Upgrading an old Dell T3500 system

[rmm64]

I picked up a used Dell 3500 for fairly cheap and did some minor upgrades with parts from the older system it replaced. Now I'm wanting to do a few more upgrades and am looking for some advice.
Here's the system as it is now:
Dell T3500
Intel Xeon W3670 @ 3.2GHz
12GB RAM
Windows 10 Pro x64
Drives:
Samsung SSD 850 Pro (main boot drive)
1x Samsung 2TB HD204UI drive
2x Toshiba 4TB MD04ACA400 drives
1x DVD+/- RW
Nvidia Quadro 4000 video card
SoundBlaster Audigy Fx soundcard

I really need to upgrade the video card as the Quadro 4000 overheats all the time, dropping display signal and forcing a hard reboot. Right now I keep the case side panel open with an external fan blowing in and that only maintains it to around 190-200 degrees F. I don't do much hardcore gaming, but definately want the best bang-to-buck performance while still being able to play some fairly recent games, even if just on low settings. I DO however do a lot of graphic design work (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, all running @ same time). Personal preference is for Nvidia products, and would like to keep it under $150. Suggestions? I was wondering about the Nvidia 1050's maybe if I can catch one on sale? Would consider upgrading the PSU if needed and can be done economically.

Harddrives: So I run Plex on it as my main media library (lots of movies and tv shows, many archived). So I want to maximize my storage while also being $$$ savvy. So far I've loved the 4TB Toshiba drives I have, and am planning on upgrading the 2TB drive to another Toshiba 4TB. My question here is how many harddrives total can I have internally? I noticed when it boots up and is going through POST, the currently installed drives jump a number in the assigned channels. I'm wondering if there'd be room for one more to hookup?

Lastly, I'm running the stock RAM it came with, so am curious if there's better suggestions to improve/maximize performance? It can max out at 24GB RAM, so I'm only halfway there now. Not a must-have, but if I can replace or upgrade at a decent price, I'd consider it.

Much thanks for any and all suggestions. I know she's old, but it gets the job done for now and still has quite a bit of life left in it.

 

[william p]

I'll start with RAM first. Extra RAM does nothig if you're not using it. if your editing large files then go for it. GPU RAM takes addresses from the top down for textures so subtract VRAM from system RAM and that's what your OS will use. With 6 Cores, and multithreading VM is an option which could use more RAM.
Those workstations have an on board RAID controller. a couple SSD drives in RAID will speed things up.
The GPU situation isn't simple. First you need to see how many GPU PCIe cables you have. Then decide if you want to buy an aftermarket PSU to get more. To remove the Dell harness the MB will have to come out. The cable runs behind it. 2x6 PCIe= 1x8 pin. Dell splits up their PSUs into multiple rails, and installed different PSU/harness if it came with 2 GPUs. On the 525W PSU the GPU 6 pin rail is shared with the SATA power cable. So if you have a RAID array you can't use the 6pin to power an 8pin GPU like you could on a single rail aftermarket PSU. If everything runs from RAM it would work but if your moving big video files it might crash. My advice is aftermarket PSU.
The other thing is even though it's AMD Crossfire rated, AMD cards from R9-3xx(+285) won't display the Dell BIOS resolution. HD7970/7990/8970/8990 and most R9-2xx cards will work. Big resolutions require larger VRAM, and 2x2GB GPU=2GB Vram. High refresh rates require wide bandwidth 256bit and up, which costs money.

 

[rmm64]

Thanks williamp, but as I originally stated, the RAM is the last consideration (and honestly the least.) My main concerns are (1) what's the best, more modern, video card (single) that I can upgrade to with this PSU and minimal hassle. I really just want something that's decent but won't overheat as easily as the Quadro 4000 does (and that the fan isn't CON-STANT-LY running full throttle to keep cooled to 190 degrees.) My next question is what is the max internal drives I can use in this system. As stated, not counting my SSD OS drive, I'm at 10TB total (1x2TB and 2x4TB). If I can max at 4 total (NOT including the SSD) @ 4TB each (16TB total), that would be ideal. I'm curious if I could have another hookup for an internal that I didn't see (due to the missing channel skipped in the POST boot process.)

 

[william p]

A single newer Nvidia would be the way to go. The newer cards do more work with less power, so less heat. I'm not an expert on newer GPUs. They cost too much for me. Dell Community forum should be able to help with drive capacity questions. It's moderated by Dell employees.
Just don't ask OC questions there.
if you have the 525W Psu like i took out of mine then single 6 pin PCIe GPU like a GTX1060. The GTX1070 says it draws 150W but has an 8pin PCIe connector. You could risk the 6 to 8 adaptor knowing that it only draws the rated 150W of the 6pin + 75W slot. Dell PSUs are very stout.
If you could run all the drives off of the short drive cable it would help.

The 3x 12V. rails have a combined power of 150W. The 6pin PCIe provides 75W and powers the long HDD power cable,and 1/2 the 8pin MB cable. the other 2 rails power the CPU, MB, and other drive cables. So no 150W 8pin PCIe adaptor. The 575W PSU will probably have another 75W 6 pin PCIe, to support the 2x 150W GPU they sold them with. (75W from each MB socket also). This would allow an 8pin PCIe GPU. But the cable assy. would need swapping.
That's all I know about it

 

[william p]

Actually the PSU says YOU can draw 150W off all 3 rails.
But 3x 18A, 12V rails=650W!
Not sure what they actually mean. But the White 12V rail powers 1/2 the 8pin CPU.
The Yellow powers the MB 24 pin and the short drive cable with 3x sata.
The Blue/White powers the 6pin PCIe, 1/2 the 8pin CPU, and the long HDD cable.
The Yellow seem the least busy to me. The Blue/W is pretty busy, and the White is taken.
Geforce says the GTX1080 is 180W. That would be 105W off of the PCIe cable. 216W bus. Hmmmmmmmm.
Do you feel lucky?
I don't mind blowing up the old junk I play with. So my opinion might not be too good here.

 

[rmm64]

Actually the PSU says YOU can draw 150W off all 3 rails.
But 3x 18A, 12V rails=650W!
Not sure what they actually mean. But the White 12V rail powers 1/2 the 8pin CPU.
The Yellow powers the MB 24 pin and the short drive cable with 3x sata.
The Blue/White powers the 6pin PCIe, 1/2 the 8pin CPU, and the long HDD cable.
The Yellow seem the least busy to me. The Blue/W is pretty busy, and the White is taken.
Geforce says the GTX1080 is 180W. That would be 105W off of the PCIe cable. 216W bus. Hmmmmmmmm.
Do you feel lucky?
I don't mind blowing up the old junk I play with. So my opinion might not be too good here.

That helps a little, but I have no idea why you're referencing a $550+ video card when I clearly stated I want to limit the budget to around $150. A HUGE difference guy. I'm not going to stick a $550+ video card in a computer I spent a total of less than $200 to buy 2 years ago. If I can run a Nvidia 1050 series in it, I think that's way to go, just not entirely sure on the power draw. Would prefer to get a 4GB model obviously, but if requires more power than I can run off the stock PSU, then the 2GB may be the better solution. I just need something that will run much cooler and quieter than the Quadro 4000 it came with. It constantly runs at 190-200 F at minimal settings. As is, I've been running MSI Afterburner just to keep it set to absolute minimal Core Clock and Memory Clock. Even default settings causes overheating and drops signal. I need a much better solution.

 

[william p]

I'm looking at the PSU sitting on my desk trying to figure out myself what it can support. It's made in China so the label is a little confusing. I'm thinking they might mean 150W each rail. 450W 12V. makes sense. I think the 1080 is where a new PSU would be a good idea. On a single rail aftermarket PSU you can just draw 150W from the 6pin PCIe cable until you run out of total Watts. I didn't look at prices, just what the options might be. BTW if you ever do get a new PSU be sure it has enough 5V. power to match the old one. Dell often uses more there than other computers. I'm an overclocker, and a benchmarker so I always look at the max. You can dial back to any level you want. The first thing I did when I got my T3500 was install an 850W PSU. I didn't even see if it worked first.
It looks like 1050,1060, 1070 are your options.
I really don't know much about what your personal requirements are. Refresh rate, FPS, noise, cost , heat? I can help you avoid some of the pitfalls of running an old Dell workstation by letting you know what it won't do.
I think my actual recommendation was an HD7xxx, or R9-2xx (not 285) with a bigger PSU if needed.
Certainly not a $500 suggestion. But getting a newer Nvidia and saving on a PSU is always a good option.

 

[rmm64]

I'm looking at the PSU sitting on my desk trying to figure out myself what it can support. It's made in China so the label is a little confusing. I'm thinking they might mean 150W each rail. 450W 12V. makes sense. I think the 1080 is where a new PSU would be a good idea. On a single rail aftermarket PSU you can just draw 150W from the 6pin PCIe cable until you run out of total Watts. I didn't look at prices, just what the options might be. BTW if you ever do get a new PSU be sure it has enough 5V. power to match the old one. Dell often uses more there than other computers. I'm an overclocker, and a benchmarker so I always look at the max. You can dial back to any level you want. The first thing I did when I got my T3500 was install an 850W PSU. I didn't even see if it worked first.
It looks like 1050,1060, 1070 are your options.
I really don't know much about what your personal requirements are. Refresh rate, FPS, noise, cost , heat? I can help you avoid some of the pitfalls of running an old Dell workstation by letting you know what it won't do.
I think my actual recommendation was an HD7xxx, or R9-2xx (not 285) with a bigger PSU if needed.
Certainly not a $500 suggestion. But getting a newer Nvidia and saving on a PSU is always a good option.

Just found this one on sale at a decent price, would this be a worthwhile option?
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1351800-REG/evga_04g_p4_6256_kr_geforce_gtx_1050_ti.html

 

[william p]

That's the go to card for $150. i bought the Zotac mini version since it fits in the smaller Optiplex Micro BTXs. It's a solid 1080P card with DX12 support. PSU power shouldn't be an issue.

 

[rmm64]

That's the go to card for $150. i bought the Zotac mini version since it fits in the smaller Optiplex Micro BTXs. It's a solid 1080P card with DX12 support. PSU power shouldn't be an issue.

Much thanks William. All I needed was some reassurance that it'd work and there aren't any better solutions in that price range. Went ahead and picked up 2 of the 1050 Ti's (I have 2 T3500 systems, one for me and one for the wife.) She doesn't game at all, but her system has an even weaker graphics card in it and my son likes to play on her computer, so I'm sure he'll find some games that can put it to a challenge. hehe

 

[bmello78]

I'm running the GTX 1050 Ti in my Precision T3500 now and it works very well.