In July 2003 I bought a new Dell 600SC. It's a server class machine, but I wanted to use it as a desktop machine, so I upgraded various parts of the machine. This page lists my experiences (good and bad) with the Dell.
I don't know how long the following link will be valid, but here's some information from Dell about the machine: Dell - PowerEdge 600SC Server Product Details. (http://www.dell.com/us/en/bsd/products/model_pedge_1_pedge_600sc_p4.htm)
The CPU fan that comes with the 600SC is really loud, and I want to replace it.
Has anyone successfully (or unsuccessfully) replaced the stock CPU fan with a quieter CPU fan? If so, I'd like to hear about it. Please drop me a line and let me know what does/doesn't work.
The Dell 600SC seems pretty fussy when it comes to memory. It seems that the DIMMS must be:
On page 1-6 of the "Information Update" manual (that accompanied the computer), it says:
System MemoryTo prevent possible compatibility problems, do not use Micron 128-MB memory modules in your system. Memory modules must be installed starting with the first connector (farthest from the microprocessor) and leaving no open connectors between installed memory modules. See "Installing System Options" in the Installation and Troubleshooting Guide for information on adding additional memory. |
( The Installation and Troubleshooting Guide comes on one of the CD-ROMs that came with the computer. )
I don't know why it specifically lists Micron, nor do I know if this warning applies to all Micron DIMMs (128MB, 256MB, etc). I tried to get an answer from Dell, but never got a straight answer from them.
The following is a list of DIMMs that I've successfully been able to get to work in my Dell 600SC. The "Label" field is what is printed on the sticky label that is on the DIMM. I've tried to recreate the label to the best of my abilities.
Also note that the DIMM manufacturer is not necessarily the same as the manufacturer of the memory chips that are used on the DIMM. For example, and IBM DIMM may use Infineon chips, or Micron chips, etc.
By the way, if you see numbers like "0251" or "0320", those are typically the manufacturing dates. They are in the format YYWW where YY is the last two digits of the year, and WW is the week number (01-52). So, "0251" means that the chip (or DIMM) was made in the 51st week of 2002.
| Label | Size | DIMM Manufacturer | Chip Manufacturer | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
128 MB | Dell | Infineon | This is the DIMM that came with the machine. | |
|
256 MB | IBM | Samsung | This is a buffered DIMM even though the label doesn't specifically say so. | |
|
256 MB | IBM FRU 09N4306 |
Hynix | Bought three of these on eBay and they all worked. |
Here is a link to the Cruicial web site for memory for the Dell 600SC. Please note that this is not an endorsement of Crucial memory; I'm adding this link because it contains good information about upgrading the memory in the 600SC.
The following is a list of DIMMs that I've tried but have not been able to get to work in my Dell 600SC. These are known good DIMMs -- I tried them in a non-Dell machine and the DIMMs worked fine. They just don't work in my 600SC. :-(
| Label | Size | DIMM Manufacturer | Chip Manufacturer | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
256 MB | IBM FRU 10K0068 |
Infineon | This turned out to be an unregistered (unbuffered) DIMM. | |
|
256 MB | IBM FRU 10K0068 |
Micron | I believe this is an unregistered (unbuffered) DIMM. | |
|
512 MB | --- | Infineon | A friend of mine tried this DIMM but it didn't work. Each Infineon chip had the following number on it: HYB25D256800BT-7. |
I'm currently using a Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy Gamer PCI card that I picked up at Best Buy (~$55). I'm using it under Windows 2000 Professional, and haven't had any troubles. Well, that's not 100% true... I did notice that sometimes the audio would cut out when I was playing various streaming videos (such as some train videos I found at http://www.railroad-crossing.com/video/). But recently I updated the drivers and haven't had any problems since (knock on wood).
| Sound Card | Purchased From | Price | Comments. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy Gamer PCI | Best Buy | $55 | See above comments. |
| Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy SE model SB0570 | Walmart | $30 | One Dell 600SC user says this worked fine right out of the box. |
| Creative Sound Blaster Live! | ??? | ??? | Another 600SC user reports that this card works in his 600SC. |
Sometime in 2006 one of my built-in USB ports died, so the search began for a PCI USB card that would work in my 600SC. I've had good luck with the following cards:
| PCI USB Card | Purchased From | Price | Comments. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syba PCI USB 2.0 4+1 port controller card Model SD-V2-5U | NewEgg.com | $ 9.99 | Worked great. |
The 600SC comes with an an ATI Techonologies RAGE XL video card that's integrated into the motherboard. It's not a bad card, but it only has 8MB of RAM, which is fine for a server but a little lacking for a desktop machine. Since the motherboard doesn't have an AGP slot, your only choice is to use a PCI video card. And since all of the PCI slots on the motherboard are 3.3 volt only, that limits you as to which video card you can use. Also, there are no options in the BIOS to let you disable the onboard video card. However, the BIOS seems to be smart enough to use the external (PCI) video card if you have one.
I tried a 64MB ATI Radeon 7500 PCI video card, and that worked nice and fast, however I could not install the advance software that came with the card. When I tried to install the software, the machine would lock up and I had to hit the reset button. I tried this times and in different ways, but the results were always the same. I think that it has to do with the fact that the built-in video card is also an ATI card, and perhaps that is confusing the installation software. But that's just a guess. I was, however, finally able to install the drivers and ATI control panel. Click here for information on how to install the ATI drivers and ATI Control Panel.
The following table shows what video cards that have been reported to work in a Dell 600SC :
| Video Card | Memory | Purchased From | Price | Comments. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in ATI Rage XL | 8 MB | n/a | n/a | Built in video card. |
| ATI Radeon 7500 | 64 MB | Circuit City | $79.99 + tax | This is the card I'm using (see above comments). Fast video card, but can't load supplied software easily (possibly conflicts with onboard ATI video card). |
| Mad Dog Prowler MX 440-SE PCI GeForce4 | 64 MB | ??? | ??? | Another Dell 600SC owner reports that he has had great luck with this card. (Added 11/1/2007) |
I've done some benchmarks using PerformanceTest 4.0. This is a nice program that tests a lot of different things. I don't know how it compares to other benchmark programs, however it does what I need.
Here's a summary of the video related tests that PerformanceTest 4.0 yielded with the various video cards :
| Video Card | Graphics 2D - Lines | Graphics 2D - Rectangles | Graphics 2D - Shapes | Graphics 3D - Simple | Graphics 3D - Medium | Graphics 3D - Complex | 2D Graphics Mark | 3D Graphics Mark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in ATI Rage XL 8MB | 27.2 | 5.1 | 11.8 | 12.8 | 11.4 | 3.4 | 58.8 | 9.2 |
| ATI Radeon 7500 PCI 64MB | 55.9 | 52.4 | 13.0 | 165.2 | 224.6 | 84.8 | 161.7 | 158.2 |
A complete list of tests can be found in this .GIF file. Please ignore the CD tests -- I had a different audio CD in the CD-ROM drive when I ran the different tests.
Here are some video cards that have been tried but that do not work :
| Video Card | Memory | Comments. |
|---|---|---|
| PNY GeForce FX 5200 PCI | 256 MB | One Dell 600SC owner had read in some Dell forums that this card would work, but he has not been able to get it to work. He thought it might be a PC power supply issue, so he (successfully) upgraded the power supply in the 600SC, but the FX 5200 still didn't work. (Added 11/1/2007) |
| PNY GeForce FX 5500 PCI | ??? | Another Dell 600SC owner got a good deal on a FX 5500, but was unable to get the card to work. When he powered up the machine he got a black screen. (Added 11/1/2007) |
If you have a video card that does (or doesn't) work in the 600SC and would like to have me add it to the above lists, please send me an email. Feel free to include any details about your experience, and whether or not you'd like me include your name and/or email in the table. Thanks.
In 2003 I searched the Dell Community Forums (see the "Other Links" section below), and people claim the following video cards work in the 600SC, but I have not verified this:
I'm currently running Windows 2000 Professional.
I hope you found this page useful. These are just my experiences with the 600SC -- your mileage may vary. Overall I like the machine; I'm just stumbling over a few issues (memory, video card, etc). If you have any comments, suggestions, corrections, feedback, whatever, please drop me a line. And I'd like to hear about your experiences and what you think of the Dell 600SC. Please drop me a line.
Jon Scheer ( wombat@scheerfun.org )
