R710 and 2600

[Zisconnected]

Hey all! I was lucky enough to get these two machines for free in working order. Would HexOS work with these systems? Does anyone have experience installing HexOS on them? Just wondering what I'm getting myself into before getting into it. Thanks in advance! 

[Creative0100]

I have 2 instances on R710s running proxmox, not bare metal. No issues at all this way for me. 

[Zisconnected]

36 minutes ago, Creative0100 said:

I have 2 instances on R710s running proxmox, not bare metal. No issues at all this way for me. 

I'm sorry I'm new to this. What does bare metal mean? Do you mean that it's currently running in a virtual environment? Thanks for your reply! 

[Creative0100]

correct. Bare metal means installed directly like an OS and not virtually. 
Proxmox is my choice of hypervisor.

[Zisconnected]

On 7/27/2025 at 11:59 AM, Creative0100 said:

correct. Bare metal means installed directly like an OS and not virtually. 
Proxmox is my choice of hypervisor.

So I finally cracked open the R710 server. I have a single 5520 and 2 - 2gb sticks of ram. I looked on ebay and found matching 5690's for only 50 dollars. Do you think it's worth having 2 2690s?thakks!

[ubergeek]

I question what HBA is in the devices

 

[Duncan Innes]

Personal opinion inbound:

Yes to the jump from a single quad core CPU to two hex core CPUs.  But you really need more RAM as well.

I would definitely go for more RAM as HexOS requirements state 8Gb minimum and you only have half that.  See what kind of cost various RAM upgrade options are.  Aim for 8Gb minimum, but see what prices you can get for 16, 32 or higher kits.  Registered if possible, as that gives the highest ceiling overall.

As mentioned by @ubergeek - knowing which HBA is in the system is also key for your storage options.

[Zisconnected]

22 hours ago, ubergeek said:

I question what HBA is in the devices

 

I will check the HBA this weekend and report back.  The only thing left to source would be RAM, how much and what type.  Would I want to populate all 3 channels?  From what I've found so far it seems getting it maxed out would be relatively inexpensive since the unit was free.

2 - 5690's  -  $50

Heatsink  -  $5 to $10

Fan (one is not populated  -  $10

RAM - Page 129 : Shows some of my options.  What would be the best option for me in populating the slots on each side if I went with dual CPU's?

 

I'm excited to get this up and running.  Thank you for all of your insights!

[Zisconnected]

I don't know how helpful this image is of the R710 but here it is in its filthy glory

[ubergeek]

You might have to cross flash the Hxxx card for "it HBA" mode linked HERE>>>>

I had mine fully populated with 4gb sticks "they are cheap " if you can get 8's snag them