Dell PowerEdge C8220 Build and Questions

[thomasz]

Hello @drabadue , thanks for your information! I saw that K19G9 cable too. From the product picture and some other vague pictures I figured that it is a 3-yellow + 1-black pinout.

Since then I did some wild and frustrating tests. From the specs of the video cards I tested (see below), I couldn't figure out a common rule that decides whether the card will work or not. I took the risk to power the unknown sockets. It appeared that power supply is not a key factor. The only common point of the working cards is that they were all released before 2011.

Eventually I decided to live with HD 5450.

@thomasz - I have the cable that you are referring to in this link: K19G9 DELL SYSTEM POWER CABLE FOR DELL POWEREDGE C8220 SINGLE WIDE SLE

I can get you pictures of it if you would like.

My board doesnt seem to have that four pin connector across the board from the 12 pin connector. That must be on V1.1 and V1.2 boards only? I am not sure what its function is.

The 4 pin power connector I was referring to in that quote was for the dell PCIe riser board that I bought (persumably from a C8220X). Which can vaguely be seen here:

from this item: Replacement New Genuine GPU V2 ZEUS Cable For Dell CloudEdge C8220X XPW47 | eBay

 

[thomasz]

I made lots of progress toward completing this rig. This includes an HDD rack that holds up to 4 HDDs beneath the motherboard. Here are some pictures I would like to share:

 

[thomasz]

And a thermal-responsive PWM fan speed control system.

 

[kazzy]

Wow thomasz your build looks awesome! You should make a see through case with some extra led fans and it will look like a machine from the future

 

[thomasz]

Thank you! I am going to leave it as an open-air rig, and no more LEDs, so that the four CPU fans are standing out.

Wow thomasz your build looks awesome! You should make a see through case with some extra led fans and it will look like a machine from the future

 

[gigatexal]

Thank you! I am going to leave it as an open-air rig, and no more LEDs, so that the four CPU fans are standing out.

it looks really cool - it's open air sure, but you have heat producing drives below and heat producing components on the motherboard above do you have any sort of front to back cooling like they have on 1U and similar systems to flow air away from VRMs and such?

 

[drabadue]

@thomasz are your 2 onboard SATA ports and the mini SAS port working? I never could get mine to work. I still have to use the hard drive interposer board that plugs into the back edge card slots. I would really like to figure out the on board SATA slots as well as the graphics card situation.

When you were testing the graphics cards, did each one show up in your operating system as being "connected" just not having an output?

My GTX 780 shows up in Windows 10 device manager, it's just the code 43 error that I believe is stopping it from working. The other thing that is interesting is that I have the HDMI cable attached to my Samsung TV. When the computer is on and the fans are running, the TV will say something like "no signal". When the computer is turned off and the gtx780 shuts down, the TV will say something like "no input device". So the graphics card is telling the TV that it's on, it's just not outputting video.

Did you try all your tests with the "onboard graphics" turned off in BIOS?

 

[drabadue]

And by the way, that is an amazing looking build you have. I do like how compact and clean looking it is. You've done a great job with this build @thomasz.

 

[thomasz]

You concern may be realistic. I am planning to have a 200mm fan in the very front.

it looks really cool - it's open air sure, but you have heat producing drives below and heat producing components on the motherboard above do you have any sort of front to back cooling like they have on 1U and similar systems to flow air away from VRMs and such?

 

[thomasz]

I used them all. Two SSDs thru the 2 onboard SATA ports and a RAID0 set; 4 HDDs thru the mini SAS port as another RAID0 set.

All my graphics cards were tested under the onboard video controller off mode. Some were tested with onboard video controller on. I noticed that some cards, despite not producing any graphics signal, are detected in the system. One example is Radeon HD 7570. Whereas some other cards are not detected at all. I though that for Nvidia cards, there are options to dynamically switch between onboard and addon cards in the Nvidia control center. Maybe you can try to boot the machine with onboard controller and then try to switch.

@thomasz are your 2 onboard SATA ports and the mini SAS port working? I never could get mine to work. I still have to use the hard drive interposer board that plugs into the back edge card slots. I would really like to figure out the on board SATA slots as well as the graphics card situation.

When you were testing the graphics cards, did each one show up in your operating system as being "connected" just not having an output?

My GTX 780 shows up in Windows 10 device manager, it's just the code 43 error that I believe is stopping it from working. The other thing that is interesting is that I have the HDMI cable attached to my Samsung TV. When the computer is on and the fans are running, the TV will say something like "no signal". When the computer is turned off and the gtx780 shuts down, the TV will say something like "no input device". So the graphics card is telling the TV that it's on, it's just not outputting video.

Did you try all your tests with the "onboard graphics" turned off in BIOS?

Thank you!!

Btw, if you need a HAF 915R but couldn't find one, you may have mine (as long as you are in USA).

And by the way, that is an amazing looking build you have. I do like how compact and clean looking it is. You've done a great job with this build @thomasz.

 

[drabadue]

@thomasz unfortunately I do not have an option for the Nvidia control center, even though the driver is installed. This leads me to believe the driver must not be installed correctly.

I will try and turn off the onboard video controller and see if that works. I assume when you turned that off and didn't have any luck getting the card to fire up, you reset the NVram with the jumper?

 

[thomasz]

Yes I did the jumper thing for many times. Otherwise the whole machine is a brick. Luckily the board didn't wear out.

@thomasz unfortunately I do not have an option for the Nvidia control center, even though the driver is installed. This leads me to believe the driver must not be installed correctly.

I will try and turn off the onboard video controller and see if that works. I assume when you turned that off and didn't have any luck getting the card to fire up, you reset the NVram with the jumper?

 

[drabadue]

I played around with the board some more last night. Still haven't been able to get the GTX 780 working, but did make some progress. For the longest time, the card showed 'code 43' in device manager. Which is something along the lines of 'Windows stopped this card because it reported problems'. No matter what driver I installed from Nvidia's website, that was the error code I got.

Well, instead of installing the newest Nvidia driver, I decided to go to Asus website and download their driver (since the card is Asus). Which happens to be a much much older driver.

When I first installed the driver, I got an error 'code 14' which was something like 'Windows needs to restart before this device can be used'. Which makes since because it was directly after I installed the driver. So I went ahead and restarted the computer.

Now, I get error 'code 12'. Which reads 'the device cannot find enough free resources'.

I'm not sure if this is better or worse, but at least it's something. I've been looking online for some answers on this error, and have a few things to try. Hopefully I can get it figured out and finally be able to use this computer.

Still no Nvidia control panel when you right click on the desktop.

I also installed Asus GPU tweak. I've used that software in the past to change overclock settings and fan profile settings for the graphics card. When I try to run GPU tweak I get an error saying something like 'install VGA driver'.

I'll try and update the thread with the actual descriptions of the errors. Just wanted to post an update to see if anyone has any input.

 

[drabadue]

Also, when I first fire up the board, usually if the graphics card is working properly, the fans will come on at 100% for a moment, then show back down.

With the graphics card attached to this board, I've never seen the fans change speed. Theyre always on, but no where near 100% speed.

 

[drabadue]

I got it! I got the GTX780 working!

Forgive the mess and the poor quality pictures.

The following information and pictures are from right now as I type this.

Long story short: I am not 100% sure what the culprit is, but I believe it is BIOS related.
I updated to the newest BIOS from Dells website, and when the computer fired up, it went through the "Configuring Memory...Done" screen as usual. Then it went to the BIOS splash screen, then to the windows loading screen. For a brief second while the windows loading screen was up, the screen flashed black, then came back on. When the screen came back on, the GTX780 to my TV over HDMI and the VGA port to my computer monitor were both working. I have sound via the HDMI too, which was a big concern since I do not believe the Dell board has on board sound.


Here is the link to the latest drivers from Dell.

Support for PowerEdge C8000 | Dell US


And this is the specific BIOS that I used. It is quite simple as an .exe file. You just follow the on screen instructions.



I chose this one because it was for 64 bit and was a .exe file that would install bios for me.

I was on BIOS version 1.1.19. The New version is 2.7.1




Here are some pictures from the install:

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(continue reading below for more information leading up to the BIOS update, which were figured out last night. Everything above this line is current, and is working. Everything below is in the past that I am updating for reference to hopefully help.)



Now, short story long, I was able to get the graphics card working on the old version of BIOS.
Last night, I was playing with the BIOS settings trying to get the video card to work. In a previous post, I mentioned that the error in device manager for the graphics card went from code 43 to code 12 by installing the old driver from the ASUS website (instead of the newest driver from Nvidia's website). As a note, any time you are uninstalling and reinstalling new video card drivers, I highly recommend DDU - Display Driver Uninstaller. Any time I changed the driver, I used DDU first to uninstall the previously installed display driver.

Here is a link to DDU.

Display Driver Uninstaller Download version 17.0.5.3



Per Microsoft, here are the device manager errors I mentioned:


Code 43
Windows has stopped this device because it has reported problems. (Code 43)

One of the drivers controlling the device notified the operating system that the device failed in some manner.


Code 12
This device cannot find enough free resources that it can use. If you want to use this device, you will need to disable one of the other devices on this system. (Code 12)

This error can occur if two devices that are installed on your computer have been assigned the same I/O ports, the same interrupt, or the same Direct Memory Access channel (either by the BIOS, the operating system, or both). This error message can also appear if the BIOS did not allocate enough resources to the device.

With error code 12, I started poking around in BIOS, changing settings to try and get the card working. I had not changed any of the settings in the Advanced > PCI Configuration area. So I went in there and started reading the notes in the BIOS.

Under Advanced > PCI Slot Configuration > Edge Slot, I changed the settings from 'Enabled' to 'Enabled without OPROM'.

Now, notice that this is for the 'Edge Slot'. This is the #4 PCI connector at the very back of the board that requires the special riser cable (gpgpu) that I bought off ebay (specific to the Dell c8220x as far as I can tell). With that being said, I am pretty sure this BIOS setting is ONLY for that rear Edge Slot. And probably wont effect the front two PCI slots.

Here is a link to the post that talks about these connectors/cables.

Dell PowerEdge C8220 Build and Questions

When I saved the settings and exited BIOS, the computer restarted and went to the 'Configuring Memory...Done' screen, then the BIOS splash screen, then to the windows loading screen. While the windows loading screen was up, the screen flashed black and my TV went from "no signal" to displaying video output! I was very excited to see this. The device manager showed the device was working properly.

After getting this far, I decided to go back and play in BIOS to change other settings. Since others had said they needed to turn off the on board video controller in BIOS to get their graphics cards working, I decided to change the setting for 'Video Enumeration' from 'Onboard' to 'Add-in'.

Since the description reads 'the first add-in video controller is used for boot time messages' I figured this may use the graphics card for the 'Configuring Memory...Done' screen, as well as the BIOS screen.

IT DID NOT WORK. When I saved and exited BIOS, the computer rebooted and I got a black screen on my VGA computer monitor which turned into 'check video cable.' I shut the board down with the power button and then rebooted. The computer monitor never came back on. I waited and waited hoping the TV would turn on once I got into windows... No luck.

So.... I had to reset BIOS with the NVRAM jumper in order to get the onboard display to work. When I did this, I tried to go back and setup all the BIOS settings for PCI Configuration the same, but it was no use. The TV wouldn't come back on.

So, that is what lead me to the BIOS update. Which I do believe fixed the issue.



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(summary)

For those of you having issues getting your graphics card working, I would say try to look at your errors in device manager (if using windows)

If you are getting error code 43, try installing an older version of the driver. If you can, try to go to the card manufactures website and install their driver. For example, the ASUS driver that I have currently that is working is version 353.62. The newest driver that is on the Nvidia website is 378.66.

If you are getting code 12, try to update BIOS. I did some googling and think I may have found why updating BIOS makes sense. Code 12 refers to two different devices sharing the same resource. Well, through device manager, you can see the memory and interrupt addresses that are assigned to the device. Unfortunately I do not have pictures of these addresses before and after the BIOS update, but they do appear to have changed. I believe that updating BIOS may have remapped the addresses assigned to the devices. I am not 100% sure if it works this way, so that theory could be wrong.



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(questions)

For those of you that got your video cards working, what version of BIOS are you running?

What changes did you have to make?

Was anyone else able to leave the onboard graphics 'Enabled' and still get their video card to work?

For those of you with working video cards, do you see the 'Configuring Memory...Done' and BIOS splash screen?
It seems to me like I have to get to windows for the video card to actually start working.

 

[drabadue]

Since everything seemed to be working properly after the BIOS update, I went ahead and made a system restore point in Windows and decided to update my driver from 353.62 to 378.66.

When I ran the installer, the first thing it did was uninstall the old drivers. Once that was complete, I lost sound and display on the GTX 780. This made me nervous, but I understood why it was happening.

Nvidia then rebooted the computer, and once it booted back to windows, the install of the new drivers continued. Once the drivers were installed, the GTX780 display and sound began working.

I think it is safe to say that the card and motherboard are working like they should.

Below is a screenshot of the 378.66 installer after it finished.

 

[Vit K]

Hi all,

Read you for a while, big thanks for the sharing. I have been interesting in using blades for my home lab for a several years already, but stopped by uncertainty of power supply and in the end always bought regular atx. After reading this thread I crossed my fingers and ordered parts on ebay.

Today I received my Poweredge C8220 motherboard along with power cable, processors (e5-2650), memory (8*16Gb) and heatsinks. It all cost me about 600 USD

Motherboard came with the metal sled, power unit and all the cables, so it must be qualified as full blade unit. I did not expect that based on ebay description, pleasant surprise. Also it is looks new. Here it is with CPUs and memory already installed.


Got a little damage in transit, but it only the sled.



The strange thing is that mentioned 4 pin power connector is missing on this board, cable for it exists but is not connected to anywhere.



Dell heatsinks (it is from some workstation $10/piece new) package materials is heavier that heatsinks themselves. 60mm collers will be installed, I don't think 95w CPUs can be passive cooled.



The magic cable



Dual 10 gbit mezzanine



Serial / model number:



The metal sled is preventing any cards to be installed, I will need a riser. The good thing I can wait with the case. Also it seems that i have to disconnect sata / power board as power connector is again different from the cable. I wonder if I can find such cable.

I will try to boot it and update you guys on my build.

 

[drabadue]

@Vit K - thank you for sharing.

On the issue with not having a 4 pin power cable, I believe that is dependant on what version board you have. I think you have a V1.0 board, as you do not have the 2 extra SATA ports near the rear.

I am currently using 1u passive coolers (the short ones, only about 1.5" tall) on the CPUs, but I am also running 2 120mm fans blowing from front to back. Running benchmark tests, I have not had any heating issues. About 63 deg C is the warmest they have gotten.

Just remember, the board probably needs a jumper on the front panel connector to fire up. And you'll have to modify the special ATX to 18 pin power cable for +12v standby and PS_ON. I hope to go through and make a better tutorial on how to go about doing those things. All the information is here, but some may be hard to decipher.

Keep us updated with your progress. If you use the SATA ports on the motherboard itself, I'd like to know how. I still haven't been able to get mine working. And if you use the hard drive interposer board, remember that you'll need to power it for it to work. So you'll have to make a cable from the ATX power supply to the interposer board. The more add-ons that you plan to run, the more you'll probably have to make cables for power.

When you do get it fired up, let me know what version of BIOS you are on.

 

[thomasz]

Hello Vit K,

Welcome to the C8220 fan club!

That 4-pin power connector is missing because you got a v1.0 board, which isn't equipped with this thing. That's completely okay! You don't need it.

However I am interested in the cable for it. I was only able to get some dim pictures from Internet. It seems to be a weird 3-yellow-1-black configuration, but I am not sure. Can you take some clear pictures of the start and end of it?

Hi all,

Read you for a while, big thanks for the sharing. I have been interesting in using blades for my home lab for a several years already, but stopped by uncertainty of power supply and in the end always bought regular atx. After reading this thread I crossed my fingers and ordered parts on ebay.

Today I received my Poweredge C8220 motherboard along with power cable, processors (e5-2650), memory (8*16Gb) and heatsinks. It all cost me about 600 USD

Motherboard came with the metal sled, power unit and all the cables, so it must be qualified as full blade unit. I did not expect that based on ebay description, pleasant surprise. Also it is looks new. Here it is with CPUs and memory already installed.

View attachment 4676
Got a little damage in transit, but it only the sled.

View attachment 4678

The strange thing is that mentioned 4 pin power connector is missing on this board, cable for it exists but is not connected to anywhere.

View attachment 4677

Dell heatsinks (it is from some workstation $10/piece new) package materials is heavier that heatsinks themselves. 60mm collers will be installed, I don't think 95w CPUs can be passive cooled.

View attachment 4679 View attachment 4680

The magic cable

View attachment 4681

Dual 10 gbit mezzanine

View attachment 4682

Serial / model number:

View attachment 4683

The metal sled is preventing any cards to be installed, I will need a riser. The good thing I can wait with the case. Also it seems that i have to disconnect sata / power board as power connector is again different from the cable. I wonder if I can find such cable.

I will try to boot it and update you guys on my build.

 

[thomasz]

@drabadue Very nice summary! Congrats! You solved a huge problem for people who are waiting outside the window.

That 'Configuring Memory...Done' screen constantly takes 1 min on my machine (both old and new boards) Dunno what's its purpose. I tried to switch off any memory checking options in BIOS but it persists.

It seems that quite a few people have onboard SATA ports working without any modification. Will that be possible that your board happen to have a faulty port? Even if you leave it, there are plenty of options for you to plug drives to even-better SAS ports (may need addon SAS card).