I do like these DELLs, I'm running a T5600 (Sandy Bridge era of Xeon) as my File Server. It's been fantastic.

Do you know what the power draw from the system under load? How is the heat?

Also, we need benchmarks 😀

It's....ALIVE! Mwahahahahaha 😈

These are my favorite kind of builds. I love how impractical and awesome it is.

Plus you don't need any room heating, well when I say room, probably the whole house! 😁

Nice Electricity meter Benchmark 😀

i also have Dual X5670s 12 Cores @ 24 Threads at 2,93Ghz with 48Gb RAM

So, I don't understand the CPU config with riser card etc fully. Would you mind elaborating on that? Maybe more pics to clarify? 😀

Great build, though! More sockets, more threads B-)

H3nrik V! wrote on 2021-02-23, 21:52:

So, I don't understand the CPU config with riser card etc fully. Would you mind elaborating on that? Maybe more pics to clarify? 😀

Great build, though! More sockets, more threads B-)

So this is the riser without CPU, RAM, cooling attached, Those 2 white rectangles attach to the motherboard.

And this is the motherboard. You can see the connectors so the raiser would be above the chipset fan

In the pic in my original post the ram and fan under the graphics cards is the raiser in its completed form
Hope that makes sense?

Benchmarks to come, I'm still installing/reinstalling the OS trying to get XP to work
HD7990 in WinXP?
Failing that what do people use for Win7 era stuff?

Heat wise it doesn't seem to cook the room as quickly as my single X3320 running a pair of GTX590's, but then I'm not pushing it hard yet either.
I've nothing to measure how much power this is eating up accept next months bill, my ignorance in this area is probably for best.

HP Z6x0 series is done same way. But I have same motherboard without 2nd processor connector in Z420 since I do not need dual CPU. Plus this method using 2nd processor module is pure profit and adds very small memory as well. Typcially motherboard with this feature (with optional 2nd CPU module) only have 4 slots memory instead of 8 and the 2nd module processor has 2 slots (I'm not referring to the early processor). For best value is either 1 processor workstation due to 8 slots ram or true dual socket workstation for example Z8x0. If mine was Z420, go for Z820 or jump to newer Z440 or Z840 using DDR4 modules and better processors choices.

The in-between workstations 1 socket and 2 socket via 2nd processor module like this is bad investment. But for collector's fun, as long as this is cheap, what the heck? 😀

Cheers,

chinny22 wrote on 2021-02-24, 16:59:

So this is the riser without CPU, RAM, cooling attached, Those 2 white rectangles attach to the motherboard. f623f.jpg […]
Show full quote

H3nrik V! wrote on 2021-02-23, 21:52:

So, I don't understand the CPU config with riser card etc fully. Would you mind elaborating on that? Maybe more pics to clarify? 😀

Great build, though! More sockets, more threads B-)

So this is the riser without CPU, RAM, cooling attached, Those 2 white rectangles attach to the motherboard.
f623f.jpg

And this is the motherboard. You can see the connectors so the raiser would be above the chipset fan
MB.jpg

In the pic in my original post the ram and fan under the graphics cards is the raiser in its completed form
Hope that makes sense?

Benchmarks to come, I'm still installing/reinstalling the OS trying to get XP to work
HD7990 in WinXP?
Failing that what do people use for Win7 era stuff?

Heat wise it doesn't seem to cook the room as quickly as my single X3320 running a pair of GTX590's, but then I'm not pushing it hard yet either.
I've nothing to measure how much power this is eating up accept next months bill, my ignorance in this area is probably for best.

Thanks for the pictures, all clear now 😀 that's pretty cool and nothing I've seen before. I could've easily missed that that was a cpu connector

pentiumspeed wrote on 2021-02-24, 17:48:

HP Z6x0 series is done same way. But I have same motherboard without 2nd processor connector in Z420 since I do not need dual CPU. Plus this method using 2nd processor module is pure profit and adds very small memory as well. Typcially motherboard with this feature (with optional 2nd CPU module) only have 4 slots memory instead of 8 and the 2nd module processor has 2 slots (I'm not referring to the early processor). For best value is either 1 processor workstation due to 8 slots ram or true dual socket workstation for example Z8x0. If mine was Z420, go for Z820 or jump to newer Z440 or Z840 using DDR4 modules and better processors choices.

The in-between workstations 1 socket and 2 socket via 2nd processor module like this is bad investment. But for collector's fun, as long as this is cheap, what the heck? 😀

Cheers,

I doubt many computers upgrade to a 2nd CPU by the original owner anyway. If your ordering a workstation over a standard PC then it'll be for a specific task and if that task benefits from multiple threads then that's what you'll prioritise.
With all that said and if it was my money I'd probably go with something with proper sockets as well, but the whole raiser thing does make it interesting.

I can imagine Dell offering the riser as a complete unit with CPU, cooler and RAM pre-installed. Does make for an easier upgrade for the end user if needed (read faster/ less downtime)

brt02 wrote on 2021-03-02, 12:24:

I can imagine Dell offering the riser as a complete unit with CPU, cooler and RAM pre-installed. Does make for an easier upgrade for the end user if needed (read faster/ less downtime)

I'm sure they did, maybe not pre installed but all the parts and that's a good point. You can fit the CPU/RAM before hand and simply slide the raiser in.

So few weeks living with this freak and I'm impressed.
I did have some graphics card problems but they seem happy after swapping the cards round.
As part of my troubleshooting before this I downgraded to the final Win7 Catalyst drivers, I'm so over reinstalling windows I'm not brave enough to try new drivers just yet but sure it'll be fine.
I've only 2 games that don't work in in XP. C&C Remastered and Farming Simulator 19 both work fine at max settings (this build was always about the hardware then performance anyway)
I also got really lucky and decommissioned a pair of HP DL380 Gen8 at work last week. I like old servers but only if they can run Windows 2003 or lower which these can't. What they did have though was lots and lots of ram! so grabbed enough 8GB DDR3-12800R sticks to max out both my T5500's and still have a bit left over 😀

So final hardware spec for this is
CPU x2 E5504 2.0GHZ (downgraded as didn't have a 2nd E5506 the 2 E5504's come form 2 different R710s in storage)
RAM: x9 sticks of 8GB maxing it to its supported 72GB, stupid amount and drops speed down to 800Mhz but damn it looks sexy!
PSU: x2 1 875w Dell, 1 Corsair RM750i
Video: x2 HD7990, 1 HIS and 1 XFX branded
HDD: x2 500GB Seagate ST3500418AS
DVD: Whatever it shipped with
FDD: Gotek
Sound: Onboard AC97, Sounds fine just don't compare it side by side to better options.

And most surprising of all it's not trying to cook me alive, not that I've really pushed it hard yet but a couple hrs of gaming then few more at idle I wouldn't say its any worse then other PC's I've got.