EEVblog #838 - More Dumpster Server PCs

[EEVblog]

Dave & Sagan score some more server PC's from the dumpster.
Will they work?
Will they be Dual Xeon & Core i7 Processors?
https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P6X58DE/

[Barny]

You're lucky to have a free goods room like this.
In my electronic trash room are only pices which are all irreperable

Btw: That was a good "thumbs up" way to keep Sagan from grabing in the fan.
That was more effective way then scare im with a "watch out" scream ore something similar.

[crispy_tofu]

Great score! I would live in a dumpster room like that... 

[elgonzo]

SAS != network mumbo jumbo
SAS == storage mumbo jumbo

[Lightages]

A suggestion Dave. You seem to be able to find old computers and other stuff that is not always useful, but might have useful parts for electronics if they are harvested. The EEVblog forums has a wide range of people on it and many who are looking for projects to build and don't lots of money to buy parts.

How about a dumpster dive electronics project that uses parts harvested from computers and whatever else can be commonly found in a dumpster dive?

[fire219]

Your analysis of the Xeon system is pretty much correct -- the CPUs are slow and power hungry beasts, not worth much. They're essentially rebadged bottom-level Core 2 Quad chips. If you were so inclined though, you could replace them with any CPU on this list (these all have the same socket as the E5405). With two of the CPUs high on that list, you'd get performance comparable to Core i7 chips of a generation newer than the 950 in the other system. Pretty good.

The i7-950 system definitely still has life in it. If you wanted to make use of it, that motherboard looks to be a standard ATX board. You should be able to stick it in almost any case you have laying around.

[rob77]

How about a dumpster dive electronics project that uses parts harvested from computers and whatever else can be commonly found in a dumpster dive?

there is not too much to harvest from PCs

- mosfets + inductors from the main board - sometimes discrete logic (almost nonexistent nowadays), if lucky then mosfet driver chips
- small DC motor + brushless motor from a DVD drive
- brushless motor from a HDD
- bigger (4,7uF - 10uF) SMD ceramic decoupling caps (but anything smaller than 1206/0805 makes not too much  sense to harvest)
- wires (the ones coming from the PSU)
- the PSU as it is - or for parts.

so it's unlikely you can build a whole project from scavenged parts...

[gadget73]

Other things show up in dumpsters though.  PCs themselves have limited useful donor parts but they do provide a decent power supply and a nice large case if nothing else.  Not a terrible starting point for a project.

[Stonent]

Your analysis of the Xeon system is pretty much correct -- the CPUs are slow and power hungry beasts, not worth much. They're essentially rebadged bottom-level Core 2 Quad chips. If you were so inclined though, you could replace them with any CPU on this list (these all have the same socket as the E5405). With two of the CPUs high on that list, you'd get performance comparable to Core i7 chips of a generation newer than the 950 in the other system. Pretty good.

The i7-950 system definitely still has life in it. If you wanted to make use of it, that motherboard looks to be a standard ATX board. You should be able to stick it in almost any case you have laying around.

The best thing about those Socket 771 Xeons is you can modify Core 2 (Socket 775) motherboards to take them and get basically a Core 2 Quad/Extreme for cheap. 

You have to knock off one of the alignment tabs on the socket and buy a little sticker that goes on the processor to swap a couple of pins, and you're in.

I've got a Dell Optiplex 330 that's been upgraded to a Xeon and it has a passmark over 4000 now. Not bad for a computer from 2007.  There's still a lot of new computers that aren't up to 4000. The i3 processors currently are just getting around that performance mark.

[fire219]

Your analysis of the Xeon system is pretty much correct -- the CPUs are slow and power hungry beasts, not worth much. They're essentially rebadged bottom-level Core 2 Quad chips. If you were so inclined though, you could replace them with any CPU on this list (these all have the same socket as the E5405). With two of the CPUs high on that list, you'd get performance comparable to Core i7 chips of a generation newer than the 950 in the other system. Pretty good.

The i7-950 system definitely still has life in it. If you wanted to make use of it, that motherboard looks to be a standard ATX board. You should be able to stick it in almost any case you have laying around.

The best thing about those Socket 771 Xeons is you can modify Core 2 (Socket 775) motherboards to take them and get basically a Core 2 Quad/Extreme for cheap. 

You have to knock off one of the alignment tabs on the socket and buy a little sticker that goes on the processor to swap a couple of pins, and you're in.

I've got a Dell Optiplex 330 that's been upgraded to a Xeon and it has a passmark over 4000 now. Not bad for a computer from 2007.  There's still a lot of new computers that aren't up to 4000. The i3 processors currently are just getting around that performance mark.

Yep, I almost got a 771 Xeon to stick in a little Lenovo ThinkCentre I was upgrading, but realized the microcode wasn't compatible with the crappy Q35 motherboard in the system. I ended up buying a Xeon X3320 for it instead, which got it a Passmark of 3400-3500.

I have a build/mod log of that experiment over here if you care for a giggle or two.

[gadget73]

my own workshop computers have been a string of dumpster dive salvages from work.  Whenever they upgrade something I look at the "trash" to see if its better than what I have now, and take it home with me if it is.  Most recent upgrade was from a core2duo E7500 in an Optiplex 380 to a Core i3 2120 in an Optiplex 390.  Not exactly light-years ahead but it was a free upgrade and this one has blue LEDs so it must be better. 

[Stonent]

my own workshop computers have been a string of dumpster dive salvages from work.  Whenever they upgrade something I look at the "trash" to see if its better than what I have now, and take it home with me if it is.  Most recent upgrade was from a core2duo E7500 in an Optiplex 380 to a Core i3 2120 in an Optiplex 390.  Not exactly light-years ahead but it was a free upgrade and this one has blue LEDs so it must be better.

I didn't like when Dell changed from blue power leds to white in the Optiplex 7010.  The white doesn't stand out as much so sometimes in a bright room you can't tell if the computer is on or not.

[EEVblog]

How about a dumpster dive electronics project that uses parts harvested from computers and whatever else can be commonly found in a dumpster dive?

Have always thought about that.
Might at least do another parts salvage video.

[EEVblog]

The i7-950 system definitely still has life in it. If you wanted to make use of it, that motherboard looks to be a standard ATX board. You should be able to stick it in almost any case you have laying around.

I might replace the board and Core i7 870 board I got from a previous dumpster dive. IIRC this new one is better.

[tszaboo]

How about a dumpster dive electronics project that uses parts harvested from computers and whatever else can be commonly found in a dumpster dive?

Have always thought about that.
Might at least do another parts salvage video.

Dont forget the first rule of salvaging (made by me):
The more leads it has, the less likely you will ever use the component.

[miguemely]

And right as my server died on my birthday(woohoo  ) you found two good ones... XD Thats just hilarious. Where is this dumpster you hunt in so I can move in and also score some of these



-Miguel
16 (correction 17 today) year old IT guy for a few local things, including a school district

[rrinker]

And right as my server died on my birthday(woohoo  ) you found two good ones... XD Thats just hilarious. Where is this dumpster you hunt in so I can move in and also score some of these



-Miguel
16 (correction 17 today) year old IT guy for a few local things, including a school district

 Keep up with that last bit. My ex wife is a teacher, 6th grade, and one of the kids in her class back a bunch of years was a student helper for IT, and once he hit high school, a summer intern helping IT. Today, he is the IT director for the whole school district. And not yet 30.

 

[C]

Looks like you could make a compute stack cheap.
might cure some of the trans code times for your video.

Came across a few web pages that say some scripts can split a handbrake job across many computers and put output back together. If they work could help you with time.
 
Was thinking keep it simple and pitch the slowest cpu when you get to many.
With network boot on AC power, you would just need a big power relay and just leave it powered down except when there was work to do..

Just an idea of what to do with old computers you have access to.

C