[geeks] Multi-Core on the cheap

[Lionel Peterson]

I delayed responding until I was able to confirm I what I have. I have a Dell
Precision t3500 and t5500, both fairly maxed out with riser cards as I
recall.

The T5500 is virtually, but not actually, silent. Mine is stuffed with 36 Gigs
(?) 9x 4 Gig Dimms IIRC, and 4x SATA HDs. I use the video card that came with
mine, and it runs Windows 10 great, including Hyper-V.

It is my main desktop since I acquired it a couple years ago from
dellrefurbished.com.

Very pleased with them, I'd be certain to get one with lots of RAM and I'd
locate a populated riser card before committing to the purchase.

The T3500 is also nice, but not as expandable as I recall.

I have never laid hands on a T7500.

HTH,

Lionel

> On Feb 23, 2018, at 2:53 PM, Michael-John Turner <mj at mjturner.net> wrote:
>
>> On Fri, Feb 23, 2018 at 08:40:36PM +0000, Mark Benson wrote:
>> T610s are around the same price with 2x 4-core E56xx and equivalent RAM,
BUT the T610 only has 4x (physical) PCIe slots in and I'd like the *option* to
use a graphics card. Also there is the aforementioned factor of Workstations
being quieter, slightly smaller, and sometimes a fractions easier to work on.
>
> Ah, yes, and some of the 11G Dell servers do have power limits on the PCI-E
slots, which can cause a problem if you want to use modern graphics cards.
For example, I know the R710 can only take cards that require a maximum of
25W.
>
>> Downside of the T5500 and T7500 is the second CPU uses a bit of a bonkers
riser card design.
>
> Yes, so I saw. The T610 is a bit better in that regard and it can take a lot
more RAM than a T5500 (and I have a feeling it may also have a more robust
chassis).
>
>> Looked at Z600s and can spec up some nice ones. Low-GHz 4-core CPUs and a
stack of RAM is a more viable option. Haven't looked at Lenovos, there are a
TON of Dell and HP systems, which is driving the price down. I'm probably
gonna stick to them I think.
>
> Good plan. One thing to check - I know that HP only provide BIOS updates for
their servers to those who have service contracts. I'm not sure if the same
applies to their workstations. Dell don't do that. That said, it is possible
to get HP update CDs online with a bit of searching...
>
>> I doubt I can stretch for an E5 generation system, I looked at HP Z420s
which have superb chip options but are pricey.
>
> Indeed, E5s are still quite expensive but are coming down in price rapidly,
particularly as the early Sandy Bridge/Ivy Bridge systems are now out of
warranty.
>
> Note: Sending this one to Geeks as I assume you intended to do so.
>
> Cheers, MJ
> --
> Michael-John Turner * mj at mjturner.net * http://mjturner.net/
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