HP z820 CPU choices

[Ian Greenhalgh]

Hi folks

 

I've just obtained a barebones HP z820 workstation for almost nothing and intend to build it into a nice dual Xeon setup.

 

It has dual 2011 sockets that support v1 and v2 E5 Xeons. I know the 26xx series work but there are also the 46xx series, which interest me because they can sometimes be had for 15-20% the price of the 26xx equivalents.

 

I'm thinking a pair of 4650v2s would be rather nice and a lot cheaper than a pair of 2680v2s.

 

Now, what I'm wondering is this - does the BIOS have to have specific microcode for a specific CPU in order for it to work?

 

If so, does that mean that only CPUs on the HP Support List for the z820 will work?

 

Is it possible to mod the BIOS and insert microcode to add support for a CPU such as the 4650v2 if it isn't supported by the existing BIOS?

 

The z820 uses the C602 chipset rather than the X79, does this mean Intel XTU won't run?

 

Being a HP, there won't be any options in the BIOS for overclocking, and apart from a handful of 16xx series chips that won't work in a dual socket setup, these Xeons are locked, well, I know the 26xx series are, but are the 46xx series also multiplier locked?

 

Are there any workarounds/hacks/mods that would enable a moderate overclock of the CPUs in a z820?

[Electronics Wizardy]

NO 4600 cpus are supported, and people have reported they work work.

 

No overclocking or improving performance at all, stock only for the cpus.

 

What are you using the system for? You can normally pick high clocks or high cor counts, not both.

[Ian Greenhalgh]

You mean they reported they won't work?

 

Photo and video editing, I'll probably get a pair of 2650v2s as 2667v2s are a lot more expensive.