So, the 2950 (9G rackmount) is 2-4 years newer than an 1800 (8G tower). A T300 (10G tower), is newer than a 2950. Dell is up to 12G now and a new generation is launched, on average, every two years.
The manuals are all available online and have pretty much all the info you'd need. Of course, you can ask us too :)
The 2950 does have two SATA ports on the motherboard, but they likely cannot be used for drives like you would normally expect onboard SATA ports to do. Hard drives attach to the backplane, which is not removable.
Example, is the Dell PowerEdge 1800 older or new than a Dell PoerEdge 2950?
The 1800 is older than the 2950. The 1800 is 8th generation and the 2950 is 9th generation. The 50 on the 2950 indicates that it is a rack server. The 9 indicates the generation(9th). We have changed our naming convention a few times throughout the years, so certain numbers have certain meanings in different generations. Someone has taken the time to do a very good write up on wiki explaining the generations:
Wow that really blows my mind. I have a 1800 poweredge and I use the onboard SATA ports for 2 hard drives. The server is very fast and runs great. I just got a t300 quad core and it runs ok but not near as fast. I have 2 2950 rack servers but I never even turned them on because I thought they was just old and outdated. My loss..
If you was looking for an older but good server that uses SATA what would you recommend getting?
And I really thank you for taking the time to help a newbie like me..
Hi dell Daniel.. I bought these servers to try and replace my dell xps 400 but seems that isn't a good idea. Can the xps 400 be upgraded to a quad core? Or should I just fork out the cash for a new one? Or shouldi just use these servers?
Actually I was just looking to get a newer pc and these servers were available at a good price so I figured I could upgrade to a quad core server and save money from buying another client pc but after asking around it is recommended to not use a server as a client pc. Now I have a 1800 dual 3.6 ghz server and a T300 quad core 2.66 ghz server and no use for them..
The 9th generation is the best value in my opinion. They can be found extremely cheap on ebay and other locations, and they are still new enough to run most applications at a reasonable speed. The 10th and 11th generation servers have still not dropped in price enough to be a good deal for lab/training equipment. I have a couple of 2950's in my home lab and they do everything I want them to. I would love to have an 11th generation server, but I can't justify spending that kind of money on a lab server.
It also depends on what you are wanting to use the server for. The XPS series is a client system that is designed for a different function than the servers you are looking at.
The XPS 400 can be upgraded to dual-core, but not quad - the chipset does not support them. The XPS 400 is also limited to 4GB though, so in my opinion, that makes it kind of pointless to upgrade an XPS 400. In the end, do what works for YOU ... just keep in mind the limitations if you experience problems.
theflash1932
9 Legend
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16.3K Posts
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September 17th, 2012 16:00
I had typed up a whole thing, then clicked on a link and lost it, so take a look at this and see if you have any questions for me :)
en.wikipedia.org/.../Dell_PowerEdge
So, the 2950 (9G rackmount) is 2-4 years newer than an 1800 (8G tower). A T300 (10G tower), is newer than a 2950. Dell is up to 12G now and a new generation is launched, on average, every two years.
The manuals are all available online and have pretty much all the info you'd need. Of course, you can ask us too :)
The 2950 does have two SATA ports on the motherboard, but they likely cannot be used for drives like you would normally expect onboard SATA ports to do. Hard drives attach to the backplane, which is not removable.
Pages 137-138:
support.dell.com/.../hom.pdf
Daniel My
10 Elder
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6.2K Posts
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September 17th, 2012 16:00
Hello again
The 1800 is older than the 2950. The 1800 is 8th generation and the 2950 is 9th generation. The 50 on the 2950 indicates that it is a rack server. The 9 indicates the generation(9th). We have changed our naming convention a few times throughout the years, so certain numbers have certain meanings in different generations. Someone has taken the time to do a very good write up on wiki explaining the generations:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dell_PowerEdge_Servers
Thanks
ShowMeComputerS
25 Posts
0
September 17th, 2012 16:00
Wow that really blows my mind. I have a 1800 poweredge and I use the onboard SATA ports for 2 hard drives. The server is very fast and runs great. I just got a t300 quad core and it runs ok but not near as fast. I have 2 2950 rack servers but I never even turned them on because I thought they was just old and outdated. My loss..
If you was looking for an older but good server that uses SATA what would you recommend getting?
And I really thank you for taking the time to help a newbie like me..
ShowMeComputerS
25 Posts
0
September 17th, 2012 17:00
Hi dell Daniel.. I bought these servers to try and replace my dell xps 400 but seems that isn't a good idea. Can the xps 400 be upgraded to a quad core? Or should I just fork out the cash for a new one? Or shouldi just use these servers?
ShowMeComputerS
25 Posts
0
September 17th, 2012 17:00
Actually I was just looking to get a newer pc and these servers were available at a good price so I figured I could upgrade to a quad core server and save money from buying another client pc but after asking around it is recommended to not use a server as a client pc. Now I have a 1800 dual 3.6 ghz server and a T300 quad core 2.66 ghz server and no use for them..
Daniel My
10 Elder
•
6.2K Posts
0
September 17th, 2012 17:00
The 9th generation is the best value in my opinion. They can be found extremely cheap on ebay and other locations, and they are still new enough to run most applications at a reasonable speed. The 10th and 11th generation servers have still not dropped in price enough to be a good deal for lab/training equipment. I have a couple of 2950's in my home lab and they do everything I want them to. I would love to have an 11th generation server, but I can't justify spending that kind of money on a lab server.
It also depends on what you are wanting to use the server for. The XPS series is a client system that is designed for a different function than the servers you are looking at.
theflash1932
9 Legend
•
16.3K Posts
0
September 17th, 2012 21:00
The XPS 400 can be upgraded to dual-core, but not quad - the chipset does not support them. The XPS 400 is also limited to 4GB though, so in my opinion, that makes it kind of pointless to upgrade an XPS 400. In the end, do what works for YOU ... just keep in mind the limitations if you experience problems.