Need Recommendations on a New Build

[MindCrime]

I definitely recommend adding two 92mm exhaust fans at the rear, as well as this module which provides a bit of intake air up at the 5.25" external bays:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Dell-WH2...item280a8c1619

I like the idea of the drive bay fan. It's probably really beneficial to the power supply as it lines up right with it and only impeded by cable management. I've got mine sitting vertically behind a 48" tv and can feel most of the heat comes out of the PSU exhaust. Are you sure you have 92mm fans in that lower exhaust area? I ordered two and they're two big, but 80mms fit perfectly. These are what are in mine http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811999199

I'm really happy with my t5500 right now. Mods have been upgraded primary heatsink with a 92mm fan attached (its on molex but is thermally regulated). I modified the secondary PSU fan housing to mount the fan flush with the heatsink, seemed to improve. I have 2x 80mm fans added to the lower rear grill (opposite of PSU), they fit snuggly in the receased grill. I now have it in the living room behind my TV. Instead of having a hot computer room and a cold house, moving them around I've got a much better balance in the house and don't use as much furnace.

[Mike029]

Everyone has been great with the input. I really appreciate all the help. I have a few questions. Should I expect to upgrade the heatsink upon purchase? Are things different with these dual cpu boards or is it still a straight forward exchange from old heatsink to new? Remove old heatsink, remove old thermal compound, apply arctic-silver 5, attach heatsink, figure out a way to attach fan, rinse and repeat?

[Mike029]

I definitely recommend adding two 80mm exhaust fans at the rear, as well as this module which provides a bit of intake air up at the 5.25" external bays:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Dell-WH2...item280a8c1619

Edit: Thanks MindCrime, it's 80mm fans that fit at the lower rear of the case.

Will that fit into the t7500?

[Mike029]

I just called eSISO on this I'm watching. http://www.ebay.com/itm/131551521562...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

They said the best price they could give is $825.00.
I'm trying to be patient and wait a few days to see if a better deal comes through on ebay.

@scole of TSBT, Thanks for the build research but I don't think a want to tackle a build like this from scratch. I don't mind doing the upgrades and mods that are recommended tho.

[MindCrime]

I was impressed that they could be pieced together at a competitive rate, Thanks Scole. I think Mike should get a fully built one though. There is so a lot of proprietary things about these that make a lot of parts incompatible with other OEM parts and standards.

I was poking around that I think you've chosen the right CPUs, the x5675s being the best of the 95W selection before the big 45w jump to 130w tdps RAM carries a big price value on these resellers so if you are up to it or can find another one with smaller amounts of ram and another auction for ram you might be able to save up to 50-100 bucks. Also a big part of the RAM price is their density, 4gb/8gb.

Remember theres a few quad core models mixed into the lineup like the x5667, x5672, .. little over halfway down you'll find a good table You may want to call and ask them which coolers are on the cpus, because the passives will hold you back, the sub 12 dollar upgraded heatsink is very worth it.

[Mike029]

You may want to call and ask them which coolers are on the cpus, because the passives will hold you back, the sub 12 dollar upgraded heatsink is very worth it.

I called and was told that it is the standard factory installed heatsink

[MindCrime]

I called and was told that it is the standard factory installed heatsink

I think everyone with a 95w CPU has gotten the passive heatsink on the primary. I looked up the service # on mine and it was originally dual e5520 (something like that), a passive heatsink may have worked for that. FYI it's not TOO passive, theres a pretty powerful fan a few inches in front of it but after I rested a 92mm fan right in front of it my temps dropped dramatically and then eventually upgraded the heatsink.

Now I'm speaking from a t5500 standpoint, and maybe naturally the t7500s got better cooling standard. That said theres a thread around here with some part numbers. I got the U016f for my x5650, I believe FourOh mentioned he had the same cooler on x5670s. Basically we've all just experienced the passive all aluminum brick of fins on the primary cpu is not adequate for crunching.

[scole of TSBT]

I'm always browsing Ebay for a steal. This isn't necessarily a steal, but it's not a bad deal. I have a couple Z600s and they've run well so far...

HP Z600, dual X5650, 24GB RAM, 1.5 TB HDD, Windows 7 Pro 64 bit, dual Quadro FX 1800...$549 + +$65 shipping

http://www.ebay.com/itm/301794111323

Or keep your eye on this auction, but you'd have to upgrade the CPUs. If you got it for less than $350 (including shipping), would be good deal...http://www.ebay.com/itm/121811587387

[Mike029]

I'm always browsing Ebay for a steal. This isn't necessarily a steal, but it's not a bad deal. I have a couple Z600s and they've run well so far...

HP Z600, dual X5650, 24GB RAM, 1.5 TB HDD, Windows 7 Pro 64 bit, dual Quadro FX 1800...$549 + +$65 shipping

http://www.ebay.com/itm/301794111323

Or keep your eye on this auction, but you'd have to upgrade the CPUs. If you got it for less than $350 (including shipping), would be good deal...http://www.ebay.com/itm/121811587387

It seems that the HPs have a much better stock cooling solution over the Dells. I really like the price of that z600 dual hex you found Scole.

[FourOh]

It seems that the HPs have a much better stock cooling solution over the Dells. I really like the price of that z600 dual hex you found Scole.

Looks like a very good alternative to the Dell T5500. The cooling strategy looks much better; the only drawback I see is the smaller and slightly less efficient PSU (650W @ 85% vs 875W @ 88%). You might have trouble running a 7950/280 and you would certainly have failures with 7970/280X on this platform, but it has enough power for a mid-range AMD card or any newer Nvidia GPU up to GTX 980. For this reason I've been sticking with the Dell T5500 - I need somewhere to put my Tahiti cards!