So you have a Precision T3600, Huh?  Why not use it as a gaming computer?  The Precision T3600 is a single socket CPU DDR3 based Xeon workstation.  The T3600 supports up to 64GB DDR3 1600Mhz Memory and 2 x Internal SATA Hard Drives.  It is important to note that the Precision T3600 has 2 different power supply options, 425W and 635W.  You’ll want to make sure your system has a 635W Power Supply before you get serious about gaming with it.  Let us show you how you can build an effective Precision T3600 Gaming PC.

 

Where to buy?

 

If you haven’t already acquired a Precision T3600 we’d recommend checking out a company called Serverworlds.  They sell the T3600’s cheap and they provide free ground shipping to the lower 48 states.  You can click on this link and it’ll bring you directly to there T3600 Page: Precision T3600 Link.  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 T3600 with a good processor and memory already installed and then you can source the graphics cards, hard drives, and other optional components from other sources.

 

 

 

What Processor should I get?

 

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

 

Recommended Processors:

 

Intel Xeon E5-1620 QC 3.6Ghz 10MB Processor | 3.8 Max Turbo Frequency (SR0LC)

Intel Xeon E5-2643 QC 3.33Ghz 10MB 8GTs Processor | 3.5Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SR0L7)

Intel Xeon E5-1650 6C 3.2Ghz 12MB Processor | 3.8Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SR0KZ)

Intel Xeon E5-1660 6C 3.30Ghz 15MB 130W Processor | 3.9Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SR0KN)

Intel Xeon E5-2667 6C 2.90Ghz 15MB 8GTs Processor | 3.5Ghz Max Turbo Frequency (SR0KP)

Intel Xeon E5-2687W 8C 3.1Ghz 20MB 8GTs Processor | 3.8 Max Turbo Frequency (SR0KG)

 

 

 

How much Memory should I get?

 

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

 

Memory PNs:

 

4GB 2Rx8 ECC 12800R DDR3 Module (D65JJ)

4GB 1Rx8 ECC 12800R PC3L DDR3 Module (N1TP1)

8GB 2Rx4 ECC 12800R PC3L DDR3 Module (RVY55)

8GB 2Rx4 ECC 12800R PC3 DDR3 Module (RYK18)

8GB 1Rx4 ECC 12800R PC3L DDR3 Module (RKR5J)

16GB 2Rx4 ECC 12800R DDR3 Module (JDF1M)

16GB 2Rx4 ECC 12800R PC3L DDR3 Module (20D6F)

 

Recommended Memory configurations:

 

4 x 4GB PC12800R ECC Reg Modules (16GB)

6 x 4GB PC12800R ECC Reg Modules (24GB)

4 x 8GB PC12800R ECC Reg Modules (32GB)

6 x 8GB PC12800R ECC Reg Modules (48GB)

 

It’s very important to use 12800R modules because they will run at the max speed supported by the system board and processor.

 

 

 

What Hard Drive should I get?

 

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

 

Recommended SSD Drives:

 

Samsung 860 EVO 1TB 2.5 Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-76E1T0B/AM)

Samsung 860 Evo 500GB 2.5 inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-76E500B/AM)

 

 

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)

 

*NVME.2 Drives cannot be used as a boot device with this model workstation*

 

NVME.2 PCIe Adapter (You need this if you plan to install an NVME.2 Drive in to this system):

 

NVME.2 SSD Adapter *Required to Install NVME.2*

 

Recommended NVME.2 SSDs:

 

WD Black 512GB M.2 2280 PCIe NVME SSD (WDS512G1X0C)

Samsung 960 EVO Series – 500GB NVMe – M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-V6E500BW)

Samsung 960 EVO Series – 1TB PCIe NVMe – M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-V6E1T0BW)

 

 

 

What Graphics Card should I get?

 

This is where it gets a little tricky.  The precision T3600 supports a 425W or 635W Power Supply.  Make sure your system has a 635W Power Supply before you upgrade your graphics card.  We do not recommend running an SLI in the Precision T3600 because it does not have sufficient power to support it.

 

Precision T3600 635W Power Supply (NVC7F)

Precision T3600 PDB Dual 6 Pin Upgrade Cable (D92C9)

 

Recommended Graphics Cards:

 

NVIDIA GTX1050 TI 4GB Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA GTX1660 Ti 6GB Graphics Card

 

If you upgrade your power supply to 635W or more:

 

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 8GB Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 2070 8GB Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 2070 Super Graphics Card

 

Expect Some Strong Bottle-necking if you install these Graphics Cards:

 

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 2080 8GB Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 2080 Super 8GB Graphics Card

EVGA NVIDIA RTX 2080 Ti 11GB 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  27″ 280Hz (240Hz) Gaming Monitor

 

 

Recap:

 

Using the criteria above you can build a good, great, or even borderline spectacular gaming system using a Precision T3600 Workstation.

 

Sample Configuration:

 

Precision T3600 Workstation

Xeon QC E5-2643 3.3Ghz 10MB 8GTs

16GB PC12800R ECC Reg (4 x 4GB)

Samsung 256GB 6GBPS SSD + Seagate 2TB SATA 7.2K 6GBPS HDD

GTX1060 w/6GB  Graphics Card

1 x 10/100/1000 Network Port

635W Power Supply

DVD-RW

10 Pro 64Bit

We have tested this system with games like Dota 2, CS Go, PubG, and The Division.  The frames can range from 60FPS to 200FPS depending on the game and settings that you choose.  The system was tested using a 144Hz 27″ Acer Monitor.

 

Videos:

 

Precision T3600 Gaming Computer Build

Precision T3600 Memory Install