Dell Workstations. I have been doing some major research and since I cannot find the information I need, I was hoping that maybe someone in here could help me out, as I have a few questions and don't know where else to go for help. I purchased a T5810 recently and I'm working to get it all modded out to be able to serve as a Plex Media Server for myself and my family (running maybe 3 streams concurrently), to be able to run some games, to learn coding on (down the line that is), run a BOINC client on it with some of the spare cores when I don't need them, and to do some basic schoolwork. 

Here is the setup as it stands:

E5-2698 V3 (which in hindsight may not have been the best purchase due to being able to get a different CPU w/higher all-core turbo, but such is life; I got it for a decent deal)
8 GB of DDR4-2133 ECC RAM (waiting on 64GB to come in the mail to replace and/or add to the original 8GB)
NVIDIA Quadro FX 580 (which I will be replacing with, or adding to, a Sapphire R9 390X card that I was using on my previous T3600 once I figure out the PSU)
a 500gb Barracuda SSD and 5TB HDD
425W PSU
Stock CPU Cooler
Here we go with questions (I really hope anyone here can help):

What's the optimal PSU that I should go for here? 
Given the CPU I have and the card I want to use, I don't know if I will need to purchase a 685W, 825W, or 1300W PSU to make sure everything runs correctly.
I have a 1300W PSU that I used to use on my T3600 but it won't fit into the slot for the T5810. I don't know if there's any way to make it "fit" and work. At this time, it seems like I may have to just sell all the stuff from broken T3600 for parts to recuperate some money.

Should I try and replace the stock CPU cooler with an aftermarket one? 
A gentleman named Adam has a fantastic breakdown on how to replace a stock CPU cooler with a Noctua NH-D9DX i4 3U but I'm not sure if it's necessary (although I have a sneaking suspicion that it will be to keep the noise and temps down).
Secondary to this question, should I go ahead and get a second Noctua fan to add to the cooler or just keep it at one?

Should I go through the hassle of selling my new 2698v3 and trying to purchase a 2667v3 or a 2643v3 or is there a way I can throttle up the turbo clock speed of my cores from 2.8 to a higher clock speed, assuming I upgrade the stock cooler?
So yea, those are the questions. In the meanwhile, I'm stuck with the NVIDIA GPU since I don't think that the 425w PSU can handle both the 390x and the CPU. But I am happy to report that at least the computer works so that's a win. Thank you in advance for your advice!

Very respectfully,
HisMessengerDAB


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 23, 2021)

HisMessengerDAB said:


> Given the CPU I have and the card I want to use, I don't know if I will need to purchase a 685W, 825W, or 1300W PSU to make sure everything runs correctly.


I would recommend the 825W PSU given your components.


HisMessengerDAB said:


> I have a 1300W PSU that I used to use on my T3600 but it won't fit into the slot for the T5810. I don't know if there's any way to make it "fit" and work. At this time, it seems like I may have to just sell all the stuff from broken T3600 for parts to recuperate some money.


Sadly, there is not. You'll need to upgrade with a PSU made for that system line.


HisMessengerDAB said:


> Should I try and replace the stock CPU cooler with an aftermarket one?
> 
> A gentleman named Adam has a fantastic breakdown on how to replace a stock CPU cooler with a Noctua NH-D9DX i4 3U but I'm not sure if it's necessary (although I have a sneaking suspicion that it will be to keep the noise and temps down).
> Secondary to this question, should I go ahead and get a second Noctua fan to add to the cooler or just keep it at one?


This is totally your call. I would refrain as the stock coolers for your system are very good, but that's me.


HisMessengerDAB said:


> Should I go through the hassle of selling my new 2698v3 and trying to purchase a 2667v3 or a 2643v3 or is there a way I can throttle up the turbo clock speed of my cores from 2.8 to a higher clock speed, assuming I upgrade the stock cooler?


For what you want to do, selling those 2698's and buying either 2667's, 1680's, 1660's or even 1650's (all v3's of course) would bring you considerable improvments, even though you loose a bunch of cores you gain a lot of speed per core which is more important for the work-loads you described above.

Hope this helps and welcome to TPU!


----------



## HisMessengerDAB (Mar 24, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> I would recommend the 825W PSU given your components.
> 
> Sadly, there is not. You'll need to upgrade with a PSU made for that system line.
> 
> ...


Thank you so much for the welcome! This was incredibly helpful indeed. I found a 825W psu that I put in an offer for on eBay. *crosses fingers*

Is there a way to have the OS dynamically change the fan speed on the stock cooler so that it's not a choice between "set it and hope for the best" or nothing?

What would you say is a great price for the 2667's, 1680's, 1660's, or 1650's? Also, which might be the best option based on the work-loads described above. (Side note: how do people here feel about ES CPUs for use?)

Also also, for those who may be wondering, a T3600 system *will* take a 1300W PSU in the event that you might need that much power.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 24, 2021)

HisMessengerDAB said:


> Is there a way to have the OS dynamically change the fan speed on the stock cooler so that it's not a choice between "set it and hope for the best" or nothing?


Not in the bios. However there are two options open to you.

First, you can get a third party fan(moving the Dell fan to another location but leaving it connected) and mount it to the CPU heatsink. This is what I do in two of my T3500's see image below. The upside is that the fan will always be running full speed(unless you buy an inline speed control), but the down side is it's always running full speed. For me the noise isn't a big deal as the fans are not very loud. So if you buy fans that are quiet, running them will not be a problem.




Second, you can look for a utility called SpeedFan. No promises it can find and control the fan controller in that system but it's worth a try.



HisMessengerDAB said:


> What would you say is a great price for the 2667's, 1680's, 1660's, or 1650's? Also, which might be the best option based on the work-loads described above.


Prices vary, but here's a set of search links that might help you find what you need. Given your stated use-case, I'd lean on a 1660v3 or 2667v3
1650v3








						1650v3 in CPUs/Processors for sale | eBay
					





					www.ebay.com
				




1660v3








						1660 v3 in CPUs/Processors for sale | eBay
					





					www.ebay.com
				




1680v3
https://www.ebay.com/sch/164/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=1680+v3&LH_BIN=1&_sop=15
2667v3








						2667 v3 in CPUs/Processors for sale | eBay
					





					www.ebay.com
				






HisMessengerDAB said:


> (Side note: how do people here feel about ES CPUs for use?)


Engineering Samples are as solid as retail CPU's most of the time. But your system firmware would have to have microcode support for them, which is not always guaranteed.


----------



## HisMessengerDAB (Mar 24, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Second, you can look for a utility called SpeedFan. No promises it can find and control the fan controller in that system but it's worth a try.


I tried using Speedfan as well as HWinfo but for some reason the fan controller just doesn't show up. The only other option seems to be to just go into the BIOS and manually crank up the minimum speed setting under the auto settings for now (which isn't optimal). Have you heard of anyone being able to adjust something, whether by using a custom BIOS mod or any other way, so that a software program can control the fans manually? I had a similar issue with the T3600. Using HWinfo I could only set it at either 0, 1000, or 4K which was also not optimal.



lexluthermiester said:


> Prices vary, but here's a set of search links that might help you find what you need. Given your stated use-case, I'd lean on a 1660v3 or 2667v3


I found a 1660 for about $150, a 1650 for about $120, a 1680 for $ 220, and a 2667 for about $245. I just don't know if it's worth paying all that extra for the 1680 or 2667 instead of just paying the 150 for the 1660.

While we're at it, is there a way to replace the three fans in the front with something quieter so it doesn't sound like a jet plane taking off? Those three fans look like they're 4 pin ones so I would think that maybe some noctua 4 pins (or similar alternatives) might work out better. Or even just replace the CPU cooler fan and leave the rest of the assembly.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 24, 2021)

HisMessengerDAB said:


> I just don't know if it's worth paying all that extra for the 1680 or 2667 instead of just paying the 150 for the 1660.


$120 for a 1650v3 6-core would very much be worth the price compared to what you currently have for gaming. However the 1660v3 is an 8-core at 3ghz. Each core is a little slower, but there are two more of them. 1680v3 is a3.2ghz 8-core CPU. Whether or not the extra 200mhz per core with worth the premium is up to you.


HisMessengerDAB said:


> While we're at it, is there a way to replace the three fans in the front with something quieter so it doesn't sound like a jet plane taking off?


Should be. If they're running full speed all the time, there is a setting in the BIOS that needs to be changed.


----------



## Cheese Burger Eddy (Mar 25, 2021)

On my T7500, it came with a DVD drive and floppy drive. I want to remove them. Does anybody have the bezel/insert code or sku so I can buy them?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 25, 2021)

Cheese Burger Eddy said:


> On my T7500, it came with a DVD drive and floppy drive. I want to remove them. Does anybody have the bezel/insert code or sku so I can buy them?


Do you mean this;








						Dell Precision 390 T3400 Floppy Drive Bay Blank Plastic Cover KJ293 0KH762 L-U  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dell Precision 390 T3400 Floppy Drive Bay Blank Plastic Cover KJ293 0KH762 L-U at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				




This;








						OEM Dell FH991 Optical Drive Panel Blank Cover for Precision 390 490 690 T3400  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for OEM Dell FH991 Optical Drive Panel Blank Cover for Precision 390 490 690 T3400 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				




And this;








						Dell Precision GF461  Floppy Bezel Cover 690,T7400, T7500 FDD GOOD CONDITION L-U  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dell Precision GF461  Floppy Bezel Cover 690,T7400, T7500 FDD GOOD CONDITION L-U at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				




Or you could just buy the whole unit and save a bit of money;








						Dell Precision T7500 Workstation Drives Bezel and inserts Dell P/N: JC376  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dell Precision T7500 Workstation Drives Bezel and inserts Dell P/N: JC376 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com


----------



## Cheese Burger Eddy (Mar 25, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Do you mean this;
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Yes exactly those. The full unit is attractive, but shipping is $24, so 50% more than the purchase price.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 25, 2021)

Cheese Burger Eddy said:


> Yes exactly those. The full unit is attractive, but shipping is $24, so 50% more than the purchase price.


Oh, you must be outside the states then. The shipping I'm seeing it $9 making the total cost $25. Where you at in the world?


----------



## Cheese Burger Eddy (Mar 25, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Oh, you must be outside the states then. The shipping I'm seeing it $9 making the total cost $25. Where you at in the world?



Canada. Yeah the exchange+shipping+import makes lots of stuff rough. I picked up a 6x4gb lot of DDR3 plus the U402f and it was 120$+ bucks.


----------



## HisMessengerDAB (Mar 25, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Should be. If they're running full speed all the time, there is a setting in the BIOS that needs to be changed.


My apologies as I don't think I was clear with what I meant. My question is less about the speed of the fans (which I've found that it can be manually throttled through the BIOS) and more about whether or not they could be changed for quieter fans so when they *are* going at full tilt they don't sound as loud. After some research, I could not find any aftermarket 90x90x38 fans, only 92mm fans and I have a feeling that they probably wouldn't fit into the front case fan assembly. It seems like I would be able to possibly change the stock fan in the CPU cooler for an aftermarket one vice changing out the entire CPU cooler unit but I don't know what the size of that stock CPU cooler fan is to see about finding a suitable aftermarket replacement.



lexluthermiester said:


> $120 for a 1650v3 6-core would very much be worth the price compared to what you currently have for gaming. However the 1660v3 is an 8-core at 3ghz. Each core is a little slower, but there are two more of them. 1680v3 is a3.2ghz 8-core CPU. Whether or not the extra 200mhz per core with worth the premium is up to you.


Unfortunately, I lost out on the auction for the 1680. With the price difference between the 1650 and the 1660 being only about $20, I think the last thing I need to worry about with the CPUs iswhat is the biggest opportunity cost: less threads w/higher clock speeds or more threads with lower clock speeds. I'm not sure how to weigh this out.


----------



## Cheese Burger Eddy (Mar 25, 2021)

HisMessengerDAB said:


> My apologies as I don't think I was clear with what I meant. My question is less about the speed of the fans (which I've found that it can be manually throttled through the BIOS) and more about whether or not they could be changed for quieter fans so when they *are* going at full tilt they don't sound as loud. After some research, I could not find any aftermarket 90x90x38 fans, only 92mm fans and I have a feeling that they probably wouldn't fit into the front case fan assembly. It seems like I would be able to possibly change the stock fan in the CPU cooler for an aftermarket one vice changing out the entire CPU cooler unit but I don't know what the size of that stock CPU cooler fan is to see about finding a suitable aftermarket replacement.
> 
> 
> Unfortunately, I lost out on the auction for the 1680. With the price difference between the 1650 and the 1660 being only about $20, I think the last thing I need to worry about with the CPUs iswhat is the biggest opportunity cost: less threads w/higher clock speeds or more threads with lower clock speeds. I'm not sure how to weigh this out.



Honestly most "modern" games really don't use more than 6 cores. I was looking at upgrading my i5-6600k, which is 4 core, to an i5-10600k which is 6 core. The other options are the i7-10700k (8c 16t) and i9-10850k (10c 20t). 


On paper for most of the games I looked at, the i7/i9 performed similar, slightly better or even slightly worse than the i5. For other tasks prioritizing higher core count, the i7/i9 obviously pull ahead.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 25, 2021)

HisMessengerDAB said:


> With the price difference between the 1650


I would go for the 1650V3 for your needs. You loose some cores but gain A LOT of speed per core compared to your current CPU and the 1650 is a very reasonable cost.



HisMessengerDAB said:


> My apologies as I don't think I was clear with what I meant. My question is less about the speed of the fans (which I've found that it can be manually throttled through the BIOS) and more about whether or not they could be changed for quieter fans so when they *are* going at full tilt they don't sound as loud. After some research, I could not find any aftermarket 90x90x38 fans, only 92mm fans and I have a feeling that they probably wouldn't fit into the front case fan assembly. It seems like I would be able to possibly change the stock fan in the CPU cooler for an aftermarket one vice changing out the entire CPU cooler unit but I don't know what the size of that stock CPU cooler fan is to see about finding a suitable aftermarket replacement.


Ah ok. Yeah, you can get fans and adapters for that system.


----------



## HisMessengerDAB (Mar 25, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> I would go for the 1650V3 for your needs. You loose some cores but gain A LOT of speed per core compared to your current CPU and the 1650 is a very reasonable cost.
> 
> 
> Ah ok. Yeah, you can get fans and adapters for that system.


Sweet. I put in an offer for one of the 1650s, hopefully I can get that. won an auction for a 1650 for $100. As far as the fans, do you know if the 92mm fan would fit in the 90mm front fan case assembly? Also, do you know what size the CPU cooler fan is?

Thanks again for all the help with everything!


----------



## Cheese Burger Eddy (Mar 26, 2021)

HisMessengerDAB said:


> As far as the fans, do you know if the 92mm fan would fit in the 90mm front fan case assembly?



Honestly a digital caliper is a hugely helpful tool to have. It will let you measure the dimensions of your current housing, plot it on paper and check potential replacements/upgrades.


----------



## HisMessengerDAB (Mar 26, 2021)

Cheese Burger Eddy said:


> Honestly a digital caliper is a hugely helpful tool to have. It will let you measure the dimensions of your current housing, plot it on paper and check potential replacements/upgrades.


That's definitely a great point! Sadly I don't currently have one of those. I'm gonna have to measure the fans with a ruler for now and hope for the best haha


----------



## crazydrve` (Mar 26, 2021)

Hello all, 

I think the time has come to retire the Dell T5500, can anyone recommend a newer model?


----------



## thesmokingman (Mar 26, 2021)

I found a pair of Precision 490s lost in storage in a relatives garage last year. Both are single cpu but dual socket, luckily they're running same cpus. I kind of forgot about them since I didn't have a floppy drive on hand. Then yesterday I managed to find a lost usb flobby drive and bam it had a working floppy disk inside, booyah. I guess I can start rehabbing a retro gaming build. I have a spare 660ti laying around here somewhere. I think its drivers support XP 64 and Vista. Hmm, time to dig thru dells driver site.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 27, 2021)

HisMessengerDAB said:


> Sweet. I put in an offer for one of the 1650s, hopefully I can get that. won an auction for a 1650 for $100.


That's a solid deal given how prices are right now!



HisMessengerDAB said:


> Thanks again for all the help with everything!


You're very welcome, glad to help!



HisMessengerDAB said:


> As far as the fans, do you know if the 92mm fan would fit in the 90mm front fan case assembly?


Honestly don't know. I'm leaning toward no because the clearances are very precise in that chassis. It would be easy to measure if you took it all apart, then you could gauge more easily.



crazydrve` said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I think the time has come to retire the Dell T5500


Why?



crazydrve` said:


> can anyone recommend a newer model?


Depends on what you are looking for and what your budget is.


----------



## KLiKzg (Mar 27, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I think the time has come to retire the Dell T5500, can anyone recommend a newer model?


What do you mean? Why?


----------



## crazydrve` (Mar 27, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> That's a solid deal given how prices are right now!
> 
> 
> You're very welcome, glad to help!
> ...


It's  acting weird, not always boots. Etc. Still going through it, cleanup and checking for physical damage. 

My budget was not ready for this. 

Also wondering if time spent on it plus parts coykd be better spent on new tower


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 28, 2021)

KLiKzg said:


> What do you mean? Why?


Why is it time to retire it? Only curious, meant no offense.



crazydrve` said:


> It's acting weird, not always boots. Etc. Still going through it, cleanup and checking for physical damage.


Gotcha.


crazydrve` said:


> My budget was not ready for this.


Fair enough.


----------



## KLiKzg (Mar 28, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> It's  acting weird, not always boots. Etc. Still going through it, cleanup and checking for physical damage.
> 
> My budget was not ready for this.
> 
> Also wondering if time spent on it plus parts coykd be better spent on new tower


Did you ran MEMtest to make sure RAM is OK?
Or do you think the problem is with CPUs?
Or some other "connection" problem?

Maybe guys here can give you some advice & you can make it work again.


----------



## crazydrve` (Mar 28, 2021)

KLiKzg said:


> Did you ran MEMtest to make sure RAM is OK?
> Or do you think the problem is with CPUs?
> Or some other "connection" problem?
> 
> Maybe guys here can give you some advice & you can make it work again.


So far I'm thinking has something to do with bios. 

I will be going through it today. But also thinking if its time to upgrade.


----------



## thesmokingman (Mar 29, 2021)

I got the 490 up. Ended up having to use a GT 710 card as it wouldn't boot with the 660ti, drats. Look at that dual 2c/4t and 8gb of ram. It's blazing!


----------



## crazydrve` (Mar 29, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Why is it time to retire it? Only curious, meant no offense.
> 
> 
> Gotcha.
> ...


And there is no offense, been having weird issues for awhile. Not sure if it bios, power supply etc. I've spent lots in "keeping" it going. Lol.



KLiKzg said:


> Did you ran MEMtest to make sure RAM is OK?
> Or do you think the problem is with CPUs?
> Or some other "connection" problem?
> 
> Maybe guys here can give you some advice & you can make it work again.



memtest ran good, with dell diagnostics and memtest 5

I'm working on getting another power supply to see if that's the issue, and will do a complete teardown this weekend to see if I can notice anything.


----------



## Cheese Burger Eddy (Mar 30, 2021)

What Sata PCEi Card should I get for my T7500? I want to OC using SetFSB, since it seems like fun, and I was told it bluescreens when booting from the onboard Sata ports. Currently the PC has 2, 1.5tb HDD, however I am probably moving those to my main PC and going to use an SSD for the OS/boot and a 500gb SSD or HDD extra storage.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 30, 2021)

Cheese Burger Eddy said:


> What Sata PCEi Card should I get for my T7500? I want to OC using SetFSB, since it seems like fun, and I was told it bluescreens when booting from the onboard Sata ports.


You've lost me on that one. Never tried any of that.


----------



## crazydrve` (Apr 8, 2021)

Does anyone here have a dell t620?


----------



## Cheese Burger Eddy (Apr 14, 2021)

So my Xeon X5675's have arrived, my 6x4gb ram has arrived and last night, my U402f arrived! I Ordered the U402f "new" from Ebay and they sent me a heatsink that I assume was installed in a machine for 10 years, then the machine was put in a river for 2 months, they removed it, pressure washed the heatsink and shipped it.

It had unbelievable amounts of grime all over it, tons of tarnishing/corrosion all over the unit, fins where bent, the entire heatsink itself was bent etc.

I demanded a refund and got it in under 1 hour (almost like they knew it was heavily used) then proceeded to straighten everything and wet sand with 1500 grit the copper heatsink components carefully. It looks better but still lots of corrosion. Hopefully it works. When I was cleaning/drying the part, I used a blow drying to get any remnant of water in the fins (after compressed air) and the heatsink appeared to disperse that heat well. Now time to put this behemoth back together.


EDIT: the plan is to test the heatsink out. If it works as expected, I will use it. If it isn't as good, I will be buying a replacement. The refund can go towards additional upgrades for the machine, either another 6x4gb of ram, 6x8gb or the SSD Sata->PCIe plan I have.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 15, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> Does anyone here have a dell t620?


Maybe ask your question and perhaps we can help even if we don't have one. Just a thought, always willing to help.


----------



## Dillweed (Apr 16, 2021)

Hey all, purchased a Dell Precision T7810 from ebay with dual E5-2637v3, no video card or hard drive.  I put in a ASUS Radeon HD 5450 and can't get anything on my monitor.  It appears that everything is working on the computer, a usb keyboard shows activity via the capslock or numlock lights.  But nothing on the screen.  Any ideas as to what I need to do to get this working?  I was wondering if these motherboards only work with quadro graphics cards.  Is that the case?

Thanks for any suggestions you can send my way to get this beast working.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 16, 2021)

Dillweed said:


> I was wondering if these motherboards only work with quadro graphics cards. Is that the case?


No, you should have a picture. Either the system board is faulty or the video card is faulty(assuming everything is connected properly).. Ebay link?


----------



## Dillweed (Apr 17, 2021)

Here is the listing.









						Dell Precision T7810 2x E5-2637v3 3.5GHz QC 32GB No HD Tower PC  | eBay
					

Dell Precision T7810. This PC requires a video card as it has no onboard video. None installed or included. Unless otherwise stated, product manuals are not included but are usually viewable online from the manufacturer.



					www.ebay.com
				




and here is the video card









						ASUS Radeon HD 5450 1GB DDR3 64-bit PCIE 2.1 x16 Video Graphics Card EAH5450  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for ASUS Radeon HD 5450 1GB DDR3 64-bit PCIE 2.1 x16 Video Graphics Card EAH5450 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 17, 2021)

Dillweed said:


> Here is the listing.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The seller rating look good. Have you tested the video card in another PC to see if it posts? Also have you tried the card in all of the PCIe slots in the the system. You should be using the one closest to the CPUs.


----------



## Vendor (Apr 17, 2021)

thesmokingman said:


> I got the 490 up. Ended up having to use a GT 710 card as it wouldn't boot with the 660ti, drats. Look at that dual 2c/4t and 8gb of ram. It's blazing!
> 
> View attachment 194273


i heard 64 bit xp wasn't good and had major bugs, is that not true anymore? i might try it on my spare pc which is just biting the dust


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 17, 2021)

Vendor said:


> i heard 64 bit xp wasn't good and had major bugs, is that not true anymore?


It was never true to begin with. The problems were related to compatibility. In it's current most updated form it's rock solid.


----------



## hat (Apr 17, 2021)

I used xp64 for a while back in the day. It wasn't bad at all from what I remember. Everything I used to do on xp32 worked the same on xp64.


----------



## KLiKzg (Apr 17, 2021)

thesmokingman said:


> I got the 490 up. Ended up having to use a GT 710 card as it wouldn't boot with the 660ti, drats. Look at that dual 2c/4t and 8gb of ram. It's blazing!
> 
> View attachment 194273


Windows x64 SP2? What Service Pack 2?

There's none listed at Microsoft Catalog Update site.


----------



## thesmokingman (Apr 17, 2021)

KLiKzg said:


> Windows x64 SP2? What Service Pack 2?
> 
> There's none listed at Microsoft Catalog Update site.


SP2 is listed as Server 2003, for the server and xp 64.


----------



## crazydrve` (Apr 17, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Maybe ask your question and perhaps we can help even if we don't have one. Just a thought, always willing to help.


Hello @lexluthermiester 

I am getting a new server, the T5500 is just giving me too many issues. I was readying that the Dell T620 is a 50/50 chance of getting a video card to work without the GPU enablement kit. 

I am curious if anyone has one or knows about the T620?

Thanks


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 18, 2021)

KLiKzg said:


> Windows x64 SP2? What Service Pack 2?
> 
> There's none listed at Microsoft Catalog Update site.








						Download Service Pack 2 for Windows XP Professional, x64 Edition - ISO-9660 CD Image File from Official Microsoft Download Center
					






					www.microsoft.com


----------



## Atomic77 (Apr 18, 2021)

I don't think my DELL Inspiron 5400 AIO really qualifies as a work station but man this thing is pretty powerful and its 11 gen Core i7 processor is wicked fast.


----------



## DaGonz (Apr 18, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I think the time has come to retire the Dell T5500, can anyone recommend a newer model?


I have some dell t5600, t3600 motherboards and a t3600 case and fans. some t5600 motherboards have memory slots that are not reading out.  not sure if its the dim slots or the cpu. but they run pity good. the t3600s run both registered and non registered. I have t5600 boards installed on t3600 cases. if you want some parts let me know.

Has anyone used dual port 10gb sfp plus cards from emulex on t5600 t3600?


----------



## crazydrve` (Apr 18, 2021)

DaGonz said:


> I have some dell t5600, t3600 motherboards and a t3600 case and fans. some t5600 motherboards have memory slots that are not reading out.  not sure if its the dim slots or the cpu. but they run pity good. the t3600s run both registered and non registered. I have t5600 boards installed on t3600 cases. if you want some parts let me know.
> 
> Has anyone used dual port 10gb sfp plus cards from emulex on t5600 t3600?


Thanks anyway but I have already replaced motherboard and other parts. I have the ability to get a new server so I am getting a Dell T620 server.


----------



## DaGonz (Apr 19, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> Thanks anyway but I have already replaced motherboard and other parts. I have the ability to get a new server so I am getting a Dell T620 server.


Hey have you considered the 720? I know you might have done your research. I was told the 720 was worth it.


----------



## crazydrve` (Apr 19, 2021)

DaGonz said:


> Hey have you considered the 720? I know you might have done your research. I was told the 720 was worth it.


Yea, I want the Tower which is the 720 version of

@DaGonz​What I meant to say is the Dell T620 is the same Generation, the Dell T620 is essentially the tower version of the 720.


----------



## Cheese Burger Eddy (Apr 20, 2021)

Turns out my 1070 has 2x8 pin PCI power slots and the 1100w in the T7500 has 1x8 and 2x6.... Amazon prime to the rescue I guess.


----------



## Cheese Burger Eddy (Apr 21, 2021)

Alright so I am now having issues. I ripped the T7500 down to the bare frame, cleaned it heavily and then built it back up according to the service manual. I left out the network card, a USB card and instead of using the FX3800 Quadro or whatever, I put in my Radeon 7870. I swapped the previous, X5550's with my new, X5675s and I moved the 6x2gb sticks of ram to the 4,5,6 DIMMS and put my 4gb sticks in the first slots (again as per the service manuals config).

I then went to boot the PC up for the first time and I got nothing. Black screen, no video signal, mouse doesn't light up etc. The power comes on solid green the front LEDs flash briefly and then I get #2 solid green and power. The GPU spins up, the case fans spin up, I can hear the HDDs spooling but no bios, no logo, no signal.

I figured it may be a problem with the 7870 so yesterday I had ordered the 2x6 to 1x8 PCI cable and a SATA to PCI controller. I swapped the 7870 for my 1070, tried to boot and the same thing happens. I pulled the CMOS bat with no power attached, hit the power button a few times and replaced and tried again. Nothing. The 1070 is in Slot 2 and I installed the SATA controller in Slot 6 (x16 slot wired as X4) and moved the HDDs to that. Same issue. Tried the HDDs individually and even without any HDD, still the same issue.

I then pulled the secondary CPU riser, tried again and got the same error. I pulled the 1070 and replaced with the Quadro it came with, still no change. I then reset the CMOS battery again with no change. I put the Chassis Intrusion Header back in and taped the sensor down with no change. After some searching, I was told the front USB bus can be an issue. I pulled the Data, front audio and USB cable in various stages of disconnected and connected and it would either give the same error, not turn on ( when the "data" cable is pulled) or turn on with no front LEDs but not post.

I did notice in the service manual that the "audio" cable the list is red, but is connected to "Front Panel 1394 Connector" and that the black cable is connected to "Front Panel Audio Connector". 

Any thoughts on the green, solid power, no post no signal but with a Solid #2 green? The Guide says "Reserved" or "PCI Device failure/config" and I have double and triple checked that the devices are not failing.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 25, 2021)

I'll admit I'm stumped. Those are some weird issues. What happens when you just boot with 1 2GB stick for each CPU(each in slot 1)? The mixed RAM might be doing it to you..


----------



## Cheese Burger Eddy (Apr 25, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> I'll admit I'm stumped. Those are some weird issues. What happens when you just boot with 1 2GB stick for each CPU(each in slot 1)? The mixed RAM might be doing it to you..


Turns out the bios in the motherboard was too old. Flashed it, the x5675 started working. The computer recognized both cpu1 and cpu2. Then i was getting riser dimm 3 errors. I swapped the ram around and then got no post with the riser in, getting solid 3 and 4 leds. Pulled the riser and it works. I put all 24gbs of ram 9nto the main board and will run single cpu untily other 24gbs show up.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 25, 2021)

Cheese Burger Eddy said:


> Turns out the bios in the motherboard was too old. Flashed it, the x5675 started working. The computer recognized both cpu1 and cpu2. Then i was getting riser dimm 3 errors. I swapped the ram around and then got no post with the riser in, getting solid 3 and 4 leds. Pulled the riser and it works. I put all 24gbs of ram 9nto the main board and will run single cpu untily other 24gbs show up.


Bad riser? Ouch. Bent pins in the riser socket plug?


----------



## Cheese Burger Eddy (Apr 25, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Bad riser? Ouch. Bent pins in the riser socket plug?


No it is good. Recognized all dimms of ram and cpu.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 25, 2021)

Cheese Burger Eddy said:


> No it is good. Recognized all dimms of ram and cpu.


Oh, I'm sorry. Seems I misunderstood you.


----------



## crazydrve` (Apr 28, 2021)

Does anyone here have a Dell T620 or R720?


----------



## Cheese Burger Eddy (May 7, 2021)

Well for a few days now, the T7500 is up and running. The build is below. I did have a pile of issues while building this machine. Originally the T7500 had a Quadro, 6x2gb of ram, 2x1.5tb HDD, the 1100w PSU and a host of other expansion slot cards. I stripped it down to just the case, went through 4 or 5 cans of compressed air and put it back together. The first attempted bootup with the X5675 Xeons, it throws a PCI card failure code, so I removed everything, tried several GPUs, different configurations of ram/hdd and eventually with only 1 CPU installed. It continued to not boot. Then I figured out it had to be the Bios, so in went 1, 2gb stick of ram, the Quadro it came with and I flash the Bios from A01 to A18. I then confirmed the bios flash worked and installed all 24gbs of ram and only a single, X5675 on the Mobo and tried again. This time it would boot, so I then removed the quadro and installed my GTX 1070. Everything was working decently, other than a very slow boot sequence. After my second order of PC3-10600r, 6x4gb came in, I installed those into the riser. At first, the PC wouldn't post properly. I was reading that sometimes the T7500 riser support begins to sag, so I was planning on putting in a little jack made out of a bolt/screw, which didn't work for unrelated reasons. Then finally, the second CPU riser booted with the PC with the side panel installed. 

During the boot sequence however, I get a mismatched/non functioning ram error on the Riser board, DIMM 3, which I can choose to ignore. If I ignore it, the PC still recognizes the full, 48gb of ram and sees DIMM 3 working and utilizes the stick. I did try moving the main, mobo sticks to the riser, which had not thrown errors, however it didn't matter what stick was installed in that DIMM or if I installed _no _stick at all, it still gave the error. I have chosen to ignore it.

After the second CPU was installed, I of course needed to run benchmarks. The dual, 6 core xeons with 24gb of ram each, definitely out perform my i5-6600k (not overclocked) with 16gb of ram in dual channel. So far I am happy with the setup and when I decide to not be lazy, I will be installing my current 500gb SSD into the Sata->PCIe card to be used as a boot disk for Windows/programs and then using SetFSB to overclock both the ram and the Xeons as much as I can comfortably. 

Right now, playing my favored game (Escape from Tarkov) I am utilizing 25-30% of CPU power and around 60% GPU. For the CPUs, they are hovering around 50-60c, which has been standard even when relatively idle, so that is a good sign. Tarkov appears to be spreading the CPU usage across only the physical cores (1, 3, 5, 7 etc) pretty evenly so it is effectively running on 12 cores. I then fired up Space Engineers, which spiked my GPU usage to 99% and kept it pinned, but started using about 60% of CPU1, then after a re-set started using 60% (roughly) of CPU2 instead. It was rather strange. I plan on testing out several games in my library, including some very heavy duty games and updating performance stats as I get them. Overall, I am pleased with how the PC is running. It is fairly quiet all things considered and the performance is good enough. I want to change installation disk of Windows, push a few other things to see how it performs, but even then, I might not with how it is running now. 

Dell T7500
2, Xeon X5675 CPUs
48gb PC3-10600r ECC
2x1.5tb 7200rpm WD HDD
1x500gb Silicon Power Ace SSD
Zotac GTX 1070 Amp! Edition
Dell U402f Heatsink


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 7, 2021)

Cheese Burger Eddy said:


> During the boot sequence however, I get a mismatched/non functioning ram error on the Riser board, DIMM 3, which I can choose to ignore. If I ignore it, the PC still recognizes the full, 48gb of ram and sees DIMM 3 working and utilizes the stick. I did try moving the main, mobo sticks to the riser, which had not thrown errors, however it didn't matter what stick was installed in that DIMM or if I installed _no _stick at all, it still gave the error. I have chosen to ignore it.


Does this error continue when you take the riser card out of the system? You may also want to check your RAM specs. All of your RAM must be the same speed, timing and rank. Any differences, not matter how small, can cause sync and ECC errors.


----------



## Susquehannock (May 8, 2021)

Cheese Burger Eddy said:


> <snip> and I flash the Bios from A01 to A18. <snip>


Did you also update the Intel chipset driver? (link below) They can become corrupted and update often adds further compatibility and stability for known issues. Worth a try.

http://www.dell.com/support/home/en...=5c5h2&oscode=ww1&productcode=precision-t7500


----------



## Cheese Burger Eddy (May 13, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Does this error continue when you take the riser card out of the system? You may also want to check your RAM specs. All of your RAM must be the same speed, timing and rank. Any differences, not matter how small, can cause sync and ECC errors.



No the error goes away without the riser. It works despite the error. I have tried various configurations of ram, working sticks etc. It refuses to go away so I basically ignore it. The ram is all the same speed, timing and rank, but two manufacturers. However, since I have 6 sticks of each manufacturer, I did test 3 per CPU all the same, with the same result. I have seen a few posts around that the Riser DIMM 3 error is common and that just ignoring it is fine. It tells me it has an error OR that it is not optimally set, but all the sticks are running at 1333mhz and recognized so not a huge issue. I also swapped my GTX 1070 for a GTX 980ti (selling the 1070 while the prices are inflated).




Susquehannock said:


> Did you also update the Intel chipset driver? (link below) They can become corrupted and update often adds further compatibility and stability for known issues. Worth a try.
> 
> http://www.dell.com/support/home/en...=5c5h2&oscode=ww1&productcode=precision-t7500



I didn't actually do this. I will try it this weekend.


----------



## jeanpat (May 14, 2021)

Hello,
From time to time, one of the two big front fans, makes frightening pulsing noise. Unmount+remount+cleaning and laying the Dell Precision T5500 horizontally up to now solve the problem, the silent blocks look fine. However, the day when the fan will completely fail, is coming.  I found this :brand, the fan looks very similar to the original. On the pictures, it seems to have 5 pins, but it is sold as a 4 pins :









I'm not sure how difficult is it to remove the fan from its cage  with new silent blocks...

I found this one, with carnival RGB leds no closeup of the 5-pin:




Can you recommend a compatible brand?
Thanks


----------



## frankr2994 (May 19, 2021)

Ok not sure if this is the best place to post this but here it goes. At work I have a dell t1700 running win 7 pro 32 as the pc for our alignment machine. Issue is bsod. What seems to be happening is the machine tries to sleep and either locks up with a black screen or bsod. Disabling sleep in bios results in a very unstable system. The best I have right now is using default bios setup other than running sata in ahci and I auto start caffeine. The machine can stay on for days with the alignment software open. I can even perform an alignment without issue. The problem happens now about 20 minutes after finishing an alignment. Without caffeine on the problem happens in 20 minutes regardless of anything. Windows is set to a high performance powerplan with nothing set to sleep or lose power. I've went through individual devices and set them to not power down in device manager. I've honestly never run into something like this. I've done multiple memory test with no error. Running stock ecc memory as well. Win 7 is up to date and my ssd shows no wear. Now I have a second machine identical one actually that I'm going to setup. But since this one was a clean install as well I don't have high hopes. If anyone is good at reading windows dump files I can get those off the machine. I actually don't know what to use to open and read them.  And fyi camera drivers and updated to win 7 32bit. Will not work on x64 anything or win 10 32. Attempted and failed and vender offered no support in a newer driver.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 19, 2021)

Cheese Burger Eddy said:


> No the error goes away without the riser. It works despite the error. I have tried various configurations of ram, working sticks etc. It refuses to go away so I basically ignore it. The ram is all the same speed, timing and rank, but two manufacturers. However, since I have 6 sticks of each manufacturer, I did test 3 per CPU all the same, with the same result. I have seen a few posts around that the Riser DIMM 3 error is common and that just ignoring it is fine. It tells me it has an error OR that it is not optimally set, but all the sticks are running at 1333mhz and recognized so not a huge issue.


If it's not causing any real problems, just the bootup warning, I'd say just go with the flow.


----------



## crazydrve` (May 29, 2021)

Does anyone here use a dell t620?


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 29, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> Does anyone here use a dell t620?


What do you need help with?


----------



## crazydrve` (May 29, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> What do you need help with?


LOL, had to think about that, for one wondering if anyone tried to quiet one down. and still looking at all the settings. this is my 1st real server so its got a lot of different stuff. 

I read somewhere you can replace the fans with quieter ones, I am hoping to have that verifed by someone.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 29, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> LOL, had to think about that, for one wondering if anyone tried to quiet one down. and still looking at all the settings. this is my 1st real server so its got a lot of different stuff.
> 
> I read somewhere you can replace the fans with quieter ones, I am hoping to have that verifed by someone.


To be fair, I've never tried. Those systems are designed to run in an temp controlled room that usually isolates them acoustically from the users they are meant to serve. It might be possible to quiet them down, but such an effort is likely to be pricey..


----------



## frankr2994 (May 30, 2021)

Do the fans fit a fan module like the precision PCs? I mean I moved fans all over the place in my 5810 and the system didn't care. I think they are 90mm fans. Really shouldn't be an issue replacing them just have to get the Dell fan adapter cables. If you want to experiment replace one and run dell diagnostics preboot and see if anything complains. Chances are whatever you put in won't spool up to the crazy rpm the foxxcon fans do.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 30, 2021)

frankr2994 said:


> Do the fans fit a fan module like the precision PCs? I mean I moved fans all over the place in my 5810 and the system didn't care. I think they are 90mm fans. Really shouldn't be an issue replacing them just have to get the Dell fan adapter cables. If you want to experiment replace one and run dell diagnostics preboot and see if anything complains. Chances are whatever you put in won't spool up to the crazy rpm the foxxcon fans do.


The Dell T620 he's talking about has a ton fans that are all monitored and run half speed normally but ramp up to full speed quickly. Replacing all of them will be a VERY involved and costly effort.


----------



## frankr2994 (May 30, 2021)

Ya I ended up looking around online. There doesn't look like anything would be easy there. I've almost bought a poweredge so many times but have never got an opportunity to work on one or have one open. Something less costly but much more involved would be adding something to each fan circuit to slow it down. I did do some reading before about faking rpm on brushless motors. Could be something to look back into. One more thing though. Aren't the cpu heatsinks passive? Could one possibly put active heatsinks on and use 2 of the case fan circuits. I would imagine the CPUs would be responsible for alot of the heat ramping everything up and a couple of those heatsinks I put in my 5810 would cut that way down.


----------



## uco73 (May 30, 2021)

I have two workstations: Dell Precision Workstation T7600 and Fujitsu Celsius R670-2. Both workstations are great but Dell is the best. Dell is Dell.


----------



## frankr2994 (Jun 2, 2021)

Hey I'll throw this out there. I just purchased NtLite to build a windows 7 iso for a dell t1700. Worked nicely but I now paid for software I will rarely use. If anyone needs a windows iso 7 through 10 built with updates and drivers for a dell I'd be happy to help out. I've installed win 7 many times over the years but now a days it seems like getting it up to date and getting all the drivers lined up is easier said than done. This is not a sales pitch I have no intention on charging anything. Let me know if I can help.


----------



## jeanpat (Jun 14, 2021)

Hello,
My dell T5500 has more frequently issues with one of the three RAM module (undetected DIMM2), so I plan to buy a new set of 6x4Gb ram modules. I found these:




The cpu is a single xeon E5520 with a memory controller for DDR3-1066Mhz. I guess the E5520 won't be capable to handle 1333MHz modules so I also plan to upgrade the CPU for a x55550 (keeping the original heatsink) which has a 95W TPU :



Can you tell me is these choices are correct?
Thank you.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 14, 2021)

jeanpat said:


> the CPU for a x55550 (keeping the original heatsink)


I would highly suggest the X5650, X5660 or X5675. They all are 95w parts(the same as the X5550) but have 2 extra cores each. The reason they can run at the same TDP is because the X5550 is on the 45nm fab, but the 6 cores are all 32nm. Effectively you get more CPU performance for the same power profile. See links below.









						Product Specifications
					

quick reference guide including specifications, features, pricing, compatibility, design documentation, ordering codes, spec codes and more.




					ark.intel.com
				











						Product Specifications
					

quick reference guide including specifications, features, pricing, compatibility, design documentation, ordering codes, spec codes and more.




					ark.intel.com
				











						Product Specifications
					

quick reference guide including specifications, features, pricing, compatibility, design documentation, ordering codes, spec codes and more.




					ark.intel.com
				











						Product Specifications
					

quick reference guide including specifications, features, pricing, compatibility, design documentation, ordering codes, spec codes and more.




					ark.intel.com


----------



## uco73 (Jun 14, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> I would highly suggest the X5650, X5660 or X5675.


I agree with you. Buy X5650, X5660, X5670 or X5675 (one or two of them).


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 14, 2021)

uco73 said:


> I agree with you. Buy X5650, X5660, X5670 or X5675 (one or two of them).


Right, I forgot about the X5670.


----------



## jeanpat (Jun 15, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> I would highly suggest the X5650, X5660 or X5675. They all are 95w parts(the same as the X5550) but have 2 extra cores each. The reason they can run at the same TDP is because the X5550 is on the 45nm fab, but the 6 cores are all 32nm. Effectively you get more CPU performance for the same power profile. See links below.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


unfortunately I have a A02 bios version and I would have to upgrade it up to A06, but I have no tools to do it (https://dip4fish.blogspot.com/2018/04/frankencomputer-for-deep-learning.html). Is  the RAM choice ok?



lexluthermiester said:


> Right, I forgot about the X5670.


In case of buying a x5670, can I keep the passive heat sink (there's the 120 mm  fan in front of it)?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 15, 2021)

jeanpat said:


> unfortunately I have a A02 bios version and I would have to upgrade it up to A06, but I have no tools to do it (https://dip4fish.blogspot.com/2018/04/frankencomputer-for-deep-learning.html).


What? Updating from A02 to A17(the most current) is a software utility easily downloaded from Dell(or the link in that article). Hardware tools are not needed. Use the CPU, RAM and Windows install you have now to perform the update. Then you'll be ready for any CPU/RAM you wish to install.



jeanpat said:


> Is the RAM choice ok?


Yes. The RAM you showed above is fully supported by the chipset used in the T5500. Still, update the BIOS to A17.
https://www.dell.com/support/home/fr-fr/drivers/driversdetails?driverid=c88t9



jeanpat said:


> In case of buying a x5670, can I keep the passive heat sink (there's the 120 mm fan in front of it)?


Yes. As the power specs are the same, the same heatsink can be used. Make sure you buy some thermal interface material(heatsink grease). Arctic's MX-5 has proven to be an excellent performer and is not expensive.


----------



## jeanpat (Jun 15, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> What? Updating from A02 to A17(the most current) is a software utility easily downloaded from Dell(or the link in that article). Hardware tools are not needed. Use the CPU RAM and Windows install you have now to perform the update. Then you'll be ready for any CPU/RAM you wish to install.
> 
> 
> Yes. The RAM you showed above is fully supported by the chipset used in the T5500. Still, update the BIOS to A17.
> ...


The T5500 runs under Ubuntu...I could possibly find an old windows 7 / vista 64 bits to perform the bios update (quite frightening, if the bios upgrade fails the dell is dead)



jeanpat said:


> The T5500 runs under Ubuntu...I could possibly find an old windows 7 / vista 64 bits to perform the bios update (quite frightening, if the bios upgrade fails the dell is dead)


There's :
BIOS executable CPG pour Linux
filename :   T5500A17.bin
There's some documentation regarding ubuntu for flashing uefi PC, but the T5500 is too old:
https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/...bios-in-a-linux-or-ubuntu-environment?lang=en

As the system is older than 2015 the BIOS has to be flashed with a freedos (I don't like that at all). I have a win 7 sp1 iso or a win 10 1909 iso... and a free ssd 250 Gb samsung evo. I don't know if the GTX960 would be detected at least by win7 or win10 with a correct resolution the time to flash the bios...

On the other hand, I can try to install a x5660 with the bios A02. One can find some poweredge (*Dell # B9B1MN1) *with bios A01 and x5660 on ebay.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 15, 2021)

jeanpat said:


> The T5500 runs under Ubuntu...I could possibly find an old windows 7 / vista 64 bits to perform the bios update (quite frightening, if the bios upgrade fails the dell is dead)


Yes, you'll need to install Windows on a spare hard drive as the BIOS update utility does not run in Linux.


jeanpat said:


> I have a win 7 sp1 iso or a win 10 1909 iso... and a free ssd 250 Gb samsung evo.


That will work. Windows 10 does not need an install key to get to the desktop. Do a quick Windows install, flash the BIOS and you're done. After that you can use any of the hardware we've discussed.


jeanpat said:


> don't know if the GTX960 would be detected at least by win7 or win10 with a correct resolution the time to flash the bios...


Video drivers are not required to flash a BIOS. Don't worry about them.


jeanpat said:


> On the other hand, I can try to install a x5660 with the bios A02. One can find some poweredge (*Dell # B9B1MN1) *with bios A01 and x5660 on ebay.


No, don't do that.. Just do a quick Windows install on that spare SSD and flash your BIOS. Then you can do your upgrades and get right back to Linux.


----------



## PeteT (Jun 23, 2021)

Hi,

Has anyone had any luck upgrading their T3500 or T5500 with a regular non-dell motherboard? From what I can see, it should work as it looks to be a regular ATX form factor just upside down. Not too bothered about keeping the front usb etc. Power button and led should be doable with some modifications to the wiring.

The main thing I’m wondering about is the IO shield - this would need to be cut out, but it looks like it might be quite tight in the sides - is there enough space to fit a regular shield once you’ve cut it out?

Anyway, just wondered if someone had tried this and would like to know how they’d got on. Could be a good way to get even more useful life out of these machines as they get older.


----------



## jeanpat (Jun 23, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> What? Updating from A02 to A17(the most current) is a software utility easily downloaded from Dell(or the link in that article). Hardware tools are not needed. Use the CPU, RAM and Windows install you have now to perform the update. Then you'll be ready for any CPU/RAM you wish to install.
> 
> 
> Yes. The RAM you showed above is fully supported by the chipset used in the T5500. Still, update the BIOS to A17.
> ...


I received the RAM modules and a X5660:






With the possible issue that the modules are not identical.
I hope the will in perfect harmony side by side on the mobo with those:




EDIT:
The three modules in DIMM 4,5,6 are not detected (no POST error) at all (mobo: 0D883F, BIOS A02, xeon E5520):








The three modules do not match, may be the explanation is here:










As visible, I didn't perform the bios upgrade up to now.
I'm afraid that I to stick to 2RX8 ram modules:

cdiscount 27€
cdiscount 18€ : this annonce claims compatibility with Dell T7500
ebay 8€
The most expensive 4 gb module found is on aliexpress for 32€ and mention compatibility with T5500
Which one would you choose?


----------



## Susquehannock (Jun 23, 2021)

PeteT said:


> Hi,
> 
> Has anyone had any luck upgrading their T3500 or T5500 with a regular non-dell motherboard? From what I can see, it should work as it looks to be a regular ATX form factor just upside down. Not too bothered about keeping the front usb etc. Power button and led should be doable with some modifications to the wiring.
> 
> ...


It has been done. Have thought about it a couple times but figured it would be much easier to use a regular ATX case. Here is a comparison of the boards. Dell = red, black = ATX. Only three of the board mount locations line up - marked with arrows. Then there is the front header and rear I/O panel to deal with.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 23, 2021)

PeteT said:


> Could be a good way to get even more useful life out of these machines as they get older.


The T3500 can be overclocked using Throttlestop software and an unlocked Xeon to extend it's life some. Dell MB swaps usually don't end well. They have been done but not easily, and case by case issues so you're on your own.
The HP Z400 workstsation is a better candidate for a MB swap since it follows ATX more closely except for some minor PSU pinout issues.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 23, 2021)

jeanpat said:


> I received the RAM modules and a X5660:


Nice!


jeanpat said:


> The three modules in DIMM 4,5,6 are not detected (no POST error) at all (mobo: 0D883F, BIOS A02, xeon E5520):


This is because the new RDIMMs you bought are dual rank and the set you already have are single rank. I should have warned you about that but did not think about it. They should work separately from each other, one set in the system VS the other. Have you tested the new set by themselves in the system?


jeanpat said:


> As visible, I didn't perform the bios upgrade up to now.


Perform your BIOS update. This is needed.


jeanpat said:


> Which one would you choose?


I would buy a matching set(matching model numbers) to the set you already had, keeping the extra new set as spares in case you ever need them. It's always good to have spares.


----------



## scoutingwraith (Jun 23, 2021)

I have a lot of systems from Dell.
Optiplex 960 - C2D E8400 / 8GB / 250GB SSD. (Mainly sitting as an HTPC system attached to my TV
Optiplex 990 - i5 2400 / 16GB / 250GB SSD + 1TB / Nvidia Quadro NVS510. Mostly a test system for Windows updates and such  
Optiplex 9020 - i5 4570 / 16G / 500GB SSD + 1TB / Nvidia Quadro P620 / Running various stuff for testing. 
PowerEdge R610 Server - 2x X5680 / A lot of SSDs + 64GB


----------



## Susquehannock (Jun 24, 2021)

jeanpat said:


> unfortunately I have a A02 bios version and I would have to upgrade it up to A06,


What lex said above. You need to update the BIOS before installing your new X5660 Westmere CPU. Will not boot with old BIOS. May as well go A17.


----------



## jeanpat (Jun 24, 2021)

Susquehannock said:


> What lex said above. You need to update the BIOS before installing your new X5660 Westmere CPU. Will not boot with old BIOS. May as well go A17.


I didn't install the x5660 up to now, I just test the new 2rx4 ram modules and saw they are not compatible with the three 2rx8 installed. I have to install a new win10.



lexluthermiester said:


> Nice!
> 
> This is because the new RDIMMs you bought are dual rank and the set you already have are single rank. I should have warned you about that but did not think about it. They should work separately from each other, one set in the system VS the other. Have you tested the new set by themselves in the system?
> 
> ...





lexluthermiester said:


> Nice!
> 
> This is because the new RDIMMs you bought are dual rank and the set you already have are single rank. I should have warned you about that but did not think about it. They should work separately from each other, one set in the system VS the other. Have you tested the new set by themselves in the system?
> 
> ...


Can three of these can be mixed with the original 3x4 Gb 2r8 ?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 25, 2021)

jeanpat said:


> Can three of these can be mixed with the original 3x4 Gb 2r8 ?


If they match the ones you already had, then yes.


----------



## crazydrve` (Jun 28, 2021)

Hi all, 

Dell T620
Raid card areca arc-1882
Had anyone seen on a dell server about initializing firmware interfaces stalls the boot? 

Systems boots fine with out card.
Tested card in my t5500 and t5600 which works flawlessly. 

I installed a raid card into what I believe is the proper spot

Thank you
Bill


----------



## jeanpat (Jun 29, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Nice!
> 
> This is because the new RDIMMs you bought are dual rank and the set you already have are single rank. I should have warned you about that but did not think about it. They should work separately from each other, one set in the system VS the other. Have you tested the new set by themselves in the system?
> 
> ...


As seen on reddit, changing the order of the ram modules might have allowed to mix single and dual rank modules.
I put the dual rank modules on dimm1,2,3 and the single rank on dim 4,5,6. I thought it was ok, the bios detected the six modules:



But there was a POST error:



And the system was only capable to detect 16 Gb Ram:




So I'll try another batch of 2rx8


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 29, 2021)

jeanpat said:


> As seen on reddit, changing the order of the ram modules might have allowed to mix single and dual rank modules.
> I put the dual rank modules on dimm1,2,3 and the single rank on dim 4,5,6. I thought it was ok, the bios detected the six modules:
> View attachment 205892
> But there was a POST error:
> ...


You really NEED to update that BIOS! I mean seriously, right now!


----------



## Retrorockit (Jun 30, 2021)

I saw some posts that Win 11 won't support older CPUs (due to TPM 2.0 needed), and non UEFI BIOS.
I've also seen that it doesn't check for these in a VM environment.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 30, 2021)

Retrorockit said:


> I saw some posts that Win 11 won't support older CPUs (due to TPM 2.0 needed), and non UEFI BIOS.
> I've also seen that it doesn't check for these in a VM environment.


These are artificial limitations. If you have a system that does not meet microsoft's rubbish requirements, you'll want to explore buying a license and getting a custom iso. Custom ISO's are being configured already(I'm using one) and will be made available shortly after official release. Utilities that will make a customized iso per user input will also be made.

Rest assured, options to remove microsoft's nit-wit limitations will be available.

If you'd like to do it now to try it out, follow the instructions found in the video below;









EDIT: Just an FYI, these instruction also work with the 22000.51 iso.


----------



## crazydrve` (Jun 30, 2021)

Has anyone tried to convert a dell workstation, ie T5500 or T5600 to a smaller chassis?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 30, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> Has anyone tried to convert a dell workstation, ie T5500 or T5600 to a smaller chassis?


Considering the motherboards of both are ATX form-factor boards, it is possible. Both take standard ATX PSU connections. You're gonna have problems with the front panel connectors and buttons though. 

But why would you want too?


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 1, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Considering the motherboards of both are ATX form-factor boards, it is possible. Both take standard ATX PSU connections. You're gonna have problems with the front panel connectors and buttons though.
> 
> But why would you want too?



HI @lexluthermiester 

I have a refurb Dell T620 now and I want to keep the T5500 and T5600, but they are big and dont need the towers they are in, just the system itself. I don't have a lot of room and my rack is full. 

just curious if anyone has tried.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 1, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> HI @lexluthermiester
> 
> I have a refurb Dell T620 now and I want to keep the T5500 and T5600, but they are big and dont need the towers they are in, just the system itself. I don't have a lot of room and my rack is full.
> 
> just curious if anyone has tried.


Never done it myself. I'm sure it's been done though. Likely a very involved effort though.


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 1, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Never done it myself. I'm sure it's been done though. Likely a very involved effort though.



Yea, I may try it just for the heck of it. the systems still work, just dont need them in big case. 

@lexluthermiester btw do you know if the servers like the dell t620 can use non dell raid controllers?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 1, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> @lexluthermiester btw do you know if the servers like the dell t620 can use non dell raid controllers?


No idea. Can't think of any reason why not. Dell doesn't do that whole whitelisting nonsense like HP so as long as you have drivers, you should be good to go.


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 1, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> No idea. Can't think of any reason why not. Dell doesn't do that whole whitelisting nonsense like HP so as long as you have drivers, you should be good to go.


OK, thanks, just must be something I am not seeing.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 1, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> OK, thanks, just must be something I am not seeing.


What card is not working for you? Model number and/or pictures would be helpful.

There might be a boot-rom on the card that you need to enable in the BIOS.


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 1, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> What card is not working for you? Model number and/or pictures would be helpful.
> 
> There might be a boot-rom on the card that you need to enable in the BIOS.


oh thanks, I didn't think to check that. FYI, here is the card. 



			Areca ARC-1882ix-12 12+4 port PCIe 2.0 (X8) SAS/SATA 6Gb/s Dual Core RAID Controller. 4GB Cache. No Cables.@ SCSI4ME.COM


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 1, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> oh thanks, I didn't think to check that. FYI, here is the card.
> 
> 
> 
> Areca ARC-1882ix-12 12+4 port PCIe 2.0 (X8) SAS/SATA 6Gb/s Dual Core RAID Controller. 4GB Cache. No Cables.@ SCSI4ME.COM


That card should work. It's got a boot rom and you'll need to enable it if you want to boot an OS from it. Setting that up should be easy enough.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jul 1, 2021)

I know almost nothing about Virtual Machines. I'm looking into reducing the number of active cores for overclocking/retro gaming purposes.
I can get Throttlestop to apply itself to only 2 cores for overclocking. What would happen if a 2 core VM was created, and the other cores weren't even booted to an OS. What would be the state of those cores? Is this even possible, or must all hardware resources be accounted for in the VM setup? Maybe use a lightweight OS of some kind for the rest of the hardware.


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 1, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> That card should work. It's got a boot rom and you'll need to enable it if you want to boot an OS from it. Setting that up should be easy enough.



Thanks, I don't need to boot an OS, Just need data access, going to try changing bios for the card. 

Thanks again


----------



## BartPC24 (Jul 3, 2021)

Hello,

I`m wondering about buying this card to my T5400, which is on 2x XEON E5420 along with 32GB of ECC RAM.









						JEYI SK16 M.2 NVME SSD 3.0 NGFF PCI-E Expansion Card X4 Adapter B Key M Key MSATA Three-disk Version add on Card Suppor PCI Express 3.0 3 in 1 Dual 12v+3.3v
					

Only US$14.99, buy best jeyi sk16 m.2 nvme ssd 3.0 ngff pci-e expansion card x4 adapter b key m key msata three-disk version add on card suppor pci express 3.0 3 in 1 dual 12v+3.3v sale online store at wholesale price.




					www.banggood.com
				




Does it make sense ?. Would I profit from having it, with corresponding NVME drive ?

TIA for responses 

BR,

BartPC24


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 3, 2021)

BartPC24 said:


> Hello,
> 
> I`m wondering about buying this card to my T5400, which is on 2x XEON E5420 along with 32GB of ECC RAM.
> 
> ...


No idea. If you were asking about the T5500 or T5600, the answer is yes, that card will work fine. A T5400 is just a bit old for such a card. I might work, it might not. Windows will see it and install drivers for it so any drives connected will be seen once in Windows. But the BIOS is another story. Not sure that card is bootable. You'd be better off staying with SATA SSD's


----------



## scoutingwraith (Jul 4, 2021)

For the T3600 i used to own i had very good experience with the PERC Controller cards. Currently one of them is sitting in my old Ivy Bridge system chugging along 4xSAS drives


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 4, 2021)

Has anyone experienced a new Dell monitor using hdmi and no sound output?


----------



## BartPC24 (Jul 5, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> No idea. If you were asking about the T5500 or T5600, the answer is yes, that card will work fine. A T5400 is just a bit old for such a card. I might work, it might not. Windows will see it and install drivers for it so any drives connected will be seen once in Windows. But the BIOS is another story. Not sure that card is bootable. You'd be better off staying with SATA SSD's



But if I`ll setup this card, as an USB-HDD or else - don`t you think that may work as well ?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 5, 2021)

BartPC24 said:


> But if I`ll setup this card, as an USB-HDD or else - don`t you think that may work as well ?


I'm not sure I follow. What does a USB HDD have to do with that card?


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 12, 2021)

Does anyone know if servers can only handle certain pcie cards?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 12, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> Does anyone know if servers can only handle certain pcie cards?


Perhaps it might be most useful for you to be asking these questions over in the Dell support forums.





						Dell Community
					






					www.dell.com
				



The problems you're having and questions you're asking are better asked there.

Not to make you feel unwelcome, however this is a workstation thread, not a server thread.


----------



## hat (Jul 14, 2021)

Okay, so I'm now taking a serious look at getting something like this for my apartment, so I can have another computer that visitors could use. By "something like this" I mean a good old cheap used workstation that has enough CPU grunt, memory, and graphics power to play at least some basic games. Surely a graphics card could be added later, if need be...

I know the "Dell T5500" is mentioned a lot, but it runs on x58 hardware. I'd prefer at least sandy-bridge era hardware if possible and the price is right, because it looks like the lack of AVX might finally be starting to cause some problems for some games... but it's not a requirement. I don't know a whole lot about the used workstation market, I just know of a few model numbers.


----------



## PaulieG (Jul 14, 2021)

I'm an absolute noob with workstations, but I'm


hat said:


> Okay, so I'm now taking a serious look at getting something like this for my apartment, so I can have another computer that visitors could use. By "something like this" I mean a good old cheap used workstation that has enough CPU grunt, memory, and graphics power to play at least some basic games. Surely a graphics card could be added later, if need be...
> 
> I know the "Dell T5500" is mentioned a lot, but it runs on x58 hardware. I'd prefer at least sandy-bridge era hardware if possible and the price is right, because it looks like the lack of AVX might finally be starting to cause some problems for some games... but it's not a requirement. I don't know a whole lot about the used workstation market, I just know of a few model numbers.


I'm looking to put something together also for similar reasons, plus running WCG 24/7. Because of WCG, I'd like to run dual cpu's. Total noob on workstations though. Any advice is greatly appreciated.


----------



## hat (Jul 14, 2021)

from what I understand, it would probably be best to stick with building Ryzen systems for WCG. IIRC my old overclocked i7 920 could do around 4000PPD or so, maybe a little more... a paltry sum today.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jul 14, 2021)

hat said:


> Okay, so I'm now taking a serious look at getting something like this for my apartment, so I can have another computer that visitors could use. By "something like this" I mean a good old cheap used workstation that has enough CPU grunt, memory, and graphics power to play at least some basic games. Surely a graphics card could be added later, if need be...
> 
> I know the "Dell T5500" is mentioned a lot, but it runs on x58 hardware. I'd prefer at least sandy-bridge era hardware if possible and the price is right, because it looks like the lack of AVX might finally be starting to cause some problems for some games... but it's not a requirement. I don't know a whole lot about the used workstation market, I just know of a few model numbers.


There's a guy who ran an overclocked Dell T5810 in the Throttlestop overclocking thread with an unlocked Xeon. One of a kind project.
It's on this page but pretty far down.








						Throttlestop overclocking Desktop PCs
					

Now a 4GHz  QX6800 without SSE4 has some real limitations!




					www.techpowerup.com


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 15, 2021)

hat said:


> Okay, so I'm now taking a serious look at getting something like this for my apartment, so I can have another computer that visitors could use. By "something like this" I mean a good old cheap used workstation that has enough CPU grunt, memory, and graphics power to play at least some basic games. Surely a graphics card could be added later, if need be...
> 
> I know the "Dell T5500" is mentioned a lot, but it runs on x58 hardware. I'd prefer at least sandy-bridge era hardware if possible and the price is right, because it looks like the lack of AVX might finally be starting to cause some problems for some games... but it's not a requirement. I don't know a whole lot about the used workstation market, I just know of a few model numbers.


Dell T3600/T5600 would likely fit your needs. You might also consider an HP Z440 as those would as do well.



PaulieG said:


> I'm looking to put something together also for similar reasons, plus running WCG 24/7. Because of WCG, I'd like to run dual cpu's. Total noob on workstations though. Any advice is greatly appreciated.


Same as above. Try to aim for a 6core Xeon or better. 

If either of you would like specific examples, chime in and I'll link a few ebay pages. Let me know.


----------



## hat (Jul 16, 2021)

I found an HP Omen somethingorother in a local pawn shop. It has a Ryzen 3600 in it, along with a GTX1650. Only spent 150! I think I won this round...


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 16, 2021)

hat said:


> I found an HP Omen somethingorother in a local pawn shop. It has a Ryzen 3600 in it, along with a GTX1650. Only spent 150! I think I won this round...


Holy crap! SCORE! Very nice!


----------



## hat (Jul 16, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Holy crap! SCORE! Very nice!


Yes, indeed... I also successfully augered my toilet, so it's been a productive day still. There was a yellow straw(?) stuck in the auger bit when I pulled it out. Now it flows much better. It's amazing what a single straw can do...


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 16, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Perhaps it might be most useful for you to be asking these questions over in the Dell support forums.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I get it, no worries. You all have been so helpful.

Has anyone ran dell diagnostics on the T5600 and got a message saying it can't use all the cpus or something? 

I upgraded my t5600 to a e5-2640 but now I get that message.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 16, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> Has anyone ran dell diagnostics on the T5600 and got a message saying it can't use all the cpus or something?


Screenshot please?


crazydrve` said:


> I upgraded my t5600 to a e5-2640 but now I get that message.


Yeah that CPU should work. Did you make sure to update the bios to the most recent version?


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 16, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Screenshot please?
> 
> Yeah that CPU should work. Did you make sure to update the bios to the most recent version?


Before I did the upgrade I made sure to reset bios and updated it. It already was but couldn't hurt. 

It might be a "supported" issue. I don't see it listed on the cpu support list.

 I am still getting the error, is there a way to upgrade the ePSA program?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 16, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> It might be a "supported" issue. I don't see it listed on the cpu support list.


That system supports the 2640v2, that's not it.


crazydrve` said:


> I am still getting the error, is there a way to upgrade the ePSA program?


This might be a thing. The diag utilities might not support them. Have you tried testing with the original CPU?

Out of curiousity, what problems are you having the motivated the use of the system diags?


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 16, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> That system supports the 2640v2, that's not it.
> 
> This might be a thing. The diag utilities might not support them. Have you tried testing with the original CPU?
> 
> Out of curiousity, what problems are you having the motivated the use of the system diags?


From what I can tell I am having no issues yet. I did a full memtest, cpu stress test, and furmark video test. 
My system is overheating so I am looking at replacing the fans and will change the thermal paste. Too be honest I dont have the original cpus yet. its probably fine, I just figured I would use the tests. lol

How would I tell what revision of the cpu it is?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 17, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> From what I can tell I am having no issues yet. I did a full memtest, cpu stress test, and furmark video test.
> My system is overheating so I am looking at replacing the fans and will change the thermal paste. Too be honest I dont have the original cpus yet. its probably fine, I just figured I would use the tests. lol


I wouldn't worry about it then.



crazydrve` said:


> How would I tell what revision of the cpu it is?


Is your E5-2640 a 6core or 8core? The V1 2640 is a 6core, the V2 2640 is an 8core. The screenshots you provided show 8 cores so that CPU is very likely a E5-2640V2.

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...0-15m-cache-2-50-ghz-7-20-gt-s-intel-qpi.html

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...-processor-e5-2640-v2-20m-cache-2-00-ghz.html


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 24, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> I wouldn't worry about it then.
> 
> 
> Is your E5-2640 a 6core or 8core? The V1 2640 is a 6core, the V2 2640 is an 8core. The screenshots you provided show 8 cores so that CPU is very likely a E5-2640V2.
> ...


I just looked and they are 6 core. I have ran all tests I can think of so its not an issue, from what I can tell. 

Now I just need to cool the T5600, just replaced the cpu paste and it still idles about 40-45C. I am looking at updating the case fans and or heatsink. 

Thank you
Bill


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 24, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> I just looked and they are 6 core. I have ran all tests I can think of so its not an issue, from what I can tell.
> 
> Now I just need to cool the T5600, just replaced the cpu paste and it still idles about 40-45C. I am looking at updating the case fans and or heatsink.
> 
> ...


Odd, the pictures you posted above show an 8core/16thread CPU.. Do you have a pair of the 2640's?


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 24, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Odd, the pictures you posted above show an 8core/16thread CPU.. Do you have a pair of the 2640's?



Yea, I have 2 x Xeon E5-2640, not sure why it shows the 8core.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 24, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> Yea, I have 2 x Xeon E5-2640, not sure why it shows the 8core.


This could be a glitch with the software. Or the version of software you have might be expecting a different system.


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 26, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> This could be a glitch with the software. Or the version of software you have might be expecting a different system.


Yea, its probably the ePSA diagnostics.

Has anyone tried to use a normal power supply for the T5600? My T5600 isn't booting, no sounds, only white power led. Verified video and hdd work. cant test the cpu in a different mobo.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jul 26, 2021)

Earlier in this forum there was some info on swapping and upgrading T3600/T5600 PSUs. But   a normal PSU won't work. They connect to a proprietary edge connector.


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 26, 2021)

Retrorockit said:


> Earlier in this forum there was some info on swapping and upgrading T3600/T5600 PSUs. But   a normal PSU won't work. They connect to a proprietary edge connector.


I should have known. lol thanks.

this may be a dumb question but if I get no video, posts sounds, etc when starting T5600, does that mean the cpu is bad?

I dont see any lights except power led is solid white?

Anyone have any ideas?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 26, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> this may be a dumb question but if I get no video, posts sounds, etc when starting T5600, does that mean the cpu is bad?


Might be a bad motherboard, might be the PSU. Have you unplugged the PSU and pressed the reset button on the back of the PSU(right above the power cable socket) yet? If not, try that and then plug everything back in and try to power on again.


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 26, 2021)

Yea, I have done that, and running minimal things too. Only video card and usb kb one thing taht might help is it seems the usb doesnt get power? no lights on my keyboard when on.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 26, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> Yea, I have done that, and running minimal things too. Only video card and usb kb one thing taht might help is it seems the usb doesnt get power? no lights on my keyboard when on.


Have you unplugged the PSU and plugged it back in? How about unplugging the power cables from the motherboard and back in to reseat them?


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 27, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Have you unplugged the PSU and plugged it back in? How about unplugging the power cables from the motherboard and back in to reseat them?


I will try that again, I'm thinking I may have tightened the cpu heatsink too tight. Ugj


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 27, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> I'm thinking I may have tightened the cpu heatsink too tight.


I don't think that possible with those mounting brackets..


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 27, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Have you unplugged the PSU and plugged it back in? How about unplugging the power cables from the motherboard and back in to reseat them?


I will try that again, I'm thinking I may have tightened the cpu heatsink too tight. Ugj

yea that didnt work. so its either motherboard, psu or cpu.

Also the power led stays solid white.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 27, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> or cpu.


It won't be that. If it were the CPU, the system would at least power on and give error codes.


crazydrve` said:


> so its either motherboard, psu


So yeah, this. Have you tried a spare ATX PSU plugged directly into the motherboard?


----------



## crazydrve` (Jul 28, 2021)

I tried that but no luck, and I was told its a proprietary connector?
​


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 28, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> I tried that but no luck, and I was told its a proprietary connector?
> ​


The PSU is yes, but the power connectors to the motherboard are not. They're standard ATX compliant and simply plugging in an ATX PSU with proper EPS cables into the board is easy. This is why some people take the T3600/T5600 boards and put them in ATX cases with EPS equiped PSUs, which are easy to get as most quality PSUs have EPS connectors now.


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## crazydrve` (Jul 28, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> The PSU is yes, but the power connectors to the motherboard are not. They're standard ATX compliant and simply plugging in an ATX PSU with proper EPS cables into the board is easy. This is why some people take the T3600/T5600 boards and put them in ATX cases with EPS equiped PSUs, which are easy to get as most quality PSUs have EPS connectors now.



I have a corsair AX1000 but it only has 1 eps connector. tried using the cable from the T5600 and I still get an error

either psu failure or 

miss match - Hardware detected a population incompatibility with a critical system component such as CPU, VRM, PSU, or MEMORY RISER.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jul 28, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> I have a corsair AX1000 but it only has 1 eps connector. tried using the cable from the T5600 and I still get an error
> 
> either psu failure or
> 
> miss match - Hardware detected a population incompatibility with a critical system component such as CPU, VRM, PSU, or MEMORY RISER.


Ok, this problem seems like something a qualified tech needs to get hands on with.


----------



## Remeca (Aug 11, 2021)

Time to retire the Optiplex 9020, or go all in?

For a couple of years my Optiplex has performed admirably in substandard conditions. It hasn't really left me wanting more, aside from looking enviously at modern CPU benchmarks compared to my own i7-4770. 

But with the new Battlefield, I feel I may be too close to the minimum specs for comfort. Comfort for me is 1080p 60fps on high/ultra. So, I'm torn between going all out on the Optiplex, with a 4790k (would require a new cooler) and 16gb of proper ram (14gb mixed currently), which altogether would run about $300-350 CAD.

 Alternatively, I could return the Optiplex to its office use state, by taking out the SSD and GPU (leaving it with integrated), and replacing the PSU with the original. The problem with that is, then I would not only need a CPU, CPU cooler, and RAM, but also a case and motherboard. I feel I would need to spend significantly more than 300-350 to get similar performance with new parts, even if I sold the Optiplex for a couple hundred. What do you think?


----------



## Retrorockit (Aug 11, 2021)

You could look into some of the unlocked Xeons, and a Throttlestop/Intel XTU overclock.





						Xeons with an open multiplier
					

Multiplier-unlocked Xeons according to overclocking results from HWBOT: Bloomfield: W3570 (source) W3580 (uncertain) Gulftown: W3680  W3690  Gainestown: W5580 (most probably not unlocked, despite of one CPU-Z validation; please see also...




					forums.servethehome.com
				



Since the unlock function is not official prices for these can be under the radar. Don't run the latest BIOS, or chipset drivers. Sometimes they lock them down again.
Her'es one with an i7-4790k


			Dell OptiPlex 9020 Performance Results - UserBenchmark
		

Here's an outstanding i7-4770. Not sure what this guy's doing but it sure looks like he found an overclock somewhere. 97% ranking for that CPU.


			Dell OptiPlex 9020 Performance Results - UserBenchmark
		

Here's one just to confirm what sort of Xeons run in those. This may not be an unlocked version.


			Dell OptiPlex 9020 Performance Results - UserBenchmark
		

So for the price of a Xeon and some free software you can see if there is any more potential in it before spending for cooling and RAM upgrades.
You can run yours there to see how much headroom there is for you.


----------



## Remeca (Aug 11, 2021)

Retrorockit said:


> You could look into some of the unlocked Xeons, and a Throttlestop/Intel XTU overclock.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Most of my userbenchmark runs put my 4770 in the 70s %. The Xeon you linked doesn't look like much of a step up, but maybe if I could software overclock it it would be. A Xeon of the appropriate age also is about half the price of a 4790k, but would require a good deal more Google and YouTube research. I opted against it in my c2d PC when a Xeon was suggested instead of a c2q. That is still an option though, so maybe if I went and did that first I might gain some knowledge about doing it on the 9020.


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## Retrorockit (Aug 11, 2021)

The C2D Xeons aren't unlocked. Many of the X58 and later Xeons are. Anyway you should be able to get from 70% to mid 85% performance ranking with what you have already.
I linked that Xeon because there are very few Xeons running in that system. I just listed the first one I found out of 12k examples.
Sometimes the Xeons can run faster RAM speeds than the K series CPUs.
The C2D Xeon swap is totally different than the TS overclock. It won't tell you anything useful. If you have a C2X then you can try it. But the performance won't match what you already have.

Looking at the Unlockedd Xeon page it seems the E5 series are the unlocked ones. So maybe there isn't anything in it for your computer. The i7-4790K may be as good as it gets.
But with a TS overclock it should be a good increase in performance.
Ask in the Throttlestop Overclocking thread. Unclewebb the developer of TS posts there. He could give you some guidance.


----------



## Remeca (Aug 11, 2021)

Retrorockit said:


> The C2D Xeons aren't unlocked. Many of the X58 and later Xeons are. Anyway you should be able to get from 70% to mid 85% performance ranking with what you have already.
> I linked that Xeon because there are very few Xeons running in that system. I just listed the first one I found out of 12k examples.
> Sometimes the Xeons can run faster RAM speeds than the K series CPUs.
> The C2D Xeon swap is totally different than the TS overclock. It won't tell you anything useful. If you have a C2X then you can try it. But the performance won't match what you already have.


I wasn't going to overclock the C2D pc, just thought a quad core would perform better than the dual, but an SSD would make a bigger difference these days I think. If I went the Xeon route on the 9020, I would want guaranteed 4790k ballpark performance and from what I've read it seems highly experimental without guarantee the specific CPU will even boot. I also don't know anything about using throttlestop to change the multiplier, last time I tried a software cpu overclock was on a P3. Don't want to spend $80-150 on a failed experiment, the budget is already pretty limited.


----------



## Retrorockit (Aug 11, 2021)

Here's an i7-4770K. Once you're into the TS overclocking game which unlocked CPU you start with doesn't matter too much.









						intel core i7-4770k processor  | eBay
					

intel core i7-4770k processor. Condition is "Used". Shipped with USPS Priority Mail.



					www.ebay.com
				




TS was developed for underclocking laptops to extend battery life. It  get's control of Voltage and multiplier to do this from inside Windows. On Unlocked CPUs the settings can also be raised, again from inside Windows. The control of Voltage is what makes it better than the BSEL utilities of olden days. Since the Bus speed, and memory timings aren't messed with it tends to be a very stable method. Once you find an unlocked CPU that can run in your system it's pretty straightforward. Ask how to raise Voltage on that CPU in the TSOC thread, and once you know that you should be good to go.

Let me know what your C2D setup is. An SSD is always the best place to start. But there is a tape mod OC on a $3 E7500 C2D to 3.67GHz that is lots of fun.


----------



## Remeca (Aug 11, 2021)

Retrorockit said:


> Here's an i7-4770K. Once you're into the TS overclocking game which unlocked CPU you start with doesn't matter too much.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


4770k seems like a good choice, if I can get performance from ocing with TS comparable to a stock 4790k, because I figured overclocking was totally off the table. I'll still want to upgrade from the stock cooler, I am already always in the high 80s under standard gaming loads.


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## Retrorockit (Aug 11, 2021)

Here is the TSOC thread. A Dell with an unlocked CPU is the standard setup there.








						Throttlestop overclocking Desktop PCs
					

Myself and a few others have used Throttlestop software and unlocked CPUs to overclock OEM locked BIOS PCs.  Throttlestop was designed for underclocking, and undevolting laptop computers to extend battery life. It also allows full control of Voltage and multiplier on unlocked CPUs. There is a...




					www.techpowerup.com
				




The Optiplex 9020 is basically the same as the Precision T1700 workstation. Just to get a workstation reference in here.


----------



## Rushdude (Aug 11, 2021)

I bought the Yakuza Remastered Collection on Steam yesterday and was greeted with an error of "AVX required". After tracing it down to a processor issue, I contacted the seller and was able to get a refund. But this had me wondering about something.

I've been using a DELL Precision T3500 I got for free while volunteering at an e-recycle/refurbish place from 2016-early 2019 up in Ohio and it has been a good machine for my daily processes and gaming.

Prior to this wakeup call, the only upgrade I thought about was getting a GPU with more VRAM (have a 2GB-er right now).. but it may be time to upgrade the CPU.

Sadly, the motherboard is limited to LGA1366 and while there are some great Xeons out there, the socket was discontinued before Intel added AVX instructions.

I like my current case (it's the stock one) and would be sad if I had to get a new one. 
So are there any aftermarket motherboards that may work inside the case? I'm aware DELL snuck in some proprietary connections, so there's that problem

I can also post my specs and components later


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## Retrorockit (Aug 12, 2021)

Dell didn't follow the standard ATX layout for that system. It's been done, but some custom work is required. The HP Z400 is a better system for that. But be aware they borked the PSU wiring at the 24  pin connector.
While not a pure BTX layout the T3500 comes form that family of computers. basically a BTX layout with the expansion slots moved to the other side of the board.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 12, 2021)

Retrorockit said:


> Dell didn't follow the standard ATX layout for that system.


Yes, they did.


Retrorockit said:


> It's been done, but some custom work is required.


Custom wiring or mounting the front header is all that is required.


Retrorockit said:


> While not a pure BTX layout the T3500 comes form that family of computers.


Not it doesn't. The T3500/T5500/T7500 motherboards are ATX and fit into most ATX cases. They have nothing to do with BTX.


Retrorockit said:


> basically a BTX layout with the expansion slots moved to the other side of the board.


That is only correct in the context that all BTX boards are just re-arranged ATX boards.


----------



## Retrorockit (Aug 12, 2021)

From Dell support page on this.





						Precision T3500 case swap
					

I have an old T3500 with a Xeon W3670 that I would like to move into a modern retail case.  But as we are aware, Dell uses proprietary front panel wiring harnesses.  Is there any practical way to put the Precision motherboard in a retail case and still be able to connect the various front panel...




					www.dell.com
				




On ATX RAM slots and expansion slots are 90* to each other. This is pretty obvious. The MB is also on the RH side of the case.
  On BTX based stuff the RAM and expansion are parallel, and there is a front to rear cooling zone in the order of Case/CPU Fan,CPU/ cooler, Chipset and exclusion zone for airflow out the back. The CPU fan and case fan are the same fan, and not mounted on the CPU cooler. A duct around the case fan and CPU cooler are part of the BTX spec.  In the T3500 this is formed by the HDD tray, and RAM cooling shroud.
 On  BTX the case mounted on the left. On ATX it's on the right. On original BTX large cards in the first expansion slot would hit  the CPU cooler. The T3500 solved that by moving the slots to the other side of the RAM slots. So large expansion cards face away from the other components.
 A Dell T3400 is a classic BTX layout with the CPU turned 45*.  I call the T3500  a modified BTX based on all of the other BTX features it still has.
ATX is an older standard that the aftermarket based itself on. BTX had advantages for Netburst CPUs iwth high clock speeds, and high power consumption. This extended into the Core 2 era.
The advantage of the 45* angled CPU was no longer useful when the memory controller moved onto the CPU (LGA1366) so the T3500 lost that distinctive BTX feature. True BTX came and went with LGA775. But the T3500 carried on many of it's features. Mostly the cooling layout and LH side mounting.


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## Rushdude (Aug 12, 2021)

My specifications are:
Windows 7 Pro 64-bit (Yea, I'm still one of the holdouts)
Xeon W3565 @3.20GHz (I pulled this from a machine that was destined for recycle, back in 2018)
24.0 GB of RAM
AMD Radeon R7 260x 2GB
1TB Western Digital HDD

For external components, I just have a TP-LINK 450Mbps Wireless N Adapter and an old Hauppauge WinTV HVR 1800 (for capturing console game video).

Throw in the two off-the-shelf fans in the rear and it's already a Frankenstein type build 
Now I'm not sure of what motherboards I could get (with newer CPU sockets), that _could_ fit inside the case and have the necessary connections for the front I/O panel and whatnot. Almost seems it'd be easier and more affordable to get a new, custom built PC

Information on putting a new motherboard into the T3500's case seems scant



lexluthermiester said:


> Custom wiring or mounting the front header is all that is required.



Do you have examples of any non-OEM motherboards that have fit into DELL Precision cases like mine? I am curious


----------



## Retrorockit (Aug 12, 2021)

In the Throttlestop Overclocking thread Aaron Henderson did one. There aren't very many for a reason. It isn't really an ATX or a BTX layout. It's a Dell only design.  The T3600 is even worse with an edge connector for the PSU instead of a cable. Even between Dell computers interchangeability is extremely poor.


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## Rushdude (Aug 12, 2021)

Well, think my next PC will either be an HP (with newer socket) or a custom build.
But for now, my T3500 is doing fine even if the processor prevents it from running games that require AVX


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 12, 2021)

Retrorockit said:


> On ATX RAM slots and expansion slots are 90* to each other. This is pretty obvious. The MB is also on the RH side of the case.


The board mounted inside the Dell case is simply flipped on it's opposide side. The board layout conforms to ATX standards and readily fits into an ATX case WITHOUT modification. The front panel connectors are the only aspect that needs customization, but that has nothing to do with the board being ATX or BTX form-factor. Just so you are aware, the BTX form-factor has the expansion slots and peripherals ports in opposite places. Other than this, there are no tangible differences between ATX and BTX. Board makers and OEMS are free to place the CPU and RAM anywhere they wish on the board as long as they meet with form-factor specifications.

The T3500/T5500/T7500 conform to ATX standards. The only reason Dell went with the board mounted on the opposite side is for the Dual CPU riser board so it could rest on the bottom floor of the case rather than hanging from the top of the case. They had planed on making a version of the T3500 with dual CPU config, but changed that spec when they designed the T7500 in a larger case.



Rushdude said:


> Do you have examples of any non-OEM motherboards that have fit into DELL Precision cases like mine? I am curious


That would not be easy. The front panel header is the limiting factor. Any ATX board will physically fit into a T3500 case, but the front panel connector is proprietary. Directly wiring up that connector is possible but is an involved, cumbersome task. But it can be done if you have the know how and patience.


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## Rushdude (Aug 12, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> That would not be easy. The front panel header is the limiting factor. Any ATX board will physically fit into a T3500 case, but the front panel connector is proprietary. Directly wiring up that connector is possible but is an involved, cumbersome task. But it can be done if you have the know how and patience.


If it requires soldering, I may have to pass


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## Retrorockit (Aug 12, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> The board mounted inside the Dell case is simply flipped on it's opposide side. The board layout conforms to ATX standards and readily fits into an ATX case WITHOUT modification. The front panel connectors are the only aspect that needs customization, but that has nothing to do with the board being ATX or BTX form-factor. Just so you are aware, the BTX form-factor has the expansion slots and peripherals ports in opposite places. Other than this, there are no tangible differences between ATX and BTX. Board makers and OEMS are free to place the CPU and RAM anywhere they wish on the board as long as they meet with form-factor specifications.
> 
> The T3500/T5500/T7500 conform to ATX standards. The only reason Dell went with the board mounted on the opposite side is for the Dual CPU riser board so it could rest on the bottom floor of the case rather than hanging from the top of the case. They had planed on making a version of the T3500 with dual CPU config, but changed that spec when they designed the T7500 in a larger case.
> 
> ...


 I see the BTX cooling and component layout that I'm familiar with. So I view it as BTX "based". If you say it's ATX compatible then I will have to take your word for it. I don't have a bare ATX case around to see if one fits or not. I will look into it the next time I do. I rarely recommend Dell MB swaps unless there is one specific improvement and all else stays the same. Too many constantly changing proprietary features. There are several variations of the pinout for the front I/O header. Non standard fan pinouts also. I see no advantage to doing it whether it's ATX or not.  It would be nice to just say make a T3600 out of it. But Dell doesn't work that way.


----------



## slaine_mcroth (Aug 22, 2021)

Hello, i have just put my old RTX 2080 ti (ROG strix) in the dell T3500 and it works fine, just need to remove the upper side of the HDD front panel


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 22, 2021)

slaine_mcroth said:


> Hello, i have just put my old RTX 2080 ti (ROG strix) in the dell T3500 and it works fine, just need to remove the upper side of the HDD front panel


Have you benchmarked it yet? I ask because my 2080 was bottlenecked by the CPU somewhat. The effect was more pronounced in some games and programs than in others, but I have a Xeon W3680 6 core, where as you only have a quad core, but at 3.6ghz instead of 3.3ghz. Over-all I was happy with it. Just wondering about your experience.


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## slaine_mcroth (Aug 22, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Have you benchmarked it yet? I ask because my 2080 was bottlenecked by the CPU somewhat. The effect was more pronounced in some games and programs than in others, but I have a Xeon W3680 6 core, where as you only have a quad core, but at 3.6ghz instead of 3.3ghz. Over-all I was happy with it. Just wondering about your experience.


No i haven't, i have just launched a couple of game already installed on the computer and you're right i think CPU could be the bottleneck (as well as pci-e 2x). i have ordered a X5690 just to see if there is any small improvement.
So on rise of the tomb raider and shadow of the tomb raider (4k / ultra) it struggles to reach 25/30fps, Mass effect andromeda and strange brigade (4k / ultra) run smooth at 60 fps so of course it's quite far from the performance i had with the i9-9900k. On some games the CPUs cores run at 100% on other only at 80%.


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 23, 2021)

slaine_mcroth said:


> i have ordered a X5690 just to see if there is any small improvement.


There will be for any game that is mutli-threaded. I'd be interested to see what the difference is.


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## Retrorockit (Aug 23, 2021)

slaine_mcroth said:


> No i haven't, i have just launched a couple of game already installed on the computer and you're right i think CPU could be the bottleneck (as well as pci-e 2x). i have ordered a X5690 just to see if there is any small improvement.
> So on rise of the tomb raider and shadow of the tomb raider (4k / ultra) it struggles to reach 25/30fps, Mass effect andromeda and strange brigade (4k / ultra) run smooth at 60 fps so of course it's quite far from the performance i had with the i9-9900k. On some games the CPUs cores run at 100% on other only at 80%.


The X5687 can be tweaked with Throttlestop to run turbo speed on all cores for 3.89Ghz on 8 threads. If the X5690 helps then the unlocked 6C/12T W3680 overclocked with TS would be the final CPU upgrade.
With an 11GB GPU I would like to see 18GB of RAM on board. GPU texture caching in a few games can cause a RAM bottleneck that looks like CPU limitations.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 23, 2021)

Retrorockit said:


> With an 11GB GPU I would like to see 18GB of RAM on board. GPU texture caching in a few games can cause a RAM bottleneck that looks like CPU limitations.


There's a very good point. 18GB or 24GB is recommended for that system with that GPU having 11GB of VRAM. The system RAM is a buffer for the GPU, so you need more system RAM than VRAM to keep the GPU from being starved of data.

@slaine_mcroth 
How much RAM do you have in that system?


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## slaine_mcroth (Aug 23, 2021)

The system has only 15GB of ram, yes 24GB would be good, need to find compatible ram. I have never used Throttlestop, 3.89ghz on all cores, what about the heatsink ?


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## Retrorockit (Aug 23, 2021)

slaine_mcroth said:


> The system has only 15GB of ram, yes 24GB would be good, need to find compatible ram. I have never used Throttlestop, 3.89ghz on all cores, what about the heatsink ?


Most users just add  a fan to the back of the existing heatsink. This seems to be good up to about 4.1GHz 6C/ 12T.
Here's the thread for it. The T3500 is well covered there.








						Throttlestop overclocking Desktop PCs
					

Myself and a few others have used Throttlestop software and unlocked CPUs to overclock OEM locked BIOS PCs.  Throttlestop was designed for underclocking, and undevolting laptop computers to extend battery life. It also allows full control of Voltage and multiplier on unlocked CPUs. There is a...




					www.techpowerup.com


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 24, 2021)

slaine_mcroth said:


> The system has only 15GB of ram


15? How do did you get such an odd amount of ram?


----------



## KLiKzg (Aug 24, 2021)

Retrorockit said:


> Most users just add  a fan to the back of the existing heatsink. This seems to be good up to about 4.1GHz 6C/ 12T.
> Here's the thread for it. The T3500 is well covered there.
> 
> 
> ...


Did not try that one yet on my T5500. Only changing to bigger heatsink.

Maybe the same solution should be OK for my C30?


----------



## slaine_mcroth (Aug 24, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> 15? How do did you get such an odd amount of ram?


there are 6 memory slots on the mainboard, i'm using 3x 4GB modules and 3x 1GB modules, and it works fine in triple channel
I will try to find another 3x 4GB module to replace my 3x 1GB module


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## Susquehannock (Aug 25, 2021)

KLiKzg said:


> Did not try that one yet on my T5500. Only changing to bigger heatsink.


Affixing the fan is easy. Slip a zip tie through the fins and use a second to hold it tight. Do this three times and you are done. My w3680 clocked at 4.0 ghz rarely hits 50c at full load in a 25-30c room.


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 25, 2021)

slaine_mcroth said:


> there are 6 memory slots on the mainboard, i'm using 3x 4GB modules and 3x 1GB modules, and it works fine in triple channel
> I will try to find another 3x 4GB module to replace my 3x 1GB module


Ok, fair enough. It could have easily been an odd mix of DIMMS. To be fair 15GB is going to be ok if you don't want to upgrade. But 24GB would last you the life of that system without any worries.



Susquehannock said:


> Affixing the fan is easy. Slip a zip tie through the fins and use a second to hold it tight. Do this three times and you are done. My w3680 clocked at 4.0 ghz rarely hits 50c at full load in a 25-30c room.


This. Works well.

I made a solution for my main use T3500 which was posted over in the Ghetto Mods thread, but I'll post it here;

I made this due to the cooling issues when I was ThrottleStop OCing my W3680. The 120mm fan is pulling air through the duct toward the back of the case. Works VERY well. Since taking these picture I've refined the design a little more. 

I used to have the following on that same heatsink;


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## KLiKzg (Aug 25, 2021)

Looks great, but the size of it would interfere with CPU raiser for 2nd CPU on T5500.

So will go with design of your previous version or the one with zip ties.
How large is the fan for zip ties? 80x80?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 25, 2021)

KLiKzg said:


> Looks great, but the size of it would interfere with CPU raiser for 2nd CPU on T5500.


True.


KLiKzg said:


> How large is the fan for zip ties? 80x80?


80MM fan, but a 92mm fan will work well too. I used metal tape instead of zip-ties, but zip ties work fine. Remember to mount the fan so that it pulls air through the heatsink toward the back of the case.


----------



## crazydrve` (Aug 25, 2021)

Does anyone know if there is a way to find the different motherboard revisions for dell workstations?


----------



## Remeca (Aug 25, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> Does anyone know if there is a way to find the different motherboard revisions for dell workstations?


There's no master database afaik, you just need to research each one specifically. The Dell spec pages and community have a lot of information.


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## Susquehannock (Aug 25, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Ok, fair enough. It could have easily been an odd mix of DIMMS. To be fair 15GB is going to be ok if you don't want to upgrade. But 24GB would last you the life of that system without any worries.
> 
> 
> This. Works well.
> ...


You found the RAM shroud unnecessary? Painted mine black.


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 25, 2021)

Susquehannock said:


> You found the RAM shroud unnecessary?


Completely. In fact it seemed to be the cause of airflow restrictions. So yeah, pulled it out. I take them out any time I find a system with one.


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## Susquehannock (Aug 25, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Completely. In fact it seemed to be the cause of airflow restrictions. So yeah, pulled it out. I take them out any time I find a system with one.


Interesting. Guess it all depends on the set up. Found my module temps went up after removing it. And I do like how that shroud directs flow right on the northbridge sink in T3500. Also don't have any rear case fans. Call me a minimalist. If I can still get decent temps with less fans I'm all for it.


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 25, 2021)

Susquehannock said:


> Found my module temps went up after removing it.


I think the difference was 4C for mine, which is nothing when we're talking about sub-50C temps.


Susquehannock said:


> Also don't have any rear case fans.


None of my fans make much noise so it's not an issue. Everyone's preferences are different, so it's all good.


----------



## KLiKzg (Aug 29, 2021)

Got used ASUS 1650 SUPER for my T5500:





Need to make some small "reworks":


----------



## crazydrve` (Sep 2, 2021)

Hey all, 

Just a general question, but does anyone know why there are different part numbers for the same motherboard, power supply, etc.?

I am needing to get a new power supply for my T5500 and not sure which one to get, if it even matters.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Sep 3, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> Just a general question, but does anyone know why there are different part numbers for the same motherboard, power supply, etc.?


Dell part numbers serve as identifiers for where that part was made and what revision it is. As a general rule part numbers for identical models are interchangeable.


crazydrve` said:


> I am needing to get a new power supply for my T5500 and not sure which one to get, if it even matters.


It doesn't matter. If it's for the T5500 or even T3500 & T7500, it'll work in your T5500. The fit is the same as is the wiring harness connector.


----------



## Remeca (Sep 3, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Dell part numbers serve as identifiers for where that part was made and what revision it is. As a general rule part numbers for identical models are interchangeable.
> 
> *It doesn't matter. If it's for the T5500 or even T3500 & T7500, it'll work in your T5500. The fit is the same as it the wiring harness connector.*


It would be nice if this was true of Optiplex.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Sep 3, 2021)

Remeca said:


> It would be nice if this was true of Optiplex.


Yes it would. It sorta is as long as you stay within the same model series of them.


----------



## crazydrve` (Sep 3, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Dell part numbers serve as identifiers for where that part was made and what revision it is. As a general rule part numbers for identical models are interchangeable.
> 
> It doesn't matter. If it's for the T5500 or even T3500 & T7500, it'll work in your T5500. The fit is the same as it the wiring harness connector.


Thanks Lex

OK all, I just realized that for some stupid reason, I had a jumper on the Password Jumper and RTC Reset Jumper. 

I fixed this but what kind of damage could that do? 

Thanks again for any help.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Sep 3, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> I fixed this but what kind of damage could that do?


Well, you want to put it back. That is the clear CMOS settings jumper. Dell just words it funny.


----------



## crazydrve` (Sep 3, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Well, you want to put it back. That is the clear CMOS settings jumper. Dell just words it funny.


Right now I have it on the pwd jumper, there shouldn't be a jumper on the RTC Reset Jumper, correct?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Sep 4, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> Right now I have it on the pwd jumper, there shouldn't be a jumper on the RTC Reset Jumper, correct?


See the photo. This is how mine are setup.




So if this is how you have it, that is the default. This is on my T3500. The T550 and T7500 should also have the same default setting.


----------



## crazydrve` (Sep 4, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> See the photo. This is how mine are setup.
> View attachment 215389
> So if this is how you have it, that is the default. This is on my T3500. The T550 and T7500 should also have the same default setting.


Thanks, because of recent issues I have decided to trash my T5500, its just giving me too many weird issues. 

Thanks for all the help everyone.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Sep 4, 2021)

crazydrve` said:


> Thanks, because of recent issues I have decided to trash my T5500, its just giving me too many weird issues.
> 
> Thanks for all the help everyone.


That's saddening. At least harvest all the parts. You could buy a replacement mobo..


----------



## crazydrve` (Sep 5, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> That's saddening. At least harvest all the parts. You could buy a replacement mobo..


I've done that already, plus I was able to get a free replacement dell t620 mobo, so will be getting another t620 to build up. 

I took out the ram and cpu's, which I will sell.


----------



## yakup38 (Sep 10, 2021)

Hello Guys, i know it is an old post but i'm having very similar problem as crazydrve i.e. getting "Memory failure detected on Riser DIMM 2" after having upgraded CPUs.
After getting this error I've tried classical things but at some point according to an advice i've pushed a bit the riser so that it seats well all the way down which bent one of the pin on one of the riser connector.
Finally, i've fixed it and it is now straight again...however i'm still having the error message...As per this post, i saw there could also be pin bent on the cpu socket, here I'm attaching an image I did check but seems OK to me in case I've missed any bent pin.

Thx in advance for your help !

Okay, after double checking the picture i noticed there were indeed some bent pins that i've just re-seat correctly and error is gone.
If it can help someone else ..i'm still attaching the pics with bent pins.


----------



## gentooza (Sep 16, 2021)

Hello,

Can anyone confirm power cable pinout and power switch pin locations for T7600 motherboard?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Sep 16, 2021)

yakup38 said:


> Hello Guys, i know it is an old post but i'm having very similar problem as crazydrve i.e. getting "Memory failure detected on Riser DIMM 2" after having upgraded CPUs.
> After getting this error I've tried classical things but at some point according to an advice i've pushed a bit the riser so that it seats well all the way down which bent one of the pin on one of the riser connector.
> Finally, i've fixed it and it is now straight again...however i'm still having the error message...As per this post, i saw there could also be pin bent on the cpu socket, here I'm attaching an image I did check but seems OK to me in case I've missed any bent pin.
> 
> ...


Looks like you helped yourself on that one. 

Still welcome to TPU!



gentooza said:


> Hello,
> 
> Can anyone confirm power cable pinout and power switch pin locations for T7600 motherboard?


This will be a good place to start.


			Support for Precision T7600 | Documentation | Dell US
		

I'll be in the Owners Manual if it's on Dell's website.

Also welcome to TPU!


----------



## gentooza (Sep 17, 2021)

Thanks, did already check the various documents on dell website but none of them document this information.

It does label "remote power enable" on the motherboard, which may potentially be useful in place of the power pins, but I'm not finding much info on how dells "remote power" for these works either.

Decided to just go ahead and try, it seems th at the "remote power enable" does in fact actually just operate as an on/off switch of sorts (short once to turn on, short again to turn off)
And that the power pinout attached seems to work... At least to get the machine posting, will try later to see if it works beyond that.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Sep 17, 2021)

gentooza said:


> Thanks, did already check the various documents on dell website but none of them document this information.
> 
> It does label "remote power enable" on the motherboard, which may potentially be useful in place of the power pins, but I'm not finding much info on how dells "remote power" for these works either.
> 
> ...


Nice find!


----------



## gentooza (Sep 17, 2021)

With it configured like this it powers on cpus (can feel heat), cpu fans, 1 of the two ethernet ports and the graphics card fan, but I get nothing on display and numlock won't toggle on keyboard (so it seems to me its not reaching main BIOS).

So close but still not quite there, wonder what else I might be missing here...



gentooza said:


> With it configured like this it powers on cpus (can feel heat), cpu fans, 1 of the two ethernet ports and the graphics card fan, but I get nothing on display and numlock won't toggle on keyboard (so it seems to me its not reaching main BIOS).
> 
> So close but still not quite there, wonder what else I might be missing here...


Turns out I just needed to remove the battery and do a BIOS reset


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 3, 2021)

Hello, I'm a owner of a Dell T5500 Board. My father brought in this computer to build a project out of with the case alone (for my brother to have a computer) so we modified the case. Now I can't use that case so I only have the motherboard and the power supply that came out of it. I wanted to do some research to see if its worth making this computer a thing again so I come here. I see many build projects out of this so i thought to myself why the heck not? I'm a fan of DIY and computers. So I came here to ask questions about this computer I have in my hands.  1. I don't know the history of this computer since it came from a scrapyard (They took the processors and the ram, Hard Drive) is there any way possible to test if this computer is alive? I've turned it on once and all lights would be blinking from the Front panel connectors.   2. Does anyone know what kind of thread screws the torx screws want from the Thing that holds the processor? (I want to put a huge Noctua in it)   3. Where do people connect the CPU cooler fans?  4. Can I put any kind of Power supply that is of 875w or higher?  5. What are common issues with this particular Board?  6. Can it run any GPU especially modern ones like a 3060? 7. For the second processor (The Riser) is it possible to fit a aftermarket heatsink?  7. The North Bridge and the South Bridge chipsets is there a better cooling solutions for these or are the OEM coolers enough? 8. Is it possible to do a BIOS update without its processor/ram ?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 4, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> Hello


Hello! Welcome to TPU!


MrJunez said:


> I'm a owner of a Dell T5500 Board. My father brought in this computer to build a project out of with the case alone (for my brother to have a computer) so we modified the case. Now I can't use that case so I only have the motherboard and the power supply that came out of it. I wanted to do some research to see if its worth making this computer a thing again so I come here. I see many build projects out of this so i thought to myself why the heck not? I'm a fan of DIY and computers. So I came here to ask questions about this computer I have in my hands.


It is worth it if you're willing to put some time and effort into it. You'll need a few parts. Depending on where in the world you live, those part may or may not be easy to come by. So let get started.


MrJunez said:


> 1. I don't know the history of this computer since it came from a scrapyard (They took the processors and the ram, Hard Drive) is there any way possible to test if this computer is alive?


As you already have the PSU, you will need at least 1 stick of ddr3 ram, a cpu/heatsink, a keyboard & mouse and a GPU for it. You'll also need to be able to jump the power pins on the board to turn it on and off.
As shown in the picture below, you'll need to short the two pins taken up by the switch header shown;
(Image courtesy of the Dell forums)







If you do a post test and you can get into the BIOS, you likely have a working board. Just an FYI, the T5500 motherboard is, as you can see, a big boy. You'll need to buy a case that will fit EATX motherboards. If you can get this far, come back and we'll help you get the rest of the way!


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 4, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Hello! Welcome to TPU!
> 
> It is worth it if you're willing to put some time and effort into it. You'll need a few parts. Depending on where in the world you live, those part may or may not be easy to come by. So let get started.
> 
> ...


I don't understand why I need to turn it off and on? Is it because I want to buy a aftermarket PSU? I'm either going to buy a server 4U case for it or a ATX case or 3D Print one (which would take time) I plan to use this as a server if the board isnt dead. I brought 12GB of ECC Ram, OEM Heatsink, x5980 that came in a bundle which will arrive in some days.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 4, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> I don't understand why I need to turn it off and on?


To test it? Unless you know that it work properly already.


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 4, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> To test it? Unless you know that it work properly already.


Whats jumping going to do? I never have done it before so it sounds freighting to me. As far as I can tell plugging it in and turning it on via Power button leaves all lights blinking when running



lexluthermiester said:


> To test it? Unless you know that it work properly already.


wait I'm stupid. Just noticed your Power Off and On Connectors in the picture above. Now I understand, but I want to use the OEM Power ON/OFF since I have it here with me. So the computer does what I stated above


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 4, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> Whats jumping going to do? I never have done it before so it sounds freighting to me. As far as I can tell plugging it in and turning it on via Power button leaves all lights blinking when running
> 
> 
> wait I'm stupid. Just noticed your Power Off and On Connectors in the picture above. Now I understand, but I want to use the OEM Power ON/OFF since I have it here with me. So the computer does what I stated above


Ah, cool. So you've got parts on the way and you're ready for a build. Let us know if you need some help putting it all together. As there seems to be a slight language barrier situation, be at the ready with your camera to take picture and post them here(use the "Attach files" button right below the reply field.


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 4, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Ah, cool. So you've got parts on the way and you're ready for a build. Let us know if you need some help putting it all together. As there seems to be a slight language barrier situation, be at the ready with your camera to take picture and post them here(use the "Attach files" button right below the reply field.


Will Do, I will be back incase of any questions or problems once the Ram and Processor is here. I have a spare GPU that was in a old Dell Vostro


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## rdizzle321 (Oct 5, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> That's a solid config. Do you need more? If so, go for 4GB REG-ECC DIMMs. They're cheap and will work with your system. 3x4GB for each CPU will likely be more than you really ever need. For example;
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Hello

Reupping an old comment as I have a new follow-up question. My T5500 server has been working great overall for the light touch gaming I do. I am now hoping to use my 1060 GPU, the X5675 and the 48GB of RAM I bought to play D2-Resurrected. Right now there's an issue because the game doesn't support non-AVX processors. They are working on a patch, but I am curious if the baseline T5500 Mobo has any support for newer processors that would have AVX? I'm ok with spending to upgrade if I have to, so just covering my bases.

Diablo 2 is special to me (and many others) so I *need* to play this . Let me know if the mobo could support a newer AVX processor if you don't mind please?

thanks again for all the wonderful support over the last 10 months with my new toy (even though I'm a bit of a newb)


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 5, 2021)

rdizzle321 said:


> I am curious if the baseline T5500 Mobo has any support for newer processors that would have AVX?


Unfortunately no. No CPU in the Socket 1366 lineup has AVX.


rdizzle321 said:


> Let me know if the mobo could support a newer AVX processor if you don't mind please?


You'd need to upgrade to Intel Socket 2011 or Ryzen to get AVX.


rdizzle321 said:


> Diablo 2 is special to me (and many others) so I *need* to play this .


Cyberpunk2077 users who had 1366 CPU had the same problem until CDPR patched it. So if you know they're working on a patch, be patient for it.


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## MrJunez (Oct 6, 2021)

(The Picture under is from a user here who posted not my picture) How does he have a second connector for the heatsink chipset that has no fan? Here he has a aftermarket heatsink with a fan connected. my T5500 board does not have one and ive went to buy a small fan to try and do the same he did here. The fan i got from micro center


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 6, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> How does he have a second connector for the heatsink chipset that has no fan?


If you're talking about the fan connectors right there in front, those are for the front panel fans that mount on the chassis.



MrJunez said:


> The fan i got from micro center


That should work well! Hope it's not too noisy though..


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 6, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> If you're talking about the fan connectors right there in front, those are for the front panel fans that mount on the chassis.
> 
> 
> That should work well! Hope it's not too noisy though..


I am talking about not having a second FAN_ION for one of the chipset bridges. I want to add a small fan to cool it

These are pictures of my motherboard which is from a T5500 but does not have the connector for the fan on one of the bridges. Is it possible to get the part and solder it? I really hate the heat the aluminum produces. makes me feel bad running it.  The picture Labeled T5500 BOARD1.jpg isnt mine its one I found on the internet that has the Fan and the connector that my Board (the last 3 pictures) Does not have


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 8, 2021)

The heat sink in question doesn't put off enough heat to be a concern, I wouldn't worry to much about it. But mounting a fan won't hurt it either. You just need a molex to 3pin adapter if you do.


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 8, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> The heat sink in question doesn't put off enough heat to be a concern, I wouldn't worry to much about it. But mounting a fan won't hurt it either. You just need a molex to 3pin adapter if you do.


Can you link me to one on ebay? So i can get an idea of what I'm searching for


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 8, 2021)

One of these would do the trick;








						4 Pin Molex Pass Through to 3 Pin Fan Power Connector Adapter Cable w/ Sleeving  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 4 Pin Molex Pass Through to 3 Pin Fan Power Connector Adapter Cable w/ Sleeving at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com


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## MrJunez (Oct 8, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> One of these would do the trick;
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Doesn't it need to by 4 pin molex to 2 pin? The little fan I got has only 2. would this item you posted still be okay?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 8, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> Doesn't it need to by 4 pin molex to 2 pin? The little fan I got has only 2. would this item you posted still be okay?


Should still work. You just need to plug in the connector the right way. IF the fan doesn't run, try different pins. You won't hurt the fan if you get it wrong.


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 8, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Should still work. You just need to plug in the connector the right way. IF the fan doesn't run, try different pins. You won't hurt the fan if you get it wrong.


2 Pack Molex to 3 x 3 Pin or 4 Pin Computer PC Case Fan Power Splitter Adapter Cable, 10 inch 
- Amazon


StarTech TX3 to Dual Molex 4-pin CPU Fan Adapter Cable 6 in.

- Micro Center


Would these also be a good option? (Different stores)


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 8, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> StarTech TX3 to Dual Molex 4-pin CPU Fan Adapter Cable 6 in.


That would be perfect too! Go grab it. You be a lucky person with a MicroCenter near you and whatnot!


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 12, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> That would be perfect too! Go grab it. You be a lucky person with a MicroCenter near you and whatnot!


Is this memory configuration fine? Just got the memory today. Wondering if the slots i put them in are fine.


----------



## slaine_mcroth (Oct 12, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> There's a very good point. 18GB or 24GB is recommended for that system with that GPU having 11GB of VRAM. The system RAM is a buffer for the GPU, so you need more system RAM than VRAM to keep the GPU from being starved of data.
> 
> @slaine_mcroth
> How much RAM do you have in that system?



So i have updated my T3500 with 24meg of ram and the xeon 5690 but it seems that there is no improvement at all...


Anyway, now i will focus on my new toy the dell T7910, need a couple of upgrade...


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 12, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> Is this memory configuration fine? Just got the memory today. Wondering if the slots i put them in are fine.


That will work if you only want single channel mode. Move both of the sticks into DIMM1 & DIMM2. This will give you at least dual channel mode. Do you have more RAM coming?


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 13, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> That will work if you only want single channel mode. Move both of the sticks into DIMM1 & DIMM2. This will give you at least dual channel mode. Do you have more RAM coming?


No more ram, I do have sticks 4gb each but I read something about this motherboard needing all exact ram?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 14, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> No more ram, I do have sticks 4gb each but I read something about this motherboard needing all exact ram?


Same size & timings of sticks on the same channel, yes. You mix sizes on different channels though. For example you can do 3 x 4GB on one channel and do 3 x 2GB on the other channel. If you mix DIMMs with different speeds & timings, the system will simply default to the speeds & timings of the slowest DIMM detected. While this is not optimal, it'll work. 

However, mixing different types of DIMMs will *not* work. If you want to use non-ECC RAM, all of the DIMMs must be non-ECC. If you want to use ECC, all DIMMs must be ECC. If you want to use ECC Registered, all DIMMs must be ECC Registered. As long as the types match, you can still use different speed DIMMs, but they will all run a the speeds & timings of the slowest DIMM detected.

Specific to your board, you can use all three types because your chipset supports all three.

Does all of that make sense?


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 14, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Same size & timings of sticks on the same channel, yes. You mix sizes on different channels though. For example you can do 3 x 4GB on one channel and do 3 x 2GB on the other channel. If you mix DIMMs with different speeds & timings, the system will simply default to the speeds & timings of the slowest DIMM detected. While this is not optimal, it'll work.
> 
> However, mixing different types of DIMMs will *not* work. If you want to use non-ECC RAM, all of the DIMMs must be non-ECC. If you want to use ECC, all DIMMs must be ECC. If you want to use ECC Registered, all DIMMs must be ECC Registered. As long as the types match, you can still use different speed DIMMs, but they will all run a the speeds & timings of the slowest DIMM detected.
> 
> ...


Understood. However my CPU came in today its a x5680, I put it in the motherboard and have a black screen as I power it on with LED Lights blinking (4,3,2) along with the orange power light. I recorded this but it is also similiar to another video I found on youtube.  What could be my problem? This is the ram i got for it. 16GB RAM LINK

Here is the processor I got for it Processor Bundle

I reset the CMOS already and put the ram in Slots 1 and 2 for dual as you said. I'll post my video









After this video I put another x5680 in and took out the other and gives me different lights then shuts off. i recorded it here


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 15, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> Understood. However my CPU came in today its a x5680, I put it in the motherboard and have a black screen as I power it on with LED Lights blinking (4,3,2) along with the orange power light. I recorded this but it is also similiar to another video I found on youtube.  What could be my problem? This is the ram i got for it. 16GB RAM LINK
> 
> Here is the processor I got for it Processor Bundle
> 
> ...


First things first, does that board still work with the original CPU &RAM in it? If so, the BIOS likely needs updating.


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 15, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> First things first, does that board still work with the original CPU &RAM in it? If so, the BIOS likely needs updating.


This motherboard was given to me with no RAM nor CPU so I wouldnt know what CPU or RAM it came with. It's why I brought a pair of x5680's and 16GB RAM. Do I need to buy the original RAM and CPU? If so, which processor,ram you think came with this board? Can it not run with upgraded RAM? I have the Service Tag to the computer if that means anything


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 15, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> This motherboard was given to me with no RAM nor CPU so I wouldnt know what CPU or RAM it came with. It's why I brought a pair of x5680's and 16GB RAM. Do I need to buy the original RAM and CPU? If so, which processor,ram you think came with this board? Can it not run with upgraded RAM? I have the Service Tag to the computer if that means anything


Ah, that right, forgot. Does it have a video card plugged in and does it show a boot screen?


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 15, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Ah, that right, forgot. Does it have a video card plugged in and does it show a boot screen?


No Boot screen everything is just black even switched it around into different slots and nothing, I just edited the other post with a picture added. I saw this when I looked up its Service Tag and went into specs
I just found another issue i think. there is capacitor that is labeld C2624 on the board, its right by the ram. One of the pins are broken can I replace this with a aftermarket capacitor? (I have soldering skill so its no problem)


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 15, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> No Boot screen everything is just black even switched it around into different slots and nothing, I just edited the other post with a picture added. I saw this when I looked up its Service Tag and went into specs
> I just found another issue i think. there is capacitor that is labeld C2624 on the board, its right by the ram. One of the pins are broken can I replace this with a aftermarket capacitor? (I have soldering skill so its no problem)


Have you tried booting with just one stick of RAM in slot DIMM1? Have you checked for any bent pins in the CPU socket? Have you cleaned the CPU pads? The E5620 is a WestmereEP series CPU so the microcode for the X5680 should be included in that BIOS. However, it couldn't hurt to try booting with an alternate CPU if you have access to one.


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 15, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Have you tried booting with just one stick of RAM in slot DIMM1? Have you checked for any bent pins in the CPU socket? Have you cleaned the CPU pads? The E5620 is a WestmereEP series CPU so the microcode for the X5680 should be included in that BIOS. However, it couldn't hurt to try booting with an alternate CPU if you have access to one.


So I do have a broken Capacitor (Picture above) maybe that is the culprit? I just finished dumping isopropal 99% alchohol into the socket and wiping it gently with a bunch to get rid of any dirt of debris. Did same for the Pcie slots and ram slots. Will wait a day or two before I can do testing again.


----------



## Susquehannock (Oct 16, 2021)

Have not checked on this thread in a while and had a couple thoughts about the recent string of conversation. Forgive me if these were already covered.

1 - that broken capacitor could very well make the board unusable. Unfortunately it looks like you have an older board that uses the United Chimi-con 'KZG' series caps which are known to be failure prone. Dell was fined heavily for hiding this fact from customers actually.

2 - the x5680 is a Westmere CPU and must have the newer BIOS to operate. Otherwise it will give black screen. Been there myself. Need an earlier series CPU so the T5500 board will boot. Then you can update the BIOS.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 16, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> So I do have a broken Capacitor (Picture above) maybe that is the culprit? I just finished dumping isopropal 99% alchohol into the socket and wiping it gently with a bunch to get rid of any dirt of debris. Did same for the Pcie slots and ram slots. Will wait a day or two before I can do testing again.


Yeah, that might just be your problem there. You must have added those pictures after I responded. Didn't see them before. Cap replacement should be easy if you're handy with a soldering iron.


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 16, 2021)

Susquehannock said:


> Have not checked on this thread in a while and had a couple thoughts about the recent string of conversation. Forgive me if these were already covered.
> 
> 1 - that broken capacitor could very well make the board unusable. Unfortunately it looks like you have an older board that uses the United Chimi-con 'KZG' series caps which are known to be failure prone. Dell was fined heavily for hiding this fact from customers actually.
> 
> 2 - the x5680 is a Westmere CPU and must have the newer BIOS to operate. Otherwise it will give black screen. Been there myself. Need an earlier series CPU so the T5500 board will boot. Then you can update the BIOS.


Which processor would I have to buy? because I don't have the CPU this motherboard came with so I have no clue to what it wants.  Can the Capacitor be replaced? I've been told I can go with a 470uf 35v



lexluthermiester said:


> Yeah, that might just be your problem there. You must have added those pictures after I responded. Didn't see them before. Cap replacement should be easy if you're handy with a soldering iron.


I can do a capacitor replacement since I've done nec tokin replacements on a Playstation 3 Before so thats no biggy. But I wonder if i can just replace it with any capacitor like what I said to Hannock above


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 16, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> Which processor would I have to buy? because I don't have the CPU this motherboard came with so I have no clue to what it wants. Can the Capacitor be replaced? I've told I can go with a 470uf 35v


Might be a good idea to fix that capacitor and make sure there are no other defects before buying any more parts. I suspect that the capacitor is the problem preventing a successful boot.



Susquehannock said:


> 2 - the x5680 is a Westmere CPU and must have the newer BIOS to operate. Otherwise it will give black screen. Been there myself. Need an earlier series CPU so the T5500 board will boot. Then you can update the BIOS.


The Xeon E5620 the system that board was in originally came with is a WestmereEP based CPU as well. That is not the problem.


----------



## Susquehannock (Oct 16, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Might be a good idea to fix that capacitor and make sure there are no other defects before buying any more parts. I suspect that the capacitor is the problem preventing a successful boot.





lexluthermiester said:


> The Xeon E5620 the system that board was in originally came with is a WestmereEP based CPU as well. That is not the problem.


My mistake. Was thinking since the E5620 stops at 1066 memory bandwidth that it was Bloomfield. 

x2 on replacing that cap before going further. If it were me, I would replace all those 'KZG' caps while at it. Replacements should be same uF rating but can be of higher voltage but not lower.


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 16, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Might be a good idea to fix that capacitor and make sure there are no other defects before buying any more parts. I suspect that the capacitor is the problem preventing a successful boot.
> 
> 
> The Xeon E5620 the system that board was in originally came with is a WestmereEP based CPU as well. That is not the problem.





Susquehannock said:


> My mistake. Was thinking since the E5620 stops at 1066 memory bandwidth that it was Bloomfield.
> 
> x2 on replacing that cap before going further. If it were me, I would replace all those 'KZG' caps while at it. Replacements should be same uF rating but can be of higher voltage but not lower.


So after doing a cap replacement (470uf 35v) and setting everything backup for testing, it smells like a cable is burning but I see nothing that is burning. This is getting scary. The computer is doing the same thing with LED Lights 3 and 4 Green along with a green power button then It shuts down and turns back on (on loop) (Black Screen no Display) then I took out one RAM stick out DIMM Slot 2 and it showed different lights without it turning off or restarting This also still showed no display but just a black screen. (Lights 3,2,1 were green along with the power button in this phase)  ...I wonder if its the 99% alchohal from yesterday creating a smell..

UPDATE: I found out what was burning. It turns out to be the raspberry pi fan I got to cool down one of the bridges that does not have a fan (there was even a little burn mark on it) so i took that out and don't smell anything anymore. While doing this I turned on the computer again and it showed a display but did not fully boot into windows as it went into a black display again. I turned it off after and back on and the computer then kept restarting itself on a loop. Solutions?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 16, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> UPDATE: I found out what was burning. It turns out to be the raspberry pi fan I got to cool down one of the bridges that does not have a fan (there was even a little burn mark on it) so i took that out and don't smell anything anymore. While doing this I turned on the computer again and it showed a display but did not fully boot into windows as it went into a black display again. I turned it off after and back on and the computer then kept restarting itself on a loop. Solutions?


Looks like progress and a partial win. I'm looking at those photos and seeing the black cap with the stripe on the wrong side. Are you sure it's in the right way? Might want to double check. Usually the stripe down the side indicates the negative pole and it seems to be in the positive slot..


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 16, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Looks like progress and a partial win. I looking at those photos and I'm seeing the black cap with the stripe on the wrong side. Are you sure it's in the right way? Might want to double check. Usually the stripe down the side indicates the negative pole and it seems to be in the positive slot..


I'll switch the capacitor around, I went outside and brought a new CMOS Battery for it to really quick. I'll Post an update after those two are fixed

UPDATE: Hmmm, still no display. It makes 2 beeps and is showing green lights for 3 ,2 ,1 with green power light and stays on from there.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 16, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> UPDATE: Hmmm, still no display. It makes 2 beeps and is showing green lights for 3 ,2 ,1 with green power light and stays on from there.


Weird. So it booted with the cap in the other position but wouldn't get into Windows?


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 16, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Weird. So it booted with the cap in the other position but wouldn't get into Windows?


Yep, Im not sure what to do.  Sometimes when I turn it on it blinks LED 1 one time then the HDD LED , 4 , 3 stays on then just 4,3 loops restarting the computer by itself until it reaches 3,2,1 at the end and stays on Locked in like that. No display on any of the restarts. One stick of 8GB DDr3 1333 REG Ram in, 5680 In, and a Radeon HD 2400 PRO for a video card

Any solutions?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 17, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> Yep, Im not sure what to do


Make sure that cap is in the correct position.


MrJunez said:


> One stick of 8GB DDr3 1333 REG Ram in


Have you tried a 2GB or 4GB non-registered DIMM?

Based on your descriptions, the LED lights make no sense, so I'm at a loss..


			Precision T3500/T5500/T7500 Workstations Diagnostic Lights and Beep Codes | Dell US


----------



## Susquehannock (Oct 19, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> Is this memory configuration fine? Just got the memory today. Wondering if the slots i put them in are fine.


Lex's question- "_Have you checked for any bent pins in the CPU socket_?"- got me thinking so took a look at image in post #2,006 above.
That second pin above red dot appears out of alignment. Possibly making contact with pin next to it when clamping pressure is applied.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 19, 2021)

Susquehannock said:


> Lex's question- "_Have you checked for any bent pins in the CPU socket_?"- got me thinking so took a look at image in post #2,006 above.
> That second pin above red dot appears out of alignment. Possibly making contact with pin next to it when clamping pressure is applied.


Good catch!! Yeah I just looked as well. That's a problem.
@MrJunez
Can you get a pair of tweezers all straighten that pin, being very gentle and careful of course? If you can that my solve your problem, or at least part of it..


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 19, 2021)

Susquehannock said:


> Lex's question- "_Have you checked for any bent pins in the CPU socket_?"- got me thinking so took a look at image in post #2,006 above.
> That second pin above red dot appears out of alignment. Possibly making contact with pin next to it when clamping pressure is applied.





lexluthermiester said:


> Good catch!! Yeah I just looked as well. That's a problem.
> @MrJunez
> Can you get a pair of tweezers all straighten that pin, being very gentle and careful of course? If you can that my solve your problem, or at least part of it.


I am going to check and take a picture of the whole socket maybe you guys can help me out point out any pins. As for the cap issue and Ram I'm going to try fixing the cap again and also try a 2gb or 4gb ram stick. Sorry I didn't reply yesterday. It was my birthday and didn't want to spend it doing something that will get be upset (if it didn't work)


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 19, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> As for the cap issue and Ram I'm going to try fixing the cap again and also try a 2gb or 4gb ram stick. Sorry I didn't reply yesterday. It was my birthday and didn't want to spend it doing something that will get be upset (if it didn't work)


No worries, but I think it's important to mention that the bent pin in question might be the reason why the system was failing to boot except for that one time. Straighten that pin and it might easier to solve any other issues.

And Happy Birthday!! Hope you had a great day!


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 19, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> No worries, but I think it's important to mention that the bent pin in question might be the reason why the system was failing to boot except for that one time. Straighten that pin and it might easier to solve any other issues.
> 
> And Happy Birthday!! Hope you had a great day!


Thank you for the Bday cheers. it was a good day, turned 23 I took a picture of the whole socket maybe I can get help point out anymore pins


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 20, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> Thank you for the Bday cheers. it was a good day, turned 23 I took a picture of the whole socket maybe I can get help point out anymore pins


From that angle it looks like you might have already fixed it, yes? We're talking about the following pin;

Couldn't see any other pins out of place.


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 23, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> From that angle it looks like you might have already fixed it, yes? We're talking about the following pin;
> View attachment 221579
> Couldn't see any other pins out of place.


This is scary to fix. I tried today and no luck. maybe I need to bend the pin more... as for the cap, I can't manage to get the negative pin through so I'm having a tough time. I am thinking about just taking a wire and solder it from both top and bottom to get both connections, sounds janky but it might help if its a cap problem


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 23, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> This is scary to fix. I tried today and no luck. maybe I need to bend the pin more...


There's not need to rush. Just be careful and bend it just a little bit at a time.


MrJunez said:


> I am thinking about just taking a wire and solder it from both top and bottom to get both connections, sounds janky but it might help if its a cap problem


Bodge wires are always a valid solution if they get the job done. It does not have to be pretty as long as it works.


----------



## ThaiTaffy (Oct 23, 2021)

Hey everyone so I'm not quite a member here but my r210ii arrives in a few days.

I asked the question earlier but didn't really get a answer, I have a months warranty to iron out any issues so I'm wondering how good the dell health check is? I read in the manual it has a hardware diagnosis option built into the bios or something along those lines, how in depth is it? 
I will of course run some synthetic loads on it as well as some other checks but I'd like to try find any issues asap as I don't want to waste time setting up a dud unit.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 23, 2021)

The builtin diags, AFAIK, will test the baseline hardware(motherboard/CPU/RAM) and report any errors. Addin cards, drives and such are only tested by the extended Dell diags which run from the diag partition on a host drive.


----------



## Karlos (Oct 26, 2021)

Previously had a hp z600, my dad has a dell t7500, brought one myself currently debating whether to upgrade my dual xeon x5670s to x5687's or 5690's, I know the 5687 have less cores but slightly higher performance but im not sure which one would be better for me. I mostly play games so im thinking of the 5687's as they're cheaper and have slightly better performance but would love to hear some input


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 26, 2021)

Karlos said:


> I know the 5687 have less cores but slightly higher performance but im not sure which one would be better for me.


The loss of 2cores/4threads will not be offset by the extra speed of X5687. Stay with a 6core model. A pair of X5675's would be an excellent balance of performance, price and power/heat, especially for a T7500. However, a pair of X5680's or W3680's would be great choices as well. The X5690's and W3690's are really pricey and not worth the extra expense for all of an extra 133mhz of speed.

And Welcome to TPU!


----------



## Susquehannock (Oct 26, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> This is scary to fix. I tried today and no luck. maybe I need to bend the pin more... as for the cap, I can't manage to get the negative pin through so I'm having a tough time. I am thinking about just taking a wire and solder it from both top and bottom to get both connections, sounds janky but it might help if its a cap problem


You might try a mechanical pencil or similar. Slide pin into hole on end. Perfect for that one which looked like it needed to be rotated counter-clockwise a bit.


----------



## ThaiTaffy (Oct 27, 2021)

So the rack sever came today considering the price and the initial frustration of it lacking a Cpu shroud the unit seems ok.

Some dust inside, but I would tend to prefer that than some super clean one that could have been suffocated all its life. Components don't seem bad either, Samsung ram and Seagate Barracuda drives. Initial scan over the system and the board looks in good shape. Will check the PSU caps and power it up if all is well.

Going to take a while it seems.



So it passed everything I threw at it I've installed Ubuntu server and spent the last 4hours relearning terminal, I haven't typed this much in years....


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 27, 2021)

ThaiTaffy said:


> spent the last 4hours relearning terminal, I haven't typed this much in years....


Welcome to the wonderful world of system admins.


----------



## ThaiTaffy (Oct 27, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Welcome to the wonderful world of system admins.


Yes wonderful I've spent 10 hours or so on terminal and just barely got SSH working secure via key rather than password and started loading up docker.
 I could have loaded a GUI but it feels more foreign to me Unless gnome is especially bad, I seem to understand more via terminal 
Anyway bed time now another day of it tomorrow, if I get zoneminder loaded and working with my IP cameras I'll be happy.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 27, 2021)

ThaiTaffy said:


> Yes wonderful I've spent 10 hours or so on terminal and just barely got SSH working secure via key rather than password and started loading up docker.


Not laughing AT you, just laughing because I've been there..


----------



## Karlos (Oct 28, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> The loss of 2cores/4threads will not be offset by the extra speed of X5687. Stay with a 6core model. A pair of X5675's would be an excellent balance of performance, price and power/heat, especially for a T7500. However, a pair of X5680's or W3680's would be great choices as well. The X5690's and W3690's are really pricey and not worth the extra expense for all of an extra 133mhz of speed.
> 
> And Welcome to TPU!


Are you able to dual run w3690's? is there a massive difference from the w3690's to the x5690s, I know that the "W" chips are unlocked but i'm unsure if that even matters for the t7500.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 28, 2021)

Karlos said:


> Are you able to dual run w3690's? is there a massive difference from the w3690's to the x5690s


The W3680/W3690 being unlocked CPU's, means that you can overclock them, even on a Dell, with a utility called ThrottleStop. If that's not important to you, than stick with the X56xx CPU's

Just an FYI, You don't need X56*90* or W36*90*. The extra 133mhz of the 90 versions over the 80 version will not make a difference in overall performance and does not justify the extra cost, unless you can get them for cheap.


----------



## Karlos (Oct 28, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> The W3680/W3690 being unlocked CPU's, means that you can overclock them, even on a Dell, with a utility called ThrottleStop. If that's not important to you, than stick with the X56xx CPU's
> 
> Just an FYI, You don't need X56*90* or W36*90*. The extra 133mhz of the 90 versions over the 80 version will not make a difference in overall performance and does not justify the extra cost, unless you can get them for cheap.


Alright cheers for the info, Ill likely go with the x5690s as they're virtually the same price here in the UK as the x5680s


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 28, 2021)

Karlos said:


> Alright cheers for the info, Ill likely go with the x5690s as they're virtually the same price here in the UK as the x5680s


Fair enough. On this side of the pond pricing is different. So yeah, no reason not too!


----------



## Karlos (Oct 28, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Fair enough. On this side of the pond pricing is different. So yeah, no reason not too!


If only my precious hp z600 could've supported the higher chips, sigh, I'm enjoying this dell t7500 although


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 28, 2021)

Karlos said:


> If only my precious hp z600 could've supported the higher chips, sigh, I'm enjoying this dell t7500 although


The T7500 is a solid machine and still holds good performance to this day.


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 29, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> There's not need to rush. Just be careful and bend it just a little bit at a time.
> 
> Bodge wires are always a valid solution if they get the job done. It does not have to be pretty as long as it works.


not sure if I fixed what you guys were looking at but here are updated images, also do you guys think making it boot off a drive that has windows 10 installed is alright? (unsure of that can be a problem)


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 29, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> not sure if I fixed what you guys were looking at but here are updated images


Looks ok. Have you boot tested it yet?


MrJunez said:


> also do you guys think making it boot off a drive that has windows 10 installed is alright? (unsure of that can be a problem)


Shouldn't be a problem.


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 29, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Looks ok. Have you boot tested it yet?
> 
> Shouldn't be a problem.


same problem tried 2gb and 4gb ram to, this is the setup i have for it. not sure if it wants anything. Gives 2 beeps then stays on with lights green on 321, green power button after turning off and on 3 times


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 29, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> same problem tried 2gb and 4gb ram to, this is the setup i have for it. not sure if it wants anything


Ah, pictures tell a tale. The CPU heatsink is mounted off center. From the angle of the above photo, turn it 90degree to the right. The notch that is molded out of that one side should be next to the VRMs. Also, do you have any non-reg, non-ecc 1gb or 2gb DIMM's to test with?


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 29, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Ah, pictures tell a tale. The CPU heatsink is mounted off center. From the angle of the above photo, turn it 90degree to the right. The notch that is molded out of that one side should be next to the VRMs. Also, do you have any non-reg, non-ecc 1gb or 2gb DIMM's to test with?


fixed the heatsink, for the ram I don't have any..how did it boot that one time even


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 29, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> fixed the heatsink, for the ram I don't have any..how did it boot that one time even


I wish I was there. What you need is someone to get hands on with it.


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 29, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> I wish I was there. What you need is someone to get hands on with it.


I mean I have experience with computers but never experienced something like this given I read that this board is very strict and hard but wouldnt think it would be this hard. So i am lost on what to do now. brought two seperate x5680's , ECC ram and REG ram , heatsink, new cmos battery,new caps,cleaning supplies, Thermal grizzly paste for processors and chipsets. I don't want to give up on it yet since it gave me that one single sign of it posting and attempting to boot into win10


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 29, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> I mean I have experience with computers but never experienced something like this given I read that this board is very strict and hard but wouldnt think it would be this hard. So i am lost on what to do now. brought two seperate x5980's , ECC ram and REG ram , heatsink, new cmos battery,new caps,cleaning supplies, Thermal grizzly paste for processors and chipsets. I don't want to give up on it yet since it gave me that one single sign of it posting and attempting to boot into win10


It could be a bios setting that is messing with you. Have you tried resetting the bios? I can't remember whether we'd tried that yet.


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 29, 2021)

Just tried it now and its just turning off and on till it reaches the same numbers and stays on from there, same thing basically. Things I tried   1: Switching Processors out (both processors are x5680's) 2: Adding fans in incase it wants it. 3: replacing one of the caps that were broken off and not making contact anymore (16v 470uf to a 35v 470uf) 4:Switching Ram Between 2gb,4gb,8gb (ECC and REG ECC) 5: resetting bios 6:Replacing Cmos battery (when it posted the single time it told me battery voltage low) 7:making sure it has new thermal paste 8:Soaking the socket,Rams slots,pcie slots with 99% iso alcohol  9: fixing a socket pin 10:Trying ram only in DIMM1


----------



## ThaiTaffy (Oct 29, 2021)

Been messing about today making a new home for my server and Nas.


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 30, 2021)

what do i do D:


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 30, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> what do i do D:


I'm out of idea's. Not sure where to go from here with that board.


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 31, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> I'm out of idea's. Not sure where to go from here with that board.


Hmm, well I don't want to throw this board away so I'm going to keep it until maybe someone has something for me to try out or if i fix it myself one day since it gave me life for a second. I have been told that the caps are Low ESR caps so I need special ones otherwise I'd have boot problems or other problems so that can be one reason why It doesn't want to boot.    DocVolt from The Rossmann Group Discord said "
That's a question you'll find on the test  I'll let piernov explain since he's way better than me at this. It stands for equivalent series resistance. Basically a capacitor in a perfect world is just a capacitor, no resistance. 0 ohm in series to it. So basically  there's not a resistance in the circuit where the capacitor is. But in the practical world every capacitor "comes" with a little resistance/resistor in it. Which can be drawn in a schematic as a resistor in series with the cap 
Shit capacitors usually have enormous esr values, which can be fine for some toys or bs. But for caps filtering stuff on a computer board that's a big no. Low esr caps are more expensive and designed to have a low value of ESR. you want those in your board
Using shit caps can cause crashes, no boot, weird shit and all that comes with it
With aluminum electrolytic caps, like those you are trying to replace, this resistance increases over time of use. That's why I was saying about buying new stuff. But piernov is correct in saying better an used low esr cap than a brand new manure filled aliexpress or Amazon special offer capacitor"


Anyway other then that, is there any motherboard I can buy that would serve me as a server to run a website off of? I have these ram and processors laying around and want to use it. preferred a dual socket since i have 2 x5680's


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 31, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> Anyway other then that, is there any motherboard I can buy that would serve me as a server to run a website off of? I have these ram and processors laying around and want to use it. preferred a dual socket since i have 2 x5680's


You could find a T7500 that is in good shape. Or even an HP workstation.


----------



## MrJunez (Oct 31, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> You could find a T7500 that is in good shape. Or even an HP workstation.


does a motherboard on a T7500 use the same parts as a T5500? Like Power supply etc, I'm thinking about buying the mobo itself


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 31, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> does a motherboard on a T7500 use the same parts as a T5500? Like Power supply etc, I'm thinking about buying the mobo itself


There are some subtle differences. If you already have a T5500 case, it might be best to just get another T5500 board for it. They're not expensive.








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All from sellers with good or perfect feedback ratings.

I presuming you're stateside. If not just search for " T5500 motherboard " and you should see what you can get in your area.


----------



## MrJunez (Nov 1, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> There are some subtle differences. If you already have a T5500 case, it might be best to just get another T5500 board for it. They're not expensive.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Whats the difference between a T7500 motherboard and a T5500 motherboard? do they take different parts from eachother or is it specs? I also don't have a case so I plan on using the parts to fit it in a aftermarket case preferably for better cooling (a 4U server rack case)


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 1, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> Whats the difference between a T7500 motherboard and a T5500 motherboard? do they take different parts from eachother or is it specs?


I'm gonna take that back. I was thinking of the differences between the T3500 & T5500. The T5500 & T7500 are nearly identical. The T7500 has Firewire and heatsinks on the VRMs as well as a few differences in the bios but other than that they're the same.


MrJunez said:


> I also don't have a case so I plan on using the parts to fit it in a aftermarket case preferably for better cooling (a 4U server rack case)


I don't think that'll work. 4U server racks have a form factor different from the ATX form factor of the T7500 board.


----------



## MrJunez (Nov 2, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> I'm gonna take that back. I was thinking of the differences between the T3500 & T5500. The T5500 & T7500 are nearly identical. The T7500 has Firewire and heatsinks on the VRMs as well as a few differences in the bios but other than that they're the same.
> 
> I don't think that'll work. 4U server racks have a form factor different from the ATX form factor of the T7500 board.


what kind of case does the T7500 board want?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 2, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> what kind of case does the T7500 board want?


Some ATX cases might work if they have enough internal space but EATX cases would be best. However, the front panel connectors will be needed.


----------



## MrJunez (Nov 2, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Some ATX cases might work if they have enough internal space but EATX cases would be best. However, the front panel connectors will be needed.


oh thats fine. I can do modifications to a case if needed. I love building sleeper PC's so am used to modfiying old computer cases to fit modern parts. But another question is will the T7500 board take T5500 board parts? Like front connectors etc


----------



## Karlos (Nov 2, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> oh thats fine. I can do modifications to a case if needed. I love building sleeper PC's so am used to modfiying old computer cases to fit modern parts. But another question is will the T7500 board take T5500 board parts? Like front connectors etc


I'm pretty sure both t5500 and t7500 both take the same riserboard I'm fairly certain although double check this.


----------



## Susquehannock (Nov 2, 2021)

The T7500 board is different in that it has built in SAS controller above the northbridge, and an extra set of connectors for it. Upper edge of board has different shape and  screw locations to match.

That troublesome T5500 board probably has bad capacitors even though they appear fine. Can see it has the infamous brown United Chemi-Con "KZG" series. Same ones which nearly destroyed Dell. When looking for another board my suggestion is to stick with the latest revisions. T5500 = CRH6C. That way you will get the better Rubycon caps.

P. S. - if memory serves the T7500 riser is different part number than T5500. Mainly more memory slots and larger fan which will not fit into smaller  more narrow T5500 case.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 2, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> But another question is will the T7500 board take T5500 board parts? Like front connectors etc


The front panel connection I believe are the same. But the CPU risers are not, as detailed above. They are model specific and even motherboard revision specific for the early runs of the T5500.


----------



## MrJunez (Nov 4, 2021)

Susquehannock said:


> The T7500 board is different in that it has built in SAS controller above the northbridge, and an extra set of connectors for it. Upper edge of board has different shape and  screw locations to match.
> 
> That troublesome T5500 board probably has bad capacitors even though they appear fine. Can see it has the infamous brown United Chemi-Con "KZG" series. Same ones which nearly destroyed Dell. When looking for another board my suggestion is to stick with the latest revisions. T5500 = CRH6C. That way you will get the better Rubycon caps.
> 
> ...



I was seeing other capacitors and they have these strange black marks on them so I'm unsure what it is. Unsure if somebody marked it black or if something happened to them


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 5, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> I was seeing other capacitors and they have these strange black marks on them so I'm unsure what it is. Unsure if somebody marked it black or if something happened to them


Maybe it's an indicator that they've been previously checked? That is a bit odd.


----------



## MrJunez (Nov 5, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Maybe it's an indicator that they've been previously checked? That is a bit odd.


All I know about this board is that my father found the computer in the scrapyard so I have no information on it. Service tag says warranty ended on 2015 that's about it. I thought it was the caps turning black but i took some alchohal and wiped it and turns out to be marker. so somebody previously checked off these caps for something. they appear throughout the board and only on the caps that hannock said dell got in trouble for (the brown ones)


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 5, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> All I know about this board is that my father found the computer in the scrapyard so I have no information on it. Service tag says warranty ended on 2015 that's about it. I thought it was the caps turning black but i took some alchohal and wiped it and turns out to be marker. so somebody previously checked off these caps for something. they appear throughout the board and only on the caps that hannock said dell got in trouble for (the brown ones)


Maybe that board needs a full cap replacement? Just a guess.


----------



## MrJunez (Nov 5, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Maybe that board needs a full cap replacement? Just a guess.


I think I might just wipe all these brown caps and replace them all. I also notice some caps (like 3 brown caps and some other caps) have been marked off as green.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 6, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> I think I might just wipe all these brown caps and replace them all. I also notice some caps (like 3 brown caps and some other caps) have been marked off as green.


That looks like deliberate testing was done.


----------



## 80-watt Hamster (Nov 9, 2021)

What does anyone know about the PowerEdge T430?  I found this on CL, but the provided (awful) pics don't match anything I can find on GIS. Is it even worth following up on?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 10, 2021)

80-watt Hamster said:


> What does anyone know about the PowerEdge T430?  I found this on CL, but the provided (awful) pics don't match anything I can find on GIS. Is it even worth following up on?


Those are solid machines and that is a seemingly solid buy. If it meets your needs and you like the price(which is fair), I say go look at it. Ask for more detailed specs.


----------



## 80-watt Hamster (Nov 10, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Those are solid machines and that is a seemingly solid buy. If it meets your needs and you like the price(which is fair), I say go look at it. Ask for more detailed specs.


Turns out the most relevant spec is that it doesn't boot.  No dual sockets for me...


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 11, 2021)

80-watt Hamster said:


> Turns out the most relevant spec is that it doesn't boot.  No dual sockets for me...


Damn. That would have been a good deal if it worked.


----------



## MrJunez (Nov 11, 2021)

I got a question. is there a schematic for the T5500 Board? Just would like to see why the previous owner crossed these capacitors out and what do these capacitors do in their part. Would like to see 
if there is a cap that takes care of booting the computer


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 12, 2021)

MrJunez said:


> I got a question. is there a schematic for the T5500 Board? Just would like to see why the previous owner crossed these capacitors out and what do these capacitors do in their part. Would like to see
> if there is a cap that takes care of booting the computer


Dell as a policy never releases schematics. I never saw one even when I worked for them BITD.


----------



## MrJunez (Nov 13, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Dell as a policy never releases schematics. I never saw one even when I worked for them BITD.


Well Dang. I'll stick to buying caps from Digikey and just one shotting all those brown caps that dell got in trouble for.


----------



## Karlos (Nov 29, 2021)

Well, My dell t7500 has been having problems wondering if anyone especially @lexluthermiester may be able to fix. Since updating the bios, sometimes the system will hang after booting, reinstalled OS and stuff but it still does it; it even hangs going into the bios settings sometimes. Only fix ive heard is downgrading to A09 which I haven't attempted yet, Any solutions? Also is it worth enabling numa memory? I saw that it can boost performance in some places but I'm unsure!


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 29, 2021)

Karlos said:


> Well, My dell t7500 has been having problems wondering if anyone especially @lexluthermiester may be able to fix. Since updating the bios, sometimes the system will hang after booting, reinstalled OS and stuff but it still does it; it even hangs going into the bios settings sometimes. Only fix ive heard is downgrading to A09 which I haven't attempted yet, Any solutions? Also is it worth enabling numa memory? I saw that it can boost performance in some places but I'm unsure!


Boot code errors? Some screen shots will also be helpful. Show me what your system is doing and I'll do my best to help.


----------



## Karlos (Nov 29, 2021)

Theres No actual error codes to be honest, Ill try and describe it as best as I can. When booting sometimes it'll randomly just hang after the dell splash screen has loaded where it'll just be a black screen with a blinking line and my peripherals will all just turn off. This can even sometimes happen if I try go into the bios settings itself and it will just hang and peripherals will turn off. Sometimes it'll boot after a hard reset, sometimes it takes many hard resets, there is definitely a pattern. Although this started when I upgraded to a17 bios but I'm afraid to downgrade the bios while the computer is already having boot issues as it may brick my bios. This is a problem that has happened to others and I have no clue what it could be.

Actually i forgot to mention that when the system boots after a hang, it was briefly flash that the previous attempt to boot failed at checkpoint wake I believe.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 30, 2021)

Karlos said:


> Theres No actual error codes to be honest, Ill try and describe it as best as I can. When booting sometimes it'll randomly just hang after the dell splash screen has loaded where it'll just be a black screen with a blinking line and my peripherals will all just turn off. This can even sometimes happen if I try go into the bios settings itself and it will just hang and peripherals will turn off. Sometimes it'll boot after a hard reset, sometimes it takes many hard resets, there is definitely a pattern. Although this started when I upgraded to a17 bios but I'm afraid to downgrade the bios while the computer is already having boot issues as it may brick my bios. This is a problem that has happened to others and I have no clue what it could be.
> 
> Actually i forgot to mention that when the system boots after a hang, it was briefly flash that the previous attempt to boot failed at checkpoint wake I believe.


After you updated the BIOS did you remember to clear the CMOS and reconfigure all of your settings? Also, are these hangs happening after a sleep or hibernate? That's what the blinking power light usually indicates, a sleep or hibernate session.

As for downgrading the BIOS, there's generally no reason to do this so keep that as a last option.


----------



## Susquehannock (Nov 30, 2021)

Did you also update the Chipset driver for that T7500? Often over looked. Worth a shot.


----------



## Karlos (Nov 30, 2021)

Susquehannock said:


> Did you also update the Chipset driver for that T7500? Often over looked. Worth a shot.


I actually didnt I'll try this



lexluthermiester said:


> After you updated the BIOS did you remember to clear the CMOS and reconfigure all of your settings? Also, are these hangs happening after a sleep or hibernate? That's what the blinking power light usually indicates, a sleep or hibernate session.
> 
> As for downgrading the BIOS, there's generally no reason to do this so keep that as a last option.


I didnt clear the cmos which i actually should try as the newer bioses remove some options and introduce new ones. Ill try this later


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 30, 2021)

Karlos said:


> I didnt clear the cmos which i actually should try as the newer bioses remove some options and introduce new ones. Ill try this later


Cool. If that doesn't fix it and you are not having Sleep/Hibernation problems, chime in and let's work the problem a bit more.


----------



## slaine_mcroth (Dec 18, 2021)

slaine_mcroth said:


> So i have updated my T3500 with 24meg of ram and the xeon 5690 but it seems that there is no improvement at all...
> 
> 
> Anyway, now i will focus on my new toy the dell T7910, need a couple of upgrade...
> ...



So i have updated my T7910 (GPU, RAM + CPU) but i'm still wondering how do i choose which GPU will be used when i launch a game, i tried to change setting in nvidia control panel but it's always the quadros P5000 that are used never the GTX 1080 ti, any advises ?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 18, 2021)

slaine_mcroth said:


> So i have updated my T7910 (GPU, RAM + CPU) but i'm still wondering how do i choose which GPU will be used when i launch a game, i tried to change setting in nvidia control panel but it's always the quadros P5000 that are used never the GTX 1080 ti, any advises ?


A common Dell BIOS setting is which GPU is selected for Boot. Also, the system will default to the GPU that is connected to the display. If you want to use the 1080, connect the display directly to the 1080.


----------



## slaine_mcroth (Dec 18, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> A common Dell BIOS setting is which GPU is selected for Boot. Also, the system will default to the GPU that is connected to the display. If you want to use the 1080, connect the display directly to the 1080.


Currently, each GPU is connected to a display so i need to disconnect the quadro ?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 18, 2021)

slaine_mcroth said:


> Currently, each GPU is connected to a display so i need to disconnect the quadro ?


Make sure the main display is connected to the GPU you want to use as the gaming display. The easiest way is to make sure the main display is assigned to the primary desktop and in the setting is monitor 1.


----------



## tomhampton (Dec 22, 2021)

*deep breath* - OK, here goes...

So I've spent about an hour now reading through this thread and getting acquainted with some of the conversation, and - man, you guys know your $h!t AND you're generally nice, respectful folk.  great to see.

So here's why I stopped in.

About a year ago, I "inherited" (rescued from recycling) a Dell Precision Tower T7810 - largely stock from Dell with a 64GB RAM upgrade, but everything else still the factory configured hardware.

It shipped with a Quadro K4200 GPU and I'm getting ready to upgrade his video card for Christmas - I've got an EVGA RTX3060 awaiting pickup, but it uses a 16 pin PSU connector, and the old K4200 has a different connector.  I did do some reading about power consumption and such before pulling the trigger on that card, and most of what I read seems to support the notion that the factory 825W PSU will carry the card's power requirements, but I'm not crazy about going much further down that road without getting some advice.

(also - just as a general talking point - the RTX3060 is PCI-x 4.0, but the factory Dell mobo has 3.0 slots...any of you have any real world experience in the degree of performance difference between the two platforms?)

Thanks in advance for any help you might be able to offer, folks.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 23, 2021)

First, Welcome to TPU!


tomhampton said:


> About a year ago, I "inherited" (rescued from recycling) a Dell Precision Tower T7810 - largely stock from Dell with a 64GB RAM upgrade, but everything else still the factory configured hardware.
> 
> It shipped with a Quadro K4200 GPU and I'm getting ready to upgrade his video card for Christmas - I've got an EVGA RTX3060 awaiting pickup, but it uses a 16 pin PSU connector, and the old K4200 has a different connector. I did do some reading about power consumption and such before pulling the trigger on that card, and most of what I read seems to support the notion that the factory 825W PSU will carry the card's power requirements, but I'm not crazy about going much further down that road without getting some advice.


If memory serves, the T7810 has two PCIe power cable connectors. Depending on the model of 3060, you might get an adapter power cable in the box. If not, you might need to get one.

So let's tackle the first challenges. Can you take a photo of your cables inside the case of your T7810 so we can see what you have spare? The service tag number would be helpful in looking up the exact specs on Dell's support site, and I'll show you how to do that yourself in future. Also can you list what make & model 3060 you bought? This information will help in selecting the right adapter cable, if needed. At the least we can point you in the right direction and offer input to properly install your new card in that system.


----------



## Caring1 (Dec 23, 2021)

A 16 pin connector on the GPU sounds odd, could it be two 8 pin connectors?
In that case don't use a piggy back cable, use two different 8 pin cables from the Power Supply.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 23, 2021)

Caring1 said:


> A 16 pin connector on the GPU sounds odd, could it be two 8 pin connectors?


I think that's likely.


Caring1 said:


> In that case don't use a piggy back cable, use two different 8 pin cables from the Power Supply.


Some of the T7810 PSU's didn't have 8pin PCIe, they only had dual 6pin connectors. Depending on the revision of their system, they might not need anything or might need a pair of 6pin to 8 pin adapters. It also depends on what come with the 3060 they bought.


----------



## Doug Butabi (Dec 24, 2021)

Hello! First post and new to the club.

Kind of....a couple years back I bought a T3500, and after my other desktop died a few days back, today I bought another Dell, this time a T7500.

Help! I think I may be in over my head, but maybe not?

The T7500 has dual 5680 processors and 48gb RAM, 4 SATA HDD@500GB each, with a RAID controller card. Windows 7 COA sticker on it.

Although I know the concept of RAID, I thought I would revisit that option later, and buying this monster would be a good choice for storing large amounts of music/FLAC files.

But upon startup, I see that it's not booting into an OS, which I (mistakenly) thought was already on the machine.

How do I get this beast up and running as a regular desktop?

Do I remove the RAID controller card and change BIOS settings?

I see several unused SATA cables coming from the mobo, could it be as simple as remove the controller card and put a SATA drive on one of the mobo SATA cables?

Do I download a fresh install USB of Win 10 for the Win 7 COA, or can I pop the drive from the T3500 (win 10 pro) in it?

Pics below of BIOS, startup screen and hard drives in their bays (numbered 0-4)

Any thoughts, or can you point me to any threads where this may already be discussed?

Thanks guys for any help you may be able to provide


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 24, 2021)

Doug Butabi said:


> Hello! First post and new to the club.


Welcome to TPU!


Doug Butabi said:


> Kind of....a couple years back I bought a T3500, and after my other desktop died a few days back, today I bought another Dell, this time a T7500.
> 
> The T7500 has dual 5680 processors and 48gb RAM, 4 SATA HDD@500GB each, with a RAID controller card. Windows 7 COA sticker on it.


Nice system.

So the first question to ask is: Do you want to use the SAS RAID controller? If so, this going to get complicated. If not, then we can take it out and connect the hard drives to the board directly.

Also, I noticed the following in your photos;




You definately don't want to try using that connector.


----------



## Doug Butabi (Dec 24, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Welcome to TPU!
> 
> Nice system.
> 
> ...



Hah! Good catch, I didn't see that. Thanks bud.

No, I don't want to use the Raid controller. Maybe in the future, but for now I simply want to get the computer up and running.

Do I need to make any adjustments in the BIOS?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 24, 2021)

Doug Butabi said:


> No, I don't want to use the Raid controller. Maybe in the future, but for now I simply want to get the computer up and running.


Ok, just take it out then.


Doug Butabi said:


> Do I need to make any adjustments in the BIOS?


Yes, after removing it, you'll need to disable the SAS Controlller and connect the hard drives to the board directly. Also, it would be of benefit to enable AHCI instead of ATA on SATA Operation screen.

After that you should be able to install Windows without issue.


----------



## Doug Butabi (Dec 24, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Ok, just take it out then.
> 
> Yes, after removing it, you'll need to disable the SAS Controlller and connect the hard drives to the board directly. Also, it would be of benefit to enable AHCI instead of ATA on SATA Operation screen.
> 
> After that you should be able to install Windows without issue.


Thanks!

What about the Integrated Nic, I don't need "Enable with Plex" enabled since it will be a private desktop? 

Currently Plex is enabled, other two options for Integrated NIC are disable or enable.

I am assuming enable?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 24, 2021)

Doug Butabi said:


> I am assuming enable?


Yes.


----------



## Doug Butabi (Dec 24, 2021)

Thanks..I will let her rip in a few hours. Excited, this will be a helluva desktop lol

Happy Holidays!


----------



## tomhampton (Dec 24, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> First, Welcome to TPU!
> 
> If memory serves, the T7810 has two PCIe power cable connectors. Depending on the model of 3060, you might get an adapter power cable in the box. If not, you might need to get one.
> 
> So let's tackle the first challenges. Can you take a photo of your cables inside the case of your T7810 so we can see what you have spare? The service tag number would be helpful in looking up the exact specs on Dell's support site, and I'll show you how to do that yourself in future. Also can you list what make & model 3060 you bought? This information will help in selecting the right adapter cable, if needed. At the least we can point you in the right direction and offer input to properly install your new card in that system.



Hey, there...

Thanks for jumping in, here - I was basing my initial assessment of the 3060 card on a set of specs I'd found online, and now that I have the card in hand, I'm seeing that it's a single 8-pin power connector.  This particular card is an EVGA RTX 3060.

I did a little more digging after my initial post and before I went ahead and unboxed the card itself, and it might come down to a simple adapter that takes the two 6-pin connectors and merges them into an 8-pin male connector that'll power the card.  Attaching the photos to this post and resisting the urge to lament the old days when all the power connectors were four pins and you couldn't attach them the wrong way without forcing them into place, blah blah blah...(I'm old.  I'm adjusting to the notion of being old, but...I'm old.)


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 25, 2021)

tomhampton said:


> Hey, there...
> 
> Thanks for jumping in, here - I was basing my initial assessment of the 3060 card on a set of specs I'd found online, and now that I have the card in hand, I'm seeing that it's a single 8-pin power connector.  This particular card is an EVGA RTX 3060.
> 
> I did a little more digging after my initial post and before I went ahead and unboxed the card itself, and it might come down to a simple adapter that takes the two 6-pin connectors and merges them into an 8-pin male connector that'll power the card.  Attaching the photos to this post and resisting the urge to lament the old days when all the power connectors were four pins and you couldn't attach them the wrong way without forcing them into place, blah blah blah...(I'm old.  I'm adjusting to the notion of being old, but...I'm old.)


Yeah, the adapter cable is all you need and you'll be good to go. Something like the following would work very well.


			https://www.amazon.com/Female-TeamProfitcom-Adapter-Braided-Sleeved/dp/B07V4GGS43


----------



## Doug Butabi (Dec 25, 2021)

So I'm up and running!

I removed the controller and then in BIOS I disabled the SAS controller and enabled ACHI - but BIOS did not see the drives. I tried several configurations and drives, but nothing worked. At one point it said ACHI BIOS not installed. WTH

Then I remembered the CMOS battery trick, and after it rebooted and loaded default BIOS settings, I saw that it had enabled the SAS controller. 

But this time it recognized the drives and voila, here I am!

Fun thread, I will be sticking around!

And thanks for the help Lex; it is appreciated.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 25, 2021)

Doug Butabi said:


> Then I remembered the CMOS battery trick, and after it rebooted and loaded default BIOS settings, I saw that it had enabled the SAS controller.
> 
> But this time it recognized the drives and voila, here I am!


Resetting the bios fixed the problem but only because the default config enables all devices in the Settings->Drives->Drive screen. You want to go back in and disable the SAS controller setting as this will look for a controller at bootup and slow down the boot process because one isn't present.



Doug Butabi said:


> And thanks for the help Lex; it is appreciated.


You're welcome!


----------



## sepheronx (Dec 27, 2021)

I know this was talked about earlier but I couldn't find a definite answer.

I have a Dell T3600 being used as my console machine.  So I figure I might as well upgrade the CPU to a E5 1650 to remove any possible bottlenecks (currently a 1603 which is only 4c/4t).  Now I saw a Dell t5810 with a 1650 and 16gb of DDR4 memory going for $400 but I figure I can get it down to about roughly $200.  Only issue is it is a 425W PSU.  My 3600 is a 625 W PSU and I would need it as it would be powering a RX 6600.

Are the PSU's interchangeable? I mean, both are hot swappable PSU's and design looks similar.


----------



## 1freedude (Dec 27, 2021)

Can you get your eyes ands hands on the rig before you buy?  Does the T3600 have two PSUs?  If so, bring one of them to try in the "new" t5810.  Or, shut the rig down and try 425w psu in new system.


----------



## sepheronx (Dec 27, 2021)

1freedude said:


> Can you get your eyes ands hands on the rig before you buy?  Does the T3600 have two PSUs?  If so, bring one of them to try in the "new" t5810.  Or, shut the rig down and try 425w psu in new system.


Both units only have 1 PSU.  They are just a server grade.

It is from a recycling depot, so I cant really see it until I buy it.  But it does have a 90day warranty where I can return it for whatever reason.

Just wondering if it would just be better to buy a 1650 or 1660 instead.


----------



## 80-watt Hamster (Dec 27, 2021)

sepheronx said:


> Both units only have 1 PSU.  They are just a server grade.
> 
> It is from a recycling depot, so I cant really see it until I buy it.  But it does have a 90day warranty where I can return it for whatever reason.
> 
> Just wondering if it would just be better to buy a 1650 or 1660 instead.



130W processor and 160W of graphics? I know 425 is under recommended min, but I'd wager it'll push those just fine.


----------



## sepheronx (Dec 28, 2021)

80-watt Hamster said:


> 130W processor and 160W of graphics? I know 425 is under recommended min, but I'd wager it'll push those just fine.


I like to feel safe. Lol

But I wager you are correct.


----------



## Fluffs (Dec 28, 2021)

Hi,

I've been trying to install a Creative Audigy RX card in my T3500. The card is only getting detected as a pci bridge and will not install with drivers.
I tried the x4 slot and the x16 slot but the result is the same, disabling onboard audio didn't work either.
The card did work in another machine using a x1 slot.
Is this board incompatible or am I missing something?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 28, 2021)

Fluffs said:


> Hi,
> 
> I've been trying to install a Creative Audigy RX card in my T3500. The card is only getting detected as a pci bridge and will not install with drivers.
> I tried the x4 slot and the x16 slot but the result is the same, disabling onboard audio didn't work either.
> ...


Welcome to TPU! Tell us more about your system. What OS are you using and what version? Have you downloaded the latest SB-ARX drivers from Creative or are you using the version provided on the disc that came with the card? Can you take a screen shot of the device manage showing the PCI Bridge entry?



sepheronx said:


> I know this was talked about earlier but I couldn't find a definite answer.
> 
> I have a Dell T3600 being used as my console machine.  So I figure I might as well upgrade the CPU to a E5 1650 to remove any possible bottlenecks (currently a 1603 which is only 4c/4t).  Now I saw a Dell t5810 with a 1650 and 16gb of DDR4 memory going for $400 but I figure I can get it down to about roughly $200.  Only issue is it is a 425W PSU.  My 3600 is a 625 W PSU and I would need it as it would be powering a RX 6600.
> 
> Are the PSU's interchangeable? I mean, both are hot swappable PSU's and design looks similar.


Sorry I didn't respond earlier. The PSU's for the T3600 and the T5810 have the same form factor and blade edge pinout. So your 625w would work fine in the other system. However, you might be better served with a simple CPU upgrade like you mentioned. A Xeon E5-1650 is not expensive and neither is the V2 of the same model number. Either one would be an excellent upgrade from what you have.


----------



## Fluffs (Dec 29, 2021)

Thanks for the welcome.

Full spec for the system is:
X5670, 24gb ddr3, gtx 960, 500gb ssd, 1tb hdd.
Running Windows 10 Pro.
The conflict you see in the first two shots goes away once the card is removed. last one is the drivers failing to detect the card.


----------



## Mr Bill (Dec 29, 2021)

I have an ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 machine, w/ Xeon 5670 running @ 4.30 GHZ 24GB DDR3. I had a person give me a really nice creative sound card, from what I remember, it did see the card, but I tried numerous drivers for that card for my windows 10 Pro, and I never could get it to work. I never tried it on an earlier OS. Here's the card I could never get to work.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Dec 29, 2021)

Fluffs said:


> Thanks for the welcome.
> 
> Full spec for the system is:
> X5670, 24gb ddr3, gtx 960, 500gb ssd, 1tb hdd.
> ...


Have you tried DanielK's custom drivers for that card?





						Daniel_K's Official Blog
					

Modified drivers for Creative soundcards




					danielkawakami.blogspot.com
				











						Audigy_SupportPack_8_0_Refresh
					

MediaFire is a simple to use free service that lets you put all your photos, documents, music, and video in a single place so you can access them anywhere and share them everywhere.



					www.mediafire.com
				



I use and recommend them. Sadly, he's retiring but this latest pack should work for the next few years at least.


----------



## Fluffs (Dec 29, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Have you tried DanielK's custom drivers for that card?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I don't believe it is a driver issue, I tested the card and the same drivers on another W10 machine (HP Compaq Pro 6300 Microtower) and it worked with no problems.
The card was also detected as a multimedia adapter on said system before any driver was installed.



Mr Bill said:


> I have an ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 machine, w/ Xeon 5670 running @ 4.30 GHZ 24GB DDR3. I had a person give me a really nice creative sound card, from what I remember, it did see the card, but I tried numerous drivers for that card for my windows 10 Pro, and I never could get it to work. I never tried it on an earlier OS. Here's the card I could never get to work.


Were you successful in running it on another OS/machine?
This card is much older than mine and doesn't get support anymore while you can still buy my model directly from Creative.


----------



## howtopowerup (Jan 6, 2022)

I managed to score a 3070 Ti for a decent price and have spent the last few hours trying to figure out if I will be able to run it in my T7810.

The first problem, that I did not realize until after I had already bought it, is that this particular custom variant (Zotac GeForce RTX 3070 Ti AMP Extreme Holo)
is extremely power-hungry and requires 2x 8 pin plus 1x 6 pin PCIe power inputs.
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





My T7810 has
the 825W PSU and
a PCIe power cable that connects 8 pins on the power distribution board to two 6 pin PCIe cables (0D92C9)
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	






Assuming this connects to a single rail of the PSU, the maximum power I can draw should be 12V*18A=216W, which is not enough for two 8 pin PCIe connectors (max. 2*150W=300W) but should probably be fine for one 8 pin and one 6 pin connector (max. 150W+75W=225W). Since I am only using NVMe drives I have 3 free 15 pin SATA power connectors that should sit on different rails on the PSU. My idea is to combine all of them to supply the second 8 pin connector of the GPU, as was done in this video:










So that leaves me with finding the best way to connect the 8 pins on the power distribution board to 8 plus 6 pins on the graphics card.
I found several cases where people experienced sudden outages when simply using a 6 pin to 8 pin adapter to connect one of the 6 pin cables to the 8 pin slot on their GPU (not sure why exactly).
But there is a Reddit thread with a slightly odd solution that was allegedly implemented by a Dell technician:


__
		https://www.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comments/6ieqpu

1) Plug one of the 6 pin connectors on the 8 pin out on the power distribution board
2) Connect the 8 pin connector to the GPU
3) Connect the other 6 pin connector to the GPU

I don't fully understand why this works and how it solves the issue, but it is at least corroborated by one other user.

Has anyone here done what I am planning to do or at least a part of it? Does it sound sane or am I about to fry my system and burn the house down?
Thanks for any pointers.


----------



## Karlos (Jan 7, 2022)

Still rocking my t7500, want a storage upgrade and was going to get a nvme SSD. I know on a t7500 you cannot boot off a nvme but does it matter what pcie converter card you get? If i just get one off amazon will it recognize it after booting or is there a specific one i require?


----------



## howtopowerup (Jan 7, 2022)

Karlos said:


> Still rocking my t7500, want a storage upgrade and was going to get a nvme SSD. I know on a t7500 you cannot boot off a nvme but does it matter what pcie converter card you get? If i just get one off amazon will it recognize it after booting or is there a specific one i require?


I don't think it matters since the card is not doing anything special, just providing a different physical connector but using the same protocol. Though you should make sure it has 4 lanes per NVMe SSD if you want to be able to run them at full speed. With my T7810 I have had good experiences with the ones called PH44 sold on Aliexpress for what it is worth and they are fairly cheap.









						20.24US $ 24% OFF|Pci-e Signal Split Array Card Ph44 Nvme 4 Disk Array Card Supports Ssd/m.2 Pci-e Device Of M.2 Nvme Protocol Of Hard Disk 4-disk - Pc Hardware Cables & Adapters - AliExpress
					

Smarter Shopping, Better Living!  Aliexpress.com




					www.aliexpress.com


----------



## Karlos (Jan 7, 2022)

howtopowerup said:


> I don't think it matters since the card is not doing anything special, just providing a different physical connector but using the same protocol. Though you should make sure it has 4 lanes per NVMe SSD if you want to be able to run them at full speed. With my T7810 I have had good experiences with the ones called PH44 sold on Aliexpress for what it is worth and they are fairly cheap.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you for the insight, I remember I had a similiar problem to you with my pcie power connectors on my z600, i only had a 6 pin and needed 2 8 pins so i just ran 2 power supplies and jumped them together and fed the pcie cables through the back pci slots haha.


----------



## howtopowerup (Jan 7, 2022)

Karlos said:


> Thank you for the insight, I remember I had a similiar problem to you with my pcie power connectors on my z600, i only had a 6 pin and needed 2 8 pins so i just ran 2 power supplies and jumped them together and fed the pcie cables through the back pci slots haha.


Yeah, I have also thought about doing something like that. I may end up doing it that way if my current plan does not work out but it sounds like a bit of a hassle.

One more thing:
If you want to use multiple SSDs on a card like the one I linked the motherboard needs to support PCIe bifurcation, which I would not expect to be the case for the T7500.
You will still be able to run a single SSD with them no problem, but it might make more sense to just get a PCIe x4 card for a single SSD.


----------



## Karlos (Jan 7, 2022)

howtopowerup said:


> Yeah, I have also thought about doing something like that. I may end up doing it that way if my current plan does not work out but it sounds like a bit of a hassle.
> 
> One more thing:
> If you want to use multiple SSDs on a card like the one I linked the motherboard needs to support PCIe bifurcation, which I would not expect to be the case for the T7500.
> You will still be able to run a single SSD with them no problem, but it might make more sense to just get a PCIe x4 card for a single SSD.


Yeah thanks for the info, just planning on running one ssd as ive already got a sata ssd in my system


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 9, 2022)

howtopowerup said:


> I managed to score a 3070 Ti for a decent price and have spent the last few hours trying to figure out if I will be able to run it in my T7810.


First, welcome to TPU and the thread! Second, nice score on the GPU!



howtopowerup said:


> The first problem, that I did not realize until after I had already bought it, is that this particular custom variant (Zotac GeForce RTX 3070 Ti AMP Extreme Holo)
> is extremely power-hungry and requires 2x 8 pin plus 1x 6 pin PCIe power inputs.


Ok, what you'll likely need is a "Y" splitter cable. Something like the following;


			https://www.amazon.com/JZYMOD-Corsair-Modular-Supplies-inches/dp/B093Q47K2W


----------



## imrazor (Jan 17, 2022)

I pulled a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi (model # SB0770) out of an old T5400 (which I have since parted ways with.) I have transplanted the card to my T5500 successfully, and even found Windows 10 drivers for it. The only fly in the ointment is the need to reach around to the back of the chassis whenever I want to swap between speakers and headphones. 

Apparently there was an SB0880 model available for the T5500 as a replacement for the SB0770. Is there any chance I could use the cable for an SB0880 to hook my SB0770 to the front panel headphone jack?

@Karlos Never was able to get my T5500 to boot off NVMe due to a lack of native NVMe support in the BIOS. I think there are a few Samsung NVMe drives that have the necessary BIOS extensions, but they're pretty uncommon.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 17, 2022)

imrazor said:


> Is there any chance I could use the cable for an SB0880 to hook my SB0770 to the front panel headphone jack?


Yes. It should work perfectly.


----------



## Caring1 (Jan 17, 2022)

howtopowerup said:


> I managed to score a 3070 Ti for a decent price and have spent the last few hours trying to figure out if I will be able to run it in my T7810.


Wait, that card says *not for resale*, we need pics of the full card and the back story on how you managed to score it.


----------



## frankr2994 (Jan 23, 2022)

howtopowerup said:


> I managed to score a 3070 Ti for a decent price and have spent the last few hours trying to figure out if I will be able to run it in my T7810.
> 
> The first problem, that I did not realize until after I had already bought it, is that this particular custom variant (Zotac GeForce RTX 3070 Ti AMP Extreme Holo)
> is extremely power-hungry and requires 2x 8 pin plus 1x 6 pin PCIe power inputs.
> ...



Are you using 2 CPUs?  I've often wanted to do something better with that psu board. thought about buying a board from like a 7920 which has much more on it. Everything mounts differently in a 7920 though but it may serve as a starting point on making something.


----------



## Mr Bill (Jan 24, 2022)

imrazor said:


> I pulled a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi (model # SB0770) out of an old T5400 (which I have since parted ways with.) I have transplanted the card to my T5500 successfully, and even found Windows 10 drivers for it.


I have that same sound card running in my old ASRock G41M-S3 build, it's running windows 10, and 10 installed the drivers and it works great, just can't find any software for it, to be able to use an equalizer or other sound options.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 24, 2022)

Mr Bill said:


> I have that same sound card running in my old ASRock G41M-S3 build, it's running windows 10, and 10 installed the drivers and it works great, just can't find any software for it, to be able to use an equalizer or other sound options.








						Daniel_K's Official Blog
					

Modified drivers for Creative soundcards




					danielkawakami.blogspot.com
				



DanielK has retired from making custom updated drivers but his latest pack should work for at least a few years. Here's the direct download;








						XFI_SupportPack_8_0_Refresh3
					

MediaFire is a simple to use free service that lets you put all your photos, documents, music, and video in a single place so you can access them anywhere and share them everywhere.



					www.mediafire.com
				




DanielK, if you ever see this, Thank You for all the years of excellent drivers! You've been a god-send and a total boss!


----------



## Mr Bill (Jan 24, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Daniel_K's Official Blog
> 
> 
> Modified drivers for Creative soundcards
> ...


Thanks, when I googled for the software, his site come up, but after trying 4 or 5 different downloads, I just gave up, the sound card works, but just no software.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 25, 2022)

Mr Bill said:


> Thanks, when I googled for the software, his site come up, but after trying 4 or 5 different downloads, I just gave up, the sound card works, but just no software.


If the latest pack is giving you trouble, try the 2020 pack;








						XFI_SupportPack_5_0
					

MediaFire is a simple to use free service that lets you put all your photos, documents, music, and video in a single place so you can access them anywhere and share them everywhere.



					www.mediafire.com


----------



## frankr2994 (Jan 25, 2022)

Are old soundblaster cards good for any of you guys. I'd have to go through my drawer but I think I have a soundblaster live PCI card that was in an IBM server that a customer was gaming on some years back. If it's of any value id part ways for shipping cost


----------



## imrazor (Jan 25, 2022)

@Mr Bill FWIW, here's where I downloaded the drivers from:

Daniel_K's Official Blog: Final updates for my Support Packs and farewell (danielkawakami.blogspot.com)

The top link on that page (X-Fi Support Pack 8, Refresh 3) not only got my sound card working but also installed all of the Creative support software.

Just out of curiosity, what version of Windows 10 are you using?

@frankr2994 This particular Sound Blaster sounds phenomenal. I think the sound quality on offer is kind of unusual for a Creative card - in a good way.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 25, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> soundblaster live PCI card


SBLive is beyond it's usefulness for modern systems. Retro 9x/XP systems? It's a great card. But 7 on up? Audigy & XFi are still good cards.



imrazor said:


> @Mr Bill FWIW, here's where I downloaded the drivers from:
> 
> Daniel_K's Official Blog: Final updates for my Support Packs and farewell (danielkawakami.blogspot.com)
> 
> ...


Um, I already linked those above. Literally today. But no worries.


----------



## frankr2994 (Jan 25, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> SBLive is beyond it usefulness for modern systems. Retro 9x/XP systems? It's a great card. But 7 on up? Audigy & XFi are still good cards.



Good to know. I'll add it to my need to scrap pile.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 25, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> Good to know. I'll add it to my need to scrap pile.


No, don't scrap it, keep it for a future retro build, just in case you need it. SBLive might not be relevant for modern systems, but it's still solid for older systems and OSes. Or, if you think you're never going to need it, put on you local parts market or ebay.


----------



## Mr Bill (Jan 25, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> SBLive is beyond it's usefulness for modern systems. Retro 9x/XP systems? It's a great card. But 7 on up? Audigy & XFi are still good cards.


I have to agree with this...



imrazor said:


> @Mr Bill The top link on that page (X-Fi Support Pack 8, Refresh 3) not only got my sound card working but also installed all of the Creative support software.
> 
> Just out of curiosity, what version of Windows 10 are you using?


I stuck that PC back in my in my store room on the property last night, I had it out just to try and see if this SB card would work in it, and it did work, just no software. I don't know what ver. of 10 it has, but I can tell you, it's all up to date with the latest updates. I might pull it out again this weekend, and try that support pack you listed, "but I'm sure I probably already did" I'll get back if and when I decide to deal with it again. 
Thanks Bill


----------



## Retrorockit (Jan 26, 2022)

I came across this chart at Purdue University from their IT Dept. They run Dells and they had a benchmark chart showing various years of Dell business computers..








						Dell Model Benchmarks
					






					engineering.purdue.edu
				



The highest scores are from the older 2012 Precision T3600/5600 series. By quite a bit too.


----------



## 80-watt Hamster (Jan 26, 2022)

Retrorockit said:


> I came across this chart at Purdue University from their IT Dept. They run Dells and they had a benchmark chart showing various years of Dell business computers..
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Not surprising, since those are 6C/12T and 8C/16T systems, while most of the rest are 4C/4T or 4C/8T.  Skylake and Haswell are faster than Sandy Bridge, but not fast enough to make up for half the cores.  At least in those benchmarks, apparently.


----------



## sepheronx (Jan 26, 2022)

If someone could help me out I would appreciate it.

So I updated through Dells software for Bios update A18 on my Dell T3600.  Now, it is stuck in ME Recovery State and doesn't boot.  I tried pulling the CMOS Battery and waiting for about 10mins but issue is still the same.  I can get into the bios but thats it.  Tried to boot to a bootable USB but it prevents me from doing anything as it just states ME in Recovery State.

I tried to update the bios in order to get an E5 2665 CPU I have to work in it as the bios on the machine was first revision (never updated).

Any suggestions would be appreciated.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jan 26, 2022)

You might ask these guys. They have a BIOS recovery section there. I had trouble starting a new thread though. Not sure if it's me or them?





						Bios Mods -The Best BIOS Update and Modification Source
					






					www.bios-mods.com


----------



## frankr2994 (Jan 26, 2022)

sepheronx said:


> If someone could help me out I would appreciate it.
> 
> So I updated through Dells software for Bios update A18 on my Dell T3600.  Now, it is stuck in ME Recovery State and doesn't boot.  I tried pulling the CMOS Battery and waiting for about 10mins but issue is still the same.  I can get into the bios but thats it.  Tried to boot to a bootable USB but it prevents me from doing anything as it just states ME in Recovery State.
> 
> ...




Never tried what you did. I always end up flashing the bios multiple times to get to a current revision. Always scared me to try jumping 10 levels. You should be able flash the bios again with a earlier version. When you go to the Dell download page read the installation instructions on updating the bios without an os. If you go over to bios mods they will tell you that you need an external programmer. I have one but it's also not the easiest thing to accomplish. You would also need a complete bios dump. Dell does not supply this. The bios files they have are just updates.


----------



## sepheronx (Jan 26, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> Never tried what you did. I always end up flashing the bios multiple times to get to a current revision. Always scared me to try jumping 10 levels. You should be able flash the bios again with a earlier version. When you go to the Dell download page read the installation instructions on updating the bios without an os. If you go over to bios mods they will tell you that you need an external programmer. I have one but it's also not the easiest thing to accomplish. You would also need a complete bios dump. Dell does not supply this. The bios files they have are just updates.


As I said, USB updater without OS doesn't work because it's stuck on ME Recovery State. So if you try a bookable USB through dells recovery (tried) or hiron boot, doesn't work either. Goes straight to that display error on top left screen and 2 3 and 4 lights then light up and that's that.

Whatever, if I gotta get a 5810 as replacement, fine.


----------



## Retrorockit (Jan 26, 2022)

Dell has a network based BIOS program Dell DCCU (Distributed Client Configuration Utility) It has an option to allow older BIOS to install. Maybe you can stuff a new/old BIOS file in there from another computer over a LAN port. Lex probably has a lot more experience with this than I do. I just used it once for a modded BIOS flash.


----------



## sepheronx (Jan 26, 2022)

Retrorockit said:


> Dell has a network based BIOS program Dell DCCU (Distributed Client Configuration Utility) It has an option to allow older BIOS to install. Maybe you can stuff a new/old BIOS file in there from another computer over a LAN port. Lex probably has a lot more experience with this than I do. I just used it once for a modded BIOS flash.


Issue is, while other Dell machines have the bios flash option, it doesn't exist elsewhere for devices like t3600. Dell website says t3600 will only flash via DOS. So either within windows or through command prompt from freedos which doesn't work cause I get same error - ME recovery.

I think last option is a SPI programmer.  It seems the other options work for devices like T7810's as an example.

At his point, for $100 cad, this ain't worth it.  Was wondering if there is a free method of fixing it. But other areas lead me to complete brick.

If I had truly cared, I would provide a video of what I'm explaining because I think I'm not quite clear what I'm saying.

Buddy of mine who deals with these machines said there is a nvram jumper so maybe pull that?


----------



## Retrorockit (Jan 26, 2022)

ASFAIK the jumper does the same thing as battery removal. Just safer. I don't think the jumper can blow up in your face.


----------



## sepheronx (Jan 26, 2022)

Retrorockit said:


> ASFAIK the jumper does the same thing as battery removal. Just safer. I don't think the jumper can blow up in your face.


Fair enough.

Yeah, I was kinda hoping for some miracle but my buddy explained out of at least 10 of these machines (at our work), two of them had the same error and after three days of him fiddling, his SPI just couldn't do it either. 

Imo kinda funny how Dell doesn't have a real failsafe for their more cheaper workstations but the failsafe exists on the more premium ones (I saw that a 7600 has the same flash bios option in the boot options which doesn't exist on 3600).  Gotta love that.  I guess I won't be so careless with the 5810.


----------



## Atom-88 (Jan 26, 2022)

Hi Guys & Gals, new to the site and forum. I recently purchased a Dell Precision T3600 as a project for me and the missus to do up as a home media server using either Ubuntu or OMV, the system currently has a Xeon E5-1603, 8GB Ram, NVS300 GPU and a 650 PSU. I have been looking at A Xeon E5-1650, max RDIMM ram and a Quadro P2000 but not sure if I may be better with something else. Anyways I was hoping someone would be able to give some advice on what hardware I should look into to upgrade the system, any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.


----------



## frankr2994 (Jan 26, 2022)

sepheronx said:


> Fair enough.
> 
> Yeah, I was kinda hoping for some miracle but my buddy explained out of at least 10 of these machines (at our work), two of them had the same error and after three days of him fiddling, his SPI just couldn't do it either.
> 
> Imo kinda funny how Dell doesn't have a real failsafe for their more cheaper workstations but the failsafe exists on the more premium ones (I saw that a 7600 has the same flash bios option in the boot options which doesn't exist on 3600).  Gotta love that.  I guess I won't be so careless with the 5810.



Ya sorry I misunderstood earlier about trying to flash the bios. Ya if people aren't getting it with a spi your out of luck. As far as a t5810 goes I've tried modding my bios and flashing every version available. I was trying to overclock. I had bricked it multiple times on accident and on purpose. Spi programmer always brought it back. Side note. I have read people have had trouble with programmers in Dell precision boards period. To many things get back fed through the bios chip when you hook up. With mine I removed the USB power pins from the programmer and hooked up 3.3v from an atx breakout box. Jumpered the resistor on the spi that changed 5v to 3.3v so I had a constant 3.3v capable of enough amperage to fry the board. I was obviously very careful but it worked great.



Atom-88 said:


> Hi Guys & Gals, new to the site and forum. I recently purchased a Dell Precision T3600 as a project for me and the missus to do up as a home media server using either Ubuntu or OMV, the system currently has a Xeon E5-1603, 8GB Ram, NVS300 GPU and a 650 PSU. I have been looking at A Xeon E5-1650, max RDIMM ram and a Quadro P2000 but not sure if I may be better with something else. Anyways I was hoping someone would be able to give some advice on what hardware I should look into to upgrade the system, any advice is greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read this.



E5-1650 cpu is a good choice. I do not know what memory requirements you need but I'd recommend at least 32gb 4x8gb in 4 channel. The p2000 is a popular GPU when wanting to transcode. Being the minimum Nvidia sets up for more than 2 transcodes at a time. My friends and I have a Plex media server I installed a gtx 1650 super in. There is a modded driver to allow for unlimited transcodes and it's a beast. At the time that GPU cost 150 bucks. Good luck finding that now. Hell good luck with a p2000.  Most likely you will want to focus more on the storage side of things. We have an online backup service but using that is a big delay. All transcoding and metadata gets dumped onto a nvme drive and then main storage is 4x6TB drives in a mirrored pool. In a 3600 it's not really possible to install 4 3.5" drives but like I said I'd focus on storage.

And almost forgot to mention our boot drive is a 2.5"ssd. I like to keep stuff separate because I could care less if we loose the nvme. Could care less if I have to re install the OS and I'd care alot if I lost all of our storage and had to wait a week for drives to show up and hours of file transfer.


----------



## Caring1 (Jan 27, 2022)

sepheronx said:


> If someone could help me out I would appreciate it.
> 
> So I updated through Dells software for Bios update A18 on my Dell T3600.  Now, it is stuck in ME Recovery State and doesn't boot.  I tried pulling the CMOS Battery and waiting for about 10mins but issue is still the same.  I can get into the bios but thats it.  Tried to boot to a bootable USB but it prevents me from doing anything as it just states ME in Recovery State.
> 
> ...


Is there an option in the Bios to disable M.E.?
Some manufacturers have that, i'm not sure if Dell is one of them.


----------



## sepheronx (Jan 27, 2022)

Caring1 said:


> Is there an option in the Bios to disable M.E.?
> Some manufacturers have that, i'm not sure if Dell is one of them.


Not that I could find.



frankr2994 said:


> Ya sorry I misunderstood earlier about trying to flash the bios. Ya if people aren't getting it with a spi your out of luck. As far as a t5810 goes I've tried modding my bios and flashing every version available. I was trying to overclock. I had bricked it multiple times on accident and on purpose. Spi programmer always brought it back. Side note. I have read people have had trouble with programmers in Dell precision boards period. To many things get back fed through the bios chip when you hook up. With mine I removed the USB power pins from the programmer and hooked up 3.3v from an atx breakout box. Jumpered the resistor on the spi that changed 5v to 3.3v so I had a constant 3.3v capable of enough amperage to fry the board. I was obviously very careful but it worked great.


If you do not mind, I will be PM'ing you in a bit as I will be buying a T5810 and I would appreciate if you could guide me through this process as I plan to get an SPI programmer anyway and it would be nice to have the knowledge.


----------



## frankr2994 (Jan 27, 2022)

sepheronx said:


> Not that I could find.
> 
> 
> If you do not mind, I will be PM'ing you in a bit as I will be buying a T5810 and I would appreciate if you could guide me through this process as I plan to get an SPI programmer anyway and it would be nice to have the knowledge.


Not a problem. Since figuring out what I did you would be the first person that it might actually be useful too lol.



Caring1 said:


> Is there an option in the Bios to disable M.E.?
> Some manufacturers have that, i'm not sure if Dell is one of them.


There is something out there called M.E. cleaner that can mostly get rid of it. I don't know much about it since that area of the bios has never given me any trouble.


----------



## MrJunez (Jan 27, 2022)

Hello all, if you remember me from last year I'd say about 3 months back, anyway I got the capacitors needed to replace every single brown capacitor that someone mentioned were bad and dell got in a lawsuit because of it so I changed them all but now I see a constant 3 - 4 LED Lights with green power LED after awhile it goes away and the green power LED is only left but then the fans go to the max and the system turns off any solutions? could it be PSU? im confused


----------



## Atom-88 (Jan 27, 2022)

Thank you for the reply Frankr2994, I'm sure I read that the t3600 maximum ram is 64gb RDIMM and will be definitely keeping an eye out for 6-8TB ironwolf HDDs and already got a drive caddy to replace the DVD drive so will be putting a SSD in for the O/S. I can't seem to find anything on if the Quadro P2000 will work on the T3600 tho, wanted to ask if anyone has any tips for freshening the inside up as I opened the unit up earlier and it stinks inside, I've had used systems before so I'm not new to cleaning the insides but never had a smelly one before lol.


----------



## frankr2994 (Jan 27, 2022)

Smelly is bad. Usually means spilled stuff in it. Or burnt..... The GPU should be no problem. It will fit just fine and power consumption isn't big in that card. What I'd do right now since it is a system that has the ability to boot is run a diag test on it. Spam f12 when you turn it on and enter Dell diagnostic test. I do this first thing on every used Dell I buy. For hard drives on a budget which I always am I use goharddrive. Look for drives with good specs and a good warranty. When you get them set them in an external dock and stress test them with crystal disk info running. Look for errors, noise and temperature. I have sent drives back to them and got replacements no problem. Can usually get lightly used enterprise grade drives really cheap. If diag goes good boot up windows and just verify everything works good. Maybe check to see if you can do any bios updates while your at it.


----------



## Atom-88 (Jan 27, 2022)

Thank you once again frankr2994, yeah the smell is like a stale kinda smell but will definitely boot up and check the diagnostics using f12 this weekend. I had never heard of goharddrive so will definitely check that out and also glad to hear the GPU shouldn't be a problem.

Honestly thank you again frankr2994, I really appreciate the advice and tips and am looking forward to playing about with this the weekend now.


----------



## sepheronx (Jan 27, 2022)

Ended up getting a Dell T5810 with a 1650v3 and 32gb of ddr4 ram for $190 cad. Also 625w psu.

Not bad I say.


----------



## frankr2994 (Jan 28, 2022)

sepheronx said:


> Ended up getting a Dell T5810 with a 1650v3 and 32gb of ddr4 ram for $190 cad. Also 625w psu.
> 
> Not bad I say.


Great deal.  Now what do you want to do with it? I've done a great deal of modifications to mine so I know my way around it.



MrJunez said:


> Hello all, if you remember me from last year I'd say about 3 months back, anyway I got the capacitors needed to replace every single brown capacitor that someone mentioned were bad and dell got in a lawsuit because of it so I changed them all but now I see a constant 3 - 4 LED Lights with green power LED after awhile it goes away and the green power LED is only left but then the fans go to the max and the system turns off any solutions? could it be PSU? im confused


Did you look at the owners manual? It's available online. I could not find a fault that had that light pattern. Maybe take a look and see if it makes sense. I looked back through your post and see you got a project on your hands.


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## sepheronx (Jan 28, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> Great deal.  Now what do you want to do with it? I've done a great deal of modifications to mine so I know my way around it.


Throw in my rx 6600, ssd for OS, pcie nvme 1tb drive and a backup 4tb had and use it as my game console.

I needed a more beefier CPU for those PS3 emulations.


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## MrJunez (Jan 28, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> Great deal.  Now what do you want to do with it? I've done a great deal of modifications to mine so I know my way around it.
> 
> 
> Did you look at the owners manual? It's available online. I could not find a fault that had that light pattern. Maybe take a look and see if it makes sense. I looked back through your post and see you got a project on your hands.


Where can i find the owners manual? I tried many options if you see from my old posts. Changing RAM, Trying one ram in slot one, Changing all brown capacitors to new ones, Switching out Processors, Fixing a weird pin in the socket, Soaking the whole motherboard with 90% iso, Replacing CMOS battery, Resetting CMOS, I already have a video of the lights that it is showing so I will send it again. Although from this video the ONLY difference now is the power button light staying on longer at the end and Fans would blow to the max then system would shut down. No display, No post. (Video is old but showing because it is the same lights)


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## frankr2994 (Jan 28, 2022)

MrJunez said:


> Where can i find the owners manual? I tried many options if you see from my old posts. Changing RAM, Trying one ram in slot one, Changing all brown capacitors to new ones, Switching out Processors, Fixing a weird pin in the socket, Soaking the whole motherboard with 90% iso, Replacing CMOS battery, Resetting CMOS, I already have a video of the lights that it is showing so I will send it again. Although from this video the ONLY difference now is the power button light staying on longer at the end and Fans would blow to the max then system would shut down. No display, No post. (Video is old but showing because it is the same lights)



I don't have time this morning to help diagnose. I'll look this evening. But here is the Dell download link for the manual. 


			https://downloads.dell.com/manuals/common/precision-t5500_setup%20guide_en-us.pdf
		


If I had to take a guess I'd say something is shorted. I'd look over all your solder connections with a magnifying glass.


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## MrJunez (Jan 28, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> I don't have time this morning to help diagnose. I'll look this evening. But here is the Dell download link for the manual.
> 
> 
> https://downloads.dell.com/manuals/common/precision-t5500_setup%20guide_en-us.pdf
> ...


I see nothing that can cause a short with what i soldered, gave it a look over.


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## frankr2994 (Jan 28, 2022)

Well why don't you give a run down again of what you did and what you have. How many on what kind of memory, what cpu, any add on cards (needs to at least have a GPU) any drives connected. I'd like you to strip it to the cpu,1 stick of ram and the graphics card. Make sure that's how we proceed. I'm sure we can check voltages coming out of the psu if need be.


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## MrJunez (Jan 28, 2022)

1.Tried Reseating CPU
2. Tried two different CPU's of the same kind (x5680's)
3. Tried fixing a pin that was spotted by a user here in CPU1's Socket
4. I do not have the riser card
5.Tried two different Ram (Will show in pictures I took)
6. Tried one Ram in DIMM1 Slot
7. Tried all Ram slots at once
8.Cleared CMOS
9.Replaced CMOS battery (When the computer booted once it told me low battery voltage so I thought about replacing)
10. Video card is a Radeon HD 2400 PRO (I like to use this when it comes to testing things like this, its a old card)
11.Replaced all brown capacitors (a user here told me that dell got in trouble for using these in these boards, I decided to change them to eliminate that factor)
12. There is one hard drive connected to SATA0 (The blue slot) The hard drive has windows 10 installed on it
13. Soaked/Cleaned the whole motherboard with 90% iso
Note: When the computer started up into windows just once it froze loading windows, (my older posts have pictures of when it booted) This happened once. after that it continued to be no display



frankr2994 said:


> Well why don't you give a run down again of what you did and what you have. How many on what kind of memory, what cpu, any add on cards (needs to at least have a GPU) any drives connected. I'd like you to strip it to the cpu,1 stick of ram and the graphics card. Make sure that's how we proceed. I'm sure we can check voltages coming out of the psu if need be.


Forgot to quote


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## frankr2994 (Jan 29, 2022)

Ok well let's take the boot drive out for now. It's not needed to get into bios which is all we're really concerned with right now. In other words nothing hooked up. You can yank your SATA cable going to your disk drive too. And I see you said you tried one stick in dimm1 and then populated all the slots? Try 2 different sticks 1 at a time in multiple slots. If you have a multimeter you can pin one of the sata power connectors for 5v and 12v. I know that's not all the rails but it's certainly easy to start. Other than that I believe that psu only puts out 12v and it's knocked down else where for 5v. Could probably back pin cpu and motherboard connector. Looks like you'll have limited time due to how fast it's kicking off.


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## MrJunez (Jan 29, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> Ok well let's take the boot drive out for now. It's not needed to get into bios which is all we're really concerned with right now. In other words nothing hooked up. You can yank your SATA cable going to your disk drive too. And I see you said you tried one stick in dimm1 and then populated all the slots? Try 2 different sticks 1 at a time in multiple slots. If you have a multimeter you can pin one of the sata power connectors for 5v and 12v. I know that's not all the rails but it's certainly easy to start. Other than that I believe that psu only puts out 12v and it's knocked down else where for 5v. Could probably back pin cpu and motherboard connector. Looks like you'll have limited time due to how fast it's kicking off.


I don't have a multimeter and don't know how to use one so that I can't do. I tried however sticking two ram sticks in two white ram slots and it showed the same issue/lights also tried the last white ram slot and same issue. Tried also all the black ram slots and it will tell me a beep code 1-3-1 and 1-3-2 which both relate to ram. even with no drive it still does the same, no display , no bios , no post


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## frankr2994 (Jan 29, 2022)

MrJunez said:


> I don't have a multimeter and don't know how to use one so that I can't do. I tried however sticking two ram sticks in two white ram slots and it showed the same issue/lights also tried the last white ram slot and same issue. Tried also all the black ram slots and it will tell me a beep code 1-3-1 and 1-3-2 which both relate to ram


Gotcha. Well if you disconnected everything else I said to I don't know what direction to turn you. I had a similar problem with a t3600 years ago and it was totally my fault. I plugged in additional hardware to the vga power slot without considering pin assignment and gave it a dead short. It would try for roughly the same length of time yours does while heating up components before shutting down. Didn't hurt anything surprisingly because I tried booting multiple times with it shorted....I would suggest if you like tinkering to this level to get some cheap auto ranging multimeter and learn a few basic functions of it. Comes in handy around the house just as much as playing around with an old PC. I don't have or ever had a t5500 or 3500 or anything from that era so I was just going off of my basic diagnostics


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## MrJunez (Jan 29, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> Gotcha. Well if you disconnected everything else I said to I don't know what direction to turn you. I had a similar problem with a t3600 years ago and it was totally my fault. I plugged in additional hardware to the vga power slot without considering pin assignment and gave it a dead short. It would try for roughly the same length of time yours does while heating up components before shutting down. Didn't hurt anything surprisingly because I tried booting multiple times with it shorted....I would suggest if you like tinkering to this level to get some cheap auto ranging multimeter and learn a few basic functions of it. Comes in handy around the house just as much as playing around with an old PC. I don't have or ever had a t5500 or 3500 or anything from that era so I was just going off of my basic diagnostics


It sucks because Ive spent so much money to try and fix it. At this point im just thinking about buying a T7500 board just so i can use the parts I paid for to get this T5500 mobo working. I'll see if I do get a multimeter but I am really thinking that the motherboards ram slots might be faulty due to it freezing loading windows 10 the one time it booted and then all the ram changes + cap replacement. I might use this board as a thing to learn from when I full around with the multimeter


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## frankr2994 (Jan 29, 2022)

MrJunez said:


> It sucks because Ive spent so much money to try and fix it. At this point im just thinking about buying a T7500 board just so i can use the parts I paid for to get this T5500 mobo working. I'll see if I do get a multimeter but I am really thinking that the motherboards ram slots might be faulty due to it freezing loading windows 10 the one time it booted and then all the ram changes + cap replacement. I might use this board as a thing to learn from when I full around with the multimeter


Excuse my ignorance but what's the difference between the 7500 and 5500 board itself? If you bought a bare board for either which I think with a little shopping you can get very cheap you have everything else to toss it together.










Motherboard swap info on your system.


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## Susquehannock (Jan 29, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> Excuse my ignorance but what's the difference between the 7500 and 5500 board itself? If you bought a bare board for either which I think with a little shopping you can get very cheap you have everything else to toss it together.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


T7500 board has different configuration and mounting screw pattern up top because of the onboard SAS controller and connectors.


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## MrJunez (Jan 30, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> Excuse my ignorance but what's the difference between the 7500 and 5500 board itself? If you bought a bare board for either which I think with a little shopping you can get very cheap you have everything else to toss it together.
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Susquehannock said:


> T7500 board has different configuration and mounting screw pattern up top because of the onboard SAS controller and connectors.


I think the capacitors are also more reliable on the T7500? Also would anyone know if I can change to any aftermarket power supply to connect the T7500 board?


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## frankr2994 (Jan 30, 2022)

MrJunez said:


> I think the capacitors are also more reliable on the T7500? Also would anyone know if I can change to any aftermarket power supply to connect the T7500 board?


I thought that video pretty much said you can't install a 7500 board in a 5500 case.   And Susquehannock confirmed that at least some of the mounting is different. I really wouldn't worry much about caps. I've used plenty of old Dell systems that had noticably popped caps and I could never find a way to make anything act up. Obviously If your having issues then i'd replace them.


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## MrJunez (Jan 30, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> I thought that video pretty much said you can't install a 7500 board in a 5500 case.   And Susquehannock confirmed that at least some of the mounting is different. I really wouldn't worry much about caps. I've used plenty of old Dell systems that had noticably popped caps and I could never find a way to make anything act up. Obviously If your having issues then i'd replace them.


Oh, I don't have any case. The case I used for another project but I took the internals and kept them to myself so now I am here trying to fix it but rather buy a T7500 board and use the parts from the T5500. Before I end up buying a T7500 Board I would like to know if I can replace the PSU with like a EVGA or Corsair 1000w psu and can the board fit into a EATX case


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## frankr2994 (Jan 31, 2022)

I didn't realize you were just benching all this.  Did you have all the appropriate fans plugged in?  J/c what is the purpose of this whole project? Are you just tinkering or do you need this computer?


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## MrJunez (Jan 31, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> I didn't realize you were just benching all this.  Did you have all the appropriate fans plugged in?  J/c what is the purpose of this whole project? Are you just tinkering or do you need this computer?


I planned on turning this into a server to host a website I have. Only one Fan was plugged into FAN_CCAG, the other fan I did not plug in which was FAN_FRONT and then there is one more fan slot labeled FAN_HDD but the system honestly only came with two fans from the first two.


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## Susquehannock (Feb 1, 2022)

MrJunez said:


> I think the capacitors are also more reliable on the T7500? Also would anyone know if I can change to any aftermarket power supply to connect the T7500 board?


Capacitors are same as the other boards. Question is whether the boards themselves were assembled before or after the known defective caps that Dell lied about, and changed to better parts in later revisions. Any other reason you want to go with a T7500 board?

Aftermarket PSU can be installed in Tx500 cases. Have two here running that way. Be sure the 8-pin EPS cable is long enough to reach the connector. As for the EATX, only done comparison with ATX boards. These Dell boards are not standard. Three of the screw mounts line up and that's it. Would only be two with a T7500 since they are different near the top. 

Then there is the 40-pin proprietary cable from the front I/O panel to board where fan and temp sensors reside. System will show error codes and not go past POST without it. Plenty of custom modding required to make all this work, if at all.


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## MrJunez (Feb 1, 2022)

Susquehannock said:


> Capacitors are same as the other boards. Question is whether the boards themselves were assembled before or after the known defective caps that Dell lied about, and changed to better parts in later revisions. Any other reason you want to go with a T7500 board?
> 
> Aftermarket PSU can be installed in Tx500 cases. Have two here running that way. Be sure the 8-pin EPS cable is long enough to reach the connector. As for the EATX, only done comparison with ATX boards. These Dell boards are not standard. Three of the screw mounts line up and that's it. Would only be two with a T7500 since they are different near the top.
> 
> Then there is the 40-pin proprietary cable from the front I/O panel to board where fan and temp sensors reside. System will show error codes and not go past POST without it. Plenty of custom modding required to make all this work, if at all.


No other reason so far. But will end up just buying a T7500 mobo and finding the right case for it. Thank you everyone for helping me out trying to bring something from the scrapyard back to life, unfortunately It gave me one last boot before it went out but I'll keep the board as a donor. I will be back if I have problems with the T7500 mobo.


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## NoiseBox (Feb 1, 2022)

Checking in. My main system is a Dell T7610 with dual E5-2643 v2 Xeons, 64GB ECC Registered (IIRC) RAM, AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 8GB GPU, 2x PCIe nVME m.2 adapter cards (each holds 4 (again, IIRC) m2 nVME drives), and more SSDs/SAS HDDs than I can shake a stick at and a 1300watt power supply.  I used the internal USB port for an LED light strip and the 3.5" slot for a multi-card reader (I'm a photographer) 
Running Windows 9 (8.1 Industry Embedded Professional with a Windows 7 skin on it)


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## frankr2994 (Feb 1, 2022)

NoiseBox said:


> Checking in. My main system is a Dell T7610 with dual E5-2643 v2 Xeons, 64GB ECC Registered (IIRC) RAM, AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 8GB GPU, 2x PCIe nVME m.2 adapter cards (each holds 4 (again, IIRC) m2 nVME drives), and more SSDs/SAS HDDs than I can shake a stick at and a 1300watt power supply.  I used the internal USB port for an LED light strip and the 3.5" slot for a multi-card reader (I'm a photographer)
> Running Windows 9 (8.1 Industry Embedded Professional with a Windows 7 skin on it)



Very odd but very cool system. Can I ask why so many nvme drives? Having 8 if them and then more 2.5ssds just sounds nuts. I did a Dell t5810 for a photographer a little while back and used 1 nvme for editing and 1 m.2 Sata SSD for boot and programs and 2 4tb hdds for storage. Photography wasn't his main work though. Regardless I'd like to see a photo I love actually using up everything a PC has to offer as far as expandability.


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## NoiseBox (Feb 2, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> Very odd but very cool system. Can I ask why so many nvme drives? Having 8 if them and then more 2.5ssds just sounds nuts. I did a Dell t5810 for a photographer a little while back and used 1 nvme for editing and 1 m.2 Sata SSD for boot and programs and 2 4tb hdds for storage. Photography wasn't his main work though. Regardless I'd like to see a photo I love actually using up everything a PC has to offer as far as expandability.


I got carried away 
It was long before the current worldwide shortages of everything, and I got the parts for a steal, so I figured I'd build the most insane overkill Ivy Bridge system I could.
And I'll see what I can do about taking a good pic of it for you.


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## frankr2994 (Feb 2, 2022)

Gotcha. Ya before the shortages I was buying 150 dollar gtx1650 supers for everyone then wishing I bought a couple for myself lol.


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## frankr2994 (Feb 9, 2022)

Just fyi my kids bday is coming up. I myself have a Dell t5810 with a gtx 1070 and I just bought him the same get up....16gb ram instead of my 32 and he's not getting a quad nvme drive any time soon. Both e5-1650 v3 xeons. Going to be a big step up from his optiplex 7010 i5 with some ancient amd card in it.


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## Hbombqueso (Feb 10, 2022)

Need some help I have a T3500 motherboard and wanted to know if that CPU backplate heatsink come off if so how


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## Aaron_Henderson (Feb 10, 2022)

I can't remember how I removed it, but it does come off.  I removed the one on my TT3500 motherboard so I could use an aftermarket CPU cooler.  I forgot about it and when I switched from W3570 to W3680 I almost fudged the CPU socket.  I'd take my PC apart to check how I did it, but it's a real pain...all the cables are mashed behind the motherboard tray so hard I'd practically have to disassemble everything to get to the socket area.  It's doable though (removing he backplate), just be careful not to mash the pins in the CPU socket when you forget you've done it.  You'll see what I mean when you get there.  If I can recall, there were 4xtorq holding it all together, but it also holds most of the CPU socket together?  I really can't recall exactly...


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## NoiseBox (Feb 12, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> Regardless I'd like to see a photo I love actually using up everything a PC has to offer as far as expandability.


Apologies for the delay, (and the potato quality of the pic, I didn't feel like using my dSLR for a single shot of a workstation)
The green glow in the lower right is from the power led on the back of the small screen (to be used as a sensor panel when I get around to it) and the light up top comes from a LED strip connected to the internal USB port.
Also don't mind the dust    (one of many things I need to do when the weather warms up)


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## frankr2994 (Feb 12, 2022)

NoiseBox said:


> Apologies for the delay, (and the potato quality of the pic, I didn't feel like using my dSLR for a single shot of a workstation)
> The green glow in the lower right is from the power led on the back of the small screen (to be used as a sensor panel when I get around to it) and the light up top comes from a LED strip connected to the internal USB port.
> Also don't mind the dust    (one of many things I need to do when the weather warms up)


Awesome. I'm guessing that there are 2 Asus hyper nvme adapters up top. And some random fans in there too. I like it. And ya dust. I have my minimum fan speed at 35 percent. That's as high as tolerable by me. Gets loaded with dust/dog hair fast. I'd love to figure out a clean way of using a filter I could clean weekly.


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## NoiseBox (Feb 12, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> I'm guessing that there are 2 Asus hyper nvme adapters up top


That would be correct, not cheap, but they have their own chip in them so I can boot from that on a system that normally doesn't support booting from m.2 (since there aren't any on the board)
Since I"m not a gamer, this system will last me until it dies, and given the quality of the workstation hardware, that'll be another 10 years or go

EDIT:
The fans is because those nvme adapters, despite having a fan built-in, still run a tad to hot for my taste, so the extra fan is to help. Taped on top of the fan tunnel for the RAM chips, very makeshift but it works well.

As to the filter, I looked into HEPA filters, but they reduced airflow too much and the case is already lacking in that regards, so I just leave the side panel off (the small screen prevents the side panel from being on anyway) and deal with the dust


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## frankr2994 (Feb 12, 2022)

NoiseBox said:


> That would be correct, not cheap, but they have their own chip in them so I can boot from that on a system that normally doesn't support booting from m.2 (since there aren't any on the board)
> Since I"m not a gamer, this system will last me until it dies, and given the quality of the workstation hardware, that'll be another 10 years or go


Exactly why I have one. I can't run 2 like you in a 5810 though lol. Right now I have a nvme boot drive and an adapter in the adapter running an Intel wifi card with leads coming out to external antenna. Those cards only work on machines with bifurcation otherwise you have to buy the really expensive Dell quad adapter. Other nice thing is they take m.2 22110 cards so we can buy "cheap" server grade nvme. My 1tb nvme cost me 75 bucks on Amazon. I'm working on a deal getting a couple more for 60 each.


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## Aaron_Henderson (Feb 12, 2022)

NoiseBox said:


> That would be correct, not cheap, but they have their own chip in them so I can boot from that on a system that normally doesn't support booting from m.2 (since there aren't any on the board)
> Since I"m not a gamer, this system will last me until it dies, and given the quality of the workstation hardware, that'll be another 10 years or go


I am eyeing up another Dell server / workstation motherboard for my next personal build...I really want to go dual CPU.  I don't really anything these days that needs it, but I just like building oddball computers.  My current T3500 based setup has been in service for 5+ years already for me alone, who knows what is was put through before that.  It's a 10 year old system that's been beat to heck and still chugging along like a champ.  I've owned other workstation / server stuff, and Dell is, by far, my favourite OEM.  I think it was a T5610 motherboard I was looking at last...just for something new to build.  It would allow me to use my DDR3 RAM, it's dual 2011, I think V2...and there are 8C/16T with decent clocks for, like, $30-40 each.  I'd have to do a bit of modifying to my case again, but I have space to do case mods again where I am living now, and the tools to do it.  I think the upgrade will cost me less than $150, more than double my core count, at similar clocks.  I'd also really like to upgrade my storage...I still use a HDD+SATA 2 SSD.  My current PC is still plenty fast for what I do with it (internet and basic gaming...Quake Champions and single player games)...I'm just bored with it and want something new (to me) to mess with that will last me as long as this thing has.


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## frankr2994 (Feb 12, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> Just fyi my kids bday is coming up. I myself have a Dell t5810 with a gtx 1070 and I just bought him the same get up....16gb ram instead of my 32 and he's not getting a quad nvme drive any time soon. Both e5-1650 v3 xeons. Going to be a big step up from his optiplex 7010 i5 with some ancient amd card in it.


Got the system on Thursday. Came with the wrong cpu. E5-1620 v3....now trying to get the seller to respond. I have to get it setup today regardless. Hopefully they give me some money back or send me the right cpu.


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## NoiseBox (Feb 12, 2022)

Aaron_Henderson said:


> I am eyeing up another Dell server / workstation motherboard for my next personal build...I really want to go dual CPU.  I don't really anything these days that needs it, but I just like building oddball computers.  My current T3500 based setup has been in service for 5+ years already for me alone, who knows what is was put through before that.  It's a 10 year old system that's been beat to heck and still chugging along like a champ.  I've owned other workstation / server stuff, and Dell is, by far, my favourite OEM.  I think it was a T5610 motherboard I was looking at last...just for something new to build.  It would allow me to use my DDR3 RAM, it's dual 2011, I think V2...and there are 8C/12T with decent clocks for, like, $30-40 each.  I'd have to do a bit of modifying to my case again, but I have space to do case mods again where I am living now, and the tools to do it.  I think the upgrade will cost me less than $150, more than double my core count, at similar clocks.  I'd also really like to upgrade my storage...I still use a HDD+SATA 2 SSD.  My current PC is still plenty fast for what I do with it (internet and basic gaming...Quake Champions and single player games)...I'm just bored with it and want something new (to me) to mess with that will last me as long as this thing has.


Amen to that. Plus saying you have a dual CPU workstation is simply cool. Dell's consumer stuff is pretty naff, but their workstation gear is A++, wouldn't use anything else any more (as my main system) Once you understand how and why Dell did things, it's pretty easy to spiff them right up.


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## frankr2994 (Feb 12, 2022)

NoiseBox said:


> Amen to that. Plus saying you have a dual CPU workstation is simply cool. Dell's consumer stuff is pretty naff, but their workstation gear is A++, wouldn't use anything else any more (as my main system) Once you understand how and why Dell did things, it's pretty easy to spiff them right up.


Things will get dark for us. For the people that actually notice how the machine they bought works I've been a part of some conversations on Dell forums with the newer machines like the t5820 running xeon w CPUs. Some of those w chips are like 165w TDP and the dells won't use them to anywhere near the potential. These are systems bought brand new from Dell. Maybe by the time it gets cheap for us to buy someone will get it figured out but I doubt it since me nor anyone else so far has been able to mod the bios on my 5810.


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## NoiseBox (Feb 12, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> mod the bios on my 5810


What do you need modded? The gov't agency I work for is in tight with Dell, maybe I can make some headway...


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## frankr2994 (Feb 12, 2022)

NoiseBox said:


> What do you need modded? The gov't agency I work for is in tight with Dell, maybe I can make some headway...


Lmao really. I needed overclocking and power limits changed. Ultimately needed more menu items in my bios but I think that's a pipe dream. Right now I overclock with throttle stop but I can't go to far because of the tdp and current limits. If there is some engineering bios sample that is fully unlocked that would be the ticket. I will appreciate the effort but letting you know I'm not going to hold my breath lol


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## NoiseBox (Feb 12, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> but letting you know I'm not going to hold my breath lol


And I wouldn't expect you too, but I'll give it a college try and let you know what happens.


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## frankr2994 (Feb 12, 2022)

NoiseBox said:


> And I wouldn't expect you too, but I'll give it a college try and let you know what happens.


Much appreciated. It would definitely open up a new world for these great workstations

If anyone could explain this to me. I just swapped some stuff around getting my boys PC hooked up. This t5810 is replacing an optiplex 7010 Mt. I'm re using the SSD boot drive. I configured the bios and attached my windows installation media. Machine wouldn't boot. I disconnected my flash drive and it booted. Right into windows. The same installation from the 7010. And it seems to all be working. I didn't think this was a thing. A 7010 is a completely different system. Not even same era. I'm currently running through bios updates using it right now. And fyi I'm not leaving it like this. It just feels wrong. I'm going to finish updating the bios and do a clean windows install.


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## Susquehannock (Feb 16, 2022)

Hbombqueso said:


> Need some help I have a T3500 motherboard and wanted to know if that CPU backplate heatsink come off if so how


Did this on a spare board for this post. Really need to remove the motherboard from case. T20 torx bit to loosen four screws holding CPU retainer and the backplate comes right out. Remove one of two white push pins that retain black plastic protector and swivel it aside for ease of access. Hope this helps.


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## frankr2994 (Mar 12, 2022)

Hey any Dell T5820 owners here? I may be putting together a racing sim rig for someone and might use this PC. I can get one specd with a w-2255 xeon(i9-10900x) 32gb 4x8gb ecc ram, 950watt psu and a win 10 pro license for just under 1300 bucks. I can't build "that" system for that. Things im concerned about are cpu temps my 5810 had a hard time before upgrading the heatsink, GPU space(will only fe edition cards fit? Looking at a 3070ti or a 3080), GPU power connections and nvme m.2 22110 drive installs. It has flex bays that take m.2/u2 drives. I have zero experience with flex bays and if any adapters are needed. 
Any input always appreciated


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## KLiKzg (Mar 15, 2022)

Did any of you have problems with random rebooting of T5500?

It is not CPU temps, as those are not stressed 100% anymore. Not the RAM, as those have been tested with MEMtest. 

Can it be that PSU is not so good?


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## lexluthermiester (Mar 15, 2022)

KLiKzg said:


> Can it be that PSU is not so good?


What psu do you have and what parts are in that system?


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## KLiKzg (Mar 15, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> What psu do you have and what parts are in that system?


875W PSU, for a:
- 48GB RAM
- 2x X5670 (I think) CPU
- 1x SSD
- 1x DVD
- 1x 1650 SUPER
- 2x 80mm fans on EIDE power
& that is it.


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## lexluthermiester (Mar 15, 2022)

KLiKzg said:


> 875W PSU, for a:
> - 48GB RAM
> - 2x X5670 (I think) CPU
> - 1x SSD
> ...


That's not a lot of load. Have you tested the PSU with a PSU voltage tester? And have you done a run of Memtext86?


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## Susquehannock (Mar 16, 2022)

KLiKzg said:


> Did any of you have problems with random rebooting of T5500?
> 
> It is not CPU temps, as those are not stressed 100% anymore. Not the RAM, as those have been tested with MEMtest.
> 
> Can it be that PSU is not so good?


Have you checked the two chipset heat sinks for warmth? If they seem cold under load that may be the problem. Poor heat transfer. Boards I have dissembled the thermal paste or pad had gone bad long ago. These systems can be 13 years old with countless run time hours by now.

I would also inspect the capacitors carefully. Earlier board revisions use caps that are known to be defective. Though they do not always show sings of going bad.


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## KLiKzg (Mar 17, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> That's not a lot of load. Have you tested the PSU with a PSU voltage tester? And have you done a run of Memtext86?


Well, computer does power up...but resets after minute or two. That is what troubles me!

Yes, MEMtest has passed with flying colors.


Susquehannock said:


> Have you checked the two chipset heat sinks for warmth? If they seem cold under load that may be the problem. Poor heat transfer. Boards I have dissembled the thermal paste or pad had gone bad long ago. These systems can be 13 years old with countless run time hours by now.
> 
> I would also inspect the capacitors carefully. Earlier board revisions use caps that are known to be defective. Though they do not always show sings of going bad.


Heatsinks are warm enough, though I am not running calcs on them (as WCG is down at the moment). Last time it was 6m ago that paste was changed & it run 24/7 without problems.

Need to check Caps. Any Cap in particular is known to go bad?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 17, 2022)

KLiKzg said:


> Well, computer does power up...but resets after minute or two. That is what troubles me!
> 
> Yes, MEMtest has passed with flying colors.


Is the fan in the PSU spinning properly? If it's not, that might be your problem.



KLiKzg said:


> Need to check Caps. Any Cap in particular is known to go bad?


To be safe, inspect them all. You may wish to open the PSU(after you properly discharge it) and check those caps as well.


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## frigider (Mar 21, 2022)

hello Dell and goodbye Hp (it was nice while it lasted  )

this topic has 89 pages so will admit i did not go through all of it .. due mostly to eye strain.

just managed to sell the Z440 (not sure it is safe to mention hp products on the Dell thread - hope i don't get a kick and permaban)
and i got a T7810 dual socket with 2xV3s.

long story short i rushed to get 2x V4s , they didn't get here yet, still on the way so i am hoping they will just run fine out of the box. 
^^^otherwise i read i need to upgrade BIOS (not a fan of that dangerous manoeuver tbh)

the mainbord is 0kjcc5 (as CPU-Z states) can anyone mention some RAM "restrictions"? 
i have 32gb of 1rx8 and i keep seeing 2rx4 on ebay etc.

bottom line is i want to get 64 or 128 but i read single rank is faster and that RDIMM is better etc. (i want "this much RAM" cause i don't want to upgrade it for 3-4-5 years)

is there some brand of ram that just does not work? that the mainboard does not like?
is there some type of RAM that does not work? 2rx8 or X rx Y you get the point. i read that 2rx4 is rejected by some mainboards - i am going a bit crazy on this issue.
would not like to spend 2-3xx $ for the system to not boot. i will die on the inside and outside.

i am looking into Micron and SK Hynix as i am guessing these will be fine?


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## frankr2994 (Mar 21, 2022)

I can't speak for exactly which ram to get. On workstation stuff I usually just look to buy what was already in it. I will tell you that you will have to update your bios to run that v4 cpu. If your slightly cautious there is nothing to worry about. Always a good idea to have the PC plugged into a UPS.  But the scenerio I follow is update it through windows. After I do a fresh install of windows and before I do anything else I start updating my bios. Typically whatever machine I get is on a pretty early revision. Do not jump to the latest version. If you go to dells site and punch in your service tag you will find the latest bios. Click older versions. You can read down through them and sometimes you'll see that it states can only be upgraded if so and so version is already installed. For this reason I typically only jump about 2 versions at a time. On the fresh install I won't even have it hooked up to the internet yet. On another PC I will download all the bios versions I plan to install. Use a thumb drive and get going on it. Fresh install with no other garage going yet your reboots will be quick and easy. You can fly through many bios updates quickly. Following this I've never bricked anything. I have intentionally bricked a machine but I also have a programmer so i brought it back to life a few minutes later. I'll do a little digging on what memory works best.

Upgrading the the v4 should allow for 2400 memory. That's PC4-19200. I believe from what I've seen hynix has came oem in those dells. I can't find any real reason to go single rank over dual rank. From what I've read the difference is negligible. So hynix PC4-19200 rdimm ecc memory I guess in 16gb modules would be how I'd go. Enjoy the large amount of money that's going to cost lol.  What do you plan on using the rig for if you don't mind me asking?  V4 CPUs and ddr4 2400ecc haven't aged out yet making them about double in cost compared to a v3 setup and the performance increase isn't huge. Ideally with my budget in mind I'd get the v3 CPUs I wanted and just double up the 32gb of memory you have. Save a ton and have almost the same performance.


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## frigider (Mar 22, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> I can't speak for exactly which ram to get. On workstation stuff I usually just look to buy what was already in it. I will tell you that you will have to update your bios to run that v4 cpu. If your slightly cautious there is nothing to worry about. Always a good idea to have the PC plugged into a UPS.  But the scenerio I follow is update it through windows. After I do a fresh install of windows and before I do anything else I start updating my bios. Typically whatever machine I get is on a pretty early revision. Do not jump to the latest version. If you go to dells site and punch in your service tag you will find the latest bios. Click older versions. You can read down through them and sometimes you'll see that it states can only be upgraded if so and so version is already installed. For this reason I typically only jump about 2 versions at a time. On the fresh install I won't even have it hooked up to the internet yet. On another PC I will download all the bios versions I plan to install. Use a thumb drive and get going on it. Fresh install with no other garage going yet your reboots will be quick and easy. You can fly through many bios updates quickly. Following this I've never bricked anything. I have intentionally bricked a machine but I also have a programmer so i brought it back to life a few minutes later. I'll do a little digging on what memory works best.
> 
> Upgrading the the v4 should allow for 2400 memory. That's PC4-19200. I believe from what I've seen hynix has came oem in those dells. I can't find any real reason to go single rank over dual rank. From what I've read the difference is negligible. So hynix PC4-19200 rdimm ecc memory I guess in 16gb modules would be how I'd go. Enjoy the large amount of money that's going to cost lol.  What do you plan on using the rig for if you don't mind me asking?  V4 CPUs and ddr4 2400ecc haven't aged out yet making them about double in cost compared to a v3 setup and the performance increase isn't huge. Ideally with my budget in mind I'd get the v3 CPUs I wanted and just double up the 32gb of memory you have. Save a ton and have almost the same performance.


good idea with buying what's inside, but i don't remember seeing 1xr x 8 yet in the ads.
can i mix 1r x 8 with 2r x 4 of the same brand (Micron)?
buying what i have means 2133.
would have liked to go 2400. (max it out)

i guess it will not affect performance too much if i have 4 x 4 Gb and 4 x 16 Gb sticks in there?

VERY Good idea to increment BIOS in baby steps. i will do that, together with UPS.

about prices of v3 and V4 s and perf differences - i know V3 s are very OK but i want to aim high so i will use it for many years to come.
i got some cash and i need to spend it now on this , otherwise it will go on something else.

thank you for all the info, need to find that service tag, the HP had a sticker, i think this dell has the sticker removed :|

i am using it for hobby vide editing. so i need a lot of ram, RAM preview and stuff 
i had 40 Gb in the previous pc and it filled up quick.


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## lexluthermiester (Mar 22, 2022)

frigider said:


> (not sure it is safe to mention hp products on the Dell thread - hope i don't get a kick and permaban)


You're fine. We're not that strict.


frigider said:


> i got a T7810 dual socket with 2xV3s.


Nice!


frigider said:


> ^^^otherwise i read i need to upgrade BIOS (not a fan of that dangerous manoeuver tbh)


It's not dangerous. The chances of "bricking" your system are very, very, very, very, VERY slim.


frigider said:


> the mainbord is 0kjcc5 (as CPU-Z states) can anyone mention some RAM "restrictions"?
> i have 32gb of 1rx8 and i keep seeing 2rx4 on ebay etc.
> 
> bottom line is i want to get 64 or 128 but i read single rank is faster and that RDIMM is better etc. (i want "this much RAM" cause i don't want to upgrade it for 3-4-5 years)





frigider said:


> would have liked to go 2400. (max it out)


I'm going to presume you're stateside. The following should serve you well.








						Samsung 16GB 2Rx4 PC4-2400 RDIMM DDR4-19200 ECC REG Registered Server Memory RAM  | eBay
					

Class: DDR4. Rank: 2Rx4 (Dual Rank x4 based). Capacity: 16GB. Kit Capacity: 16GB. Your computer loads a program or file you select from the hard drive in to your computers RAM, then it will access each bit of data from there.



					www.ebay.com
				











						Hynix 16GB DDR4 PC4-2400T Memory Module (HMA82GR7MFR8N-UH) for sale online | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Hynix 16GB DDR4 PC4-2400T Memory Module (HMA82GR7MFR8N-UH) at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				











						Kingston 16GB ECC REG DR DDR4 2400MHZ (KTD-PE424D8/16G) MEMORY MODULE  | eBay
					

Model/Part number: KTD-PE424D8/16G.



					www.ebay.com
				



8x16gb will give you 128GB total.

However, if you have budget;








						Micron MTA9ASF1G72PZ 8GB 1RX8 PC4-19200 DDR4-2400T ECC Reg Server Memory 9789172231641 | eBay
					

This Policy explains what Personal Data we collect from you, why we collect and process your personal data, when and with whom your personal data is shared, and your rights with respect to your Personal Data.



					www.ebay.com
				






frigider said:


> can i mix 1r x 8 with 2r x 4 of the same brand (Micron)?


Last time I checked, no, single and dual rank dimms can not be mixed. It has to be one or the other. So whatever you end up buying, make sure it's all the same ranking.



frigider said:


> VERY Good idea to increment BIOS in baby steps. i will do that, together with UPS.


Unless Dell's instructions on the BIOS update page given that instruction, it is not necessary to increment the updates. Go straight to the newest one and call it a day. The latest BIOS, version A34, is found below;
https://www.dell.com/support/home/e...biosa&productcode=precision-t7810-workstation


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## frigider (Mar 22, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> It's not dangerous. The chances of "bricking" your system are very, very, very, very, VERY slim.


so help me God i will update it.

possible sutpid question: can i just install the V4 s and maybe it works? Any downside to that?


lexluthermiester said:


> I'm going to presume you're stateside. The following should serve you well.


no Sir, unfortunatelly i am not stateside.
but fortunatelly i can buy from "stateside" 

thanks for those suggestions, i am using ebay.



lexluthermiester said:


> Unless Dell's instructions on the BIOS update page given that instruction, it is not necessary to increment the updates. Go straight to the newest one and call it a day. The latest BIOS, version A34, is found below;
> https://www.dell.com/support/home/e...biosa&productcode=precision-t7810-workstation


that does sound legit, do it once and do it well 
fingers crossed!

i guess i don't need to check service number for my PC since the BIOS is for T7810 and i got a T7810, right?

OK i don't get this, it's on the BIOS link you provided:


" Important Information
BIOS version A11 and earlier releases are incompatible with Intel Xeon E5-16xx and 26xx-v4 CPUs (Broadwell). _<<<clear enough, will need to upgrade if i have A11 or earlier_
It is recommended that you downgrade BIOS to version A11 *before(???) *downgrading from version *A12 *and *later*. _<<<so if i have BIOS version higher than A11 i need to first downgrade to A11?? but if it's highet than A11, doesn't it mean it supports V4s? Confusing ..._
*This process is due to some significant changes required to enable v4 (Broadwell) CPUs.* *Also, along with that it enables Xeon E5-16XX and 26XX v3 (Haswell) CPUs and v4 (Broadwell) CPUs BIOS to stay in one BIOS stream*. _<<<so this is to keep both options open - V3 and V4?_
All versions of the Broadwell CPU enabled BIOS (A12+) understand how to migrate the Haswell settings. There are no upgrade restrictions." _<<<so if i have BIOS v A12 or higher i can just install the V4s, right?_


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## lexluthermiester (Mar 22, 2022)

frigider said:


> can i just install the V4 s and maybe it works? Any downside to that?


What version of BIOS are you on now?


frigider said:


> no Sir, unfortunatelly i am not stateside.
> but fortunatelly i can buy from "stateside"
> 
> thanks for those suggestions, i am using ebay.


Ok cool! You should be able to find what you need in your nation's ebay system.


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## frigider (Mar 22, 2022)

i read that a few times.



lexluthermiester said:


> What version of BIOS are you on now?


will check it later tonight so i don't get wife AGGRO  

please check my previous post - i edited it - it's some important info for BIOS upgrade on the link you provided.

...before downgrading or before upgrading? Omg..



lexluthermiester said:


> Ok cool! You should be able to find what you need in your nation's ebay system


Oh no, I will use USA s system  better prices and a lot more stuff.


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## frankr2994 (Mar 22, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Unless Dell's instructions on the BIOS update page given that instruction, it is not necessary to increment the updates. Go straight to the newest one and call it a day. The latest BIOS, version A34, is found below;



No disrespect meant and I'll assume you know more than me seeing how involved you've been here well for a while lol. I only recommend what I do due to I've been apart of more than 1 thread on different sites where someone has made a giant jump in bios revisions and it didn't work out. Obviously I don't ever know the full circumstances around whatever happened. Playing around with things I've upgraded fully and downgraded through all of them trying to get something to work and I've never had a failure.



frigider said:


> Important Information
> BIOS version A11 and earlier releases are incompatible with Intel Xeon E5-16xx and 26xx-v4 CPUs (Broadwell). _<<<clear enough, will need to upgrade if i have A11 or earlier_
> It is recommended that you downgrade BIOS to version A11 *before(???) *downgrading from version *A12 *and *later*. _<<<so if i have BIOS version higher than A11 i need to first downgrade to A11?? but if it's highet than A11, doesn't it mean it supports V4s? Confusing ..._
> *This process is due to some significant changes required to enable v4 (Broadwell) CPUs.* *Also, along with that it enables Xeon E5-16XX and 26XX v3 (Haswell) CPUs and v4 (Broadwell) CPUs BIOS to stay in one BIOS stream*. _<<<so this is to keep both options open - V3 and V4?_
> All versions of the Broadwell CPU enabled BIOS (A12+) understand how to migrate the Haswell settings. There are no upgrade restrictions." _<<<so if i have BIOS v A12 or higher i can just install the V4s, right?_



I thought it was revision 12 that allowed it just didn't say anything without looking it up. Yes if it is 12 or higher you should be good. And there is no risk of losing support if you go all the way. I'm running v3's on a fully up to date system.


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## lexluthermiester (Mar 22, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> No disrespect meant and I'll assume you know more than me seeing how involved you've been here well for a while lol. I only recommend what I do due to I've been apart of more than 1 thread on different sites where someone has made a giant jump in bios revisions and it didn't work out.


While it's true that there are some instances where incrementing the BIOS revisions is needed, as a general rule it's not common. And Dell is very good at indicating in the instructions when it is required. In this case the A34 is a one step solution.



frigider said:


> will check it later tonight so i don't get wife AGGRO


Fair enough. As long as you are above A16 you will have complete Xeon V4 support. A12 introduced support for the V4 line but the microcode set was not complete. The complete set was included in A16. However, there is no reason not to use A34. Perform the update while the Xeon V3's are installed and then switch over to the V4's.


frigider said:


> ...before downgrading or before upgrading? Omg..


Before downgrading. Back then there were legitimate reasons to downgrade, having to do with compatibility using certain Xeon V3 CPU's. You should not have a need to downgrade as you are going with Xeon V4's.

BTW, which V4's are you going with?


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## frigider (Mar 22, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> As long as you are above A16 you will have complete Xeon V4 support. A12 introduced support for the V4 line but the microcode set was not complete. The complete set was included in A16. However, there is no reason not to use A34. Perform the update while the Xeon V3's are installed and then switch over to the V4's.


Ok, I got it refurbished so I am hoping it has the latest one but let's see later tonight.
So the bar is set a little higher - A16 


lexluthermiester said:


> BTW, which V4's are you going with?


2680.
I have a fetish for cores I guess  
They were cheap, close to v3 so that was it. Like 100 bucks a piece.


Low tdp 120w compared to 2697 v3 with same cores (but better performance) was at 145.


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## frankr2994 (Mar 22, 2022)

Most of those high core count chips go down close to base clock under all core load. A higher TDP let's them stay there a bit better under an avx type workload that will hit that TDP and then throttle down further. If your software can use a ton of cores fantastic, otherwise chips like a 2643,2667 which have fewer cores (still get to run double) but have a higher base clock with pretty respectable turbo speeds work better. Myself not having much real experience with professional software have only used things that can take advantage of about 10 cores max.


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## frigider (Mar 22, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> Most of those high core count chips go down close to base clock under all core load. A higher TDP let's them stay there a bit better under an avx type workload that will hit that TDP and then throttle down further. If your software can use a ton of cores fantastic, otherwise chips like a 2643,2667 which have fewer cores (still get to run double) but have a higher base clock with pretty respectable turbo speeds work better. Myself not having much real experience with professional software have only used things that can take advantage of about 10 cores max.


i know there are speed limits of "all core turbo" and you are right, 2697v3 stays ar 3.1GHz on all cores, this one 2680v4 stays at 2.9GHz all cores.

right about the "less cores, higher clock" but i always wanted a bunch of cores  
and after effects used all of them.
so i am hoping it will use all of them for both CPUs.

what's done is done so... we can just wait and watch to see what happens.

then again .. i can always sell those and get other ones.


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## lexluthermiester (Mar 22, 2022)

frigider said:


> i know there are speed limits of "all core turbo" and you are right, 2697v3 stays ar 3.1GHz on all cores, this one 2680v4 stays at 2.9GHz all cores.
> 
> right about the "less cores, higher clock" but i always wanted a bunch of cores
> and after effects used all of them.
> ...


I would have gone with 2667V4's to get the best of both core speed and lots of cores/threads.


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## frigider (Mar 22, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> I would have gone with 2667V4's to get the best of both core speed and lots of cores/threads.


don't wanna say it was a rushed buy but you are forcing me a little here 

Ok so here it _be 





One could say the gods have smiled upon oneself._

Add to that the fact that I could buy for 200usd 128 of ddr4 2400 ...(I live in a poor country so I guess there are some benefits to that 

*Let's hope it's not a scam


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## frankr2994 (Mar 22, 2022)

A29....bs lol. I've bought so many refurbed dells laptops, desktops and workstations. I've never seen better than revision 6 on anything lol. And 200 bucks for that amount of memory. If it works out pass along the contact. I'd buy that in a heartbeat.


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## frigider (Mar 22, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> A29....bs lol. I've bought so many refurbed dells laptops, desktops and workstations. I've never seen better than revision 6 on anything lol.


all's well if it ends OK  
lucky me?


frankr2994 said:


> And 200 bucks for that amount of memory. If it works out pass along the contact. I'd buy that in a heartbeat.


the guy is from Romania and i found the add on a online sale platform, don't know if he ships to the US but i can ask.
i must confess i am thinking about going 256 just for the LULZ, i will keep you posted.
i should receive it in1-2 days. Fingers crossed.


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## lexluthermiester (Mar 23, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> A29....bs lol. I've bought so many refurbed dells laptops, desktops and workstations. I've never seen better than revision 6 on anything lol.


It happens. There was one Vostro model that had 47 revisions before it was retired.


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## frankr2994 (Mar 23, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> It happens. There was one Vostro model that had 47 revisions before it was retired.


47 wow lol. And no I get there are usually alot of revisions. What always amazed me is that it seems that no IT department anywhere managing any of the PCs I've later purchased ever updated the bios. I've gotten a number of machines on revision 2 which is probably what it shipped out with.


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## ThaiTaffy (Mar 23, 2022)

So I haven't made the purchase yet hence why I'm posting here rather than"what's your latest purchase" thread I'm looking at possibly grabbing another dell r210ii in the future for testing purposes, the bare bones units just with a motherboard and PSU only got for about £30 then they fill them full of crap and bloat the price out. Anyway I've been looking at retiring my e3 1220v3 from my router/smart home server and buying a 1260l. A big Chinese store sells them for around £16 but they have others which seem to be the same variant going for £30, can anyone sway me to which one I should grab? The listings seem identical and make no mention of testing or any other reason why the difference in price.

Edit: I'm a cheapskate the £16 one is dead in my sights but I have this nagging question why the other is almost double the price.


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## frigider (Mar 23, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> I've gotten a number of machines on revision 2 which is probably what it shipped out with.


haha well look at the bright side: 2 is greater than 1 or even 0? (as i can imagine a "rev_0" may exist)
some refurb stores bragg about cleaning and configuring/updating them before you buy them, my store didn't update it fully as you could see 

i have asked them "does it handle V4s?"and they replyed "yes it does!"(not sure they knew about the BIOS revision requirement or if they just wanted to sell it so bad that they lied.


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## frigider (Mar 24, 2022)

Update: seems like miracles do happen sometimes:




*It shows 2133 cause I have 2x V3s 
Hopefully next week will get 2 x v4s


I asked the guy that buys stuff for me from USA if he can do it in reverse and he said he can't.



frankr2994 said:


> And 200 bucks for that amount of memory. If it works out pass along the contact. I'd buy that in a heartbeat.


if you want i can put you in contact with the guy i bought them from and you can see if there's a way for him to send them to you. DHL? or something. Or regular post? (i once sent a watch back to Ukraine via regular post office)
there will be customs taxes and who knows what other taxes so i cannot give you any advice on that. And it will probably take 1 month or more? (our post really sucks)

now i am "stuck with" 4x8 Micron 1rx8 2133P DDR 4 which i will most likely try and sell locally at a "below average" price so it will go fast (i hope - cause i have some xeons that nobody wants apparently for ridiculous prices  )


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## frankr2994 (Mar 24, 2022)

Lol. I say that but I'd have to have someone lined up to need it. I don't "need" it lol. I have 32gb in my machine that suites me well and I have 16gb in my kids which so far in gaming I haven't seen a reason for more. Last workstation I put together I used 32gb for video editing but the software the guy had couldn't hardly use the cpu/GPU let alone that ram.  Fyi the more ecc ram you have the longer it takes to do it's preboot checks. My son's 5810 takes much less time to boot on 16gb than mine does with 32.


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## frigider (Mar 24, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> Fyi the more ecc ram you have the longer it takes to do it's preboot checks.


didn't know about this. but i can deal with that.  small price to pay i guess.

* update, mixing up some stuff 
when having 4x dimms mem ran at dual channel - imagine how sad i was.

then i said "why not mix some dimms up?" 
so i added to my 4x 2rx4 DDR4 2400 some older 4x 1rx8 DDR4 2133 from Micron

ran a quick ram bench and results were slightly better , memory ran in quad   at least that what CPU-Z is showing so now i got 144 Gb running at 2133.





bench with just 4 x 32 ddr 4 2400:




and bench with mixed 4x 1rx8 and 4x 2rx4


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## JHAKK (Apr 1, 2022)

Newb here!
T5810, 1650v4, 256GB ECC ram, RTX 3080 FE, 685w psu.
Looking to upgrade PSU to 1300w/825w in Canada.
Anyone have any for sale? 
Cheers!


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## frigider (Apr 1, 2022)

JHAKK said:


> Newb here!
> T5810, 1650v4, 256GB ECC ram, RTX 3080 FE, 685w psu.
> Looking to upgrade PSU to 1300w/825w in Canada.
> Anyone have any for sale?
> Cheers!


i get my goodies from Ebay (USA)   but i was surprised to find better prices in my poor country sales websites so why not search locally too  

may the best price win!
*and may the spare part work as well


----------



## JHAKK (Apr 1, 2022)

Many USA sellers don't ship to Canada unfortunately...


----------



## frigider (Apr 1, 2022)

JHAKK said:


> Many USA sellers don't ship to Canada unfortunately...


damn, i would not have imagined this. 
being neighbours and all.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Apr 1, 2022)

JHAKK said:


> Many USA sellers don't ship to Canada unfortunately...


The cheapest I found on Ebay.ca was about $200 shipped...and this is one of the rare instances where Amazon beats Ebay on this type of thing...they have a listing for $170 shipped.





						H825EF-02 825w Server PSU for DELL T7910 T5810 T7810 T7610 0FT7T6 : Amazon.ca: Electronics
					

H825EF-02 825w Server PSU for DELL T7910 T5810 T7810 T7610 0FT7T6 : Amazon.ca: Electronics



					www.amazon.ca
				




EDIT - Here's a cheaper one, should be around $150 shipped - https://www.ebay.ca/itm/175068299791?hash=item28c2e2420f:g:LJQAAOSw9eZhu7KE&LH_BIN=1

I thought I found an even cheaper one, but I don't think it's the same exact model and won't work, so that Amazon was the best I found.  But you can research it if you want, it does look the same so maybe it will work.








						Dell H255ES-00 0YH9D7 255-Watt Power Supply for Optiplex 3020/7020/9020  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dell H255ES-00 0YH9D7 255-Watt Power Supply for Optiplex 3020/7020/9020 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.ca


----------



## JHAKK (Apr 1, 2022)

Yes crazy I know right! @frigider...

Thank you! @Aaron_Henderson!


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 1, 2022)

JHAKK said:


> Newb here!


Welcome to TPU and the thread!

Looks like they got you sort out with a good PSU. 

Don't be a stranger, if you need more help or tips, feel free to chime in!


----------



## JHAKK (Apr 1, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Welcome to TPU and the thread!
> 
> Looks like they got you sort out with a good PSU.
> 
> Don't be a stranger, if you need more help or tips, feel free to chime in!


Will do! Thank you!


----------



## frankr2994 (Apr 1, 2022)

Is there a different psu breakout board that's needed for the larger supplies? I haven't looked into the 825 or 1300 watt supplies to know and those are typically for 7000 series dells.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 1, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> Is there a different psu breakout board that's needed for the larger supplies? I haven't looked into the 825 or 1300 watt supplies to know and those are typically for 7000 series dells.


That's a good question. Never noticed a difference on the ones I've worked on, but that doesn't mean there isn't one. However, those PSUs are designed to be easily swapped and upgraded, so it stands to reason that they're universal within that PSU/System product range.


----------



## frankr2994 (Apr 1, 2022)

Well from what I've heard it usually works just fine swapping around. What I don't know is if you are actually benefiting from the extra power. I don't know how the breakout boards pull from the different rails. And ive seen on the 7000 series boards that they have multiple 6 or 8 pin vga sockets vs the 1 8 pin on my 5810 board.


----------



## JHAKK (Apr 1, 2022)

It may only matter when trying to power 2 cpu’s and or more than one power hungry gpu?
I made an adapter to pull power from 10pin cpu2 header to pcie 6/8pin.



JHAKK said:


> It may only matter when trying to power 2 cpu’s and or more than one power hungry gpu?
> I made an adapter to pull power from 10pin cpu2 header to pcie 6/8pin.





			Google Image Result for https://www.dell.com/community/image/serverpage/image-id/115425i40AE0F81BDD6EFDB?v=v2


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 1, 2022)

JHAKK said:


> It may only matter when trying to power 2 cpu’s and or more than one power hungry gpu?
> I made an adapter to pull power from 10pin cpu2 header to pcie 6/8pin.
> 
> 
> ...


With the parts you're running, that 685W PSU will do the job, but the 825W would be better. The 1300W unit would be a waste unless you run dual GPU's.


----------



## JHAKK (Apr 2, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> With the parts you're running, that 685W PSU will do the job, but the 825W would be better. The 1300W unit would be a waste unless you run dual GPU's.


I will be running 2 gpus yes correct.



frankr2994 said:


> Is there a different psu breakout board that's needed for the larger supplies? I haven't looked into the 825 or 1300 watt supplies to know and those are typically for 7000 series dells.


T5810 breakout is fine apparently but T3610 or similar will not suffice...



lexluthermiester said:


> That's a good question. Never noticed a difference on the ones I've worked on, but that doesn't mean there isn't one. However, those PSUs are designed to be easily swapped and upgraded, so it stands to reason that they're universal within that PSU/System product range.








						Precision T5810 PSU problems
					

Hello, I have a Precision T5810 that has a flashing orange led 2 - 2. It should be a problem with the power supply and by pressing the BIST button, the fan spins and stops. There should be the led under the rear transparent handle, but nothing turns on. I'm looking for a replacement power supply...




					www.dell.com
				












						Power supply options for the t5810
					

I'm jumping headlong into the new Nvidia RTX 30xx series of cards! I have a Dell t5810 with the 685W power supply now. I'll need to upgrade to the 825W power supply for the new Nvidia power-hungry beasts of beauty.   I have two questions about upgrading the power supply. I've seen a few postings...




					www.dell.com


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 2, 2022)

JHAKK said:


> I will be running 2 gpus yes correct.


Ah, ok. Then yes, you want the 1300W PSU.


----------



## frankr2994 (Apr 2, 2022)

I know this doesn't apply to the current discussion of 2 large GPUs in a system but I'm sorta against splitters. When I put a 1070 in my boys and my own 5810 I bought this cable https://www.ebay.com/itm/1325459363..._NmxXFMQVO&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

It's 8 pin to 8 pin. At some point I'd like to get a pack of mini fit connectors and a decent crimper so I can start making my own cables.


----------



## JHAKK (Apr 2, 2022)

Splitters are being widely used by the mining community and should be safe so long as the wire gauge is within spec and wattage doesn’t exceed spec as well. The cable you linked should handle up to 150w. A pcie slot can do up to 75w as well. YMMV but cable should be ok.


----------



## frankr2994 (Apr 2, 2022)

This isn't a clear answer but someone has done some pinouts it seems. Talks about 685 and 1300 watt psu and distribution boards and how the power rails are used. https://www.dell.com/community/Prec...ns/T7810-with-1300W-power-supply/td-p/7761075


----------



## JHAKK (Apr 3, 2022)

More info









						Replacement parts finder for a particular model
					

How to find replacement parts for a workstation (in this case Precision T5810) ? Official Dell parts finder returns only items like disks, memory or expansion cars, but I cannot find PSU units, cables, etc. For example all PSU units that I found (either new or used) seem compatible, but each has...




					www.dell.com


----------



## Susquehannock (Apr 9, 2022)

JHAKK said:


> Splitters are being widely used by the mining community and should be safe so long as the wire gauge is within spec and wattage doesn’t exceed spec as well. The cable you linked should handle up to 150w. A pcie slot can do up to 75w as well. YMMV but cable should be ok.


Indeed. It's when people try to power their GPU with a 4-pin molex to PCIe adapter is where magic smoke happens. Cannot expect to supply all that juice through a single wire of that size.

Splitter in the link should be able to actually handle a lot more than 150w depending on gauge of the wires, and what is provided by the PSU. That 150w spec is a requirement not a limit. Nothing about PCIe connectors themselves regulate power.


----------



## JHAKK (Apr 10, 2022)

Update: 1300w psu arrived and does work in t5810.
I purchased the 0T31JM model to be precise.
It powers main gpu via pcie and secondary gpu via custom made cable(cpu2) as noted in previous posts.
Cheers!


----------



## frankr2994 (Apr 10, 2022)

@JHAKK Awesome. What did you do to make the custom cable? Just buy another cpu and GPU cable to steal the connectors and re-pin? That 10 pin eps connector is not the most common out there.


----------



## JHAKK (Apr 11, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> @JHAKK Awesome. What did you do to make the custom cable? Just buy another cpu and GPU cable to steal the connectors and re-pin? That 10 pin eps connector is not the most common out there.


Went to local computer store and asked for a dead atx psu-they had several and I got it free.
Then used tin snips to cut wires and connector plastic motherboard end, leaving first 10pins of connector intact.
Used posted diagram to then splice in a purchased 6pin to dual 8pin pcie cable.
Voilà!


----------



## frankr2994 (Apr 11, 2022)

@JHAKK
Got a pic of your rig with 2 GPUs shoved in it? Guessing you had to drill the card hold down bracket off the cover


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Apr 11, 2022)

JHAKK said:


> Went to local computer store and asked for a dead atx psu-they had several and I got it free.
> Then used tin snips to cut wires and connector plastic motherboard end, leaving first 10pins of connector intact.
> Used posted diagram to then splice in a purchased 6pin to dual 8pin pcie cable.
> Voilà!


Sounds like you cut up the 24-pin to get the 10-pin?  Great idea! I'll have to start clipping the connectors off of dead PSU that come my way.  I would also love to see some photos of the build, and any "custom" bits you have done to make it work so far.


----------



## JHAKK (Apr 11, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> @JHAKK
> Got a pic of your rig with 2 GPUs shoved in it? Guessing you had to drill the card hold down bracket off the cover


I used a riser and 2nd card is outside case on top of it.
Let me tell you it is function over fashion! =)
Super FUGLY!!! lol



Aaron_Henderson said:


> Sounds like you cut up the 24-pin to get the 10-pin?  Great idea! I'll have to start clipping the connectors off of dead PSU that come my way.  I would also love to see some photos of the build, and any "custom" bits you have done to make it work so far.


Correct yes. Starting from left of ATX cable, counted 5pins(2 rows of 5) = 10pins total) to right and cut.
This matches the pattern perfectly which the Dell CPU_2 connector is expecting, if that makes sense.
I will post some pic's when I can.
Basically only 3 positive and 5 GND wires need to be active as pin 9 and pin 10 on CPU_2 side are empty.
Cheers.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Apr 11, 2022)

Makes total sense, I had already looked at the connectors and, well...made the connection lol


----------



## JHAKK (Apr 11, 2022)

LOL


----------



## frigider (Apr 12, 2022)

JHAKK said:


> I used a riser and 2nd card is outside case on top of it.
> Let me tell you it is function over fashion! =)
> Super FUGLY!!! lol


I would really like to see it.
maybe have it as a desktop wallpaper.

the WORD is FUNCTION


----------



## mouks (Apr 14, 2022)

Hi everyone,

I have a RAM issue on my T3500. I think it may be a CPU problem but I wonder what you guys think. I got the workstation for almost nothing 2 years ago, it came with a weak W3503 CPU and 4x1GB of RAM. I upgraded the system with a W3690, an SSD, 3x4GB of 1333 ECC RAM and an RX570 GPU. 

Since I've done the upgrade, my BIOS ask me to press F1 to continue each time I reboot due to an error in DIMM slot 3. Windows task manager shows 12GB of RAM but only 8GB usable. I tried to re-seat the ram ( which was brand new ) several times without success. I also tried to put a set of 3x1GB that I had laying around and it still shows an error in slot 3. If I understand correctly, the memory controller on these systems is located on the CPU, so I guess it may be the culprit as I had no RAM issue before switching it.

I'm using the system like this for 2 years because it works not bad at all and I didn't want to spend too much time troubleshooting this problem. It is actually super stable and works well for its intended purpose ( media center for my TV with some occasional gaming ). But I just found a great deal for an RTX3060 and I'm thinking of buying it to play more recent games, so I'd like to add more RAM as well or at least being able to use the whole 12GB installed. A used W3690 CPU is almost the same price as another 12GB kit of RAM, I still have 3 empty slots. What is the best thing to do in your opinion? Thanks in advance for your help.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Apr 14, 2022)

mouks said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I have a RAM issue on my T3500. I think it may be a CPU problem but I wonder what you guys think. I got the workstation for almost nothing 2 years ago, it came with a weak W3503 CPU and 4x1GB of RAM. I upgraded the system with a W3690, an SSD, 3x4GB of 1333 ECC RAM and an RX570 GPU.
> 
> ...


It's very likely the CPU just needs to be reseated...but cleaning the CPU socket with a very soft brush and some isopropyl alchohol and also the RAM slots would be a good idea.  I bet it all RAM slots work again after a reseat and some cleaning.  I've never actually personally seen a CPU damaged in a way that knocks out a single RAM slot.


----------



## mouks (Apr 14, 2022)

Aaron_Henderson said:


> It's very likely the CPU just needs to be reseated...but cleaning the CPU socket with a very soft brush and some isopropyl alchohol and also the RAM slots would be a good idea.  I bet it all RAM slots work again after a reseat and some cleaning.  I've never actually personally seen a CPU damaged in a way that knocks out a single RAM slot.


When I installed it, I cleaned the CPU with isopropyl alcohol but not the motherboard. I will try to do that and re-seat the CPU, thanks for the suggestion.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Apr 14, 2022)

mouks said:


> When I installed it, I cleaned the CPU with isopropyl alcohol but not the motherboard. I will try to do that and re-seat the CPU, thanks for the suggestion.


Don't forget those RAM slots too, long+soft brush and alcohol.  Let us know how it goes and we can push further if that doesn't fix it for you.  Try to reseat a few times if it doesn't work the first time.  These motherboards are getting pretty old now, and the metal of the pins isn't what it used to be.


----------



## mouks (Apr 14, 2022)

Thanks for your help Aaron, much appreciated! I should be able to do that tomorrow, I'll keep you updated.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 14, 2022)

mouks said:


> Since I've done the upgrade, my BIOS ask me to press F1 to continue each time I reboot due to an error in DIMM slot 3. Windows task manager shows 12GB of RAM but only 8GB usable. I tried to re-seat the ram ( which was brand new ) several times without success. I also tried to put a set of 3x1GB that I had laying around and it still shows an error in slot 3. If I understand correctly, the memory controller on these systems is located on the CPU, so I guess it may be the culprit as I had no RAM issue before switching it.


Did you try using the other slot sets? As long are all DIMMs are on the same channel you can use either set of slots.

If you can, take a photo of the socket with the CPU taken out and the CPU clamp open.

BTW, Welcome to TPU!


----------



## mouks (Apr 14, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Did you try using the other slot sets? As long are all DIMMs are on the same channel you can use either set of slots.
> 
> If you can, take a photo of the socket with the CPU taken out and the CPU clamp open.
> 
> BTW, Welcome to TPU!


I thought about doing that but the Dell documentation showed only a single configuration for 3x4GB in the slots 1,2 and 3. So I didn't try by fear of damaging something but I should have asked here at the time. I will take pics, thanks for your help and the warm welcome!


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 14, 2022)

mouks said:


> I thought about doing that but the Dell documentation showed only a single configuration for 3x4GB in the slots 1,2 and 3.


That just the recommended configuration, it'll still work in the other slots just fine.


mouks said:


> So I didn't try by fear of damaging something but I should have asked here at the time.


Fear not, you'll be fine. Give it a try and see if the problem persists. If it does, then you might have a socket/CPU problem. If the problem goes away, you might have a bad/damaged slot.


mouks said:


> thanks for your help and the warm welcome!


You're welcome!


----------



## mouks (Apr 14, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> That just the recommended configuration, it'll still work in the other slots just fine.
> 
> Fear not, you'll be fine. Give it a try and see if the problem persists. If it does, then you might have a socket/CPU problem. If the problem goes away, you might have a bad/damaged slot.
> 
> You're welcome!


I hope it's not a motherboard failure, but there was no issue with the old CPU. I think I will first try to move the sticks in the 3 other slots now that I know it's safe. Then if it works, that would point in the direction of a defective / dirty RAM slot and if it doesn't, I would have to look at the CPU / motherboard if I'm not mistaken.


----------



## frigider (Apr 14, 2022)

mouks said:


> I hope it's not a motherboard failure, but there was no issue with the old CPU. I think I will first try to move the sticks in the 3 other slots now that I know it's safe. Then if it works, that would point in the direction of a defective / dirty RAM slot and if it doesn't, I would have to look at the CPU / motherboard if I'm not mistaken.


recommendations aside (as to 1-2-3 ram slots) there is a lot of misinformation going on in the user manuals.
such as "do not combine single rank with dual rank" or T7810 does not support 32Gb sticks.

i really don't get how these manuals are made.
or why arn't they updated.

if there is no risk of ruining something - give it a go.

(had a legion laptop - specs said max 16Gb ram, but i went with 24 - and read  it could go to 32)


----------



## 80-watt Hamster (Apr 14, 2022)

frigider said:


> i really don't get how these manuals are made.
> or why arn't they updated.



Updates don't happen in a product segment that moves as fast as computing because by the time a revised version of the documentation is ready, existing users have already figured out what they need to, and new users are more-or-less nonexistent.  Or the product has been discontinued entirely.  What's the production life of a "tech" product these days; 18 months?  12?  Less?


----------



## mouks (Apr 17, 2022)

Little update about my RAM problem. I moved the sticks to the slots 4,5 and 6 and I got 5 bips from the MB with the "1" lit on the front panel and no output. According to the manual, this means no RAM is detected. I will try to clean them more tomorrow but it looks like I will have to remove the CPU as well. For now I've put back the sticks in the 1,2,3 slots and I still have the same problem (12GB detected but 8GB usable)


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Apr 17, 2022)

mouks said:


> Little update about my RAM problem. I moved the sticks to the slots 4,5 and 6 and I got 5 bips from the MB with the "1" lit on the front panel and no output. According to the manual, this means no RAM is detected. I will try to clean them more tomorrow but it looks like I will have to remove the CPU as well. For now I've put back the sticks in the 1,2,3 slots and I still have the same problem (12GB detected but 8GB usable)


Fingers crossed, but the CPU socket is generally the cause of RAM slot issues, in my experience, so I think that'll fix it.  It is kind of a pain to remove and remount the cooler, but it sounds like the next logical step.  Make sure to clean the CPU pads real well too.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 18, 2022)

mouks said:


> Little update about my RAM problem. I moved the sticks to the slots 4,5 and 6 and I got 5 bips from the MB with the "1" lit on the front panel and no output. According to the manual, this means no RAM is detected. I will try to clean them more tomorrow but it looks like I will have to remove the CPU as well. For now I've put back the sticks in the 1,2,3 slots and I still have the same problem (12GB detected but 8GB usable)





Aaron_Henderson said:


> Fingers crossed, but the CPU socket is generally the cause of RAM slot issues, in my experience, so I think that'll fix it.  It is kind of a pain to remove and remount the cooler, but it sounds like the next logical step.  Make sure to clean the CPU pads real well too.


Yeah, that sounds like a socket problem to me as well. Hopefully it just needs to be cleaned. Worst case scenario, take the RAM out of the slot having the issue and just run the system in dual channel mode, which it will do.


----------



## frigider (Apr 18, 2022)

guys this might sound useless but any idea on why does the CPU bench differ by so much?

First bench 11800 score




Second 10800 score. On the same PC.




i remember obtaining a high score on a Z440 and i could not obtain it again, it was always lowere and i blamed myself for ruining some BISO setting but now i did not change anything and scores are different.

Which annoys me.
A lot. 

thinking of upgrading from storage hdd to ssd , not sure if to go for PICe ssd - the speed i heard is much faster for NVMe ones but is it usable?
will the T7810 boot from PCIe mounted NVMe drive?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 18, 2022)

frigider said:


> guys this might sound useless but any idea on why does the CPU bench differ by so much?
> 
> First bench 11800 score
> View attachment 243990
> ...


This might be background tasks running & interfering with the benchmark runs. You might want to look at whats running and see if you can lean it out.


----------



## frigider (Apr 18, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> This might be background tasks running & interfering with the benchmark runs. You might want to look at whats running and see if you can lean it out.


Well it always runs the same things.
It's quite some difference 1000 points.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Apr 18, 2022)

frigider said:


> Well it always runs the same things.
> It's quite some difference 1000 points.


If you put the CPU to stock settings, and run the bench twice in a row...does it do the same thing?


----------



## frigider (Apr 18, 2022)

Aaron_Henderson said:


> If you put the CPU to stock settings, and run the bench twice in a row...does it do the same thing?


well i didn't do anything, just installed them and that's it.
what do you mean by stock settings? (as in reset BIOS settings to default?)

i am a bit tired of this so it does not affect me so much, i am just curious how the same test on the same system yields 2 different results LOL


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Apr 18, 2022)

frigider said:


> well i didn't do anything, just installed them and that's it.
> what do you mean by stock settings? (as in reset BIOS settings to default?)
> 
> i am a bit tired of this so it does not affect me so much, i am just curious how the same test on the same system yields 2 different results LOL


Oh, sorry, I didn't realize it was stock already.  That is curious, then.  Probably related to turbo and heat, but not too familiar with any CPU past 1366.  If you wait several minutes between runs, does the score go back up?  Or did you only get that score once, and can't get it anymore?  No worries though if you're not worried lol


----------



## mouks (Apr 18, 2022)

What kind of brush do you use to clean socket pins? Would a paint brush do the trick?


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Apr 18, 2022)

mouks said:


> What kind of brush do you use to clean socket pins? Would a paint brush do the trick?


Just make sure the bristles are soft and aren't gonna come loose and get lodged in the socket...if you're scared, you can try spraying it down real good with isopropyl alchohol and then using some compressed air to blow it out...but it won't work as well as with a brush.  I use make up brushes if I am honest lol  But any brush will do, just take care not to bend any pins.  Just soak it down in alcohol, then brush it around gently with the brush, dry it out completely (won't take long if you use 90+% alcohol), and give it another light brush to clear any remaining dust particles.  While you are in there, take a few photos of the socket so we can make sure there aren't any obviously bent / deformed pins or anything else obvious.  When you have your CPU out, could always take a pic of the pad side as well.


----------



## mouks (Apr 18, 2022)

I cleaned everything as much as I could but there is a tiny fiber or hair stuck in the socket. I didn't see it until I took a pic. I don't have any compressed air, so I will get some tomorrow. I tried to get it out with my brush but it doesn't move at all.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Apr 18, 2022)

mouks said:


> I cleaned everything as much as I could but there is a tiny fiber or hair stuck in the socket. I didn't see it until I took a pic. I don't have any compressed air, so I will get some tomorrow. I tried to get it out with my brush but it doesn't move at all.


Have you tried reassembling as is?  That stray fiber might not interfere, but it certainly might, it's hard to tell from the pic.  If it doesn't budge, you may have to, VERY carefully, nudge it with the head of a needle.  If you can't get compressed air right away, just reinstall the CPU without cooler or paste, turn PC on its side, and just set the cooler on the CPU so you can boot up and verify your RAM slots are working again without overheating the CPU or having to repaste / remount it until it's working...if that makes sense.


----------



## mouks (Apr 18, 2022)

Aaron_Henderson said:


> Have you tried reassembling as is?  That stray fiber might not interfere, but it certainly might, it's hard to tell from the pic.  If it doesn't budge, you may have to, VERY carefully, nudge it with the head of a needle.  If you can't get compressed air right away, just reinstall the CPU without cooler or paste, turn PC on its side, and just set the cooler on the CPU so you can boot up and verify your RAM slots are working again without overheating the CPU or having to repaste / remount it until it's working...if that makes sense.


I tried with a bit of thin guitar string ( closest thing to a needle I found ) and also by approaching my vacuum cleaner as much as possible. That was quite sketchy and didn't work. I will try with compressed air tomorrow and if it doesn't go away, then I'll reassemble it as is. I think I will also buy a 80mm fan to mount on the heatsink while it's out


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 18, 2022)

mouks said:


> I tried to get it out with my brush but it doesn't move at all.


Toothbrush. Use an old toothbrush and gently work it out.


----------



## Aaron_Henderson (Apr 18, 2022)

mouks said:


> I tried with a bit of thin guitar string ( closest thing to a needle I found ) and also by approaching my vacuum cleaner as much as possible. That was quite sketchy and didn't work. I will try with compressed air tomorrow and if it doesn't go away, then I'll reassemble it as is. I think I will also buy a 80mm fan to mount on the heatsink while it's out


Will a 90mm fan fit?  And yeah, be super careful in that socket, especially going in there with things like a guitar string! One wrong move and you could be fubar'd.  If you aren't confident, best to wait until you are, or just try running it again as is.  Also...you shouldn't vacuum your PC hardware...unless it's with a "data vac" or whatever.  Something about ions blah blah something something...can't remember lol


----------



## frigider (Apr 19, 2022)

Aaron_Henderson said:


> If you wait several minutes between runs, does the score go back up? Or did you only get that score once, and can't get it anymore?


ran the bench again after boot, via teamviewer from the mobile phone - score was 12400  
ran it again, 12300
so i guess it comes down with every test.

i will run it again using Remote Desktop Connection - where highest was 11800.

kind of weird for the value to change based on how i am using the pc - mobile Team Viewer vs Remote Desktop from anoter pc.


----------



## JHAKK (Apr 19, 2022)

frigider said:


> ran the bench again after boot, via teamviewer from the mobile phone - score was 12400
> ran it again, 12300
> so i guess it comes down with every test.
> 
> ...


could be heat/throttling?
do a fresh reboot and let it idle for a few mins...also kill all un-needed things from msconfig--startup...
good luck!


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## frigider (Apr 19, 2022)

JHAKK said:


> could be heat/throttling?
> do a fresh reboot and let it idle for a few mins...also kill all un-needed things from msconfig--startup...
> good luck!


It could the heat since first test was high score, second was lower.
Startup is taken care of 

I will fiddle with it a bit out of curiosity keeping an eye on the temperature.

What is throttling?

All benches regardless of score (high or low) showed the 2.9GHz frequency for all cores.

*My bad: cores have different clock speeds - quite weird.*

Is this ok?


And what s with that vulnerability?
nevermind that, i don't care about it.
or should i? (online payments and stuff?)

Some cores run at 1100 while others at 3300.


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## frigider (Apr 20, 2022)

Should i be worried that the cores are not running at the same speeds?


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## lexluthermiester (Apr 20, 2022)

frigider said:


> Should i be worried that the cores are not running at the same speeds?


No. They do that by design when at stock settings.


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## frigider (Apr 21, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> No. They do that by design when at stock settings.


glad i got that off my chest  
never observed this before - i could swear that the speeds were always the same for all. 
but then again if i missed this once i could have missed it more in the past.


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## lexluthermiester (Apr 21, 2022)

frigider said:


> glad i got that off my chest
> never observed this before - i could swear that the speeds were always the same for all.
> but then again if i missed this once i could have missed it more in the past.


The reason for it is power savings. Modern CPU's will dynamically adjust/drop their speeds/voltage to meet load demand. When the CPU is barely being used, there's no need to run it at full speed and voltage.


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## frigider (Apr 21, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> The reason for it is power savings. Modern CPU's will dynamically adjust/drop their speeds/voltage to meet load demand. When the CPU is barely being used, there's no need to run it at full speed and voltage.


Yeah but that was during benchmarking.
When it goes ALL OUT / full retard. 
The only time I see both at 100%.
As I "work" I max them out at 75%.


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## mouks (Apr 21, 2022)

Thanks all for your tips! I was quite busy and just reassembled everything. It seems like the problem is at least partially resolved. At first boot, I saw a notice saying that the amount of RAM has changed. The task manager now detects 12GB but 11GB usable. I now longer have a DIMM slot error when I turn the system on. Could the 1GB "missing" be somehow software reserved for some reason?


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## lexluthermiester (Apr 22, 2022)

mouks said:


> Could the 1GB "missing" be somehow software reserved for some reason?


It shouldn't be a whole 1GB, but yeah, that's normal. There is always some amount of system RAM reserved for shadowing system resources like the BIOS and VBIOS.


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## mouks (Apr 22, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> It shouldn't be a whole 1GB, but yeah, that's normal. There is always some amount of system RAM reserved for shadowing system resources like the BIOS and VBIOS.



That's great to hear. Thanks again guys for having identified the issue! It looks like a common problem on these workstation, someone was selling 3 of these on a local auction website and they all had RAM issues. They sold for super cheap, one as low as 10 bucks and they had W3680 and W3690 CPUs. I almost regret not buying them but it would have been a 5 hours trip and gas is not cheap right now.

I received my RTX3060 but I'm realizing I may have made a mistake. I was assuming it has the same power requirement than my old GPU looking at the spec sheets, but it turns out that the RX570 has a 150W TDP and the RTX3060 has a 170W TDP. I have the stock 500W Dell PSU so it can only provide 150W to the GPU through the PCIe slot and 6pin connector. I saw some Youtube videos of people undervolting it without losing performance, but I don't know if it's safe to even turn on the system with a GPU needing more power than available. Should I sell it and get a RX6600 with 132W TDP instead ?


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## Aaron_Henderson (Apr 22, 2022)

mouks said:


> That's great to hear. Thanks again guys for having identified the issue! It looks like a common problem on these workstation, someone was selling 3 of these on a local auction website and they all had RAM issues. They sold for super cheap, one as low as 10 bucks and they had W3680 and W3690 CPUs. I almost regret not buying them but it would have been a 5 hours trip and gas is not cheap right now.
> 
> I received my RTX3060 but I'm realizing I may have made a mistake. I was assuming it has the same power requirement than my old GPU looking at the spec sheets, but it turns out that the RX570 has a 150W TDP and the RTX3060 has a 170W TDP. I have the stock 500W Dell PSU so it can only provide 150W to the GPU through the PCIe slot and 6pin connector. I saw some Youtube videos of people undervolting it without losing performance, but I don't know if it's safe to even turn on the system with a GPU needing more power than available. Should I sell it and get a RX6600 with 132W TDP instead ?


You could just keep and undervolt / underclock it a bit to run at the 150W TDP.  I believe it's real easy from within the drivers, actually, and won't require much other than moving a slider (at least AMD it's that easy).  You'll probably get 90+% of it's performance still, I would guess.


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## mouks (Apr 22, 2022)

Aaron_Henderson said:


> You could just keep and undervolt / underclock it a bit to run at the 150W TDP.  I believe it's real easy from within the drivers, actually, and won't require much other than moving a slider (at least AMD it's that easy).  You'll probably get 90+% of it's performance still, I would guess.


You mean the Nvidia drivers? I saw a video where it only loses between 0 and 3% of performance with 50W less power using MSI afterburner


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## Aaron_Henderson (Apr 22, 2022)

mouks said:


> You mean the Nvidia drivers? I saw a video where it only loses between 0 and 3% of performance with 50W less power using MSI afterburner


I haven't used Nvidia GPU in quite awhile, but I know AMD has a slider for power usage in their driver settings.  I'd assume Nvidia would have something similar.  If not, MSI Afterburner would certainly work, just means extra software running which I am not a huge fan of doing if I can avoid it.  MSI Afterburner is really great software though and no reason not to use it!  It has great on-screen overlay features that are VERY helpful when first setting up overclocks/underclocks/overvolt/undervolt.  It will help you know what your computer is doing in real time when running games and stuff.

EDIT - let me too have a look at the power supply setup for your T3500...you might be able to add a connector to get more power as well, not sure, but worth a look.  At a quick glance, looks easy...what power connector(s) does your GPU have?  And do you have free molex or SATA power connectors?  525W should be plenty to run your setup at full speed (and maybe then some) as long as we get the power where it needs to be.


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## mouks (Apr 22, 2022)

Aaron_Henderson said:


> I haven't used Nvidia GPU in quite awhile, but I know AMD has a slider for power usage in their driver settings.  I'd assume Nvidia would have something similar.  If not, MSI Afterburner would certainly work, just means extra software running which I am not a huge fan of doing if I can avoid it.  MSI Afterburner is really great software though and no reason not to use it!  It has great on-screen overlay features that are VERY helpful when first setting up overclocks/underclocks/overvolt/undervolt.  It will help you know what your computer is doing in real time when running games and stuff.
> 
> EDIT - let me too have a look at the power supply setup for your T3500...you might be able to add a connector to get more power as well, not sure, but worth a look.  At a quick glance, looks easy...what power connector(s) does your GPU have?  And do you have free molex or SATA power connectors?  525W should be plenty to run your setup at full speed (and maybe then some) as long as we get the power where it needs to be.



Yes I discovered MSI afterburner a few weeks ago after wondering what people use in benchmark videos. I wasn't able to make Rivatuner work with my RX570 though. But I probably missed something, I will try again with the new GPU.

I have a 6pin connector with an 8pin adapter. I also have a free MOLEX but I was thinking about using it with a splitter adapter to add 2 fans at the back of the case and another on the CPU heatsink. I also have a free SATA connector and another I could disconnect from the CD drive. I'm thinking of removing the drive anyway and replace it with an USB3 front panel with PCIe card. ( I sold the RX570 a few days ago so I had to use the old Quadro to test the ram )


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## Aaron_Henderson (Apr 22, 2022)

EDIT - yeah, a "dual 6-pin PCIe to single 8-pin PCIe" and a "SATA to PCIe 6-pin"...that should work unless I am missing something.  It should be pretty obvious how to hook them up, but I can elaborate if you need, no worries.  Looks like you already have the dual 6-pin to single 8-pin!

So something like this is all you'd need - https://www.amazon.ca/Express-Graph...locphy=9001050&hvtargid=pla-961764887237&th=1

EDIT - there are also other ways of adding fans to your build without using the molex...there are adapters to use the motherboard fan headers out there somewhere, and they might even allow the motherboard to still monitor and change RPM...can't remember now.  I made my own and run my DeepCool Gammax CPU fan off of one header.


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## mouks (Apr 22, 2022)

Aaron_Henderson said:


> EDIT - yeah, a "dual 6-pin PCIe to single 8-pin PCIe" and a "SATA to PCIe 6-pin"...that should work unless I am missing something.  It should be pretty obvious how to hook them up, but I can elaborate if you need, no worries.  Looks like you already have the dual 6-pin to single 8-pin!
> 
> So something like this is all you'd need - https://www.amazon.ca/Express-Graph...locphy=9001050&hvtargid=pla-961764887237&th=1



Yes that would be perfect! I just saw that SATA power connectors can provide up to 54W so that would be plenty enough. I'm going to order one of these, thanks!


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## Aaron_Henderson (Apr 22, 2022)

mouks said:


> Yes that would be perfect! I just saw that SATA power connectors can provide up to 54W so that would be plenty enough. I'm going to order one of these, thanks!


No worries!  I added a bit about adding fans to your build in my last post, in case you miss it.

EDIT - something like this, for example, would work if you wanted to swap / add fans without using up you molex - https://www.moddiy.com/products/Del...Pin-PWM-Fan-Converter-Sleeved-Cable-20cm.html


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## lexluthermiester (Apr 22, 2022)

mouks said:


> I was assuming it has the same power requirement than my old GPU looking at the spec sheets, but it turns out that the RX570 has a 150W TDP and the RTX3060 has a 170W TDP. I have the stock 500W Dell PSU so it can only provide 150W to the GPU through the PCIe slot and 6pin connector. I saw some Youtube videos of people undervolting it without losing performance, but I don't know if it's safe to even turn on the system with a GPU needing more power than available.


20W difference in not significant. You will not kill your system/PSU. Keep your card, enjoy.


Aaron_Henderson said:


> So something like this is all you'd need - https://www.amazon.ca/Express-Graph...locphy=9001050&hvtargid=pla-961764887237&th=1


Yup, that should work.


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## mouks (Apr 23, 2022)

I think I found a way to add 3 ( or even more ) controllable fans. Using the Dell fan header to 4pin PWM adapter recommended by Aaron and something like this:

https://www.digitec.ch/en/s1/produc...8IvYksL_EN5XFtVHhMxoClbsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

It takes power from SATA and control input from 4pin PWM. What do you think?


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## Aaron_Henderson (Apr 23, 2022)

mouks said:


> I think I found a way to add 3 ( or even more ) controllable fans. Using the Dell fan header to 4pin PWM adapter recommended by Aaron and something like this:
> 
> https://www.digitec.ch/en/s1/produc...8IvYksL_EN5XFtVHhMxoClbsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
> 
> It takes power from SATA and control input from 4pin PWM. What do you think?


That should work!  I have something similar but it is some cheap chinesium proprietary thing that came with my ARGB fans and I could never get the motherboard PWM control (or ARGB) to work.  I do believe it's only because it's a cheap piece of junk (fans are actually really good though? lol), and I read reviews for it (the fans+controller) and it seemed no one was really able to get it work.  I'd have to put new connectors on all my fans to make them work with a non-proprietary controller.


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## mouks (Apr 23, 2022)

Aaron_Henderson said:


> That should work!  I have something similar but it is some cheap chinesium proprietary thing that came with my ARGB fans and I could never get the motherboard PWM control (or ARGB) to work.  I do believe it's only because it's a cheap piece of junk (fans are actually really good though? lol), and I read reviews for it (the fans+controller) and it seemed no one was really able to get it work.  I'd have to put new connectors on all my fans to make them work with a non-proprietary controller.


So this means the fans you added are running at a fixed speed?

While I'm at it, I'm thinking of getting rid of the stock fans which are noisy and take a lot of space. I have 2 spare BeQuiet 120mm fans lying around. So assuming it's not a good idea to connect fans with different size and specs to the same hub (please correct me if I'm wrong), here is my plan: 4x 80mm fans, 2 at the back of the case  and one each side of the heatsink connected to the spare fan header through a hub and Dell to 4pin PWM adapter. And 2x 120mm fans to replace the stock front ones connected to one of the front fan headers using another adapter. ( I hope that's understandable haha )

EDIT: As the Dell header to 4pin PMW adapters have dual outputs, I think I could also go for 3 adapters with 2 fans connected on each. Then it would allow independent control for front, back and CPU fans


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## Aaron_Henderson (Apr 23, 2022)

mouks said:


> So this means the fans you added are running at a fixed speed?
> 
> While I'm at it, I'm thinking of getting rid of the stock fans which are noisy and take a lot of space. I have 2 spare BeQuiet 120mm fans lying around. So assuming it's not a good idea to connect fans with different size and specs to the same hub (please correct me if I'm wrong), here is my plan: 4x 80mm fans, 2 at the back of the case  and one each side of the heatsink connected to the spare fan header through a hub and Dell to 4pin PWM adapter. And 2x 120mm fans to replace the stock front ones connected to one of the front fan headers using another adapter. ( I hope that's understandable haha )
> 
> EDIT: As the Dell header to 4pin PMW adapters have dual outputs, I think I could also go for 3 adapters with 2 fans connected on each. Then it would allow independent control for front, back and CPU fans



Yeah, my case fans are running at a fixed speed...just the CPU fan is using a motherboard fan header.  I did try to hook up my controller, but there was no documentation for it, and it's janky as heck...I had to hot glue all the connectors into it so they wouldn't fall out lol  I just got bored of messing with it and wanted to use my PC, if I am honest...and it's been awhile since I've done anything in there.  I am nearly positive what you linked would work in combination with the Dell 5-pin to 4-pin I linked...I wouldn't be too worried about trying it.  Get the fan controller first though though before going crazy ordering fans, just in case.  You really would be wise to replace all the fans...I imagine they are super loud.  Some aftermarket PWM fans will be night and day.  And I am not sure on mixing fans...I wouldn't recommend it, but if they are similar RPM, I bet they still work together.  Not sure what that will do to the controller long term...but the controller is cheap, and I doubt it would hurt the fans if you tried it.  Can you fit larger fans than 80mm?  The heatsink I was using on my T3500 motherboard, before I went aftermarket...I am pretty sure fit a 90mm pretty much perfectly.  But I didn't have to deal with the rest of a T3500 system full of shrouds and other stuff.  You really want to use the largest fan(s) you can fit in the space you have to work with.  I had to zip tie the fan directly to the heatsink.  Smaller fans are always going to be louder for the given amount of air they move, and thus cooling effectiveness.  And that stock T3500 heatsink struggles with 130W CPU, even with a fan upgrade.  Give me a bit and I'll take a better look at the stock cooling setup on the T3500 and see if there is anything I am missing, but it sounds like you have a solid plan and already know what's up lol


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## mouks (Apr 24, 2022)

Aaron_Henderson said:


> I just got bored of messing with it and wanted to use my PC, if I am honest...



Sounds like the same reason I was using mine with a RAM issue for 2 years haha

Thanks, you're right about the 92mm fan, there is just enough space. So I think I don't need the hub if I remove the front fans. They are connected to two different headers which, I assume, can be controlled independently. I could connect two 120mm front fans to one header, two 92mm heatsink fans to another and two 80mm back fans to the last one. So it looks like I only need to get 3 adapters with dual 4pin outputs.

Someone is selling 24GB of ram locally for 60 bucks, they are rated at 2000Mhz but the spec sheet says SPD speed 1333Mhz. Anyone knows if they may be compatible? 

https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categ...Memory-Kit/p/CMT12GX3M3A2000C9#tab-tech-specs


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## lexluthermiester (Apr 25, 2022)

mouks said:


> Sounds like the same reason I was using mine with a RAM issue for 2 years haha
> 
> Thanks, you're right about the 92mm fan, there is just enough space. So I think I don't need the hub if I remove the front fans. They are connected to two different headers which, I assume, can be controlled independently. I could connect two 120mm front fans to one header, two 92mm heatsink fans to another and two 80mm back fans to the last one. So it looks like I only need to get 3 adapters with dual 4pin outputs.
> 
> ...


Should be. It'll only run at 1333mhz, but it should work.


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## Susquehannock (Apr 27, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> 20W difference in not significant. You will not kill your system/PSU. Keep your card, enjoy.


Agreed. The 6-pin 75 watt limitation myth pervades. It is a requirement not a wall. No regulator on the connectors. Bet the Dell 500w can actually supply a lot more than that. The RX 480 running last five years using 6 to 8 pin adapter in my t3500 often pulls over 210w during heavy gaming.


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## Count von Schwalbe (Apr 27, 2022)

Susquehannock said:


> Agreed. The 6-pin 75 watt limitation myth pervades. It is a requirement not a wall. No regulator on the connectors. Bet the Dell 500w can actually supply a lot more than that. The RX 480 running last five years using 6 to 8 pin adapter in my t3500 often pulls over 210w during heavy gaming.


A quick search in the GPU database shows 4 separate base model (non-AIB) GPUs running on 1x 6-pin connector and over 150w TDP at stock sustained.


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## mouks (Apr 27, 2022)

Susquehannock said:


> Agreed. The 6-pin 75 watt limitation myth pervades. It is a requirement not a wall. No regulator on the connectors. Bet the Dell 500w can actually supply a lot more than that. The RX 480 running last five years using 6 to 8 pin adapter in my t3500 often pulls over 210w during heavy gaming.


Thanks, I didn't try the new card yet as I was waiting for the adapters and fans but I think I will give it a try tonight. Did you upgrade the CPU cooler on your T3500?


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## Aaron_Henderson (Apr 27, 2022)

Susquehannock said:


> Agreed. The 6-pin 75 watt limitation myth pervades. It is a requirement not a wall. No regulator on the connectors. Bet the Dell 500w can actually supply a lot more than that. The RX 480 running last five years using 6 to 8 pin adapter in my t3500 often pulls over 210w during heavy gaming.


Indeed, but you can still send too much pixies through a cable that only ever had to be rated for "75W" of power...and the results are not pretty.  I've burned through cables more than once.  And when it's easy to make an adapter, it's easy to make an adapter and be safe.  IMO, of course.  You can literally burn your house down if you have a cheap PSU with tiny wire and try sending even the rated 75W through it lol  Not all PSU are created equal and I don't suggest trying to overdraw outside of spec on random setups...you will kill something eventually, especially if you ever use "cheap" hardware.


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## lexluthermiester (Apr 28, 2022)

Susquehannock said:


> Bet the Dell 500w can actually supply a lot more than that.


True. The Dell 525w PSU can actually sustain 610W output, but it's not something you'd want to do long term.


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## mouks (Apr 29, 2022)

I tested the new GPU with a single 6 pin, nothing caught fire so far... I can already tell it made a huge improvement. I only played CS:GO but I got twice the FPS and it feels much more responsive. I can definitely feel a big difference even if I play on a TV with a 10 bucks wireless mouse and a keyboard found in the trash 
It is also way better for watching Youtube content! It was one of the reasons I wanted to change my card because at the end of  the day, it is what this computer is mostly used for. The RX570 didn't decode the Youtube format so my CPU was under heavy load and the case fans were super noisy. I watched some 4K 60fps videos for an hour with the RTX 3060, and the GPU fans didn't even turn on ( with open case ), the CPU usage was around 10% instead of 70% with the RX570 and the case fans were almost silent. So I'm really happy with that.


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## lexluthermiester (Apr 30, 2022)

mouks said:


> I tested the new GPU with a single 6 pin, nothing caught fire so far... I can already tell it made a huge improvement. I only played CS:GO but I got twice the FPS and it feels much more responsive. I can definitely feel a big difference even if I play on a TV with a 10 bucks wireless mouse and a keyboard found in the trash
> It is also way better for watching Youtube content! It was one of the reasons I wanted to change my card because at the end of  the day, it is what this computer is mostly used for. The RX570 didn't decode the Youtube format so my CPU was under heavy load and the case fans were super noisy. I played some 4K 60fps content for an hour with the RTX 3060, and the GPU fans didn't even turn on ( with open case ), the CPU usage was around 10% instead of 70% with the RX570 and the case fans were almost silent. So I'm really happy with that.


Nice! Your CPU usage dropping was not surprising, but by that much? Very interesting. I didn't realize CS:GO was that CPU dependent.


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## mouks (Apr 30, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> I didn't realize CS:GO was that CPU dependent.


You mean GPU dependent? I think the RAM working properly may also have helped. By the way I received the 24GB of ram, I'm going to try that now. The 10% CPU usage was only while watching 4k60 Youtube videos ( not sure if my previous message was clear after reading it again ) and I had a few other programs opened so it seems like the GPU is doing all the work


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## Aaron_Henderson (Apr 30, 2022)

I'm kind of surprised about such high GPU usage when playing 4k60 Youtube...I tested on my RX 580 quick and get 30-35% usage, same with CPU.  I don't pay much attention to these things though, honestly.  And my internet sucks so bad I wouldn't dream of streaming 4k60 anything...I am lucky to get unbuffered 720p lol


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## lexluthermiester (Apr 30, 2022)

mouks said:


> You mean GPU dependent?


No, I meant what I said. With a strong performing GPU CPU usage is low, with a weaker GPU, CPU usage is high. This indicates a balance but shows that if some code is not handled by the GPU is gets shifted to the CPU to run in software. Thus high CPU usage with your RX570 and very low CPU usage with your 3060ti. However...


mouks said:


> The 10% CPU usage was only while watching 4k60 Youtube videos ( not sure if my previous message was clear after reading it again ) and I had a few other programs opened so it seems like the GPU is doing all the work


...given this statement, the results seem unclear.



mouks said:


> By the way I received the 24GB of ram, I'm going to try that now.


Let us know how that goes for you.


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## mouks (Apr 30, 2022)

Aaron_Henderson said:


> I'm kind of surprised about such high GPU usage when playing 4k60 Youtube...I tested on my RX 580 quick and get 30-35% usage, same with CPU.  I don't pay much attention to these things though, honestly.  And my internet sucks so bad I wouldn't dream of streaming 4k60 anything...I am lucky to get unbuffered 720p lol


I tested after wondering why my fans were so noisy while watching vids, even with 4k30 the CPU was at 40%
You can see if your GPU is decoding the vids in the task manager if you're on Windows 10, there should be a "video decode" graph. You seem to have way better results than I had



lexluthermiester said:


> No, I meant what I said. With a strong performing GPU CPU usage is low, with a weaker GPU, CPU usage is high. This indicates a balance but shows that if some code is not handled by the GPU is gets shifted to the CPU to run in software. Thus high CPU usage with your RX570 and very low CPU usage with your 3060ti. However...
> 
> ...given this statement, the results seem unclear.
> 
> ...


Sorry for the confusion, I edited the post. I just checked the CPU usage on CS:GO, I get around 20-25% at 4k max settings. I will have better data if I manage to make the Afterburner overlays work


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## Aaron_Henderson (Apr 30, 2022)

mouks said:


> I tested after wondering why my fans were so noisy while watching vids, even with 4k30 the CPU was at 40%
> You can see if your GPU is decoding the vids in the task manager if you're on Windows 10, there should be a "video decode" graph. You seem to have way better results than I had


I can only guess because my RX 580 is more powerful than the RX 570, and since you say there isn't support for Youtube's encoder, or whatever (don't know much about streaming formats or anything), and maybe it's just "brute forcing" .  I also haven't used an Nvidia card in forever...GTX 780 was my most recent.  Have you done any benchmarking with your system to see if the platform is holding back your new GPU at all?  Actually...I still don't recommend benchmarking until you have your power cable(s) lol   That's just me though.  Also...have you considered any other mods or upgrades to your system?  I have been meaning to order PCIe SATA 3.0 and PCIe USB 3.0 cards...but have had more important things to spend on.  But that's another popular upgrade for these machines to "modernize" them a bit.  You can probably replace that stock CPU cooler eventually too, if you wanted to look into Throttlestop overclocking your machine at some point (super easy to do).  You should easily be able to run 4+GHz on all cores, but probably not with the stock CPU cooler.  The Deepcool Gammax I am using is probably too tall for your T3500 case, but it's easy to measure how much clearance you have.  You do have to remove the backplate from the motherboard to install an aftermarket cooler though, well...not always, but if you want to use the mounting hardware the aftermarket cooler will come with, you do.

EDIT - searching for T3500 related info brought me to one of my old posts on overclock.net that tells me I have been using my T3500 motherboard for over 5 years now, maybe longer.  It's been one of my best machines.  I bought the motherboard on Ebay for $60 CAN and built my entire PC around it.  It's also been the most "budget" main PC I've had.  I've had a few higher end computers, with custom watercooling, case mods, etc., and this is still my fav build for some reason.  Perhaps because it started from scraps and has been faithful ever since.

Here's an older pic of my rig with an AIO cooler, and Scythe Ultra Kaze 3000 as rad and CASE fans, and shortly after that, the fans on the 290x I had bit the dust, and I strapped three 93x38mm server fans to it lol  Also...I definitely had to mod this case to fit the motherboard, but if I can recall, all I did was drill out the rivets and removed the 5.25" bays, and cut the 3.5" bays way down to almost nothing.  Also, I believe that is an XFX 780i board from way back sitting beside it...pretty sure it had 8GB of those awesome 1066MHz Corsair Dominators in it, the ones with the tall heatsinks on them and blue sticker.


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## mouks (Apr 30, 2022)

Aaron_Henderson said:


> I can only guess because my RX 580 is more powerful than the RX 570, and since you say there isn't support for Youtube's encoder, or whatever (don't know much about streaming formats or anything), and maybe it's just "brute forcing" .  I also haven't used an Nvidia card in forever...GTX 780 was my most recent.  Have you done any benchmarking with your system to see if the platform is holding back your new GPU at all?  Actually...I still don't recommend benchmarking until you have your power cable(s) lol   That's just me though.  Also...have you considered any other mods or upgrades to your system?  I have been meaning to order PCIe SATA 3.0 and PCIe USB 3.0 cards...but have had more important things to spend on.  But that's another popular upgrade for these machines to "modernize" them a bit.  You can probably replace that stock CPU cooler eventually too, if you wanted to look into Throttlestop overclocking your machine at some point (super easy to do).  You should easily be able to run 4+GHz on all cores, but probably not with the stock CPU cooler.  The Deepcool Gammax I am using is probably too tall for your T3500 case, but it's easy to measure how much clearance you have.  You do have to remove the backplate from the motherboard to install an aftermarket cooler though, well...not always, but if you want to use the mounting hardware the aftermarket cooler will come with, you do.
> 
> EDIT - searching for T3500 related info brought me to one of my old posts on overclock.net that tells me I have been using my T3500 motherboard for over 5 years now, maybe longer.  It's been one of my best machines.  I bought the motherboard on Ebay for $60 CAN and built my entire PC around it.  It's also been the most "budget" main PC I've had.  I've had a few higher end computers, with custom watercooling, case mods, etc., and this is still my fav build for some reason.  Perhaps because it started from scraps and has been faithful ever since.


I didn't try any benchmark yet, my 6pin adapter should arrive on Monday with two 92mm fans for the heatsink, hopefully that will allow a bit of overclocking. According to this guy, the RTX3060 should be a good match for these CPUs without bottleneck ( from 8min30 )









I'm looking into adding PCI cards, I already bought a firewire one to use my old TC Electronic mixer and I definitely need to add an USB3 front panel, probably this one https://www.digitec.ch/en/s1/produc...b-20-usb-30-card-rea-5838421?supplier=4867603

I also need to add storage, I should have a PCI slot left to add a SATA3 or M.2 adapter card, I have to look into this.

Glad to know yours has been running well for so long, I'm really happy with mine as well despite the memory issue I had. It never crashed since I have it. I hope it will survive at least another decade, the RAM sticks I just bought still have warranty until 2044


----------



## lexluthermiester (Apr 30, 2022)

mouks said:


> I didn't try any benchmark yet, my 6pin adapter should arrive on Monday with two 92mm fans for the heatsink, hopefully that will allow a bit of overclocking. According to this guy, the RTX3060 should be a good match for these CPUs without bottleneck ( from 8min30 )
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Brian shows that the 6core 1366 CPU's are still a solid platform.


----------



## Susquehannock (Apr 30, 2022)

mouks said:


> Thanks, I didn't try the new card yet as I was waiting for the adapters and fans but I think I will give it a try tonight. Did you upgrade the CPU cooler on your T3500?


Nope. Have found the stock Dell heatpipe heatsink (part #U016F) to be more than adequate with an 80mm attached. W3680 overclocked to 4.0ghz. Forgive me if I missed it before. Have you removed yours and reapplied new thermal paste?



lexluthermiester said:


> True. The Dell 525w PSU can actually sustain 610W output, but it's not something you'd want to do long term.


Yup. Dell PSU are good. Was referring to how much the 6-pin can actually supply. The 18-gauge wires used are rated up to 230 watts each at 12 volts. And we have three. Has anybody figured out how power from the three 18 amp 12 volt rails is distributed?


----------



## mouks (May 1, 2022)

Susquehannock said:


> Have you removed yours and reapplied new thermal paste?


Yes, I had to remove it to clean the socket, maybe I will have to remove it again to install the fans


----------



## imrazor (May 4, 2022)

Just for fun, some benchmarks from my upgraded T5500 (dual X5687s, 24GB DDR3-1333, MSI Vega 56)









						I scored 14 918 in Fire Strike
					

Intel Xeon Processor X5687, AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 x 1, 24574 MB, 64-bit Windows 10}




					www.3dmark.com
				












						I scored 6 153 in Time Spy
					

Intel Xeon Processor X5687, AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 x 1, 24574 MB, 64-bit Windows 10}




					www.3dmark.com
				




Hardly mind-blowing, but not bad for a 12 year old hunk o' junk...


----------



## frigider (May 4, 2022)

imrazor said:


> Just for fun, some benchmarks from my upgraded T5500 (dual X5687s, 24GB DDR3-1333, MSI Vega 56)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


hi, can you do a CPU-Z bench ? v 1.99? 
i may sell my v4 dell and maybe go for a more bang for buck system as in older xeons.


----------



## imrazor (May 4, 2022)

frigider said:


> hi, can you do a CPU-Z bench ? v 1.99?
> i may sell my v4 dell and maybe go for a more bang for buck system as in older xeons.


Per your request...



And a free bonus...


----------



## frigider (May 4, 2022)

imrazor said:


> Per your request...
> View attachment 246056
> And a free bonus...
> View attachment 246057


sorry , can you also check Threads? under CPU multi thread?

i think that is an amazing score.
you have 2 cpus?

i had 2 x 4 core 8 th v3s and i swear i got the same score.
i feel ripped off.

2x 2637 v3 scored 4000.


----------



## imrazor (May 5, 2022)

@frigider When I get back home I'll try. I thought if you didn't check threads, it automatically ran all your vCPUs automatically.

Why CPU-Z version 1.99? Is there something wrong with version >2.00?

Some upgrade notes: At the time I bought the X5687s, X5690s (6-core) were stupid expensive, and the X5687s (4-core) offer slightly higher clock speeds/IPC (3.6GHz base, 3.8 GHz turbo.) So I went with the substantially cheaper quad core option for 8c/16t total. I did have to pony up for a CPU daughterboard but I think it was worth it.

The Dell PSU also died a painfully loud death, so I shelved the whole PC for a while. I eventually got a Corsair RMS 850M to replace it. Fortunately the Dell PSU didn't take any components out when it died.


----------



## frigider (May 5, 2022)

imrazor said:


> When I get back home I'll try. I thought if you didn't check threads, it automatically ran all your vCPUs automatically.


yeah i don't get that difference between checked / uncheckd but I guess there will be one?


imrazor said:


> Why CPU-Z version 1.99? Is there something wrong with version >2.00?


well i ran my tests on that version but hey, beggars can't be choosy so run what version you got  
thanks!



imrazor said:


> At the time I bought the X5687s, X5690s (6-core) were stupid expensive, and the X5687s (4-core) offer slightly higher clock speeds/IPC (3.6GHz base, 3.8 GHz turbo.) So I went with the substantially cheaper quad core option for 8c/16t total.


now they are cheap so i am considering them.
but need to see which ones can run in dual config. E5s have the first number which tells you but these ones' names you mentioned don't make any sense.


----------



## imrazor (May 5, 2022)

frigider said:


> now they are cheap so i am considering them.
> but need to see which ones can run in dual config. E5s have the first number which tells you but these ones' names you mentioned don't make any sense.


For Nehalem/Westmere you can tell by the first letter. IIRC W indicates a single CPU config (e.g., W3680.) Other versions can typically be used in dual CPU configs (e.g., L, E and X designations - X5687, E5620, L5640.) There might be other letter codes escaping me at the moment.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 5, 2022)

imrazor said:


> For Nehalem/Westmere you can tell by the first letter. IIRC W indicates a single CPU config (e.g., W3680.) Other versions can typically be used in dual CPU configs (e.g., L, E and X designations - X5687, E5620, L5640.) There might be other letter codes escaping me at the moment.


That about covers it.


----------



## KLiKzg (May 5, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Is the fan in the PSU spinning properly? If it's not, that might be your problem.


Fan is spinning out just fine...needed to check it inside, as outside can't really tell...not a storm, but a small breeze.

Did anybody put 1100W T7500 into T5500? Do those connect to same connector? Or do I need to re-do the wiring?


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 5, 2022)

KLiKzg said:


> Did anybody put 1100W T7500 into T5500?


It will fit.


KLiKzg said:


> Do those connect to same connector? Or do I need to re-do the wiring?


The wiring harness the T5500 came with will plug straight into the 1100w PSU. But do not use the T7500 wiring as the cable lengths will not match up. That whole series of systems were designed to have mostly modular parts, PSU included.


----------



## JHAKK (May 6, 2022)

JHAKK said:


> I used a riser and 2nd card is outside case on top of it.
> Let me tell you it is function over fashion! =)
> Super FUGLY!!! lol
> 
> ...


Attaching gross photos-will take updated ones with 1300w after...


----------



## imrazor (May 6, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> It will fit.
> 
> The wiring harness the T5500 came with will plug straight into the 1100w PSU. But do not use the T7500 wiring and the cable lengths will not match up. That whole series of systems were designed to have mostly modular parts, PSU included.



I had to debate this with myself when my T5500's PSU cratered. Did I want to buy an decade-old T7500 PSU from a dodgy eBay reseller, or just get a new PSU for about the same price? I opted to get a new Corsair RMS 850M, which fit perfectly. I did have to cut out the old PSU wiring harness, but it was all cake from there on out. It has 4 PCI 8-pin power plugs, which far exceeds Dell's original T5500 PSU with two 6-pin plugs. That enabled me to drop in a power hungry Vega 56, which would've been impossible with the stock T5500 PSU.

And a nice benefit is that the system is rock solid now, instead of being slightly unstable. The old PSU was probably struggling before it died, introducing instability.

EDIT: Got the model number a little wrong. It's actually the RM850x.


----------



## frigider (May 6, 2022)

Really cool that you found a PSU that fits perfectly.


----------



## imrazor (May 6, 2022)

I'm reasonably certain that the T5500 (and likewise the T3500 and T7500) will take bog standard ATX power supplies. It's the wiring harness and extra cable length required that will make life difficult. In my case I also had to take into account two CPUs, which requires an extra EPS12V connector. After a bit of research, I determined that the Corsair PSU carried by a local shop actually had enough CPU connectors (3 for some reason?? LOL.)


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 6, 2022)

imrazor said:


> I opted to get a new Corsair RMS 850M, which fit perfectly.


That's a valid option too! The only down side is the wires will not fit in like the Dell wiring bundle does so some extra effort is needed for cable management. However, it should be noted that if one is careful about sellers(buy only from seller with 98% or better), buying from Ebay will be a good experience. Additionally, Dell PSUs are made to exacting standards, even 10year old used models are very likely to be in perfect working order.


----------



## imrazor (May 7, 2022)

@lexluthermiester My experience is admittedly anecdotal, but the PSU in my T5500 failed in an explosive manner (literally!) Loud crack, and then...nothing. I was very fortunate that it failed without zapping any other components.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 7, 2022)

imrazor said:


> but the PSU in my T5500 failed in an explosive manner (literally!) Loud crack, and then...nothing.


That does happen, nothing is perfect. But with Dell PSUs from that series of workstations, it's much less common.


imrazor said:


> I was very fortunate that it failed without zapping any other components.


This however, is very much the common experience. Dell PSU's from that time period were designed to be fail-safe. In other words they were designed to fail without damaging anything they're attached too. For that reason I actually prefer a used PSU from that series over a new PSU.


----------



## frigider (May 8, 2022)

ok so this is really *retarded*:

had my T7810 nicely set up with WOL. (it was a nightmare to set it up, to NOT power off the network card, *don't even remember what trick did the job*)
changed boot drive to a new SSD, switched to UEFI, reinstalled win 10 pro, activated.
installed network drivers.
made settings for WOL.
*WOL does not work.*

power is cut to the network card after shut down, leds are all OFF.

BIOS settings did not change, right? so all is well there.






^^first tries to get this the way it looks was a PAIN.
i would leave just last 2 tickboxes checked , hit OK, came back to this same menu and to my dispair only the middle one was checked.
now they look ok. thank the gods.









i do not have the fast start option in control panel.

does anyone know what the hell am i supposed to do EXTRA besides this?
i have the feeling i asked around here last time around so i will browse back.


----------



## frigider (May 9, 2022)

*searched in my posts and could not find anything by "WOL" or "Wake"


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 9, 2022)

frigider said:


> ok so this is really *retarded*:
> 
> had my T7810 nicely set up with WOL. (it was a nightmare to set it up, to NOT power off the network card, *don't even remember what trick did the job*)
> changed boot drive to a new SSD, switched to UEFI, reinstalled win 10 pro, activated.
> ...


To enable WOL you have to enable the "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power." Leave the other settings as-is. WOL should then operate as intended as long at the waking network device is properly configured.


----------



## frigider (May 9, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> To enable WOL you have to enable the "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power." Leave the other settings as-is. WOL should then operate as intended as long at the waking network device is properly configured.


well i must say it does make sense cause if i uncheck it all goes gray, including "wake up using magic packets"

but unfortunatelly it still does not wake up :| 

RJ45's LEDs are still OFF and PC does not wake up.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 9, 2022)

frigider said:


> well i must say it does make sense cause if i uncheck it all goes gray, including "wake up using magic packets"
> 
> but unfortunatelly it still does not wake up :|
> 
> RJ45's LEDs are still OFF and PC does not wake up.


Can you take screen shots of the BIOS settings relating to the network adapters and power management screens and attach them here?


----------



## frigider (May 10, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Can you take screen shots of the BIOS settings relating to the network adapters and power management screens and attach them here?


i will eventually need to to that but these settings were OK before boot drive replacement +  win 10 reinstall because WOL was working.

any chance they could have changed by themselves?


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## lexluthermiester (May 10, 2022)

frigider said:


> i will eventually need to to that but these settings were OK before boot drive replacement +  win 10 reinstall because WOL was working.
> 
> any chance they could have changed by themselves?


It's possible. Are you using the same version of Windows that you were using when it worked? Have you installed the Dell network drivers or are you using the default microsoft provided set?


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## frigider (May 10, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> It's possible. Are you using the same version of Windows that you were using when it worked? Have you installed the Dell network drivers or are you using the default microsoft provided set?


it's still win 10 pro.
and i did install network drivers as i remember this being the solution last time around - i struggled a lot to get WOL working.

maybe the switch to UEFI altered some stuff?

UPDATE
well call it whatever but just wanted to pull the pc out from where it was hidden and when i wanted to pull the netwrok cable out i could see blinking lights!

so i think the setting you said was the right one, except for god knows what reason when i shut the pc down the LEDs were not blinking straight away.

now i shut it down again, and LEDs no longer blinkung LOL

yeah i need to check BIOS i guess?

Came with pics: first 2 seem ok but last one maybe needs fixing?

I* don't get it why was the network card alive , woken it, shut it down network card was sleeping fast.*

I ticked the block sleep box, still no LEDs blinking after shut down.

See last PIC for what Dell website says about WOL settings..

So if i move the unit - unplug it, set it in another place, plug it in - the power supply wakes up for a short while, some fans too - i think - and LEDs on netowrk card start lighting up.

but if i turn it on (manually/WOL) and shut it down - LEDs are dead.

after some time - a few hours? who knows - LEDs are ON again and i can use WOL.

what is it with this time delay? a big time delay?


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 10, 2022)

Fast Boot is in the "POST Behavior", make sure it's enabled. You also need to make sure that in the "Performance" menu "C States Control" is enabled. All of the rest of your settings look fine. The settings you showed look correct.

The next thing you need to check is if your network connection systems(router/switch) are configured for WOL properly. UDP port 9 should be configured as open. Any device that it set to wake the system also needs to have UDP port 9 open. If it's being blocked or closed anywhere in the chain of the network, this might be the cause of your problems.


----------



## frigider (May 10, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Fast Boot is in the "POST Behavior", make sure it's enabled. You also need to make sure that in the "Performance" menu "C States Control" is enabled. All of the rest of your settings look fine. The settings you showed look correct.
> 
> The next thing you need to check is if your network connection systems(router/switch) are configured for WOL properly. UDP port 9 should be configured as open. Any device that it set to wake the system also needs to have UDP port 9 open. If it's being blocked or closed anywhere in the chain of the network, this might be the cause of your problems.


I will look for that Post stuff, does not sound familiar at all.

Router and stuff should be ok cause sometimes the network card is alive and I can wake it over LAN but as soon as I shut down the PC it turns off.

If I pull the power cord and plug it back in network card will be powered and WOL ready.

This is really awkward, Next one will be hp.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 10, 2022)

frigider said:


> I can wake it over LAN but as soon as I shut down the PC it turns off.


That might be your problem. Don't shut it down, put it into hibernation or sleep.


----------



## frigider (May 10, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> That might be your problem. Don't shut it down, put it into hibernation or sleep.


Well that s a fix right there but before the same PC was waking from power off..
It is nagging the hell out of me.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 10, 2022)

frigider said:


> Well that s a fix right there but before the same PC was waking from power off..
> It is nagging the hell out of me.


On Windows 7 or 10?


----------



## frigider (May 10, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> On Windows 7 or 10?


before 10, now 10.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 10, 2022)

frigider said:


> before 10, now 10.


Weird. WOL should be working flawlessly then.


----------



## frigider (May 12, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Fast Boot is in the "POST Behavior", make sure it's enabled. You also need to make sure that in the "Performance" menu "C States Control" is enabled. All of the rest of your settings look fine. The settings you showed look correct.
> 
> The next thing you need to check is if your network connection systems(router/switch) are configured for WOL properly. UDP port 9 should be configured as open. Any device that it set to wake the system also needs to have UDP port 9 open. If it's being blocked or closed anywhere in the chain of the network, this might be the cause of your problems.


Under post I don't have fast boot - I know that is disable by another option, will try enabling it (but WOL instructions said to disable it)

C states are enabled.

Found (last pic) a setting which I changed to LAN without PXE cause WOL setting is just enabled (not enabled with PXE)

Went in to power plan settings, turned off power savings for PCIE


Still nothing


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 12, 2022)

frigider said:


> Under post I don't have fast boot - I know that is disable by another option, will try enabling it (but WOL instructions said to disable it)
> 
> C states are enabled.
> 
> ...


I'm inclinded to think this is a Windows config problem. The BIOS settings seem like they're correct.


----------



## frigider (May 12, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> I'm inclinded to think this is a Windows config problem. The BIOS settings seem like they're correct.


also installed a newer driver, cause in ipconfig it said i had i217-LM ethernet card so i installed a newer driver for it.
still nothing.








thinking of uninstalling the driver and reinstalling it again..

thought about BIOS reset but could not find button for "default settings" so left it alone, cause like you said - settings look ok.

and IT WORKED before win 10 reinstall.

most annoying thing is that sometimes the network card was pwoered on and waiting for wake up packet a- and it did wake up.
but after days of being shut down.

and if i remove power cord and plug it in again and THEN plug in ethernet cable - THEN network card is powered and able to wake up the PC.

i struggled a lot to get it going the first time but this is a real nigthmare.
last time round driver install was the solution.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 12, 2022)

frigider said:


> also installed a newer driver, cause in ipconfig it said i had i217-LM ethernet card so i installed a newer driver for it.
> still nothing.
> 
> View attachment 247240
> ...


I hate to say this, but you might be fighting an uphill battle. It might be easier to simply use a deep sleep or hibernation mode for WOL functionality to work the way you want it to instead of a full power-down.


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## frigider (May 13, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> I hate to say this, but you might be fighting an uphill battle. It might be easier to simply use a deep sleep or hibernation mode for WOL functionality to work the way you want it to instead of a full power-down.


I will search browsing history to see what driver I installed last time around.
I can quit whenever I want, I can power it on by hand.

I feel this sleep thing is a compromise and when something should work then I cannot make compromises  

Thank you for your support!


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 13, 2022)

frigider said:


> Thank you for your support!


YW. Sorry we couldn't find a concrete solution.

Have you tried a fresh install of 10 since the problem began? It might be as simple as a bad set of registry entries or even wonky network setup due to an update not properly installed or configured.

If you're using an SSD to boot from, the hibernation option could be a good solution.


----------



## frigider (May 13, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> YW. Sorry we couldn't find a concrete solution.
> 
> Have you tried a fresh install of 10 since the problem began? It might be as simple as a bad set of registry entries or even wonky network setup due to an update not properly installed or configured.
> 
> If you're using an SSD to boot from, the hibernation option could be a good solution.


i was considering this - resetting windows. (which is like a new installation? cause it asks from where to install it?)


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## lexluthermiester (May 13, 2022)

frigider said:


> i was considering this - resetting windows. (which is like a new installation? cause it asks from where to install it?)


When I say fresh install, I mean wiping the drive entirely and installing Windows from media. Using recovery mode reset will not resolve the problem if the problem is in the Windows files or registry. You have to start fresh if that's the way you're going to go.

Remind me, what model system do you have?


----------



## frigider (May 14, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> When I say fresh install, I mean wiping the drive entirely and installing Windows from media. Using recovery mode reset will not resolve the problem if the problem is in the Windows files or registry. You have to start fresh if that's the way you're going to go.
> 
> Remind me, what model system do you have?



T7810.

ok will install from 0.

last time around i had a HDMI plug, now i see remote desktop doesn't need one.
(Team Viewer will show black screen in my video edit software if i don't have the dummy plug in.)

does the dummy plug affect WOL? i would assume no, right?


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## lexluthermiester (May 14, 2022)

frigider said:


> does the dummy plug affect WOL? i would assume no, right?


No idea. One would think it shouldn't, but if they're doing something funky with the LAN over HDMI protocols, maybe? Doubtful, but then again, I've seen crazier things.


----------



## frigider (May 14, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> No idea. One would think it shouldn't, but if they're doing something funky with the LAN over HDMI protocols, maybe? Doubtful, but then again, I've seen crazier things.


Will reinstall and light up some candles, sacrifice a goat, some chickens etc.

Stupidest thing yet:
Hit update driver for network card, went from 2021 version to 2019, that's what I call an update.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 15, 2022)

frigider said:


> Stupidest thing yet:
> Hit update driver for network card, went from 2021 version to 2019, that's what I call an update.


Turn off hadrware driver updates. They are notorius for getting things wrong and causing problems. Install your drivers for your Dell system hardware from Dell and ONLY Dell.


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## frigider (May 16, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Turn off hadrware driver updates. They are notorius for getting things wrong and causing problems. Install your drivers for your Dell system hardware from Dell and ONLY Dell.


true that, completely forgot about this - had similar issue with an older laptop - windows always updated the driver (that time with a newer version) but it ruined the image , made it really bleek.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 16, 2022)

frigider said:


> true that, completely forgot about this - had similar issue with an older laptop - windows always updated the driver (that time with a newer version) but it ruined the image , made it really bleek.


As a rules, I shut off anything automatic as it generally causes more problems than it solves.


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## frigider (May 16, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> As a rules, I shut off anything automatic as it generally causes more problems than it solves.


i assume there is a way to do this for all "devices"?
i know i did it for 1 particular device - video card.


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## pashalis777 (May 17, 2022)

Hi. I am totally unfamiliar with upgrading simple desktops let alone workstations.

I want to upgrade my t5500, and by 'I' I mean someone who is capable of doing it. I just want to give money to someone, tell them what my use would be for it and let them upgrade it.

I bought it used from a guy five years ago, and only once I had for something to be replaced.

As I said i am an amateur asking help from the big guns.

Could you help me pick the right components?
Its motherboard is 0crh6c. Its tag is D5XZ85J.
My main use is movies, playing with the system(not something serious), audio, letting the pc stay awake for days, and if my budget allows playing the latest games at the maximum, though my budget does not allow that but I still want to see what my t5500's options are. Plus multitasking like having countless browser tabs open while gaming(or paused) while winamp and VLC are on playing stuff, while burning a DVD, while I walk the dog and I'm back in twenty. I am half jocking of course. 
I am really looking forward for answers and I am excited to share anything else regardingtthe upgrade. 

Thanks a lot!


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## mouks (May 17, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> Hi. I am totally unfamiliar with upgrading simple desktops let alone workstations.
> 
> I want to upgrade my t5500, and by 'I' I mean someone who is capable of doing it. I just want to give money to someone, tell them what my use would be for it and let them upgrade it.
> 
> ...


Hi, what are your current specs? If you do a lot of multitasking, I would add the max amount of RAM, the T5500 can use server sticks and you can find them for really cheap. If you don't already have a SSD as a boot drive, that would also be a worthy cheap upgrade. I think the best CPUs for your board are Xeon X5690, they go for $80 a pair on Ebay. If you want to play recent games, you will have to upgrade the GPU and that would be the most expensive part.


----------



## pashalis777 (May 17, 2022)

mouks said:


> Hi, what are your current specs? If you do a lot of multitasking, I would add the max amount of RAM, the T5500 can use server sticks and you can find them for really cheap. If you don't already have a SSD as a boot drive, that would also be a worthy cheap upgrade. I think the best CPUs for your board are Xeon X5690, they go for $80 a pair on Ebay. If you want to play recent games, you will have to upgrade the GPU and that would be the most expensive part.


I'll attach some images for my specs. For booting I have the 850 Evo 250 gb, I think. The first couple of years it was in a laptop. Then I have a couple 1tb hdds for games and files. Server sticks are the ECC, right? I'd say for my use I'd put 20gb max 24, I don't know. Should I put a pair of Xeons x5690 and not one? I read in a forum that the x5687 might perform better on games, is that correct? Also in another site I read that the motherboard 0crh6c supports a PCI 2. graphics card. But afterwards I saw that my current GPU is PCI 3. so regardless of my motherboard's recommendations, it would work great with pci 3. cards right?

Thank you so much!


----------



## 80-watt Hamster (May 17, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> I'll attach some images for my specs. For booting I have the 850 Evo 250 gb, I think. The first couple of years it was in a laptop. Then I have a couple 1tb hdds for games and files. Server sticks are the ECC, right? I'd say for my use I'd put 20gb max 24, I don't know. Should I put a pair of Xeons x5690 and not one? I read in a forum that the x5687 might perform better on games, is that correct? Also in another site I read that the motherboard 0crh6c supports a PCI 2. graphics card. But afterwards I saw that my current GPU is PCI 3. so regardless of my motherboard's recommendations, it would work great with pci 3. cards right?
> 
> Thank you so much!



Hypothetically, sure; games love clock speed.  But we're talking 140 MHz stock, so it probably won't make an appreciable difference.  My 2p: grab whatever X5677, -80, -87 or -90 is cheapest.

And while I'm spitballing (full disclosure: I've never had a dual-socket system), if you're going to run a pair, go 5687.  You'll pay the same money for two of those as for one 5690, and get the higher clock speeds you're looking for.

You're correct; a PCIe3 card will run on PCIe2.  A very fast card could theoretically saturate the bus, but your processor(s) will probably become the bottleneck first.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 17, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> Hi. I am totally unfamiliar with upgrading simple desktops let alone workstations.
> 
> I want to upgrade my t5500, and by 'I' I mean someone who is capable of doing it. I just want to give money to someone, tell them what my use would be for it and let them upgrade it.
> 
> ...


First, Welcome to TPU!

Next, what specs do you currently have? What CPU, RAM, Video card SSD/HDD?
Now tell us what you want to do with the system and what your spending budget is.



mouks said:


> I think the best CPUs for your board are Xeon X5690, they go for $80 a pair on Ebay.


While true, that will not be very cost effective. An X5680, X5675, W3680 or W3670 would provide about 95% the performance at less than half the price.



pashalis777 said:


> I'll attach some images for my specs. For booting I have the 850 Evo 250 gb, I think. The first couple of years it was in a laptop. Then I have a couple 1tb hdds for games and files. Server sticks are the ECC, right? I'd say for my use I'd put 20gb max 24, I don't know. Should I put a pair of Xeons x5690 and not one? I read in a forum that the x5687 might perform better on games, is that correct? Also in another site I read that the motherboard 0crh6c supports a PCI 2. graphics card. But afterwards I saw that my current GPU is PCI 3. so regardless of my motherboard's recommendations, it would work great with pci 3. cards right?
> 
> Thank you so much!


Those are WEBP images. Please upload standard JPG or PNG images.

As for gaming performance, a W3680 or W3670 would provide the best experience. 24GB(6x4GB) would be excellent, but 18GB(3x4GB + 3x2GB) would be great too. PCIe3.0 cards will work as they should in the T5500. I had an RTX2080 in my T3500(which is a similar system) for nearly two years and it ran perfectly.


----------



## pashalis777 (May 17, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> First, Welcome to TPU!
> 
> Next, what specs do you currently have? What CPU, RAM, Video card SSD/HDD?
> Now tell us what you want to do with the system and what your spending budget is.
> ...


Thank you for having me!

8gb Ram
(1) Evo ssd 850 250gb (2) HDDs WD 1TB
750gtx TI 2Gb, MSI most likely
Xeon E5620 2.4ghz

Regardless of the budget (around 700€) I am thinking a gtx 1660 (Super or Ti) or rtx 2060, and maybe upgrade down the line. For the others, processor for games (plus multitasking). I am leaning into one X5687. Any search on the internet recommends one CPU for gaming, and some even say two CPUs would decrease my gaming performance. What do you think?
I mentioned my use just a bit above (Though I don't want to be that excessive with the workstation.) I want 24gb of ram max, for my use seems fine, I think.

About the Wxxxx processors you listed, I thought my motherboard only supports E56XX and X56XX series. I just heard about the Ws.

Thank you!


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 17, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> 8gb Ram


Definitely upgrade your RAM to 12GB(3x4GB or 6x2GB) at least and consider 18GB(3x4GB+3x2GB). If you have the dual CPU riser board, then do 6x2GB on each CPU which will give you 24GB. DDR3 2GB dimms are cheap currently. Also go with 1333mhz. The extra speed will make a difference.


pashalis777 said:


> (1) Evo ssd 850 250gb (2) HDDs WD 1TB


Unless you want more SSD space, you seem to be in good shape with storage.



pashalis777 said:


> 750gtx TI 2Gb, MSI most likely


That's an ok GPU and it will , however upgrading to play more recent games is a good idea.


pashalis777 said:


> rtx 2060


This would be a very solid upgrade. But if you can afford it, an RTX 2070 or RTX 3060 would be a great upgrade.



pashalis777 said:


> Xeon E5620 2.4ghz


This needs upgrading. Fortunately, that should not be expensive.


pashalis777 said:


> For the others, processor for games (plus multitasking). I am leaning into one X5687.


If you're going to go with that CPU, do two of them as long as you have the CPU riser board. However, I would go with an X5680/X5675 or 2. You can use a W3680, but only in a single CPU configuration.


----------



## 80-watt Hamster (May 17, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> If you're going to go with that CPU, do two of them as long as you have the CPU riser board. However, I would go with an X5680/W3680 or 2.



Are W processors not single socket only?












						Product Specifications
					

quick reference guide including specifications, features, pricing, compatibility, design documentation, ordering codes, spec codes and more.




					ark.intel.com


----------



## pashalis777 (May 17, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> If you have the dual CPU riser board, then do 6x2GB on each CPU which will give you 24GB. DDR3 2GB dimms are cheap currently. Also go with 1333mhz. The extra speed will make a difference.


Should I buy 12x2GB 1333mhz total like this one, or buy 4x4GB same speed, because I already have 4x2GB 1066mhz? I doubt it would be a problem adding 1333mhz speed next to 1066mhz, right?

edit: Should I buy new, refurbished or used processors/memory? I know new products are ideal, but would I have problems with the others(from ebay or Amazon)?


----------



## mouks (May 17, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> Should I buy 12x2GB 1333mhz total like this one, or buy 4x4GB same speed, because I already have 4x2GB 1066mhz? I doubt it would be a problem adding 1333mhz speed next to 1066mhz, right?
> 
> edit: Should I buy new, refurbished or used processors/memory? I know new products are ideal, but would I have problems with the others(from ebay or Amazon)?


I think mixing RAM with different specs is not recommended, the 12x2GB you linked should work 

Almost all the parts I bought to upgrade my T3500 were used and everything works. The only problem I had was solved after cleaning the socket, thanks to the helpful members of this forum who pointed me in the right direction. I wouldn't bother buying a used CPU or memory, especially if it's cheap. You won't find much new parts for these old systems anyway. Try to buy them where you have some kind of warranty or buyer protection


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 18, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> Should I buy 12x2GB 1333mhz total like this one


This...


pashalis777 said:


> or buy 4x4GB same speed, because I already have 4x2GB 1066mhz?


...not this. Remember, to maintain triple channel RAM speeds you need matching(speed and size) DIMMs in all slots. Installing mismatched DIMMs will cause your system to drop to dual or even single channel mode, which will hurt system performance.

Go with the 12x2GB. That will give you 24GB and will be more that you should really ever need.



80-watt Hamster said:


> Are W processors not single socket only?


Oh, right, they are. Corrected. Thanks for reminding me!


----------



## pashalis777 (May 18, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Remember, to maintain triple channel RAM speeds you need matching(speed and size) DIMMs in all slots.


Would this model (x6) work on a double Xeon X5687 ? Is that triple channel, as you said? 
I just found it closer to me than the other link's location.


----------



## mouks (May 18, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> Would this model (x6) work on a double Xeon X5687 ? Is that triple channel, as you said?
> I just found it closer to me than the other link's location.


Yes, the X5687 also runs triple channel RAM. 
https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...60-ghz-6-40-gts-intel-qpi/specifications.html


----------



## pashalis777 (May 18, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> This would be a very solid upgrade. But if you can afford it, an RTX 2070 or RTX 3060 would be a great upgrade.


yeah, but with the new processor would i really use all the power of these GPUs, even the rtx2060? would i not lose a solid amount of efficiency of those cards, paired with the x5687. I mean, regarding my budget isn't it wise to go with a gtx1660ti instead, so 1) i save money and 2) use the gpu's efficiency at its whole power (at least its most amount)? Thank you.


----------



## mouks (May 18, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> yeah, but with the new processor would i really use all the power of these GPUs, even the rtx2060? would i not lose a solid amount of efficiency of those cards, paired with the x5687. I mean, regarding my budget isn't it wise to go with a gtx1660ti instead, so 1) i save money and 2) use the gpu's efficiency at its whole power (at least its most amount)? Thank you.


A youtuber did some testing to find the best GPUs  without CPU bottleneck, I posted the video on page 94 of this thread. According to his results, RTX 2070 super or similar is the best match. I just replaced the RX570 of my T3500 with an RTX 3060 and it made a massive improvement. I don't know the pricing where you live but in my country the 1660ti is almost the same price as the RX6600 which is 20-30% more powerful


----------



## pashalis777 (May 18, 2022)

This person has a workstation that sells it, but I am interested in their pc's components. He has a pair of Xeon x5687, which I am interested in. I asked for the price. He listed it (90€), but he also listed a pair of freezer + fan for them at 180€ each. I did not expect I would need such things, let alone for that price... Do I really need the freezers and fan? Isn't my T5500 with the E5620, currently equipped for that? Thank you.


----------



## Susquehannock (May 19, 2022)

Good mention on the W processors. Not possible for our T5500s. The boards only accept 2 QPI link CPUs regardless if running single or dual. Best you can do is x5687 or x5690 for hex core. Both will allow 1333mhz RAM to run at full speed. Your E5620 is limiting to 1066mhz. One good thing about the T5500 being Intel 5520 chipset, as opposed to X58 in T3500, that they accept inexpensive registered / server RAM. Was able to populate mine with 48gb at $72 (usa dollars). RAM for the T3500 cost over twice as much.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 19, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> Would this model (x6) work on a double Xeon X5687 ? Is that triple channel, as you said?
> I just found it closer to me than the other link's location.


Yes. Are you thinking of buying 6 of them?


pashalis777 said:


> yeah, but with the new processor would i really use all the power of these GPUs, even the rtx2060?


Depends on the game. I had an RTX 2080 in my T3500 with a W3680 and there were some games that ran full speed no issues and some the were being held back by the CPU, but not by much. An RTX 3060 would give you an excellent experience with that system!


----------



## Mr Bill (May 19, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> While true, that will not be very cost effective. An X5680, X5675, W3680 or W3670 would provide about 95% the performance at less than half the price.


This is true, I don't know why they're still so proud of the X5690. I guess when some post an auction on eBay, they look at what others are selling them for. I'm not sure, but my guess is, the biggest percentage of the X5690 auctions never even sale their processors.


----------



## 80-watt Hamster (May 19, 2022)

Mr Bill said:


> This is true, I don't know why they're still so proud of the X5690. I guess when some post an action on eBay, they look at what others are selling them for. I'm not sure, but my guess is, the biggest percentage of the X5690 auctions never even sale their processors.



The top dog proc from any product family generally goes for an outsize amount of money relative to the rest.  Even now, a Q9650 commands one-and-a-half to two times the price of a Q9550 on eBay, for a negligible performance advantage.  Same story for 3770 and 3770K.


----------



## Mr Bill (May 19, 2022)

80-watt Hamster said:


> The top dog proc from any product family generally goes for an outsize amount of money relative to the rest.  Even now, a Q9650 commands one-and-a-half to two times the price of a Q9550 on eBay, for a negligible performance advantage.  Same story for 3770 and 3770K.


I understand this, but with the bottom dropping out of some processors like the i3-12100F for $99.00 on Amazon, I don't understand how some justify spending $75.00 to $100.00 on a X5690, because that's about the average price on eBay. Yes, I realize you will need a new board and ram for the i3-12100F, but the processor price is about that same. I understand the nostalgia with the older builds, but when do one say, it's time to start a new build with something from the 21st century? 
​


----------



## Susquehannock (May 19, 2022)

Mr Bill said:


> I understand this, but with the bottom dropping out of some processors like the i3-12100F for $99.00 on Amazon, I don't understand how some justify spending $75.00 to $100.00 on a X5690, because that's about the average price on eBay. Yes, I realize you will need a new board and ram for the i3-12100F, but the processor price is about that same. I understand the nostalgia with the older builds, but when do one say, it's time to start a new build with something from the 21st century?
> ​


Prices can fluctuate quite a bit. Here is an X5690 at 37.95 shipped. Straight out of Baltimore. Think I paid around $50 for mine about 3 years ago. They were selling at $130 level in 2016 when the T3500s started coming my way.

[edit]
rDIMM prices have come back down too. Looking at Intel chipset compatibility info for the T5500, I was able to establish IBM #49Y1415 modules were on the list. (8gb, 2Rx4, 1.35v) Makes no difference in re-brand. Lately they pop up at under $10 used and $14 brand new on Ebay


----------



## pashalis777 (May 19, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Are you thinking of buying 6 of them?


Yes.


lexluthermiester said:


> Depends on the game. I had an RTX 2080 in my T3500 with a W3680 and there were some games that ran full speed no issues and some the were being held back by the CPU, but not by much. An RTX 3060 would give you an excellent experience with that system!


Good to know that game performance won't be as dramatic as bottleneck websites imply.

Apparently a mechanic saw it quick today, said it won't fit a second CPU. He said it might if get socket or something. I'm tired and not sure I want a second processor after all. As I did not mention there won't be any gaming streaming or Heavy work, so I'm finalizing at just one x5687.

Edit: He also told me I'm gonna need a new freezer for the processor.


----------



## Susquehannock (May 19, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> Edit: He also told me I'm gonna need a new freezer for the processor.


Freezer as in heat sink I presume. He may be right. Which type do you have now? Aluminum or copper heatpipe? The solid aluminum fin heat sink (part #T021F) may have been adequate for the 80 watt E5620. The X5687 is 130w and would benefit from the upgrade heatpipe heatsink (part #U106F). Even better if you can attach a fan to it.


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 20, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> so I'm finalizing at just one x5687.


IF you're only going with 1 CPU, get a 6 core. X5680 is the best bang for buck currently.



pashalis777 said:


> Edit: He also told me I'm gonna need a new freezer for the processor.


Cooler you mean?

Does your system have one of these?



Or one of these?


If you have the first one, yes you need a better cooler, like the second.


----------



## pashalis777 (May 23, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> This person has a workstation that sells it, but I am interested in their pc's components. He has a pair of Xeon x5687, which I am interested in. I asked for the price. He listed it (90€), but he also listed a pair of freezer + fan for them at 180€ each. I did not expect I would need such things, let alone for that price... Do I really need the freezers and fan? Isn't my T5500 with the E5620, currently equipped for that? Thank you.


I am interested in this person's workstation. HP Z800.

2x Xeon 5687 3.60 GHz 2x( 4cores, 8 threads) = 16 threads
6x4 Gb ddr3 ecc 1333 MHz triple channel HP
Power Supply 1250W 80plus Silver
SSD 240 wd 
BLUE RAY Optical Drive
SOUNDBLASTER X-FI
He sells it at 650€. I am going to get it, (if it is still available) when I have the money ready, in two weeks. Then after a month, I am going to purchase a graphics card, hopefully prices get lower then. So around 1000€ all in all. It would be around 900€ if I upgraded the T5500, plus mechanic costs and all. I figured to stretch an extra 100€ to get something better, in my opinion. 

My current setup has the white cooler, I think. 

This is my headspace at the moment.


----------



## Karlos (May 29, 2022)

Enjoying my t7500 with two 5690s and a titan xP, I use it for gaming and saw my framerate in tarkov is quite poor, Likely because of the single core performance it requires, I was wondering if changing the memory mode between numa and SMP would make a difference? If anyone knows anything let me know!



pashalis777 said:


> I am interested in this person's workstation. HP Z800.
> 
> 2x Xeon 5687 3.60 GHz 2x( 4cores, 8 threads) = 16 threads
> 6x4 Gb ddr3 ecc 1333 MHz triple channel HP
> ...


Ive had both a z600 and t7500, for the price you're listing seems very high, here in the UK you can get a z800 much cheaper than what you're listing with better specs. Maybe wait around  for cheaper options.


----------



## pashalis777 (May 29, 2022)

Karlos said:


> Ive had both a z600 and t7500, for the price you're listing seems very high, here in the UK you can get a z800 much cheaper than what you're listing with better specs. Maybe wait around for cheaper options.


Thank you, could you link or pm me some Z800s, with better specifications?

Edit: How much do you think should cost the Z800 (with the specifications above)?


----------



## Karlos (May 29, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> Thank you, could you link or pm me some Z800s, with better specifications?
> 
> Edit: How much do you think should cost the Z800 (with the specifications above)?


Prices change and obviously its different for each region but a nicely specced hp z800 can go for around £300-400, I'd reccomend buying one with high ram and just buying the CPUs seperately and installing them yourselves as this is usually cheaper


----------



## pashalis777 (May 29, 2022)

Karlos said:


> Prices change and obviously its different for each region but a nicely specced hp z800 can go for around £300-400, I'd reccomend buying one with high ram and just buying the CPUs seperately and installing them yourselves as this is usually cheaper


The thing with the CPUs is they need necessary heatsinks, which are not cheap.

Also, I just found today 'pc and server parts' website where they sell costum workstations. It's interesting and I will be looking more into it, this week. Thanks


----------



## Karlos (May 30, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> The thing with the CPUs is they need necessary heatsinks, which are not cheap.
> 
> Also, I just found today 'pc and server parts' website where they sell costum workstations. It's interesting and I will be looking more into it, this week. Thanks


Maybe a dell t7500 may fancy your taste better, cheaper usually with the same cpus ( xeon x5690's) Have great expandability as well.



Karlos said:


> Enjoying my t7500 with two 5690s and a titan xP, I use it for gaming and saw my framerate in tarkov is quite poor, Likely because of the single core performance it requires, I was wondering if changing the memory mode between numa and SMP would make a difference? If anyone knows anything let me know!
> 
> 
> Ive had both a z600 and t7500, for the price you're listing seems very high, here in the UK you can get a z800 much cheaper than what you're listing with better specs. Maybe wait around  for cheaper options.


Bump for original question above, still not sure which memory mode is better for gaming


----------



## lexluthermiester (May 30, 2022)

Karlos said:


> Bump for original question above, still not sure which memory mode is better for gaming


Numa & SMP have no real advantage over each other in gaming. However, the way SMP works suggests that it would be more stable for games.


----------



## mouks (May 31, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> Thank you, could you link or pm me some Z800s, with better specifications?
> 
> Edit: How much do you think should cost the Z800 (with the specifications above)?


A few weeks ago, I saw a Z840 going for $300 on a local auction website. It had 2x E5-2630v3 and 64GB of ram. I would have bought it if I didn't have my T3500. My advice would be to check your local ads for a few weeks, you may find a good deal if you're not in a hurry

https://www.ricardo.ch/fr/a/1204459282/


----------



## Susquehannock (Jun 2, 2022)

Karlos said:


> Maybe a dell t7500 may fancy your taste better, cheaper usually with the same cpus ( xeon x5690's) Have great expandability as well.


Only thing is the T7500 are so much bigger than T3500, weight near twice as much, and command a higher shipping price. Have been trying to find one locally for some time.


----------



## pashalis777 (Jun 3, 2022)

Can I 4k game in the t5500 or the z800 with their highest specifications?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 4, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> Can I 4k game in the t5500 or the z800 with their highest specifications?


Yes, if you're willing to turn some in-game settings down. You'll also need the right card. An RTX2080 or RTX3070 will do the job.


----------



## pashalis777 (Jun 4, 2022)

Thanks lexluthermiester! 

What kind of watts does my current heatsink (the white from the pictures above) can handle? Would an x5670 at 95 be cool(pun intended) ?

I want to attach these on my t5500, will they work?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 4, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> What kind of watts does my current heatsink (the white from the pictures above) can handle? Would an x5670 at 95 be cool(pun intended) ?


You should be ok with that CPU and heatsink. However, I would really recommend getting your hands on the better heatsink and CPU. However an X5675 is still a 95w CPU and does better than a X5670.








						Intel Xeon X5675 SLBYL 3.06GHz 6 Core LGA 1366 CPU Processor *km  | eBay
					

Make sure you are buying the correct CPU! F3-Tested for Key Functions, Category 5 R2v3. Generic picture used. Bare CPU/Processor ONLY. Hard Drives. Item details.



					www.ebay.com
				






pashalis777 said:


> I want to attach these on my t5500, will they work?


That is a server heatsink and while it will technically fit on the socket, making it work will be dubious at best.
What you need is one of these;








						Dell Precision T3500 T5500 T7500 CPU Cooling Heatsink U016F W3550 CPU 3.06 GHZ  50742441579 | eBay
					

Dell Precision T3500 T5500 T7500 CPU Cooling Heatsink U016F 0U016F Brand: Dell Part number: U016F MPN: 0U016F Type: Heatsink Compatiblity: Compatible Line: Precision Compatible Model: Dell Precision T3500 T5500 T7500 Condition : Seller Refurbished This item will be shipped exactly as shown in...



					www.ebay.com
				



or








						Dell Precision T3500 T5500 T7500 Workstation Heatsink U016F 50742441579 | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dell Precision T3500 T5500 T7500 Workstation Heatsink U016F at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				




And then mount one of these to it blowing air through;








						RAIDMAX 4Pack 80mm Case Fan 12V DC PC CPU Computer Cooling Fan   | eBay
					

Size: 80mm. (Each Fan). - Fan Speed: 1800 RPM +/- 15%. - 26 CFM Airflow. - 22dBA Silence. - 3pin / 4pin Connector.



					www.ebay.com
				



You'll need some zip ties too.

Get a matching CPU;








						INTEL XEON X5680 PROCESSOR SLBV5 3.33GHz  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for INTEL XEON X5680 PROCESSOR SLBV5 3.33GHz at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				



or








						Intel Xeon X5680 - 3.33GHz CPU Processor (X5680) for sale online | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Intel Xeon X5680 - 3.33GHz CPU Processor (X5680) at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				



or








						Intel SLBV5 Xeon X5680 3.33 GHz LGA 1366 Desktop CPU  | eBay
					

Good Condition. Tested in original machine under load conditions and working before removal from original machine. Also visually inspected for defects.



					www.ebay.com
				




The extra $10 is worth it.

Get those and I'll walk you through putting it all together.
(I don't get any kick-backs for the above items, just trying to help you get the most from your system.)


----------



## Mr Bill (Jun 5, 2022)

I'm running my X5670 @4.3 GHz the X5690's are still around $45-$50 US, do you think I would notice anything going to the X5690?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 5, 2022)

Mr Bill said:


> I'm running my X5670 @4.3 GHz the X5690's are still around $45-$50 US, do you think I would notice anything going to the X5690?


No. OCing is a different beast altogether from running in an OEM system like a Dell or HP. Your system is optimal and you would get nothing from an X5690. You might actually get worse performance because of the higher multiplier limiting an FSB OC.


----------



## pashalis777 (Jun 5, 2022)

@lexluthermiester Quick question, if I had to choose between a free x5680 and a free x5690, which should I pick and why? Thanks.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 5, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> @lexluthermiester Quick question, if I had to choose between a free x5680 and a free x5690, which should I pick and why? Thanks.


If it's free take it!! The X5690 is 133mhz faster and uses the same heatsink I listed earlier.


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## pashalis777 (Jun 5, 2022)

Would you mind checking these? They are supposed to be supported by the 1366 socket. It's in Greek language, though. I hope you could manage your way around them (near the bottom of the page of each, above the reviews are the specifications) and pick the best/and cheapest, for my mobo. Consider that either an X5680 or an X5690 will be the CPU. Thank you very much @lexluthermiester !


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 5, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> Would you mind checking these? They are supposed to be supported by the 1366 socket. It's in Greek language, though. I hope you could manage your way around them (near the bottom of the page of each, above the reviews are the specifications) and pick the best/and cheapest, for my mobo. Consider that either an X5680 or an X5690 will be the CPU. Thank you very much @lexluthermiester !


Don't know whether those will work or not. Maybe? The issue with the T5500 is that the heatsink mounts are Dell design. You need a Dell heatsink to ensure proper compatibility, thus the linked heatsinks earlier.


----------



## pashalis777 (Jun 6, 2022)

I just bought this. Would one of these work instead of the one you attached?


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## lexluthermiester (Jun 6, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> I just bought this.


Perfect!


pashalis777 said:


> Would one of these work instead of the one you attached?


One of the following would be better because of the power connector;








						Case Fan 80 mm 4-Pin Molex | Skroutz.gr
					

Βρες Case Fan 80 mm 4-Pin Molex στην καλύτερη τιμή! Διάβασε κριτικές & διάλεξε ανάμεσα σε 10+ προϊόντα. Αγόρασε εύκολα μέσω Skroutz!




					www.skroutz.gr
				



The one below is the best of them;








						Arctic P8 PWM PST Case Fan 80mm με Σύνδεση 4-Pin / 4-Pin Molex
					

Βρες Arctic P8 PWM PST Case Fan 80mm με Σύνδεση 4-Pin / 4-Pin Molex στο Skroutz. Δες χαρακτηριστικά και διάβασε χρήσιμα σχόλια, κριτικές & ερωτήσεις χρηστών για το προϊόν!




					www.skroutz.gr


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## Susquehannock (Jun 6, 2022)

Here is how to attach the fan. Slip one zip tie through fan mount hole, then between the fins. Use a second zip tie, as shown in green, to draw it tight. Cut off loose ends. Do that two more times are you're done. Looks better and holds more securely than wrapping them around.


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## pashalis777 (Jun 6, 2022)

@lexluthermiester 

I bought this (I'm sorry, I simply had no choice) and the best fan you suggested. GPU and RAM next.


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## lexluthermiester (Jun 6, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> I bought this (I'm sorry, I simply had no choice)


No need to say sorry. That's actually a good deal!



Susquehannock said:


> Here is how to attach the fan. Slip one zip tie through fan mount hole, then between the fins. Use a second zip tie, as shown in green, to draw it tight. Cut off loose ends. Do that two more times are you're done. Looks better and holds more securely than wrapping them around.


This! Though use some snippers or scissors on the extra plastic leads. 

Edit;
I used metal tape at one point;




But I since changed it and have done a bit of ghetto-modding for my T3500;



I'm using the same heatsink referenced earlier, just with a custom made shroud and a ThermalTake 120mm fan to keep the cooling extra solid.

See edit..


----------



## pashalis777 (Jun 7, 2022)

Hello! Would an RTX 2080 with three fans at 286mm fit in my case? Some T5500 videos show a 266mm (two fans) fit barely.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 7, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> Hello! Would an RTX 2080 with three fans at 286mm fit in my case? Some T5500 videos show a 266mm (two fans) fit barely.


Keep in mind, you might have to remove some of the plastic shrouding from inside the chassis, but it should fit. However, my EVGA 2080 was a Black Edition and was of the two fan variety. So there was plenty of room for it.


----------



## Susquehannock (Jun 8, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> Hello! Would an RTX 2080 with three fans at 286mm fit in my case? Some T5500 videos show a 266mm (two fans) fit barely.


You should be fine. MSI RX 480 in mine is about 276mm. And triple fan cards installed in some, like the ASUS strix, are 300mm long. Likely need to remove the small square piece of the swing out panel and eliminate one hard drive mount. Personally, I remove that panel completely and move all the drives up top. Any panel ducting affect is largely negated by the aftermarket CPU fan we have afixed to the sink.

One thing to consider is card width and air movement. These cases were made for much smaller Quadro cards. Large non-blower type gaming cards dump heat into the case and can create a wide side to side barrier between top and bottom - a dead flow area near top except for the PSU. Especially if two bottom 80mm case fans are used making air flow just from front fans out the lower back.


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## lexluthermiester (Jun 8, 2022)

Susquehannock said:


> Likely need to remove the small square piece of the swing out panel and eliminate one hard drive mount.


I removed that as a rule. The expansion bays have enough room for drives.


----------



## pashalis777 (Jun 14, 2022)

Hi fellas, one problem here.

Just replaced my rams with the new ones. From (4x2) 8 to (6x4) 24. System does not find a boot device/hard drive, on PCI slot 1. Can not boot. Probably because I removed the cable from the bootable SSD to install the rams.
Some research says I may destroyed my SSD (his health was at 43% last night).
Any ideas?
I suspect if I put the old rams back, the problem will persist.

I did the full diagnostic test, too, which lasted for hours. New rams passed it, they even show as 24gb of six slots on bios setup, though I could not find my hard drives there! No SSD neither my two HDDs.

Thank you!

edit: 'error initializing pci express slot 1' 'not boot device found' are the exact quotes

SOLVED UPDATE: There is a card which is in PCI slot 1, I don't know its purpose but it connects with the SSD, the hdds and the CD ROM(which I thought was not connected, but it is, and I am curious if that cable is working, to connect a hard drive in the future). It has a black and white connection next to each other. Its cable goes to the drives I mentioned. It was connected to the white one, where there was this error I made this post about. Now I connected it to the black one and the system booted, with the hard drives showing and all. I hope the difference of the colors does not mean anything significant for my solution and the pc will continue working as good as before.


----------



## pashalis777 (Jun 15, 2022)

Hi, could I add a sound and a USB 3 cards on my motherboard? I don't think I have these slots this guy is talking about. Could you please help me out?

Would these work?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jun 15, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> Hi, could I add a sound and a USB 3 cards on my motherboard? I don't think I have these slots this guy is talking about. Could you please help me out?
> 
> Would these work?


To answer that, please take a photo of the motherboard inside of your case and attach it here.


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## pashalis777 (Jun 15, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> To answer that, please take a photo of the motherboard inside of your case and attach it here.


It is that one, if it's no bother. Thanks.

edit: picture


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## lexluthermiester (Jun 16, 2022)

pashalis777 said:


> It is that one, if it's no bother. Thanks.
> 
> edit: picture


Was hoping for a photo of what GPU you're using. However, let's presume you're using a 2 slot card.



This is how you set them up. You could easily switch the PCIe USB & Sound cards places if you wish, but this is the general card placement you want to follow. The blue slot is for a GPU. As you have a standard PCI slot you could buy and use a SB Xfi or Audigy 2 as long as you use DanielK's Driver set.


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## pashalis777 (Jun 16, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Was hoping for a photo of what GPU you're using. However, let's presume you're using a 2 slot card.
> View attachment 251236
> This is how you set them up. You could easily switch the PCIe USB & Sound cards places if you wish, but this is the general card placement you want to follow. The blue slot is for a GPU. As you have a standard PCI slot you could buy and use a SB Xfi or Audigy 2 as long as you use DanielK's Driver set.


In the USB slot, there is presumably a RAID card, where my hard drives are connected (I mentioned it a couple of days ago). I am looking into putting a new GPU, which should take the two slots you mentioned. I apologize, I don't understand what you said about the DanielK's Driver Set. What about the connectivity of the sound/usb cards? The motherboard has different slots than what these cards I linked above can connect to, right? For your consideration, I want a sound card with an optical output, and usb 3 card that has reasonable price. I found one that could presumably fit, but is pricey.

Edit: My PSU has a double 6 pin connectors. Could I buy a double 6 pin to 8 pin adapters, to power my new rtx 3080 Gigabyte Turbo 10 GB, as it requires two 8 pin cables? Is it ideal, or I should look into new cables or new PSU?

Thank you!


----------



## elfoam (Jul 26, 2022)

Hey how are you guys, I haven't checked in for a couple of years and randomly remembered this forum. I'm still running my T5810 as my daily machine. My T7500s and T5500s are retired. Well.. one T5500 is still being used. Next time I buy a workstation it'll be a Lenovo P900 but that's a way off yet as they are pretty rare to find for sale.


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## imrazor (Jul 27, 2022)

I had a question that will have many possible answers, but I’m still interested in everybody’s opinion. Question being, what would the best all around GPU to put in a Tx500? Granted there are many possible CPUs one could put in a Tx500, but since almost all are cheap nowadays let’s suppose we have an upper tier CPU (or two) like an X5670.

Any thoughts? Sorry if this has been answered before, but this is a really really long thread. I’m also interested in hearing people’s real world experiences with various video cards.

I currently have a 1050 Ti in my dual X5687 T5500, though I haven’t benchmarked it thoroughly. I did do more extensive testing with a Vega 56, and performance seemed to lag about 10% - 15% behind a Vega equipped modern system. But that was mostly in synthetic benchmarks. I did experience some serious glitching in one modern game (either Cyberpunk or Red Dead 2 IIRC.)


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## lexluthermiester (Jul 27, 2022)

imrazor said:


> X5670


Got with an X5680 or W3680. They're cheap and worth it.


imrazor said:


> what would the best all around GPU to put in a Tx500?


I had an RTX 2080 in my T3500 paired with my W3680. Depending on the game, there was some CPU bottlenecking going on, but not to any severe degree. However, best value would be a GTX 1070/1080. Solid level of performance for a price that is currently very reasonable.


imrazor said:


> I currently have a 1050 Ti in my dual X5687 T5500, though I haven’t benchmarked it thoroughly. I did do more extensive testing with a Vega 56, and performance seemed to lag about 10% - 15% behind a Vega equipped modern system. But that was mostly in synthetic benchmarks.


The above mentioned X5680 would be excellent in a pair for that system. Combined with a GTX1080 and you have a solid gaming system.


imrazor said:


> I did experience some serious glitching in one modern game (either Cyberpunk


Current version of CP2077 should be glitch/bug free on an X5680 based system.


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## uco73 (Jul 31, 2022)

I have GTX 1080 Ti paired with one xeon E5-2690. Maybe CPU is bottleneck but every game on max details running with 150+FPS.



lexluthermiester said:


> I had an RTX 2080 in my T3500 paired with my W3680


W3680 is still a monster CPU.


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## frigider (Aug 1, 2022)

hi guys, small issue here:

T7801 has 2 x 6 pin for GPU power.

GTX 1070 has 8 pin power IN.
It needs 150w.
so PCI-E gives it 75w so i can use 1 x 6 pin cable to convert to 8 pin for 75 extra w.
So all is well, using this:








BUT what if i put in a GPU with 1 x 6 + 1 x 8 power requirement?
will it not kill the 1 x 6 wire used to power both 6 and 8 pin power inputs?
^this is a theoretical issue, have not reached it yet.
nor do i know if i will reach it.


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 1, 2022)

frigider said:


> BUT what if i put in a GPU with 1 x 6 + 1 x 8 power requirement?
> will it not kill the 1 x 6 wire used to power both 6 and 8 pin power inputs?
> ^this is a theoretical issue, have not reached it yet.
> nor do i know if i will reach it.


Depends on the wiring. Better quality copper wiring will be fine. Cheaper steel wiring will not work well. Can you tell what you have in your adapter?


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## Shrek (Aug 1, 2022)

Steel wiring?


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 1, 2022)

Shrek said:


> Steel wiring?


Yup. A lot of PSU's and adapter cable makers use it. Dell doesn't use steel wiring in their PSUs, but that adapter @frigider bought might.

It's a PITB to do soldering work with. If you can avoid it, do!


----------



## Shrek (Aug 1, 2022)

I know about aluminum wiring but didn't know about steel.


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 1, 2022)

Shrek said:


> I know about aluminum wiring but didn't know about steel.


Yup, it's a thing.


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## Marstg (Aug 1, 2022)

For like 3 weeks I am the owner of a Precision T5810 workstation with a Xeon E5-1650v3 16GB DDR4 and a GTX 750 Ti for 90 USD. The GPU was defective so I got a 30 USD rebate. A very good deal IMHO. I got a 2070 Super and started folding. I tested booting from nvme and it works fine but it needs to be in uefi mode. However trying to install Ubuntu LTS 22.04 was a fail as it looked like my mouse failed, a Logitech M325 on a Unify controller.


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## frigider (Aug 1, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Can you tell what you have in your adapter?





lexluthermiester said:


> Yup. A lot of PSU's and adapter cable makers use it. Dell doesn't doesn't use steel wiring in their PSUs, but that adapter @frigider bought might.
> 
> It's a PITB to do soldering work with. If you can avoid it, do!



damn, didn't imagine steel right there 

i cannot avoid it at least for now.
but what is the actual risk? what can go wrong?

this is the packaging, it does not say anything about the wiring.





i found 2x sata to 8 pin - should i opt for those?




both are dirt cheap  3-4 $

found in amazon for 6$ 2 x 6 pin to 1 x 8 pin. 




but again - no mention of the conductor material.

thanks for the input!

*checked the QR code: AWG is 18 .. is that good? bad? terrible?  
tech drawing , declaration of conformity but none of them mention the conductor material.
kind of sad :|


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 1, 2022)

frigider said:


> AWG is 18 .. is that good?


Yup! Even if it's steel wiring, 18 gauge wire over 6 conductor lines(which is what the adapter starts out with) will handle about 540w safely. You're not going to get anywhere close to that. You're good.


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## SamirD (Aug 2, 2022)

Delock makes good stuff and is like startech in the usa--a trustable brand with specialty cables like that.

Another good company is moddiy.


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## frigider (Aug 2, 2022)

good to hear that guys.
will push it to the maxXx now 

*on my way to the second T7810.
this one will have V3 CPUs cause they are faster(this is what the WWW says) and cheaper than the V4 alternative.

i hope that in my comparison"benchmars" - real life test cases that matter to me they will outperform the V4.

there's gonna be WAR: 2697 V3s vs 2680 v4s


----------



## SamirD (Aug 2, 2022)

frigider said:


> good to hear that guys.
> will push it to the maxXx now
> 
> *on my way to the second T7810.
> ...


Passmark agrees with you on the v3 being faster, but barely.  You'll hardly notice in real life.  Now, what may be noticed is that the v3 uses about 25w more power.  

It's always interesting to see different generations of processors and see what was optimized--one era was cores, another was ipc, another was power, and it goes on and on.


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## frigider (Aug 2, 2022)

yeah i read that V4 update only reduced the 'die size' with no major perf upgrade.
so for 2x 25w extra i kind of said to myself "f#ck this' and went with V3.

but V4s have TSX-NX (don't know if i got the name right) instruction set so i will see if "that" makes a differencein my case.

hoping it does not


----------



## Count von Schwalbe (Aug 2, 2022)

frigider said:


> yeah i read that V4 update only reduced the 'die size' with no major perf upgrade.
> so for 2x 25w extra i kind of said to myself "f#ck this' and went with V3.
> 
> but V4s have TSX-NX (don't know if i got the name right) instruction set so i will see if "that" makes a differencein my case.
> ...







__





						Transactional Synchronization Extensions (TSX) instructions set
					

TSX allow the processor to determine whether threads need to serialize through lock-protected critical sections, and to perform serialization only when required.



					linasm.sourceforge.net
				




For what TSX instruction set means. I don't understand that deep into it but it may help those smarter than me...


----------



## frigider (Aug 2, 2022)

Count von Schwalbe said:


> __
> 
> 
> 
> ...


yeah... i'm not getting much out if this explanation either, cannot compute the info.

but as i said - i ran some real life tests/benches on V4s and now i will see how V3s stand for the software i use.

will try one more time on YT to search for a simpler explanation.
then again - what matters most if your software will benefit from it, which thankfully i can observe and draw conclusions.


----------



## frigider (Aug 4, 2022)

another question guys - i take it the stock T7810 CPU heatsinks+coolers can handle all V3 and V4 CPUs?

thinking about the E5-2687W v3 with their 160W TDP - sounds kind of scary.

with 825W PSU and 150W taken by the GPU ... and 320 W by the CPUs - all is well, right?


----------



## SamirD (Aug 5, 2022)

frigider said:


> another question guys - i take it the stock T7810 CPU heatsinks+coolers can handle all V3 and V4 CPUs?
> 
> thinking about the E5-2687W v3 with their 160W TDP - sounds kind of scary.
> 
> with 825W PSU and 150W taken by the GPU ... and 320 W by the CPUs - all is well, right?


It depends on if Dell had more than one heatsink available.  If they did, you may need the higher tdp one or you'll hear the fans ramp up to 100% and maybe overheat.  (I've generally been able to ramp fans to 100% and put in 95w processors under 65w stock heatsinks, but this didn't work on the 4790k in a 3020 SFF where I had to get the upgraded HSF and shroud.)

As far as power, the power supplies are rated more like at a minimum and you'll have to tax the system 100% on all fronts--gpu and both cpus for you to hit the 470w draw--and that still leaves 355w if at 100% efficiency or probably the same if the power supply can do a bit more than 825w.  

(In an older Dell Optiplex 330 with a 380 motherboard, I've got it loaded up with max ram, a gpu on the pcie (no additional power), a 95w processor all on the stock 200w-something power supply.  And it's been running like this for years in 90F.  Yes, the power supply is pretty hot, but I'm not taxing it at 100% so it seems to still get by.  Just some food for thought.)


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 5, 2022)

frigider said:


> another question guys - i take it the stock T7810 CPU heatsinks+coolers can handle all V3 and V4 CPUs?


Do you have a photo? Dell made more than one model of heatsink for that line of workstations.


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## frigider (Aug 5, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Do you have a photo? Dell made more than one model of heatsink for that line of workstations.



yes Sir i do:




i had a t7810 before and these cooling units looked the same, from the outside at least.


i think i just had a revelation:

i bought (again) 2x14 core CPUs with base 2.6 and  3.1 turbo on all cores. 2697 v3.

and kind of thought if maybe i should have went for lower no of cores and higher clock speed.
but the thing is : in BIOS you can limit the no. of cores.

sooooo i am thinking maybe i can cut down some cores and maybe see a All core turbo increase 

as I can see - turbo decreases with core count:
Frequency                              2600 MHz
Maximum turbo frequency    3300 MHz (1 or 2 cores)
                                              3200 MHz (3 or 4 cores)
                                              3100 MHz (5 or 6 cores)
                                              3000 MHz (7 or 8 cores)

i will make some tests.
curious how high the turbo will get with fewer cores.

*but i need to wait 2 weeks until the CPUs actually arrive. :|

so i will have some flexibility and be able to test which is better - original config or smaller no of cores and higher clocks.

**tested with 4 core cpus, turbo did increase


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 5, 2022)

frigider said:


> yes Sir i do:
> View attachment 257039
> 
> i had a t7810 before and these cooling units looked the same, from the outside at least.
> ...


Yup, those will be good for the CPU's you're considering.


----------



## frigider (Aug 5, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Yup, those will be good for the CPU's you're considering.


yeeeee-haaaaa 
soon.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 5, 2022)

frigider said:


> yeeeee-haaaaa
> soon.


Make sure to use a good TIM for optimal heat transfer. With MX-5 being discontinued, my current fav is KPx. However there are many to choose from that would be excellent performers. Do you have a good thermal paste?


----------



## frigider (Aug 5, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Make sure to use a good TIM for optimal heat transfer. With MX-5 being discontinued, my current fav is KPx. However there are many to choose from that would be excellent performers. Do you have a good thermal paste?


i got MX-2  
i guess mx-5 si better


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 5, 2022)

frigider said:


> i got MX-2
> i guess mx-5 si better


MX-2 is solid. You're good to go.


----------



## frigider (Aug 8, 2022)

.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 8, 2022)

frigider said:


> .


?!? What's up?


----------



## frigider (Aug 8, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> ?!? What's up?


trying to find Precision rubber feet.
and i manag to find Optiplex ones..

the unit i got is missing 5 rubber feet 
all 4 on the bottom and 1 on the side. :|

but i think i will just buy rubber band the has self adhesive or something..


----------



## SamirD (Aug 8, 2022)

frigider said:


> trying to find Precision rubber feet.
> and i manag to find Optiplex ones..
> 
> the unit i got is missing 5 rubber feet
> ...


Check out digikey and mouser as they will have all the different type of rubber feet that the manufacturers use.


----------



## frigider (Aug 8, 2022)

SamirD said:


> Check out digikey and mouser as they will have all the different type of rubber feet that the manufacturers use.


are these forum users or ebay sellers?


----------



## Count von Schwalbe (Aug 8, 2022)

frigider said:


> are these forum users or ebay sellers?


Digikey:


> the company is the fourth largest electronic component distributor in North America and the fifth largest electronic component distributor in the world.


Mouser:


> Mouser is ranked as the seventh largest electronic component distributor in the world. The company has 27 locations globally and more than 3,200 employees.


So Digikey is definitely an eBay seller, and Mouser is the forum user...


----------



## SamirD (Aug 9, 2022)

You guys are hilarious!


----------



## frigider (Aug 9, 2022)

Count von Schwalbe said:


> Digikey:
> 
> Mouser:
> 
> So Digikey is definitely an eBay seller, and Mouser is the forum user...


did not see that coming like at all


----------



## imrazor (Aug 9, 2022)

I had mothballed my T5500 for 3 or 4 months and recently fired it back up. But I noticed that the fans are running really loud. Linux reported that the onboard Dell sensor was recording an ambient temperature of 60C. Speedfan in windows however shows this -






If the cores are running between 25 - 35 C (that's from the onboard Intel sensors), it seems totally impossible for the CPU to be hitting nearly 100C higher (according to Dell's sensor.) How can I fix this? Does anyone even know where the sensor is? Can I just remove it, or will that force the fans into jet engine mode?


----------



## Susquehannock (Aug 10, 2022)

imrazor said:


> I had mothballed my T5500 for 3 or 4 months and recently fired it back up. But I noticed that the fans are running really loud. Linux reported that the onboard Dell sensor was recording an ambient temperature of 60C. Speedfan in windows however shows this -
> 
> View attachment 257446
> 
> If the cores are running between 25 - 35 C (that's from the onboard Intel sensors), it seems totally impossible for the CPU to be hitting nearly 100C higher (according to Dell's sensor.) How can I fix this? Does anyone even know where the sensor is? Can I just remove it, or will that force the fans into jet engine mode?


Temp sensor is on the front I/O panel and may be bad. Part # M884G. Pretty common with these Dells. Especially the earlier ones with the brown UCC brand capacitors which are known to be defective.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 10, 2022)

imrazor said:


> Speedfan in windows however shows this -


Check your heatsinks and make sure they haven't come loose.


Susquehannock said:


> Temp sensor is on the front I/O panel and may be bad. Part # M884G. Pretty common with these Dells. Especially the earlier ones with the brown UCC brand capacitors which are known to be defective.


This might also be a possibility.


----------



## Marstg (Aug 12, 2022)

Using these 6pin to 8pin adapters, just one from the pack, as my 685W PSU has 2 x 6pin leads, to power a HP 2070 Super. GPU-Z reports that the card draws about 210W while Folding, total board power, so the adapters are doing the job.


----------



## SamirD (Aug 12, 2022)

Marstg said:


> Using these 6pin to 8pin adapters, just one from the pack, as my 685W PSU has 2 x 6pin leads, to power a HP 2070 Super. GPU-Z reports that the card draws about 210W while Folding, total board power, so the adapters are doing the job.


If you can find them, HP 683867-001 is great for this.  It's a really nice adapter that's made to stand the test of time for sure.


----------



## Susquehannock (Aug 14, 2022)

Marstg said:


> Using these 6pin to 8pin adapters, just one from the pack, as my 685W PSU has 2 x 6pin leads, to power a HP 2070 Super. GPU-Z reports that the card draws about 210W while Folding, total board power, so the adapters are doing the job.


That is good news. Would be surprised if they didn't work. Both use three power wires. Not as though PSU makers put 6-pin on a separate rail limited to 75 watts.


----------



## Socokiwi (Aug 21, 2022)

I am new to this forum but I am wondering if somebody could help me. I have an unlocked Xeon E5 1680v2 in a Dell T3610 WS. After hours of trying to force an overclock, i have finally managed to increase the multiplier. However, this only increases the multiplier on 6 cores, not all 8. The CPU speed will not increase higher than the slowest core. Does anyone know any tricks to get the multiplier to go across all cores? 

The second part to this is - If i disable 2 cores and just run 6 i can overclock and get 4-4.1ghz across all 6. When increasing to 42 or 43 the workstation crashes and reboots. The CPU is a tank and can be pushed much higher than this, any reason why this Dell Tbone workstation can't handle to jandle?


----------



## imrazor (Aug 21, 2022)

@Socokiwi My first thought is that perhaps the motherboard can't deliver enough voltage to power all 8 cores. If you reduce the frequency, can you than OC all 8 cores? For example, 8 cores at 3.6 GHz or something?


----------



## Retrorockit (Aug 21, 2022)

You might try the Throttlestop Overclocking Desktop PC thread. Unclewebb the developer of TS posts there. Frank2994 did an E5-1680v3 in a T5810.
Your T3610 may be the first of it's kind, so expect suggestions more than hard answers.








						Throttlestop overclocking Desktop PCs
					

That must itch something fierce! :laugh::roll:   That would work well.   That's a common saying at least in the Pittsburgh area....looks screwed up typed out lol. And for those dual 2687s I think I could only justify that on maybe a new Plex server. Our 4th gen i7 and gtx1650 super can run about...




					www.techpowerup.com
				



Dell typically skimps on VRM cooling. This can limit Voltage to the CPU. The good part is you can add it yourself and reap the benefits.


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## unclewebb (Aug 21, 2022)

ThrottleStop shows that the Xeon E5 1680v2 supports Unlimited overclocking. It also shows that this feature has been locked, likely by the BIOS.

The CPU can use the 42 multiplier when up to 6 cores are active. If 7 or 8 cores are active, the maximum multiplier will be limited to 34. If you cannot adjust the turbo ratios in the BIOS then you would need to find an unlocked BIOS so you can adjust these after you boot up into Windows. Other than that, there is nothing you can do.



Socokiwi said:


> When increasing to 42 or 43 the workstation crashes


The CPU voltage is not adjustable on these CPUs. The default voltage is going to limit the maximum speed you can reliably run this CPU at.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Aug 21, 2022)

Retrorockit said:


> You might try the Throttlestop Overclocking Desktop PC thread. Unclewebb the developer of TS posts there. Frank2994 did an E5-1680v3 in a T5810.
> Your T3610 may be the first of it's kind, so expect suggestions more than hard answers.
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks! I couldn't find it.


----------



## Socokiwi (Aug 22, 2022)

@imrazor No this doesnt work either..... here is what CPUZ shows when all 8 cores active with the increased multiplier. T


unclewebb said:


> ThrottleStop shows that the Xeon E5 1680v2 supports Unlimited overclocking. It also shows that this feature has been locked, likely by the BIOS.
> 
> The CPU can use the 42 multiplier when up to 6 cores are active. If 7 or 8 cores are active, the maximum multiplier will be limited to 34. If you cannot adjust the turbo ratios in the BIOS then you would need to find an unlocked BIOS so you can adjust these after you boot up into Windows. Other than that, there is nothing you can do.
> 
> ...


Thank you all! I might look at modding the bios. Might try that on my mates desktop first though haha!


----------



## Retrorockit (Aug 22, 2022)

Frank 2994 looked into some BIOS modding in the TSOC thread. BIOSMods.com offers some custom BIOS modding also. If there is more demand for Dell stuff they might work on it more. But it is known to be harder than normal.


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## lexluthermiester (Aug 22, 2022)

Retrorockit said:


> BIOSMods.com


Um...





Did you mean  https://www.bios-mods.com/ ?


----------



## Retrorockit (Aug 22, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Um...
> View attachment 259026
> 
> 
> Did you mean  https://www.bios-mods.com/ ?


Yes those guys.


----------



## frigider (Sep 17, 2022)

me again... oscilating again between Hp and Dell  

i did a quick google search on booting from NVMe on a pice card. and 1 guy said it worked (on A16 bios - i got A36) 
so i guess it does work?  

*reason for this is that my SSD on SATA is reaching 100% activity and staying there.. sooooo... i need faster storage?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Sep 17, 2022)

frigider said:


> i did a quick google search on booting from NVMe on a pice card. and 1 guy said it worked (on A16 bios - i got A36)
> so i guess it does work?
> 
> *reason for this is that my SSD on SATA is reaching 100% activity and staying there.. sooooo... i need faster storage?


Remind us of your system specs?


----------



## frigider (Sep 17, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Remind us of your system specs?


sorry, it is a T7810. bios A36.
do other specs matter? i would assume "no"?

i am gambling that the mobo and bios version are what will dictate the end result?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Sep 17, 2022)

frigider said:


> sorry, it is a T7810. bios A36.
> do other specs matter? i would assume "no"?
> 
> i am gambling that the mobo and bios version are what will dictate the end result?


No that's fine. I do believe that system can boot from PCIe so you should be OK. However your troubles might be swapfile/pagefile related. As long as you have at least 16GB of RAM, try turning the pagefile off and see if your SSD stays pegged at 100% usage. Do you know how to do that?


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## frigider (Sep 18, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> No that's fine. I do believe that system can boot from PCIe so you should be OK. However your troubles might be swapfile/pagefile related. As long as you have at least 16GB of RAM, try turning the pagefile off and see if your SSD stays pegged at 100% usage. Do you know how to do that?


Thanks for the good news, I am quite curious about some performance boost, maybe programs opening faster? (Takes 30secs now...)

I got 160gb of ram
I will give that a go and see what happens, thanks for the tip!


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## lexluthermiester (Sep 18, 2022)

frigider said:


> I got 160gb of ram


GOOD GRIEF! That's a lot of RAM!


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## hat (Sep 18, 2022)

So I need a modern-ish, inexpensive machine. My little brother is trying to run modified Minecraft with a machine consisting of an old SFF Dell Intel E5700, Q43/45 integrated graphics, and 4GB RAM. It's not working out so well (at all). I know at least the x58 workstations are cheap and plentiful, but I'm looking for at least something Sandy Bridge or newer so that AVX instructions will be available. Anyone have any affordable suggestions that would be cheap enough to consider over building a modern, low end desktop?


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## lexluthermiester (Sep 18, 2022)

hat said:


> So I need a modern-ish, inexpensive machine. My little brother is trying to run modified Minecraft with a machine consisting of an old SFF Dell Intel E5700, Q43/45 integrated graphics, and 4GB RAM. It's not working out so well (at all). I know at least the x58 workstations are cheap and plentiful, but I'm looking for at least something Sandy Bridge or newer so that AVX instructions will be available. Anyone have any affordable suggestions that would be cheap enough to consider over building a modern, low end desktop?


What's your desired target budget? affordable is a somewhat subjective term..


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## 80-watt Hamster (Sep 18, 2022)

hat said:


> So I need a modern-ish, inexpensive machine. My little brother is trying to run modified Minecraft with a machine consisting of an old SFF Dell Intel E5700, Q43/45 integrated graphics, and 4GB RAM. It's not working out so well (at all). I know at least the x58 workstations are cheap and plentiful, but I'm looking for at least something Sandy Bridge or newer so that AVX instructions will be available. Anyone have any affordable suggestions that would be cheap enough to consider over building a modern, low end desktop?



Skylake-based and later Precision units are being phased out now. Should be able to find an i7 model for around (or less than) USD200.


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## lexluthermiester (Sep 19, 2022)

80-watt Hamster said:


> Skylake-based and later Precision units are being phased out now. Should be able to find an i7 model for around (or less than) USD200.


On that note, something like this might be good if you have your own GPU and drives;








						Dell Precision T5810 6-Core 3.50GHz E5-1650 v3 32GB DDR4 RAM No HDD  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dell Precision T5810 6-Core 3.50GHz E5-1650 v3 32GB DDR4 RAM No HDD at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com


----------



## hat (Sep 19, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> On that note, something like this might be good if you have your own GPU and drives;
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That's not a bad system, but I do have concerns about the power supply. It looks like it supports two pci-e 6 pin, from the photo and what I can gather from Google searches. Most cards are at least 8 pin these days. Still, $250 seems very fair for a system with no GPU or drives. I can supply any old SSD for cheap, and a reasonable graphics card shouldn't be too terribly hard to come by.


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## Count von Schwalbe (Sep 19, 2022)

hat said:


> That's not a bad system, but I do have concerns about the power supply. It looks like it supports two pci-e 6 pin, from the photo and what I can gather from Google searches. Most cards are at least 8 pin these days. Still, $250 seems very fair for a system with no GPU or drives. I can supply any old SSD for cheap, and a reasonable graphics card shouldn't be too terribly hard to come by.


A 8-pin can be adapted from 2x 6-pin, so you could go 1080, 2070, 6700, etc.


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## lexluthermiester (Sep 19, 2022)

hat said:


> That's not a bad system, but I do have concerns about the power supply. It looks like it supports two pci-e 6 pin, from the photo and what I can gather from Google searches. Most cards are at least 8 pin these days. Still, $250 seems very fair for a system with no GPU or drives. I can supply any old SSD for cheap, and a reasonable graphics card shouldn't be too terribly hard to come by.


You can order two 6 to 8 pin adapter cable for it. They work perfectly. The PSU can handle the wattage you're likely to give it.


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## hat (Sep 19, 2022)

I'll see if my parents can/want to get that for him. If they get the workstation, I'll provide the missing storage and GPU.

Looks like they went for it. Now I'm off to find a SSD and a graphics card...


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## lexluthermiester (Sep 20, 2022)

hat said:


> and a graphics card...


That should not be difficult right now.


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## KLiKzg (Sep 23, 2022)

frigider said:


> Thanks for the good news, I am quite curious about some performance boost, maybe programs opening faster? (Takes 30secs now...)
> 
> I got 160gb of ram
> I will give that a go and see what happens, thanks for the tip!


Then you certainly need to turn pagefile OFF, as it 160GB x 1,5 in pagefile would overwhelm the system, in your case SSD.


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## imrazor (Sep 27, 2022)

imrazor said:


> I had mothballed my T5500 for 3 or 4 months and recently fired it back up. But I noticed that the fans are running really loud. Linux reported that the onboard Dell sensor was recording an ambient temperature of 60C. Speedfan in windows however shows this -
> 
> View attachment 257446
> 
> If the cores are running between 25 - 35 C (that's from the onboard Intel sensors), it seems totally impossible for the CPU to be hitting nearly 100C higher (according to Dell's sensor.) How can I fix this? Does anyone even know where the sensor is? Can I just remove it, or will that force the fans into jet engine mode?


Had a duh! moment here. Apparently I forgot to put the RAM fan shroud back in when I last started monkeying around in the case. Now that it's back in place things look much better:





Hopefully it was all simply caused by a moment of forgetfulness...


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## hat (Sep 27, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> That should not be difficult right now.


Well they went for it and I ordered the drive. Just waiting for a chance to go set the thing up. I'm planning on giving him one of my own 1070s as I don't really need two anymore.


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## lexluthermiester (Sep 27, 2022)

hat said:


> I'm planning on giving him one of my own 1070s as I don't really need two anymore.


That's very cool of you! GTX1070 is still a good card.


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## frigider (Sep 27, 2022)

Hi, does having 2 CPUs with different serials (last row) affect performance?


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## lexluthermiester (Sep 28, 2022)

frigider said:


> Hi, does having 2 CPUs with different serials (last row) affect performance?


No. The two CPU's in that photo will work perfectly together.


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## frigider (Sep 28, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> No. The two CPU's in that photo will work perfectly together.


Very reassuring,thanks!

On to the next one : 
Mixing single rank with double rank?
My video editing software is really slooooow lately...

I switched to this pc recently, won't even play an mp3 with black screen.


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## lexluthermiester (Sep 28, 2022)

frigider said:


> Mixing single rank with double rank?


Technically you can do it on some systems. I do not and would not recommend it. Whatever you buy, make sure it's all the same rank. 


frigider said:


> My video editing software is really slooooow lately...


This is why. Different ranks will work, but not well. Doing so introduces latency that will not exist with ranks of the same type.


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## frigider (Sep 29, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Technically you can do it on some systems. I do not and would not recommend it. Whatever you buy, make sure it's all the same rank.
> 
> This is why. Different ranks will work, but not well. Doing so introduces latency that will not exist with ranks of the same type.


I did a test.
Left in just 1 type of ram, in the 1-2 slots for each CPU.
It ran as badly as with the mixed modules.

Kind of happy and disappointed at the same time

I think the software is at fault...


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## lexluthermiester (Sep 29, 2022)

frigider said:


> I think the software is at fault...


Actually, it's a hardware thing. Ranks are just not designed to be mixed and get optimal performance. It technically works, just not well.


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## frigider (Sep 29, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Actually, it's a hardware thing. Ranks are just not designed to be mixed and get optimal performance. It technically works, just not well.


yeah. 

*in case you were wondering regular ram works on T7810  
don't know if all brands do  
found out yesetrday from someone.


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## hat (Oct 2, 2022)

@lexluthermiester I figured I'd mention that today I put together that computer for my brother. My parents bought the base system you recommended after I recommended it. I bought a Neo Forza 480GB TLC drive myself because it was on sale, and he got my girlfriend's GTX1660. She got my 1070. He's happy with Minecraft now, as his previous machine refused to run it... the 1660 should be capable of other things as well. Hopefully it'll be strong enough to run well for years to come.


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## pashalis777 (Oct 2, 2022)

Hello. I just moved my T5500 to the other room with a little bit of jolting, and turning it on, it went fine until 5 minutes in on Windows it showed blue screen and restarted. Upon the restart it gave me "Uncorrectable error in DDIM 6" or something similar. Clicking to continue it tries to boot into windows and the same blue screen appears. I did the scan for the system pressing f5 at the error screen. After 1 hour and 15 minutes it showed everything is fine. Restarting at that point, it gave me 'correctable errors previously detected in DDIM 6", pressing f1 booted into Windows and run great for hours, until I shut it down manually. This morning, no errors, but a little bit of delay at the boot screen, windows loaded, but about 4 minutes in, again, blue screen and restarted. Now says "Uncorrectable error previously detected in DDIM 6", pressing f1 it booted into Windows, and now is up and running for almost a couple of hours.

Most likely this will continue, but posting here asking for advice, if you have any. Thank you.


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 2, 2022)

hat said:


> the 1660 should be capable of other things as well.


Oh heck yeah, GTX1660 is a very capable card. It'll even run CyberPunk2077 on modest settings. He should be solid!



hat said:


> Hopefully it'll be strong enough to run well for years to come.


Should be, yeah! Glad I could help!


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## frigider (Oct 9, 2022)

me again.

possibly silly question here, brace yourselves:

thinking of getting an NVMe SSD, does the adapter itself being a max x4 (right?) matter that much?
there are real cheap ones and i'm thinking..it's just some connectors.

does it make sense to buy a more expensive one?
maybe better gold plated and stuff?


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## 80-watt Hamster (Oct 9, 2022)

frigider said:


> me again.
> 
> possibly silly question here, brace yourselves:
> 
> ...



M.2 ports are typically wired X4 anyway, so you wouldn't lose anything unless running more than one, and maybe not even then depending on workload. Gold contacts are entirely unnecessary unless in a corrosion-prone environment, at which point corrosion elsewhere would probably pose a problem first.


----------



## frigider (Oct 9, 2022)

80-watt Hamster said:


> M.2 ports are typically wired X4 anyway, so you wouldn't lose anything unless running more than one, and maybe not even then depending on workload. Gold contacts are entirely unnecessary unless in a corrosion-prone environment, at which point corrosion elsewhere would probably pose a problem first.


just what i needed to hear  
very reassuring.

thanks!


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## frigider (Oct 10, 2022)

Yet another stupid question:
If you have a 2 socket PC and each CPU has 1 ram dimm.. does the ram run in single channel mode?

Is that really slow compare to dual channel?


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 10, 2022)

frigider said:


> If you have a 2 socket PC and each CPU has 1 ram dimm.. does the ram run in single channel mode?


Yes, each CPU will run in a single channel mode.


frigider said:


> Is that really slow compare to dual channel?


That depends on what you are doing.


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## frigider (Oct 11, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Yes, each CPU will run in a single channel mode.
> 
> That depends on what you are doing.


damn.
i dunno, generic computer stuff? 
mostly rendering but i guess RAM affects loading speed of programs?

ok i will get at least 2 dimms / cpu.


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 11, 2022)

frigider said:


> damn.
> i dunno, generic computer stuff?
> mostly rendering but i guess RAM affects loading speed of programs?
> 
> ok i will get at least 2 dimms / cpu.


What system do you have?


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## frigider (Oct 11, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> What system do you have?


T7810.


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 11, 2022)

frigider said:


> T7810.


Ah, that's a quad channel memory system. So if you populate all 8 memory slots you'll get optimal performance. The DIMMs don't need to be big. 4GB per dimm would give you 32GB total and you'll be set for the life of the system. DDR4-2400 RDIMMS(what that system will takes) are very inexpensive currently. What CPU set do you have for it?


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## frigider (Oct 11, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Ah, that's a quad channel memory system. So if you populate all 8 memory slots you'll get optimal performance. The DIMMs don't need to be big. 4GB per dimm would give you 32GB total and you'll be set for the life of the system. DDR4-2400 RDIMMS(what that system will takes) are very inexpensive currently. What CPU set do you have for it?


yeah but if i have 1 dimm / cpu it's single channel, right?

will be getting 2x2680 v4s. tested with 2x2667 v3 - those are pretty awesome too. 
sometimes faster than the 2x2697v3s  

i keep testing stuff for my real world application (after effetcs)
trying to find the sweet spot.


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 11, 2022)

frigider said:


> yeah but if i have 1 dimm / cpu it's single channel, right?


Yup.


frigider said:


> will be getting 2x2680 v4s. tested with 2x2667 v3 - those are pretty awesome too.


Unless you really need the extra cores, stick with the 2667v3s.


frigider said:


> i keep testing stuff for my real world application (after effetcs)
> trying to find the sweet spot.


That might be a good reason to have the 2680v4s. I don't use Abobe products so I'm not 100% on that. However, if that's what you're aiming for, 2x8c/16t@3.2ghz is actually going to be better than 2x14c/28t@2.4ghz for most tasks. Also, if you have compute heavy workloads, single channel RAM is going to choke performance. Save your money on the CPU's and get more RAM. You'll thank yourself later.


----------



## frigider (Oct 12, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Yup.
> 
> Unless you really need the extra cores, stick with the 2667v3s.
> 
> That might be a good reason to have the 2680v4s. I don't use Abobe products so I'm not 100% on that. However, if that's what you're aiming for, 2x8c/16t@3.2ghz is actually going to be better than 2x14c/28t@2.4ghz for most tasks. Also, if you have compute heavy workloads, single channel RAM is going to choke performance. Save your money on the CPU's and get more RAM. You'll thank yourself later.


i keep testing with different cpus the old fashioned way: i render projects and see what pair of cpu sets the best time.
so far the lower core higher clock won 2 out of 3 tests. so you are right.

no matter the cpu pair - be it 32 Th / 56 Th - all threads run when rendering, so thank you Adobe !


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 13, 2022)

frigider said:


> i keep testing with different cpus the old fashioned way: i render projects and see what pair of cpu sets the best time.
> so far the lower core higher clock won 2 out of 3 tests. so you are right.
> 
> no matter the cpu pair - be it 32 Th / 56 Th - all threads run when rendering, so thank you Adobe !


Ah ok, you're doing it out of interest/fun. It really does depend on the task and program.


----------



## frigider (Oct 14, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Ah ok, you're doing it out of interest/fun. It really does depend on the task and program.


yeah, living the dream 
unfortunately not the American one.
but who knows? maybe someday


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 14, 2022)

frigider said:


> yeah, living the dream
> unfortunately not the American one.
> but who knows? maybe someday


Oh, dude I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend or make light of you.


----------



## frigider (Oct 14, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Oh, dude I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend or make light of you.


no worries, i wasn't offended, why would i be?
i was just joking, well yes and no cause i always wanted to find the sweet spot cores <> base clock for the software i use - and now i can experiment.
and i am fascinated by the american lifestyle. (HUGE houses, HUGE cars, HUGE roads, HUGE everything)


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 14, 2022)

frigider said:


> no worries, i wasn't offended, why would i be?
> i was just joking, well yes and no cause i always wanted to find the sweet spot cores <> base clock for the software i use - and now i can experiment.


Nevermind then, I think I misunderstood you. It's all good!



frigider said:


> and i am fascinated by the american lifestyle. (HUGE houses, HUGE cars, HUGE roads, HUGE everything)


That's not as true as it used to be, but I get what you're saying.


----------



## Mike Hawk (Oct 16, 2022)

I feel like I'm going to an addicts anonymous meeting for the first time after finding this thread.  Hi Tech Power Up, my name is Mike, and I have a problem.  This is my first post here!

Okay, story time!  *TL;DR* at the bottom. Come on over, have a brew.  Stay awhile and listen!

*Background part 1, 2015 and my main rig.*
Rewind 7 years ago to the summer of 2015. GTAV was all the rage, having finally been released on PC. This turned into my latest "killer app" and I needed a new PC to enjoy it. I went a bit crazy and snagged a i5-4690k CPU (5,759 CPU Mark) with a Corsair Hydro H110i GTX 280mm AIO cooler, 2x8gb of 1866MHz DDR3 ram, a fast at the time Sata III 250gb EVO 850 SSD, and one of the faster GPUs at the time, the venerable MSI Gaming 980ti. It ran GTAV at nearly 60fps @ 4k with all settings maxed out. I was happy. I was also really enjoying Diablo 3 

*Background part 2, 2017 and family hand me down upgrades.*
As with most of you, you're probably your friends and family IT purchaser and support tech. I am no different. Fast forward to 2017 and my dad needed an upgraded PC to dork around with as his C2D, yes C2D, was just to slow for even me to stomach whenever I went to see him. So a bit about me. I can afford new PCs, as seen above, yet I loath spending money. I'm *ALL *about finding value in the used market if I can, or the best bang for your buck with current new tech. My eyes got blown wide open to older Dell off lease desktops. I snagged a Dell Optiplex 790 with a second gen i5-2400, with 4 gigs of ram for $70 shipped from Goodwill! NICE! I threw in one of my older 64gb Sata SSDs and a 750ti I had gathering dust and it was a pretty dang snappy machine. All invested was ~$250 in parts that could beat PS4/XB1 graphics at the time.

*Present day, HP Z220 family upgrade*
With the pandemic happening, our local office branch shut down which meant I'm now 24/7 WFH.  I now spend the days "working" from my dad's house just to have a change of scenery, among other things.  During breaks, I'd fire up his now 5 year old Optiplex 790 to get in a quick rift or 3 on Diablo 3.  It still felt snappy-ish, but windows updates were taking a bit too long and it just felt long in the tooth.  So yeah, the upgrade bug hit me.  I slowly force myself to start researching everything and get back up to speed on what the new greatness is on average to extreme PCs.  I'm searching SlickDeals and get --><-- close to buying a refurb Acer.  Something along the lines of
$88 Celeron J4125 2GHz 4GB Ram, 256GB SSD, 2,984 CPU Mark.  This would serve as a decent surfer.  No gaming obviously.
But then I thought if I'm gonna spend $100, why not $200?
$202 i3-10105 3.70GHz 8GB Ram, 256GB SSD, 8,840 CPU Mark.  Can game if you throw in a half height vija card.

I didn't really wanna have to be out $200 plus also tracking down a half height video card for Diablo3.
So then there was this guy:
$308 i5-10400 2.9GHz 8GB Ram, 1TB HDD (boo!), 12,305 CPU Mark. Really got tempted by this guy but once you get north of $300 you have so many different options. Even if I could just retain my old 750ti which was adequate for 1080p Diablo 3.

When I'm in the middle of all this research, Linus just happened to drop his his "$69" budget gaming rig 2.0 vid:









What what what? A *WORKSTATION*? As a *GAMING *PC?!? For being so smart, I'm so stupid sometimes. Why not go back to my roots with the off lease, several years old, yet still very capable workstation?
I was able to snag a HP Z220 CMT E3-1230 v2 3.3GHz 4 core CPU with 16GB Ram, which has a 6,207 CPU Mark. No HDD or GPU in the listing. Long story short the machine only came with 8gb of ram so they refunded me some money, all said and done it was only* $44* after the dust settled.  An amazing bargain of a very capable machine.  I swapped over the SSD and 750ti and all was great.

HP Z220 the day it arrived 






Here's the Dell Optiplex 790 vs HP Z220 rundown:





And Diablo 3 running 60fps @ 1080p. Kinda odd to see CPU usage hang around in single digit % usage.





*Present day, Dell 5810 main rig upgrade*
Still rocking the now 7 year old 4690k/980ti main rig. I dabbled a bit with the Doom 2016 demo but really all I like to play on PC is Diablo 3. There hasn't been that next "killer" game yet for me to upgrade everything. However, my main rig started to lock up a lot while playing Diablo 3. Maybe its the OS? Maybe the hardware, who knows. Even the wife was getting frustrated with the main rig having to be rebooted a lot.

The "success" of upgrading the "work/family" machine got me to thinking about upgrading my main rig, because why not? I'm sick in the head and bored and this is fun! Plus it might fix our reboot issues. I'm not quite ready to do a complete rebuild from scratch getting a latest gen CPU/GPU because that's gonna easily be around a $2,000 after all said and done endeavor. Plus I just don't have that "killer" game bugging me to build. Maybe once Diablo 4 drops in 2023?

I put in a few bids on a Z440 as I kept flip flopping between that one and the Dell 5810. Well I kept on getting outbid on the Z440 since I wanted to stay under $120 shipped. I put in a bid on a 5810 and wouldn't you know it I won it @ ~$120 shipped. 

Looked to be a personal use machine and not just a recycler so it wasn't all beat to heck and back.





As with all these other eBay machines, no HDD/GPU but that's fine. The previous owner had upgraded the CPU to a 13,272 overall / 1,820 single thread CPU Mark Intel Xeon E5-2660 v3 @ 2.60GHz, 10 core 20 thread, 3.30Ghz boost. 105w TDP. That's just NUTS. PLUS it came from Dell with 4x16gb 2400MHz DDR4 ram. QUAD CHANNEL BABY!!! The ram alone could sell for $120 on eBay, so I felt I got a bit of a bargain, even if I'll never use it to the fullest.

My old rig's small Sata SSD was getting a bit cramped, and knowing I could boot off an NVMe on the Dell I decided why not and snagged a 1tb TeamGroup MP34 Gen 3 M.2 and adapter card off Amazon for ~$85. Figured I'd hold off on a Gen 4 when I upgrade everything in 2023 and hopefully prices will come down even further. Seems like M.2 are dropping like rocks.

Not to bad! Pretty much maxing out Gen 3 PCIe on the Dell





Now I wanted to move the 980Ti over but it used 2x 8pin power connectors. My 5810 came with the 685w PSU so I should be okay with sticking with the 685w PSU for now. Snagged one of those custom made 8pin mobo to 2x 8 pin gpu cables over on Amazon for $12 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DTKJV53

But what about the 5.1 sound I was used to? Well I rummaged thru my closet and found my ancient Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS PCI card.  Yes, ancient regular ole PCI, from the days of the long long ago. A recent Windows 10 update broke playback, but thru the power of googles I found a guy who released custom drivers, https://danielkawakami.blogspot.com/ Thank you Daniel!

I really feel all this rando stuff I was doing was hand in hand with all the crazy that Linus did when he recently decided to throw some upgrades to his HP Z420. Man, the janky stuff they had to do to get things to work. I'm so so so glad I went with the Dell as I can avoid most of that craziness.









So here's my 5810, stuffed in all it's glory





I only have 1 PCIe open slot at this point! HA!
From top to bottom:
1) PCIe 3.0x4 adapter with a TEAMGROUP MP34 Gen 3 M.2 SSD
2) MSI Gaming 980ti 6gb GPU
3) WiFi 6 PCIe card
4) Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS PCI sound card.

I gotta say, it's weird seeing low single digit CPU usage while gaming.  I know the 10 core CPU I have isn't the best for gaming with it's low 2.60Ghz base clock but eh, I think it'll do for now.  47% 980Ti usage @ 4K max settings





The rig gets a bit toasty and the fans do kick up in high while gaming. I notice but with the game music playing I can ignore it mostly.

And the final tell of the tape with this little crazy $205 upgrade ($120 Dell + $85 M.2 SSD with adapter card) I did for funsies:
4690k SATA SSD vs Dell Xeon M.2 SSD





I gotta say, I'm sorta itching even more to just say f it and snag that AMD 5800x3d since it's getting such rave reviews from gamers. But alas I will HOLD!

*TL;DR*
I upgraded a couple of my rigs with some older workstations. I love high performance yet low cost upgrades.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 16, 2022)

> @Mike Hawk
> I feel like I'm going to an addicts anonymous meeting for the first time after finding this thread.  Hi Tech Power Up, my name is Mike, and I have a problem.  This is my first post here!
> 
> Okay, story time!  *TL;DR* at the bottom. Come on over, have a brew.  Stay awhile and listen!
> ...


@Mike Hawk
That a nice build. Should last you a while!


----------



## Mike Hawk (Oct 17, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> @Mike Hawk
> That a nice build. Should last you a while!


Hope so.  It was mostly an exercise in dorking out tbh.  As my game I was playing wasn't CPU bound to begin with, I really didn't buy much of anything other than bragging rights on the higher benchmarks, which still pale in comparison to current gen mid tier stuff.

So one maybe big game breaker. What's up with sleep mode? If the 5810 goes to sleep, wiggling the mouse won't wake it up. The power button on the case will blink on and off and you have to press it to wake up, and waking up takes a long time. That's unfortunate if I can't change that habbit. This thing is sorta a power hog to begin with and I'd hate to have to disable sleep mode on it.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 17, 2022)

Mike Hawk said:


> What's up with sleep mode? If the 5810 goes to sleep, wiggling the mouse won't wake it up.


Yeah, don't use any of the Sleep modes. They require a very specific configuration and are otherwise glitchy as hell. Get into the BIOS and disable all but the basic C-states.


----------



## frigider (Oct 19, 2022)

me again:
does anyone have/know of a table with ECC ram compatibility?

tried mixing 4r x 4 with 2r x 4 and got the blinking orange power button 

*i must admit, I am more of a quantity man rather than quality


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 19, 2022)

frigider said:


> does anyone have/know of a table with ECC ram compatibility?


You shouldn't need one, compatability is very high.


frigider said:


> tried mixing 4r x 4 with 2r x 4 and got the blinking orange power button


This what you should expect when you mix ranks.


frigider said:


> *i must admit, I am more of a quantity man rather than quality


As long as you don't mix & match you should be ok. Match like for like.


----------



## Retrorockit (Oct 19, 2022)

Mike Hawk said:


> Hope so.  It was mostly an exercise in dorking out tbh.  As my game I was playing wasn't CPU bound to begin with, I really didn't buy much of anything other than bragging rights on the higher benchmarks, which still pale in comparison to current gen mid tier stuff.
> 
> So one maybe big game breaker. What's up with sleep mode? If the 5810 goes to sleep, wiggling the mouse won't wake it up. The power button on the case will blink on and off and you have to press it to wake up, and waking up takes a long time. That's unfortunate if I can't change that habbit. This thing is sorta a power hog to begin with and I'd hate to have to disable sleep mode on it.


Dell Workstations tend to have PS2 mouse and keyboard ports (at least the older stuff I play with did).  Maybe the Dell BIOS is expecting that? I found out that the polling rate for USB is higher than PS2 so it's faster for gaming than the hardwired PS2. So may be a 2nd mouse for wake up calls?


----------



## frigider (Oct 19, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> You shouldn't need one, compatability is very high.
> 
> This what you should expect when you mix ranks.
> 
> As long as you don't mix & match you should be ok. Match like for like.


Thanks.
I buy what I manage to find


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 20, 2022)

frigider said:


> Thanks.
> I buy what I manage to find


That's fair. Just don't mix types/ranks.


----------



## IsraelBinarium (Oct 21, 2022)

Hello everyone, I work with notebook and desktop maintenance. I got a Dell Precision T5500 with the following problem: It turns on, it works normally for days, you can restart it without problem, but if you turn it off it keeps one of the fans on and if you try to turn it on, it generates the code of led amber and 1 and 2 flashing and then off. That would be SYS_PWORK defect. When you use it for a while, it turns off, if you let the fan stop (which can take a long time), when it turns off if you turn it on, it will turn on normally, it is a very complex defect given that there is no electrical diagram to follow. I tried to update the bios through the system, but it restarts and pulls the bios update, it updates successfully (too fast) but keeps the version. Could someone help me with this defect?


----------



## Retrorockit (Oct 21, 2022)

Some T5500 have an intermittent issue with the 2nd CPU daughter board socket (if that's installed?)  Often they will only work properly if used in desktop configuration. This was provided by one of the vendors of surplus Dell workstations. I have no personal experience with this issue.


----------



## IsraelBinarium (Oct 21, 2022)

Retrorockit said:


> Some T5500 have an intermittent issue with the 2nd CPU daughter board socket (if that's installed?)  Often they will only work properly if used in desktop configuration. This was provided by one of the vendors of surplus Dell workstations. I have no personal experience with this issue.


It's used with only 1 CPU.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Oct 22, 2022)

IsraelBinarium said:


> Hello everyone, I work with notebook and desktop maintenance. I got a Dell Precision T5500 with the following problem: It turns on, it works normally for days, you can restart it without problem, but if you turn it off it keeps one of the fans on and if you try to turn it on, it generates the code of led amber and 1 and 2 flashing and then off. That would be SYS_PWORK defect. When you use it for a while, it turns off, if you let the fan stop (which can take a long time), when it turns off if you turn it on, it will turn on normally, it is a very complex defect given that there is no electrical diagram to follow. I tried to update the bios through the system, but it restarts and pulls the bios update, it updates successfully (too fast) but keeps the version. Could someone help me with this defect?


As shown on Dells troubleshooting page:


			Precision T3500/T5500/T7500 Workstations Diagnostic Lights and Beep Codes | Dell US
		

That is a problem with an onboard regulator, likely the fan regulator given the fan behavior.
More info can be found in the service PDF.


			https://downloads.dell.com/manuals/common/precision-t5500_setup%20guide_en-us.pdf


----------



## imrazor (Oct 27, 2022)

So I decided to try a dumb experiment and try to run Cyberpunk on my old T5500 (dual X5687s + AMD R9 Fury). And things actually turned out well, hitting 60+ fps on Medium settings - but only in Linux. With Windows I was only able to hit 35 fps or so, or 45 fps if I used some hacked drivers for the Fury (NimeZ driver.) See below ....










Still seeing some occasional slowdowns, especially in "Photo Mode", though things are mostly smooth. I'm suspecting that I'm running out of VRAM occasionally - the Fury only has 4GB.


----------



## Retrorockit (Oct 28, 2022)

imrazor said:


> So I decided to try a dumb experiment and try to run Cyberpunk on my old T5500 (dual X5687s + AMD R9 Fury). And things actually turned out well, hitting 60+ fps on Medium settings - but only in Linux. With Windows I was only able to hit 35 fps or so, or 45 fps if I used some hacked drivers for the Fury (NimeZ driver.) See below ....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You might be able to use Thrrottlestop to get full multiplier on all cores.


----------



## Retrorockit (Oct 30, 2022)

Retrorockit said:


> You might be able to use Thrrottlestop to get full multiplier on all cores.


I guess TS probably needs Windows to run. But if you ask in one of the Throttlestop threads, Unclewebb the developer of TS might know how to do it in Linux?


----------



## imrazor (Nov 2, 2022)

@Retrorockit X-class Xeons (CPUs designed to be used in pairs) are usually locked down tight. Of Nehalem Xeons, I think only W3690 (maybe the W3680) will let you mess with multipliers or turbo settings.


----------



## Retrorockit (Nov 2, 2022)

imrazor said:


> @Retrorockit X-class Xeons (CPUs designed to be used in pairs) are usually locked down tight. Of Nehalem Xeons, I think only W3690 (maybe the W3680) will let you mess with multipliers or turbo settings.


The unlocked W Xeons allow actual multiplier overclocking with Throttlestop on Dells,, but won't work in a 2 CPU configuration. But some people claim to get full turbo speed on all cores on the locked X series CPUs.
Sometimes it's a BIOS hack, sometimes Throttlestop can do it. A lot seems to depend on the BIOS. On the X5687 this would be 3.89GHz on 16 threads. It costs nothing to try this in Windows. In Linux most people just read back the CPU spec. sheet to you and say it can't be done. The multiplier for turbo speed is already there. The trick is to apply it to all cores. TS might make this possible.
I haven't tried this myself because I always just use the unlocked CPUs


----------



## imrazor (Nov 7, 2022)

Retrorockit said:


> I always just use the unlocked CPUs


I would have too, but the platform I started with (Dell T5500) doesn't support the W-class Xeons at all. A T3500 will allow you to drop in a W3690, but is limited to 24GB RAM max, and I wanted more than that.

As to Linux overclocking, I found a neat tool to OC Zen 1 & 2 (maybe Zen 3 too?) processors in Linux, and use it pretty regularly. See here:









						Overclock your Ryzen CPU from Linux
					

So you’ve probably heard of Ryzen Master? Except you happen to use Linux. What’s there to do?  Well with this little python application and the help of MSR’s (Model Specific Registers) on Ryzen CPU’s you can manually overclock your Ryzen processor. While it’s running!  1. Load 2 kernel modules...




					forum.level1techs.com
				




But for Intel I have no idea...


----------



## Retrorockit (Nov 7, 2022)

imrazor said:


> I would have too, but the platform I started with (Dell T5500) doesn't support the W-class Xeons at all. A T3500 will allow you to drop in a W3690, but is limited to 24GB RAM max, and I wanted more than that.
> 
> As to Linux overclocking, I found a neat tool to OC Zen 1 & 2 (maybe Zen 3 too?) processors in Linux, and use it pretty regularly. See here:
> 
> ...


The X-58 chipset supports 48GB. It's very common for Dell to not update their RAM capacity as larger modules become available. They're not going to go back and certify the larger capacity for older systems. You can almost always double the listed capacity on older Dells.
 BIOS A17 is used here.








Moron this here.


			https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Green+PC+gamers+T3500
		


I just found this thread which is completely new to me. A T3500 @4.17GHz using something called Clover. Seems to be OSX grabbing fsb control on a T3500!
I think OSX is Linux based.








						Overclocking the goold olde T3500...
					

I always thought there was no way to overclock the Xeon due to locked msr in Bios, but tonight I found I can ramp up my W3680 to over 4,2 Ghz just using clover. This seems to improve rendering times by some 25-30% ! (Geekbench3 bump from 14000 to over 17000). I`ll strap an extra fan onto the cpu ...




					osxlatitude.com
				



Looks like a Hackintosh forum. I'd love to see this on 2-X5687s.


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## imrazor (Nov 7, 2022)

Retrorockit said:


> The X-58 chipset supports 48GB. It's very common for Dell to not update their RAM capacity as larger modules become available. They're not going to go back and certify the larger capacity for older systems. You can almost always double the listed capacity on older Dells.
> BIOS A17 is used here.
> 
> 
> ...


Well that's cool. I do note that the video states that registered DIMMS are 1/4 the price of 'regular' DDR3 memory, so there's that.

Played with Hackintoshes a long time ago...while forcing OS X to run on non-native hardware works, it's usually janky and before running an update it's usually advisable to pray and sacrifice a couple of goats. Otherwise...


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## Retrorockit (Nov 7, 2022)

imrazor said:


> Well that's cool. I do note that the video states that registered DIMMS are 1/4 the price of 'regular' DDR3 memory, so there's that.


Stuff that doesn't work is always cheaper.

There was a guy at OCN overclocking a T7500. He said that the SATA bus would crash when he moved the fsb with SetFSB. He added a PCI HDD controller to get around that. I'm not sure how far that got him.


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## imrazor (Nov 7, 2022)

Retrorockit said:


> Stuff that doesn't work is always cheaper.


Ah, but registered DIMMs *do* work in a T5500. So upgrading to stupid amounts of RAM in the T5500 is much cheaper than a T3500. Of course, it is much harder (impossible?) to overclock a T5500.






						Question about memory for Dell Precision T3500
					

Does the T3500 use ECC Registered or Unregistered memory? Compatible with both?




					www.dell.com


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 7, 2022)

imrazor said:


> Well that's cool. I do note that the video states that registered DIMMS are 1/4 the price of 'regular' DDR3 memory, so there's that.


You should be using ECC with the T3500 to get the most out of it.



imrazor said:


> Ah, but registered DIMMs *do* work in a T5500. So upgrading to stupid amounts of RAM in the T5500 is much cheaper than a T3500. Of course, it is much harder (impossible?) to overclock a T5500.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This is true. But then there's no support for W3680/W3690, so no softOC for the T5500.


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## imrazor (Nov 7, 2022)

Retrorockit said:


> There was a guy at OCN overclocking a T7500. He said that the SATA bus would crash when he moved the fsb with SetFSB


I once got a T5400 to OC with SetFSB, but could not replicate that success with a T5500. I may have had the wrong clock chip, or some other parameter configured incorrectly. What is OCN, and do you have a direct link for the posting?


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## Retrorockit (Nov 7, 2022)

imrazor said:


> I once got a T5400 to OC with SetFSB, but could not replicate that success with a T5500. I may have had the wrong clock chip, or some other parameter configured incorrectly. What is OCN, and do you have a direct link for the posting?











						How To : Overclocking Dual Xeon Dell Precision T7500
					

Finally managed to break 5,000 points Time Spy using SetFSB... It's that PCIe Frequency that yields higher CPU Physics & Frames Per Second. Onboard SATA cuts out so I am using 2x PCIe SATA Adapters to bypass BSOD, but if you use Onboard SATA it will BSOD. Need PCIe SATA.




					www.overclock.net
				



OCN=Overclock.Net
 I looked into RDIMMs, at 2 per channel they're about 8% faster latency and bandwidth  than 2 per channel UDIMMs.  So you're looking good there.


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## frigider (Nov 8, 2022)

imrazor said:


> So I decided to try a dumb experiment and try to run Cyberpunk on my old T5500 (dual X5687s + AMD R9 Fury). And things actually turned out well, hitting 60+ fps on Medium settings - but only in Linux. With Windows I was only able to hit 35 fps or so, or 45 fps if I used some hacked drivers for the Fury (NimeZ driver.) See below ....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


damn. 
in my head and i guess many people's heads Linux != games.
didn't even know there was steam for linux. (don't game pretty much at all)

anyway, after such elevated discussions like the one above i feel stupid to come with semi-retarded questions like 

"does the pcie nvme adapter matter when it comes to booting from said nvme?"

i saw some comments that some require drivers , some don't etc.

so i guess i will just need to buy one, see if it boots - return if not?


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## Retrorockit (Nov 8, 2022)

The Mac Pro was LGA1366 back in the day. So the Mac forums may have some relevant concepts for workstation modders.
But looking into it further  MacOS is not Linux based. They're both Unix based and can run Unix commands, but that's about it as far as I can tell.
I have shopped Mac LGA1366 stores and found some deals.


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## TechyTed (Nov 8, 2022)

Ok, my Dell T3500 (5500 mb installed) has gone flakey on me.

This is a T3500 that I had upgraded to a T5500 Motherboard.

And all of a sudden it quit working.  Dead.  No power light on.

So, I swapped power supplies then started getting a pre-POST error - an amber power light, and two blinking LEDs on the front panel (1 and 2).

According to the Dell service manual, that means there is a regulator failure.  Most probably on the motherboad.

So, I swapped out the T5500 motherboard for the original T3500 motherboard (and it has it's own CPU/RAM so that was not the issue).

STILL getting the same pre-POST error - amber power light and two blinking LEDs (1 and 2).

Hmmm...any idea of what is happening?  I searched the web a bit, and could not find anyone who had the exact same problem.


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 8, 2022)

TechyTed said:


> Ok, my Dell T3500 (5500 mb installed) has gone flakey on me.
> 
> This is a T3500 that I had upgraded to a T5500 Motherboard.
> 
> ...


That might be a front panel connector problem. Disconnect the front panel and bridge the power switch directly to power up. Post what it says or take a screen shot with a camera, if it posts.


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## imrazor (Nov 10, 2022)

frigider said:


> damn.
> in my head and i guess many people's heads Linux != games.
> didn't even know there was steam for linux. (don't game pretty much at all)
> 
> ...


So if we're talking about the Tx500 Dell Precision series, an NVMe drive will almost certainly not boot. NVMe booting requires UEFI firmware, which machines this old just don't have. This applies to Linux and Windows.

I've tried and gotten nowhere. That said, it should still be able to function as *storage* drive, but not a boot drive. (One possible exception: I believe some Samsung NVMe SSDs have BIOS boot code that could potentially allow booting on a non-UEFI system like the T3500/T5500/T7500.)

Knew some of this already, but also got some of it from here: https://www.quora.com/Can-you-use-an-NVMe-drive-in-a-legacy-system-non-UEFI


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 10, 2022)

imrazor said:


> So if we're talking about the Tx500 Dell Precision series, an NVMe drive will almost certainly not boot.


It will if it has a boot ROM.


imrazor said:


> NVMe booting requires UEFI firmware, which machines this old just don't have.


No, it requires a boot ROM. Nothing special about NVMe otherwise.


imrazor said:


> That said, it should still be able to function as *storage* drive, but not a boot drive.


True, if the NVMe PCIe card has no boot ROM, the drive will still be seen by the OS and can be addressed.


imrazor said:


> Knew some of this already, but also got some of it from here: https://www.quora.com/Can-you-use-an-NVMe-drive-in-a-legacy-system-non-UEFI


Any PCIe NVMe card that has a properly configured boot ROM can emulate the EFI DXE commands and boot and an NVMe drive. It just not a high demand functionality scheme so there are few examples of it, but it can be done.


----------



## imrazor (Nov 10, 2022)

Intel and Dell beg to differ. 



			https://www.intel.com/content/dam/support/us/en/documents/ssdc/hpssd/sb/nvme_boot_guide_332098001us.pdf#%5B%7B%22num%22%3A29%2C%22gen%22%3A0%7D%2C%7B%22name%22%3A%22XYZ%22%7D%2C20%2C632%2C0%5D
		


From the above:


> In order to support the required UEFI NVMe driver, your system’s firmware must be based on UEFI 2.3.1 or later.
> If your system was purchased after 2012 or shipped with Windows* 8 pre-installed, it most likely supports UEFI. Check with your
> system vendor to verify.





			What are PCIe SSDs and how to use them as a boot drive for a Dell PC? | Dell US
		


And from Dell:


> *Supported BIOS Types*​The UEFI BIOS is currently the only one which supports these devices.



Are both of these vendors wrong? One makes the systems we're talking about, and the other makes (or did make) SSDs.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 10, 2022)

imrazor said:


> Intel and Dell beg to differ.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


As I said, it is not common, but emulating the UEFI functions in a non-UEFI system can be done. Intel and Dell are NOT the end all, be all of the answers to what is possible. Intel and Dell would tell you that installing 48GB of RAM in a T3500 is not possible, yet it happens and works perfectly.


----------



## imrazor (Nov 10, 2022)

@lexluthermiester As far as I know, this is the only NVMe device (and it's 512GB sibling) that can successfully boot on a BIOS system. And that knowledge comes third hand.

Obviously these prices are rather steep. If you know of any others, especially ones at reasonable prices, I'd love to hear about them.









						SSD 950 PRO NVMe 256GB Memory & Storage - MZ-V5P256BW | Samsung US
					

Discover the latest features and innovations available in the SSD 950 PRO NVMe 256GB. Find the perfect Memory & Storage for you!




					www.samsung.com


----------



## frigider (Nov 10, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> It will if it has a boot ROM.


tx for the info.

so if the 7810 has UEFI it will boot of any nvme pcie adapter regardless if it has boot ROM or not?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 10, 2022)

imrazor said:


> @lexluthermiester As far as I know, this is the only NVMe device (and it's 512GB sibling) that can successfully boot on a BIOS system. And that knowledge comes third hand.
> 
> Obviously these prices are rather steep. If you know of any others, especially ones at reasonable prices, I'd love to hear about them.
> 
> ...


Again, you're misunderstanding. In the same way you can install a bootable SATA PCI card into a system that never had SATA ports, you can install a bootable NVMe PCIe card to a system that never had NVMe ports. The important component is the adapter card. As long as it has a boot ROM with code that supports NVMe, and NVMe drive can boot any PCIe equipped system. It's about the engineering.

For example, the following cards can be used for bootable NVMe in non-UEFI systems as they have their own boot ROM.


			https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Dual-PCIe-Adapter-Card/dp/B081SJYCTL
		



			https://www.amazon.com/Dual-Adapter-RIITOP-Support-22110/dp/B08P57G1JW
		



			https://www.amazon.com/CREST-SI-PEX40129-Ports-Bifurcation-Controller/dp/B07HYZY7P2
		



			https://www.amazon.com/High-Point-SSD7101A-1-Dedicated-Controller/dp/B073W71K4Z
		

This is not a total list of NVMe PCIe cards out there that can boot NVMe drive on both UEFI and Legacy BIOS systems.



frigider said:


> so if the 7810 has UEFI it will boot of any nvme pcie adapter regardless if it has boot ROM or not?


The adapter card will need a boot ROM for booting an NVMe drive on that system.


----------



## frigider (Nov 10, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> The adapter card will need a boot ROM for booting an NVMe drive on that system.


pure gold.
thanks!


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 10, 2022)

frigider said:


> pure gold.
> thanks!


Here's the manual for reference.


			https://dl.dell.com/topicspdf/precision-t7810-workstation_owners-manual_en-us.pdf
		

The lack of mention of any M.2 support implies that in this system, a card with a boot ROM is needed.


----------



## Retrorockit (Nov 10, 2022)

The T3500 has PCIe2.0 slots, and the x8 slots are wired x4. So I'm wondering how much M2 actually has to offer there.
Of course using the 2nd PCIe x16 @x8 may be an option.
The Dell BIOS supports RAID0. Since I'n cheap and lazy, I wonder how SATA2  SSD x3 in RAID0 would compare to PCIe 2.0 x4? I'm seeing 900MB/s theoretical.
Some people say it works, some say it doesn't, and some say it usually doesn't matter.
I say SATA2 because that's also what the T3500 has, SATA3 drives would run at SATA2 speed.


----------



## hckngrtfakt (Nov 10, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Here's the manual for reference.
> 
> 
> https://dl.dell.com/topicspdf/precision-t7810-workstation_owners-manual_en-us.pdf
> ...


This manual is a lifesaver.

Wish I would've had it last week when I decided to clean the 3-fan front panel intake.
Removing the motherboard was the easy part, ... placing it back ....ughhh


----------



## TechyTed (Nov 10, 2022)

Retrorockit said:


> The Mac Pro was LGA1366 back in the day. So the Mac forums may have some relevant concepts for workstation modders.
> But looking into it further  MacOS is not Linux based. They're both Unix based and can run Unix commands, but that's about it as far as I can tell.
> I have shopped Mac LGA1366 stores and found some deals.


I've ended up with two Mac Pros recently.   Both are dual-Xeon based.

One is a Mac Pro 3,1 2008 and the other a Mac Pro 4,1 2009 model (firmware flashed to a  Mac Pro 5,1 2010 equivalient).

Still learning about them, but I will say the hardware is solid.  And Heavy!  That all aluminum Mac Pro "cheese grater" case is not light at all.

The main forum I've hung out to learn more is over on the Macrumors site:









						Mac Pro
					

Apple's professional workstation




					forums.macrumors.com
				




Some folks over there are about as knowledgeable on those Mac Pro models as the gurus here are with the Dell workstations.

Funnily enough, to run the latest MacOS on those older Mac Pros, you have to use software hacks that originally came from the Hackintosh community.

Apple considers them "unsupported", so even though they will run Windows and Linux without much trouble, getting them to run newer (less than 4 years old) Mac OS versions will takes some magic.


----------



## hckngrtfakt (Nov 11, 2022)

TechyTed said:


> I've ended up with two Mac Pros recently.   Both are dual-Xeon based.
> 
> One is a Mac Pro 3,1 2008 and the other a Mac Pro 4,1 2009 model (firmware flashed to a  Mac Pro 5,1 2010 equivalient).
> 
> ...



I have the 2010 model configured with a w3690, an rx 590, bluray burner, & ssds all around which I still use for video editing.

This guide may come in handy for yours








						The Definitive Classic Mac Pro (2006-2012) Upgrade Guide
					

The largest/most-complete guide to all possible classic Mac Pro upgrades covering OS, Firmware, GPU, CPU, Storage, USB, THunderbolt and Network upgrades.




					blog.greggant.com


----------



## Retrorockit (Nov 11, 2022)

Looked at the MacPro stuff. You need to delid your CPUs for those. Hmmmmmmmmmm.








						Mac Pro 2009 4,1 Processor Upgrade Kit to 12-Core 3.46GHz Xeon X5690 SLBVX  | eBay
					

This kit includes everything you need to upgrade your dual processor 2009 Mac Pro 4,1 to a Dual X5690, giving you 12-cores running at 3.46GHz. We have experience upgrading many Mac Pros and will help you get the CPUs working with your system if you run into any trouble.



					www.ebay.com
				



I have one too. But 2x2 core LGA775 Xeons. Probaly Pentium D stuff. It looks like a T5500 MB might fit.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 11, 2022)

hckngrtfakt said:


> This manual is a lifesaver.
> 
> Wish I would've had it last week when I decided to clean the 3-fan front panel intake.
> Removing the motherboard was the easy part, ... placing it back ....ughhh


Did you get your problem sorted out?


----------



## hckngrtfakt (Nov 11, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Did you get your problem sorted out?


Yes sir, ... while it was no easy task, I did manage to remove the fan assembly, and since I was already in there, I managed to re-paste my cpus.
Needless to say, now I know this system inside & out


----------



## Susquehannock (Nov 13, 2022)

IsraelBinarium said:


> Hello everyone, I work with notebook and desktop maintenance. I got a Dell Precision T5500 with the following problem: It turns on, it works normally for days, you can restart it without problem, but if you turn it off it keeps one of the fans on and if you try to turn it on, it generates the code of led amber and 1 and 2 flashing and then off. That would be SYS_PWORK defect. When you use it for a while, it turns off, if you let the fan stop (which can take a long time), when it turns off if you turn it on, it will turn on normally, it is a very complex defect given that there is no electrical diagram to follow. I tried to update the bios through the system, but it restarts and pulls the bios update, it updates successfully (too fast) but keeps the version. Could someone help me with this defect?





TechyTed said:


> Ok, my Dell T3500 (5500 mb installed) has gone flakey on me.
> 
> This is a T3500 that I had upgraded to a T5500 Motherboard.
> 
> ...


In my opinion both issues could be caused by a faulty front I/O control panel daughter board (part # MC532). Very common issue with the Tx500 series. Especially the older ones that used known bad capacitors. The fan and temperature regulator reside there. Much going on with the propitiatory 40-pin cable and connector. Have corrected and re-produced similar issues changing back and forth in my own systems.


----------



## TechyTed (Nov 14, 2022)

Retrorockit said:


> Looked at the MacPro stuff. You need to delid your CPUs for those. Hmmmmmmmmmm.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah the one I have is a dual Xeon CPU model.  They sold then either single or dual CPU.  The only difference is the tray that slides out.  Very easy to upgrade.

The one I got had two X5560 chips. I did the firmware upgrade to Mac Pro 5,1. Then upgraded to two X5672 CPUs



Susquehannock said:


> In my opinion both issues could be caused by a faulty front I/O control panel daughter board (part # MC532). Very common issue with the Tx500 series. Especially the older ones that used known bad capacitors. The fan and temperature regulator reside there. Much going on with the propitiatory 40-pin cable and connector. Have corrected and re-produced similar issues changing back and forth in my own systems.


Roger.

I’ve been delayed getting to it, but plan to check it out this week.  I do have a spare front panel cable so I can swap it out.

thanks!


----------



## frigider (Nov 15, 2022)

still me...

so i heard one of the cpus on the T7810 runs a little hotter cause physics and stuff.

the diff is a bit large imo?

what do you guys think?


----------



## frankr2994 (Nov 15, 2022)

frigider said:


> still me...
> 
> so i heard one of the cpus on the T7810 runs a little hotter cause physics and stuff.
> 
> ...



I think I'd look into that a little deeper. Maybe re paste them both. Fans working ok? The first CPU cooler is stepped the second cooler is larger and actually very well designed. I do not have that system but bought a heatsink last year from one. It's actually a really nice heatsink and should do an adequate job.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 16, 2022)

frigider said:


> still me...
> 
> so i heard one of the cpus on the T7810 runs a little hotter cause physics and stuff.
> 
> ...


Expand the voltages on that second CPU. Can't tell what it is. Might be higher which would be a binning thing.


----------



## frigider (Nov 16, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> I think I'd look into that a little deeper. Maybe re paste them both. Fans working ok? The first CPU cooler is stepped the second cooler is larger and actually very well designed. I do not have that system but bought a heatsink last year from one. It's actually a really nice heatsink and should do an adequate job.


swapped CPUs, added a bit more paste just to be safe - same result.
if it is the second one - bigger heatsink - it is branded "FCN", stepped one is FOXCONN

how can i be sure it is the second one?
i will look for another monitoring software that says cpu0, cpu1


lexluthermiester said:


> Expand the voltages on that second CPU. Can't tell what it is. Might be higher which would be a binning thing.


interesting.
just bought them off ebay......that voltage config should be in the bios....?
should i reset bios to default?

it is v A19.

*affraid to do update ) we had this talk before.
you can recover functionality if during bios update the power is cut? 
(i know, i should  get UPS .... damn expensive stuff) 



lexluthermiester said:


> a binning thing


what's a "binning" thing?

do i need to bin the CPU?


----------



## frankr2994 (Nov 16, 2022)

frigider said:


> swapped CPUs, added a bit more paste just to be safe - same result.
> if it is the second one - bigger heatsink - it is branded "FCN", stepped one is FOXCONN
> 
> how can i be sure it is the second one?
> ...


 The cpu by your 5.25 expansion bay is cpu0 the one by your pcie slots is cpu1. Voltage is not adjustable in your bios. The second heatsink should have direct contact heatpipes very nicely machined flush. Should also have a piece of sheet metal towards the bottom that ducts air down to blow onto the vrm MOSFETs. I don't remember how it should be branded but I sorta doubt there are aftermarket versions of that Dell heatsink. I'd do what lex said and view/log the voltages and a bios update isn't a bad idea. Not sure if it would help but it's just an automatic first thing I do on a new system. Without looking I'd guess that current version is probably a34.


----------



## frigider (Nov 16, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> The cpu by your 5.25 expansion bay is cpu0 the one by your pcie slots is cpu1. Voltage is not adjustable in your bios.


yeah, i was asking how do we know from that picture i posted which is which?

(logic says top one is 0 and next one is 1 i guess)
but i cannot see an identifier in the monitoring software.


----------



## frankr2994 (Nov 16, 2022)

frigider said:


> yeah, i was asking how do we know from that picture i posted which is which?
> 
> (logic says top one is 0 and next one is 1 i guess)
> but i cannot see an identifier in the monitoring software.


Oooh I gotcha. Bring up the thermals like you did and take a piece of cardboard with your case opened up and block one heatsink with it. See which thermals go up. If I had to guess they would be in order.

And one last thing. If nothing is wrong and this is just a Dell problem. Which is may just be. Go into the bios and set the fans to Auto with minimum being 30 percent. I found 30 percent on fans to be tolerable and it really helps the system run cooler. The factory fan curve sucks on dells.


----------



## frigider (Nov 16, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> Go into the bios and set the fans to Auto with minimum being 30 percent. I found 30 percent on fans to be tolerable and it really helps the system run cooler. The factory fan curve sucks on dells.


yeah i will look into it.

vendor said it is ok. but 20 degrees? come on... i read like 6... cause cpu1 is behind cpu0..

i made a screen recording with last 3-4 minutes of 10minute 100% usage run, with voltage opened up as well.

still 20 degrees in difference. this is bugging me.

will come back with the recording.

*i will also run it with the case open, maybe the fan is not running?....

forgot to plug in fan for stepped heatsink and the computer booted - which is weird.
was expecting it not to...

so maybe 1 fan is literally down.


----------



## Retrorockit (Nov 16, 2022)

What I see is one core running cold. Of course what you posted is only 3 cores of a 14 core CPU. But maybe it's not a cooling problem but an inactive core. If you swapped CPUs and it stayed there then maybe a bad connection  on the MB? I see the cold core having 0% utilization, and the other two 100%.

"I think it has a misfire."


----------



## frankr2994 (Nov 16, 2022)

Try pre boot diag epsa I think. It will spool all the fans up 1 at a time. You can hear the jet engines go, watch rpm and temp.


----------



## frigider (Nov 16, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> The factory fan curve sucks on dells.


so disappointing ..
this is why i am considering BIOS update, maybe they fixed this.



Retrorockit said:


> What I see is one core running cold. Of course what you posted is only 3 cores of a 14 core CPU. But maybe it's not a cooling problem but an inactive core. If you swapped CPUs and it stayed there then maybe a bad connection  on the MB? I see the cold core having 0% utilization, and the other two 100%.
> 
> "I think it has a misfire."


in task manager all threads are high up at 100%.

will add a clip of the test with voltages as well. in a short while.

thanks for the support  guys!

here goes the link to yt:












frankr2994 said:


> Go into the bios and set the fans to Auto with minimum being 30 percent.


did that.

temp did not exceppe 70, diff of 10-15 degs between cpu 0 and 1. 

but that 30 ramps up the front case fans for sure, but does it ramp the cpu fans too?..

i keep looking for a fan speed monitor and cannot find one.

pretty noisy at 30%.


----------



## frankr2994 (Nov 16, 2022)

The only difference between our systems (t5810) is you have 2 CPU fans. They all ramp together. Set it down some if it's too loud for you. But don't leave it at 0. It's possible that 10 percent will be effective. Seeing it didn't get above 70 on stress. And don't quote me but cpuz may show fan rpm. They have a fan controller built into it too just doesn't work well with our systems....


----------



## frigider (Nov 16, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> The only difference between our systems (t5810) is you have 2 CPU fans. They all ramp together. Set it down some if it's too loud for you. But don't leave it at 0. It's possible that 10 percent will be effective. Seeing it didn't get above 70 on stress. And don't quote me but cpuz may show fan rpm. They have a fan controller built into it too just doesn't work well with our systems....


yeah, went with 20, see how it goes.

really curious about the fan speed for all fans.
i was expecting the fan for the 80+ degrees fan to run faster.

that is what should happen, right?

i mean, 82 degrees... should the fan not start running faster?
when the other one is 20 degrees lower?..

or it does not go faster cause "save the planet" stuff?


----------



## John Stewart (Nov 16, 2022)

Hi, I need to buy a new PC for video editing. Just made 300k followers so going to splurge a little lol. Not real hi end, no 3D 4k, just cutting vids for Twitter. Still I want to go a little above a normal PC for 2 reasons. 1st I am stressing the machine and it's a higher end PC. 2nd the bloatware, and God does it slow the machine down. I've managed to get rid of a lot of it but lots of crap is still there slowing me up.

So I'm thinking a lower end workstation running 11 pro small business should do the trick on both accts. I know, never underestimate the power of MS slipping in spam but not a guru at this so kinda stuck with it. So I do a little research thinking video card is going to be the biggest need so should start there and came up with this.

NVIDIA® RTX™ A4000, 16 GB GDDR6, 4 DP    [490-BHFV] / G6U2RZ0

It's touted as targeted towards video editing so seems a natural. But what to put with it? Last thing I want to do is find out after the fact that video card is doing me little good as the processor, mother board or what have you can't keep up. I can afford this but I can't afford it twice lol. Sooooooooo I build a system that fits my budget for reference and go the friendly and knowledgeable people at Dell at their business chat and ask him if this all makes sense, see any red flags? Well to make it short this guy has to go ask someone for answers to basic questions that even I know. So I don't put much of any faith in him, which is why I'm here. 

So anyone have a couple minutes to help out a knob? Here's the complete workup. See anything I'm going to be sorry about later? Thank you in advance, I really do appreciate it.


Processor    Intel® Xeon® Silver 4210R (13.75 MB cache, 10 cores, 20 threads, 2.40 GHz to 3.20 GHz Turbo, 100 W)    [338-BWTB][575-BBPB] / GCMPZR3    1
Operating System    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations (6 cores plus), English, French, Spanish    [619-AQLO] / GIX8RS3    1
Chassis Options    Precision 7920 Tower Chassis (BC_PCIe) CL FMX    [321-BGVK] / GE2R5JQ    1
Graphics Card    NVIDIA® RTX™ A4000, 16 GB GDDR6, 4 DP    [490-BHFV] / G6U2RZ0    1
Memoryi    64 GB, 8 x 8 GB, DDR4, 2933 MHz, ECC    [370-AESI] / G7WF3Q8    1
Thermal Cooling    Single Processor Air Heatpipe    [412-AALD] / SHEATSK    1
Systems Management    No Out-of-Band Systems Management    [631-ABML] / NOVPRO    1
Operating System (Boot) Drive    Intel NVMe PCIe SSD (Front PCIe FlexBay)    [414-BBBV] / FFPCIE    1
Storage Drive Controllers    Intel Integrated controller (RST-e) with 1-2 Front FlexBay NVMe Drives    [321-BDFD][321-BDFE] / I12NVME    1
Hard Drive    1 TB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD, Class 40    [400-AVDDR][401-ABJR] / 1TC40ME    1
2nd Storage Drive    No Hard Drive    [400-AKZR] / NOHDD    1
3rd Storage Drive    No Hard Drive    [400-AKZR] / NOHDD    1
4th Storage Drive    No Hard Drive    [400-AKZR] / NOHDD    1
Additional Storage    No Additional Storage    [400-AVDX] / NOADSTO    1
5th Storage Drive    No Hard Drive    [400-AKZR] / NOHDD    1
6th Storage Drive    No Hard Drive    [400-AKZR] / NOHDD    1
7th Storage Drive    No Hard Drive    [400-AKZR] / NOHDD    1
8th Storage Drive    No Hard Drive    [400-AKZR] / NOHDD    1
Optical Drive    No Optical    [429-ABER] / NOODD    1
Slimline Bay Options    Slim filler panel (no opt.)    [429-ABEL] / NOSLODD    1
Optical Software    No Optical Software    [817-BBBC] / NOSWODD    1
9th Storage Drive    No Hard Drive    [400-AKZR] / NOHDD    1
10th Storage Drive    No Hard Drive    [400-AKZR] / NOHDD    1
RAID for HDD/SSD & Front PCIe NVMe SSDs    No RAID    [780-BBCJ] / NORAID    1
Dell Ultra-Speed Drives (PCIe SSDs)    None        
2nd Dell Ultra-Speed Drive    None        
RAID Configurations for Dell Ultra-Speed Drives    None        
Lockable HDD/SSD Sleds    None        
Storage Volume    Boot drive or boot volume is greater than 2 TB (select when 3TB/4TB HDD is ordered)    [411-XXYB] / GPT3TB    1
Keyboard    No Keyboard    [580-ABIS] / NKB    1
Mouse    No Mouse    [570-AADK] / NMSE    1
Teradici Remote Workstation Access Host Card    No Remote Access Host Card    [340-ADBJ] / NHSTCRD    1
Network Cards    No Add-In Network Card (Integrated NIC only)    [555-BBJO] / NONIC    1
Wirelessi    Intel® Dual Band Wireless AC 8265 (802.11ac) 2x2 + Bluetooth module    [555-BEVZ][555-BEWB] / GKV5JT8    1
PCIe I/O Cards    Not Selected in this Configuration    [817-BBBC] / NOTHB    1
Serial Port/PS2 Adapter    None        
Power Cords    US Power Cord    [470-AATC] / PCUS    1
Resource DVD    Resource DVD not Included    [430-XXYU] / NORDVD    1
ENERGY STAR    Not ENERGY STAR Qualified    [387-BBBE] / NOESTAR    1
Optimizer    Dell Optimizer for Precision with AI    [640-BBSC] / GFZ02NK    1
Driver    Firmware and Driver for Intel 8265 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth module    [555-BEVY] / GS6J92E    1
Canada Ship Options    Non-Canada orders only    [332-1286] / USNONE    1
TPM Security    TPM    [329-BBJL] / TPM    1
Windows AutoPilot    No AutoPilot    [340-CKSZ] / GYEO2AP    1
Warranty And Services
Option    Selection    SKU / Product Code    Quantity
Protect your purchasei - View Support offers below    5 Years ProSupport Plus with Next Business Day Onsite Service    [997-5852][997-5903][997-5930][997-5956][997-5967] / PPN5    1
Accidental Damage Service    None        
Client Installation Services    None        
Security Month Offer
Option    Selection    SKU / Product Code    Quantity
Microsoft Office    No Microsoft Office License Included - 30 day Trial Offer Only    [658-BCSB] / 16MUI    1
Security Software    McAfee® Small Business Security 36-month subscription    [525-0015] / MSBC36M    1
PDF Solutions    None        
Software
Option    Selection    SKU / Product Code    Quantity
Dell Endpoint Security    None        
Teradici Remote Access Solutions    None


----------



## frankr2994 (Nov 17, 2022)

frigider said:


> yeah, went with 20, see how it goes.
> 
> really curious about the fan speed for all fans.
> i was expecting the fan for the 80+ degrees fan to run faster.
> ...



Told you the fan curve sucks. It's all about being "silent" keep the fans basically idle until it's really hot then ramp them up. Can't modify the fan curve only set the minimum on it...which helps.



John Stewart said:


> Hi, I need to buy a new PC for video editing. Just made 300k followers so going to splurge a little lol. Not real hi end, no 3D 4k, just cutting vids for Twitter. Still I want to go a little above a normal PC for 2 reasons. 1st I am stressing the machine and it's a higher end PC. 2nd the bloatware, and God does it slow the machine down. I've managed to get rid of a lot of it but lots of crap is still there slowing me up.
> 
> So I'm thinking a lower end workstation running 11 pro small business should do the trick on both accts. I know, never underestimate the power of MS slipping in spam but not a guru at this so kinda stuck with it. So I do a little research thinking video card is going to be the biggest need so should start there and came up with this.



Going with a new Dell is great for stuff like having support and warranty. You didn't post a price but I know that a 7920 optioned...at all is expensive. You can save alot and maybe get some more upgrading a used system or building it yourself. Ultimately a 10 core xeon that big GPU and 64gb of ram would work great for editing videos. I put together a Dell for a photographer a couple of years ago. What I did for that was separate boot and editing drives. They both can be nvme or boot can be sata SSD and editing on nvme. For the price difference I'd do nvme both. 64gb is plenty of memory. I also did 2 big hdds in a mirrored windows storage space to save finished files. What I found in all this was that the video editing software was the bottleneck not PC. I struggled to get his software use the CPU cores and GPU to their full potential. I'd suggest looking at your software and how it's using your current configuration as is. Make sure you find a hardware bottleneck. If your not crushing something in your PC trying to edit then you need to investigate different software before spending thousands on a new PC setup.

If at all curious I like to have a separate boot drive for any build of importance. Windows can tank any time and with a fast system you can do a fresh install in no time without losing files on another drive. Nvme for editing for fast as possible storage to load sd card files onto and edit. Finished files onto a mirrored array to keep them safe until you do what you need to do with them. I use storage spaces for mirrored setups because the drives can be put into any windows machine and the mirrored array shows up and works just fine unlike some different software and hardware raid designs. Hope this helps.


----------



## Count von Schwalbe (Nov 17, 2022)

John Stewart said:


> Hi, I need to buy a new PC for video editing


Would you be comfortable assembling your own?

Also, the parts you have specified are by no means bad, but they tend to be overpriced for their performance. For a similar-priced DIY workstation/desktop, you could have a much higher-performing computer. Much of what I am about to tell you also applies to prebuilt desktops as well, if you inspect the specifications and ensure they are the same.

I also noted you selected the following:


> Memoryi 64 GB, 8 x 8 GB, DDR4, 2933 MHz, ECC


For strictly video editing, ECC is not necessary. Your CPU is also 6-channel, which could cause an upset by populating multiple DIMMs per channel on 1/3 of your channels, or you lose some memory bandwidth by only populating 4 channels. 

So I hopped onto Dell's website and approximated your customized build, and gained a budget you are looking at of around $4000. Using that as a baseline, we can create the following build:



Spoiler: Recommended Parts:



Important parts:
CPU - 7950X - This has a multicore performance ~4x of the one you specified.
GPU - RTX 4080 - Again, looking at around 4x the performance specified. 
RAM - 2x32GB DDR5-6000 CL30. This has around the same RAM bandwidth as what you specified, and much better latency
Storage - List of storage devices below:

OS/Boot drive: Samsung 980 Pro 500GB - Nice fast storage to boot from and install your programs. You don't really need more than 500GB as your space-hogging video files will be stored on one of the following:
Project files drive: Crucial P2 1TB - Still pretty fast, plenty enough for storing the files you are actively working with. Any other files will be stored on:
Long-term storage drive: 2x WD Blue 6TB 5400RPM HDD. Big enough for lots of videos, and backups of those videos. 

Also important parts, if building yourself:
Motherboard - ASUS TUF X670E Plus - it is a decent board with PCIe 5.0 on the GPU slot, for further upgrades. 
PSU - Corsair RM1000x - The one part you should NEVER cheap out on. 
OS - You pretty much chose one already, it sounds like you know what you are doing there. 
CPU Cooler - Just find a nice AIO with good reviews, there are dozens on the market. 
Case - Corsair 4000D Airflow - lots of choice, but you shouldn't have any issues with this one.



If you are not comfortable with building it yourself, there are some prebuilt options on the gaming market. However, these are mostly from smaller manufacturers such as iBUYPOWER. These may not have the same level of support as a larger company such as Dell. Conversely, you could look at a workstation manufacturer such as Puget Systems, which usually have better support than the large manufacturers, but you will pay an even greater premium over DIY. For example, a system configured similar to the one above will cost around $3500 to build, but is around $5000 for a similar one from a workstation manufacturer (in this case, Puget Systems).


----------



## frankr2994 (Nov 17, 2022)

Also worth noting that Dell workstations flood ebay. You can buy a 7920 optioned much better for half the price. I to was on Dell and was looking at a 4300 dollar price tag. For what it was that hurts. I do like what Count von Schwalbe posted as a build but I'm still bias as it's still too rich for my blood. However that system is badass enough to be good for years. And if using it for profit the last thing you want to is re do your whole workstation. Longer between that the better.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 17, 2022)

frigider said:


> what's a "binning" thing?
> 
> do i need to bin the CPU?


No it's something Intel does at the factory. You might have two of the same model but that doesn't mean they are binned in the same voltage rank. CPU are binned by speed and voltage. You might have one CPU with one voltage and another CPU of the same model with a higher voltage. As a result one will run hotter than the other. This is not uncommon. Though with the temp differences you showed earlier it could also be a problem with your thermal paste application or heatsink mounting or even something causing airflow problems.



John Stewart said:


> Hi, I need to buy a new PC for video editing. Just made 300k followers so going to splurge a little lol. Not real hi end, no 3D 4k, just cutting vids for Twitter. Still I want to go a little above a normal PC for 2 reasons. 1st I am stressing the machine and it's a higher end PC. 2nd the bloatware, and God does it slow the machine down. I've managed to get rid of a lot of it but lots of crap is still there slowing me up.
> 
> So I'm thinking a lower end workstation running 11 pro small business should do the trick on both accts. I know, never underestimate the power of MS slipping in spam but not a guru at this so kinda stuck with it. So I do a little research thinking video card is going to be the biggest need so should start there and came up with this.
> 
> ...


Hi John! Welcome to TPU! Everything you've shown looks good. I can't see any serious problems for what you'd want to do. What Dell workstation model is this? Kinda curious.



Count von Schwalbe said:


> For strictly video editing, ECC is not necessary.


I can not disagree more! For ANY workstation or mission-critical usage, *ECC is absolutely essential.* ECC keeps small errors from becoming big problems with program crashes. ECC should be fricken industry standard by now. It's 2022 for hell's sake.

@John Stewart 
Stay with the ECC, you'll thank yourself later. Trust me on that one. I went ECC a decade ago for all of my mission critical systems and 90% of the crashes and system instabilities one would normally experience disappeared. Currently, I run Registered ECC on several of my systems at home. *RAM reliability is critical to stable computing, I can not stress this enough.*


----------



## Count von Schwalbe (Nov 17, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> For ANY workstation or mission-critical usage, *ECC is absolutely essential.*


I fully agree - but video editing doesn't really fall into this category. 

Any modern NLE is surprisingly resistant to crashes. 

Anyways, Ryzen supports CPU/bus side ECC and DDR5 has on-die ECC built in, so any Zen 4 build should have him covered. The reason I stated ECC wasn't necessary was that the parts that support it are either way more expensive or way less performant.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 17, 2022)

Count von Schwalbe said:


> but video editing doesn't really fall into this category.


Not true. I do a fair amount of video editing and trust me, it matters. Single bit errors in a video stream might not seem like a problem but they add up and it can become a serious issue.



Count von Schwalbe said:


> The reason I stated ECC wasn't necessary was that the parts that support it are either way more expensive or way less performant.


Fair point, however, John was showing what I believe is a system config list for a Dell Precision system if I'm not mistaken, and selecting non-ECC RAM for that system is likely not an option. Dell rarely sells their workstation lineup without ECC. It's a reliance thing.


----------



## frigider (Nov 17, 2022)

guys, found this:









						Free Download HWiNFO Sofware | Installer & Portable for Windows, DOS
					

Start to analyze your hardware right now! HWiNFO has available as an Installer and Portable version for Windows (32/64-bit) and Portable version for DOS.




					www.hwinfo.com
				




you can control each of the 3 fans, you can even have a look up table that says RPM / temperature.


*sounds kinda dangerous but hey.

for CONTROL FREAKS


----------



## frankr2994 (Nov 17, 2022)

frigider said:


> guys, found this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



You can try it out for the hell of it. I've used any software fan control I could find before. On a Dell it gets made into like a fan switch vs a fan curve so I gave up on them.


----------



## frigider (Nov 17, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> You can try it out for the hell of it. I've used any software fan control I could find before. On a Dell it gets made into like a fan switch vs a fan curve so I gave up on them.


will give it a go for sure.

it had that look up table with RPM for certain degrees.

there was a slider there too for the fans, but they had like 3 steps, low, med and maxXxed out.
i am putting my faith in the look up table.






really curious if you can set what RPM you want or there are just 3 speed steps...


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 17, 2022)

frigider said:


> guys, found this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I love this software! Excellent utility for find raw and detailed info about system parts. The monitoring software is very useful as well.



frigider said:


> View attachment 270323


You Windows 7 hold-out you. 
(Not dissing, I love Windows 7, my personal fav OS)


----------



## frankr2994 (Nov 17, 2022)

frigider said:


> will give it a go for sure.
> 
> it had that look up table with RPM for certain degrees.
> 
> ...


I don't remember anything working except for maxxed out same day I found out that it doesn't matter how crazy those server fans are in our system you can't pull the heat out of a xeon fast enough at a certain point. With my cooler right now it makes no difference in temp control once I'm past like 40 percent fan speed.(I have a large CPU cooler with a big fan) my temps stay good but if I rip it up to 100 in the bios and just let it roar boot and stress I hit the exact same temps. I can hit high 70s and feel the air getting pushed through my cooler and not feel any heat. The two systems I have here are both overclocked 1 6 core 1 8 core. 6 core on stock cooler with mild overclock 30 percent stays there all day long bumping the fans up any doesn't help me get any more speed out of the CPU heat just runs away. My 8 core runs a high clock with my big cooler. It also runs 30 percent but I found that up to 40 helps just not past.  What I'm getting at is unless you can use that fan control to bump the fans just a little bit....it's pointless.


----------



## frigider (Nov 17, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> You Windows 7 hold-out you.
> (Not dissing, I love Windows 7, my personal fav OS)


oh, it's just a pic from the interwebs 



frankr2994 said:


> I don't remember anything working except for maxxed out same day I found out that it doesn't matter how crazy those server fans are in our system you can't pull the heat out of a xeon fast enough at a certain point.


damn, well at least when i change from bios like you said to 30% it did make a diff and it was ok for all core maxxed out, so at least i have that, no matter what.


----------



## John Stewart (Nov 17, 2022)

Thanks to all particularly Frankr for replying. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your time. I'm almost terrified I'm going to botch this and end up with a 5k machine that's not much better than a 1200 number I could have bought off the shelf. You asked about price and this is what they are quoting. 

Estimated Value - $7,593.00
Savings - $2,890.97
Dell Price - $4,702.03

Might be able to see the complete workup off this link. At least it worked for me pasting it into a new window. https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/wor...9383-432b-88bc-27ca219781ce#techspecs_section

A couple guys said the ram wasn't totally compatible with the rest. Any recommendations on what else I could use?


frankr2994 said:


> Going with a new Dell is great for stuff like having support and warranty. You didn't post a price but I know that a 7920 optioned...at all is expensive. You can save alot and maybe get some more upgrading a used system or building it yourself. Ultimately a 10 core xeon that big GPU and 64gb of ram would work great for editing videos. I put together a Dell for a photographer a couple of years ago. What I did for that was separate boot and editing drives. They both can be nvme or boot can be sata SSD and editing on nvme. For the price difference I'd do nvme both. 64gb is plenty of memory. I also did 2 big hdds in a mirrored windows storage space to save finished files. What I found in all this was that the video editing software was the bottleneck not PC. I struggled to get his software use the CPU cores and GPU to their full potential. I'd suggest looking at your software and how it's using your current configuration as is. Make sure you find a hardware bottleneck. If your not crushing something in your PC trying to edit then you need to investigate different software before spending thousands on a new PC setup.
> 
> If at all curious I like to have a separate boot drive for any build of importance. Windows can tank any time and with a fast system you can do a fresh install in no time without losing files on another drive. Nvme for editing for fast as possible storage to load sd card files onto and edit. Finished files onto a mirrored array to keep them safe until you do what you need to do with them. I use storage spaces for mirrored setups because the drives can be put into any windows machine and the mirrored array shows up and works just fine unlike some different software and hardware raid designs. Hope this helps.


In serious love with the idea of hd just for boot bc this is why I'm at this state. All the sudden it crashed and couldn't even get it to start in safe mode. Was hell getting my files back. So I changed it to this.
1st hd - 512 GB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD, Class 40
2nd hd - 1 TB, M.2, PCIe NVMe, SSD, Class 40
I'll add a couple later for long term storage, pushing 5k now as it is.

Should I load all my other apps on the boot drive or place them on the 2nd?

Agree totally on the software being the bottleneck. Using an older machine as a bridge right now and the fresh install of the video editing software seems to run almost as fast. I'll probably un-reinstall it every 6 months or so. Seems but build up lots of junk in it's cache.



Count von Schwalbe said:


> fications and ensure they are the same.


Being your thing I'm sure you guys are cringing big time about me laying out 5k for this when you could diy it for half or even less. It's just so hard to be a Renaissance man these days. When I first started (2000) I was building machines and even tried to set up a server. What I found out was it left me no time to do my real work lol. So for my situation going with a premade w/warranty and onsite repair is going to be the best way.

Totally off topic but saw this when choosing memory
6 TB Intel® Optane™ + 12 x 128 GB, DDR4, 2666 MHz cache
+ $191,890.40 
My God, what would you use this thing for? Protein folding? Nuclear fusion simulations?


----------



## frankr2994 (Nov 17, 2022)

John Stewart said:


> Should I load all my other apps on the boot drive or place them on the 2nd?
> 
> Agree totally on the software being the bottleneck. Using an older machine as a bridge right now and the fresh install of the video editing software seems to run almost as fast. I'll probably un-reinstall it every 6 months or so. Seems but build up lots of junk in it's cache.


I place apps on the boot drive as long as it's an nvme. If I use a nvme as a scratch drive I put them there. Apps always have to be re installed on a fresh install so there is no "saving" them. It's nice to have the install files stored off on another drive for that situation. 

And like I said see how the software is actually using your hardware. Does it max out CPU , GPU, or memory usage? If it isn't see if you can change some settings with it or contact the software vendor and ask if or how it can be used better. If it can't then look into new software. The fastest setup in the world doesn't mean much if the software is single threaded and consumes 2gb of memory.


----------



## Count von Schwalbe (Nov 17, 2022)

John Stewart said:


> for my situation going with a premade w/warranty and onsite repair is going to be the best way.


Fair enough. I would recommend getting a later-gen CPU especially. 

What software are you using in particular? There is a few things I would suggest depending on the software. 

Anyways, I would Strongly suggest changing your RSM configuration to a multiple of 6 DIMMs, with the 6-channel memory CPU.


----------



## John Stewart (Nov 17, 2022)

Count von Schwalbe said:


> Fair enough. I would recommend getting a later-gen CPU especially.
> 
> What software are you using in particular? There is a few things I would suggest depending on the software.
> 
> Anyways, I would Strongly suggest changing your RSM configuration to a multiple of 6 DIMMs, with the 6-channel memory CPU.


Thank you Count. Using this, 





						Video Editing Software. Free Download. Easy Movie Editor.
					

Download award-winning VideoPad Video Editing Software. Edit your videos, add effects, create a movie. Crop, trim, split, add effects & more on the fastest & easiest video editor for Windows PC & Mac.



					www.nchsoftware.com
				



not very high end but the setup lends itself to what I do. I have to make them fast. We're talking 10-20 sec clips. Other than that I generally run 6 instances of Chrome (hogs everything but let's me run 6 different Twitter accts at once.) And Opera, another hog, plus smaller stuff.


----------



## frankr2994 (Nov 17, 2022)

John Stewart said:


> Thank you Count. Using this,
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I don't see anything on that site that talks about resource utilization. Other than it says it's fast.....I'd love to see a screenshot of task manager while running the finalization process after edits to see what it's pulling. But right now I'm guessing a fast quad core CPU and enough memory to run web browsers. Please run an edit and show us a screenshot of task manager. Obviously no personal info visible.


----------



## John Stewart (Nov 18, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> I don't see anything on that site that talks about resource utilization. Other than it says it's fast.....I'd love to see a screenshot of task manager while running the finalization process after edits to see what it's pulling. But right now I'm guessing a fast quad core CPU and enough memory to run web browsers. Please run an edit and show us a screenshot of task manager. Obviously no personal info visible.


Sorry for the late reply, had to reinstall some software to make this happen. Please keep in mind this is a bridge machine not quite as powerful as the one that crashed but close. However this is pretty indicative of what happens. This is during a load of a larger video project.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 18, 2022)

John Stewart said:


> Might be able to see the complete workup off this link. At least it worked for me pasting it into a new window. https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/wor...9383-432b-88bc-27ca219781ce#techspecs_section


This is was what I was thinking you were doing. Solid system for what you want to do with it. I do have a suggestion;








						Precision 7920 Workstation Desktop Tower with Xeon Processor | Dell USA
					

The Precision 7920 Tower workstation provides ultimate performance and scalability to grow alongside your vision.



					www.dell.com
				



Choosing the 4215R will give better overall performance. While it may have 2 fewer cores(8 vs 10), those 8 cores are running 800mhz faster each(that a 1/3 increase per core) and has a much high boost clock(4ghz vs 3.2ghz). For the video editing software you've stated, you will have a MUCH better experience. It'll be worth the extra $493. Other than that, I think you're golden!


----------



## frankr2994 (Nov 18, 2022)

John Stewart said:


> Sorry for the late reply, had to reinstall some software to make this happen. Please keep in mind this is a bridge machine not quite as powerful as the one that crashed but close. However this is pretty indicative of what happens. This is during a load of a larger video project. View attachment 270491



Ok couple things. First it's not using your PC hardly at all. What we need to look at is doing the same edit and look at the performance tab. Let's see if it is maxing out 1 CPU core or maxing out the vram on your gpu or something else. See if there is a bottle neck somewhere in there. If you can do a batch run of edits at the same time it's possible you can use more. There may be settings in the software to use more. My gut feeling tells me this is it for this software. If your in love with it and don't want to switch I'd go on the route and say a system with some overclockable i5 running single core speeds 5ghz plus. If you really want a Dell workstation for the reliability, warranty, support then we should look at a 5820 with a xeon that has really high single core speeds. But let's see the performance tab showing CPU displaying all logical cores and show the GPU tab that can show us all the different actions of the GPU. Hopefully we can see a bottleneck somewhere and point you in a better direction. Right now a 7920 is just a waste.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 18, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> Right now a 7920 is just a waste.


That is not an opinion I would agree with. First, a single screenshot does not make for a complete view of utilization. Second, I have seen and used that very same video editor and it is something that can be very CPU heavy OR GPU heavy, depending on the task. Powerful parts in each area will make for snappy workloads. Finally, the system is question would make an excellent platform for what they want to do as well as anything else they want to do, especially for a professional doing professional work.


----------



## frankr2994 (Nov 18, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> That is not an opinion I would agree with. First, a single screenshot does not make for a complete view of utilization. Second, I have seen and used that very same video editor and it is something that can be very CPU heavy OR GPU heavy, depending on the task. Powerful parts in each area will make for snappy workloads. Finally, the system is question would make an excellent platform for what they want to do as well as anything else they want to do, especially for a professional doing professional work.


If that is a typical workload for him excluding open browsers then those aren't the workloads that a tearing up usage. A brand new dual CPU capable system still seems wasteful. I did ask for more info to help steering. Maybe these are some questions the "experts" at Dell should be asking before pushing high priced system. I love Dell, but I love the people that buy it and re sell it a year later better


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 18, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> If that is a typical workload for him excluding open browsers then those aren't the workloads that a tearing up usage.


But that's that point, we're not seeing full workloads as that has not been disclosed. I personally don't care to know either. What someone does and their usage model is their business. What we're here to help with is a selection of config that will maximize any potential workload that the user will invoke. Put another way, I'm not going to try to tell them how to do their work, only suggest the best hardware that will help them get the most for what they do. The question of value is up to them, not us.



frankr2994 said:


> A brand new dual CPU capable system still seems wasteful.


That's not what they're buying. If you follow the links above you will see that they are selecting a single CPU configuration. There is nothing wasteful in having the option to expand later. A lot of people do. That might be where you misunderstood.


----------



## Count von Schwalbe (Nov 18, 2022)

I just find it hard to recommend a 10-core low-clocked Skylake even if it has 6-channel ECC support. You would be much better served with any Threadripper (or PRO) or even Ryzen with 12-16 Zen 2/3 cores. (the reason I am only talking AMD is because they all support ECC.) Even this Precision 7865 would perform much much better than what you linked or what Lex posted - and for less money.

Lex suggested an 8-core CPU fairly similar to the 11900K, with an inferior cache hierarchy and 6-channel RAM. Comparing the 11900K to a 5900X is easy, and the 5900X with 8-channel RAM is a 5945WX.  

According to Puget Systems, 5900X scores 7.5% better in Davinci Resolve overall, and 15.9% better in Premiere Pro - two programs that work in a similar manner to your program. Now reduce the clock speed of the 11900K by 20% and imagine how well that would fare against the 5900X. Need ECC support and 4x the RAM bandwidth? Switch to a Threadripper Pro 5945WX. Then pocket the extra $100-500 you saved and rejoice that you have a much better system.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 18, 2022)

Count von Schwalbe said:


> Even this Precision 7865 would perform much much better than what you linked or what Lex posted - and for less money.


Good point, that system is the better deal by far. You did leave out one thing, 64GB of RAM. Very important.








						Precision 7865 Tower Workstation : Dell Workstations | Dell USA
					

Shop the Dell Precision Tower Workstation (7865) featuring Precision optimizer & powerful CPU with AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro or see all Precision Workstations at Dell.com.



					www.dell.com


----------



## Count von Schwalbe (Nov 18, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Good point, that system is the batter deal by far. You did leave out one thing, 64GB of RAM. Very important.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


My bad, thought I had 8x8 selected.


----------



## John Stewart (Nov 18, 2022)

Many tks to all. Let me get you some more info so you're not sitting there guessing. First is the system info of the bridge machine. This is my wifes PC and bought around the same time so close, but a little under what I was using.





Here's from the load of a larger project.













It loads kinda slow but not to bad, not the real problem. I will work on it for a half hour or so and then take the same snapshots as it starts really stressing the system and post them.

One thing I will say is in my opinion the software is crap. Most of this is from guess work but the feeling I get is they started out with a basic video editing software and then added features onto the same old framework, kinda like building a one story house and kept adding floors without rebuilding the foundation. 

I also get the feeling there is little incentive to rework it as they have a niche in the market with little competition. Lots of basic editing software for the dinkers out there and a number of really good high end programs better suited for the wild and wicket stuff but not much in the middle for guys like me doing mid range production stuff. But this is gut feeling on my part.



John Stewart said:


> Many tks to all. Let me get you some more info so you're not sitting there guessing. First is the system info of the bridge machine. This is my wifes PC and bought around the same time so close, but a little under what I was using.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Oooo and notice how much Opera eats up? Another crap software in my opinion but they have a very good spam blocker which is why I use it. I might want to consider shutting it down when I edit.


----------



## Count von Schwalbe (Nov 18, 2022)

John Stewart said:


> One thing I will say is in my opinion the software is crap.


Have you tried DaVinci Resolve? Completely free and very powerful, and you can pay a one-time payment of $300 if you need more features. Many movie studios use it if that tells you anything. 

You can also use Puget Systems' guide for the hardware, it covers it fairly well.


----------



## John Stewart (Nov 18, 2022)

Count von Schwalbe said:


> Have you tried DaVinci Resolve?


No sir but I will certainly try it out to see. Would be a fair amount of work to convert but not insurmountable.

Still tying to stress it more, I get getting diverted by small fires in need of putting out lol. Post screens as soon as I get them.


----------



## frankr2994 (Nov 18, 2022)

John Stewart said:


> No sir but I will certainly try it out to see. Would be a fair amount of work to convert but not insurmountable.
> 
> Still tying to stress it more, I get getting diverted by small fires in need of putting out lol. Post screens as soon as I get them.


And if you wouldn't mind right click of the graph for the CPU and select show logical processors. That will show if it's using more than 1 core. By the usage I doubt it.


----------



## John Stewart (Nov 19, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> And if you wouldn't mind right click of the graph for the CPU and select show logical processors. That will show if it's using more than 1 core.


The very reason I posted the last screens ahead of these. I just knew there would be something missing 

Ok, I managed to stress it pretty good, It's starting to hang big time. Have pushed it a lot harder but subject to crashing at any time when it get's this revved up. Cooling fan is humming along lol.



















The second cpu is from after the stressing had gone on a little.


----------



## frankr2994 (Nov 19, 2022)

Ok so you can get all those cores going. Memory usage is down. GPU not really being used for any of your screenshots. I'm guessing the hanging your getting is something to do with heat because it should still have enough resources to navigate. I'm leaning on that AMD build. 2 things, your program says 32 bit. What version number is that? Notes for version 9 state they went to a 64 bit build. Also see if there are any settings to push a little more at the GPU. In the software I've used there is something for GPU hardware acceleration for encoding. I don't know what GPU you have but it's 2gb so I know it's not any powerhouse. Still might be worth seeing if you can put more use to it. Just have a gtx 1650 super in our plex server and it transcodes 7x what our CPU can.


----------



## John Stewart (Nov 19, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> What version number is that? Notes for version 9 state they went to a 64 bit build. Also see if there are any settings to push a little more at the GPU.


11.08 is the current version. Try not to update, every time I do it gets more and more user unfriendly.

Sorry, no. I got in there and it's pretty minimal.



frankr2994 said:


> I'm leaning on that AMD build.


I don't see any AMDs available on Dell. This is my latest build. Probably going to put it Monday to make sure I get the Black Friday pricing, otherwise it's gets out of my range.









						Precision 7920 Workstation Desktop Tower with Xeon Processor | Dell USA
					

The Precision 7920 Tower workstation provides ultimate performance and scalability to grow alongside your vision.



					www.dell.com


----------



## Count von Schwalbe (Nov 19, 2022)

John Stewart said:


> I don't see any AMDs available on Dell


See below:


Count von Schwalbe said:


> this Precision 7865 would perform much much better than what you linked


It uses a 12-core with a much superior architecture and higher clocks, and costs less.

Clock the blue text for the link.


----------



## John Stewart (Nov 19, 2022)

Sorry, forgot everyone can't see the price.

Estimated Value $8,389.00
Dell Price $5,194.96



Count von Schwalbe said:


> It uses a 12-core with a much superior architecture and higher clocks, and costs less.


Awesome, have to help the wife for a bit but will dig into it this evening, many, many thanks Count


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 20, 2022)

John Stewart said:


> I don't see any AMDs available on Dell.


You may have missed this;








						Precision 7865 Tower Workstation : Dell Workstations | Dell USA
					

Shop the Dell Precision Tower Workstation (7865) featuring Precision optimizer & powerful CPU with AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro or see all Precision Workstations at Dell.com.



					www.dell.com
				



The new Ryzen ThreadRippers are excellent and in the same price range. Better performance for the same money.


----------



## John Stewart (Nov 20, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> You may have missed this;


No I was just resisting looking at it last night as it's our fun night. Afraid I'd get to enthusiastic lolol. Looking it over I like it. Took out the 3rd HD which I may never need (These vids average 5megs a pop finished) so I could extend the warranty and add McAfee. Speaking of which anyone have any experience with it? Always used Norton but since Life Lock bought them they've turned into a spam engine. 









						Precision 7865 Tower Workstation : Dell Workstations | Dell USA
					

Shop the Dell Precision Tower Workstation (7865) featuring Precision optimizer & powerful CPU with AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro or see all Precision Workstations at Dell.com.



					www.dell.com


----------



## Count von Schwalbe (Nov 20, 2022)

John Stewart said:


> McAfee





John Stewart said:


> spam engine


Worse, IMHO. I use mostly ESET. Not necessarily the best but no spam.


----------



## John Stewart (Nov 20, 2022)

Took out the McAfee and added a 4tb HD back in, I'm sure I won't regret it lol.









						Precision 7865 Tower Workstation : Dell Workstations | Dell USA
					

Shop the Dell Precision Tower Workstation (7865) featuring Precision optimizer & powerful CPU with AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro or see all Precision Workstations at Dell.com.



					www.dell.com
				




Finalizing this up if anyone else has any advice.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 20, 2022)

John Stewart said:


> and add McAfee.


Oh, skip that. Go with Comodo.








						Download Free Antivirus Software | Get Complete PC Virus Protection
					

Download free antivirus software for full virus protection in Windows PC with real-time security updates, malware scans. Get Comodo antivirus now!



					antivirus.comodo.com
				



The premium version is $30 per year for 1 PC or $40 for 3 PCs. McAfee is garbage comparatively.

Otherwise, yeah, that looks like a winning system.


----------



## John Stewart (Nov 20, 2022)

Aaaaaa suger, no wireless available with the AMD setup. Might have to go back to the Intel one.


----------



## frankr2994 (Nov 20, 2022)

John Stewart said:


> Aaaaaa suger, no wireless available with the AMD setup. Might have to go back to the Intel one.



The board doesn't have on board wifi? I wouldn't let that sway a decision. There are multiple ways you can get wifi into that.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 20, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> The board doesn't have on board wifi? I wouldn't let that sway a decision. There are multiple ways you can get wifi into that.


Neither would I.


John Stewart said:


> Aaaaaa suger, no wireless available with the AMD setup. Might have to go back to the Intel one.


John, go to Staples or BestBuy and get a $30 USB WIFI adapter or PCIe card. Don't pass up the better system just because Dell doesn't have WIFI built on the board. That would be silly.


----------



## John Stewart (Nov 21, 2022)

ok, I was told they were best built in to the motherboard, jus thinking about it that's silly


----------



## hckngrtfakt (Nov 21, 2022)

John Stewart said:


> ok, I was told they were best built in to the motherboard, jus thinking about it that's silly


Is better when they're not built into the board because when the time comes to upgrade, is an actual pain to find a compatible module because some OEMs like to use CNVi

Like for example upgrading from an intel ax200 to a 201, a 210 or even a 1650, no to even mention "vPro"


----------



## John Stewart (Nov 21, 2022)

Ok, I guess this what I'm going to go with, I'll order it in the morning, after me wife settles down, she saw the price and gulped lol 









						Precision 7865 Tower Workstation : Dell Workstations | Dell USA
					

Shop the Dell Precision Tower Workstation (7865) featuring Precision optimizer & powerful CPU with AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro or see all Precision Workstations at Dell.com.



					www.dell.com
				




Now what can I to for you guys? I don't like being a mooch. I have 3 large Twitter accts doing 300, 210 and 130k respectively. Now before you get excited they are video accts. It's very hard to get them to focus on anything other than a funny/wild vid lol. But still, If you have Twitter accts a rt can diffidently help, others, like web sites less so but wth, it's free  Would hesitate to put up the link to the forum, you might get flooded with guys dumber than I and a whole lot less appreciative lol. I'm telling ya, lots of younger people with kid like outlooks, namely you're their mother lol.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 22, 2022)

John Stewart said:


> Now what can I to for you guys? I don't like being a mooch.


I'm good. There are several reasons I come to TPU. One of them is to help people fix up their systems, perform upgrades that will help them get the most from what they have, or in your case, help make a purchase that will help them do what they need in the best and most cost effective way possible.

Can't speak for @Count von Schwalbe, but I enjoy what I do here and do so freely. I'm sure he feels similarly. Have been very fortunate in life and much has been given to me. Even if that were not the case, I would still be doing this, have always felt that being helpful to folks is right. So I say enjoy! In future when an opportunity to help someone presents itself(and it will), do so. Don't hesitate and be confident that whatever you do will have a positive effect.

Carry on good sir and feel welcome to show us photo's and screen shots of your new hotness when it arrives!

There is a thread where people show off their latest tech acquisitions. Feel free to jump in there too! What you are buying is truly impressive, worthy of a moments consideration and admiration.








						What's your latest tech purchase?
					

Bought something and would like to share? put it here :)  I have bought a cheap replacement for my broken headset this morning from Ebay (Tesco outlet) TurtleBeach X12.  Will replace my Logitech G230's since the connection to the right speaker is completely busted. Quite happy with the price...




					www.techpowerup.com


----------



## Count von Schwalbe (Nov 22, 2022)

Absolutely. I like tech for its own sake, so the more people I can help along the way, the better.


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## John Stewart (Nov 22, 2022)

You guys are the greatest, I pulled the trigger this morning


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## Mr Bill (Nov 22, 2022)

John Stewart said:


> ok, I was told they were best built in to the motherboard, jus thinking about it that's silly


Not with my Dell Dell Inspiron P75F 15" Touchscreen AMD Ryzen 5 2500U 2GHz 8GB RAM. My Ethernet download speed around 100 Mbps, my WiFi downloads are over 400 Mbps. Go figure!


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## John Stewart (Nov 22, 2022)

Mr Bill said:


> Not with my Dell Dell Inspiron P75F 15" Touchscreen AMD Ryzen 5 2500U 2GHz 8GB RAM. My Ethernet download speed around 100 Mbps, my WiFi downloads are over 400 Mbps. Go figure!


I know but they have a valid point for a workstation, easier to switch out when wifi updates.

BTW they say not until Dec 27th but I guess they have build it lol


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 22, 2022)

John Stewart said:


> BTW they say not until Dec 27th but I guess they have build it lol


Damn! That's more than a month..


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## frigider (Nov 23, 2022)

still me.

*this *is bugging me:

how tight should the screws be on the heatsinks? (t7810 - but that 's a general question, right?)

do you go until they stop?
should i go back like half a cycle after reaching full stop?

when i do go back half a cycle after full stop and remove the heatsink after a while there's almost no paste in the middle of the CPU  - guess the heatsink makes perfect contact?


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 23, 2022)

frigider said:


> do you go until they stop?


This. Those screws have self-stops built in as a part of the design. Screw them in until they stop. Then you're done.


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## frigider (Nov 23, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> This. Those screws have self-stops built in as a part of the design. Screw them in until they stop. Then you're done.


i can finally breathe now.  

yeah it makes sense for them to be designed this way. 
r-tard proof


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## frankr2994 (Nov 23, 2022)

Hey does anyone know the pinout for the Dell precision power distribution board. Should be relatively the same t3600,t5600,5610,5810 ect. I'm specifically looking at the 10 pin CPU plug. My 5810 has 2 so the same board can be used in a 7 series or maybe it's the exact same board from the 5610 dual socket. I really only want to know if any of them are dedicated voltage sense wires.


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## Oldschool297 (Nov 24, 2022)

I have a Dell T3500 and if i want to upgrade to a Xeon 6C X5690 3.46Ghz 12MB 6.40GTs 130W Processor | 3.73Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SLBVX) I must change heatsink?
My Intel® Xeon® Processor E5645 12M Cache, 2.40 GHz, 5.86 GT/s Intel® QPI. with 24gb ram works pretty well. Can play 4k videos with only 10-20% usage of the CPU. I can see it can work up to 2,87ghz when the manufacturer claims it only goes to 2,67. If i need to change the two 120mm front fans with 5pins how to find replacement fans? The most are on 3 or 4pin. Can i use an adapter and get the sensor to the fans to work to?


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## frankr2994 (Nov 24, 2022)

Oldschool297 said:


> I have a Dell T3500 and if i want to upgrade to a Xeon 6C X5690 3.46Ghz 12MB 6.40GTs 130W Processor | 3.73Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SLBVX) I must change heatsink?
> My Intel® Xeon® Processor E5645 12M Cache, 2.40 GHz, 5.86 GT/s Intel® QPI. with 24gb ram works pretty well. Can play 4k videos with only 10-20% usage of the CPU. I can see it can work up to 2,87ghz when the manufacturer claims it only goes to 2,67. If i need to change the two 120mm front fans with 5pins how to find replacement fans? The most are on 3 or 4pin. Can i use an adapter and get the sensor to the fans to work to?


Don't have a 3500 but I looked some stuff up and it doesn't appear like it was much different back then. Those 5 pin fans should only have 4 wires. The colors matter so whatever fans you get just un pin the 4 pin connector and take your old 5 pin fans and un pin those as well. Put your new fan wires in dells correct order into those old 5 pin connectors and plug them in. They sell adapters but I never seen a reason to buy them. And supposedly there is an uprated copper heatsink you can buy.


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 24, 2022)

Oldschool297 said:


> I have a Dell T3500 and if i want to upgrade to a Xeon 6C X5690 3.46Ghz 12MB 6.40GTs 130W Processor | 3.73Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SLBVX) I must change heatsink?
> My Intel® Xeon® Processor E5645 12M Cache, 2.40 GHz, 5.86 GT/s Intel® QPI. with 24gb ram works pretty well. Can play 4k videos with only 10-20% usage of the CPU. I can see it can work up to 2,87ghz when the manufacturer claims it only goes to 2,67. If i need to change the two 120mm front fans with 5pins how to find replacement fans? The most are on 3 or 4pin. Can i use an adapter and get the sensor to the fans to work to?


If you want to upgrade to an X5690, yes, you'll need the better heatsink and you'll need to attach a fan to it.
You likely have the following;








						Dell Precision Workstation T3500 T5500 T7500 CPU Heatsink T021F 0T021F  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dell Precision Workstation T3500 T5500 T7500 CPU Heatsink T021F 0T021F at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				



This heatsink can handle up to about 100W of thermal load. The X5690 is a 130W part.

You'll need one like the following;








						Dell Precision T3500 T5500 T7500 Workstation oem Heatsink U016F. SKU156187  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dell Precision T3500 T5500 T7500 Workstation oem Heatsink U016F. SKU156187 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				



They're not expensive. This heatsink can handle up to about 170W of thermal load, which is more than enough for the CPU you want to get.
Tip for optimal performance: Get an 80mm fan and attach it directly to the heatsink, don't use the shroud. A model like the following would be excellent;








						ARCTIC P8 (Black) 80 mm Case Fan quiet motor Computer 3000 RPM PC  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for ARCTIC P8 (Black) 80 mm Case Fan quiet motor Computer 3000 RPM PC at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				




About the CPU upgrade, have you give thought to the W3680/W3690? I ask because they are unlocked CPU models and can be soft overclocked in a T3500 using ThrottleStop.








						Intel Xeon W3680 3.33GHz Six Core (AT80613003543AF) Processor for sale online | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Intel Xeon W3680 3.33GHz Six Core (AT80613003543AF) Processor at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				











						Intel Xeon W3690 SLBW2 3.46GHz 6 Core LGA 1366 CPU Processor  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Intel Xeon W3690 SLBW2 3.46GHz 6 Core LGA 1366 CPU Processor at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				



Prices are a bit higher, but worth it if you want to do software overclocking.

BTW, Welcome to TPU!


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## Mr Bill (Nov 24, 2022)

Lex....Sometimes I wished I would have bought the 5690 but my 5670 is oc and running @4.3 Ghz. and it's fine until I start watching some 4k YouTube videos. I think you mentioned to me way back when about the  W3680/W3690 but I had already purcheased the 5670. The 5690's were close to $75 when I bought my 5670 but I see they have come down a bunch.


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 24, 2022)

Mr Bill said:


> it's fine until I start watching some 4k YouTube videos.


I would think that's more GPU related than CPU. What GPU do you have paired with it?


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## Oldschool297 (Nov 24, 2022)

I must be lucky because it seems like i have such a heatsink even if the processor is smaller. My look like this. Is W3680/W3690 a better options?


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## Oldschool297 (Nov 24, 2022)

Mr Bill said:


> Lex....Sometimes I wished I would have bought the 5690 but my 5670 is oc and running @4.3 Ghz. and it's fine until I start watching some 4k YouTube videos. I think you mentioned to me way back when about the  W3680/W3690 but I had already purcheased the 5670. The 5690's were close to $75 when I bought my 5670 but I see they have come down a bunch.


I can play 8k with E5645 and a old Nvidia Quadro Fx 3500 256mb and 24gb 1333mhz ram. I use Windows 8.1 Pro it maybe makes difference. It only uses about 20-30% of the cpu. But the point is that the fps may not be at the highest.


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## Mr Bill (Nov 24, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> I would think that's more GPU related than CPU. What GPU do you have paired with it?


AMD Radeon HD 7770 2GB GDDR5... I guess I should have elaborated more, it plays the video's great, but I can feel more heat coming out of the case and the fan speeds way up, when I begin to watch the 4k videos, it's fine with 1080.  I don't have any side covers on any of my PC's, but I'm sure I don't have a patent on that. 



Oldschool297 said:


> I use Windows 8.1 Pro it maybe makes difference. It only uses about 20-30% of the cpu.


That might be the difference, I have a backup image of Windows 7 for this PC maybe I should try that and see how it performs, I'm using 11 right now.


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 24, 2022)

Mr Bill said:


> AMD Radeon HD 7770 2GB GDDR5... I guess I should have elaborated more, it plays the video's great, but I can feel more heat coming out of the case and the fan speeds way up, when I begin to watch the 4k videos, it's fine with 1080.  I don't have any side covers on any of my PC's, but I'm sure I don't have a patent on that.


There's your issue, you need a newer GPU for 4K video. RX470 or RX480 would fit the bill for you.


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## Mr Bill (Nov 24, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> There's your issue, you need a newer GPU for 4K video. RX470 or RX480 would fit the bill for you.


Looking at a 470 right now on eBay for $43 over in 30 minutes, but I'm sure the bids will go up.


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 24, 2022)

Mr Bill said:


> Looking at a 470 right now on eBay for $43 over in 30 minutes, but I'm sure the bids will go up.


Try this one.








						MSI Radeon RX 470 Gaming X 4G 4GB GDDR5 Graphics Card  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for MSI Radeon RX 470 Gaming X 4G 4GB GDDR5 Graphics Card at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				



Corrected. We don't want to link you a mining card.

There's also a 570 for a good price;








						msi radeon rx 570 4gb  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for msi radeon rx 570 4gb at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				




And if you'd like a very nice upgrade, a 580 8GB;








						MSI Radeon RX 580 8GB GDDR5 Graphics Card (RX580ARMOR8GOC) for sale online | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for MSI Radeon RX 580 8GB GDDR5 Graphics Card (RX580ARMOR8GOC) at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com
				



$93 shipped is a fair price.


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## Oldschool297 (Nov 24, 2022)

For some reason i can't see the motherboard temp on my Dell T3500. I have tried with the program Speccy. I only see Cpu temp and gpu and hard drive. I have the hard drive on 30 and cpu on 21 in idle and on 30-40 playing video. So i guess it can be cool. Can't this dell show motherboard temp?


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## lexluthermiester (Nov 24, 2022)

Oldschool297 said:


> For some reason i can't see the motherboard temp on my Dell T3500.


They don't have one. Don't worry about it. The X58 chipset in the T3500 has a large heatsink and it never gets too hot.


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## Oldschool297 (Nov 25, 2022)

Thanks i have a cooler master 500w rs.500 acab ver 2 psu but the fan has started to make small noices. I plug it out and dropped a few dropped of suited oil as the back plug was easy to plug out. But i do not know how long it last. What types of psu can it handle. It must have EPS12v from what i have read. https://www.dell.com/community/Desk...500-4-pin-cpu-cable-8-pin-socket/td-p/4498152

I thougt about buying https://www.thermaltake.com/smart-rgb-500w-230v.html but don't know if it suits. I guess the cpu power is on 8pin? https://www.amazon.com/XPDFK-Dell-Precision-Motherboard-LGA1366/dp/B018KX2WNG


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## John Stewart (Nov 25, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Damn! That's more than a month..


Xmas I guess


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## frankr2994 (Nov 25, 2022)

John Stewart said:


> Xmas I guess


Well as an adult you pay for any Xmas gift you get. Sooo that's still a damn nice present lol.


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## smihaila (Nov 25, 2022)

Imprecision said:


> Yeah I can try that when I get my hands on it (shipping takes forever). The guy who tried with just the 8 pin used it for mining, not sure if he had flashed some VGA BIOS for mining on it.
> 
> I also read that card actually has two different BIOS chips, one with a "Boost" BIOS that sets the clock to 1411MHz, and a "Silent BIOS" that sets the clock to 1340 MHz. I will try to set it to silent bios to see if that takes care of those 10 extra watts.


Hi @Imprecision,

New forum member here. I've just got myself a refurbished Dell Precision T7810, with a 2 x Xeon E5-2690 v4, 128 GB RAM, and ... a 825W PSU.
I'm planning to install a GTX 1080 Ti GPU on this system - the exact GPU is EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti SC Black Edition GAMING.
In terms of disk storage, I'll also install an M.2. NVMe adapter for PCIe 3.0 x4 lanes and a 2TB NVMe SSD on that (an SK Hynix Gold P31).

According to this GPU's specs (available here and here), it's expected to draw 250W max power, distributed via 1 x 6pin + 1 x 8pin connector.

225W can be supplied as: 75W from the PCIe 3.0 x 16lanes port, plus another 150W from the provided PSU's distribution board / edge connector.

The question is then: Where to get the remainder of 25W (aka 10% of GPU's total power requirement), in order to get to 250W max?

And while browsing the internet to look for answers, I've discovered your posts here, on this forum.

So, I was curious: For your Radeon Saphire GPU's 235W power needs, do you happen to have a status update on your project / endeavor? Did that "COMeap 8 Pin Male to Dual 8 Pin(6+2) Male PCIe Power Adapter Cable for Dell T3600 T3610 T5600 T5610 T5610 T7600 T7610 5810 T5810 T7810" (still available here), or this other similar variant named "Corsair RM Series 8 Pin to 8 Pin and 6 Pin PCIE Modular Sleeved Cable" (available here) work in your case?

I've also discovered an rather unusual configuration, described on this reddit forum:

__
		https://www.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comments/6ieqpu
The Nvidia Titan X seems to be a Pascal architecture (like GTX 1080 is) and also uses an 8pin + 6pin AUX power connector, thus suggesting a similar max power draw like mine - of about 250W.

Would you think that the rather unusual configuration described by that person on reddit would work in my case?
His use case / workload is Machine Learning, and he was saying in his original / first post (available here) that he wasn't able to achieve full stability with the original 1 x 8pin male to 2 x 6-pin male Dell-provided standard cable, coupled also with one of those 6-pin male connector into a 6-pin female to 8-pin male cable adapter (to satisfy the 8pin GPU card's connection), and with the other 6pin connected directly into the second, 6pin, GPU card's power socket. But then he apparently managed to solve the problem, and hence his 2nd, follow-up post to that.

See also my comments to that 2nd / follow-up post of his.

I'll receive my GTX 1080 Ti tomorrow, and I'll test his idea. Probably I'll have to use some free benchmarking software, to make sure I can stress the GPU to the max. Btw, what benchmark app would you folks suggest to use for that? I know only about BurnInTest. But I've heard about this "Furmark" thing - would it fit the bill for such max stressing?

If his idea proves to be unstable, I'll probably have to connect the existing 2 x 6-pin male connectors (labeled "P10" and "P11") into a 2 x 6pin - to - 8pin adapter and then draw the other 6pin from a separate 12V rail, for example from the spare SATA power cable that I have in the front / 5'' bay (and from which a mini-SATA power connector draws also power, for the DVD-RW optical unit which I have, and I do use), or from one of the two SATA power connectors present in the 2 x disk trays at the bottom of the case (to the right of the PSU), and which I wouldn't need (or maybe I'll need just 1 of those 2, for example for a spinning/mechanical HDD). Such separate power draw (of just 25W) would probably be made via a 1xSATA-to-1x6pin cable like these ones:


			https://www.amazon.com/ASW-8inch-15pin-Express-Power/dp/B005NJXY7O
		



			https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-108494-8-Inch-15-Pin-Express/dp/B009GUP6O0
		






						Monoprice 8in SATA 15pin to 6pin PCI Express Card Power Cable - Monoprice.com
					

If your PC's power supply has no PCI ExpressÂ® power connectors (or not enough of them for your needs) you can use this handy cable to provide PCIeÂ® power from one of your ope



					www.monoprice.com
				





			https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-Sata15-Express-Graphics-Adapter/dp/B01EUSZ0BQ
		


Thank you.


----------



## frankr2994 (Nov 25, 2022)

smihaila said:


> Hi @Imprecision,
> 
> New forum member here. I've just got myself a refurbished Dell Precision T7810, with a 2 x Xeon E5-2690 v4, 128 GB RAM, and ... a 825W PSU.
> I'm planning to install a GTX 1080 Ti GPU on this system - the exact GPU is EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti SC Black Edition GAMING.
> ...



My only suggestion if it doesn't work/stable which I'm betting it won't be a problem is an external GPU enclosure. Never used one personally but I always see used ones from Dell Alienware systems for sale on eBay.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 26, 2022)

Oldschool297 said:


> I must be lucky because it seems like i have such a heatsink even if the processor is smaller. My look like this. Is W3680/W3690 a better options?


BTW, forgot to respond to this. Flip your CPU heatsink to face the opposite way. Then buy one of the Arctic fans mentioned earlier and mount it to the flat side of the heatsink blowing air through the fins toward the back of the case.


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## smihaila (Nov 27, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> My only suggestion if it doesn't work/stable which I'm betting it won't be a problem is an external GPU enclosure. Never used one personally but I always see used ones from Dell Alienware systems for sale on eBay.



It looks like the rather unusual 2 x 6pin + 1 x 8pin cable inversion idea works. The GTX 1080 Ti is holding strong, and according to both HWMonitor and GPU-Z, it is drawing about 270W in total.
I've put it to stress tests using these 5 apps:
- Furmark (I've heard that actually, it's not exercising everything from a GPU; mostly VRMs; and sometimes that can stress to dangerous limits)
- Unigine Superposition
- Unigine Heaven
- Unigine Valley
- 3DMark's basic/free test named Firestriker.

Now, if only I could make the card's temps running lower ... It's running quite hot - 50 degrees C on idle, and hitting 91-92 degrees C on max load, and fans ramping up to max (4,000 rpm) and unbearably noisy. I've tried EVGA's "Precision X1" app, to fiddle with fan curves and "Voltage / Frequency Auto Tuner", but effective improvements came up from that.

I've even set the T7810's fans' curve to start at 30% - thinking that a lower ambient case temp / better air flow, would help the GTX 1080 Ti running less hot.
But no luck so far. So I'm stuck with a hot furnace and ... a jet engine.
Since I don't have time to fiddle with thermal paste, I've contacted the seller (e-bay), to return it. I hate hot furnaces and unbearable noise in my PC workstation...

Thank you.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Nov 27, 2022)

smihaila said:


> It's running quite hot - 50 degrees C on idle, and hitting 91-92 degrees C on max load, and fans ramping up to max (4,000 rpm) and unbearably noisy.


That card likely needs a deep cleaning and a thermal paste replacement. The 1080ti should not be running that hot at all.


smihaila said:


> Since I don't have time to fiddle with thermal paste, I've contacted the seller (e-bay), to return it. I hate hot furnaces and unbearable noise in my PC workstation...


A can of air might do it. Have you blown it out yet?


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## frankr2994 (Nov 27, 2022)

This only applies to single socket Dell workstations but I'm usually a pain in the ass when it comes to GPU power hookups. Previous post on the 7810 shows that this is not needed. Anyways I'm installing a 2080 super in my boys t5810. I already have an 8 pin to 8 pin cable out of a Dell blade server for the 1070 that's in it now. The 2080 is a 8+6 so I need another 6 pin. I bought a 10 pin eps cable (psu to CPU socket) un pinned it and made a 10 to 6 pin out of it.



lexluthermiester said:


> That card likely needs a deep cleaning and a thermal paste replacement. The 1080ti should not be running that hot at all.
> 
> A can of air might do it. Have you blown it out yet?



Agreed both of my used 1070s got new paste and thermal pads. Helped a lot. They tend to run warm in our workstations because of how they separate the case based on size but once you have a pack of thermal pads set out takes about 10 minutes to clean it all out and have it work good as new. Sorry but when working with a GPU that can be what 5 or 6 years old it's not a problem with the card it's just age.


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## Akagi (Dec 14, 2022)

Hey im thinking about buying  a bare bones  dell t5810 i already have a 4x8 gb kit of hyperxfury and a e5 2640 v3 for the gpu i have a rx 570. the seller sadly doesn't have any pictures to show if its a 475w model or higher  but if it is i can always upgrade later. does this ram work with the motherboard? its non ecc

I've seen peaple have no problems at all and people only able to use weird arrangements of populated dimms and to it just straight not working


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## lexluthermiester (Dec 14, 2022)

Akagi said:


> Hey im thinking about buying  a bare bones  dell t5810 i already have a 4x8 gb kit of hyperxfury and a e5 2640 v3 for the gpu i have a rx 570. the seller sadly doesn't have any pictures to show if its a 475w model or higher  but if it is i can always upgrade later. does this ram work with the motherboard? its non ecc
> 
> I've seen peaple have no problems at all and people only able to use weird arrangements of populated dimms and to it just straight not working


Hey there, Welcome to TPU! Let's take a look at the listing if you have a link and if you could state a model number for the RAM we can answer your questions.


----------



## frankr2994 (Dec 14, 2022)

Akagi said:


> Hey im thinking about buying  a bare bones  dell t5810 i already have a 4x8 gb kit of hyperxfury and a e5 2640 v3 for the gpu i have a rx 570. the seller sadly doesn't have any pictures to show if its a 475w model or higher  but if it is i can always upgrade later. does this ram work with the motherboard? its non ecc
> 
> I've seen peaple have no problems at all and people only able to use weird arrangements of populated dimms and to it just straight not working


I don't have any ddr4 left to try normal memory in mine. I think it should work just fine but you can't use as much as you could with ecc. Is this system your looking at really really cheap? I usually buy them with CPU, memory and some old crap drive installed and some k series quadro. Last one I got had a 1650v3 ,k620, 16gb ecc memory 4x4 so it was in quad channel and it had a 685w PSU. I think it was maybe 240 bucks. I gave up asking seller questions. If it's in the description great. PSU ratings I look for a picture in the add that shows the sticker.


----------



## Akagi (Dec 14, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Hey there, Welcome to TPU! Let's take a look at the listing if you have a link and if you could state a model number for the RAM we can answer your questions.











						Dell Precision T5810 Workstation Barebone CTO with MotherBoard, Heatsink, Power  | eBay
					

Tested and in good working condition



					www.ebay.com
				






frankr2994 said:


> I don't have any ddr4 left to try normal memory in mine. I think it should work just fine but you can't use as much as you could with ecc. Is this system your looking at really really cheap? I usually buy them with CPU, memory and some old crap drive installed and some k series quadro. Last one I got had a 1650v3 ,k620, 16gb ecc memory 4x4 so it was in quad channel and it had a 685w PSU. I think it was maybe 240 bucks. I gave up asking seller questions. If it's in the description great. PSU ratings I look for a picture in the add that shows the sticker.


Sadly the seller only has a picture of the front of the case so I cannot see the sticker on the PSU



lexluthermiester said:


> Hey there, Welcome to TPU! Let's take a look at the listing if you have a link and if you could state a model number for the RAM we can answer your questions.


Where would I see a model number for the ram? I bought it used so all I know is from the heatsinks


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## lexluthermiester (Dec 15, 2022)

Akagi said:


> Where would I see a model number for the ram? I bought it used so all I know is from the heatsinks


Post a picture of the labels.

EDIT:
Chances are you're going to need something like this for that system;
https://www.ebay.com/itm/225283100647 x4 $48 shipped.


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## Akagi (Dec 15, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Post a picture of the labels.


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## lexluthermiester (Dec 15, 2022)

Yup, that's the wrong RAM. See my edited post above. I posted a link to the proper RAM you need for that system.


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## Akagi (Dec 15, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Yup, that's the wrong RAM. See my edited post above. I posted a link to the proper RAM you need for that system.


Thanks for the help! I have seen people use ram similar to mine and it works but for others it has not so I will try to see if my current kit works out as I'm trying to keep costs as low as possible for this build lol. And hey if not I can just order some ecc ram like you've said.


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## Oldschool297 (Dec 15, 2022)

I bougth a Thermaltake Smart RGB 700W to my Dell T3500. It has EPS 12V and RGB. I have not tried it yet but i guess it suits my motherboard. I now have a Cooler Master 500W and a Nvidia Quadro Fx 3500 card. The psu should have a rgb hub inside so i guess the lights will work. I do not see any cable to it.









						NVIDIA Quadro FX 3500 Specs
					

NVIDIA G71, 450 MHz, 20 Pixel Shaders, 7 Vertex Shaders, 20 TMUs, 16 ROPs, 256 MB GDDR3, 660 MHz, 256 bit




					www.techpowerup.com


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## lexluthermiester (Dec 15, 2022)

Akagi said:


> Thanks for the help! I have seen people use ram similar to mine and it works but for others it has not so I will try to see if my current kit works out as I'm trying to keep costs as low as possible for this build lol. And hey if not I can just order some ecc ram like you've said.


Might work, might not. Dell does not officially support non-reg RAM on that system, so if it works that will be interesting. If not and that auction as ended chime in and I'll help you find more for a good price.


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## daylight8921 (Dec 21, 2022)

Hey guys, recently I got T7600 (Model D02X001). But I'm having a hard time trying to turn it on.

The motherboard is the 082WXT.

I've already check the PSU (D1300EF-00), and it's working but I can't find any diagram to check if every pin has the proper voltage. 

If you have any experience with these type of issues, or know of any guide for this, I'd really appreciate your help.


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## lexluthermiester (Dec 22, 2022)

daylight8921 said:


> Hey guys, recently I got T7600 (Model D02X001). But I'm having a hard time trying to turn it on.
> 
> The motherboard is the 082WXT.
> 
> ...


Hey welcome to TPU! With that one, please refer to the owners manual;
https://dl.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_desktop/esuprtl_precision_workstation/precision-t7600_user's%20guide_en-us.pdf
Section 6 is the troubleshooting guide. You'll want to begin by making sure all if the power connections are seated properly, PSU to motherboard especially. Try unplugging all the connectors and plugging them back in just to be sure.


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## frankr2994 (Dec 22, 2022)

lexluthermiester said:


> Hey welcome to TPU! With that one, please refer to the owners manual;
> https://dl.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_desktop/esuprtl_precision_workstation/precision-t7600_user's%20guide_en-us.pdf
> Section 6 is the troubleshooting guide. You'll want to begin by making sure all if the power connections are seated properly, PSU to motherboard especially. Try unplugging all the connectors and plugging them back in just to be sure.


Was helping this individual out elsewhere. Appears to have some random desktop memory in it. Maybe you could shed some light. Had him try just 1 CPU with one stick of ddr3 1600 non ecc ram with his gpu and still nothing. He had jumped pins on the power connector and the PSU spools up but PC does not power on.  I assume that the PC won't boot off of normal desktop memory. He didn't have any other spare parts to try swapping anything. The PC was just purchased. Never powered on by him. Garage sale so he also can't go back at a seller. I saw that he posted here and I figured you would chime in.


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## lexluthermiester (Dec 22, 2022)

frankr2994 said:


> Was helping this individual out elsewhere. Appears to have some random desktop memory in it. Maybe you could shed some light. Had him try just 1 CPU with one stick of ddr3 1600 non ecc ram with his gpu and still nothing. He had jumped pins on the power connector and the PSU spools up but PC does not power on.  I assume that the PC won't boot off of normal desktop memory. He didn't have any other spare parts to try swapping anything. The PC was just purchased. Never powered on by him. Garage sale so he also can't go back at a seller. I saw that he posted here and I figured you would chime in.


It's likely the PSU. If it were the motherboard or something else, it would at least power up and either do nothing or give an error code.


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## bgguy (Dec 28, 2022)

This post is just as an FYI for anyone having their workstation randomly shut off during GPU/CPU intensive games/processing.

So about a 2 years ago I had purchased a T3600 Workstation, upgraded it with a Nvidia RTX 2080 and though it was mostly working fine, in one specific game the computer would do a hard shut down where I could hear the PSU trip. At the time I suspected it would either be the GPU or PSU, but I tried everything including using HWINFO, measuring the power at the outlet, but was never able to confirm if it was the PSU or not. Since this was only happening in one specific GPU intensive game, I did as much troubleshooting as possible, but then just avoided that game.
Fast forward to now, I was getting more issues with other games causing my computer to trip off so I found the equivalent PSU, Dell 0CVMY8 D825EF-00 825W PSU (There are a few PSU variations but after much research I figured that the "EF" and the "-00" were the key to ensuring I had the right one for the T3600, and that is what matched with my 635W PSU. The "825" part obviously being the wattage, and the "D" is apparently the manufacturer code.).
I swapped it in with no issues at all and now the desktop runs smoothly with the game that was previously causing it to trip, running perfectly fine.

So moral of the story is, if your computer is doing a hard shutdown (i.e. you heard the PSU trip, and there is no BSOD), try replacing the PSU with a higher wattage one. 
I had found the PSU on ebay and it set me back $60USD ($80CAD) after shipping and everything. Was a bit tough to swallow the cost considering it's a used PSU, but also considering how tough some of these workstations are built, I don't expect it to fail.


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## Oldschool297 (Jan 6, 2023)

I guess i can install 48gb of memory in my Dell T3500? I have seen others do it but it ain't easy to find suited memory's or cheap. https://www.ebay.com/itm/154462205178 & https://www.greenpcgamers.com/dell/...e-my-precision-t3500-in-to-a-gaming-computer/ I want ECC.


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## Norton (Jan 6, 2023)

I have a couple of Precision systems

2x Precision M4800 Laptops (at home for me and the Mrs), upgraded both to 32GB ram and swapped out the hard drives for SSD's

Have a Precision T3610 setup for one of my operators at work (E5-1620 v2 Quad core)

All have been trouble free other than my wife busting one of the mouse buttons on hers- good thing Dell has 2 sets of buttons on them


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## lexluthermiester (Saturday at 2:04 AM)

Oldschool297 said:


> I guess i can install 48gb of memory in my Dell T3500? I have seen others do it but it ain't easy to find suited memory's or cheap. https://www.ebay.com/itm/154462205178 & https://www.greenpcgamers.com/dell/...e-my-precision-t3500-in-to-a-gaming-computer/ I want ECC.


You should be able to. 8GB DIMMs have been shown to work. Just don't buy Registered DIMMs, they don't work in T3500s.


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## frankr2994 (Saturday at 8:38 PM)

lexluthermiester said:


> You should be able to. 8GB DIMMs have been shown to work. Just don't buy Registered DIMMs, they don't work in T3500s.


I don't have or plan on owning a 3500 but wasn't there something stupid like if you have a bigger PSU it would let you run registered dimms?



Norton said:


> I have a couple of Precision systems
> 
> 2x Precision M4800 Laptops (at home for me and the Mrs), upgraded both to 32GB ram and swapped out the hard drives for SSD's


I've wanted a 4800 forever. A few years ago they still seemed to expensive for me. At some point I'll need to replace my latitude 6430.... although I'm not sure you can destroy them without firearms....but I really want an old quad core hyper threaded laptop.


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## Norton (Saturday at 8:52 PM)

frankr2994 said:


> I don't have or plan on owning a 3500 but wasn't there something stupid like if you have a bigger PSU it would let you run registered dimms?
> 
> 
> I've wanted a 4800 forever. A few years ago they still seemed to expensive for me. At some point I'll need to replace my latitude 6430.... although I'm not sure you can destroy them without firearms....but I really want an old quad core hyper threaded laptop.


The 4800 is pretty heavy duty... heavy also. Wouldn't be surprised if surplus ones were deployed as supplemental tank armor!  

We got a really good deal on them from dellrefurbished.com. iirc I paid around $250 each for them and they still had a couple of months of extended warranty left on them. Still plenty of life left in them and faster than the i5 in my work laptop that's less than a year old!


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## frankr2994 (Saturday at 9:11 PM)

Norton said:


> The 4800 is pretty heavy duty... heavy also. Wouldn't be surprised if surplus ones were deployed as supplemental tank armor!
> 
> We got a really good deal on them from dellrefurbished.com. iirc I paid around $250 each for them and they still had a couple of months of extended warranty left on them. Still plenty of life left in them and faster than the i5 in my work laptop that's less than a year old!


The ultra efficient CPUs in newer laptops don't sit right with me. I like how they used to do it. I think the 6430 had some world record on run time because you could run an extended battery, a battery slice on the bottom from the dock port and replace the optical drive with a battery. Probably heavy as hell but I thought that was awesome. But for you to have had warranty on those that meant you bought them when they were still relevant. I paid 250 for my latitude. I would have gladly paid 350 for a 4800 at that time. And back when I got that I immediately installed 16gb of gskill and got a 512gb Intel SSD pushing me close to 800 bucks in the total investment. O well it's 10 years old and 1 speaker started sounding crappy just this year. Money well spent I guess.


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## lexluthermiester (Sunday at 3:22 AM)

frankr2994 said:


> I don't have or plan on owning a 3500 but wasn't there something stupid like if you have a bigger PSU it would let you run registered dimms?


No. The X58 chipset was the limitation. X58 does not natively support RDIMMs.


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