Hi there,I'm new here - just wanted to confirm that my current upgrades all worked as planned.My "old" ReadyNAS PRO 6 bought in 2012 - at first equipped with 6 X 2TByte disks - in 2013 upgraded to 6 X 3Tbyte disks.Today I have first upgraded the firmware to 4.2.26 Replaced one of the disks with Western Digital RED 6Tbyte - just to test the compatibilityReplaced the system fan with Noctua NF-F12 PWMReplaced the CPU fan with Noctua NF-R8 PWMReplaced the processor from Pentium Dual Core E5300 to Xeon X3230 Core 2 Quad Q6700Replaced the RAM with 2 X 4Gbyte Crucial with heatsinkOnly minor problem was the CPU fan - it's approx 1 mm too high - but the side panel can be mounted with just a very little force.The system and cpu temps are the same - the disk temps are 1-3 degrees (celsius) lower than before.and the fans have gone from 1125 RPM (System fan) to 953 RPMand 2057 RPM (CPU fan) to 788 RPM - so it's quiet like whisper - when transcoding hirez movies the CPU fan goes to about 1400 RPM - still much less than the original outfit at idle.I had plan on installing a permanent VGA out in the back - but my VGA header cable was too short - I am getting a longer within the next week.The Q6700 CPU I got on eBay at $75 including shipping (Greenland)The fans were $20 and $33 and the RAM upgrade was a bargain at $42The first 6Tbyte disk was ...... $320 - I hope I can make a better deal with the next 5 ones :-)Future plans: 5 more 6 Tbyte disks, longer VGA header and maybe upgrading the OS to OS6

Now, I'm curious about your mods :-)Is this system still alive? Nobody had to call the fire department? About the CPU, what precise model did you use? I looked it up, and the Xeon X3230 and the Core2Quad Q6700 are two different beasts.And after all this trouble, you're still with 1Gb of RAM?Did you move on to OS6?

Hi,Yea - the box works perfectly. I bought the CPU on eBay - it was like this onehttp://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Xeon-X3230-Core-2-Quad-Q6700-2-67-GHz-Quad-Core-CPU-LGA775-Processor-/221664029813Now the price has fallen - But - you are right - they have among others different TDP - så I guess it must be the Xeon type after all.http://ark.intel.com/products/30797/Intel-Xeon-Processor-X3230-8M-Cache-2_66-GHz-1066-MHz-FSBhttp://ark.intel.com/products/30790/Intel-Core2-Quad-Processor-Q6700-8M-Cache-2_66-GHz-1066-MHz-FSBI have by now upgraded all the disks to 6TByte WD Red and the software is upgraded to OS 6.2.2The RAM I had already upgraded to 8 Gbyte.About 10TByte I am using as an iSCSI target for my little VMware vSphere test bench - the rest is for Plex (movies and tv-shows)I can recommend the upgrade - every penny worth - and no heat problems at all.Just remember to upgrade the fans as well if you are going to do it.Best regardsMichael Williams

Great input, thanks!Did you get this setup with the stock Fans and Heatsinks? Did you feel the temperatures were not kept in check by the standard stuff?

As I wrote in the original post - both fans are changed to Noctua versions.And the temperatures are lower than before the upgrades.

Thanks, but my question was the opposite direction: would the standard kit suffice to refrigerate the thing?The Noctua stuff is discontinued and hard to find these days.... :-(

CPU and Fan upgrades | NETGEAR Communities

17 Replies

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Equinox1
Guide
Mar 17, 2015
Now, I'm curious about your mods :-)

Is this system still alive? Nobody had to call the fire department?
About the CPU, what precise model did you use? I looked it up, and the Xeon X3230 and the Core2Quad Q6700 are two different beasts.

And after all this trouble, you're still with 1Gb of RAM?

Did you move on to OS6?
williams_nest
Aspirant
Mar 24, 2015
Hi,

Yea - the box works perfectly. I bought the CPU on eBay - it was like this one
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-Xeon-X3230-Core-2-Quad-Q6700-2-67-GHz-Quad-Core-CPU-LGA775-Processor-/221664029813
Now the price has fallen - But - you are right - they have among others different TDP - så I guess it must be the Xeon type after all.
http://ark.intel.com/products/30797/Intel-Xeon-Processor-X3230-8M-Cache-2_66-GHz-1066-MHz-FSB
http://ark.intel.com/products/30790/Intel-Core2-Quad-Processor-Q6700-8M-Cache-2_66-GHz-1066-MHz-FSB

I have by now upgraded all the disks to 6TByte WD Red and the software is upgraded to OS 6.2.2
The RAM I had already upgraded to 8 Gbyte.

About 10TByte I am using as an iSCSI target for my little VMware vSphere test bench - the rest is for Plex (movies and tv-shows)

I can recommend the upgrade - every penny worth - and no heat problems at all.
Just remember to upgrade the fans as well if you are going to do it.

Best regards
Michael Williams
Equinox1
Guide
Mar 24, 2015
Great input, thanks!

Did you get this setup with the stock Fans and Heatsinks?

Did you feel the temperatures were not kept in check by the standard stuff?
williams_nest
Aspirant
Mar 24, 2015
As I wrote in the original post - both fans are changed to Noctua versions.
And the temperatures are lower than before the upgrades.
Equinox1
Guide
Mar 25, 2015
Thanks, but my question was the opposite direction: would the standard kit suffice to refrigerate the thing?

The Noctua stuff is discontinued and hard to find these days.... :-(
williams_nest
Aspirant
Apr 01, 2015
I would not upgrade the CPU to the Quad core without better fans - but thats just me - and besides - not that impossible to get by
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Noctua-NF-F12-PWM-120x120x25mm-4-Pin-1500-1200rpm-Max-12cm-case-fan-/181682627043
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Noctua-NF-R8-PWM-Raised-Blade-Low-Noise-SSO-Bearing-80x80x25mm-Fan-/251248926930
And not that expensive :-)
Labdoc1
Luminary
Apr 01, 2015
I upgraded my Pro Pioneer to a quad core and 8 MB ram with the stock fans no problem. Temp of CPU is 30C even under heavy load. First time for me to install a new CPU with Arctic Silver and I used too much. CPU overheated. I cleaned up my thick layer of Arctic Silver and everything is OK. So, for me, that was a more significant issue than the fans

My CPU: Xeon X3230 2.66 GHz 95w. By contrast, a Q6600 is 2.4 GHz and 105w, so might run hotter.
- goodrip12
  Guide
  Jun 01, 2016
  Hi Labdoc1,
  
  Can you please confirm that you upgraded a Pro Pioneer (RNDP600E) to the Xeon X3230?
  
  Thanks!
  - mdgm-ntgr
    NETGEAR Employee Retired
    Aug 10, 2016
    goodrip12 wrote:
    
    Can you please confirm that you upgraded a Pro Pioneer (RNDP600E) to the Xeon X3230?
    
    Looks like you did goodrip12. In any case the Pro BE has the same hardware as the Pro Pioneer just a different software feature set on RAIDiator 4.2.x.
SpaceFire
Aspirant
Apr 01, 2015
I am curious would all the components of this upgrade also work on a Pro 4?
- I would love to run OS6 on my Pro 4 (oh yuck ssh client stuff for fan control, I guess that will have to wait until someone kind can make a scripted all in one solution for upgrade and downgrade)
mdgm-ntgr
NETGEAR Employee Retired
Apr 01, 2015
The CPU in the Pro 4 is soldered on. Different memory is used and the fan size is different too.
itsjasper
Luminary
Jun 22, 2015
Upgraded my Pro BE CPU from a Core 2 Duo T6700 to a Xeon X3230 Quad Core today.

CPU Temps sit between 33 (idle) and 50 degrees C (load under stress test) with ambient temperature at 19 degrees C. Running stock CPU & rear fans. As it is currently winter here in Australia, I'll be keeping an eye out for temperatures until we are well and truly into the summer months (Jan 2016).

Initial impressions are the OS6 UI and Plex both feel much snappier. Now just awaiting some larger memory to arrive, and then I'll get some VMs stood up. :)

Thanks to Michael for the pioneering spirit and for the OP.