The Precision 3640 has the capability to be converted into a excellent gaming computer.  Precision T3640’s are a single socket Intel Xeon W-12XX, I3, I5, or I9 (10th GEN) based workstation.  There Precision 3640 is a small Mini Tower workstation, making it a very powerful option for small workspaces.  Let us show you how you can build a well-equipped Precision 3640 Gaming PC.

 

Where to buy?

 

If you haven’t already acquired a Precision 3640, we’d recommend checking out a company called Serverworlds. They sell the T3640’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 T3640 with a good processor and memory already installed and then you can source the graphics cards, hard drives, and other optional components to supplement your build.

 

 

What Processor(s) should I get?

 

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

 

Recommended Processors:

 

High Performance Heatsink (T57JF)

Precision T3640 VRM Cooler (2FM4C)

 

I5, I7, & I9

 

Up to 1 x Intel I5-10600 6C 3.40Ghz 12MB 8GTs 65W Processor | 4.80Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SRH37) | Max Memory Speed Supported 2666Mhz

Up to 1 x Intel I5-10600K 6C 4.10Ghz 12MB 8GTs 125W Processor | 4.80Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SRH6R) | Max Memory Speed Supported 2666Mhz

Up to 1 x Intel I5-10700 8C 2.90Ghz 16MB 8GTs 65W Processor | 4.80Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SRH6Y) | Max Memory Speed Supported 2933Mhz

Up to 1 x Intel I7-10700K 8C 3.80Ghz 16MB 8GTs 125W Processor | 5.10Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SRH72) | Max Memory Speed Supported 2933Mhz  ** This Processor runs really hot while gaming**

Up to 1 x Intel I9-10900K 10C 3.7Ghz 20MB 8GTs 125W Processor | 5.30Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SRH91) | Max Memory Speed Supported 2933Mhz

 

Xeon

 

Up to 1 x Intel Xeon W-1250P 6C 4.1Ghz 12MB 8GTs 125W Processor | 4.80Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SRH7H) | Max Memory Speed Supported 2666Mhz

Up to 1 x Intel Xeon W-1270P 8C 3.8Ghz 16MB 8GTs 125W Processor | 5.10Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SRH95) | Max Memory Speed Supported 2933Mhz

Up to 1 x Intel Xeon W-1290P 10C 3.7Ghz 20MB 8GTs 125W Processor | 5.30Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SRH93) | Max Memory Speed Supported 2933Mhz

 

 

How much Memory should I get?

 

32GB of memory is ideal.

 

** 3200Mhz Modules will clock down to 2666Mhz or 2933Mhz depending on the max speed of your processor. **

 

Memory PNs:

 

Non-ECC Modules:

 

8GB 1Rx16 3200Mhz Non-ECC UDIMM DDR4 Module (9CXF2)

16GB 1Rx8 3200Mhz Non-ECC UDIMM DDR4 Module (DK8NX)

16GB 2Rx8 3200Mhz Non-ECC UDIMM DDR4 Module (C5N22)

32GB 2RX8 3200Mhz Non-ECC UDIMM DDR4 Module (732YD)

 

ECC Modules:

 

**YOU CANNOT MIX Non-ECC and ECC MEMORY MODULES**

 

8GB 1RX8 2666Mhz ECC UDIMM DDR4 Module (D715X)

8GB 1RX8 3200Mhz ECC UDIMM DDR4 Module (R8H4H)

16GB 1RX8 3200Mhz ECC UDIMM DDR4 Module (R1WG8)

32GB 2RX8 3200Mhz ECC UDIMM DDR4 Module (9D57R)

 

 

 

 

What Hard Drive should I get?

 

Ideally you would want to have a Solid-State Drive as your boot device as well as storage for faster read speeds.

 

Recommended NVME.2 SSDs:

 

Samsung 990 EVO  – 1TB PCIe NVMe – M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-V9E1T0B/AM)

Samsung 990 EVO  – 2TB PCIe NVMe – M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-V9E2T0B/AM)

Samsung 990 EVO Plus  – 4TB PCIe NVMe – M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-V9S4T0B/AM)

 

Recommended large Capacity SATA Drives:

 

Seagate 8TB IronWolf SATA HDD 7.2K 6Gb/s 3.5″(ST8000VNZ04)

Seagate 12TB IronWolf SATA HDD 7.2K 6Gb/s 3.5″ (ST12000VN0007)

Seagate 16TB Exos SATA HDD 6GB/s 7.2K 3.5″ (ST16000NM000J)

Seagate 24TB Exos SATA HDD 6GB/s 7.2K 3.5″ (ST20000NM007D)

 

What Graphics Card should I get?

 

The precision 3640 supports a 300W, 460W, 550W or 1000W Power Supply.  Make sure you double check your GPU wattage requirements before you purchase an upgrade Graphics Card.

 

Precision 3640 300W Power Supply (XT0W7)

Precision 3640 460W Power Supply (KCFKN)

Precision 3640 550W Power Supply (0VMT9) (JWYTY)

Precision 3640 1000W Power Supply (working on finding this pn)

 

NZXT C850 Gold 850W Power Supply

 

Recommended Graphics Cards:

 

We recommend the 550W PSU for the GPU’s below:

 

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 3060 12GB Graphics Card

 

We recommend the 850W or better PSU for the GPU’s below:

 

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti 8GB Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 3070 8GB Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 3070 Ti 8GB Graphics Card

 

NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti 8GB Graphics Card

 

What type of Monitor should I get?

 

Ideally it would be nice to get a monitor with a 144Hz refresh rate or better monitor.  However, it really depends on the games you play.  If you play first person shooter games a 144Hz 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 well-equipped gaming system using a Precision 3640 Workstation.

 

Sample Configuration:

Precision 3640 Tower Workstation

I7-11700K 8C 3.80Ghz 16MB 8GTs (5.10Ghz Max Turbo Frequency)

32GB PC2933 Non-ECC (4 x 8GB)

2TB Samsung EVO 990 NVMe M.2 SSD

NVIDIA Founders Edition 4060 Ti 8GB Graphics Card

Gigabit Network Onboard

1000W Power Supply

11 Pro 64Bit

 

We have tested this system with games like Dota 2, CS2, PubG, and Overwatch 2,.  The frames can range from 30FPS to 200FPS depending on the game and settings that you choose.  The system was tested using a 144Hz 27″ Acer Monitor.

 

Videos:

How to install an 850W ATX Power Supply into a Precision 3640 Tower Workstation