Dell PowerEdge T640 as a Workstation : Powerful and Silent.

[dmitry.n.medvedev]

@ElCoyote_ good morning.

I have a problem with getting signal from NVidia Quadro p2200 - no signal goes out of it. I tried another GPU ( which known to work in a PC ) with the same result - no signal.

Have you ever experienced this type of a problem in your Dell T640? And if so, how did you fix it?

best regards,
Dmitry

 

[ElCoyote_]

@ElCoyote_ good morning.

I have a problem with getting signal from NVidia Quadro p2200 - no signal goes out of it. I tried another GPU ( which known to work in a PC ) with the same result - no signal.

Have you ever experienced this type of a problem in your Dell T640? And if so, how did you fix it?

best regards,
Dmitry

Hi Dmitry,
What OS are you using?
Did you set the onboard video controller as disabled in the BIOS?

 

[dmitry.n.medvedev]

Hi Dmitry,
What OS are you using?
Did you set the onboard video controller as disabled in the BIOS?

Ah! Much appreciated! Now I understand how it works ( and it worked ).

 

[IronRoarII]

This is some great stuff! I too wanted to upgrade our T640 and I truly learned a lot here. Would you mind if you could share your CPU seller info in a dm? Can really use a reliable source. I am so tempted to buy a pair of 8272CLs from eBay but was scared by a one-star review that says:

Don't buy OEM unless you have after market motherboard
Very limited compatibility

I think I'll probably order the 8269CY like you did. Besides the fact that based on your test the 8272CL probably doesn't work on Dell in the first place, it was also quite sketchy to me that half of the 8272CLs from eBay were like ~$300 while the other half were ~$600

 

[shadkeeper]

Hi All,
Mb this thead not is dead yet (i hope 4 this)
have question about T640, mb here someone can answer

i want to use T640 18xLFF like workstation in tower mode
spec like this - 2x4114, 64Gb for each cpu, 2x750w psu and video card like P4000

here question about manual
"""
Requires a GPU-ready chassis in a rack form factor (GPUs are only supported in rack mode). 3.5 inch x18 HDD chassis is not supported.
Dual PERC (x32) configuration is not supported. Fresh Air configuration is not supported.
"""

1 - is it real needed to be in rack mode ?
2 - why not to use 18xLFF ?
3 - is it a enough 2x750x for 18 HDD (orSSD) and 1 video card ?

 

[ElCoyote_]

Hi All,
Mb this thead not is dead yet (i hope 4 this)
have question about T640, mb here someone can answer

i want to use T640 18xLFF like workstation in tower mode
spec like this - 2x4114, 64Gb for each cpu, 2x750w psu and video card like P4000

here question about manual
"""
Requires a GPU-ready chassis in a rack form factor (GPUs are only supported in rack mode). 3.5 inch x18 HDD chassis is not supported.
Dual PERC (x32) configuration is not supported. Fresh Air configuration is not supported.
"""

1 - is it real needed to be in rack mode ?
2 - why not to use 18xLFF ?
3 - is it a enough 2x750x for 18 HDD (orSSD) and 1 video card ?

There are things that the manual says that don't necessarily apply to the actual homelab application.

1) No, this is not needed. They only say this in case the customer wants to do 4 x 300W GPUs because the airflow is slightly better in Rack mode.
2) what's the question? I've used some quadros in both 18LFF and 16SFF+NVMe chassis..
3) 2x750W isn't enough for 18HDDs, go with 2x1100W if on 120V (North America).

BTW, GPUs with external power will require the PDU board (located underneath the main sysboard) and will cause the machine to start requiring the external fans (noisy).

Pics here: Some Tips about using a Dell PowerEdge T640 as a Workstation (or Frankenstation)

Go for PCIe-slot power only if you can.

An Nvidia RTX A4000 GPU in the Dell PowerEdge T640 without the GPU kit

I jJust wanted to report the success of replacing my Quadro P2200 (5G) with an RTX 4000 (16G) in my T640. The A4000 GPU is a 140W single-slo...

vcojot.blogspot.com

I hope this helps,
Vincent

 

[shadkeeper]

There are things that the manual says that don't necessarily apply to the actual homelab application.

1) No, this is not needed. They only say this in case the customer wants to do 4 x 300W GPUs because the airflow is slightly better in Rack mode.
2) what's the question? I've used some quadros in both 18LFF and 16SFF+NVMe chassis..
3) 2x750W isn't enough for 18HDDs, go with 2x1100W if on 120V (North America).

BTW, GPUs with external power will require the PDU board (located underneath the main sysboard) and will cause the machine to start requiring the external fans (noisy).

Pics here: Some Tips about using a Dell PowerEdge T640 as a Workstation (or Frankenstation)

Go for PCIe-slot power only if you can.

An Nvidia RTX A4000 GPU in the Dell PowerEdge T640 without the GPU kit

I jJust wanted to report the success of replacing my Quadro P2200 (5G) with an RTX 4000 (16G) in my T640. The A4000 GPU is a 140W single-slo...

vcojot.blogspot.com

I hope this helps,
Vincent

u help a lot! thx 4 this !

3 - 2x750 on 210-240v - what about this type ?

if i install PDU board and dont install ExFans - can it be turn off in BIOS (i mean warnings) or system will not start ?
Or mb we can make a plug for system board:
30 Fan connector (Ext R) Right external fan connector
39 Fan connector (Ext L) Right external fan connector
its from owner's manual (page 161)
like 4 system fans will be connected ?

https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/1005007252684681.html?sku_id=12000039954913520&spm=a2g2w.productlist.search_results.4.337a73787WUktJ&gatewayAdapt=glo2nld

 

[shadkeeper]

Go for PCIe-slot power only if you can.

An Nvidia RTX A4000 GPU in the Dell PowerEdge T640 without the GPU kit

I jJust wanted to report the success of replacing my Quadro P2200 (5G) with an RTX 4000 (16G) in my T640. The A4000 GPU is a 140W single-slo...

vcojot.blogspot.com

this one is solution too, thx

 

[steve1]

This is a fantastic thread for new T640 owners. For those of you with a GPU, I have a question: when the high-performance fans and GPU power kit are installed, do the fans always run fast?

I ask because I have an opportunity to buy the GPU kit at a reasonable price, but the GPUs we're going to install are blower style -- meaning we don't need all that airflow through the case. And, since this tower will be in the same room as all of us (small office), keeping the noise down is important. I'm a bit worried iDRAC will say 'Oh, you've got a GPU installed, let's crank up the airflow' with no way for me to slow the fans down.

 

[ElCoyote_]

This is a fantastic thread for new T640 owners. For those of you with a GPU, I have a question: when the high-performance fans and GPU power kit are installed, do the fans always run fast?

I ask because I have an opportunity to buy the GPU kit at a reasonable price, but the GPUs we're going to install are blower style -- meaning we don't need all that airflow through the case. And, since this tower will be in the same room as all of us (small office), keeping the noise down is important. I'm a bit worried iDRAC will say 'Oh, you've got a GPU installed, let's crank up the airflow' with no way for me to slow the fans down.

Hi Steve, glad this thread is of use to you and others!
First of all, the simple presence of the GPU Kit and cables will make the T640 request one or two of the external fans (I think people have figured this out and could give better instructions as to when the two fans are needed). There is no way to run a T640 with the GPU kit and -without- the external fans. If you want that, it would be a T630.

This is regardless of the GPU type; the iDRAC will start asking just for the external fan(s) just because of the GPU kit assembly and if missing will crank up the -other- fans to max.

Moreover if your GPU is not consumer-grade (GeForce) but rather RTX AX000 or the like, the system might start requesting 'high-performance' fans
(9000rpm max vs 6000rpm max, I think) depending on the wattage of your GPU.
( my 2nd T640 came with all that gear - external fans and high-performance fans - which I removed quickly from the machine and sold aferwards).

I've heard from a friend who got a T550 that the situation might be better in later generations but the GPU kit situation on the T640 will almost always result in more noise and this is why I went for a single-slot A4000 with extra power provided by SATA connectors.

 

[steve1]

The GPU is a Quadro P6000 to start with, at 250W. I'm fine with the fans, both internal and external, it's the noise I'm worried about. Good to know that the GPU Kit only forces the external fans. I thought the GPU kit also triggered the need for high-performance internal fans too. Buying just the external fans may be a cheaper option. The kit I'm considering has everything, internal and external fans, power unit and cables.

So, if I understand correctly, the system will spin up the internal/external fans depending on the wattage? I was rather hoping there was a way for the system to determine the temperature of the GPU and adjust the fans according to that.

 

[steve1]

Question on the power for these:

I'm looking at adding an Icy Dock FlexCage MB975SP-B R1 to house my repurposed Synology drives and am wondering how to power the cage. The specs say you need 3 SATA power connectors, and I can only be certain that the T640 has 1, which was for the optical drive (the server is a month or more away from arriving; I'm trying to spec out all the mods before it gets here).

I'm also intending to power a GPU with a molex-> PCIe cable and can only confirm one additional molex connector on the motherboard. Dell documentation for this sort of thing isn't all that great. I guess they don't intend folks to modify beyond the configurations they offer.

So, the question is: is there a way to have 3 SATA power connectors for the HDD flexcage and still have a molex left over for the GPU? I'm trying to avoid the GPU power kit because it will cause the fans to increase in speed.

 

[dmitry.n.medvedev]

So far, we have those SKUs confirmed to work 100% fine in our T640's:
- Platinum 8269CY
- Gold 6240C
- Gold 6271(C)
- Platinum 8255C (strange LINPACK numbers on these, though, only about half of the 8269CY performance)
- Gold 6267

regarding the Platinum 8269CY: did you have to do any VRM modifications for this CPU to be accepted by the server? It's not on the list of supported CPUs in dell t640 and I did already have problems installing CL versions in dell r640 servers.

 

[ElCoyote_]

@dmitry.n.medvedev Hi. I've heard/read that people have had issues with CL cpus in the T640. That is unfortunate because for the 8269CY it's literally a drop-in replacement for the official CPUs - No modifications necessary.
Also, I've since updated one of my T640's to a pair of 8280M and these work super well too. (The 8269CY's were moved to my other T640).