Dell Workstation Owners Club

[dorsetknob]

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

 

[Aaron_Henderson]

HP Z400 in description, photo of a T3500 lol

 

[TechyTed]

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.

 

[david carey]

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 ??

 

[Retrorockit]

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.

 

[Susquehannock]

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.

 

[Readlight]

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

 

[david carey]

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 .

 

[darkwingduck13]

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!

 

[Retrorockit]

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.

 

[darkwingduck13]

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.

 

[Retrorockit]

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

 

[darkwingduck13]

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?

 

[Retrorockit]

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

 

[darkwingduck13]

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!

 

[Retrorockit]

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

 

[TechyTed]

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.

 

[darkwingduck13]

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. :/

 

[TechyTed]

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.

 

[lexluthermiester]

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

Seems like a wise trade.

Don’t know about the T7400/7500.

About the same if you look at them.

 

[TechyTed]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.