Dell Workstation Owners Club

[lexluthermiester]

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.

 

[Retrorockit]

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]

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]

So dual rank RDIMM's(2Rx8) work on X58? Or is it E5500/5520 only? The post wasn't clear..

 

[SoNic67]

The 2Rx4 don't work for sure on an x58. So probably only the 2Rx8 ones work, if you find them.

 

[Retrorockit]

That's an X58 Xeon thread.

 

[thenightsky_0102]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

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]

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!

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]

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?

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.

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]

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.



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

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]

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]

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]

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!

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]

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]

He waved me off that idea and said the T3500 with an X5680 CPU needed unregistered (UDIMM) RAM. True?

True.

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]

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]

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]

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?