Maxing out a xw4600 - Advice sought please! PART TWO!

[Rhothgar]

A previous thread I started entitled the exact same minus the PART TWO! has timed out and I am unable to reply to it.

Here:-
https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Business-PCs-Workstations-and-Point-of-Sale-Systems/Maxing-out-a-xw460...

@DGroves

@BambiBoomZ 
@SDH

were the major contributors to that previous conversation.

I have still not managed to locate a suitable workstation.  Getting BIOS Bootblock information from any seller on Ebay is like trying to get blood from a stone.

I have seen a Z440 and a Z420.

All he says about the Z420 is:-

hp z420 workstation.

CPU: Intel Xeon E5-1620 v2 3.70GHz

RAM: 16GB ECC UDDR3 1866MHz (4x4GB)

SKU: WM687EA#ABU
CZC32692YH

Lightly scratched but no meaningful damage.

No GPU or storage with computer

And the Z440:-

hp z440 workstation.

CPU: Intel Xeon E5-1620 V3 3.5GHz

RAM: 16GB ECC RDDR4 2133 MHz (2x8GB)

SKU: G1X54ET#ABU

CZC524217H

I did ask him about the bootblock but he just replied saying it was part of the HDD and no hard disk is included.  I replied saying he was confused with the Master Boot Record and I've had no reply.

In the previous thread, we were talking about the V2 processors.

Am I right in saying these CZC numbers and SKU's above will not provide the relevant information I need in respect of bootblock dates following along the lines of the Z620 conversation in previous thread?

[DGroves]

i'm going to let bambi, or sdh reply about a z420 bootblock as I've only worked on two of them (we used z6x0/z8x0 systems)

you might want to check the hp parts surfer website for the v2 motherboard part numbers

or read the post by sdh

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Business-PCs-Workstations-and-Point-of-Sale-Systems/Z420-Different-Rev...

the z440 is preferred over the z420 as it has native nvme support

[SDH]

Regarding getting a xw4600... do not do that.  It was one of HP's failures in the workstation lineup.  Too old, processor and memory upgrades way too expensive for what you get, and it has poor performance compared to your other options these days.  I'd rather have a souped up xw6600 by far.

That Z420 is a v2 workstation because it is running a v2 processor (I'm presuming it came from the factory with that in place).  Processor and memory upgrades all have been detailed here, and it has the same boot block dates as the Z620 does.  If you are on a tight budget that is what I'd go for still... only the v2 of either.  I have a great tip for you on server memory for the v2 ZX20 workstations I can get you if you go that way, courtesy of Bambi in the past. 

If you can stretch to the cost of the Z440 I fully agree with DGroves that is the one to get.  There is no "v1 vs v2 issue"... they all can run either the v3 or the v4 processors.  Cost of upgrades is an issue for both processors and memory, but that has been coming down.  You might settle for a E5-1650 v3, for example, instead of a v4.  These ZX40 workstations have a much more complex BIOS than prior Z and xw HP workstations, and the method of upgrading BIOS changed somewhat but is still simple to do if you know what you're doing.  I still recommend only upgrading BIOS from within BIOS.  Get back to us for a HowTo if you get that.

Another thing to know... the Z420/Z620/Z820 workstations all have a TPM 1.2 chip soldered on their motherboards that cannot be upgraded to TPM 2.0.  The Z440/Z640/Z840 have a different TPM 1.2 chip soldered on that can be firmware flashed to become a TPM 2.0 chip.  None of us know how strict MS will eventually be with their W11 upgrade pathway... it has some loopholes in it already that I believe will persist.  However, to have a upgraded-to-TPM 2.0 chip on your Z440 motherboard would be a step up that may pay off in the future when major W11 OS upgrades happen. 

Good luck on your project!

[Rhothgar]

By the sounds of it, both would be fine but the Zx40 system is definitely the more refined.

I meant to post the above yesterday but forgot to click subject.

On a whim, I am now the proud owner of a Z420 for £80 delivered as a barebones system.  I hope that is not too bad.

I missed out on the Z440 for £169.51 all-in as I was getting a little nervous at that price.  I've only had 15 minutes to scan a few options this morning and the Z440 could rapidly escalate in build costs as I suppose so could the Z420.  Either way it should be better than the xw4600 pound for pound.

I will report back in due course.  Thanks for all the advice thus far.  I've plenty to go at.

[DGroves]

the z420 system is a MAJOR upgrade from a xw4600

the z440 is a MAJOR upgrade from a z420 in it's feature set

however, if a z420 does what you need, then that's all that matters 

i simply recommended a z440 as it will have a longer usage life due to it bein win 11 compatible and nvme support

[Rhothgar]

As a matter of interest, what do you consider is a reasonable price to pay for a bare-bones system ie case and motherboard with minimal RAM?

CPU: Intel Xeon E5-1620 V3 3.5GHz

RAM: 16GB ECC RDDR4 2133 MHz 

[DGroves]

there is no way i can answer your question, as my needs and available free cash, and a country's used market for HP systems is going to be different than yours

again, buy what you can afford that meets your needs, keeping in mind just how long you want/plan to use the system

in my opinion, it makes little sense to buy a system that you will outgrow in a year

[Rhothgar]

OK.  I understand the sentiment.

You see systems for sale up to £1500 odd in the UK for very high spec.

I appreciate the price of graphics cards has gone through the roof in recent times.

I was just looking for an idea of what a motherboard technically is worth in working order as I understand Z440 has also be available for a fair few years.

[DGroves]

a motherboard/system is only worth WHAT YOU ARE WILLING TO PAY FOR IT, not what i'm willing to pay

it's not that hard to go on eBay and  have it show you systems/motherboards in specific price ranges, do so if your curious to see how your z420 system stacks up to z440 systems price wise

feature wise the z440 is a windows 11 compliant system, the z420 is not,...... the z440 can be expanded with CPU's that have more cores and are faster than the z420 ones (and support nvme booting), but the price of said CPU's are currently higher, but this should change as the z440's get older in years