Upgrading CPU in Z420?

[Z420_Guy]

Hello, I recently tried to install an Nvidia EVGA 1080 ti into my HP Z420, only to find out that the CPU was the bottleneck of the system. I have an E5-1560 v0 Processor with 24gb of 4 channel memory (confugured to hp service manual spec), and an SSD running the operating system. The issue seems to be that while the PCI-E slot is 3.0, the card will only run at 2.0 speeds. From what research I have done, this is beacuse Sandy Bridge X79 systems do not support PCI-E 3.0. However, the motherboard literally has PCI-E 3.0 stamped on it above the slot, and the motherboard BIOS shows an option to force 3.0 (tried this and it did not work). 

I have heard that the Ivy Bridge E5-1560 v2 will support PCI-E 3.0, and as they are avalible for around $100 on ebay, I am considering making this upgrade. 

Will this fix my issue?

Will there be any issues upgrading to this selected processor?

Are there any other processors that will fit into this motherboard that I would be better off considering?

What does this process entail?

Any help on this matter would be greatly appriciated.

[SDH]

If you want to go fast you need to proceed carefully. 

Did you mean E5-1650 v1? 

What is the boot block date of your Z420?  That is, is it a v1 or a v2 Z420?  It is worth researching the difference in this forum.

Did you mean E5-1650 v2?

[DGroves]

you are correct that the "sandy bridge" cpu's lack pci-e 3.0 support

however as you noted the "ivy bridge" series do enable pci-e 3.0 on x79 platforms

the only issue with the HP 420 motherboards is if your board is a later revision that supports the ivy bridge cpu's as the original board release lacked this support which is why "SDH" is asking you to provide the bootblock date of your bios so we can determine the board revision

last, pci-e v2 is in reality not that much slower than v3 in the real world as it's almost impossible for a video card to saturate a v2 x16 pci-e bus

the cpu itself however can be a bottleneck if you are using a screen resolution more than 1920x1080

[Z420_Guy]

Boot Block Date is 03/06/2013. Running the latest firmware.

I had meant E5-1650 v2, but if any newer Xeons will work well I would be willing to consider them. 

I am trying to go for a high FPS build. I have a 144hz monitor and would like to take advantage of this as much as possible.

[DGroves]

screen refresh rate is controled by the  monitor circuits,.. and by the video card  which tells the monitor to enable/disable a setting, the cpu has no bearing on the refresh rate of the monitor

[Z420_Guy]

Sorry for the confusion but I was talking about attaining a high FPS in order to take advantage of a high refresh rate. 

[DGroves]

and again,.... the video card/program/game FPS rate has almost no effect on a monitors refresh rate

i strongly recomend you take the time to read up on both subjects, you may not be aware that a quality monitor at 60hz can display a better image than a 144hz monitor. it all depends on the quality of the internal parts of a monitor.

it might help if you try to describe to us just what you want to actually do

[Z420_Guy]

I am trying to build a gaming machine with a high refresh rate. I have been following guidance similar to what is found here. I already have a monitor capable of this, I was just seeing if it was feasible for a z420 to use it at its full potential. 

https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/630597-how-to-take-advantage-of-144-hz/

[DGroves]

much of what is posted in forums is missinformed half truths based on improper understanding 

that the statements from the link you provided

Okay, so to take advantage of 144Hz monitors, does this mean that your graphics card needs to be able to push 144fps or more? YES

IS there stuttering if you have v-sync off in games and run BELOW your monitors refresh rate? YES

the first one talking about 144 refresh rate,  this is enabled on the monitor using a command sent from the display card

if either does not fully support the specified refresh (or poorly implements it) the you will not have it enabled or it will enable but be of poor visual quality most cheap 144khz monitors get this by overdriving parts beyound the parts rated specs

reguarding stuttering, most users will not be able to notice this, unless doing a benchmark as the visual perception of most users is not  able to actually see it

again i recomend you take the time to read up on thes subjects and ignore the postings from most users 

the link below is a good start for most users, you can read it and then follow up with sites that are more tech oriented on the subject

https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/do-you-need-a-120hz-or-240-hz-monitor/

[Z420_Guy]

I think I see what you mean. I guess I should clarify further. I installed a 1080ti into my z420 and it only performed as well as my previously installed 1050ti. Obviously there is something keeping the superior graphics card from performing, so I assumed it was the CPU since it only supports PCI-E 2.0. Screen tearing/stuttering is not an issue for me, but I can appriciate faster FPS. I find it makes a positive difference in most competitive games. 

Am I correct in assuming the CPU is the bottleneck in this system?