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Poweredge 2950, L5335 CPU, "Unsupported CPU Configuration"
Hi all,
I was just wondering if someone knows where there's definitive documentation on CPU support in the Poweredge 2950?
When the box in question was purchased it had a single Xeon 5110 (1.6GHz Dual Core, 1066MHz FSB, 4MB L2).
After reading documentation on the series, I understand of course that it (as it's not a 2950 III) doesn't support the 5200/5400 series Xeons (as they're 45nm), but all the BIOS and Firmware documentation I can find (as well as sales documentation from late 2006 / early 2007 when it was purchased) indicates support for the 5300 series in models prior to the III.
The machine is running the latest BIOS (2.5.0) and BMC Firmware (2.37).
On installing a single L5335 (2.0GHz Quad Core, 1333MHz FSB, 8MB L2) in place of the 5110, the system goes through POST, but stops before booting with "Unsupported CPU Configuration. System Halted.". To be clear this is swapping a single CPU for a single CPU, in CPU Socket 1.
I notice that in the BIOS documentation it specifically mentions support for the L5320 (1.83GHz Quad, 1066MHz FSB, 8MB L2)..
Is the issue:
- A genuine unsupported combination (in contrast to what the docs say)
- A quirk of the BIOS? (ie it 'knows' about other 5300 series CPUs but not the L5335)
- FSB? (i.e. if we drop in a L5320 with a 1066MHz FSB, same as the current CPU, will it work?)
- Or do early 2950s not support Quad Core CPUs?
Thanks for any help...
Dennis Smith
946 Posts
0
June 2nd, 2009 09:00
The 2950 and 2950 III are a little confusing. The BIOS is the same for each as they use the same base code. However, the older 2950's do not support the newest procs. The 2950 will only support the 51xx series where the 2950 III will support the newer quad-core procs.
Dev Mgr
9.3K Posts
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June 2nd, 2009 11:00
From what I understand the early 2950's supported the 51xx-series Xeons (dual core) and 53xx-series (quad core). These were built on the 65nm architecture.
The "III" added support for the 45nm processors (Xeon 52xx (dual core) and 54xx (quad core)). These require a different voltage, which probably is why a newer 2950 was needed that could provide the correct voltage to the processor(s).
I can only guess that the L5335 was never sold on this system, so the bios was never updated to recognize the processor. There may also be different steppings of this processor and that some are supported and others aren't purely based on the stepping.
drasticm
3 Posts
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June 3rd, 2009 13:00
And how to the series II fall into the mix? I have a mixture of 2950's and 2950 IIs and IIIs. Is there a document listing procesor compatability for the various models? Do the 1950's follow the same scheme with II's and IIIs?
Thanks
Charles
henrik_z
3 Posts
0
June 5th, 2009 23:00
The information I've managed to garner from other sources is as follows:
2950 1st Series: 50xx/51xx Xeon only
2950 II: 50xx/51xx/53xx
2950 III: 50xx/51xx/52xx/53xx/54xx
Is this correct?
If it's the case, it'd be nice if Dell could indicate as such in the documentation. The BIOS docs clearly state that 54xx series processors are supported on 2950 III only, but say nothing about a similar restriction to 2950 II or later for 53xx CPUs.
drasticm
3 Posts
0
July 7th, 2009 11:00
I had the same issue - in a recent chat with Dell support, they indicated that the above (henrik_z) is correct. Series 1, upto 51xx only, series 2 upto 53xx only, series 3 upto 54xx only. I had a devil of a time when I wanted to upgrade some systems recently and I hadn't realized the differences.
bpwg55
2 Posts
0
April 9th, 2010 21:00
Well, I bought a 2950 II about 2 month before the series III came out, but it was with x5450 (3.0ghz) chip. So, it seems they don't exactly align.
DannoXYZ
9 Posts
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June 6th, 2010 03:00
Does anyone know how to determine if your server is a 1950, 1950-II or 1950-III? On the front of removable-cover, it says "PowerEdge 1950" and on the server front itself, it says "PowerEdge 1950". The little LCD screen scrolls "POWEREDGE 1950". Looking up the service-tag on Dell's support site shows "System Type: PowerEdge 1950".
Mine same with two Xeon E5310 1.6ghz quad-core CPUs (1066mhz bus, 1.5v core). I figured since it already had quad-core CPUs, upgrading to other quad-cores would be OK. So I got two Xeon X5355 2.66ghz quad-core CPUs (1333mhz bus 1.162-1.2v core). Installed it and nope, got E1410 CPU error on the LCD and the system wouldn't turn on at all.
I upgraded the BIOS from 1.5.1 to the latest 2.6.1 and tried again, no go. Found some notes on another thread about 1950 CPUs and I cleared the BIOS settings by removing the battery and unplugging the system for 5-minutes. Put battery back in and turned it on, SUCCESS!!!
Now from henrik_z's post, this means I should have a 1950-II right? But I can't find any information on the box or anywhere else that indicates this.
BTW - the L5335 CPU is one generation newer than the X5355 I installed (SLA spec# instead of SL9). Not sure it that may pose any compatibility issues.
JOHNADCO
847 Posts
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July 29th, 2011 15:00
Sort nice on the AMD stuff. As most system do seem to use the lower wattage chips just fine. Or at least int he 2970 line.
Tony Berry
29 Posts
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July 29th, 2011 15:00
On a somewhat related note, I run an 1855 blade chassis with 10 x 1955 blades and I was looking for ways to save some energy. I use ESX on 8 of the blades and take advantage of the DRS power mamangement features of putting hosts in standby during low usage, so that helps some, but I wanted to change my CPUs for lower wattage units of the same speed. 4 of my blades have dual E5335 (80 watt SLAEK) quad core CPUs, so I purchased a pair of L5335 (50 watt SLAEN) quad core CPUs. Same error as stated above: powers on fine, POSTs fine, "Incompatible CPU" error. I am running the most current BIOS, BMC, etc. revisions. Very disappointing that Dell chose specifically not to support the lower wattage CPUs for whatever reason. They obviously work fine as it POSTs fine.
npolite
58 Posts
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August 12th, 2011 13:00
If you open OpenManage and select Main System Chassis Information then go to the Information tab you will find it under Revision. If it doesn't display revision then you have the first generation.