Need advice buying a new workstation

Q

qqq

Hi,

I have been using Dell T-7500 workstation with following configuration but now it has run out of warranty so I need to buy a new one.

Dell T-7500 Specs :

It is 5 years old
Xeon E 5645 2.4GHz & 6 Cores
12 GB RAM ( I don't Know specs of it )
AMD ATI FirePro 2460 graphics cards 3 of them each has 4 mini DPs
I run12 Dell U2412M monitors 1920 X 1200 24 inch
4 HDDs, 2 500 GBs 7200RPM & two 3.0 TBs 5400 RPM

I want to still run above 12 monitors with same FirePro 2460 graphics cards & same HDDs doing same kind of work basically researching & not trading.

I am considering buying Dell T-5810 with followings specs to replace above Dell T-7500

CPU XEON 1620 V3, 4 core @3.5 GHz

16GB (4x4GB) 2400MHz DDR4 RDIMM ECC

PCIe slots are V.3.0 instead of V.2.0 so would my FirePro 2460 run in them ?

Everything else same as old T-7500

Can you please tell me how does the new Dell T-5810 compare to Dell T-7500

Unfortunately it is not on sale so have to pay the full price of about $2000.00

Thank You
 
qqq said:
Hi,

I have been using Dell T-7500 workstation with following configuration but now it has run out of warranty so I need to buy a new one.

Dell T-7500 Specs :

It is 5 years old
Xeon E 5645 2.4GHz & 6 Cores
12 GB RAM ( I don't Know specs of it )
AMD ATI FirePro 2460 graphics cards 3 of them each has 4 mini DPs
I run12 Dell U2412M monitors 1920 X 1200 24 inch
4 HDDs, 2 500 GBs 7200RPM & two 3.0 TBs 5400 RPM

I want to still run above 12 monitors with same FirePro 2460 graphics cards & same HDDs doing same kind of work basically researching & not trading.

I am considering buying Dell T-5810 with followings specs to replace above Dell T-7500

CPU XEON 1620 V3, 4 core @3.5 GHz

16GB (4x4GB) 2400MHz DDR4 RDIMM ECC

PCIe slots are V.3.0 instead of V.2.0 so would my FirePro 2460 run in them ?

Everything else same as old T-7500

Can you please tell me how does the new Dell T-5810 compare to Dell T-7500

Unfortunately it is not on sale so have to pay the full price of about $2000.00

Thank You
More...

Does it matter if it is out of warranty if it is still working well? What typically fails are power supplies and hard drives. Have you considered buying an SSD for the OS and new power supply? Keep the power supply but don't install it in case of failure and image the old drive to the new one. This should all cost under $300. A fresh install of a 64bit OS WIN 10 will help too, but more work. Keep the old drive as a back up.
 
qqq said:
Hi,

I have been using Dell T-7500 workstation with following configuration but now it has run out of warranty so I need to buy a new one.

Dell T-7500 Specs :

It is 5 years old
Xeon E 5645 2.4GHz & 6 Cores
12 GB RAM ( I don't Know specs of it )
AMD ATI FirePro 2460 graphics cards 3 of them each has 4 mini DPs
I run12 Dell U2412M monitors 1920 X 1200 24 inch
4 HDDs, 2 500 GBs 7200RPM & two 3.0 TBs 5400 RPM

I want to still run above 12 monitors with same FirePro 2460 graphics cards & same HDDs doing same kind of work basically researching & not trading.

I am considering buying Dell T-5810 with followings specs to replace above Dell T-7500

CPU XEON 1620 V3, 4 core @3.5 GHz

16GB (4x4GB) 2400MHz DDR4 RDIMM ECC

PCIe slots are V.3.0 instead of V.2.0 so would my FirePro 2460 run in them ?

Everything else same as old T-7500

Can you please tell me how does the new Dell T-5810 compare to Dell T-7500

Unfortunately it is not on sale so have to pay the full price of about $2000.00

Thank You
More...
T7500 has a dual-CPU mobo, T5810 has a single. And yes, you'll be able to run your 2460 video cards. But I'm with Morse on keeping it so long as it's still working. It's not uncommon for workstations to run 10 years or more. Suggest keep running what you've got until you have an expensive repair.

However if you want a new rig, the T5810 w/Xeon E5-1620 or better CPU is an excellent choice. It has 3, x16 slots for your video cards (one wired as x8, which is OK), + x4, x1, and PCI slots. One advantage to T5810 is that it has SATA III controller and USB 3.0. T7500 has SATA II and USB 2.0.

Are you in the USA and can buy from Dell Outlet? If so you can save ~$1,000 or more over the "new" price and still get the same 3-yr warranty as "new".

http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnline...c=us&cs=28&l=en&s=dfb&brandid=2803&fid=100673
 
Last edited:
Thank you guys. Really appreciate the feedback & especially finding out that old one can last still much longer.

I am workaholic & spend on average 13 Hrs. a day x6 and had really bad experience getting the systems repaired ( other not T-7500 ) & getting ripped off as well as wasting time & pulling my hair out.

I have been Dell customer for over 14 years. A Dell system with warranty gives me peace of mind & knowing that it will be fixed within next day or two at the most plus 24x7 online support. Waiting till something goes wrong & most likely ordering a new system at that point takes 3 to 4 weeks & it probably will drive me crazy because I don't have a back up system that will run 12 monitors.

I don't have access to Dell outlets & I might be wrong but isn't buying a refurbished hardware is like buying a used car with some one else's problems & you don't know how many problems it had before ?

And yes, almost nothing major has gone wrong with my T7500 for past 5 years except mouse and sometimes frequent internet disconnections where after doing lots of troubleshooting it didn't go away & Dell was willing to replace power supply & motherboard but I didn't want to take a chance because most Dell replacements are refurbished parts.

I have several HDDs & I clone them regularly.

I don't have SSD though. I keep 500 GB WD Blue 7200 RPM as my system drive. Would SSD make any big difference for my kind of work where I am not trading but doing research & Occasionally watching videos ?

I still have one month warranty left on my T-7500 & could ask them to replace power supply as well as motherboard but will have to settle for refurbished ones.

I am going to give serious thought to your suggestion though, knowing that a workstation could last much more than 5 years.

Thank you & please comment on what I said above.
 
qqq said:
I don't have access to Dell outlets & I might be wrong but isn't buying a refurbished hardware is like buying a used car with some one else's problems & you don't know how many problems it had before ?

And yes, almost nothing major has gone wrong with my T7500 for past 5 years except mouse and sometimes frequent internet disconnections where after doing lots of troubleshooting it didn't go away & Dell was willing to replace power supply & motherboard but I didn't want to take a chance because most Dell replacements are refurbished parts.


I don't have SSD though. I keep 500 GB WD Blue 7200 RPM as my system drive. Would SSD make any big difference for my kind of work where I am not trading but doing research & Occasionally watching videos ?

I still have one month warranty left on my T-7500 & could ask them to replace power supply as well as motherboard but will have to settle for refurbished ones.

I am going to give serious thought to your suggestion though, knowing that a workstation could last much more than 5 years.

Thank you & please comment on what I said above.
More...

1. Buying from Dell Outlet almost always means you're NOT buying refurbished parts. Same warranty as new. There are about half-dozen reasons computers end up on Outlet. None of them involve refurbished parts.

2. As for any warranty replacement, refurbished parts are common.... not just for computers. With the warranty you're getting a "length of service" guarantee... not necessarily with new parts for repairs.

3. An SSD will speed up boot and IO operations, cloning and imaging too.

If you want a "back up system" (I understand that. I not only clone and image, I've got a backup computer too.), you'll probably need another T7500... where you could swap out the HDD and video cards. If you get any different model computer, likely you will not be able to just "swap out the HDD and keep rolling". One possible exception. I believe it's Macrium Reflect which offers cloning software which will enable you to swap from one computer to another with a different mobo. You might check into it. If you try that, suggest you test whether it actually works before you actually need it.

Initial Dell warranties can usually be extended for a price. Have you checked into that?

Can you buy from eBay? Shouldn't be too long before "off lease" T5810s start hitting the market. Should cost $350-$400. If the Macrium cloning works as I suggested, you might have a cheap T5810 for a backup machine.
 
Last edited:
Good advice already here, but here's my bit:

If electronics are going to go, they're going to go quickly, or they're going to go after a long while. (With appropriate exceptions for environmental smoke, dust/hair/dander, humidity.)

If that's the case, and your stuff is still cooking after a year, "Better the devil you know."

Keep the current kit, put the money away (INVEST it!!), put "Search New Computer" on your agenda for 6 months ahead; rinse/repeat.
 
qqq said:
Hi,

I have been using Dell T-7500 workstation with following configuration but now it has run out of warranty so I need to buy a new one.

Dell T-7500 Specs :

It is 5 years old
Xeon E 5645 2.4GHz & 6 Cores
12 GB RAM ( I don't Know specs of it )
AMD ATI FirePro 2460 graphics cards 3 of them each has 4 mini DPs
I run12 Dell U2412M monitors 1920 X 1200 24 inch
4 HDDs, 2 500 GBs 7200RPM & two 3.0 TBs 5400 RPM

I want to still run above 12 monitors with same FirePro 2460 graphics cards & same HDDs doing same kind of work basically researching & not trading.

I am considering buying Dell T-5810 with followings specs to replace above Dell T-7500

CPU XEON 1620 V3, 4 core @3.5 GHz

16GB (4x4GB) 2400MHz DDR4 RDIMM ECC

PCIe slots are V.3.0 instead of V.2.0 so would my FirePro 2460 run in them ?

Everything else same as old T-7500

Can you please tell me how does the new Dell T-5810 compare to Dell T-7500

Unfortunately it is not on sale so have to pay the full price of about $2000.00

Thank You
More...

You're out of your mind.
 
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