Dell MD99X R710 v2 Server Motherboard

Description

The Dell MD99X (or 0MD99X) is the Generation II (Gen II) system board for the PowerEdge R710 server. It is widely considered the “sweet spot” replacement board for this 2U chassis because it bridges the gap between the original Gen I boards and the final Gen III revisions.

Core Specifications

• Processor Support: * Dual LGA1366 sockets.

  • Native support for Intel Xeon 5500 and 5600 series processors.

  • High-Wattage Support: Unlike the Gen I (9YY69), the MD99X features updated voltage regulators to support 130W TDP processors like the X5680 and X5690.

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

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

  • Max Capacity: 288GB (using 16GB RDIMMs) or up to 192GB (using LRDIMMs).

• Chipset: Intel 5520.

Expansion & Connectivity

The MD99X provides the standard high-density I/O that made the R710 an industry standard:

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

• Storage Interface: Dedicated internal PERC slot. It is fully compatible with 6Gbps RAID controllers like the PERC H700 or H200.

• Networking: Quad (4x) integrated Broadcom 5709 Gigabit Ethernet ports with Failover and Load Balancing support.

• Management: Integrated iDRAC6 (Lifecycle Controller) for remote console and hardware monitoring.

Technical Interfaces (Rear I/O)

Why the “v2” (MD99X) Matters

If you are maintaining an R710 in 2026, the MD99X is a significant upgrade over the original Gen I boards for three reasons:

1. Westmere-EP Optimization: It eliminates the “Unsupported CPU” or “No Post” errors often encountered when putting 6-core Xeon 5600 series chips into original 2009-era boards.

2. Power Stability: The board is physically labeled with a “II” inside a Roman numeral circle near the VGA port or serial number, indicating it can handle the higher electrical current of top-tier processors.

3. Modern OS Compatibility: Better support for UEFI-lite features required by later versions of VMware ESXi and Windows Server.

Peer Tip: When swapping to this board, ensure your BIOS and iDRAC firmware are updated to the latest versions (6.6.0 for BIOS) to ensure the 5600-series processors are recognized correctly and the fans don’t run at 100% speed unnecessarily.