If you have a Dell Precision 470 they can’t use more than 4GB of RAM because Dell annoyingly put in a setup that requires a RAM Fan be installed. Now this system is old, the fans are rare and are being sold for £150+

Now there maybe a reason for the RAM fan. As this is an old server system maybe Dell assumed the system would be under heavy load and could get hot and unstable without one. Or could of just been a money making scheme as they don’t come with the fan as far as I’m aware.

Anyway. Someone at work uses one as a desktop rig and recently we have to put 16GB in it and couldn’t due to lack of a RAM fan. Got round it by Richard reading this forum post

http://forums.cnet.com/7723-7586_102-261994.html

And creating this jumper switch, simply ripped off from an old machine.

Pins 1 and 3 need to be used, expose the top of the cable

Then twist the ends together

Then tape it up with insulation tape (Richard actually cut the wire down hence looks smaller than above images)

And that’s it

 

Direct link to last two images as don’t fit on the site properly

£150+ cut down to £1.19 (cost of the insulation tape).

Seems to work fine. System will be monitored to see if it causes issues or gets overly hot, but should be fine.