Memory upgrade for PowerEdge T410

Question

Hi,

I purchased a PowerEdge T410 two years ago with the following RAM: 12GB Memory (3x4GB), 1333MHz Dual Ranked RDIMMs for 1 Processor, Optimized. The motherboard has two CPU slots, but the configuration I purchased only had one CPU slot occupied with Xeon 5620 CPU. The other CPU slot is currently empty. I need to bump up memory because I am using this server as an ESXi host for my home VoIP lab, and the number of VMs I am running are now consuming 11 GB of RAM. I need to install more VMs, so I know I need more RAM at this point.

I have not dealt much with computer hardware in the past 13 years, and so I have not kept up with all the changes and innovations. I am still very comfortable upgrading parts, but I am not so good at matching the correct parts to the correct motherboards anymore. So, I need help. From what I understand, this chipset accepts up to 32 GB of DDR3 RAM for each CPU. I believe there are four DDR3 sockets next to each CPU. Because I only have one CPU installed, I can only occupy DDR3 sockets next to the populated CPU slot. So, all further questions are about the four DDR3 sockets next to the CPU slot currently occupied with Xeon 5620.

When I purchased this server, I remember reading that the second DDR3 socket (socket 4) in channel 0 (currently empty) could not be used until BIOS was upgraded. I purchased this server in April or May of 2010, and the BIOS upgrade that would enable this DDR3 slot was not going to be available until some time in the summer of 2010. Because I did not need that memory socket at the time, I never updated the BIOS.

I don’t want to replace the existing three 4GB DDR3 chips installed in memory sockets 1, 2, and 3. What I want to do at this time is to add a fourth DDR3 module in order to bump up the memory. I researched the prices, and it appears that the most cost-effective way to do this is to install an 8GB DDR3 module in memory socket 4. This would increase the memory from 12GB to 20GB, which should be sufficient for the near future. However, I want to be able to upgrade the memory further in the future by replacing the existing 4GB DDR3 modules with 8GB DDR3 modules. I have a few questions I need to ask before I purchase the 8GB DDR3 module:

1. Do I need to upgrade the BIOS in order to utilize memory bank 2 (DDR3 slot 4)?

2. The 4GB DDR3 modules currently installed in memory sockets 1, 2, and 3 are 1333 MHz DDR3 modules. Are they running at 1333 MHz or are they clocked down to 1066 MHz?

3. If I populate memory socket 4 with an 8GB DDR3 module, will the memory be clocked down to 800 MHz?

4. If the answers to questions 2 and/or 3 are “yes,” is there any reason to buy an 8GB 1333 MHz DDR3 module or should I go with a cheaper 8GB 1066 MHz DDR3 module?

5. I found the following Kingston modules that are compatible with the Dell PowerEdge T410 server:

a. KTD-PE310Q8/8G: 8GB 1066MHz Quad Rank Reg ECC x8 Module: $75 (Buy.com)

b. KTD-PE313/8G: 8GB 1333MHz Dual Rank Reg ECC Module: $72 (Newegg.com)

c. KTD-PE313E/8G: 8GB 1333MHz Unbuffered ECC Module: $78 (Buy.com)

d. KTD-PE313LV/8G: 8GB 1333MHz Reg ECC Low Voltage Module: $75 (Newegg.com)

Which module should I get?

Thank you very much for your time and expertise!

theflash1932 · Accepted Answer

Yes, you can ... and likewise, if you had two processors, you can have a 4GB DIMM in slot A1 and an 8GB DIMM in A4, but you then must have a 4GB DIMM in B1 and an 8GB DIMM in B4 to match.

DELL-Chris H · Answer

Rozhasi,

In the T410. The dimm channels are paired slots. Channel 0 is A4 and A1. Channel 1 id A2 and B2, and Channel 2 is A3 and B3. The T410 does support using 4 4gb dimms in Bank A.

If you are using single or dual rank dimms then a single dimm per channel setup will support 1333, if you go with any quad ranks it will max them at 1067MHz.

All of this needs the BIOS to be current and then memory mode set to Optimizer.

theflash1932 · Answer

Assuming you are talking about a T410 (there is no 'D' 410) ...

There are three channels on each 4-slot memory bank: Channel 0 has two slots (1 and 4), Channel 1 has one slot (2), and Channel 2 has one slot (3).

1) No. A BIOS upgrade may be necessary if using certain memory sticks and/or processor upgrades - and it wouldn't be a bad idea to upgrade the BIOS anyway - for "preventative maintenance", but it is not required to simply "utilize memory [slot 4]". Note that you cannot use any of the other four slots without populating it with a processor; you are restricted to using the 4 slots nearest your populated processor slot.

2) If your memory is installed in slots 1,2,3, are 1333MHz, and are single or dual "rank" (1R, 2R), then it is currently running at 1333MHz. If your memory is quad "rank" (4R), then it is running at 1066MHz.

3) Installing a memory module in slot 4 will increase your total memory from 12GB to 16GB, but your memory will clock down to 1066MHz, if 1R/2R; 800MHz if 4R.

4) There would be no benefit to upgrading to a 1333MHz DIMM, unless it is cheaper than 1066MHz.

5) Quad-rank DIMM's operate at a slower speed, and must be populated in the white memory slots IF mixed with 1R/2R memory.

Larger than 2GB UDIMM's are not supported, BUT make sure that the DIMM's you have and the DIMM's you purchase are indeed RDIMM's, as UDIMM's and RDIMM's canNOT be mixed.

2R 8GB DIMM's may require a BIOS update, but then again, I would not do this update without doing a BIOS update first.

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/pet410/en/HOM/pdf/HOMA00.pdf

rozhasi · Answer

Thank you all who responded!

The server is T410 - I edited my post a few minutes after I posted it to correct the server model. Sorry for the confusion.

In the manual, I read the following points vis-a-vis memory configuration:

* RDIMMs and UDIMMs cannot be mixed.

* Except for memory channels that are unused, all populated memory channels must have identical configurations.

* In a dual-processor configuration, the memory configuration for each processor must be identical.

* Memory modules of different sizes can be mixed within a memory channel (for example, 2-GB and 4-GB), but all populated channels must have identical configurations. This applies to only channel 0.

Also, this is the description of how memory sockets are organized in memory channels:

"The system contains eight memory sockets split into two sets of four sockets, one set per each processor. Each four-socket set is organized into two DIMMs for channel 0 and a single DIMM for channel 1 and channel 2. The first socket of each channel is marked with white release levers."

So, provided that channel 0 consists of two sockets, and only one of them is currently populated, can I purchase an 8GB dual-ranked RDIMM and install it in socket 4, while sockets 1, 2, and 3 have 4 GB dual-ranked RDIMMs in them? If so, I will go with a KTD-PE313LV/8G: 8GB 1333MHz Reg ECC Low Voltage Module.

theflash1932 · Answer

But, since he has only a single processor, channels 1 and 2 are single-DIMM channels:

The system contains eight memory sockets split into two sets of four sockets,
one set per each processor. Each four-socket set is organized into two DIMMs
for channel 0 and a single DIMM for channel 1 and channel 2. The first
socket of each channel is marked with white release levers.

rozhasi · Answer

I ordered an 8 GB KIngston Registered Dual-Ranked 1366MHz DDR3 SDRAM and installed it in slot A4 on the main board. Everything seems to be working fine. However, before I installed this memory module, I checked the speed at which the existing memory (3x4GB 1366MHz DD3 SDRAM) was running and was surprised to see it running at 1067MHz. I knew that adding a fourth memory module (to slot A4) causes the memory bank to run at 1067MHz, but why were the three existing 1366MHz memory modules (installed in slots A1, A2, and A3) running at 1067MHz? Is it because the CPU (Xeon 5620) doesn’t support memory at 1366MHz?

theflash1932 · Answer

What 'rank' is all of your memory?

rozhasi · Answer

Dual Rank Registered 1033 MHz DDR3

theflash1932 · Answer

That does appear to be the case ... according Intel's docs, the E5620 only supports 800 and 1066 speeds: ark.intel.com/.../Intel-Xeon-Processor-E5620-(12M-Cache-2_40-GHz-5_86-GTs-Intel-QPI)

PowerEdge Hardware General

Memory upgrade for PowerEdge T410

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