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February 18th, 2020 09:00
Adding RAM to PowerEdge 2970
We have a PowerEdge 2970 and would like to add more RAM. Currently, there are x8 4GB sticks in slots A1-A4 & B1-B4 for a total 32 GB of RAM. The Power Edge 2970 manual says that we could have 64 GB as long as we had 2 processors which we do.
2 Questions
1- Can any one confirm that YES it is true we can use 8GB sticks to replace the current 4GB Sticks?
2- If it is possible is there any recommendations on the RAM to use for best results?
3- The Server is our 2nd server which is for Remote services Only, Does anyone have a better recommendation on increasing the performance of the server for Remotes Services that does not include purchasing a new Server?
4- I don’t see anything in the BIOS for increasing the RAM, am I to assume that the new RAM will be auto recognized?
theflash1932
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February 18th, 2020 09:00
1. Have not done it myself, but ALL documentation points to 8GB DIMM's as being supported.
2. Don't use cheap chinese no-name RAM. Any recognizable brand will be fine, but be sure to check the specs of the RAM needed (ECC DDR2 667MHz).
3. It is far past time to replace this thing (it is well more than 10 years old), so there is only so far you can go performance-wise. RAM maxes out at 64GB, and other than upgrading the CPU (which may or may not have a noticeable impact on performance, depending on what it is doing), you could try some SSD's for storage.
3B. PERC 6 would be ideal, but neither controller handles SSD very well. Sure it will improve performance, but 1) you WILL get notifications in the logs that the drives are non-certified/not supported (there are no validated SSD's for the 2970), 2) you LIKELY will have the drive status light displaying amber as if it is failed even if it is not, and 3) they may not work at all, or worse, may work intermittently, depending on the model.
4. RAM will be auto-recognized. There is nothing you'll need to do in the BIOS to enable the upgrade from 32GB to 64GB.
Dell-DylanJ
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February 18th, 2020 12:00
Just to reinforce what Flash is saying, we had supported 8GB memory DIMMs for the model. I'm looking at part number CT336 right now, it's an 8GB 667MHz single ranked DIMM.
As for increasing your performance, there's not anything I'd feel comfortable suggesting, certainly not without knowing what may be slowing you down or what level of performance you're trying to get to. Due to the system's age, I wouldn't expect there to be much you can do to make it significantly faster.