HP z820 CPU Air cooling option that are compatible with the air shroud

[_Ash_K]

Hi all,

Long time reader first time poster.

I recently got a Z820 with x2 2687w CPUs.

The AIO coolers that came with it just don't work. They make noise but the CPUs temps are in their 90s. The coolers are cold, fans are blasting on full power. I suspect the pumps work fine (hence why I hear the noise from them) but they leaked the liquid and it's just not enough of it inside anymore.

I looked at getting a Z Cooler with 3d vapor thing that are made for Z840 but the price + shipping + tax make them cost around £200- £300. It is an option but I was hoping on alternative solution.

Anyone got any recommendation on regular air coolers for CPUs? I realise the bios will complain about no liquid cooling for 2687w but I read (here on forums :D) that they seem to work fine with 2687w's. I am also willing to downgrade to the next best thing that will work with air cooler but I just need to know which air coolers will work with the plastic shroud that goes on top.

Thanks for an awesome community that helped me a lot with my previous Z620 ❤️

[BeemerBiker]

Before replacing fans and/or thermal paste try the following

Ensure that the CPUs do not run at turbo al the time by changing %100 ---

Turbo is 3.5 and base speed is 3.1 so set CPU performance to %91 and ensure the minimum is 5.0

change above 100 to 91

If not using all 32 threads then disable hyperthreading in the bios.

Use a temperature monitor to verify the above worked.

[_Ash_K]

Hi, yes I have done all these things (I've been reading this forum a lot yesterday) and the cpus are still in the 90s when doing nothing.

So yes, heatsinks are not working and I was hoping to replace them with air ones as they could be easier to source

[DGroves · Accepted solution]

you are limited in your options due to the HP custom designed cooling system this workstation uses (z820/z840)

while it is possible to refill the liquid cooling units, it's a task best left to someone who has done this before and has the necessary skills to do so so this is most likely not a option for you (not to mention the price of replacement units exceed the worth of the base z820

https://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-z820-Workstation-Liquid-Cooling-Heatsink-635869-001-G0J48AA-/30318468083...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWxHjcRGAD0

next you can replace the liquid coolers with the air cooled units from the z820/z840 which is the most cost effective way to go

https://www.amazon.com/Compatible-Workstation-749598-001-782506-001-635868-001/dp/B071XHML51

Last, you can use the z840's optional high performance VAPOR CHAMBER cooling option that has the water cooling performance and very low noise levels

https://www.amazon.com/HP-Heatsink-828231-001-781908-001-N3R54AA/dp/B083PXBMWW

https://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Z-Cooler-N3R54AA-Z840-Heatsink-/223769711065

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzEuIzUmgRs

last, no the bios will not complain if you switch from liquid to air cooling

just make sure that you have the optional sec cpu fan installed in the cooling shroud if going from one cpu to dual cpu's

there are several upgrades that can also be made such as installing  performance USB 3.1gen 2 card and a adaptec 71605T SAS/SATA controller for the four internal hotswap bays (and 2.5/3.5 drives)  and a fast AHCI (or nvme boot drive using duet/refind a 5.25 usb 3.1 based card reader is also useful

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-PCIe-USB-3-1-Card/dp/B087G7T234

(note make sure it comes with the cache/BBU module like this these do)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/165005525734?hash=item266b1882e6:g:GskAAOSwZdJhDhuF

https://www.ebay.com/itm/401758566615  (note make sure it comes with the cache/BBU module like this one does)

[_Ash_K]

Thanks so much! This is exactly what I was looking for. 

Regarding extra fan on the shroud - there are already 2 cpu fans (one for each), unless you mean I need one more because of air cooler instead  of the aio? 

Thanks for upgrade suggestions. Not an option as I used up all pci express slots for capture cards etc. I'm using this second pc just for streaming - it encodes the stream to twitch, manages all the bots and all the apps that control my room (I've got interactive lighting and such). My primary pc is connected to z820 via capture card so I grab the game off it 

[DGroves]

if all pci-e slots are filled then you must have dual cpu's as single cpu setups cannot use all the pci-e slots as such your cooling shroud has the required number of fans installed

also note that the z820/z840 shrouds are identical and can swap

i recommend you set the bios options to

Boot from network: DISABLE(onboard nic"s) 

AMT: DISABLE (located under security section)  NEVER EVER SET AMT PASSWORD without writing down it cannot be recovered

LSI Bios: DISABLE, unless booting from LSI ports, note that lsi bios disable only turns off the boot capability devices attached will still be seen/work

PCI-E slot "compute" option,  NEVER SET TO ENABLED, as it disables the video card output for the slot(s)

it's only really used if you have dual video cards and use one graphics card as a non video GPU (IE- compute card)

[_Ash_K]

Thanks for bios settings advice.

I am aware you need 2 cpus as PCI-e ports are split between the two.

Just wanted to confirm those 749598 heatsinks you suggested will be enough to cool down 2687w cpus? 

[DGroves]

yes they will support up to 150 watt cpu's however when using 150 watt cpu's at or near 100% duty cycle, the fans will run constantly at a fast rpm

if noise is a issue and you can afford it, then the z840 vapor chamber coolers are what you want for your z820 search around for the best price for air/vapor units the prices can vary quite a bit

[_Ash_K]

Thank you!

I don't think they will run at 100% with what I need them to do but I will keep an eye out for Vapors. Will use the air heatsinks for now

thanks for your help

[_Ash_K]

I just got those air vents and it's quiet as anything! Thanks so much!

Bios does complain about lack of liquid cooling and asks to press F1 to boot everytime. I believe there was a solution for this here to buy a small fan and plug it into a cpu fan slot. Any advice on which to get and how many (since 2 CPUs).?