Would upgrading from a Xeon 1620 v2 to a 1650 v2 or 2667 v2 help with gaming?

Cyber Akuma

Cyber Akuma

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I have a Dell Precision T3610, it's a Xeon based workstation.

It has a Intel Xeon 1620 v2, it's a 4C8T CPU with a base clock of 3.7GHz and Turbo of 3.9Ghz and 10MB of L3 cache.

Apparently my motherboard does support upgrading the CPU to a 1650 v2

The Intel Xeon 1650 v2 is a 6C12T CPU with a base clock of 3.7GHz and Turbo of 3.9Ghz and 12MB of L3 cache.

Other than that they seem to have the same specs, including thankfully the TDP so I can just re-use the existing cooler since I have no idea what my options would be for a Xeon cooler in a proprietary Dell case.

The 1650 v2 can be had for under $20 on eBay. Would the additional 2 cores/4threads and 2MB of cache help with using this as a gaming system? Or would it actually hold me back due to the lower base clock speed?

I also heard that unofficially, I might be able to put a 2687W v2 or 2697 v2 in it, the 2697 v2 sounds like a downgrade for gaming though, the 2687W v2 though would require me to get a better cooler, and I can't find any confirmation on if this will or will not work.

If it does work, would the 2667v2 then be the best option? Goes for around $25 on eBay, 8C16T, 25MB L3 cache, and same TDP as my current CPU so I am assuming that means I can just use the existing cooler.

Only concern is that while the boost clock is a slightly higher 4GHZ over my 3.9GHz, the base clock is a much slower 3.3GHz over my current 3.7GHz and I don't know if that could give me a worse gaming performance.
 
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Depending on the games you play, you're already being hampered in games just because you're still on an Ivy chip. That said, if you're playing modern games, the 2667v2 would be your best option for an upgrade, because having more cores will outweigh lower clock speed.

Knowing how crappy it is to disassemble Dell boxes, this is also a good time to check if you want more memory or faster memory if you aren't already on 1866.
 
Grebuloner said:
Knowing how crappy it is to disassemble Dell boxes, this is also a good time to check if you want more memory or faster memory if you aren't already on 1866.
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I already replaced my 4x4GB 133MHZ sticks with 8x16GB 1600MHz sticks, $75 for that 128GB set.

Other than the fact that I had to remove the optical drive cage to get at the (Optional, but apparently my system came with them) air ducts over the RAM it wasn't that annoying to work with. This case is pretty modular, the PSU can even be swapped without opening the case.
 
Grebuloner said:
Depending on the games you play, you're already being hampered in games just because you're still on an Ivy chip. That said, if you're playing modern games, the 2667v2 would be your best option for an upgrade, because having more cores will outweigh lower clock speed.

Knowing how crappy it is to disassemble Dell boxes, this is also a good time to check if you want more memory or faster memory if you aren't already on 1866.
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2667v2 is probably the best compromise in terms of cores and clockspeed in that machine.
 
A 2667v2 would be a good choice. If you do anything decently threaded a 2690v2 would be decent but strictly for gaming the 2667v2 should be the best for that socket. I used to run what was essentially a ES 2690v2 (10core,10thread 3.0ghz) running multiple os under ESXI and gaming on one of the vms. Never really had a issue running anything.
 
kirbyrj said:
2667v2 is probably the best compromise in terms of cores and clockspeed in that machine.
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cdabc123 said:
A 2667v2 would be a good choice. If you do anything decently threaded a 2690v2 would be decent but strictly for gaming the 2667v2 should be the best for that socket. I used to run what was essentially a ES 2690v2 (10core,10thread 3.0ghz) running multiple os under ESXI and gaming on one of the vms. Never really had a issue running anything.
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Yeah, I am starting to think the same. While the ungodly number of cores in the 2697v2 sounds nice on paper (That's even more than my main 11700K system) I don't think I would ever make use of that many cores, and the impact the lower clock speeds would have on gaming and lower/single threaded applications is likely not worth the trade off, that one seems more specifically geared for using it on applications that benefit from more cores over everything else.

Also seems I mis-understood the 2667v2's boosting. It's not a single-core-or-no-boost-at-all scenario but scales by the number of cores. Boosts to 3.9ghz on two cores, 3.7ghz on four cores, etc. I couldn't' find this information anywhere and had to be told it, and I have no idea what the situation for the 1620 I have or the 2697 or any others is then.

Another concern however is cooling. Another reason I was attracted to the 2667v2 is because it has the same TDP as my current CPU so I was hoping I could just use my existing stock cooler. However, for people who performed this upgrade some are saying the stock cooler is fine and others that it's not adequate enough for a 2667v2. (My current CPU has a TMax of 70C and Prime95 actually makes it go around 74-78C... not sure how it's not throttling when it does that. The 2667v2 has a TMax of 74C). While there IS a better cooling option, the Noctua NH-U9DX i4, that's a $65 cooler. That cooler alone would be nearly three times the price of the CPU... and it's not a drop-in solution, I would need an additional $15-20 in parts to retro-fit it into this case. Supposedly I would not even be able to keep my RAM Air Ducts installed with the new cooler in place (While they are technically optional, I would like to keep those as I recently upgraded my RAM quite a bit and the new ones don't have heat spreaders like the old ones did). If the stock cooler would be enough I would really love to just stick with that to both save a lot of money and hassle, needing nearly $100 in cooling would just plain not make this upgrade worth it, but I also would not want to make the CPU keep throttling and burn it out.
 
Cyber Akuma said:
Yeah, I am starting to think the same. While the ungodly number of cores in the 2697v2 sounds nice on paper (That's even more than my main 11700K system) I don't think I would ever make use of that many cores, and the impact the lower clock speeds would have on gaming and lower/single threaded applications is likely not worth the trade off, that one seems more specifically geared for using it on applications that benefit from more cores over everything else.

Also seems I mis-understood the 2667v2's boosting. It's not a single-core-or-no-boost-at-all scenario but scales by the number of cores. Boosts to 3.9ghz on two cores, 3.7ghz on four cores, etc. I couldn't' find this information anywhere and had to be told it, and I have no idea what the situation for the 1620 I have or the 2697 or any others is then.

Another concern however is cooling. Another reason I was attracted to the 2667v2 is because it has the same TDP as my current CPU so I was hoping I could just use my existing stock cooler. However, for people who performed this upgrade some are saying the stock cooler is fine and others that it's not adequate enough for a 2667v2. (My current CPU has a TMax of 70C and Prime95 actually makes it go around 74-78C... not sure how it's not throttling when it does that. The 2667v2 has a TMax of 74C). While there IS a better cooling option, the Noctua NH-U9DX i4, that's a $65 cooler. That cooler alone would be nearly three times the price of the CPU... and it's not a drop-in solution, I would need an additional $15-20 in parts to retro-fit it into this case. Supposedly I would not even be able to keep my RAM Air Ducts installed with the new cooler in place (While they are technically optional, I would like to keep those as I recently upgraded my RAM quite a bit and the new ones don't have heat spreaders like the old ones did). If the stock cooler would be enough I would really love to just stick with that to both save a lot of money and hassle, needing nearly $100 in cooling would just plain not make this upgrade worth it, but I also would not want to make the CPU keep throttling and burn it out.
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I never had any issues keeping these cpus cool. A 212 Evo was enough and anything under 90c is good enough for these chips. No need to chase low temps they won't clock any higher.

Much like the turboboost on your current chip its a single core boost speed and scales to less the more cores are involved. Its not super dynamic like amd's pbo. I just left my as chip locked at 2.9 all core (just disabled boost and speedstep) and it was adequate. For your case just let the chip do its thing and dont worry about its speed. In reality its about half the single core performance of a modern gaming CPU or overclocked Zen chip.
 
cdabc123 said:
I never had any issues keeping these cpus cool. A 212 Evo was enough and anything under 90c is good enough for these chips. No need to chase low temps they won't clock any higher.
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I don't think a hyper 212 will fit in this case, it's pretty slim.
 
Cyber Akuma said:
I don't think a hyper 212 will fit in this case, it's pretty slim.
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A 212 was just a low end example ive tested with these cpus. I think it will do 100w or so. The Dell cooler probably isnt that far off with new thermal paste and dustless.
 
cdabc123 said:
A 212 was just a low end example ive tested with these cpus. I think it will do 100w or so. The Dell cooler probably isnt that far off with new thermal paste and dustless.
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Well, from what I can tell it's apparently a "Dell YH2R3", but I can't find any specs on it, especially not it's TDP/Maximum CPU wattage.
 
Cyber Akuma said:
Well, from what I can tell it's apparently a "Dell YH2R3", but I can't find any specs on it, especially not it's TDP/Maximum CPU wattage.
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My guess was just based on other oem solutions including optiplexes of that generation. Ive really never had a issue keeping a haswell chip cool enough to always do the max boost (its not very aggressive)
 
Cyber Akuma said:
Also seems I mis-understood the 2667v2's boosting. It's not a single-core-or-no-boost-at-all scenario but scales by the number of cores. Boosts to 3.9ghz on two cores, 3.7ghz on four cores, etc. I couldn't' find this information anywhere and had to be told it, and I have no idea what the situation for the 1620 I have or the 2697 or any others is then.
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Going to the wikipedia page for the architecture will give you the full boost behavior profile: (Do note that starting with Ivy Bridge, AVX loads boost lower than what's listed.)

Handy guide

As for the cooling concern, replace the fans with something better. Hopefully you won't have to rewire the connectors.
 
Grebuloner said:
As for the cooling concern, replace the fans with something better. Hopefully you won't have to rewire the connectors.
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It has some proprietary 5-pin connector for the CPU fan, for the front case fans it's some weird sort of bar with three small fans in it. I don't think any of them are standard.
 
Cyber Akuma said:
It has some proprietary 5-pin connector for the CPU fan, for the front case fans it's some weird sort of bar with three small fans in it. I don't think any of them are standard.
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Sounds like time for a ghetto mod! You got molex connectors? Move the old fans around (how about drilling out the side panel?) and put new ones in running straight off the PSU.
 
Dell fans normally provide plenty of airflow at the cost of noise. I don't think the fans will feel the need to be maxed so noise should be acceptable even with the CPU change.

The Dell pinout can be wired to a normal fan without too much issue
 
Reanimation_LP said:
https://tekboost.com/shop/all-produ...ecision-t3610-workstation-configure-to-order/ Here's a good list of all the CPUs that should work.

Additionally, you could also try the 1680v2 but that's pricier. However it has an unlocked multiplier, so you may be able to use software tools to push it higher?
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He's using a Dell workstation though. Probably can't change the multiplier, so unlocked won't help. 2687Wv2 is usually the fastest you can get on that socket for gaming without OCing, but it's TDP is quite a bit higher than the stock CPU or a 2667v2/1650v2. I'd go with a 2667v2 or 1650v2 unless you feel like upgrading the cooling to run a 2687Wv2 and the board can handle it.
 
I remember going from an i7 950(4C8T) to a W3690(6C12T) and it was a substantial upgrade which i'll never forget. But that was back in 2014.
 
Well, just placed an order for a 2667v2, it was $25.99. Hope this works out.

zandor said:
He's using a Dell workstation though. Probably can't change the multiplier, so unlocked won't help. 2687Wv2 is usually the fastest you can get on that socket for gaming without OCing, but it's TDP is quite a bit higher than the stock CPU or a 2667v2/1650v2.
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Yeah, not only the TDP (And it seems like it will cost like $90 or so to retrofit a 3rd party cooler onto this thing) but the 2687W v2s were all going for like $100-120 on eBay. Even the 2697 v2 was going for $40-60, no idea why that one in particular is more than twice as expensive as just about everything else in the E5-1000v2 and E5-2000v2 lineup.
 
Cyber Akuma said:
Well, just placed an order for a 2667v2, it was $25.99. Hope this works out.



Yeah, not only the TDP (And it seems like it will cost like $90 or so to retrofit a 3rd party cooler onto this thing) but the 2687W v2s were all going for like $100-120 on eBay. Even the 2697 v2 was going for $40-60, no idea why that one in particular is more than twice as expensive as just about everything else in the E5-1000v2 and E5-2000v2 lineup.
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The 2687Wv2 will run faster overall since it has more power to spread amongst cores even though the max turbo isn't any better and the base clocks don't look like a big difference. The most desirable chips in the Ivy Bridge Xeon lineup for gaming are the 1660v2 and 1680v2. 6 or 8 cores respectively and multiplier overclockable, but that won't do you any good in a Dell workstation. At stock clocks the 2687Wv2 is fastest thanks to the higher default TDP. But given that you'd need a cooler upgrade, it sounds like you don't have official support for a 2687Wv2, the price difference is nearly $100, and it's not your main rig I think you made the right choice with the $26 2667v2.
 
For example Noctua NHU9DXI4 will good for Dell t3610.
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I have in my PC.
CPU e5-2667v2.
 

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Thanks, although I already installed the 2667 v2 about two weeks ago. Did you need to do anything to retrofit that cooler onto the system? From what I saw of people putting an aftermarket cooler (specifically that one) they had to modify it to get it to mount properly.
 
Cyber Akuma said:
Thanks, although I already installed the 2667 v2 about two weeks ago. Did you need to do anything to retrofit that cooler onto the system? From what I saw of people putting an aftermarket cooler (specifically that one) they had to modify it to get it to mount properly.
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No conversions are required to install this cooler, you will need an adapter to connect the power. "DELL 5PIN 4PIN adapter"
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oh yes, it will be necessary to trim the plastics a little, as shown in this photo
IMG_20221110_224245167_1.jpg
 
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