Dell Workstation Owners Club

[Macio4ever]

Dell T5500, stock settings, 2xX5687, 24GB RAM, Win7 64bit

R11.5 - 12,43
R15 - 1128
R20 - 2364

 

[Imprecision]

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]

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.
PSU sticker:

View attachment 154962

Your PSU will not have enough Amperage on the 12V rail to power a 235W card.

 

[Imprecision]

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]

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]

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]

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).

View attachment 154960
View attachment 154961


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:

View attachment 154962

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

@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]

@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?

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

@Retrorockit @lexluthermiester

Okay thanks a lot guys!

I will order an adapter and test the card and see if the cable melts lol

 

[Retrorockit]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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)...