CPU upgrade for my Workstation Z420

[BER_HUNT3R]

Hello everyone! I have a Workstation Z420 with an E5-1607 and 8GB of RAM. The Quadro that came with the computer died years ago so I replaced it with a GTX-1070 along with a new power supply (I don't remember which one I bought but I can check if needed). Although my 1607 has been very good to me in all of its years of service, I've decided that I want to upgrade. The official HP documentation for the computer (attached below), along with my current CPU, lists a couple of other CPUs that are "available".

 Right now I'm thinking of buying the CPU on the top of that list - E5-2687W. It seems to be a considerable upgrade from what I have now and it's like 20$ on eBay. My questions are: Are there other CPUs that are compatible with the computer, and is there a list or a way to check the compatibility of a specific CPU? If I were to upgrade to the CPU on the list or another one, what is the process of the installation (I saw somewhere that someone said that I need to upgrade my bios even if I want to upgrade to the CPU on the list)? And how does the version (I.E V2, V3, V4) of the

CPU fit into all of this - are they compatible, should I buy one of them, etc.'?

Thank hank you so much in advance to everyone that helps. If you need any information on top of what I've written (like the model of the power supply etc'), tell me and I'll do it!

[NonSequitur777]

@BER_HUNT3R,

Welcome to our HP User Forum!

The best real-life database of sorts regarding compatible/upgradeable components for your HP Z420 Workstation would be this site: UserBenchmark: HP Z420 Workstation Compatible Components.

Hope this was helpful.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[Brian1965]

Hi BER_HUNT3R,

The first thing you need to do is check what the Boot Block Date of your Z420 motherboard is. Switch on the computer, press F10 to enter the BIOS, and check what the Boot Block Date is. If it's 2011 you have a V1 motherboard. If it's 2013 you have  V2 motherboard. V1 motherboards only work with v1 CPU's, but the V2 motherboards with work with either V1 or V2 CPU's. The V3/V4 CPU's are only compatible with the HP Zx40 workstations, (and require a different CPU socket).

Please also make sure your Z420 BIOS is up-to-date before upgrading. If you're planning on gaming, then I would recommend an E5-1650 or E5-1660 CPU as these have higher base frequencies.

Additional system information, (maintenance manuals, bulletins, etc), and drivers are available on the HP support site. I would suggest you bookmark the link below.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/product/details/hp-z420-workstation/5225033 

You might also want to check your RAM configuration. The E5-16xx and E5-26xx CPU families support 4 memory channels. i.e. If you have less than 4 DIMM modules installed then your CPU will not run at peak performance. I would also recommend 16GB as an absolute minimum system RAM, (32 or 64GB is better), as the OS alone will consume a lot of your RAM in the background.