Solved: hp z420 motherboard upgrade - HP Support Community

astafzsiba · ‎02-18-2019

i recently got a z420 workstation, i really like the built quality of a tank, the cpu is the e5-1660 v2, which is still a decent cpu, but i was wondering if it is possible to upgrade to a dual cpu workstation, since i have 64gb of ecc ram i though i could use some aftermarket xeon processors and motherboards, i am stuck at the motherboard selection, since there is no way of knowing if it is gonna fit or not. is there a selected shape of motherboars that can fit the z420? i want to keep the memory cooling system as is.

thanks

wb2001 · ‎02-18-2019

@astafzsiba ,

If you change the motherboard to a different board

1) The Win OS is tied to the established motherboard. It will not transfer, nor activate.

2) backplate will not match up to the rear cutout.

3) off the shelf ram does not usually work. Only modules specified will work.

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HP Envy 8 5010 Tablet
(2) HP DV7t i7 3160QM 2.3Ghz 8GB
Printer -- HP OfficeJet Pro 8620 Legal
Custom Asus Z97D, I7-4790k, 16GB RAM, WIN10 Pro 64bit, ZOTAC GTX1080 AMP Extreme 3 fan 8GB RAM, 500GB SSD, Asus PB287 4k monitor, Rosewill Blackhawk case and 750W OCZ PSU.

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wb2001 · ‎02-18-2019

@astafzsiba ,

If you change the motherboard to a different board

1) The Win OS is tied to the established motherboard. It will not transfer, nor activate.

2) backplate will not match up to the rear cutout.

3) off the shelf ram does not usually work. Only modules specified will work.

This system is feedback driven thru Solution and Kudo flags. It's the only means of knowing if you have been served. Please click Accept as Solution, if your problem is solved. To say THANK YOU, press the "thumbs up symbol" to render a KUDO. You can render both Solution and KUDO..

HP Envy 8 5010 Tablet
(2) HP DV7t i7 3160QM 2.3Ghz 8GB
Printer -- HP OfficeJet Pro 8620 Legal
Custom Asus Z97D, I7-4790k, 16GB RAM, WIN10 Pro 64bit, ZOTAC GTX1080 AMP Extreme 3 fan 8GB RAM, 500GB SSD, Asus PB287 4k monitor, Rosewill Blackhawk case and 750W OCZ PSU.

astafzsiba · ‎02-19-2019

yes i noticed that too, the z420 are not made to support dual cpus, i think i'll stick with this one for now, probably stick a gtx1070 to it and make a decent gaming rig, and probably get a 620 later with the dual cpu. i really need some more cores for my work. i was also thinking of getting a server, but they are power hungry.

hp z420 motherboard upgrade

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