PC6400 DDR2 runs at 400Mhz, but it uses the leading and falling edge to give you 800Mhz effective throughput. The memory is clocked as it should be. My upgraded 490 is a server not an OC'd workstation Stability is the key.

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John
WHS: HP EX490 (upgraded CPU Q8400S, 4GB RAM), VSS VGA Cable + PS/2, 7x 1.5TB Samsung, and Edgestore 5 bay ESATA
WHS: Tranquil SQA-5H 2000 3x1TB + 2x1.5TB Samsung

I have a E6550. Is that good or way to much firepower

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EX490
CPU E6550
8TB HDD's
2GB RAM

According to the Intel spec, the chip is a Max TDP of 65W. As long as you apply a good quality thermal compound, then it should work.

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John
WHS: HP EX490 (upgraded CPU Q8400S, 4GB RAM), VSS VGA Cable + PS/2, 7x 1.5TB Samsung, and Edgestore 5 bay ESATA
WHS: Tranquil SQA-5H 2000 3x1TB + 2x1.5TB Samsung

Is arctic silver good. I use the server really to only stream Mkv movies to my ps3. I would love for it to work on my iPhone but it doesn't

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EX490
CPU E6550
8TB HDD's
2GB RAM

Arctic Silver is great. Just be sure to read the mfgr.'s application instructions.

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Gary J

was about to get a E6600 since so many of you are using it but i just realised. which ones are you guys using because theres a core 2 duo 6600 at 2.4 ghz and the dual core at 3.06ghz

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EX490
E7500
4GB Mushkin

was scared i was gonna get it wrong so i got an e7500 instead lol.. night and day difference.. before you can tell that the console was run via remote desktop now clicking on tabs are instant! also upgraded to 4gb ram

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EX490
E7500
4GB Mushkin

Can you send me a link to the CPU and memory used for your upgrade.. I want to upgrade my newly acquired EX490. Any tutorials/instructions/tips on how to swap out the CPU and add more memory to these units (EX490/EX495)?

Please advise...

here is the link, for the CPU and memory. just look over to the left side for info. was easy just take your time, and have all the stuff ready . like CPU paste , small screw driver , also when taking the top off if you reach inside and feel up under the top you can push the tab and it will slide off easier , there area some YOUTUBE videos as well.

http://www.homeserverhacks.com/

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EX490 3.0Ghz E6600 3X WD20EARS 1T ST7200.11 ----Esata attached TR5M 2X 2T Samsung F4 2X 2T Baracuda LP 1X 2T WD20EARS
DIY build HAF 912 case Asus M4A88-TD EVO MB 4 gig Ram Phenom II X4 3.2Ghz B55 VelociRaptor 600 3X WD20EARS

Sure here you go

RAM
Newegg item #: N82E16820226089
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.as ... -_-Product

CPU
Newegg item #: N82E16819115056
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.as ... -_-Product

used this as an install guide
http://www.mediasmartserver.net/2009/09 ... -hardware/

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EX490
E7500
4GB Mushkin

Thanks Ben87, was going to post that last link as I think it's a pretty good guide to taking apart the server.

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Alex Kuretz
Remote Notification: Monitoring and alerting for your Home Server via email, Twitter, text message, RSS, push notifications, and on your Mac desktop
Have you tried our Add-Ins? If so, be sure to Rate them at WeGotServed.

Wow, awesome work everybody!! I have read through this and am thinking summary. We know all these will work and these prices are at Newegg as of 12/11/2010.
E6500 = $64 - Dual Core 2.93 - 65W - 45NM - Cache 2M
E6600 = $83 - Dual Core 3.06 - 65W - 45NM - Cache 2M
E6700 = $86 - Dual Core 3.20 - 65W - 45NM - Cache 2M
E6800 = $99 - Dual Core 3.33 - 65W - 45NM - Cache 2M < ----- This looks like a sweet spot for $ vs speed in a 2M cache
E7500 = $124 - Dual Core 2.93 - 65W - 45NM - Cache 3M
E7600 = $149 - Dual Core 3.06 - 65W - 45NM - Cache 3M < ----
E8400 = $168 - Dual Core 3.00 - 65W - 45NM - Cache 6M < ----- is 3M more cache worth $20
E8500 = $194 - Dual Core 3.16 - 65W - 45NM - Cache 6M
E8600 = $289 - Dual Core 3.33 - 65W - 45NM - Cache 6M
Q9550S = $349 - Quad Core 2.83 - 65W - 45NM - Cache 12M

Now, ram?
I keep seeing blips on memory (4 gig) that may/may not run at the faster speeds on the 1.8 v.
Has anybody confirmed a 4Gig stick that is running at the faster speed on 1.8v ? If so, Link or brand/numbers would be great.

Thanks in advance for info, you all rock!! Hope this helps....

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EX470 5-3-08 CPU/RAM/BIOS/New Power Supply-For sale!
X510 3-15-11 CPU/RAM -Active.
X710 2-15-13 DIY Test 2012E.
X510 3-20-13 CPU.
X510 4-25-13 from parts.
EX490 5-12-13 used.

I just bought an EX490 through Costco.com. ($399 and they throw in an extra 1TBHD) I did a quick and easy upgrade to an E5300 Dual Core processor. No problems, it just needed a double-reboot. It's fantastic compared to the Celeron that ships with the Ex490.

EX490/EX495: 14.5 Terabytes with Dual-Cores Processors

My Costco EX490 is out for delivery today. I am trying to decide on the CPU upgrade myself. I am really leaning toward an 8400 myself.

I own 3 home servers, an EX470, and EX490 and a DIY Vail configuration.

I have updated the CPUs in both HP units. I wanted to list my experiences with the EX490. I updated to an E7500 and used it for about 8 months. It ran hot in my opinion. At idle it was 48 degrees C and when it first came on it ran up to 79 degrees C for 30 minutes or more. I was never happy with the heat and some random operational errors like losing the eSATA port and backup issues at times.

I reached a point where I even designed a fan heat sink and powered it with the EX490 mother board. While it worked better than the stock CPU heat sink I still had issues.

I went back to the stock Celeron CPU then did a factory reset and the unit operated better and was cooler but it was SLOOOOOW as I expected. The temps dropped to 32 degrees C at idle to 48 degrees C at 100%. Unfortunately it would take up to 1 hour to respond after a reboot as it had to sort through my media sharing library.

I searched the web and found a new E5200 like the CPU used in the EX495. The speed is like the E7500 but the temps are very good. Using the stock heat sink the temps are 39 degrees C at idle to about 50% load. It goes up to 59 degrees C at 100% on both cores while reloading my media library on reboot and recovers to 39 degrees C quickly after the massive media library is scanned. After 2 weeks I have had not one issue of lost eSATA port, lost backups or drives not being found.

Frankly I wish I had done this in the beginning for all the issues I suffered through. I see people using other CPUs even quad cores and I wonder how they are handling the temperature issues. If I were a new user I would stay with an E5200 or E5300 and not put in a monster CPU unless you have time for potential trouble shooting issues.

Some of my background is that I studied Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and was a design Engineer to Chief Engineering Manger and finally CEO of a large high tech company and I wrote many patents. My experience helped me to continually fix issues and learn, but it was an issue of time. In my experience with my EX490, the larger CPU isn't worth the hassles and the E5200 works well, runs cool using the stock CPU cooler.

If I am going to recompress movies or other extensive CPU type application, I use six core computers running at 4.2 GHZ with SSDs and max memory. A server is a server and not an answer to all your computer needs. Don’t try to make a Porsche out of a Prius. A Prius serves a great purpose and you should use it like your server for what it was designed to do.