Replace CPU in Dell Precision T7920 workstation

timeshifter

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A client is running AutoDesk Inventor and isn't happy with the performance. Last year he spared no expense and bought himself a $5,000 workstation. Looks like we're learning that he doesn't have the right CPU for that application.

The rest of the specs are solid:
Intel Xeon Gold 6138 CPU @ 2.00 GHz
64GB RAM
NVidia Quadro P4000
(2) NVMe drives

I sat with him tonight and watched him work and where it would stall. We watched Resource Monitor and could see the Inventor PID turn red during those times. This was after everything had loaded from disk. He sent me a video where an expert in that field recommended what to buy.


This guy pointed out that Inventor doesn't take advantage of multiple cores and is mostly bound to one thread (core). He also pointed out that if you get a CPU with lots of cores then it will have to run at a lower clock speed for all - vs a CPU with just a couple of core which can run at a higher overall clock speed.

So, thinking about potentially swapping the CPU.

Two concerns:

1) I'm not afraid of swapping CPUs on custom built machines - mine or others. However, I've never done it on an OEM machine like a Dell (that I can remember). I'd wonder about any warranty and the feasibility of actually doing it.

2) Figuring out which CPU to use.

One other thought. I think the machine supports dual CPUs. Wonder if we could install a second CPU (pretty sure you can). But, how do you get the app to use the faster fewer core CPU?
 
Talked to Dell. Adding a second processor would require an identical processor, which makes sense when I think about it. Replacing the processor is OK, but they would not warranty the new processor. They would still honor warranty on rest of system.

Here's the CPUs that are compatible:

Intel Xeon Platinum 82xx processors
Intel Xeon Platinum 81xx processors

Intel Xeon Gold 62xx series processors
Intel Xeon Gold 61xx processors
Intel Xeon Gold 52xx processors
Intel Xeon Gold 51xx processors

Intel Xeon Silver 42xx processors
Intel Xeon Silver 41xx processors

Intel Xeon Bronze 32xx processors
Intel Xeon Bronze 31xx processors

Makes my head spin. Not familiar with these products, would need to do a lot more research. My quick Googling points to the Gold 5222 as having a high clock speed and 4 cores. $1,600!! He'd probably be OK with that, but not sure I like that idea.

Looks like the Bronze and Silver models don't clock very high. Gold has higher clock speeds. Platinum seems like overkill.

If we have to spend well over $1,000 for a more appropriate CPU then maybe we repurpose or sell existing machine?
 
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