Dell Workstation Owners Club

[Retrorockit]

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]

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. "

T3610 and GTX 1080 power with 685 watt PS | DELL Technologies

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...

www.dell.com

 

[Retrorockit]

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. "

T3610 and GTX 1080 power with 685 watt PS | DELL Technologies

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...

www.dell.com

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]

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]

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

T3610 and GTX 1080 power with 685 watt PS | DELL Technologies

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...

www.dell.com

Nice helpful image of the PSU

 

[Retrorockit]

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]

@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]

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!

@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.

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!

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

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]

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

 

[Retrorockit]

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]

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]

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]

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.

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.

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!

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]

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.