Dell NC7T0 R710 Poweredge Motherboard

Description

The Dell NC7T0 (or 0NC7T0) is the Generation III (Gen III) system board for the PowerEdge R710 server. As the final hardware revision for this chassis, it represents the most stable and highest-performing version of the R710 motherboard, addressing the power and compatibility limitations of the earlier Gen I and Gen II boards.

Core Specifications

• Processor Support:

  • Dual LGA1366 sockets.

  • Full native support for Intel Xeon 5500 and 5600 (Westmere-EP) series.

  • Max Power Support: Specifically designed to handle 130W TDP processors (e.g., Xeon X5680, X5690) without the power-draw errors common in Gen I boards.

• Memory Architecture:

  • 18 DIMM slots (9 per processor).

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

  • Max Capacity: Up to 288GB (using 16GB RDIMMs).

• Chipset: Intel 5520.

Expansion & Connectivity

The NC7T0 serves as the hub for the R710’s dual-socket architecture:

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

• Storage Interface: Dedicated internal PERC slot. Fully compatible with the H700 (6Gbps) controller, which is the recommended pairing for this board to support SSDs and 2TB+ drives.

• Networking: Quad (4x) integrated Broadcom 5709 Gigabit Ethernet ports with iSCSI offload support.

• Management: Integrated iDRAC6 (Lifecycle Controller).

Technical Interfaces (Rear I/O)

Why the “Gen III” (NC7T0) is Preferred

If you are sourcing a replacement or building a high-performance lab in 2026, the NC7T0 is the premium choice for several reasons:

1. Final Revision Stability: It includes the most mature voltage regulators and power phase designs, leading to better long-term reliability under heavy loads.

2. Visual Identification: This board is typically marked with a small Roman numeral “III” near the VGA port or serial number.

3. Maximum Performance: It is the only R710 board guaranteed to support the fastest 6-core Xeon 5600 series processors at their full clock speeds without throttling or thermal-power warnings.