Z400 Boot Block upgrade

[jbonlinea]

Hi there,

I read a lots of thing about Z400 CPU upgrade, motherboard "revision" (1 and 2), number of ram slot (4 and 6), Boot Block version (01/30/2009 and 11/10/2009) as well as bios version.

If i'm right :

- there is not such a revision 1 and 2 in HP terms, but it yet translate a différene in hardware specification.

- any mother board can support to the latest bios v03.57, so this is not critical when is comes to cpu upgrade.

- there is no direct link between the number of ram slot and the Boot Block version of the motherboard.

- mother board with the older boot block can only support w35xx CPUs while mother board with the newer boot block can support both w35xx and w36xx CPUs.

Ok, if I'm wrong somewhere, please correct me.

If not, the question are :

- is there an official way provided by HP to update the boot block ? (I belive there are not)

- if not, is there a hack to do it ? (can you provide a link or other user experience)

Thank's in advance

[SDH]

Here are answers to all of your questions:

1.  HP does not use the term revision 1 or revision 2.  We have evolved to using the term version 1 for the original engineering, and version 2 for the updated/upgraded/better engineering that came out with the later boot block date that is easy to see in BIOS.  That boot block date works every time in telling the difference.

2.  Both version 1 and version 2 work with the HP BIOS versions..... no need to go find another one for version 2 motherboards.

3.  Wrong.  For the Z400 only you can easily tell the version 2 from the version 1 in that the better one has 6 memory slots.  This is not the case for the Z600 or Z800.  This makes buying a used version 2 Z400 easy if you can see the motherboard.  Most eBay sellers do not know this.

4.  Correct...... and the Z400 version 2 also supports some unofficial processors just fine.  For example the X5690 which is what I am running.  I have posted in here why I chose that, but there is no great benefit over the fastest official processor for the version 2 Z400 (W3690)..... the W series is significantly less expensive so go for that one on eBay if you have a version 2.... search for SLBW2.   That is a 130W hexacore, and you'll thus need to have a Performance heatsink/fan.  You probably have one in your Z400 already, but check for that by looking for the 3 heat tubes sticking up through the top on both sides of your current heatsink.  You can see what those look like on eBay and in here where I've posted on the difference for those Z400 Mainstream vs Performance heatsinks/fans. 

ONLY use the later version of the QuickSpecs to look the version 2 Z400 up because the earlier ones are for the version 1.  Here's a link for version 57:

http://www.bargainhardware.co.uk/content/specifications/z400_datasheet.pdf

5 and 6.  No, and No.

That version 2 is a great single processor HP workstation, and I've put in one of the HP Texas Instruments based USB3 cards in mine, with the Akasa front case adapter with the HP 5.25 to 3.5" adapter that I've posted about in here.  I put my card in the lower PCIe x16 slot for proper speed access to the PCIe bus, and the front interface fits perfectly.  

Use 6 identical memory sticks for fastest memory performance.

[jbonlinea]

Hi,

Thank's man it clarifies what i've read here and there.

Unfortunatly I already have a version 1 Z400, for five years now, and plugin a w3680 inside woulde have been a nice upgrade to en its life.

Anyway if there's no hack to upgrade the boot block, I'm stuck.

Regards.

[gabornico]

ebay is a good place to find Z400 spare parts