dell precision t3500 CPU overheating issues

[Tamikanottammy]

I just putin my e5645 xeon for use as a cheap VMware setup for game hosting. it was running great with one VM on one drive but when I added the second drive with a second VM on it the thing keeps overheating and shutting off presumably due to cpu load. Any way to keep the cpu cool under heavy-ish loads. I'm using the stock passive cooling cpu. Liquid cooling possibly.I've heard of people putting a h55 series corsair cooler in it. I might be willing to invest in one but at the same time don't want to shell out $100+ to cool the thing-if I can avoid that. I don't care so much about liquid vs fan cooling I just need something that can keep the cpu cool under heavy-ish loads.
Any ideas?

 

[imrazor]

There are two available heatsinks for the T3500/T5500. One is a plain aluminum heatsink, the other is one with copper heatpipes. I'm willing to bet you have the aluminum one. You could search eBay for a heatsink upgrade, or go even further by searching ebay for a T3500 "Super Duper" heatsink with a thermally controlled fan.

 

[Tamikanottammy]

I'm pretty sure it's the one with copper pipes. whatis the nameof the super duper heatsink and how much do they run for on ebay? any links?

 

[imrazor]

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post a direct link to eBay. Go to ebay and search on "T3500 Super Duper Heatsink" and you should get a few hits.

 

[william p]

U016F is the Dell part number, just search that. Also be aware that the HDD tray is part of the cooling on that. It's based on BTX technology where the air is ducted past the CPU. The case wall, the HDD tray, and the memory cooling shroud form an air duct around the CPU so all the air passes through the cooler. Make sure all those parts are there. If it's getting hot you should hear the fan speeding up also.

 

[Susquehannock]

First, reapply some premium thermal paste. Many T3500 that I have received ran hot because the paste had not been changed since initial build date.

Be sure you have the heat pipe heatsink, then attach a fan to it with zip ties. Be sure to mount it is a pull configuration so it continues flow from front fans out the back.

Those two things dropped full load temps in this box by over 25c.

 

[william p]

The solution shown above would be a big help if any of the air flow parts were removed/missing

 

[Susquehannock]

The solution shown above would be a big help if any of the air flow parts were removed/missing

Indeed. I have had opportunity to work with several T3500 so far. Smoke tests show these cases actually flow extremely well. Even at near silent low speeds the two front fans draw air in nicely. Not just the lower grills, but also in through front USB ports & vent in upper optical bay where the optional 2.5" drive mount resides. Last couple systems I got had Dell installed SSD and moved them up there, then eliminated the swing out HDD rack altogether.

 

[william p]

I did the same thing but put a Macho 120 cooler on it with 150X50mm 1.8A fan replacing both .9A fans. I had to drill holes in the cover for the heatpipes to stick out! I'm going to try overclocking the W3690 it came with. The old CPU cooler is now on the chipset. A fan I like for the setup you show is the Nidec TA350DC. They come in various powers from .4A up to 1.8A and have a thermistor that controls speed based on air outlet temp.

 

[Susquehannock]

Overclock the W3690 in T3500? If you don't mind me asking ... how do you plan to go about that?

 

[william p]

It's an experiment. I'll PM you since it's OT for this question.
The T3500 was designed to be run hard. If you have the good cooler VM shouldn't be a problem.