Dell 9YY69 R710 Poweredge Motherboard

Description

The Dell 9YY69 (also seen as 09YY69) is the Generation I (Gen 1) system board for the PowerEdge R710 server. It is the original production motherboard for this 2U rack-mount chassis, designed primarily for the Intel Xeon 5500 series processors.

Core Specifications

• Processor Support: * Dual LGA1366 sockets.

  • Optimized for Intel Xeon 5500 (Gainestown) series.

  • Note: While it may support some 5600 series CPUs with a BIOS update, it lacks the updated voltage regulators found in Gen II (0NH4P) boards for high-wattage (130W) processors.

• Memory Architecture: * 18 DIMM slots total (9 per processor).

  • Supports DDR3 Registered (RDIMM) or Unbuffered (UDIMM).

  • Maximum capacity: 192GB (using 16GB RDIMMs).

• Chipset: Intel 5520.

Expansion & Connectivity

As the foundation of the R710 Gen 1, this board provides the standard enterprise I/O suite:

• PCIe Slots: 4 x PCIe Gen 2 slots (accessed via two riser cards).

• Storage Interface: Dedicated internal PERC slot for RAID controllers (supports PERC 6/i, H200, or H700).

• Networking: Quad (4x) integrated Broadcom 5709 Gigabit Ethernet ports.

• Management: Integrated iDRAC6 (Lifecycle Controller) for remote management and health monitoring.

Technical Interfaces (Rear I/O)

Key Comparison: 9YY69 (Gen 1) vs. 0NH4P (Gen 2)

If you are replacing a board or upgrading, it is vital to know the limits of the 9YY69:

1. CPU TDP Limit: The 9YY69 is generally rated for 95W TDP processors. If you try to install a 130W processor (like the X5680 or X5690), the system may throw a “CPU Power Incompatibility” error.

2. Memory Speeds: Gen 1 boards often cap memory speeds at 1066 MHz or 1333 MHz, depending on the DIMM population and CPU used.

3. Firmware: Ensure you are on the latest BIOS (version 6.6.0 is usually the final stable release) before attempting to swap components from a newer R710.

Peer Tip: The 9YY69 is a reliable, cost-effective replacement if you are running standard L5520 or E5504 processors. However, if you’re looking to maximize performance for a modern virtualization lab in 2026, you should check if your chassis can accept the 0NH4P or 0XDXC Gen II/III boards instead.