Using a server motherboard as a workstation pc.

[FalenAngel273]

I have an hp proliant sl160z motherboard and i am trying to use it as a workstation pc, the problem is its EXTREMELY loud.
One way i thought i could solve the issue is to use a sata to pwm adapter and get some 120 mm quiet fans which would cool the cpus directly.

But, the server wont boot without all the fans connected through the power distribution board, even if 1 (out of the 4 ) fans is not connected they will just run at maximum speed until i unplug the power cable, out of fear of damaging my hearing (i am not even kidding).

Anyway i can get around this ?
Some way of making the board think that the fans are connected when in fact they aren't?

Also even if i do, the power supply fan is also fairly loud, not as loud as the rest of the fans, but still, any way i can replace it for a more quiet one?

One way i could solve all of these issues is to use a standard power supply with this board. But is that even possible? Some connections are different but the 24 pin looks the same.

Here is a picture of the board.

Thank you.

 

[jsmithepa]

Some way of making the board think that the fans are connected when in fact they aren't?

If BIOS allows yes, otherwise no.

Honestly, it sounds (punt intended) more trouble than it's worth.

These pre-built stuff, they are always quirky, sometimes even lock the BIOS so you can't change certain things at will.

 

[faalin]

Both my HP DL380's and 360's have 3 different fan settings in the bios. Try getting in there and see if you can set them to the lowest fan setting. I know when you first boot them up the will ramp to full speed then once the bios loads the will calm down. But its a safety features on the servers to have the fans attached.

 

[bambiboom]

I have an hp proliant sl160z motherboard and i am trying to use it as a workstation pc, the problem is its EXTREMELY loud.
One way i thought i could solve the issue is to use a sata to pwm adapter and get some 120 mm quiet fans which would cool the cpus directly.

But, the server wont boot without all the fans connected through the power distribution board, even if 1 (out of the 4 ) fans is not connected they will just run at maximum speed until i unplug the power cable, out of fear of damaging my hearing (i am not even kidding).

Anyway i can get around this ?
Some way of making the board think that the fans are connected when in fact they aren't?

Also even if i do, the power supply fan is also fairly loud, not as loud as the rest of the fans, but still, any way i can replace it for a more quiet one?

One way i could solve all of these issues is to use a standard power supply with this board. But is that even possible? Some connections are different but the 24 pin looks the same.

Here is a picture of the board.

Thank you.

FalenAngel273,

Servers are designed for maximum performance while running continuously for years and the very high air volume produced by all the noisy fans is to protect the $ Thousands CPU's. My office has a Dell Poweredge with a single CPU and it can not be in a room where there is any work going on. It's in the room with printers, plotter, and copiers and even then, the door must be shut all the time.

The situation would be much simpler if the value of the Proliant could be converted into a used workstation: Dell Precision or HP z-series. Unless you have some extreme computing or CPU rendering to do that runs effectively on dual processors - and surprisingly little needs that- I's suggest a single -8-core workstation for example:

Build Your Own HP Z420 Workstation 8C CPU Windows 7 Pro Save A Lot of Money > $530

That listing allows the buyer to select the CPU, RAM, HD, and GPU. For $530: E5-2680 8C @ 2.7/ 3.5GHz, 16GB RAM, 1TB HD,Quadro 600 GPU. Add an SSD and change the GPU if there is visualization or 3D and it will be a much better fit into a workstation environment than a server. We have two z420's and a z620 and they are inaudible from 2' away.

If you do need dual CPU's and a lot of RAM, consider upgrading a used Precision T7600 or HP z820. those can be purchased as barebones or low specification for $500-800. Those have large PSU's and if you're running Matlab or NAMB you can run a Quadro with a Tesla C2075 GPU coprocessor or dual GTX for GPU rendering

Cheers,

BamibBoom

CAD / 3D Modeling / Graphic Design:

HP z420 (2015) (Rev 3) > Xeon E5-1660 v2 (6-core @ 3.7 / 4.0GHz) / 32GB DDR3 -1866 ECC RAM / Quadro K4200 (4GB) / Samsung SM951 M.2 256GB AHCI + Intel 730 480GB (9SSDSC2BP480G4R5) + Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > 600W PSU> > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit > Logitech z2300 speakers > 2X Dell Ultrasharp U2715H (2560 X 1440)
[ Passmark Rating = 5581 > CPU= 14046 / 2D= 838 / 3D= 4694 / Mem= 2777 / Disk= 11559] [6.12.16]

HP z420 (2013)(Rev 2) > Xeon E5-1620 four core @ 3.6 /3.8GHz > 24GB DDR3 ECC 1600 RAM > Quadro 4000(2GB) > Samsung 840 (250GB) WD Black 1TB > > M-Audio 192 soundcard > Linksys WMP600N WiFi
[Passmark system rating = 3815 / CPU = 8985/ 2D= 767 / 3D= 2044/ Mem= 2523 / Disk= 2986]

Analysis / Simulation / Rendering:

HP z620 (2012) (Rev 3) 2X Xeon E5-2690 (8-core @ 2.9 / 3.8GHz) / 64GB DDR3-1600 ECC reg) / Quadro K2200 (4GB) + Tesla M2090 (6GB) / HP Z Turbo Drive (256GB) + Seagate Constellation ES.3 (1TB) / 800W > Windows 7 Professional 64-bit > HP 2711x (27" 1980 X 1080)
[ Passmark System Rating= 5675 / CPU= 22625 / 2D= 815 / 3D = 3580 / Mem = 2522 / Disk = 12640 ] 9.25.16
[Cinebench R15: OpenGL= 115.78 fps / CPU = 2199 cb / Single core 131 cb / MP Ratio 16.84x

Dell Precision T5500 (2011) (Revised) > 2X Xeon X5680 six -core @ 3.33 / 3.6GHz, 24GB DDR3 ECC 1333 > Quadro K2200 (4GB ) > Samsung 840 250GB / WD RE4 Enterprise 1TB > M-Audio 192 sound card > Linksys WMP600N PCI WiFi > 875W PSU > Windows 7 Professional 64> HP 2711x (1920 X 1080)
[ Passmark system rating = 3490 / CPU = 9178 / 2D= 685 / 3D= 3566 / Mem= 1865 / Disk= 2122]

Business, Etc:

Dell Precision T3500 (2011) (Rev 2) Xeon X5677 4-core @ 3.46 / 3.73GHz > 12GB (6X 2GB) DDR3-1333 ECC > Quadro 4000 (2GB) > PERC 6/i + Seagate 300GB 15K SAS ST3300657SS + WD Black 500GB > 525W PSU> Windows 7 Professional 64-bit > 2X Dell 19" LCD
[Passmark system rating = 2751> CPU = 7236 / 2D= 658 / 3D=2020 / Mem= 1875 / Disk=1221]