Just received my Intel workstation last night and started tearing it down. Some people requested pics of the internals so here they are.
Work I’ve already done in these pictures:
Updated BIOS
Replaced front and rear 120mm fans with Arctic P12
Installed new RAM
Removed optical drive
Removed hotswap cage for some of the pictures in order to show the internals
Disconnected a lot of cables just to work on the inside
Removed old raid card and installed addon LSI
Removed 56k fax modem and installed SATA3 card (mobo is SATA2)
Removed 92mm fan at rear of HSBP
To-do:
Find CPU coolers. The rear CPU can take a full sized tower cooler, but the front CPU only has a clearance of ~76mm. Any recommendations for a low profile LGA 1366 cooler are welcome
Install dual L5640s
Install SAS drives when I get them
Notes:
This is an absolute unit. With how heavy it is, this ebay seller must have razor thin or non-existent margins shipping this for free
Stock CPU cooler is a jet engine
As stated before, the front CPU requires a low profile cooler
Due to the mounting bracket. Besides that, it doesn’t even list socket 1366 compatibility.
Make sure it’s 1366 compatible, plus it needs to be the type that doesn’t use standoffs and screws down from the top of the motheboard, since the Xeon backplate is not removable.
Hmm TIL, thanks. It was suggested on Discord to just replace the stock cooler fan and stick that on the front cpu, and I may try to do that first before buying a whole new cooler for $35. I need to take a look at how the fan is attached though.
I got the cheapest LSI I could find on eBay and the SATA3 card listed in the link above by faultline. FYI for anyone thinking of buying, the system comes with SAS-only breakouts for the HSBP, which I plan to reuse with my new LSI. HSBP has separate power direct from the PSU. I bought separate SAS breakout cables thinking I’d need them, but I don’t think I do now.
