Apr
9
Since the dual-core 51XX Xeon has less chance to upgrade to the latest 54XX series(possibly the 53XX Quad core though), so the current option is to 'overclock' it. After some research I found the Woodcrest Xeon 1.86GHZ is exactly the best CPU to overclock! The 1066 GHZ front bus speed can be easily OC to 1333 GHZ.
And the way to OC is easy. Unlike the OC technology years ago, such as jumper, voltage, or put a tiny copper line between the base...Today's OC Xeon is based on the 'leg' of the processor.
See the following picture?
You may notice that the sixth leg of the Xeon is covered by an electronic black tape!
And the way to OC is easy. Unlike the OC technology years ago, such as jumper, voltage, or put a tiny copper line between the base...Today's OC Xeon is based on the 'leg' of the processor.
See the following picture?
You may notice that the sixth leg of the Xeon is covered by an electronic black tape!
Apr
3
Having seen a few discussions about this amazing 1U server, it's powerful and save a lot of rack space. But when you're going to upgrade the CPU, you may have some issues:
The actual model for x3550 varies. For example, 7978-AC1 is just a generic model, but the actual server, such as 7978-32U is marked in the label located in the top of the server. Normally if the server is equiped with a dual-core Xeon, like Xeon 5120 1.86 Ghz, chances are you will not be able to upgrade it to a quad-core, such as the latest E5420 or L5420. So the only option is to upgrade it to a faster dual-core, such as Xeon 5160, or add a second dual-core. Too bad you have no chance to try the latest quad-core Xeons!
The similar stories happened on almost all IBM xSeries servers, x3650 is another example
Other tricky thing about x3550 is the FANs. I have tried to install 8 DIMMs which caused the cooling fans ran in a very high RPMs. I ever noticed there were 4 fans over 10,000 RPM and the noise was really like a car engine! After I pulled out 2 DIMMs the fan speed dropped dramatically, and most of them are 6000-8000 RPMs now
The actual model for x3550 varies. For example, 7978-AC1 is just a generic model, but the actual server, such as 7978-32U is marked in the label located in the top of the server. Normally if the server is equiped with a dual-core Xeon, like Xeon 5120 1.86 Ghz, chances are you will not be able to upgrade it to a quad-core, such as the latest E5420 or L5420. So the only option is to upgrade it to a faster dual-core, such as Xeon 5160, or add a second dual-core. Too bad you have no chance to try the latest quad-core Xeons!
The similar stories happened on almost all IBM xSeries servers, x3650 is another example
Other tricky thing about x3550 is the FANs. I have tried to install 8 DIMMs which caused the cooling fans ran in a very high RPMs. I ever noticed there were 4 fans over 10,000 RPM and the noise was really like a car engine! After I pulled out 2 DIMMs the fan speed dropped dramatically, and most of them are 6000-8000 RPMs now
