Blooregard Q. Kazoo wrote:I've had 2 Precision T3500s go belly up in 2 days, both flashing 1-3 error lights (which means a memory error according to Dell's website).
The Dell Precision T3500 easily outperformed older systems, although it lagged somewhat behind the most recent workstations we’ve looked at from HP and Lenovo, owing to Dell’s decision to send us a somewhat slower CPU and graphics accelerator. Still, the T3500 performed quite well on the SPEC viewperf tests.
Both machines also gave no BIOS error beep if I tried to get them to POST with no RAM in them at all. Neither machine would POST at all, regardless of the amount of RAM installed.Anyone else seen this with the T3500s? Is there something else I should be doing?We 35 Dell T3500s that we ordered at one time earlier this year. One, out of the box (mine) had a bad mainboard and I done all of the diagnosing myself before contacting Dell. The other had a bad stick of memory in it.
What I did to diagnose the motherboard was pull out all of the expansion cards and place a good stick of memory from another T3500 in each ram slot. I'd place it in slot 1, power on, no good, power off, slot 2 etc. Then I went on to replace cpu and psu from another T3500 with no luck.
If it's just memory, usually the T3500 will display memory error in bank 1, 2, 3, or 4 like ours did. The motherboard, however, takes a few more steps.Note: the original bad stick of memory was a hynix brand and they replaced it with Samsung I think. As for the motherboard, just a new Dell motherboard with everything including thermal paste. The motherboard never did POST even with all new parts and expansion cards. I had this happen to the only (2) T3500s that I have in the office. The first one, the power supply had to be replaced 3 times in four years (can't remember the codes).
The second one, codes 1 & 3 were flashing. Looked at memory, but memory swap outs did not work. I ordered a new power supply. I put the new refurbished power supply in and it lasted 40 seconds upon boot then the new one died also. Again lights 1 & 3 flashing.
I then swapped the new refurb power supply out with another one in the office and the system works fine. This new power supply from DELL is now on the way for a return replacement. 2 T3500s = 7 Power Supplys total in 4 years!!! ABSOLUTELY REDICULOUS!!! THESE POWER SUPPLYS FOR THE T3500s HAVE TO BE DEFECTIVE!!
For a test, unplug the main wire harness from the power supply, keep a/c plugged in, and push the TEST Button on back of the power supply. The GREEN LIGHT should stay on as long as the test button is pushed with nothing plugged into the harness connection side. I've only started working with the Dell T3500's, and have run across 1 bad power supply already.
However, I have also discovered that if I try and boot up to windows 7 from a USB stick I end up killing the power supply -(i.e. The system won't complete post, and will flash 1 & 3(x4) before shutting itself down). RTCRST didn't fix it - the fix for me was hitting the power supply reset button.
Then I booted up from the stick with Windows XP, did what needed to be done, and then booted up the system itself which is able to run Windows 7. This is so common it's comical. I just replaced another power supply this morning.
We usually see this in our T3400s, but this one was a T3500.Is it bad that I'm glad it was a JUST a power supply? Our T3500s hard drives have a tendency to seize.usually after an update in which we've forced them to reboot. Nothing like forcing them to update and having them say something ingenious like, 'See, this is why I never do updates at home. Updates always break things.' (And they wonder why we now FORCE the updates instead of giving them the option to do them.)I don't mind replacing the occasional power supply. What I absolutely detest is having to talk to the call center people to get them to send me a new one. 'Have you tried this?
Have you tried that?' I tried everything. It's already fixed because I stole a power supply from an unused computer we had on the shelf. Can you just send me the part I'm asking for? If I wanted you to troubleshoot it and/or fix it, I would not be requesting a part, I would be requesting a service call.