I just bought a used Dell Precision T3500 on ebay

[FredRdr88]

The advertisement on ebay (Overview) says that there is a PCI X slot. I've entered the service tag at Dell and I've looked up the specifications at another site, but I've never seen any mention of a PCI X slot. It's an unusual slot - I need it for a U320 card to control devices. I only bought the machine due to the fact that it had that unusual slot. Anyone know how I can tell if it has a PCI - X slot somehow? I've yet to open the machine as I don't yet have a monitor, keyboard, and mouse for it.

I am getting ready to open the box for my PCI X card that I want to install on the Dell.

The LSI Logic U320 card has a long short long short slot tab structure that is about 4 3/4" long
in total length of where the tabs with copper are on them.

 

[Eximo]

Well, based on the common pictures of the board it does indeed have two old-school PCI slots. But not all PCI slots were PCI-X, which I believe was the 64-bit implementation. Older slots were 32bit or 16bit.

From Dell:

"Slots: full-length except as noted. Two PCIe x8 wired x4 (one half-length); two PCIe x16 Gen 2 graphics; two PCI (half-length)"

"Slots: All full-length except as noted. Two PCIe x8 slot wired as x4 (half-length); two PCIe x16 Gen 2 graphics slots; two PCI slots"

Looks like there might have been more than a few revisions.

 

[william p]

PCIX is an "X"tended PCI slot. It's longer than normal and is capable of pretty high speeds. It came out before PCIe and because of market penetration in the server and workstation markets it held on there. Intel backed it's own PCIe standard and due to GPUs using it, it became common on desktop PCs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI-X
Page 6 of the Dell T3500 manual says it doesn't have it.
http://downloads.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_desktop/esuprt_dell_precision_workstation/precision-t3500_service%20manual_en-us.pdf

 

[Eximo]

There it is, I knew there was something memorable about it.

 

[FredRdr88]

So in your opinion, even though the PCI X slot invented in 1998 was superseded by PCI Express in 2004, it's at least possible that I have an "old-school" (ie. PCI X) slot? And so if the card fits in the one expansion slot that I will hopefully, find I might be able to use it - it might even be 64-bit? Am I more or less understanding you? I will open the case at some point but I find it odd that a Dell manufactured in 2011, would still have a PCI X slot, although it IS a server and sometimes they need these kinds of things. I would be surprised but I'm willing to still stay in fantasy-land about this purchase for another day.

 

[FredRdr88]

Now that I know it does not have a PCI - X slot, I guess I have to either return the machine or perhaps ask for another machine from the guy who sold it to me. I just got a long, slow failure. I ordered the computer a while back and I didn't know that people advertise something that it doesn't have. I wonder if I should first plug the 90 pin LSI Logic card into some slot and try it out? The LSI Logic U320 card has the pins organized as 36 - 11 - 32 - 11 for 90 pins in all.

 

[william p]

The manual says 32bit PCI, and the PCIX is 64 bit. PCIX was intended to replace the old AGP slot, but if Intel wasn't going to support it that was that. A PCIX slot is longer than a PCIE 16x slot. I have one sitting here with the cover off but the Trifire GPU setup is keeping me form seeing if it has one.

 

[FredRdr88]

Yeah, any visuals you can discern anything about it, would help. I need to also analyze what's going on - I need to look up more info on my LSI Logic card - maybe I'll be lucky and find out that that LSI Logic card is not PCI X. I think I just got the bad news, the LSI card is LSI22320-HP, which is a PCI X card. There must be different kinds of PCI X cards (and/or slots maybe) since my LSI card does not look like pictures of other PCI X cards. Hmpph.

 

[william p]

If you Google Dell T3500 motherboard and click images you'll see dozens of them. if you google Dell T7400 motherboard you'll get to see PCIX slots.

 

[FredRdr88]

Beg your pardon as I'm not too up on slots, what did you mean by dozens of them? "If you Google Dell T3500 motherboard and click images you'll see dozens of them."
So should I buy a Dell T7400, or at least consider that possibility. I will check out the T7400 so I can see the slots.

 

[FredRdr88]

I sent a message to the guy I bought the used server from and told him I am working on the problem with some other people, and that he shipped me a machine that does NOT have a PCI X slot. I'll see what he says in response.

 

[william p]

Dozens of T3500 MB. You need the T7400 to see PCIX slots. The dual CPU LGA771 machines had them. T 5400, T7400. FBDIMM memory though.
The T5500 has one PCIX and takes the same CPU as the T3500. the 2nd CPU was on a riser card so they don't all have them, and they can be added later. Maybe step up one level to T5500 and you're golden.

 

[rgd1101]

Beg your pardon as I'm not too up on slots, what did you mean by dozens of them? "If you Google Dell T3500 motherboard and click images you'll see dozens of them."
So should I buy a Dell T7400, or at least consider that possibility. I will check out the T7400 so I can see the slots.

He probably mean dozen s of images.
T7400 spec do said PCI-X.

 

[william p]

Now after looking at the PM i sent you do you still want to send it back? Hehehe.
The W3690/80 is single CPU only but i see them being sold for T5500 so no change there.

 

[FredRdr88]

Now after looking at the PM i sent you do you still want to send it back? Hehehe.
The W3690/80 is single CPU only but i see them being sold for T5500 so no change there.

I looked at your PM - it's funny, I have literally 9 computers sitting near me, 6 under my desk, and 3 others scattered around the room. Not one of them can do what I need them to do for a project I'm working on.

So it sounds like I have to go UP some in PCI X compatibility or else shop for and buy yet another SCSI card. But I'm willing to return the T3500 and simply order another one. I should be able to get a T5500 or something that has at least one PCI-X slot. But more than one might be better. 3 would be nice.

 

[FredRdr88]

I let the guy I bought it from know that I'd like something similar to a T5500 or T7400. Thanks for all the help, we can pretty much call it a day until I hear from him.

 

[william p]

The T7400 is a dual CPU LGA775 era beast. The T5500 is a much better place to be and almost exactly what you thought you were getting.

 

[FredRdr88]

I just almost ordered a T5500 but it turns out that not all T5500's have a PCI X slot. So now I'm back shopping again.

 

[Corwin65]

I hope you have a plan to update whatever it is you need this for as you're going to have to update at some point.

 

[GhislainG]

The manual says 32bit PCI, and the PCIX is 64 bit. PCIX was intended to replace the old AGP slot, but if Intel wasn't going to support it that was that. A PCIX slot is longer than a PCIE 16x slot. I have one sitting here with the cover off but the Trifire GPU setup is keeping me form seeing if it has one.

PCI-X slots are for LAN and RAID controllers, not to replace AGP slots that never were used in a server.

 

[william p]

I didn't say AGP slots were used in servers. PCIX was intended for broader use, but Intel favored their own PCIe and that was that. PCIX got a foothold in the specialized server market and stayed there. So did Unix/ Linux, and RAID, and SCSI. I also didn't say PCIX was better than PCIe just in case you want to read that into my comments.