Z800 Upgrade for 2015

[jpafrancisco]

Hello I have a z800 2009 edition with cpu Xeon x5550 and Quadrofx 3800. I do not know much about hardware specs and I need some help because I'm planning to upgrade. So I was wondering  if I could upgrade my z800 with newer cpu and gpu specs. Like the nvidia gtx 980 or the titan graphics cards. And newer cpu released this year? Maybe not use a Xeon Processor but an Core i7 2015 Processor? 

Thanks I really appreciate the help

jp

[SDH]

Welcome to the forum, jp.  There will be a lot of excellent tips in here for you to search out.

Start with using the search box containing "Search HP Forum", which will search only this forum, not all of HP.

The basics for you will be to ensure that your BIOS is updated to the latest version so that you have the latest HP microcode for your workstation installed.  Search on "microcode" to learn about this critical issue, which will control exactly what processor your workstation can take.  No, you cannot upgrade to the latest ones Intel just released, only those in the hidden microcode.

Another issue for you is to search on "boot block date" because the Z800 has two basic motherboard versions..... the original and "revision 1" types.  You will find that the fastest processor in your latest microcode listing that you can use will depend on what type of motherboard you have, from the boot block date.  You have the latest version if its boot block date (listed in BIOS) is 11/10/09.  You will need to go back through the HP QuickSpecs versions to see all the processors HP certified for your workstation if it is an original motherboard.  You can see the latest ones from the very last QuickSpecs version if your motherboard is a revision 1.  You cannot probe into the microcode for those listings... it is within the BIOS code.

And, if you choose to put in a hot processor for your motherboard, you need to step up to a "performance" heatsink/fan if the processor's max TDP is  over 95W..... there is a nice post in here on those, with pictures.  The "mainstream" heatsink/fan are smaller, and handle processors up to and including 95W max TDP.

You also can read up on the fact that if you can run one processor you can add a second easily in this generation of workstation.... match it to the first, by looking up the sSpec code laser etched on the top of the processor's stainless cover.  eBay is a great source for used processors..... search by the sSpec code.  Look in the later QuickSpecs for this workstation, say 2013 era, and processors listed there can be upgraded to assuming you have the later version motherboard.

There is a Texas Instruments based USB3 card from HP, the "2x2" version which lets you add that 4-port (2 front/2 rear) card.  I use those in my xw6600 workstation builds now, running on drivers from the latest TI USB3 driver installer from the Z620 HP drivers download site (the Z620 has the same chip on its motherboard). 

HP puts out driver updates for its currently supported workstations, but generally stops doing that at a certain point for the older ones.  I, for example, search out the HP-provided universal driver installer packages from new workstations and use those successfully on my older workstations (such as the xw6400 and xw6600), and literally dig into what is available for the Z620 or Z640 to download appropriate SoftPaqs.  As an example, the Z620 uses an Intel network chip but had a Broadcom based NIC available as an option, and the SP for that NIC works perfectly for my on-board Broadcom network chipsets on all my xw workstations for up into W8.1Pro.  You need to dig through those, and understand what is on your motherboard.

That is a SATA generation II workstation.... search for my posts on what SSDs to use, and how to set up a second internal HDD as your "documents" drive so you have the SSD dedicated for OS and programs.

You can search for the cards here too...... you don't need to go overboard to get a very top flight user experience unless you want to be a gamer.  The EVGA card on this xw6600 workstation gives 7.7/7.7 for 2D/3D video performance.

I've posted a lot in here on replacing/adding processors..... I like the Noctua thermal paste the best.

So, enjoy the project and keep us posted.

[Dan_WGBU]

jp, the Z800 uses an LGA 1366 CPU socket.  Newer systems including the Z820 and Z840 use a totally different LGA 2011 socket, and even this socket is different in keying and pinout between the Z820 and Z840.   Bottom line is that newer CPUs released in 2015 and even earlier are not compatible with the Z800.  The sockets and architectures are completely different.

There was an i7 CPU in an LGA 1366 package, but I do not know if it is compatible with the Z800 CPU socket.  I never had one to use.  Even if it did plug into the socket, the Z800 BIOS only has support for the Xeon 3500/5500 or 3600/5600 CPUs if the motherboard boot block supports the 3600/5600 series.  These old i7 CPUs don't have more cores than the Xeons, and will probably not give you much of a performance boost over the Xeons. 

Some of the Z200 series systems, like the Z220 and Z230, support both Xeon E3 and i7, i5 and i3 CPUs.  This gives a variety of performance options at different price points. 

[jpafrancisco]

Thanks guys for all the techincal updates I really appreciate this. So my only option for the cpu is use old xeon processors with a higher speed. How about the gpu? Can I use the new nvidia gtx980 cards? Planning to get GPU Renderers like OctaneRender.
Thanks
jp

[gabornico]

socket 1366 Xeons are still very powerful processors.

Frequency matters, but the performance depens much more on the amount of die transistors.

Your machine is a dual socket, so I recommend two Xeon X5690 (six cores) or X5687 (quadcore) paired with a good amount of RAM.

If you already have the GTX980 then put it in and see if it works.

According to nvidia the card requires 165 watts.

HP does not recommend cards which need more than 150W, but that doesn't mean it won't work.

[Dan_WGBU · Accepted solution]

jp, before you get different xeon processors, go into the Z800 BIOS setting and look at the boot block date. 

     If the boot block date is 01/30/2009, the system supports only 55xx series processors. 

     If the boot block date is 11/10/2009, the system supports both the 55xx and 56xx series processors.

This forum already has many threads about updating the Z800's CPUs.  FYI, check this before buying some more CPUs. 

[jpafrancisco]

Thank you very much guys really no idea on the hardware these will definitely help me out. @dan Will check on it right away thanks.
@gabornico haven't bought one yet still learning if O could do this with my workstation. Just glad that I could upgrade to newer videocards.

Thank again for you inputs guys!

[jackburton]

I've been thinking about buying a used z800 from ebay with the dual CPU setup.  Probably one of the systems with the Xeon X5660 cpu's and at least 12gb of ram.

How would one of these units compare to the average home user's PC these days?  I am upgrading from a severely old computer (Dell Optiplex GX620) and I am really sort of in the dark about what's necessary.  However, I have done a lot of research and I have seen that the z800 seems to be very quiet, reliable, and powerful.

I want to get into some video editing and photo work at home.  I am rendering videos daily for posting on the internet, but with my current cpu (a Pentium 4) it takes ages. 

[Dan_WGBU]

The site http://www.cpubenchmark.net/  shows CPU performance for all sorts of systems, everything from old Pentiums through multi-CPU systems.  The X5660 CPU is in the High End CPU section. 

Remember that these are artificial benchmarks.  Systems with more cores get higher scores on this site.  That helps if your application is multithreaded and supports high core counts.  If your application is only single threaded, then look at the Single Thread CPU Performance benchmark, because more cores will not improve performance.  Xeons are tuned for multicore performance, while gamers who run single threaded programs tend to use i7 CPUs, for example. 

I saw a high-end video editing demo recently.  The new version utilized all 8 cores of the Haswell-EP CPUs in a Z840 system.  They claimed rendering could be done in an hour, what previously took overnight.  That is a game changer, since several changes can now be made, viewed, and approved in a day.  I wondered how much better it would work with dual 18 core CPUs in the Z840.  Sure, it is overkill for home use, but not when one is working on a $100M+ movie. 

First determine what your video software needs, then get a system that meets them.  (I am biased, but I think the Z800 is a great system). 

[jpafrancisco]

Finally checked my boot block date and it's 11/10/2009 . Decided to go for the dual Xeon X5690 setup and glad it's not that expensive anymore. Thanks Dan. 

Still worried about the GPUs though what's the best for my z800? Thinking of GTX980 but worried the computer might crash due to that underpower. Any suggestions. By the way I'm a freelance motiondesigner and used a mixed of cinema4d and aftereffects for my work. 

Thanks guys for the great feedbacks and support!