HP Z620: updating the boot block to support V2 xeon CPUs?

[xberg]

Hi,

I want my HP Z620 boot block 12/28/2011 to support V2 Xeon CPUs and it seems the only hurdle is a BIOS update. I check the forum and saw a user who had to unsolder the bios chip to update it. Has anybody found an easier way to do so?

[MtothaJ]

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@xberg wrote:

Hi,

I want my HP Z620 boot block 12/28/2011 to support V2 Xeon CPUs and it seems the only hurdle is a BIOS update. I check the forum and saw a user who had to unsolder the bios chip to update it. Has anybody found an easier way to do so?

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A fair bit of information on this has been posted in the past on the forums. You can also check my older posts, I outlined some of the possible ways to do this.

But long story short - no easy method for now and if you are attempting this first time you run a high risk of bricking your machine so proceed with caution.  

[fire-dragon]

Hmm. Not good. I foun solution how upgrade prolant server, and think a workstation has solution like

[DGroves]

it is not just the bootblock date, intel released a updated chipset revision to support the 56xx series xeons early 620's do not have this updated chipp and as such most likely will have issues with one cpu and almost a given if trying dual 56xx cpu's

last, HP workstations are protected by a bios  checksum which has not been bypassed as of this post, trying to flash a modified bios will cause the checksum to fail and the update to be rejected.

if you want v2  56xx xeon cpu support, you will have to buy a v2 motherboard, that is currently the only solution.

[fire-dragon]

No I find solution to upgrade hp z 420 v1 to support xeon e5-2880 v2

[xberg]

What solution did you find?

My solution was to replace my HP Z620 with a Fujitsu Siemens R930 🙂

But I still have the HP Z620 with V1 CPUs installed...

[DGroves]

1. we were talking about the z620 dual cpu workstations not the single cpu z420

2.  stating you installed a E5-2880 cpu in a z420 without details is not helpful, as without details nobody is going to be able to try it and confirm if it works.

i stated the HP workstation bios can not currently be modded , and that installing a 56xx cpu in a z620 v1 board has had numerous problems for many uses in single cpu setups and more so in dual cpu setups

the z420 like the z620 has two diffrent motherboards, with diffrent bootblock dates (v1 boards and v2 boards)

the ONLY diffrence between the boards aside from the bootblock code is the chipset revision. as i stated previously only the later chipset revisions are guaranteed to work properly with the 56xx xeons while some people have installed a single 56xx cpu in rev 1 boards and had it boot, many people have also experenced issues with this setup

last the z620 was never speced to use the e5-28xx line only the e5-26xx/16xx line and this also appears to be the case for the z420

while i have no idea if all hp workstations have checksumed bios's to prevent unathorized modding, i do know that most of the current workstation models do encrypt/checksum their bios's to prevent any non hp bios changes from being applied.

[fire-dragon]

I apologize for not accuracy. I did not find it, but I'm looking.
I think that the solution will be similar for the entire HP Z x20 line.

On the basic parameters they coincide with each other and with the servers 380 gen 8. (Xeon 2x E5-26XX v1 - v2 )

For servers, I gave a decision from the company HP. I think that there is a similar solution for the workstation.

[BambiBoomZ]

fire-dragon,

I agree with MtothaJ that the fundamental difference between V1 and V2 motherboards is the chipset.

As the chipset must be changed, there are two options to change the processor (s) from E5-1600 / E5-2600 to E5-1600 v2 / E5-2600 v2:  1. change the chipset, 2. change the motherboard.

Desoldering, soldering in a new chipset, and configuration seems to me a bit difficult. The motherboard has to come out and be reinstalled anyway, the number of leads on a chipset is quite a few: 18-20-24?, are somewhat delicate, the chipset has to be isolated from the soldering heat, and then there must be a configuration of the new chipset.

All in all, my suggestion would be to buy a used V2 motherboard.  This avoids the technical difficulties- and risks of replacing the original chipset.

Replacing the motherboard is quite easy:

1.  Unplug all the electrical connections (taking care to find the fan connections) to the motherboard,

2.  turn the two rotating knobs mounted on the chassis at the back of the motherboard,

3.  slide the motherboard towards the front of the case about 12mm and

4.  withdraw the motheboard form the case.

Replacement is the reverse.

After I'd done this a couple of times, I could replace a z620 motherboard in 30 minutes <that's minus the time to install the CPU, cooler, and RAM before installation.

The cost differential in the two methods in my view is worth the faster and less technical approach. Consider that a used, proven working motherboard has a sales value that is a high percentage of a used V2 motherboard. Of course, selling the v1 CPU, and RAM could  contribute to the new parts. 

BambiBoomZ

z620_2 > Xeon E5-1680 v2 (8C@ 4.3Ghz) / 64GB / Quadro P2000 / HP Z Turbo Drive M.2 256GB + Samsung 860 EVO 500GB + HGST 7K6000 4TB > Windows 7 Pro 64-bit

[HashCollision]

Hello,

I have written a guide on the process of upgrading Zx20 boot blocks. It is not a fast process but you can learn a lot doing it.

I recently upgraded the boot block of my Z620.

See the PDF in this github repo: https://github.com/SuperThunder/HP_Z420_Z620_Z820_BootBlock_Upgrade

You do not need to unsolder the BIOS flash chip as special cables to clamp around the flash chip can be used, although they are a bit frustrating.

You may also need to upgrade the Management Engine (ME) from v7 to v8, I include resources for that too.