Dell Workstation Owners Club

[lexluthermiester]

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.

Was not aware that they were unlocked, I'll take your word on that one. Given that info, I think the 1650 would be the best choice unless the 2 additional cores are needed.

 

[Retrorockit]

That's the word on the street (OCN etc.). Waiting for someone to try TS method in the OC thread for confirmation.

Xeons with an open multiplier

Multiplier-unlocked Xeons according to overclocking results from HWBOT: Bloomfield: W3570 (source) W3580 (uncertain) Gulftown: W3680 W3690 Gainestown: W5580 (most probably not unlocked, despite of one CPU-Z validation; please see also...

forums.servethehome.com

BTW that heatsink I listed was just an example. If you shop by the Dell part# you may find one for much less.

Dell Heatsink | 1TD00 | eBay

TYPE Heatsink. If you prefer you may also feel free to recycle such materials to any local R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.

www.ebay.com

 

[Macio4ever]

Hello there with my T5500 (0D883F) 2xX5687 rig.

 

[OEMOC]

I was fortunate enough to get a t3500 yesterday for $5. The only catch being it had no memory or gpu. The gpu is no problem as I will be reusing a rx580 from my current pc, but I do need ram as I've been told my 4gbx2 Samsung kit won't work due to it being high density. I'm excited to install a W3680, overclock to 4ghz, and enjoy an absurdly cheap upgrade from my fx-6350. My main concern is making sure I get the correct memory, but am looking to keep the ram under $30.

How can I identify low density t3500 compliant (non ECC or Ecc unbuff) ram?
--I'll run 12gb 4gbx3 or 2gbx6 1333+mhz.
--I really don't want to accidentally get the wrong memory.

Do you have any recommended pcie sata III or usb 3 cards?
--I see wildly varying prices even amongst generics.

 

[Retrorockit]

How can I identify low density t3500 compliant (non ECC or Ecc unbuff) ram?
--I'll run 12gb 4gbx3 or 2gbx6 1333+mhz.
--I really don't want to accidentally get the wrong memory.

Low density ram is described by Micron as x64, high density as x128. Sometimes x64 is called PC RAM, and X128 as AMD RAM, but that's no longer true. The T3500 Xeons have the memory controller on the CPU so 1333 is going to be the speed. This won't change with a TS overclock. 3 channel setup is where the performance comes from.

Now here comes the tricky part. CAS latency can vary greatly and it's programmed into the modules as far as we're concerned. If you have CAS7 1333 RAM, and CAS7 1600RAM, there's a very good chance the CAS7 1600 will run CAS6 @1333. But I've never seen these 2ndary speed timings published. On a running computer PC Wizard will show all the CAS at all the speeds the module can run. This will produce almost the same performance increase as running the 1333 RAM @ 1600. Vendors who sell only RAM might be able to guide you on this. Resellers will be hopeless. But @ $30 it's something you can try your luck on. ECC RAM takes an added clock cycle for the parity check. If the accuracy of your data is important use it.

The T3500 has RAID 0 in the BIOS. You might try striping a couple small SSDs together for SATA3 speed.
The dirt cheapest unlocked CPU for those are the W3570 W3580 4 C/8T 45nm @ $20 or so. How low do you want to go?

Hello there with my T5500 (0D883F) 2xX5687 rig.

Nice rig. The 0D883f has the active chipset cooling the later ones don't. 8C /16T with nice turn of speed.
There's actually been some success overclocking a 2 CPU T7500 with Setfsb.

How To : Overclocking Dual Xeon Dell Precision T7500

www.overclock.net

 

[Macio4ever]

Nice rig. The 0D883f has the active chipset cooling the later ones don't. 8C /16T with nice turn of speed.
There's actually been some success overclocking a 2 CPU T7500 with Setfsb.

How To : Overclocking Dual Xeon Dell Precision T7500

www.overclock.net

I have tried Setfsb but it immediately stop responding and reboots. Maybe I did something wrong.

Now I am thinking to step up to T5610 with 2 x E52667 v2

 

[Retrorockit]

I have tried Setfsb but it immediately stop responding and reboots.

He found that it was crashing the SATA bus. He went to a PCIe based controller to fix it. But the T5500 is based on the T3500 and may be quite different. There are other explainations for that also. We tried TS overclocking on the T5500 and got nowhere due to the locked 5xxx Xeons. But a very nice rig as is.
The Dimension E520 in my sig. was like that. Throttlestop is the only thing that ever worked at all.

There is a setting in the BIOS called TME that sets a hard limit on the FSB speed the PLL chip provides. It's in read only mode when used. Not much can be done about it. You didn't do anything wrong. In a workstation environment it makes sense to do things like that. The best you can hope for is Turbo speed on all cores which at 3.89GHz is not too bad at all.

 

[Macio4ever]

I looked at the thread about T7500 and have tried fsb again. I have managed to OC to 134ish and any further rig freezes - probably due to SATA as you have mentioned.

BTW - I have had a few pitfalls regarding CPU. I have read I think all of the threads which MB of T5500 works with what CPU. The funny thing is that I have discovered by incident why some CPU did not want to work with my rig. Not due to bios/MB It is second CPU riser board.
Long story short - in one of the threads I read about seller on ebay who claimed that some issues with T5500 are due to riser board which is supported by plastic rails. Those rails bend down a bit and do not allow to make proper connection. It is really hard to notice. But - when you close riser hatch having rig in horizontal position (riser vertical) it closes witch noticeable squeak -> it means that now it is fully closed and connectors are in right position.

I have additionally supported riser with small piece of wood cut to right dimensions to make sure it will not bend down - which has been suggested anyway in one of the threads.

 

[Retrorockit]

Running in a horizontal configuration is actually a feature of Dell workstations. They can be rack mounted, or used in a desktop mode. The optical drives can be installed sideways (minus the 2nd 3.5" bay) and a horizontal faceplate added. The logo even spins 90*. We all love the chipset cooler on the original T5500 MB, but I think those are the ones most affected by that issue. You can get SATA3, and USB 3.0 on a bootable PCIe riser card I think to test the SATA issue.

 

[lexluthermiester]

How can I identify low density t3500 compliant (non ECC or Ecc unbuff) ram?
--I'll run 12gb 4gbx3 or 2gbx6 1333+mhz.

All T3500's can run any non-ECC or ECC 4GB DIMMS. Later revisions can run 8GB DIMMS. If you want to run 6x4GB for a total of 24GB, you're good to go. If you're wanting to run 8GB DIMMS then you need to determine which board revision you have.

Do you have any recommended pcie sata III or usb 3 cards?
--I see wildly varying prices even amongst generics.

This following is a good USB 3.0 that I have purchased before;

Tiergrade SuperSpeed 7 Ports Pci-e to USB 3.0 Expasion Card With 15-pin SATA POW for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Tiergrade SuperSpeed 7 Ports Pci-e to USB 3.0 Expasion Card With 15-pin SATA POW at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Comes with everything you need to get it running and fit perfectly into the 8x PCIe slot below the 16X slot in the T3500.
Below is another good one, but doesn't have as many ports;

ORICO 4 Port Pci-e to USB 3.0 Super Speed PCI Express Card Adapter Vl800 for PC for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for ORICO 4 Port Pci-e to USB 3.0 Super Speed PCI Express Card Adapter Vl800 for PC at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

As for SATA 3 cards
There is this one which is very solid;

3.5mm Gaming Headset Noise Cancelling Headphone for PS4 Nintendo Computer Laptop | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 3.5mm Gaming Headset Noise Cancelling Headphone for PS4 Nintendo Computer Laptop at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

And this one with fewer ports;

PCIe PCI Express to Sata3.0 2-port SATA III Expansion Controller Adapter Card 6g for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for PCIe PCI Express to Sata3.0 2-port SATA III Expansion Controller Adapter Card 6g at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Then there's this card with both USB 3 and SATA 3, two ports each;

Syba Sd-pex50055 Combo USB 3.0 SATA III 6gbps V2.0 PCI X4 Slot Controller Card for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Syba Sd-pex50055 Combo USB 3.0 SATA III 6gbps V2.0 PCI X4 Slot Controller Card at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

With the exception of that last one, none are very expensive, but even the last one is only $35.

 

[OEMOC]

Thank you Retro and Lex for your information that will help me not waste money on incompatible components. I'll be using your suggested cards Lex when the time comes to push my overclock. Retro, I wanted a sata III card, and specifically mentioned 1333+ ram because I plan on using TS and SetFSB to get the absolute most out a w5680 without worrying about sata and/or ram instability from FSB overclocking. I appreciate the cheap 4c/8t unlocked cpu suggestions, but even with a tight budget I'm set on a w5680 W3680 as I really do need more than 4c.

Can I determine a ram's density by the 1Rx8, 2RX8, 1RX4, 2RX4 designations I often see on ram listings?
--If not is there any way to visually identify low/high density ram visually, short of being able to read the chips and googling their respective datasheets?

Is this, this, or that ram compatible with a T3500?
--I've never been so meticulous about ram in one of my custom PCs in the past, but since Retro told me that my current DDR3 is high density AMD applicable only and as such wouldn't work I want to make sure I buy the right variety.

Thanks again for your input. I'm excited as can be to start tinkering, overclocking, and posting the results of my efforts on the TS OC thread.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Is this, this, or that ram compatible with a T3500?

All three of those will be fine.

Thanks again for your input. I'm excited as can be to start tinkering, overclocking, and posting the results of my efforts on the TS OC thread.

You're welcome! Have fun!

 

[Retrorockit]

I'm set on a w5680 as I really do need more than 4c.

You need a W3680 for TS overclocking. None of the 5xxx are unlocked. With a W5680 you will be SetFSB only, and that has no Voltage control if it works at all. W3680,W3690,and the cheapo W3570,W3580 are the unlocked Xeons for T3500 TS OC. You may need an older Nehalem CPU to boot an old BIOS so you can update the BIOS for the Westmeres.

Is this, this, or that ram compatible with a T3500?

The first of those is 1600 non ECC, the other 2 are 1333 ECC. The 9th chip in the middle is the parity chip. They will be x72 instead of x64 due to that.

 

[demilich]

Hi all - I've just joined this thread to ask for some advice. I have a T5500 which I think has just died - it's showing symptoms very similar to this: https://www.dell.com/community/Prec...s/T5500-diagnostic-lights-3-amp-4/m-p/6066338

It's a dual-CPU with 2 x E5620 with 12 GB RAM (6 x 2 GB). From the above link and the troubleshooting I've attempted, I think the motherboard is the issue.

I've tried:

• fiddling around with the RAM (taking it all out, putting it in different slots, pretty much every combination)
• resetting the CMOS jumper
• removing/cleaning the CMOS battery
• removing the graphics card

So my questions are:

1. How can I be sure it's the motherboard and not something else?
2. Is it worth getting a replacement motherboard? I think I can get one for about £50 on eBay (I'm in the UK). That is for a Dell one - is there anything else that would work instead that people could recommend?
3. If I get a new motherboard, maybe I should upgrade the CPUs. What would people recommend? There seem to be lots of LGA1366-compatible CPUs on eBay for pretty cheap.

I'm not too bothered about overclocking (never done it before), but if I'm going to get my hands dirty I don't mind some tinkering. I don't really need this PC for anything in particular - its primary functions have been superseded by a Raspberry Pi cluster. It would just be something to play around with (maybe an extra gaming rig for my kid's friends when they come over). It would be a shame to just toss it - it was a good machine.

Thanks!

 

[OEMOC]

You need a W3680 for TS overclocking. None of the 5xxx are unlocked. With a W5680 you will be SetFSB only, and that has no Voltage control if it works at all. W3680,W3690,and the cheapo W3570,W3580 are the unlocked Xeons for T3500 TS OC. You may need an older Nehalem CPU to boot an old BIOS so you can update the BIOS for the Westmeres.

Haha this is the third time I've flubbed the W3680 for a W5680. Even though I have a listing for a W3680 on the next tab over from this thread I still keep writing W5680.

 

[Macio4ever]

Remove riser board and check if it helps. If yes - look 3 posts above as I described my adventures with T5500 - basically insert riser in vertical position. As for CPU - I use 2xX5687 and they work very well.

 

[Retrorockit]

For diagnosticwarning lights I would look in the Dell service manual.

https://downloads.dell.com/manuals/common/precision-t5500_setup%20guide_en-us.pdf

As mentioned above the T5500 is known to have issues with the 2nd CPU riser. Maybe set it up a s 1CPu and see if that's related.

The E5620 is 4C/8T 2.4Ghz and DDR3 1066 RAM 80W
The X5687 is 4C/8T 3.6GHz and DDR3 1333 RAM 130W 3.89 turbo. You will probably need a heatsink upgrade.
It's under the radar as far as the overclockers go. So prices are pretty reasonable.

FWIW you could buy a T3500 MB and one of the unlocked CPUs and do some overclocking if it comes to buying a CPU and MB.

 

[demilich]

Hi guys - thanks for the tips. Yes I tried removing the riser and it didn't seem to help, although it's worth another try. T3500 MB: interesting that didn't occur to me. I don't need the 2nd CPU so that's a good option - thanks. I'm guessing that will fit OK in the T5500 case?

Re: the warning light. Yes i had looked at that manual and lights 3 and 4 come on before the reboot happens, so I'm guessing it's checking the RAM at that point which is what made me think it was a dodgy RAM stick.

Also - with unlocked processors - can you overclock with the stock Dell motherboards? For some reason I thought you couldn't....

 

[Retrorockit]

Since it's so alien to normal workstation use (and normal overclocking) we have a separate thread for overclocking these.

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

But it's mostly the same users posting there. The T3500 has turned out to be the most popular platform there because it gives a very good result and great value also. The T5500 is a T3500 with a 2nd CPU added. You will have a larger PSU already and with an adapter can use the 2nd CPU cable for another PCIe cable. Don't plug the 8 pin CPU into an 8pin GPU socket, they're wired differently. Basically a 6C/12T X58 Xeon 4+GHz gaming rig can be built easily. There is even a $20 4C/8T CPU option. Your 2nd CPU probably has the heatsink you need for the OC.

 

[borat192]

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 .

Hi, thanks for the videos and the explanation. When i began to look for information about W36x0 and X56x0 i thought that the performance of the last ones would be a bit less than the W36x0... but what i now understand, that's only true with one processor configurations, when it comes to two processor configurations, it depends on the task you intend to do.

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.

Thanks for your reply Retrorockit. I think i'm gonna keep my T3500 as my first computer. Right now I'm not interested into overclocking because i don't need it. It's also good to know it can be achieved as easily because, at first, being a branded computer, i thought it would be impossible.

About the benchmarks, the way they show the results is, as you say, everything as clear as you must take care of the data and analyze. They shoud, at least, add a field in wich the user could say what's exactly it's configuration. May be, in the near future i'll try to benchmark mine and see where it stands on those benchmarks.

I was fortunate enough to get a t3500 yesterday for $5. The only catch being it had no memory or gpu. The gpu is no problem as I will be reusing a rx580 from my current pc, but I do need ram as I've been told my 4gbx2 Samsung kit won't work due to it being high density. I'm excited to install a W3680, overclock to 4ghz, and enjoy an absurdly cheap upgrade from my fx-6350. My main concern is making sure I get the correct memory, but am looking to keep the ram under $30.

How can I identify low density t3500 compliant (non ECC or Ecc unbuff) ram?
--I'll run 12gb 4gbx3 or 2gbx6 1333+mhz.
--I really don't want to accidentally get the wrong memory.

Do you have any recommended pcie sata III or usb 3 cards?
--I see wildly varying prices even amongst generics.

OEMOC that's an excellent bargain! In my case i bought this two usb3 cards from amazon: U3N04S_BG and Zerone PCI-E a USB3.0. The one i've right now connected to my T3500 seems to have, from time to time, problems with one of the ports as it won't detect one external hard drive. I haven't used the other because the idea was to use it with a Sharkoon Quick Port i had installed in my i5 case, but this thing can't be used in a T3500 (T5500), so as i needed more than 2 usb 3 ports, i decided to buy the first one. The other reason why i chose one of this cards it's because with one single chip on the pcie, you have 4 ports and also because it seems it has more power protections/filter than the cheaper usb 3 cards you can find out there.

All T3500's can run any non-ECC or ECC 4GB DIMMS. Later revisions can run 8GB DIMMS. If you want to run 6x4GB for a total of 24GB, you're good to go. If you're wanting to run 8GB DIMMS then you need to determine which board revision you have.

¿Do you know with T3500's motherboard are compatible with 8GB DIMMs?

 

[lexluthermiester]

¿Do you know with T3500's motherboard are compatible with 8GB DIMMs?

After doing some research, I've come to the conclusion that it is more dependent on the BIOS revision. Update the BIOS to " A17 " and you should be alright.
Found the following most helpful;

 

[nathna]

You can look around in here for T3610 builds and see what others are getting performance wise with the various parts.

Please click the green human to continue - UserBenchmark

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".

I ended up with a t3610
e5-1660 v2
64gb ddr3 reg ecc 1866
gtx 1080
500gb ssd
3tb hdd
685w psu

Though it does not seem like I can overclock with throttlestop. There is no fiver option and under Turbo Ratio limits it says "Turbo Overclocking Locked".
It also will not turbo to 4ghz
Any ideas?

 

[lexluthermiester]

I ended up with a t3610
e5-1660 v2
64gb ddr3 reg ecc 1866
gtx 1080
500gb ssd
3tb hdd
685w psu

Nice!

 

[Retrorockit]

I ended up with a t3610
e5-1660 v2
64gb ddr3 reg ecc 1866
gtx 1080
500gb ssd
3tb hdd
685w psu

Though it does not seem like I can overclock with throttlestop. There is no fiver option and under Turbo Ratio limits it says "Turbo Overclocking Locked".
It also will not turbo to 4ghz
Any ideas?

Post in the Throttlestop overclocking thread. Unclewebb the developer of Throttlestop posts there. He knows how to apply TS to the various generations of CPUs. I'll look into it and see what I can figure out. No one has tried a T3600/3610 there yet. We figure these things out as we go there. Intel did try to lock these up with patches after it became known they were unlocked. A BIOS update could have locked it down.
Here's an E5 1650 v2 @ 4.2GHz in a T3610 , so it can be done.

Please click the green human to continue - UserBenchmark

Please click the green human to continue - UserBenchmark

Dell DCCU (Dell Client Configuration Utility) might let you back date the BIOS if needed.

 

[Retrorockit]

We had a round of Dell Workstation overclocking at the TS OC thread. T 3610 @4.3GHz with stock cooling. Thanks to nathna!

There are some links there to an HP workstation forum that is overclocking their Z420 Ivy Bridge systems. We ended up using XTU for this.

I haven't had my hand on either of these systems but in researching this I gleaned a little insight into the T3600 vs. T3610 question.

T 3600 is a Sandy Bridge 32nm LGA 2011 with 4 RAM slots in 4 channel mode DDR3 1600. Unlocked 4, and 6 core Xeons available.
It has several advantages. More heatpipes in the stock heatsink. Room for normal aftermarket heatsink mountings. Soldered heat spreader on the CPU. Chipset supports cheap RDIMMs.
Cons- Small 80mm fan on heatsink. Added RAM channel and speed bump over LGA1366. Probably not worth a whole lot of improvement. Proprietary PSU. Shared with 2CPU machines so not hopeless, but take it or leave it situation. No confirmed overclocks so far. But should suit the hobbyist overclocker.

The T3610 is different. 22nm Ivy bridge Xeons. Unlocked 4,6, and 8 core CPUs. 6 pipe cooler down from 8. TIM CPU heatspreader runs hotter when OC. Narrow ILM server size LGA2011 heatsink mounting. 8 DDR3 1866 4 channel RAM slots, but closer to the CPU. Very limited heatsink choices. Same PSU "choices". Confirmed overclocks at userbenchmark. With a stock cooler the same speed and a little more performance than the T3500.
As a workstation it's a nice bump up from the T3500.
Cons- It's going to fight you every step of the way with cooling mods. But if you're a hardcore modder, delidded with a water loop is possible. Some HP workstation guys are already getting 4.7GHz software H2O overclocks on these CPUs (no delidding yet).