Dell Workstation Owners Club

[Darmok N Jalad]

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.

 

[Retrorockit]

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.

 

[Valantar]

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

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

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!

 

[bhetcaker]

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.

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.

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.

 

[Retrorockit]

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]

I forgot to mention that there are also separate Dell thermal sensors that have their own cable and plug into a MB header.

 

[Susquehannock]

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)

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?

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 between pins 19 and 21 on the front panel when power button is pressed.

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.

 

[rightbison]

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]

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.

What model is the pictured heatsink?

 

[Retrorockit]

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.

 

[rightbison]

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

What model is the pictured heatsink?

The heatsink model is 0W715F.

 

[ManGupta]

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



The heatsink model is 0W715F.

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.

 

[rightbison]

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.

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]

 

[Retrorockit]

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]

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]

I see some i7-2700K running in that here.

UserBenchmark: Dell OptiPlex 990 Compatible Builds

Maybe a Throttlestop overclock is in your future.

 

[ManGupta]

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.

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]

I see some i7-2700K running in that here.

UserBenchmark: Dell OptiPlex 990 Compatible Builds

Maybe a Throttlestop overclock is in your future.

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]

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.


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

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).

Would you happen to have a P/N on the 275CFM fans?

DG168

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]

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).



DG168



[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

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.

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.

 

[rightbison]

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.

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]

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]

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.