The Precision T5820 has all the base components to be converted into a high-end gaming computer.  The Precision T5820 is a single socket Xeon based workstation.  The T5820 Supports up 512GB DDR4 2933Mhz memory and 4 x 3.5″ Hard Drives.  The T5820 also has an optional 950W Power Supply that allows you to install amazing gaming graphics cards.  Let us show you how you can build an effective Precision T5820 Gaming Computer.

 

Where to buy?

 

If you haven’t already acquired a Precision T5820 we’d recommend checking out a company called Serverworlds.  They sell the T5820’s cheap and they provide free ground shipping to the lower 48 states.   You can also try to snag them cheap on Ebay.  However, Ebay can be a bit of a gamble because you never know what you are going to get.

The goal is to purchase the T5820 with a good processor(s) and memory already installed and then you can source the graphics cards, hard drives, and other optional components from other sources.

 

 

What Processor(s) should I get?

 

High Clock speed CPU’s are the way to go.

 

Recommended Processor:

 

Xeon W-21XX Series:

 

Precision T5820 System Board PN: X8DXD and 02KVM will only support Xeon W-21XX processors.

 

Up to 1 x Intel Xeon W-2125 4C 4.0Ghz 8.25MB 8GTs | 4.5Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SR3LM)

Up to 1 x Intel Xeon W-2133 6C 3.6Ghz 8.25MB 8GTs | 3.9Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SR3LL)

Up to 1 x Intel Xeon W-2135 6C 3.7Ghz 8.25MB 8GTs | 4.5Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SR3LN)

Up to 1 x Intel Xeon W-2145 8C 3.70Ghz 11MB 8GTs | 4.5Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SR3LQ)

 

In order for your Precision T5820 to support the processors below, you must have System Board PN: 6JWJY

 

Xeon W-22XX Series:

 

Up to 1 x Intel Xeon W-2235 6C 3.8Ghz 8.25MB 8GTs | 4.6Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SRGVA)

Up to 1 x Intel Xeon W-2245 8C 3.9Ghz 16.5MB 8GTs | 4.7Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SRH02)

Up to 1 x Intel Xeon W-2255 10C 3.7Ghz 19.25MB 8GTs | 4.7Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SRGV8)

Up to 1 x Intel Xeon W-2265 12C 3.5Ghz 19.25MB 8GTs | 4.8Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SRG5Q)

Up to 1 x Intel Xeon W-2275 14C 3.3Ghz 19.25MB 8GTs | 4.8Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SRGSP)

Up to 1 x Intel Xeon W-2295 18C 3.0Ghz 24.75MB 8GTs | 4.6Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SRGSL)

 

I9 Processors:

 

In order for your Precision T5820 to support the processors below, you must have System Board PN: X75JG

Also, the processors below do not support registered memory modules.

 

Up to 1 x Intel Core i9-10900X 10C 3.7Ghz 19.25MB 8GTs | 4.7Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SRGV7)

Up to 1 x Intel Core i9-10920X 12C 3.5Ghz 19.25MB 8GTs | 4.8Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SRGSJ)

Up to 1 x Intel Core i9-10940X 14C 3.3Ghz 19.25MB 8GTs | 4.8Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SRGSH)

Up to 1 x Intel Core i9-10980XE 18C 3.0Ghz 24.75MB 8GTs | 4.8Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SRGSG)

 

Noctua Heatsink for Better Cooling:

 

Noctua NH-U9DX i4

4 Pin to 5 Pin Fan Adapter for Dell System Board

 

 

How much Memory should I get?

 

The base line should be a minimum of 16GB of memory.  However, 24GB to 32GB that would be ideal.

 

Memory PNs:

 

8GB 2666Mhz 1Rx8 DDR4 Reg Module (1VRGY)

8GB PC2933Y 1Rx8 DDR4 Reg Module (C39HP)

16GB 2666Mhz 2Rx8 DDR4 Reg Module (DFK3Y)

16GB 2933Y 2Rx8 DDR4 Reg Module (TFYHP)

32GB 2666Mhz 2Rx4 DDR4 Reg Module (TN78Y)

32GB 2933Y 2Rx4 DDR4 Reg Module (8WKDY)

 

UDimms for I9-10XXX Processors:

 

8GB PC2666 UDIMM (Y7N41 or D715X)

16GB PC2666 UDIMM (VDFYD)

32GB PC2666 UDIMM (983D4)

 

Recommended Memory Configurations:

 

2 x 8GB 2666Mhz ECC Reg Modules (16GB)

4 x 8GB 2666Mhz ECC Reg Modules (32GB)

4 x 16GB 2666Mhz ECC Reg Modules (64GB)

 

 

What Hard Drive should I get?

 

Ideally you would want to have a NVME.2 Solid State Drive as your boot device as well as storage for faster read speeds.  If you are limited on budget you could go with a small NVME.2 SSD for your boot device and a larger capacity 7.2K SATA drive to hold your larger files/programs/games.

 

The T5820 does not have an NVM.2 Slot on the system board. 

 

NVMe Adapters:

 

NVME.2 PCIe SSD Adapter Card

 

Dell Certified NVMe SSD Backplane Kit (NKN20)

Dell 3.5″ NVMe SSD Cage (66XHV)

 

Dell Certified NVMe M.2 Dual Slot NVMe M.2 SSD PCIe Adapter w/Fan (NTRCY)

Dell Certified NVMe M.2 Quad Slot NVMe M.2 SSD PCIe Adapter w/Fan (80G5N)

 

Recommended NVME.2 SSDs:

 

Samsung 980 EVO Series – 500GB NVMe – M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-V8V500B/AM)

Samsung 980 EVO Series – 1TB PCIe NVMe – M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-V8V1T0B/AM)

Crucial P5 NVMe M.2 1TB SSD (CT1000P5SSD8)

Samsung 980 EVO Pro Series – 2TB PCIe NVMe – M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-V8P2T0B/A)

Sabrent Rocket 4TB M.2 SSD (SB-RKTQ-4TB)

 

Recommended large Capacity SATA Drives:

 

Seagate 2TB BarraCuda SATA 6 Gb/s 7200 RPM 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch Desktop Hard Drive (ST2000DM006)

Seagate 3TB Barracuda SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal HDD (ST3000DM008)

Seagate 6TB IronWolf SATA HDD 6Gb/s 256MB Cache 3.5″(ST6000VN0033)

 

Recommended SSD Drives:

 

Samsung 870 Evo 500GB 2.5 inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-77E500)

Samsung 870 EVO 1TB 2.5 Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-77E1T0B/AM)

Samsung 870 EVO 2TB 2.5 Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-77E20B/AM)

Samsung 870 EVO 4TB 2.5 Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-77E4T0B/AM)

 

Raid Controllers:

 

Avago Mega Raid 9440-8i 12GBPS HBA Controller

Avago Mega Raid 9460-16i 12GBPS Raid Controller w/Backplane Kit

 

 

What Graphics Card should I get?

 

The Precision T5820 features a standard 950W Power Supply.  The 950W Power Supply will give you pretty much endless options for graphics cards.

 

Recommended Graphics Cards:

 

EVGA NVIDIA GTX1660 Ti 6GB Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA GTX1070 8GB SC Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA GTX1070TI 8GB Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA GTX1080 SC 8GB Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA GTX1080 TI 11GB SC2 ICX Technology Graphics Card

 

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 2060 6GB Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 2060 Super 6GB Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 2070 8GB Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 2070 Super 8GB Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 2080 8GB Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 2080 Super 8GB Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 2080 Ti 11GB Graphics Card

 

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 3060 12GB Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti 8GB Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 3070 8GB Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 3070 Ti 8GB Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 3080 10GB Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti 12GB Graphics Card

 

What type of Monitor should I get?

 

Ideally it would be nice to get a monitor with a 144Hz or 244hz refresh rate or better monitor.  However, it really depends on the games you play.  If you play first person shooter games a 144hz or 240Hz or better monitor is a must.  If you play other games that do not require quick response time then a 60hz monitor should work fine.

 

Recommended Monitors:

 

ASUS PG248Q Full HD 144Hz 1MS 24″ Gaming Monitor

ASUS VG278Q Full HD 1080P 144Hz 1MS 27″ Gaming Monitor

ASUS XG258Q ROG Strix 24.5″ 1080P 240Hz 1MS Gaming Monitor

ASUS VG279QM  TUF Gaming 27″ 280Hz 1MS Gaming Monitor

 

Recap:

 

Using the criteria above you can help you build a high-end gaming system using a Precision T5820 Workstation.

 

Sample Configuration:

 

Precision T5820 Workstation

Noctua NH-U9DX i4 Aftermarket Heatsink

Intel I9-10900X 10C 3.70Ghz 19.25MB 8GTs (4.7Ghz Max Frequency)

32GB PC2666Mhz (4 x 8GB)

Samsung 970 1TB NVME.2 SSD w/PCIe Adapter

EVGA RTX 2080 TI w/8GB  Graphics Card

1 x 10/100/1000 Network Port

950W Power Supply

DVD-RW

10 Pro 64Bit

 

We have tested this system with games like Dota 2, CS Go, PubG, Overwatch, and The Division.  The frames can range from 90FPS to 200FPS depending on the game and settings that you choose.  The system was tested using a 240Hz 24.5″ Asus Monitor.