Upgrading an HP Z420 Workstation (v2 motherboard)

[NonSequitur777]

Community,

The Xeon E5-1660 v2 I had ordered via a PRC eBay Seller showed up unexpectedly early.

Installed, and the HP Z420 Workstation happily started up sans any issues.

Confirmed this PC's model #: F6A51UC#ABA, Boot Block Date: 03/06/2013, and BIOS version: J61 v03.87 (02/09/2015).

Confirmed the 4x16GB ECC RDIMM RAM are running at 1866 MHz, and all processor threads (12 for the E5-1660 v2) are selected in MSConfig.

Switched the "Mass Storage Option ROMS" in BIOS under the Advanced tab, from "Legacy" to "EFI", and the 800GB Intel P3700 NVMe PCIe SSD was immediately recognized as a bootable drive, and I am installing/updating Windows 10, assorted drivers & BIOS on it as we speak.

Updated BIOS to version: J61 v03.96 (10/19/2019).

Then upgraded/installed Windows 11 Pro, using this easy-peasy YouTube method, and purchased a new Windows license via ElectronicFirst.  Then the usual Windows/System optimization steps including those suggested here.

Ran: sfc /scannow and: dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth in CMD as Administrator, which fixed (to be expected) install errors and such.

Ran Userbenchmark and got these first benchmark results:

Link: HP Z420 Workstation Performance Results - UserBenchmark.

Obviously, the Intel P3700 NVMe PCIe SSD drive performance disappointed. Will research things and tinker with it tomorrow, but perhaps @SDH has some insights as to how to improve/speed up this drive. I am going to call it a day for now.

Changed some BIOS settings, and this improved the Intel drive performance -almost doubled it (from 88.6% to 152%), but still subpar:

Link: HP Z420 Workstation Performance Results - UserBenchmark.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[SDH]

You've had a busy day. The E5-1680 v2 should help some.

You're 1 FW version back from the latest for your P3700. I'm hoping it was GPT-partitioned before anything else... I'd bet it was.

If you want to try the latest FW Solidigm (SKHynix owned, which bought Intel's SSD division) was more open sourced than Intel and included FW updater for many of these Data Center (DC) drives. The latest Solidigm Storage Tool (SST) is 2.2 from 2/25 and should include that capability. That should work for you and it did for me. Not sure if it will make a difference, however. However, I later found an even better tool because the SST did not work as well on some other Intel DC drives, saying an older version of FW was the last while the tool below has always stated the correct last FW version and allowed me to install it. 

That is a specific older Intel Data Center Storage Tool, specifically a x64 installer version, that is a Command Line Interface which works well with W10/W11 Pro (Intel SSD DCT - isdct (v3.0.27). In some of my work the SST said yours was the latest FW but the  ISDCT 3.0.27 saw the true latest and could update all to the latest. My main post on that project is  HERE. Wait for me to get you the link for the hard to find x64 installer... coming in the morning 5/1 at a more decent hour. Later Intel versions don't seem to work as well. You run the installer as admin, and  it will show up in your Programs and Features app in your W10/W11 Control Panel. The basic commands to run from elevated CMD are:

To probe the drive: isdct show -intelssd

Gives this:

Bootloader : 8B1B0131
DevicePath : /dev/nvme0n1
DeviceStatus : Healthy
Firmware : 8DV10171
FirmwareUpdateAvailable : Firmware=8DV101H0Bootloader=8B1B0133
Index : 0
ModelNumber : INTEL SSDPEDMD016T4
ProductFamily : Intel SSD DC P3700 Series
SerialNumber : PHFT6221XXXXXXX6DGN

Note that there are actually two updates in this, both of which happen automatically... the FW and the BIOS supplemental code that allows the ZX20's rudimentary EFI boot code to actually boot from that NVMe-controller drive (the "bootloader") if the right BIOS change you've provided is done.

The command to proceed with the combined FW/bootloader update: isdct load -intelssd 0

Gives this:

WARNING! You have selected to update the drives firmware!
Proceed with the update? (Y|N): Y
Updating firmware...
- Intel SSD DC P3700 Series PHFT6XXXXXXXXXXDGN -

Status : Firmware updated successfully. Please reboot the system.

That last FW and bootloader was released 2/17 and Intel had lots of time to update it if they wished. Before that last version there was a long series of fixes with many prior FW and bootloader versions, showing that Intel really was working hard to fine tune the mess they created with this then-bleeding edge technology. I've had no issues with this last version, and don't use any storage controller drivers other than what Windows 11 provides. Again, Wait for my link to the x64 3.0.27 installer.

[SDH]

This is exactly the source I used and the version I run. We all are pretty much only running W10Pro64 or W11Pro (which is only 64-bit) versions and this Intel Data Center Tool runs fine under both. A mentor found this to work best too while later Intel versions seemed more suited for more recent Intel Data Center drives.

Tips: I use the Softpedia download source option of the two offered. Wait a little bit... it will start automatically shortly. PDF manuals from Intel are inside the zipped folder too. After extraction you can check release date "details" under its Properties/Digital Signatures tab... signed by Intel 11/4/2020. Intel went over 3 years from date of this FW version's original release 7/17 with no need for a FW or Bootloader update to their DC P3700 card or U2 versions. Thus, I believe the 8DV101H0 FW/Bootloader release is mature. This same FW updater tool works for about 8 total other Intel similar DC drives that I've shown in my main post.

https://drivers.softpedia.com/get/HDD-SSD-NAS-USB-Flash/Intel/Intel-SSD-Data-Center-Tool-3-0-27-64-b...

Added Tip:

Don't buy an engineering sample even if it is really inexpensive:

Too much risk... unless you like that!

[SDH]

My main project was an exercise, but I never hoped I'd be able to compete with more modern HP workstations and later processors, all of which impact drive performance. From my main post on getting the ZX20 workstations to have the fastest possible boot/apps drive I compared a number of them using the latest Samsung Magician 8.3's built in speed test at defaults. It is not perfect but all these were run in the same Z620 with all other variables kept constant. Here is my little chart, which took more work than I expected to produce (as expected).

Good perspective...

[NonSequitur777]

@SDH,

Thank you very much for your most helpful feedback -greatly appreciated!

As soon as I am able to work again on my HP Z420 Workstation Upgrade project, I will get back to you.

Just got notified that the Xeon E5-2667 v2 and the HP Z440 Workstation CPU Heatsink will be delivered today, will install it and see what differences it makes.

Btw, reinstalled the (RAM) Memory Cooling Fan Assembly yesterday because I was tired to keep clearing the related POST startup message for the system "not detecting" this cooling device.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[SDH]

You're souping that Z420 up quite a bit, plus with the 16GB memory sticks I think you're wise to get the added cooling in. Your new processor is 130W max TDP so you'll not need to do any mod to the Z440 fan plug end as it is. If you were doing a Snoop (his was a 150W processor) you'd need to do the Snoop mod on that plug end (routing a jumper from pin 3 over to pin 5). That changes how the motherboard sees it... from a HP "Performance" type configuration to a HP "Premium" config. That heatsink has so much cooling capacity there is no risk either way. The change in the pin end wiring does not change the fan or cooler performance in any way... it just lets the motherboard know what is attached. No motherboard objects to having a "Premium" attached when it only needs a "Performance". 

Hey, thanks for the tips on the 1680 v2 and that memory... both on the way. That processor finally came down enough.

[NonSequitur777]

@SDH,

Yes, this particular 1866 MHz ECC RDIMM server RAM runs smoking hot -figuratively speaking: 112% "Outstanding"!

My 800GB Intel P3700 drive is not engineering sample!

Decided to purchase a very affordably priced "HP Z Turbo Drive G2 M.2 PCIe Adapter Card", with p/n: 742006-005. As I understand it, I should also be able to successfully boot from this adapter card using an M.2 NVMe SSD such as a Samsung 970 EVO, WD Black SN750 or Crucial P3, as long as I use UEFI mode, disable Legacy Boot and making sure the drive is GPT-partitioned.

Thoughts?

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[NonSequitur777]

Esteemed Forum,

Installed the Xeon E5-2667 v2 (8-Cores, 16-Threads, 3.30 MHz up to 4.00 GHz, 130-watt TDP) and the HP Z440 Workstation heatsink/fan combo, adjusted the total threads in MSConfig from 12 to 16, moved the Intel P3700 drive to PCIe slot #4 (x8), and installed the Asus GPU Tweak III Ultimate GPU Tuning Tool to optimize the GTX 1080 graphics card performance:

Here is the current System Information:

Successfully updated the Intel drive:

Unfortunately, the Intel drive performed no better in PCIe slot #4 (x8) and returned it to PCIe slot #5 (x16).  Even though the benchmark for this PC overall is positive (71st percentile), the Intel drive performance even with the new 8DV101H0 firmware really sucks:

@SDH, thoughts?

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[SDH]

Look again at the little graph I included a couple of posts again. The best that HP had to offer was that first AHCI-controller SM951 512GB M.2 SSD, run in a ZTD (and I only use the ZTD G2 you got for best cooling). That same ZTD G2 is what I ran the relatively rare Samsung 950 Pro in, a true NVMe-controller drive which has supplemental boot code to allow it to boot in the ZX20 generation if you use the same GPT partitioning and little BIOS change you posted about above.

I did not expect the DC P3700 to run much faster but my two form factors of that (AIC and 2.5") did provide a significant jump in random read/write. However, those were engineered to last virtually forever in a client setting, plus have data integrity protection.

Long story short... you're hitting the wall of older technology and wanting more. My advice: Go for a Z440 or better yet a Z4 G4 Xeon version. The first 3 Xeon processors (shown at bottom of the Xeon processors section) in the QuickSpecs for the Z4 G4 are now reasonable on eBay. Very big jump in cost above those 3. I got the top in those three, the W-2235. Everything in the Z440 generation is now quite low in cost and that is the bottom of what I'd buy now (but a huge leap over the ZX20 generation). I continue to run my Z620 and Z420 imaging workstations here because they have very locked down software chained to those two boxes and it is a huge hassle to shift to a different set of workstations. They are faithful work horses.

Re your question... no, that won't work as a boot drive for all practical purposes. The NVMe supplemental boot code is missing. You certainly could run that way as a data drive but not for boot. Having been dogmatic... you'll find some go to great lengths to run supplemental boot code from a USB inside the box but you and I both have seen the max the ZX20 can do already, and provided the methods.

I will benefit to the degree that I will be able to "feel" it with the coming E5-1680 v2 and feel it is worth the cost. I'm already running 8 x 8GB 1866 ECC Reg Samsung recycled server RAM.

Congrats on the firmware update and all your progress. I hope I prod you into a Z4 G4 Xeon! A worthwhile tip: A quality PCIe4 NVMe M.2 SSD will run faster than a quality PCIe3 NVMe M.2 SSD in the Z440 and the Z4 G4 despite both having PCIe3 as the max technology in all of their PCIe slots.

[NonSequitur777]

@SDH,

My friend, thank you for your feedback -very much appreciated!

Well, I will continue to research and find a way to maximize a boot drive performance option for my HP Z420 Workstation.

Anyway, decided to purchase an Intel Core i7-4960X Extreme (6-Cores, 12-Threads, 3.60 GHz up to 4.00 GHz, 130-watt TDP):

Reason being is that this LGA Socket 2011 has a 130-watt TDP, whereas the i7-3970X I had purchased earlier has a 150-watt TDP. If for some reason a lower TDP LGA2011 processor would be helpful to make an Intel Core processor work on an HP Z420 Workstation, I want to have least tried this avenue as well.

Can't say that I haven't tried it all!

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777