Dell XPS 730x
The Dell XPS 730x is an eXtreme Performance System for gaming and high-performance computing[1] released November 16, 2008[2] and ended life in August 2009.[1] The XPS 730 series was unique in that they had user-serviceable non-proprietary standard ATX-size computer components that allowed the user to upgrade the components through an Exchange Program.[3]
History
Need history details based on XPS 700 "User Upgradable" series
Differences between 730 and 730x
There were a number of differences between the 730 and 730x series.
| Component | XPS 730 | XPS 730x |
|---|---|---|
| CPU Types | Intel Core 2 Quad | Intel Core i7 (First-Generation) |
| Socket | LGA 775 | LGA 1366 |
| Chipset | Nvidia nForce 790i | Intel X58 |
| Theater Lighting | Not available | Standard on all models |
| Motherboard Tray | No lip allowing for E-ATX and XL-ATX motherboards | Has a re-enforced lip that must be removed to fit an E-ATX or XL-ATX motherboard |
| Chassis Colors | Victory Red, Brushed Aluminum, Stealth Blue, Black[4] | Victory Red, Brushed Aluminum, Stealth Blue |
Warranty and Support
Dell warranty support was available until August 2012.[5]
Dell stopped internal development support for the XPS 730x in August, 2009[6] and has not released any updated BIOS nor software since.
OEM Software
Amongst Dell's normal line of software installed, there were two pieces of software that was unique to the XPS systems.
Alienware AlienFX
The Alienware AlienFX application is Dell proprietary application used to control the LED "Zones" for lighting. One internal and four external zones were configurable to show 15 different colors (plus "black" which effectively turned off the LED for that zone). Once a configuration has been set, the configuration could be saved to a Profile.
The AlienFX application also had the ability to hook into a few 3rd party application events, such as New Mail notification from Microsoft Outlook's email client.
Dell XPS Thermal Monitor
The Dell XPS Thermal Monitor application is a Dell proprietary application used to control a number of chassis devices. The three devices that can be manually controlled are:
- PCI Cage Fan
- Front CPU Fan
- HDD Cage Fan
Amongst direct control of these fans, the software is able to monitor additional devices. They are:
- Rear CPU Fan
- CPU Pump: Used only in the H2C Water Cooling models
- ESA Board Temp: via a sensor on the Master Control Board
- Front Temp: via a front-mounted sensor connected to the Master Control Board
- Rear Temp: Possibly via the rear LED panel, unconfirmed at time of writing
- Internal Temp: Unknown location
- Ambient Temp: Possibly via a sensor on the motherboard
Using these sensors, the XPS Thermal Monitoring software is able to monitor these inputs and adjust the fans automatically. When the software is set to Automatic, the software itself does not manage the fan and water pump speeds. Instead, it signals the Master Control Board to monitor the inputs and adjust the speeds accordingly.[7]
There is also an option to override the automatic operations of the Master Control Board for the three devices listed above. Unchecking the Automatic configuration allows a user to manually set the speeds of the fan, or to build an custom monitor curve based on temp inputs.
Chassis
The aluminum chassis was built and assembled in Japan[8] and shipped overseas for installation of internal parts. The case is an ATX and BTX hybrid design that mounts the motherboard from the right-side of the case, up-side-down compared to normal ATX cases. This places the CPU at the lowest point in the case, which allows the CPU's fan to receive the coolest amount of air for overclocking.[9]
The internal space is segmented between an upper chamber and a lower chamber. The upper chamber houses four (4) 5.25" drive bays, two (2) 3.5" front-mounted bays for Dell USB accessories, four (4) 3.5" drive bays mounted transversely with a dedicated server-grade high-speed 80x25mm PWM fan, and the oversized Power Supply Unit. The lower chamber consists of two server-grade high-speed 120x38mm PWM fans mounted in the front in special fan housings that includes separate detachable shrouds, the Dell Master Control Board which monitors all inputs as well as controlling all system LEDs and Fans, CPU cooling assembly, and the motherboard assembly.
The physical chassis is also structurally different from the majority of PC cases and towers that use a stamped steel construction. The Dell XPS 730 and 730X chassis uses a sheetmetal skeleton frame as the core to give it structural integrity, with the outer upper, lower and left panels glued onto this frame. The outer panels are 2.5mm thick aluminum which creates a very robust and sturdy structure.
The XPS 730x chassis was available in three (3) colors:
- Anodized Red or sometimes called Victory Red
- Brushed Aluminum
- Stealth Blue
In addition, there was an optional "X" side panel with clear Plexiglas allowing the internal components to be visible from the outside.
Fans
There are a number of fans located in the chassis, and depending on what model (H2C vs. non-H2C versions), different fans were used in different places.
These fans are usually considered server-grade because of their high static air-flows and Pulse-width modulation (a.k.a. PWM) regulation of speed.
Upper Chamber Fan
The upper chamber has only one fan, an 80mm x 80mm x 25mm PWM fan with general specifications of 12VDC, 0.275 Amps with a minimal airflow of 33 CFM (unknown max). It is used to cool the four HDD bays by drawing air over the front two, and push air over the rear two.
A number of different fans came in the XPS 730/730X systems in this position, but they generally all have the same measurements such as the Nidec MX940 M35613-35DEL2.
This is also one of the loudest fans in the system. Replacing it with an 80x80x25 PWM fan is usually a direct plug-n-play since there are a large number of these available.
Lower Chamber / Front Fans
The lower chamber has a number of different fans. The front-section consists of two 120mm x 120mm x 38mm axial PWM fans with general specifications of 12VDC, 1.4 Amps, 16.8 Watts, 4000RPM max, Airflow: 160 CFM, Static pressure: 0.883 IN H2O, dual-ball bearings.[10] A number of different fans also came in these positions, but generally they all have the same measurements such as the Nidec TA450DC.
The H2C's "Rear Fan"
This fan is actually used to cool the CPU's voltage regulator modules. It is mounted on the H2C's assembly and wired through the H2C connector.
The fan is a 60mm x 60mm x 20mm fan with the general specifications of Airflow: 12.4 - 18.0 CFM, Static pressure: 2.2 - 4.4 mm H2O.[11]
With the stock system, the system owner has control over the speed of this fan to limit the noise it generates.
Non-H2C "Rear Fan"
Unlike the name suggests, this fan is actually used to directly cool the CPU's heatsink. It is a 90mm x 90mm x 38mm fan.
The system owner is not able to control the speed of this fan since it is controlled by the master control board.
Note that with non-H2C systems that use this fan, it is often the loudest fan in the system. At system start-up, it immediately is set to 100% duty cycle (full speed) for several seconds while the system performs a number of self-checks.
Motherboard
The motherboard is Dell P/N P270J and uses the Intel X58 chipset. It is a standard full ATX motherboard size and design and operates like any other ATX motherboard in regard to using a standard 24-pin and 8-pin power connectors. It has a standard PWM 4-pin CPU header and several 3-pin chassis pin headers.
The motherboard itself could be removed and installed into a normal ATX chassis with different ATX power supplies. There is no wiring or physical difference than standard aftermarket ATX motherboards, other than the Dell branding.
Features
Primarily, its core features were:
PCI-E Configuration
The 36 lanes allows for up to 3-way SLI/Crossfire[12] native to the chipset. The PCI-E slots are assigned as follows:
- PCI_E1: x16 Physical, x16 Link (IOH)
- PCI_E2: x1 Physical, x1 Link (ICH10)
- PCI_E3: x16 Physical, x16/x8[13] Links (IOH)
- PCI_E4: x1 Physical, x1 Link (ICH10)
- PCI_E5: x16 Physical, x8 Link (IOH)
The PCI-E Bandwidth Links when using multiple GPUs are as follows:[12]
| PCI_E1 | PCI_E3 | PCI_E5 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GPU | x16 | Unoccupied | Unoccupied |
| 2 GPUs[14] | x16 | Unoccupied | x8 |
| 2 GPUs | x16 | x16 | Unoccupied |
| 3 GPUs[15] | x16 | x8 | x8 |
In addition to the three (3) PCI-E x16 "green" slots, the two PCI-E x1 slots and the single PCI slot go through the Northbridge controller. The motherboard is a standard ATX size, and is rumored to be manufactured by MSI or Foxconn. It accepts standard ATX 24-pin power.
The OEM motherboard is the same motherboard as the Alienware Area-51 ALX motherboard.[16] The only difference is the BIOS. See BIOS versions below for updating to the latest Alienware bios to enable additional support for newer RAM and CPUs.
Version 1.0.5
The last BIOS released from Dell was version 1.0.5. This version has a number of limitations, most notable:
- Memory SPD tRFC setting for DDR3 SDRAM is limited to 100. This limits the use of memory to 2 GB DIMM sticks.[12][17]
- Limited eXtreme Memory Profile support for Profile 1 and very limited Profile 2 memory profiles.[12]
- Limited overclocking support. PCH Voltages do not change, though being set in the bios.
- Limited failed overclocking recovery. Have to reset the BIOS often via motherboard jumper.
A number of users have installed 12 GB (3 x 4GB DIMM sticks) with this bios version. However, while the BIOS will register the full amount of ram, memory errors and system instability may occur because of the tRFC limitation of 100.[12] Memory manufacturers of DDR3 SDRAM memory sticks being 4 GB or greater in size and running at 1600 MHz requires at least an tRFC setting of 122 or higher.[17]
A BIOS upgrade to Alienware A10 or higher is required to increase the rRFC limit to 150, which allows for 12 GB (3 x 4 GB) support, as well as enabling additional XMP Profile 1 and 2 support.[12]
Version 1.0.6
The last production machines sold by Dell, and replaced under warranty, shipped with version 1.0.6 in them.[18] This version was never released on Dell's website. It retains the same limitations as the 1.0.5, except the PCH voltage are now adjustable and some overclocking recovery options have been added.
BIOS Upgrades
List information about 1.0.6 forced upgrades, and Alienware A10 forced upgrades
Upgrading BIOS to Dell 1.0.6
List special information on how to install the non-released 1.0.6 version
Cross-flashing to the Alienware A10 BIOS
The Dell XPS 730X series has the identical X58 motherboard that is found in the Alienware Aurora ALX R1 series. While Dell disconnected internal support of the XPS 730X machine, Dell continued to release BIOS updates to the Alienware Aurora ALX R1 series with support for six-core CPUs, 4 GB RAM sticks, additional XMP Memory Profiles support (including Profile 2), failed overclocking recovery and more.
In attempt to upgrade the XPS 730X, Eric Duncan first extracted the BIOS binary file from the Alienware A10 BIOS upgrade package for the Alienware Aurora ALX R1 series and by using AMI BIOS tools was able to cross-flash the Dell XPS 730X X58 motherboard with success. This was packaged up and released to the public on July 17, 2011 on the Facebook XPS 730X user group under the title "Alienware Area-51 ALX BIOS Upgrade for XPS 730x.[19][20]
One should be aware of the limitations of the Alienware A10 cross-flash:
- Power-Button Light will flash On/Off constantly when the machine is powered off. This is due to the BIOS that expects to be connected to the Aurora ALX R1 chassis lighting to "pulsate" on/off when the machine is off.
- Inability to use Dell's Alienware LightFX application to control the LEDs (must use NVidia's "System Tools w/ESA support").
- Inability to use Dell's Thermal XPS application to control the case fans (must use NVidia's "System Tools w/ESA support").
ATI GPU users will not able to control any chassis fans or LEDs with this process.
Nvidia GPU users may install the Nvidia control panel software, and then the NVidia's "System Tools w/ESA support" addon to control the LEDs and fans.
Cross-flashing to the modified Alienware A11b BIOS
As mentioned with the A10 cross-flash above, the motherboard is identical to the Alienware Aurora ALX R1 series.
A Facebook user by the name of TKMods worked with Eric Duncan to create and release a modified Alienware Aurora ALX R1 BIOS version A11. The BIOS was modified and enhanced with a number of enhancements and fixes including:
- CPU microcode with all Intel Gulftown series CPUs including the six-core Intel Core i7 980X and 990X Extreme CPUs.
- BIOS strings/DMI values set back to 730X 1.0.5 values. This allows the AlienFx and XPS Thermal applications to install and function normally.
- BIOS logo screen image changed from the Alienware head to an "XPS" logo to better symbolize XPS 730X.
- Intel ICH10R RAID Option ROM firmware upgraded to v10.8.0.1303 (12/2011). Requires Intel RST driver v10.8.0.1003 (or higher).
- Silicon Image SATA controller (Sil3132) changes Device Id requiring a different driver to be installed.
This BIOS version was packaged and released under the version XPS 730X A11b. The "b" is significant as it includes a number of bug fixes from the initial A11a release.
Before upgrading, users must be aware of the following downsides:
- The power light will continue to flash on/off while powered off.
- The power light will remain on and constant while in sleep mode.
This can resolved a number of different ways, such as pulling pin #1 from the front Panel I/O cable connector to the motherboard.
Motherboard Tray
Info about the special motherboard tray and ATX, E-ATX and XL-ATX 8-slot support.
Master Control Board (MCB)
Rather than having the control mechanism integrated into the H2C unit, the pump, fans and TEC are controlled separately by a Dell daughterboard, the Master Control Board (MCB). The MCB uses Enthusiast System Architecture (ESA) to monitor and control the pump, fans and TEC in addition to controlling the XPS LED lights, other fans, and sensors. The H2C cooling and LED lighting system cannot be reused in another computer case without the MCB or custom-made control circuits to take its place.
Nvidia System Tools
Because the MCB is based on Nvidia's ESA technology, it is open to be controlled via non-Dell software.[7] Currently the only software available is Nvidia's System Tools which is available as a plug-in for Nvidia's Control Panel that comes with every Nvidia driver install.
Using ATI Graphics Cards
The control software from nVidia will not install if no other nVidia products (such as a graphics card, chipset or drive controller) are present in the PC. The software can be installed if the motherboard uses an nVidia chipset, or if an nVidia graphics card is used as the primary display adapter. In a PC with an ATI/AMD graphics card as the primary display adapter, and no nVidia chipset on the motherboard, an option is to install a secondary graphics card with a nVidia GPU.
Front Temp Sensor
Need detailed information
Master Control Board Tray
Info about MCB tray and Fans mounting.
Power Supply Unit (PSU)
The Dell 1000 Watt PSU is an oversized (taller and wider) than standard ATX Power supply units, although it does use the standard ATX bolt pattern to secure it to the chassis. The PSU also has a detachable wiring harness allowing for removal of the PSU for replacement without having to disconnect all powered accessories. This power supply is the same supply used in the Dell Precision T7400 and T7500 series workstations.
Multi-GPU Support
The stock PSU comes with four (4) 6-pin connectors. Each pair is colored differently and each pair is on a dedicated 12V rail. This configuration easily supports two (2) GPUs with two (2) 6-pin power connectors each. To support three (3) GPUs, or two (2) GPUs with 8-pin power connectors, a person could use a combination of Molex connectors, or upgrade the PSU to an aftermarket unit (see upgrades below).
10-pin Master Control Board connector
The stock PSU comes with a proprietary 10-pin power connector for the Master Control Board. It is hardwired into the wiring harness. If changing the PSU, it is required to modify the new PSU to use this same 10-pin connector to power the Master Control Board for all LEDs, Fans and sensor inputs.
H2C Water Cooling
The XPS 730x uses H2Ceramic cooling, also often called H2C. H2C is a two-stage Liquid/Thermoelectric (TEC) hybrid cooling system that combines a liquid-to-air heat exchanger, a thermoelectric fluid chiller, and control circuitry to optimize CPU cooling.
Theater Lighting
Another Dell-exclusive only available on the XPS 730X systems was Theater Lighting. It consists of four (4) strategically placed super-bright white Light-emitting diodes (LED) powered by two (2) AA batteries that help system builders see inside of their case for maintenance. These normally stay off until the side cover is removed. When the cover is removed, the lights are turned on and remain on until the cover is placed back on. Since the lights operate on batteries, they remain active even if the power is disconnected from the system.
There are five main parts to the system:
- Theater Lighting "Unit" Module, located on the side of the 5.25" cage.
- (4) LEDs connected via long wires.
The LEDs were attached with simple double-sided tape in the general vicinity of the top panel between the rear of the 5.25" cage and the front of the PSU, above expansion slots attached under the median barrier, on the rear panel above the rear I/O ports, and on the bottom panel placed near the RAM location.
Aftermarket Upgrades
The Dell XPS 730 / 730X uses standard ATX components. Because of this, users are able to upgrade the internal components to newer aftermarket versions. Depending on the component being upgraded, some custom wiring may be needed.
Upgrading Motherboard
State the case is actually an 8-slot case, allowing for XL-ATX. Though the top 8th slot only allows for a single-slot width card to be installed and is an extremely tight fit with the chamber divider in the case.
ATX Form Factor
The Dell XPS 730X uses the industry standard ATX form factor making it easy to mount any aftermarket unit.
The motherboard tray can be modified to allow fitting of E-ATX or Extended ATX motherboards. E-ATX is not an industry standard, but its general definition is extending a normal ATX from 9.6 in (244mm) to something wider. It is not uncommon for some E-ATX boards to reach 11 in (274mm) in width. But all E-ATX motherboards should be confined to 12 in (305mm) in height, allowing them to fit the Dell XPS 730X motherboard tray.
Dell's Front Panel I/O Connector
A common concern when swapping motherboards with an aftermarket unit is the front panel I/O connector. This front panel connector for the Dell XPS 730 and 730X chassis uses a USB-like interface, though the pins are different for the front panel (power switch, power light, hdd light, etc.).
Dell used the industry standard (industry specification needs to be stated here) USB-like front-panel connector that is compatible with several mainstream motherboard manufacturers such as MSI, ASRock, EVGA and so on. The XPS 730/730X front panel connector is a direct fit and properly wired for these types of motherboards.
Other motherboard manufacturers do not use this USB-like interface and opt to use direct pinouts. If you attempt to use a motherboard of an alternate brand, you must wire the front-panel connector manually by disassembling the connector and using the Dell XPS 730X pinout guide for the front-panel I/O to figure out what pin goes where (pictures needed). There are some additional options, such as USB debugging pinouts that make it easier (picture and reference number needed).
Upgrading CPU
List info about support CPUs in 1.0.5-1.0.6, as well as Alienware A10 bios
Upgrading H2C Water Cooling Unit
Basic Upgrade Info Any cooling unit of equal size or smaller will work as long as it will fit on a lga 1366 processor slot. List information about 120mm replaceable units
Upgrading GPUs
List upgrading on OEM mobo and PSU.
List full-card length support. E.g. ATI cards
List issues with Nvidia System Tools with ATI cards
Upgrading Power Supply Unit
The 10-pin power connector for the MCB is not supported by standard ATX power supply units. However, unofficial 24-pin to 24-pin + 10-pin adaptors can be found on sites such as ebay.[21]
Upgrading Fans
It is not generally needed to upgrade the OEM fans. All fans are of server-grade quality, being extreme high-speed fans that move a very generous amount of air. Just about no aftermarket fan can move as much CFM as the OEM fans, except other server-grade high-speed fans.
List info about Dell's 5-pin connector
Inform about Master Control Board's controller
Upgrading RAM
Reference information about 1.0.6 limitations above.
Upgrading Harddrives
SATA Revision 2.0 motherboard
List information about standards for case cooling that the XPS 730x complies with, allowing for hot Wester Digital VelociRaptors to be installed
References
- As stated through Dell, Inc.
- "Wikipedia: Dell XPS."
- "Dell XPS 720 Red System; Details About the XPS 700 Exchange Program - Direct2Dell - Direct2Dell - Dell Community". En.community.dell.com. 2007-06-14. Retrieved 2012-01-03.
- Warranty replacements came in a non-clearcoat black color if the none of the primary colors were not available.
- Up to 3 years of support was available based on date of purchase. Dell stopped taking orders in August 2009.
- Attempted to contact Dell for confirmation
- Per development by Eric Duncan of the ESA and Nvidia's API, and also the monitoring of sensors listed above when application was running and not running.
- As noted per Japanese QA language stamping on the inside of the case
- Per Convection principals
- [Nidec Corporation|http://www.nidecamerica.com]
- [Vette Corp|http://www.wakefield-vette.com/resource-center/downloads/brochures/Fan-Product.pdf]
- As confirmed by Eric Duncan in testing
- Inserting a card into PCI_E5 switches this to x8 mode
- Recommended in the Dell owner's manual for better cooling.
- See OEM PSU limitations
- Confirmed by Dell Support Representative
- Mushkin and Patriot representatives during support calls
- Confirmed by numerous users
- https://www.facebook.com/notes/the-dell-xps-730-730x-group/alienware-area-51-alx-bios-upgrade-for-xps-730x/10150216132561734
- https://www.facebook.com/groups/93963126733/
- https://www.ebay.com/itm/SLEEVED-EPS-24-PIN-Y-SPLIT-TO-1-x-EPS-24-PIN-1-x-10-PIN-FOR-DELL-XPS-730-MCB-/253840442690
External links
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