Question CPU and motherboard for Dell T5820

[jamesdsimone]

I've been searching for T5820 mod videos and came across one that solved the problem. In craptacular Dell fashion, and I can't emphasis that enough, apparently by default you have to put the video card in PCIe slot 5 to get it to work. What idiot decided that was a good idea? I got into BIOS and there is an option to set it to a different slot. I haven't tried it yet. Slot 5 is so tight it is the worst possible place to put the video card. And I don't think you can use anything but the smallest card. The fan is right up against the bottom of case so airflow is severely restricted. It also makes the PCI slot unusable.

 

[Steltek]

Well, at least you finally got it working. Hopefully, changing the slot assignment will allow you to put the GPU in a less stupid place.

FWIW, if you need to update the BIOS, you might want to do it before you reassign the GPU slot. Otherwise, it may reset to defaults after update and force you to move the GPU again.

Then again, since you have it working, you might not want to mess with anything else....

 

[jamesdsimone]

Well, at least you finally got it working. Hopefully, changing the slot assignment will allow you to put the GPU in a less stupid place.

FWIW, if you need to update the BIOS, you might want to do it before you reassign the GPU slot. Otherwise, it may reset to defaults after update and force you to move the GPU again.

Then again, since you have it working, you might not want to mess with anything else....

I set the slot to #2 and I got some corrupted text from the DP output. I'll try to a video card with an HDMI output tomorrow, my trusty old 4850 which worked the first time in slot #5. I have an assortment of old video cards that I have tried but I don't know for sure if they are working. I can't imagine all of them not working though. I've been swapping cards since I got home. Dell truly sucks. They do this crap specifically to make things difficult.

 

[igor_kavinski]

I've been searching for T5820 mod videos and came across one that solved the problem. In craptacular Dell fashion, and I can't emphasis that enough, apparently by default you have to put the video card in PCIe slot 5 to get it to work. What idiot decided that was a good idea? I got into BIOS and there is an option to set it to a different slot. I haven't tried it yet. Slot 5 is so tight it is the worst possible place to put the video card. And I don't think you can use anything but the smallest card. The fan is right up against the bottom of case so airflow is severely restricted. It also makes the PCI slot unusable.

I really admire your persistence in trying to make dead platforms work

 

[tcsenter]

I've been searching for T5820 mod videos and came across one that solved the problem. In craptacular Dell fashion, and I can't emphasis that enough, apparently by default you have to put the video card in PCIe slot 5 to get it to work. What idiot decided that was a good idea?

It's configurable, so someone set Slot 5 as default in BIOS before you receive it? Slot #2 is actually the default as shown here, whenever a graphics card is shown installed in photos from the user manual it is depicted in Slot 2. Maybe a BIOS bug that was corrected in a later BIOS revision, there were over 30 of them.


See also:

 

[tcsenter]

I have acquired used numerous dozens of systems and "pulled" motherboards from business lines over the years e.g. Optiplex, Precision, EliteDesk, ThinkCentre. At least 90% will still like be on the BIOS revision shipped from factory or at most a couple versions newer.

Heck that goes for almost any other equipment used in business environment. I just acquired a couple used Honeywell barcode scanners and base/chargers that were still on original shipping firmware from 2015. There has been a newer firmware released for this scanner model/line almost every year since launch, including a release this year!

i.e. "We don't need no stinking in-house IT staff!" trend in business

 

[igor_kavinski]

I remember a Sandy Bridge OptiPlex that wouldn't accept RAM that was working fine in every other desktop. Went through eight BIOS updates before it finally booted with the RAM.

 

[In2Photos]

I have acquired used numerous dozens of systems and "pulled" motherboards from business lines over the years e.g. Optiplex, Precision, EliteDesk, ThinkCentre. At least 90% will still like be on the BIOS revision shipped from factory or at most a couple versions newer.

Heck that goes for almost any other equipment used in business environment. I just acquired a couple used Honeywell barcode scanners and base/chargers that were still on original shipping firmware from 2015. There has been a newer firmware released for this scanner model/line almost every year since launch, including a release this year!

i.e. "We don't need no stinking in-house IT staff!" trend in business

I think it's more of a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it mentality" combined with a lack of personnel. I work as a consultant for several municipalities. Their IT departments are flooded with email problems, Windows and Office 365 update problems, and just general help using a PC in some cases. They just don't have time to go around updating BIOS and firmware versions "for fun".

 

[tcsenter]

I'm pretty sure those firmwares actually do things relevant and not released 'just for fun'. It would be weird to have an 8MB file of just random lulz and smileys to justify one's existence as a developer and nobody had noticed yet.

 

[In2Photos]

I'm pretty sure those firmwares actually do things relevant and not released 'just for fun'. It would be weird to have an 8MB file of just random lulz and smileys to justify one's existence as a developer and nobody had noticed yet.

I didn't say the updates were created "just for fun". I said IT didn't have time to just run around and update them "for fun". See the difference?

 

[tcsenter]

Not really. I have never once in my life updated a firmware for fun. I dare say not many firmwares have ever been updated for this non-existent reason.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Not really. I have never once in my life updated a firmware for fun. I dare say not many firmwares have ever been updated for this non-existent reason.

Well I did try to downgrade a 12th gen Core i5-12500 Dell Optiplex firmware for fun, to see if I could enable the dormant AVX-512. Dell BIOS refused and it said it was blocked due to "security reasons". There was a procedure online to do it with some sort of a hack by editing the BIOS file but I didn't risk that. Would have been fun trying to explain a bricked PC to management

I was trying to make it run faster in some workloads.

BUT it was working fine BEFORE you touched it!

 

[In2Photos]

Not really. I have never once in my life updated a firmware for fun. I dare say not many firmwares have ever been updated for this non-existent reason.

Exactly! You had a reason to update the firmware, right?

 

[jamesdsimone]

I really admire your persistence in trying to make dead platforms work

It's a "fun" project. I've done 3 HP's, 1 Lenovo and 2 Dells. So far both Dells were a royal pain. The HP's are the easiest.

 

[jamesdsimone]

It's configurable, so someone set Slot 5 as default in BIOS before you receive it? Slot #2 is actually the default as shown here, whenever a graphics card is shown installed in photos from the user manual it is depicted in Slot 2. Maybe a BIOS bug that was corrected in a later BIOS revision, there were over 30 of them.

That would be what you would think but I reset the CMOS and replaced the battery so it got reset to factory defaults and it would only give a video output when the video card was in slot 5. I tried setting it to slot 2 but so far it has not worked. Having to replace the side cover every time I make a swap is a pain. Thanks again Dell.

 

[Steltek]

That would be what you would think but I reset the CMOS and replaced the battery so it got reset to factory defaults and it would only give a video output when the video card was in slot 5. I tried setting it to slot 2 but so far it has not worked. Having to replace the side cover every time I make a swap is a pain. Thanks again Dell.

There is a practical reason for the side panel thing, as it can be considered a security issue if the panel is not in place. Check the security settings in the BIOS for "Chassis Intrusion" which should allow you to totally disable the side panel missing alert.

BTW, how long did you leave the CMOS battery out when you pulled it? I was reading earlier and a few sites indicated that it can take 10 minutes (or even longer) for the power to drain from the system even without a CMOS battery installed. And, thinking about it now, some Dells also actually have a separate set of jumpers to reset BIOS NVRAM contents (including stored BIOS settings) and passwords on the motherboard. I don't remember if the 5820 is one of them, though.

As a result, you may want to try to force reset the BIOS to defaults from the BIOS interface pages just to make sure everything was actually reset.

 

[Shmee]

Glad you figured out the issue. I personally can't stand Dell computers for the most part, too much proprietary stuff.

 

[jamesdsimone]

It's configurable, so someone set Slot 5 as default in BIOS before you receive it? Slot #2 is actually the default as shown here, whenever a graphics card is shown installed in photos from the user manual it is depicted in Slot 2. Maybe a BIOS bug that was corrected in a later BIOS revision, there were over 30 of them.

I got into BIOS again and it was set to Auto while showing the video card in slot 5. I tried to boot to desktop from my Ubuntu boot drive but it says there is no OS. It was working fine the last time I booted from it. I want to use slot 2 so should I set it to that? Slot 1 came occupied with a wireless network adapter.

 

[jamesdsimone]

Glad you figured out the issue. I personally can't stand Dell computers for the most part, too much proprietary stuff.

I still haven't got it to post with the video card in any slot but slot 5. I agree with you completely. I keep swearing I'm done with them then something catches my eye. The base system was only 130 and it came with a 950w gold PS. Skylake CPU's are pretty affordable and ECC DDR4 PC2666 is too. The case is nice with 4 external removable hard drive racks. But the propriety stuff is crap. No computer should be this difficult to configure. The HP's have been much easier, Lenovo close second. I'll probably stick with Broadwell projects. I have the 2 E5-2697A v4's I am going to put in the z840. That should be fun to play with.

 

[Steltek]

I got into BIOS again and it was set to Auto while showing the video card in slot 5. I tried to boot to desktop from my Ubuntu boot drive but it says there is o OS. It was working fine the last time I booted from it. I want to use slot 2 so should I set it to that? Slot 1 came occupied with a wireless network adapter.

I would set it specifically to use slot 2 for the GPU if that is where you want to install it.

Out of curiosity, is the wireless network adapter installed in the system a Qualcomm WCN6856-DBS card?

The reason I ask is that there was some technical hardware issue with the 5820 that required that specific card to only be installed in PCIe slot 5. If it isn't installed there, supposedly bad things will happen...

EDIT:

For max throughput, you'd probably want the GPU in slots 2 or 4. Of course, if your GPU isn't a higher end card, slot 1 would probably work just fine as well.

1 -- Slot 6 PCI
2 -- Slot 5 PCIe x16 wired as x4
3 -- Slot 4 PCIe x16
4 -- Slot 3 PCIe x16 wired as x1
5 -- Slot 2 PCIe x16
6 -- Slot 1 PCIe x16 wired as x8

 

[jamesdsimone]

I would set it specifically to use slot 2 for the GPU if that is where you want to install it.

Out of curiosity, is the wireless network adapter installed in the system a Qualcomm WCN6856-DBS card?

I set it to slot 2. I'll mess with it again tomorrow and take a look at the wireless adapter. I can just pull it. I don't have any plans to use it. I might use my RX 5700XT.

 

[tcsenter]

Got the BIOS updated?

Remember, Slot #1 assignment is actually nearest to the CPU/Memory. Slot #6 is the PCI slot. Dell's board map has their location marked in the reverse order of their assignment. e.g. Location #1 on map assigned as Slot #6. That got me doing a double-take when I first saw the conflicting numbering.

 

[jamesdsimone]

Remember, Slot #1 assignment is actually nearest to the CPU/Memory. Slot #6 is the PCI slot. Dell's board map has their location marked in the reverse order of their assignment. e.g. Location #1 on map assigned as Slot #6. That got me doing a double-take when I first saw the conflicting numbering.

The slots are labeled on the board so that helps. No I haven't updated the BIOS. The current BIOS is dated 2019. I have to check the exact version. I'm also wondering if the original board would have worked. The system has a 2021 manufacture date. I have to download drivers etc. I looked at the BIOS updates and most are just security patches. I'd rather not bother with BIOS updates if I don't have to.

 

[tcsenter]

Bro right now is the time to get your firmware up to date, before you install OS, drivers, and apps. But to each his own....

 

[VirtualLarry]

Wow, wouldn't have expected that. Glad that you got it sorted, and that you let us know what the solution was.