# 16 Core 32 Thread HP Z820 Workstation Build



## storm-chaser (Mar 13, 2020)

Well I did it again! I simply cannot escape from the clutches of eBay, but who doesn't like new hardware, right?

Having initially ordered a Dell PowerEdge 710, news was broken to me that it was not greatest machine to mod, high noise, not a great "home" computer. And as luck would have it, there was a two day delay in shipping the server, so I worked with owner and he was gracious enough to cancel the order and refund me the money.

In any event, this new machine should provide many hours of enjoyment and fun as I equip it with all of the high performance hardware I can get my hands on. This is the HP z820, which still seems to have pretty good bang for the buck but yet not over the top expensive. This is a professional grade workstation that originally retailed for about $2300 dollars (and went up from there) when it first hit the market. It supports dual Xeon CPUs (e5 2600 series CPUs) and a whopping 512GB of DDR3 memory.

Taken from HP's website:


> Built for high-end computing and visualization. The dual-processor HP Z820 Workstation delivers outstanding performance, award-winning industrial design, and tool-free serviceability in the industry’s most expandable chassis. With next generation Intel Xeon processors, support for up to 16 processing cores, and the latest professional graphics, can tackle even the most demanding projects like never before.



The HP Z820 has 16 DIMM Slots supporting DDR3 ECC Memory.
*The first generation Z820 using the Xeon Sandy-Bridge processor supports up to 128GB of 1333MHz memory.
The second generation Z820 using the Xeon Ivy-Bridge processor supports up to 512GB of 1866MHz memory.*
This machine supports *QUAD CHANNEL MEMORY*

Though I am pretty sure I have a second gen unit, we wont know until it arrives. The plan is to maximize system performance across the board. I will be running 4 SSDs in a raid 0 configuration and upgrading to at least 64GB of DDR3 1600MHz RAM.

*The Xeon E5-2673 v2 8 core 16 thread 3.3GHz CPU* was chosen for a few reasons. First, I could have gone higher core count, but the trade off is clock speed, and since I'm intending to use this for benchmarking, I favored the higher clocked CPUs *(plus I naturally favor per core performance over core count). *Second, the E5 - 2673 v2 turbos to the magic number of 4000 MHz, So it is a beast of a CPU, and with two of them, plus hyperthreading, we are looking at serious levels of performance and very powerful number crunching machine here. Another thing, the E5 - 2673 v2 has a TDP of 110W, whereas *virtually every CPU above it is either 115w, 130w or 150w, and these require the larger PSU and better cooling.* So a good blend of performance and price.

I am building this computer to compete with AMD's 3950X or at least that's the standard to which it will be measured. Both have 16 cores and 32 threads in total. The 3950X will probably stomp on it but nevertheless it should be an interesting comparison.

That's not bad for under $300. But the processors were $180 each, so it's starting to add up. Still, 16 cores and 32 threads for that price is hard to beat.


----------



## eidairaman1 (Mar 13, 2020)

Is this a dual processor motherboard?


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 13, 2020)

eidairaman1 said:


> Is this a dual processor motherboard?



Yes it is. LGA 2011 x2
16 DIMM slots!





EDIT: Processor specs:


Architecture / MicroarchitectureMicroarchitectureIvy BridgePlatformRomley-EP
Romley-WSProcessor core  ?Ivy Bridge-EPCore stepping  ?M1 (SR1UR)Manufacturing process0.022 micron*Data width**64 bit**The number of CPU cores**8**The number of threads**16*Floating Point UnitIntegratedLevel 1 cache size  ?8 x 32 KB 8-way set associative instruction caches
8 x 32 KB 8-way set associative data caches*Level 2 cache size*  ?*8 x 256 KB 8-way set associative caches**Level 3 cache size**25 MB 20-way set associative shared cache*Physical memory768 GB (per socket)MultiprocessingUp to 2 processorsExtensions and Technologies
MMX instructions
SSE / Streaming SIMD Extensions
SSE2 / Streaming SIMD Extensions 2
SSE3 / Streaming SIMD Extensions 3
SSSE3 / Supplemental Streaming SIMD Extensions 3
SSE4 / SSE4.1 + SSE4.2 / Streaming SIMD Extensions 4  ?
AES / Advanced Encryption Standard instructions
AVX / Advanced Vector Extensions
F16C / 16-bit Floating-Point conversion instructions
EM64T / Extended Memory 64 technology / Intel 64  ?
NX / XD / Execute disable bit  ?
HT / Hyper-Threading technology  ?
VT-x / Virtualization technology  ?
VT-d / Virtualization for directed I/O
TBT 2.0 / Turbo Boost technology 2.0  ?
TXT / Trusted Execution technology
Low power features
Enhanced SpeedStep technology  ?
Integrated peripherals / componentsIntegrated graphicsNoneMemory controllerThe number of controllers: 1
Memory channels: 4
Supported memory: DDR3-800, DDR3-1066, DDR3-1333, DDR3-1600, DDR3-1866
DIMMs per channel: 3
Maximum memory bandwidth (GB/s): 59.7
ECC supported: YesOther peripherals
Direct Media Interface 2.0
Quick Path Interconnect (2 links)
PCI Express 3.0 interface
Electrical / Thermal parametersV core  ?0.65V - 1.3V*Thermal Design Power*  ?*110 Watt*Notes on Intel Xeon E5-2673 v2
The processor has the following security, data protection and/or software features: Intel Secure Key, vPro technology and OS Guard.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 14, 2020)

If you are interested in learning more about this particular rig, here is a brief, informative synopsis I found on youtube. Definitely an exceptional piece of hardware.










So I can rest easy knowing my incoming z820 workstation *is definitely the later, more recent, Gen II revision*, which means I will have no issues at all running the e5-2673 v2 processors. Just to note, Gen I z820s only support up to a maximum of 1333MHz RAM and will NOT work with the Xeon 2600 v2 CPUs. You can identify which version you have by going into the BIOS and checking the boot block date: 





*Gen I systems: *
Will have a Boot Block Date of* 12/28/2011

Gen II systems: *
Will have a Boot Block Date of  *03/06/2013

If you are shopping for one of these rigs it's generally a good idea to find the Gen II revision, that way you can run the E5 2600 v2 series of CPUs, offering higher clocks and better performance. The high end z820s workstation come stock with liquid cooling systems for both CPUs. *

Pleasantly surprised to see that my rig still has the original OEM protection film, that's always a good thing 
*Stay tuned folks.* The processors are coming from China so let's hope they aren't contaminated with the coronavirus. lol.
That being said the arrival date of the new processors is likely sometime in late March. But expect single CPU benchmark results, pictures and updates when the rig arrives.
We will also take inventory of all the hardware and associated components. The z820 has incredible expandability. The next thing I need to do is start researching what type of RAM I want to use in this thing.


----------



## bonehead123 (Mar 14, 2020)

A nice machine, I hope it serves you well, but seriously, getting cpu's from china.....ummm... good luck with that


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 14, 2020)

bonehead123 said:


> A nice machine, I hope it serves you well, but seriously, getting cpu's from china.....ummm... good luck with that


I've sourced many a CPU from China and I've never had an issue (knock on wood). Although I must admit, it's a little risky  --- but China is literally the only source for these particular CPUs, so my hand is forced. But it makes sense that they would have these, seeing how China collects all of our obsolete hardware. Seller has about 99% positive feedback rating, so let's hope everything holds together and this goes according to plan.

Now this is a what I call a SERIOUS motherboard...


----------



## R-T-B (Mar 14, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> I've sourced many a CPU from China and I've never had an issue (knock on wood). Although I must admit, it's a little risky  --- but China is literally the only source for these particular CPUs, so my hand is forced. But it makes since that they would have these, seeing how China collects all of our obsolete hardware. Sell has about 99% feedback rating, so let's hope everything holds together and this goes according to plan.
> 
> Now this is a what I call a SERIOUS motherboard...



I'd be worried more about the wait than the Corona and/or product quality.  China is having a big push right now to "Free itself from western tech" so it makes sense they'll be selling Intel etc.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 14, 2020)

R-T-B said:


> I'd be worried more about the wait than the Corona and/or product quality.  China is having a big push right now to "Free itself from western tech" so it makes sense they'll be selling Intel etc.


Yeah, it's not an ideal scenario but we have to work with what we've got sometimes. This silver lining here is that the two week wait will allow me time to get to know the machine and assess what we need in terms of hardware and cooling, ram configuration, etc. So we will see...

Browsing wiki for the list of available processors seems to explain why there is virtually no market for the E5-2673 v2 in the United States---because it was apparently only used by OEMs, which would explain the shortage, and why I had to go to China to get it.


----------



## Darmok N Jalad (Mar 14, 2020)

I can’t believe the protective film was still on the metal. Then again, I have seen this in the past where people had no idea to remove these coatings from all sorts of things.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 14, 2020)

*It's always good to have a secret weapon, and this project is no exception (hint: We will make the Ryzen 3950X sweat bullets). *You guys will be made aware of this extremely potent weapon soon enough! You have to see it to believe it! That's all I'm going to say 

On another subject entirely,* We are going liquid cooling with this puppy. *Yes, HP actually has a liquid cooling option available for the high end z820s and we will be using them in this build.

This is the liquid cooler. One for each processor. There will be no compromises, this z820 will be fitted with the* best *hardware money can buy.


----------



## Frick (Mar 14, 2020)

Darmok N Jalad said:


> I can’t believe the protective film was still on the metal. Then again, I have seen this in the past where people had no idea to remove these coatings from all sorts of things.



I try to keep them on as long as possible tbh.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 16, 2020)

Okay all fou .. - I mean two radiators …. have been purchased and should be here by the end of the week.
Now the cost is starting to add up... 

.... about $800 with these two radiators included


----------



## silentbogo (Mar 16, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> .... about $800 with these two radiators included


That's still not too bad considering the spec. Those AIOs cost pretty peny. I think the only thing that's questionable was spending $180/ea on those CPUs. Pretty sure they are much cheaper nowadays.
Something like a single-socket 2011-3 system would've been cheaper. I'm building something similar for my office (based on MSI X99S MPower board), while keeping an eye on 16-18 core Xeon E5 v3's. Those go for around $450 shipped from China (regular retail, non-ES chips). Ideally I'd go for 2699v4 ES, but I don't wanna risk w/ compatibility issues.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 16, 2020)

silentbogo said:


> That's still not too bad considering the spec. Those AIOs cost pretty peny. I think the only thing that's questionable was spending $180/ea on those CPUs. Pretty sure they are much cheaper nowadays.
> Something like a single-socket 2011-3 system would've been cheaper. I'm building something similar for my office (based on MSI X99S MPower board), while keeping an eye on 16-18 core Xeon E5 v3's. Those go for around $450 shipped from China (regular retail, non-ES chips). Ideally I'd go for 2699v4 ES, but I don't wanna risk w/ compatibility issues.


The AIOs are all custom HP stuff... and yes, quite expensive when found new in box. The ones I picked up... all fou…err …. all two of them have been "seller refurbished" which means cleaning, dusting and checking operation. So that was $81 each, and I ordered two of them. 

Well, I search high and low for them and nothing was found, short of going to China. They are the CPUs I wanted, so I must be patient and wait.

What kind of compatibility issues are you referring to with your rig? and the 2699v4?

And just so everyone knows, we will be starting up another Cinebench challenge again in the next month or so. So this down time will hopefully give me enough time to get my 16 core / 32 thread system up and running in time for the next competition.

And don't forget, I have an ACE up my sleeve, should my E5-2673 v2 not impress, we will bring something else to the table that is MOST certain to do some very serious damage    



silentbogo said:


> That's still not too bad considering the spec. Those AIOs cost pretty peny. I think the only thing that's questionable was spending $180/ea on those CPUs. Pretty sure they are much cheaper nowadays.
> Something like a single-socket 2011-3 system would've been cheaper.


Yeah these AIOs were $81.00 o eBay. The air cooler costs about $60 alone, so I figured why not just deck it out with liquid cooling and not worry about thermals again? Right? 

But the CPUs are OEM meaning there isn't a large stockpile of these somewhere.... especially not in the states.  Do you have a link in finding them cheaper somewhere else?


----------



## phill (Mar 16, 2020)

Love builds like this  

What will you be using it for my good man ??


----------



## sepheronx (Mar 16, 2020)

I too am very much looking forward to this project.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 16, 2020)

phill said:


> Love builds like this
> 
> What will you be using it for my good man ??



Going to be used primarily for benchmarking. If the system is quiet enough for daily use (I've heard with the liquid cooling option they sound like a normal desktop) and suits my needs well, I may just take it over and use as my primary desktop. Right now, that's being powered by a 5.0GHz Coffee Lake Chip, six cores, run of the mill LGA 1151...

SO Cinebench will be it's first test. Once I have it built and ready for war I will open a new Cinebench competition for everyone... and this will give us a really good baseline run of performance potential.



sepheronx said:


> I too am very much looking forward to this project.



*Good to hear that. I will keep you guys updated from start to finish!!*

So right now, we are waiting on the Z820 tower. I suspect it may take a couple weeks to get here due to the Coronavirus issue... so we may be a little delayed in getting started, but no matter, it will eventually come together exactly how I want it to. I figure with the liquid cooling system installed, I should have no problem pushing it hard. Not sure if there are turbo hacks for these CPUS? Anyone know? Im talking the  E5-2600 v2 series of chips here.


----------



## sepheronx (Mar 16, 2020)

Sorry to ask if it was already answered but I skimmed through and missed it possibly, but what GPU are you planning to use?


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 16, 2020)

silentbogo said:


> That's still not too bad considering the spec. Those AIOs cost pretty peny. I think the only thing that's questionable was spending $180/ea on those CPUs. Pretty sure they are much cheaper nowadays.
> Something like a single-socket 2011-3 system would've been cheaper. I'm building something similar for my office (based on MSI X99S MPower board), while keeping an eye on 16-18 core Xeon E5 v3's. Those go for around $450 shipped from China (regular retail, non-ES chips). Ideally I'd go for 2699v4 ES, but I don't wanna risk w/ compatibility issues.


So long as the CPU is listed as compatible with the other hardware you are using, you shouldn't have to worry about compatibility. But yeah, I was eyeing the 2600 v4 series as well... because HP makes the Z840, a system designed to work with those CPUs. However, I could never realize my dream for a dual core workstation due to cost... the 2600 v4 CPUs are much more expensive than v2, as is all the other hardware you might need to go along with it.



sepheronx said:


> Sorry to ask if it was already answered but I skimmed through and missed it possibly, but what GPU are you planning to use?


Actually still up in the air. Not sure what GPU I'll be running with it. I think the incoming z820 workstation includes an NVidia Quadro NVS 450 GPU, and I have listed the specs below:

*The NVIDIA® Quadro® NVS 450 business graphics solution delivers a reliable hardware and software platform for a stable environment and robust IT management tools for seamless enterprise deployment.*

Quadro® NVS 450 is the chosen solution across mixed environments, including financial institutions, emergency call centers, digital signage systems, and other mission critical environments. Featuring CUDA™ parallel computing processors with a unified architecture designed to dynamically allocate GPU resources, the Quadro NVS 450 solution delivers optimized performance for business graphics. Capable of supporting up to four digital displays at resolutions of up to 2560 x 1600 each through the DisplayPort connectors, the Quadro NVS 450 maximizes productivity by enabling more screen real estate from a single graphics card. Through the NVIDIA® nView™ advanced  display software, Quadro NVS 450 enables features such as profiles, extended Windows taskbar, gridlines, and virtual desktops. In addition, Quadro NVS 450 provides high quality HD video output and high memory bandwidth for today’s more demanding  digital signage requirements.
Quadro NVS 450 business solution is engineered and built by NVIDIA to provide a reliable platform and is designed with a fanless cooling solution for quieter desktop environment. In addition, Quadro NVS 450 is tested for compatibility with leading business applications to meet the needs of today’s most demanding business users. Quadro NVS 450 is the professional 2D solution from a wide range of product offerings. The entire Quadro NVS family takes the leading business applications to a new level of interactivity by enabling unprecedented capabilities in display technology. Featuring Quadro NVS 450, 440, 290, and 280 at the professional 2D segment, Quadro delivers unmatched workstation performance and quality.


----------



## Vario (Mar 16, 2020)

I always liked the design of HP's Z series cases.  Form and function!
It is too bad it uses a non standard power supply, but the HP ones are very high wattage.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 16, 2020)

Vario said:


> I always liked the design of HP's Z series cases.  Form and function!
> It is too bad it uses a non standard power supply, but the HP ones are very high wattage.
> View attachment 148289
> View attachment 148290



Yes, they mean serious business.. I think mine has the 1125 watt option... which is 90% efficient.

I get you on the form and function, I think it's a decent looking machine all around.

Initially, I was going with a Dell Precision T7610 (very similar, dual CPU workstation), but that is just ugly if you ask me:


----------



## Vario (Mar 16, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> Yes, they mean serious business.. I think mine has the 1125 watt option... which is 90% efficient.
> 
> I get you on the form and function, I think it's a decent looking machine all around.
> 
> ...


I've thought about buying Z workstations because I love the look of the case and they are really cheap for what they offer.
As far as business class machines, I think the HP Elite Desk Micro and the Dell Optiplex Micro stuff looks pretty cool too.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 16, 2020)

Vario said:


> I've thought about buying Z workstations because I love the look of the case and they are really cheap for what they offer.


Yes, and not only that, but they have a factory liquid cooling option. Takes all the guesswork out of cooling system... up to 150w / CPU, rest assured, you will have no cooling problems with these guys installed (I purchased two of them @ $85 each). If you do get a z820 be sure to get the 2nd generation... that way you can run the E5-2600 v2 CPUs... better clocks and more cores (see page 1 for details)


----------



## DailymotionGamer (Mar 16, 2020)

hmm i would buy the E5-2673 v2 for my HP 420, but 60 bucks a bit to much for old cpu, considering i only paid 22 dollars for my 2630 v2.


----------



## phill (Mar 16, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> Going to be used primarily for benchmarking. If the system is quiet enough for daily use (I've heard with the liquid cooling option they sound like a normal desktop) and suits my needs well, I may just take it over and use as my primary desktop. Right now, that's being powered by a 5.0GHz Coffee Lake Chip, six cores, run of the mill LGA 1151...
> 
> SO Cinebench will be it's first test. Once I have it built and ready for war I will open a new Cinebench competition for everyone... and this will give us a really good baseline run of performance potential.
> 
> ...


Ah 

I had the same with a server, managed to grab some very cheap and nice V2 10C 20T CPUs which I now use for WCG crunching...  It's not the quietest but being a 1U server, it's not going ever be  

I'd be very surprised if you can do much with a work station setup, but the dual CPUs etc are always fun to play with.  If you wanted a fun one, the EVGA SR-2 is definitely the Daddy of the dual CPU boards


----------



## silentbogo (Mar 16, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> What kind of compatibility issues are you referring to with your rig? and the 2699v4?


I'm talking about engineering samples. I can get retail  E5 v3s for cheap, but anything beefy like an 18-core or 22-core E5 v4 are only available to me as ES/QS from China. Retail ones are wa-a-a-ay out of my budget.


----------



## sepheronx (Mar 16, 2020)

silentbogo said:


> I'm talking about engineering samples. I can get retail  E5 v3s for cheap, but anything beefy like an 18-core or 22-core E5 v4 are only available to me as ES/QS from China. Retail ones are wa-a-a-ay out of my budget.


What kind of prices we talking here?

I wouldn't mind a setup with some of those xeons.


----------



## silentbogo (Mar 16, 2020)

~$400 or so for 2698v4 ES.
It has slightly lower base clock than retail variant, but it's not critical for what I'm gonna use it for. All I need is moar coars!


----------



## Mr.Scott (Mar 16, 2020)

Don't over estimate those cheap OEM AIO's. They're only good for about 120w.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 16, 2020)

Mr.Scott said:


> Don't over estimate those cheap OEM AIO's. They're only good for about 120w.



Well that's a good thing. All four err... all two CPUs fall under that rating at least.

I'm assuming this Z820 motherboard has a standard LGA 2011 socket and mounting hardware? It would appear that is the case...

However, the question would be custom fitment in the case, as you can see, everything channeled front to back, and an aftermarket liquid cooler would make fitment in the case a challenge...


----------



## Mr.Scott (Mar 16, 2020)

I understand. 
I only mentioned it because it seemed like you were expecting a big temp difference over their normal air.


----------



## phill (Mar 16, 2020)

I went with retail CPUs since I didn't want to run the risk of buying ES or QS and them then not being compatible with the motherboard/server setup...  I believe my good friend got them at a very decent price


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 17, 2020)

Mr.Scott said:


> Don't over estimate those cheap OEM AIO's. They're only good for about 120w.


The CPUs I am running are 110 w tdp, so I should have no problem here...



Mr.Scott said:


> I understand.
> I only mentioned it because it seemed like you were expecting a big temp difference over their normal air.


No, I am well aware the air coolers are good to 95W, I just opted for the heavy duty cooling option, since factory stock liquid cooling is quite rare, I figured that would be the best route (most robust) to take as we rebuild this rig and make it stronger than it every was before.  it can be fine tuned later, I could even open the loop and add a reservoir or another radiator, question is placement.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 18, 2020)

Two big boxes showed up today, so I know at least one small component of the American economy is still functioning. 

If I can find my tablet, or my cell phone, or my camera, I can take pictures. Sorry. I've got about 5 computers here in various forms of completion.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 18, 2020)

Two big boxes arrived today.

The z820 is in one, but what of the mystery package? 

Just wait and see


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 18, 2020)

Two good things right off the bat. First, both of these machines have the higher 1125W PSU! They also still had the protective film on sides of the case!! They look brand new, mint condition!


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 18, 2020)

SSD's I will be running are enterprise level SSDs, Specifically the Intel DC S3500 series.
These will be run in a raid 0 configuration for ultra performance on the boot drive


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 18, 2020)

You're going to have a rockin system when you're done!


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 18, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> You're going to have a rockin system when you're done!


It's going to be a fun project that's for certain.

The guy had two of them so I pulled the trigger on both. This way I will have the higher clocked 8 core E5 2673 v2 CPU at 3.3Ghz base and 4.0GHz turbo in one computer. Use that for benchmarking and for the real heavy stuff use the second one, which will be fitted with liquid cooling and the E5-2696 v2, a 115W TDP 12 core / 24 thread CPU that runs at 2.5GHz base and 3.5GHz boost! 

So both will be liquid cooled, both have two processors each. So one will be 16 core 32 thread and the other will be 24 core 48 thread!!!!


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 18, 2020)

You game don't you? If so...


storm-chaser said:


> This way I will have the higher clocked 8 core E5 2673 v2 CPU at 3.3Ghz base and 4.0GHz turbo in one computer.


This should be the one you game on, though you really wouldn't need two CPU's for that...


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 18, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> You game don't you? If so...
> 
> This should be the one you game on, though you really wouldn't need two CPU's for that...


Formatting the SSDs right now, prepping system one for Windows 10 install


----------



## nvt150 (Mar 18, 2020)

In danger of sounding negative.. those S3500's only has 45 TBW and will probably crash hard long before this. Would recommend getting modern SSD's. 2 of those in a Raid 1 will not perform equal to even the cheapest 2.5" SSD's these days.

If the workload is gaming, anyone thought of using dual 1680v2? Far better for gaming than the 26XX's..

I get a warm feeling inside when I see people take care of these workhorses.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 18, 2020)

nvt150 said:


> In danger of sounding negative.. those S3500's only has 45 TBW and will probably crash hard long before this. Would recommend getting modern SSD's. 2 of those in a Raid 1 will not perform equal to even the cheapest 2.5" SSD's these days.
> 
> If the workload is gaming, anyone thought of using dual 1680v2? Far better for gaming than the 26XX's..
> 
> I get a warm feeling inside when I see people take care of these workhorses.



*THUMBS UP! I'm online with rig #1!!*

Yes I will be upgrading to more modern SSDs. I know they are lacking. I have a week or two to get new SSDs, as my processors are coming from China, probably contaminated with Corona but it's a chance I'm willing to take. lol Actually, the 12 core / 24 thread E5 2696's v2's are coming in later this week from the West coast, but I cannot install them until I get my liquid coolers, so I'm guessing that will be Friday. So expect an update late Friday night. I have to run to the bank right now but after I return I will focus on the second system~ *OMG this is so awesome...* it's fun to get lost in technology every once in a while!  ....and FAST! This system feels just as fast as my 9600KF hexacore at 5.0Ghz.... can't wait to throw some benchmarks at it. Interesting to compare and contrast what a single CPU can do versus the eventual dual CPU setup that we will have next week. Make no mistake, we will be documenting everything. Performance, specs, benchmark results, the whole 9 yards. And that will get stored away in my virtual overclocking library. This mostly consists of CPUz screenshots and AIDA64 benchmark snips. This is how I can go back and reference old overclocks and memory settings and whatnot.

What else should we upgrade on this puppy?  

*But guys!!!!!*

The first z820 system is online! I just configured my RAID 0, which was super straight forward and windows detected the array with ZERO problems. 320GB, four SSDs. Gotta love HP for vetting their suppliers and building a machine that is* ultra compatible with the latest version of windows.* Sure, you can always install the RAID controller driver manually, but it's just a pain IMO, and an extra step, and when it goes through effortlessly, there is something to be said about t

So the DC S3500 series are quite dated, yes, so please provide some suggestions on what I should go with in terms of a storage solution here.
I want maximum performance the cost is irrelevant. NVMe m.2 running off PCI-E? What do you recommend? I have lots of PCI-E expandability on this board! Lets get this system fitted to the highest degree possible!

I'm not sure if a full size video card will fit in this case. It has the width but due to "airflow channeling" I might hit the ceiling, I have to take some measurements.





My apartment now resembles a full blown computer shop. I counted at least 8 computers and two laptops. DEFINITELY NOT ENOUGH! Need MOAR TECH!!!! Two things you can never have enough of: *Horsepower and information technology. 

First impressions? It's sleek, it's fast! BIOS layout is extensive and pretty much every resource can be fine tuned or changed to suit your needs or to suit your hardware choices. Raid controller configuration was quick and painless. It's very quiet, even when under load. Very powerful machine, you can sense it. 
Plus they both look BRAND NEW because the protection film was never removed until I got my hands on it!

What do you guys think for a video card? I was thinking something like an MSI Radeon 5600 XT? But part of me want's to keep the computer true to it's original intent: And that would include a video card not really geared for pure gaming, more in the "rendering" user space. 

I also want to fit 64GB of DDR3 in each system. Ideally, I need the memory with the tightest possible timings that will run at 1866MHz. *

Quick briefing on the memory options available for the z820.

*HP Z820 Memory Configuration*

The Z820 is a Dual Processor system with 8 DIMM slots per CPU. There are four memory channels per CPU. Each memory channel manages two DIMM slots. Along with standard RDIMMs and UDIMMs, the Z820 also supports Load Reduced DIMMs, as well as options for standard or low voltage. You cannot mix different memory types. Different speeds can be mixed but the modules will function at the slowest speed installed.
*Cloud Ninjas' HP Z820 Workstation Memory Upgrade Tips*


There are a total of 16 DIMM slots on the Dell Z820 workstation.
Sizes supported: 2GB, 4GB, 8GB or 16GB ECC Registered (RDIMM); and 2GB or 4GB Unbuffered (UDIMM); and 32GB Load Reducing (LRDIMM).
DO NOT MIX DIFFERENT MEMORY TYPES.
The Z820 maxes out at 256GB of ECC Registered memory (16 x 16GB). Whereas unbuffered tops out at 64GB (16 x 4GB).
The absolute top of the line RAM would be via load reducing memory. The Dell Z820 could get all the way up to 512GB (16x32GB) Memory.
The Precision Z820 workstation supports memory speeds of 1600MHz or 1333MHz ECC and non-ECC DDR3 memory
Think Long Term! Purchase the maximum amount that your Dell Precision Z820 can hold and avoid wasting time and money on modules you won't be able to use if you upgrade again.
The total number of memory modules must equal 4, 8, 12 or 16. To properly configure your system, install a minimum of four memory modules first.

Obviously this information was written before the second revision of the z820, as the secondary version offers support for up to 1866Mhz DDR3 memory.

Question: Observing the memory specs above, I have one thing that is still in a grey area -- *can I run standard NON ecc memory in this rig?* By it's going to be hard to resist outfitting this thing with the maximum of 512GB of RAM.

*By far my most favorite machine, ever. And I hardly even know it! This thing is absolutely stunning... cloud 9 FTW! *


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 18, 2020)

As spec'd by CPUz:


----------



## Vario (Mar 18, 2020)

Beautiful machines!


----------



## sepheronx (Mar 18, 2020)

Very beautiful.

I was just looking at HP Z640.  Its $700 CAD.  Dunno if I should try or not.  Z440 is cheaper but I want something with dual CPU capabilities.

thanks a lot storm-chaser.  Now you got me wanting to buy.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 18, 2020)

sepheronx said:


> Very beautiful.
> 
> I was just looking at HP Z640.  Its $700 CAD.  Dunno if I should try or not.  Z440 is cheaper but I want something with dual CPU capabilities.
> 
> thanks a lot storm-chaser.  Now you got me wanting to buy.


Hell yeah brother! Some other high performance rigs you might want to take a look at:

*-Dell Precision T7600* - Dell equivalent of the z820
*-HP z840* (runs Xeon version 3.0 chips) - CPUs are still very expensive 
*-Dell T7910

Definitely go dual CPU, you got the right idea *


----------



## sepheronx (Mar 18, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> Hell yeah brother! Some other high performance rigs you might want to take a look at:
> 
> *-Dell Precision T7600* - Dell equivalent of the z820
> *-HP z840* (runs Xeon version 3.0 chips) - CPUs are still very expensive
> ...



I was looking at the z640 but some pics show single CPU and others show dual so I am not 100% sure.  Price is a major factor.  But the fact that it can carry the E5 1660v4 is something I want as dual of those would be great performance.  And I would love to get myself a Ryzen setup so I can test it all against each other.

Guess I gotta win the lottery or rob a bank.


----------



## T-Bob (Mar 18, 2020)

nvt150 said:


> If the workload is gaming, anyone thought of using dual 1680v2? Far better for gaming than the 26XX's..


Not an option, the E5-1600 series Xeons won't work for 2p configuration.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 18, 2020)

Would you just look at that! 

Christmas has come early my friends! lol 





(pics to follow)


----------



## sepheronx (Mar 18, 2020)

T-Bob said:


> Not an option, the E5-1600 series Xeons won't work for 2p configuration.



good to know!


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 18, 2020)

CPU Nirvana. While the nation sinks below the waves...


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 18, 2020)

Okay guys, time for phase II.... Shutting down rig #1 so we can bring rig #2 online and install Windows 10 on that and perform a hardware assessment (I will run the AIDA64 battery of benchmarks so we can compare and contrast these rigs in single CPU mode). This experience is unreal, I'm telling you there nothing like it... *If you like something? Buy two of them. 

I'll catch up with you guys later this evening. *

ps... can't forget core temp, I install it on all my personal rigs, nice to know what's going on real time. I like this setup, which catches CPU utilization and real time clock speeds in addition to temperature monitoring...

We will do some torture tests and see how she holds up. I suspect the cooling is spot on and dialed in, considering the size and girth of CPU cooler, with all three fans and all..

*





*


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 18, 2020)

Cinebench run with the installed 8 core E5-2650 v2 CPU...





Turbo specifications for this CPU:


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 19, 2020)

Okay, new CPUs are installed! I couldn't help myself so I went with the air coolers for now. These are the 12 core Xeon E5 2696 v2 that boosts to 3.5GHz... 120w TDP.

That's a total of 24 cores and 48 threads! I figure I have two options or profiles, depending on workload. If I set power save mode the BIOS this CPU defaults to a 3.1GHz all core base clock. But then it doesn't turbo, so there is a trade off. Other option is to switch back the power save mode, then it turbos to 3.5GHz, but only with a single core.










I've always wanted to do something like this:


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 19, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> Yes I will be upgrading to more modern SSDs. I know they are lacking.


They're fine. There Intel SSD's and they are MLC which is very durable. You'll be fine. Enjoy them.


storm-chaser said:


> as my processors are coming from China, probably contaminated with Corona


Use gloves, and a spray bottle with at least 70% IPA. Spray soak it down as you open it. The CPU will not be harmed by the IPA.

Otherwise very cool!


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 19, 2020)

lexluthermiester said:


> They're fine. There Intel SSD's and they are MLC which is very durable. You'll be fine. Enjoy them.
> 
> Use gloves, and a spray bottle with at least 70% IPA. Spray soak it down as you open it. The CPU will not be harmed by the IPA.
> 
> Otherwise very cool!


Yeah you got the right idea - I think these Intel SSDs will work just fine, especially with raid 0 across 4 drives. The next step is figuring out how to modify the hard drive cage so I can secure the SSD drives in the machine (right now it's just a tension fit in the slot. The carriers/caddies are made for 3.5"  drives and definitely NOT usable with the small 2.5" laptop sized SSDs... I'm sure there is an adaptor still out there in internet land for me.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 19, 2020)

Here are the results of the AIDA64 hard drive/disk benchmark test... Crystal Disk Mark would not run due to RAID0 configuration.





Linear Read




Random Read:






EDIT: Following up on the Hard Drive caddy situation... yes, internet land has a solution, however, it's a $200 solution I really want to avoid if at all possible.... (yes, they are $50 each)




EDIT:
Whittled it down to a $100 solution with OEM parts.... this is better... still though...


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 19, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> Here are the results of the AIDA64 hard drive/disk benchmark test...


Looks like it's screaming along! Very nice!


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 19, 2020)

So, more good news and more good upgrades! The liquid cooling system has arrived! and boy, let me tell you, it's already running a bit cooler, less temp variation, no spikes and more "grounded" temp readings, with nowhere near as many fluctuations. So the real test will be CB R15, CB R 15 Extreme and CB R 20. I will run those tests and get back to you with results. This is the z820 with the x2 *E5-2696 v2 120W TDP CPUs. Base is 2.5GHz but it seems to run 2.9 - 3.1GHz under full load.*

Here are a few pictures from the swap. So we now have the OEM HP liquid cooling system installed on each 12 core / 24 thread CPU. The overall fan noise is already lower, I can tell. I also swapped over the *MSI Radeon RX 580 Gaming X 8GB GPU* as well, just waiting for the driver to download and I will test out the rigs gaming capability. More pics inbound! Well worth the cost, and I have two extra radiators for the other z820 workstation that's getting the 16 core 3.3GHz base / 4.0GHz turbo CPU as well (*E5-2673 v2 110W TDP*). Going to be interesting to see how they compare....


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 19, 2020)

I know, I am over documenting my progress here. Here are some more pictures from the CPU cooler swap....

Looks really good with the MSI Radeon GPU installed... it's going to be a real performer now...


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 19, 2020)

Well this is interesting. My 24 cores are now turboing at a much more aggressive rate than when they were air cooled. Not a higher clock frequency per se, only that the cores seem to be "hovering" at a much higher clock speed when eating through a work load. For example, look at the clock speeds below. Typically there would be one or two cores between 3.4 and 3.5 GHz, the rest would throttle down to 3.0Ghz or so. Now we have the majority of the threads sitting between 3.3 and 3.5 GHz....

Could it really be a simple change from air to liquid cooling?

And according to the turbo ratio specs for this processor, only one core should be turboing up to 3.5GHz, but we have clearly three here running at 3.5GHz simultaneously... Can anyone recommend another tool for monitoring real time clocks. HWinfo does a great job, but I can only see one processor at a time, not both. I'd also like to confirm the HWinfo64 data to be accurate. 





P.S. The rig is now almost completely silent, even under full load the fans are only spooled to 25-30%...


----------



## moproblems99 (Mar 20, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> Cinebench run with the installed 8 core E5-2650 v2 CPU...



So, I know you said these were supposed to make the 3950x a little nervous but it doesn't  look like the the 2p 2650 stands a chance.  Honestly, doesn't even seem like it will catch the 3900x even.  The 2p 12 core will likely pass the 3900x but I don't see it surpassing the 3950x.  Interesting to see how it pans out.

In any case, it is still fun staring at all the cores.  Graphs can be a little difficult to read though


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 20, 2020)

You are going to town on these two systems. Looks like you're having a lot of fun..


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 20, 2020)

moproblems99 said:


> So, I know you said these were supposed to make the 3950x a little nervous but it doesn't  look like the the 2p 2650 stands a chance.  Honestly, doesn't even seem like it will catch the 3900x even.  The 2p 12 core will likely pass the 3900x but I don't see it surpassing the 3950x.  Interesting to see how it pans out.
> 
> In any case, it is still fun staring at all the cores.  Graphs can be a little difficult to read though


The 2650 definitely does NOT stand a chance, that's why upgraded to two *Xeon E5-2692's* which have 12 cores each. So that's a total of 24 cores and 48 threads for under $700... not a bad price / performance ratio here... Where have I heard that before? lol 

And yeah, even then I had my doubts that processors from 2012 where going to compete at the same level as the recent offerings from AMD. I cannot find any benchmarks that specifically pit *TWO* Xeon 2696 v2 CPUs against the 3950X, but I will be running some additional benchmarks that compare the two so stay tuned...


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 20, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> And yeah, even then I had my doubts that processors from 2012 where going to compete at the same level as the recent offerings from AMD. I cannot find any benchmarks that specifically pit *TWO* Xeon 2696 v2 CPUs against the 3950X, but I will be running some additional benchmarks that compare the two so stay tuned...


Actually, there is a way to compare. Passmark.com They have test results posted publicly. You can run your setup and compare your results to the ones online.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 20, 2020)

I will definitely be doing that... however....









						AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 16 Core PassMark Benchmark Shows It's Faster Than Intel's 28 Core Xeon-3175X
					

The AMD Ryzen 3950X processor has once again been benchmarked ahead of its launch and this time we are looking at the PassMark CPU benchmark.




					wccftech.com
				




Okay, I wanted to start with the older version of Passmark, this is PerformanceTest 9.0...





You can view this result on PassMark's website here:






						PassMark Software - Display Baseline ID# 			1360789
					






					www.passmark.com
				




EDIT:

PassMark 10 Performance Test Results:










						PassMark Software - Display Baseline ID# 			1208801
					






					www.passmark.com
				




CPU Placement on the High End CPU Chart...


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 20, 2020)

And you can compare them below;
This is the average score for a Dual Xeon E5-2696v2 setup


			PassMark - [Dual CPU] Intel Xeon E5-2696 v2 @ 2.50GHz - Price performance comparison
		


And this compares to an AMD Ryzen 9 3900x


			AMD Ryzen 9 3900X vs Intel Xeon E5-2696 v2 @ 2.50GHz [cpubenchmark.net] by PassMark Software
		


And while that result doesn't seem so rosy, you do have a dual setup which gets you in the neighborhood and paid a fraction of the cost you would have for a 3900x system.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 20, 2020)

Very true, and it's more powerful than anything in Intel's current "consumer" based lineup in things like Cinebench.

Speaking of Cinebench, we will be starting a new competition soon so we can see how this stacks up with the competition in that as well. I don't see first place happening any time soon, but we may get a podium position or hope to keep it in the top 5 at least...

I'm interested to see how the other z820 rig with two E5-2673 v2 chips will fare... Less cores but higher clocks and a 4.0GHz turbo... Me thinks the higher clocks are not going be earth shattering game changers. But it may give us a couple FPS when gaming. Only one way to find out.



lexluthermiester said:


> And this compares to an AMD Ryzen 9 3900x
> 
> 
> AMD Ryzen 9 3900X vs Intel Xeon E5-2696 v2 @ 2.50GHz [cpubenchmark.net] by PassMark Software


And keep in mind the second link (this one above) compares the 3900X with a SINGLE E5-2696 v2, so it still wins even when you double the result, but much closer in terms of brute power.


----------



## moproblems99 (Mar 20, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> The 2650 definitely does NOT stand a chance, that's why upgraded to two *Xeon E5-2692's* which have 12 cores each. So that's a total of 24 cores and 48 threads for under $700... not a bad price / performance ratio here... Where have I heard that before? lol



I wouldn't have any idea where you could have heard that before.   

I get the loving on price/perf but that is only a useful metric after you have hit some basic performance benchmark.  All that value doesn't do you much good if you can't push the frames.  Or since we both like cars, all that fuel economy of a 4 cyl isn't that beneficial if you have to go up in hills in reverse because there isn't enough power to go up in low gear.



lexluthermiester said:


> And while that result doesn't seem so rosy, you do have a dual setup which gets you in the neighborhood and paid a fraction of the cost you would have for a 3900x system.



There might be a rose tint to it.  You get *near* the performance but you basically have to do it with 2 PCs drawing probably triple the power.  Normally, I don't really care about power usage but when you are getting likely well past double, then it starts to become a thing.  BUT, to be able to be sniffing on some of the tops chips nearly 10 years later ain't shabby.

As for cost, my 3900X, Taichi, and 32gb RAM cost $880 where he is sitting at  ~$700.  Me, I would still take the newer system but, again, the 2P ain't shabby.  My T3500 could be 2P.  I still need to get rid of it though.



storm-chaser said:


> I'm interested to see how the other z820 rig with two E5-2673 v2 chips will fare... Less cores but higher clocks and a 4.0GHz turbo... Me thinks the higher clocks are not going be earth shattering game changers. But it may give us a couple FPS when gaming. Only one way to find out.



Do these workstation boards have the ability to modify blck?

Edit: What happened to the auto merging of posts!?  Now I am actually going to have use edit again.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 20, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> And keep in mind the second link (this one above) compares the 3900X with a SINGLE E5-2696 v2, so it still wins even when you double the result, but much closer in terms of brute power.


Yeah, exactly!


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 20, 2020)

moproblems99 said:


> Do these workstation boards have the ability to modify blck?
> 
> Edit: What happened to the auto merging of posts!?  Now I am actually going to have use edit again.


No, not that I am aware of. I'm still looking into it, however, I have heard the claim that setFSB has one option that gets you close. He was actually able to overclock, but I take that with a grain of salt. And that's a shame, because the cooling is pretty spectacular. Active cooling all 16 memory slots as well. Would make for a very competent overclocking rig.

This is the CPU cooler...





That sits on top of these:








In addition to the fans on the CPU cooler, you have two 80 mm PWM (or comparable) located to the rear of the case, so you can lose a CPU cooling fan and still be able to run the machine without detriment. 

There are also two 80 mm fans at the front of the case that push air around the hard drives and then on to the video card. 

Thereby creating two separate cooling "zones" within the PC. Something I'd like to take to heart on my next build, because it's pretty ingenuous, when you think of the R&D that must have gone into this machine.

The computer is remarkably quiet now that I have the liquid cooling system installed. It's usually most of the way through Cinebench R 15 extreme before the fans even spool to 20-30%


----------



## phanbuey (Mar 20, 2020)

is that a intake back exhaust front cooler?  really interesting.


----------



## Vario (Mar 20, 2020)

HP has a very well designed cooling layout that is for sure.  Loving the photos.


----------



## phanbuey (Mar 20, 2020)

ah no nevermind, that's a shot of it upside down... coffee still kicking in.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 20, 2020)

phanbuey said:


> ah no nevermind, that's a shot of it upside down... coffee still kicking in.


Yeah I should have mentioned that though...

Here is what it looks like from the top with the cooler installed (and the entire case is 100% completely tool-less).

You can see the CPU cooler section forms a complete "hood" around the memory, both CPUs and your power delivery system (mosfets). 

The lower cover exposes the PCI-E area for your video cards and other add on cards.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 21, 2020)

Well, I finally found my calling in life. Putting old and obscure CPUs in modern rigs and then validating them for points at HWBOT. It's usually good for a podium finish. In this case, *Gold*. Because, well, I'm the* ONLY* entry!  Yes, so it seems I have a fairly "rare" hardware configuration here. And I do kind of like that. Variety is the spice of life, after all.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 22, 2020)

Well, in my haste to get back home last night, the RX 580 took a big hit. One of those times when you should of used the elevator but you went for the stairs instead... you know what I'm talking about... At least it gives me a reason to upgrade to an *MSI 5700 XT Gaming 8GB GPU.* Ordering now.... lets hope they can get it to my door, because that will complete this project.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 22, 2020)

Ouch... That was a good card. Are you sure it's not repairable?


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 22, 2020)

Not to worry guys. I just pulled the trigger on this one...









						MSI Radeon RX 5700 XT GAMING X Video Card - Newegg.com
					

Buy MSI Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB GDDR6 PCI Express 4.0 CrossFireX Support Video Card RX 5700 XT GAMING X with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!




					www.newegg.com
				






lexluthermiester said:


> Ouch... That was a good card. Are you sure it's not repairable?


It's possible that it would still work. But I tried it in a test bench and it doesn't post... I think that's because of the huge gash in the PCI contact points. All the other damage could be repaired, but that would take a good bit of time and effort and energy and I simply cannot afford to waste time right now. *I think that goes without saying for all of us. *

So the card could be repaired with the right tools, but I simply do not want to deal with that headache. Besides, The RX 580 runs HOT. The incoming GPU does not. Not that that matters a z820... but I still prefer the cooler running card. I was nearly ready to order before this happened, so it's not so bad...


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 22, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> It's possible that it would still work. But I tried it in a test bench and it doesn't post... I think that's because of the huge gash in the PCI contact points. All the other damage could be repaired, but that would take a good bit of time and effort and energy and I simply cannot afford to waste time right now. *I think that goes without saying for all of us. *
> 
> So the card could be repaired with the right tools, but I simply do not want to deal with that headache. Besides, The RX 580 runs HOT. The incoming GPU does not. Not that that matters a z820... but I still prefer the cooler running card. I was nearly ready to order before this happened, so it's not so bad...


Fair enough.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 22, 2020)

Here is my new setup at home.... (temporarily running a 2GB Nvidia GPU)(and I built the desk on the left side there)


----------



## freeagent (Mar 22, 2020)

Very nice man.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 23, 2020)

Okay guys, more progress has been made! 

The second z820 rig is now rocking an *E5 2650 v2 CPU... an 8 core / 16 thread CPU* with a base clock of 2.6GHz and a boost clock of 3.4GHz. But remember, this is only a temporary configuration. We will be getting a better GPU and more ram, and more importantly, this rig will get* TWO E5 2673 v2 CPUs with a turbo clock of 4.0GHz*... So that will be 16 cores and 32 threads. Expect an update when they arrive in about two weeks.

This is my secondary work area / shop / garage, all in one, and I basically have the whole ground floor to myself, with a wood burning stove that I usually fire up on cold nights that sits right out of view of my desk. I can work on cars here and also telecommute as the internet connection is actually pretty decent here.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 23, 2020)

So I've been very busy buying more tech


----------



## sepheronx (Mar 23, 2020)

You seem to have quite the disposable income brother.  Care to send me a Z820 my way 

I am sorry to hear about your 580 as those are still solid GPU's even now.  But at least it will get a mighty new GPU!

You definitely making me jealous.  If it wasn't for my wife demanding me to spend some money (now no more savings) and this Covid issue, I cant live out my dream of such a machine 

Once you get that 5700xt please do gaming benchmarks.  I would really appreciate it!


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 23, 2020)

sepheronx said:


> I am sorry to hear about your 580 as those are still solid GPU's even now.


Oh how right you are. I was pretty devastated when it happened. It's honestly the first time (that I can remember at least) I've ever broken a computer part. I'm usually super careful with everything, especially expensive hardware. Since I was going full throttle, awake for 48 hours straight and trying to keep up with news and the potential death of our nation... *it was a combination: just dog tired and careless. *And that's really key. Everyone feels better with more sleep... matter of fact, in brutal survival situations it's usually the people that sleep that have a better chance of making it out alive. Something to think about. 

That's okay though. You just need to go online and order away, just pull the trigger because it's really now or never. To hell with the consequences!That's how fun it can be! At least that's my take on it.

And I say that because our monetary system is under major attack. Our economic engine has been shut down. So money might not be worth anything in a few weeks or months. Like they say with a thread ban: *In before the lock!

I'm a computer collector now - so there is no end in sight for this tech buying spree I'm on. *I have about 9 computers here that are not to be sold, or given away. These belong to me and I will continue to add to that list as I see fit. I will continue to tinker with them on a daily basis. Definitely seeking out rare or impressive hardware, that's sorta my goal right now.... Any suggestions for rare or unique computers that you can think of? Ultimately I want to be surrounded by technology, as in filling this ground level of the house with all sorts of computers and hardware. But I have to build the shelves first.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 23, 2020)

sepheronx said:


> Care to send me a Z820 my way


I can't send you a z820 but I'd be more than happy to send you something else.. pm me with your address and I'll send you a "mystery" computer from within my collection, that you can have some fun with. I ask is that you treat her well, and keep the machine intact, as we want to preserve this particular combination of hardware for historical reasons. Only thing I ask is that when you are done playing around with it that you pass it on to another forum member so he can do the same. And don't think you have rush. This is something you want to take your time with. 

If you are interested, just let me know.... because I'm not pulling your leg here, I'll do it if you are game. I've actually been wanting to do something like this for some time but up until now I really didn't have a good opportunity to represent.


----------



## sepheronx (Mar 23, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> I can't send you a z820 but I'd be more than happy to send you something else.. pm me with your address and I'll send you a "mystery" computer from within my collection, that you can have some fun with. I ask is that you treat her well, and keep the machine intact, as we want to preserve this particular combination of hardware for historical reasons. Only thing I ask is that when you are done playing around with it that you pass it on to another forum member so he can do the same. And don't think you have rush. This is something you want to take your time with.
> 
> If you are interested, just let me know.... because I'm not pulling your leg here, I'll do it if you are game. I've actually been wanting to do something like this for some time but up until now I really didn't have a good opportunity to represent.



I was just joking but I will think about your offer.  The issue is that you would have to ship to Canada.  And these days I lack spare time anyway.  But let me think about it and i'll get back to you.  You threw me off guard with this offer lol.

But I look forward to more of your benchmarks and comparisons.  Keep it up brother, I am really enjoying this.  Do you have a capture card or something so you can make a video of the tests?



storm-chaser said:


> Oh how right you are. I was pretty devastated when it happened. It's honestly the first time (that I can remember at least) I've ever broken a computer part. I'm usually super careful with everything, especially expensive hardware. Since I was going full throttle, awake for 48 hours straight and trying to keep up with news and the potential death of our nation... *it was a combination: just dog tired and careless. *And that's really key. Everyone feels better with more sleep... matter of fact, in brutal survival situations it's usually the people that sleep that have a better chance of making it out alive. Something to think about.
> 
> That's okay though. You just need to go online and order away, just pull the trigger because it's really now or never. To hell with the consequences!That's how fun it can be! At least that's my take on it.
> 
> ...



I studied economics to a point.  Not a major or anything but its something I like to read.

Your economy is going to be fine overall because while you guys print money in a form of QE similarly like what Rhodesia/Zimbabwe did, you guys got the lucky stature of having the world trading currency.  So your currency will be fine.  At least much more than what ours is up here as the Canadian Peso is going to become more tied to oil and gas prices than not since its our only real export next to automotives.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 23, 2020)

sepheronx said:


> I was just joking but I will think about your offer.  The issue is that you would have to ship to Canada.  And these days I lack spare time anyway.  But let me think about it and i'll get back to you.  You threw me off guard with this offer lol.


Okay, just let me know... The offer still stands even if you are in Canada, but yeah, with this virus problem (Obama did it) we may have a showstopper. Might get held up in shipping for a long time... still though, I will give it a shot *if you want*. Don't feel any pressure if you don't want to do it.. Again this is totally up to you and I'm offering because I assume you like to tweak and tune and overclock… Slightly older hardware, but will still offer a great challenge for you to get to something like *4.5GHz all core...* that's all I'm going to tell you because I want it to remain a mystery until you get it. I think some people get caught up in the brand new tech syndrome, where one obsessively buys new hardware for fear of running obsolete hardware. But one who does this has lost the great challenge and fun of tweaking and tuning older platforms. But I assure you, the rig is still pretty quick... you can boot to windows in about 10 seconds (because it has an SSD drive).



sepheronx said:


> I studied economics to a point.  Not a major or anything but its something I like to read.


Our economic system is the cornerstone of our civilization. If one wanted to destroy America, *one should target our economy.* And that's exactly what Obama has done. Make no mistake, the coronavirus is biological warfare created by the so called "deep state" to *END constitutional rule in America. *This is the real attack and we are facing it on multiple fronts. There is no quick "fix" for having what are now *totally non-existent supply chains. *Combine that with a total loss of global trade, and a loss of imports and exports, and you are in a very bad situation. And that is only the "external" part of the crisis. *Internally, we cannot hemorrhage blood like this for more than a few weeks without dire consequences.* Core services are still running, but we are sold out to China and other nations, we are dependent upon them for the majority of our pharmaceuticals, for example. *So this insidious attack is a multi pronged approach aimed squarely at the total destruction of the American economy,* and with that will come the death of the American dream. You might ask yourself why... why would someone do this... its not worth it, right? No. America has been under attack since world war two. Gotta remember, there are a lot of powerful people out there who seek the destruction of our great nation. But people get complacent (not saying you, just in general) and they simply ignore the notion that powerful forces seek the COMPLETE destruction of our nation. So when it actually happens, like right now, it's going to blindside many of those who failed to see the original threat for what it was. Because it's been as clear as day since Obama took office. I knew the end was close when he got elected. And after winning is second term, I knew the end of the American dream was close at hand. Gotta remember I've been saying there would be no 2020 election for almost a year now, yet everyone laughed at me and just disregarded it as political paranoia... Well now it seems we are going down that road after all. *And those that didn't take me seriously are now exposed for lacking the true understanding of the world around them. *



sepheronx said:


> Your economy is going to be fine overall because while you guys print money in a form of QE similarly like what Rhodesia/Zimbabwe did, you guys got the lucky stature of having the world trading currency.  So your currency will be fine.  At least much more than what ours is up here as the Canadian Peso is going to become more tied to oil and gas prices than not since its our only real export next to automotives.



But the value of money is rapidly decreasing. We can print money, but it's going to be worthless pretty soon. That's an inevitable consequence of attempting to prop up an economy that has ground to a halt at nearly every level. The dow will continue to fall. The feds are doing everything possible to salvage this wreckage, but I'm afraid there is no recorse for what has happened here. And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, because I'm an optimist at heart. It really breaks my heart to write posts like this.

So I suggest you go out and buy things that you need *RIGHT NOW* (and that goes for everyone else as well). Because you never know what tomorrow will bring. One thing is for certain: America will never recover from this. *And that's just the cold hard truth. *




(true story)


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 23, 2020)

sepheronx said:


> But I look forward to more of your benchmarks and comparisons. Keep it up brother, I am really enjoying this. Do you have a capture card or something so you can make a video of the tests?



No but I can get a capture card... that's probably a good idea for documentation purposes... Its pretty sick to watch two Xeon processors mop the floor with Cinebench in a matter of seconds....

EDIT:
Just ordered 4 SSD drives for my second z820 workstation. It has one SSD now but *I figured I should go for maximum performance on the storage solution as well to suite the rest of the build.* So each drive is 128GB, and when I put them all in a raid 0 configuration, that will give me 512GB of high performance storage, plenty for my uses. And don't worry about data loss. I have all my important data backed up on my NAS. These new drives are the Samsung MZ-7PC128D model. I bought them used on eBay for about $100 in total... not a bad deal at all..




*Eyeing a 64GB 1866MHz ECC memory kit *(I would get one for each z820 rig that I have). The problem is timings. I need tighter timings to get my latency in order, however, with server ram, it's not really geared for that kind of thing... So I am stuck with using CL 13.... but it's okay, the system still feels very snappy and responsive... cant really notice a difference between this system and my* 5GHz overclocked six core 9600KF, *which is a 9th Gen Coffee Lake CPU paired with a *Samsung 970 PRO 512GB SSD. *

It would be great to boot to a m.2. NVMe drive, and I would go for that, make no mistake, but I don't think that's possible with this system.


----------



## VitorSouza (Mar 26, 2020)

I have an HP z820 (G1), for work (Autodesk Inventor). I use a Xeon 2687W, 48GB 1333Mhz. Simple Cooler Box. I use a R9 270X Devil
I really liked HP due to the possibility of many upgrades.


----------



## moproblems99 (Mar 26, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> It would be great to boot to a m.2. NVMe drive, and I would go for that, make no mistake, but I don't think that's possible with this system.



Meh, they are somewhat overated.  A standard sad is generally good enough.


----------



## VitorSouza (Mar 27, 2020)

> It would be great to boot to a m.2. NVMe drive, and I would go for that, make no mistake, but I don't think that's possible with this system.




It is possible, but only has 2 units that start in the Z820.
950 Pro and the HP Z Turbo Drive (G1). 
They say that the Intel 750 Series also works but I find it difficult just testing.
 Those 2 Nvme. work because they have an internal ahci virtualizer.


----------



## sepheronx (Apr 7, 2020)

Any update?  Would like to know if you got the new GPU and what games you tested.


----------



## storm-chaser (Apr 18, 2020)

sepheronx said:


> Any update?  Would like to know if you got the new GPU and what games you tested.



So I've been running on the MSI RX 5700XT GPU for about a week now. First impressions: I love it. Every aspect of it. It stays frosty. Zero complaints or concerns. MSI did great things with the GPU cooling system (MSI Gaming X 8GB) it might actually be one of the best cooling system ever developed for the 5700 XT and I kid you not, you can stick your hand on the back of the video card after playing an intense game for hours and you'll notice the 5700 XT doesn't even break a sweat. It's luke warm.

Of course, I am coming over from the RX 580, which is one of the hottest running cards on the market. Sure, it offers decent performance at a lower cost, but the thing runs insanely hot. They say that's fine, and I would agree them, but I tend not to want to have a nuclear reactor melting down right next to the CPU and CPU cooler. Heat goes up, so this piping hot air from the GPU floats A good GPU is a cool GPU. And the 5700 XT does not disappoint. Temps should be one of your main requirement in purchasing a new video card. Lots of people tend to overlook this or ignore it altogether. 

 In some games I can intentionally peg the GPU and even then, I've yet to hear the fans spool up. Fact of the matter is MSI nailed in on this one.  

 And for gaming? The experience is incredible. The GPU has never missed a beat. 

I went so far as to go out and purchase the latest call of duty Modern warfare (2019). FPS 

I have all the graphic settings configured for high detail. Everything else set to ultra.

You might even mistake some of the battle scenes in the game as live video from the front lines. 

Modern Warfare 2019 has some of the most incredible graphics I've seen to date. 

And working in concert with my z820 workstation? It's flawless.


----------



## storm-chaser (Apr 18, 2020)

I managed to get my hands on 64GB of RAM for the HP z820 project rig. What we have done is maximize memory bandwidth to the limit.

What I mean by that is I now have an effective 8 channels of memory with all 16 RAM slots populated.

At a slight latency penalty, but that's to be expected when you are addressing eight channels of memory.

    I chose 4GB modules across all 16 slots for a total of 64GB registered SDRAM running at 1866MHz.
    I searched high and low, but it's very difficult to find ECC/ registered memory at this speed with tighter timings.

    Before:




    After:





New 4GB memory modules. We are populating all 16 slots to take full advantage of 8 channels of memory


----------



## nathna (May 9, 2020)

T-Bob said:


> Not an option, the E5-1600 series Xeons won't work for 2p configuration.


A single e5-1680 v2 should work on a z820 v2 correct though?


----------



## VitorSouza (Jun 17, 2020)

I put a Revodriver PCI-E on my Z820 and it worked perfectly


----------



## PerfectWave (Jun 17, 2020)

tbh i cant stand at one fo your monitor you have a great computer and it need a good monitor companion! So replace that acer monitor please!


----------



## kapone32 (Jun 17, 2020)

VitorSouza said:


> I put a Revodriver PCI-E on my Z820 and it worked perfectly View attachment 159325
> View attachment 159326



I have  240GB REvodrive sitting around Loved it when it was my boot drive) I might pull it out and see if it will fit in my next build which will be using the As Rock B350 Pro and use it with Store MI and a 512gb SSD.


----------



## FreedomEclipse (Jun 17, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> Well, in my haste to get back home last night, the RX 580 took a big hit. One of those times when you should of used the elevator but you went for the stairs instead... you know what I'm talking about... At least it gives me a reason to upgrade to an *MSI 5700 XT Gaming 8GB GPU.* Ordering now.... lets hope they can get it to my door, because that will complete this project.




Nah. youre gonna be just fine.


----------



## VitorSouza (Jun 17, 2020)

kapone32 said:


> I have  240GB REvodrive sitting around Loved it when it was my boot drive) I might pull it out and see if it will fit in my next build which will be using the As Rock B350 Pro and use it with Store MI and a 512gb SSD.



You can use it on any PC, as they have an internal AHCI emulator. only the new NVME, needs to be compatible


----------



## kapone32 (Jun 17, 2020)

VitorSouza said:


> You can use it on any PC, as they have an internal AHCI emulator. only the new NVME, needs to be compatible


I still think you need to have the driver unless Windows 10 has it so you can boot from it.


----------



## Eddielawson666 (Jul 24, 2020)

Nice rig man, weel done!
it remind me something ;D









						Xeon Owners Club
					






					www.techpowerup.com


----------



## storm-chaser (Jul 24, 2020)

Eddielawson666 said:


> Nice rig man, weel done!
> it remind me something ;D
> 
> 
> ...



As is yours. It looks good... Like a brother to my z820!



VitorSouza said:


> I put a Revodriver PCI-E on my Z820 and it worked perfectly View attachment 159325
> View attachment 159326



Im assuming revodriver is an NVMe SDD? If so your the lucky one. Nearly all other NVMe drives cant be set up as a boot drive.

And now, a little Xeon trivia for everyone. What specific model of CPU is this? you should have all you need to figure this one out. 






My 16 core / 32 thread z820 with MSI RX 5700 XT


----------



## Eddielawson666 (Jul 25, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> As is yours. It looks good... Like a brother to my z820!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


2673 v2 in da house! great! when I did my rig I was looking for those, but I can't find on the net....so I took two 2667 v2 , that are similar to yours, except for an higher tdp


----------



## storm-chaser (Jul 25, 2020)

Eddielawson666 said:


> 2673 v2 in da house! great! when I did my rig I was looking for those, but I can't find on the net....so I took two 2667 v2 , that are similar to yours, except for an higher tdp



I had to go to China to get my chips, so yeah they hard to find, especially on the US market. OEM only is the primary reason. OEM chips usually have some advantages over their retail counterparts, however.


----------



## phill (Jul 25, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> I had to go to China to get my chips, so yeah they hard to find, especially on the US market. OEM only is the primary reason. OEM chips usually have some advantages over their retail counterparts, however.


Why would OEM CPUs have advantages over the retail ones @storm-chaser ?  Interested to find out


----------



## storm-chaser (Jul 25, 2020)

PerfectWave said:


> tbh i cant stand at one fo your monitor you have a great computer and it need a good monitor companion! So replace that acer monitor please!


Yes I read you loud and clear. 

Matter of fact I have 4 new monitors at home. Just have to go back and get them.

Unfortunatly they are all Acer but the actual quality of the screens is drastically improved and much higher than that other one I listed earlier. These are decent gaming level monitors with 75 hz refresh rate.


----------



## storm-chaser (Jul 25, 2020)

phill said:


> Why would OEM CPUs have advantages over the retail ones @storm-chaser ?  Interested to find out



Good Question 

When Intel builds an OEM CPU for HP, Dell, SuperMicro, etc they want to go about it in a way where they can make the manufacturer happy in terms of choosing Intel as their choice of CPU. In other words, they want to create a well balanced chip that is both competitive in the marketplace but also very flexible and able to perform well at a number of different tasks across the board of pc computing. In other words, OEM Intel CPUs are designed to wear many hats -- because they will eventually be making their way into very diverse server environments around the world, for example, it could be as one little server in a small business or deployed across a vast expanse of huge data centers. This means they need to have pretty good IPC and single core performance as well as plenty of brute strength for more demanding tasks that can take advantage of lots of cores or even all cores across both CPUs. In other words, the chip needs to strike an excellent balance between both single threaded workload performance and high thread count performance AND must do it with very good voltage efficiency and thermal envelope. That "balance" is what I am after when I purchase OEM chips over their retail counterpart. I am exploiting that design spec when I go out and hunt down a superior OEM chips to use in one of my projects.

Typically its one or the other in the retail market, as I am sure you are aware. Despite the inherent challenges Intel knows what they are doing when they sit down to design the ideal, OEM processor that will be used by major brand computer manufacturers. Also keep in mind processor voltage efficiency and TDP--- Intel wants a chip that is going to be very voltage efficient for a number of reasons, as this OEM chip will eventually be making it's way into diverse hardware and diverse system environments all around the world.  Some advantages of a more voltage efficient chip include: lower TDP, lower electrical usage, lower electric cost and lower electrical consumption, better thermals, cooler running systems, better thermal margins, etc. Also, by virtue of the fact the chip uses less power at the limit, you are assured some margin of thermal protection perhaps over some of the high end 130 w or 150 w and above "retail" chips.* So the "OEM" trifecta I'm describing here is not something you really see struck as a balance very often in the retail headspace. *Retails chips typically don't need to strike much of a balance between all three, you usually target one or the other, or two at the most, and then you pick the CPU that suites your workload, spec out an appropriate cooling system for it based on clock speed, TDP and thermal performance.

In the case of Intel, they intentionally go about creating OEM CPUs with all three of these aspects in mind, as typically, the OEM chips they produce will offer a much better balance between per core performance, thermal performance and multi-threaded power (and in some cases, more aggressive turboing than their retail counterparts as well).

For example, Lets take a closer look at the Xeon E5 2673 v2 chip for a moment (which is OEM only and never released as a retail chip-- that's why you have to go to China to get them, because China recycles all our old servers, guts them and resells what they can back on the used parts internet market) for a moment so you can see some of the readily apparent differences between OEM and retail processors. By the time I am finished here there should be no doubt in your mind that OEM, in many situations, is a much better call than it's retail counterpart.

As I mentioned above, I have two E5 2673 (OEM only) Xeons in one of my HP z820 workstations. This is an 8 core / 16 thread chip that has a base speed of 3.3GHz. It also has the highly sought after 4.0GHz single core turbo speed, making it a very attractive choice if you are into numbers like that. One place above it on the list(see snip below), you will see it's "retail" equivalent, the E5 2667 v2, which has an identical # of cores, identical turbo specs and exactly the same clock speeds, yet comes into the game with a substantially higher TDP of 130w versus 110w for the OEM chip. Moreover, if you look at the fastest and highest performing Xeon 8 core chip available in the E5 2600 series family, (of which there are a total of three 8C/16T CPUs, all highlighted below ---- *you can really see how the OEM 2673 v2 is the optimal choice, and in this case, even preferable to Intel's top shelf premium piece on the retail side, E5 2687W v2, which was at the time, Intel's highest spec'd eight core Xeon processor available on the market. *The 2687W v2 has a base speed of 3.4GHz and the same single core turbo of 4.00Ghz, yielding a massive 150w TDP vortex of heat and metal melting destruction in its wake. this chip was intended for those who did not want to compromise and the chip offered the ultimate in class performance. Best chip in it's class, hands down. Given that the base speed of an OEM E5 2673 chip is *3.3GHz*, and the base speed of the 2687w is *3.4GHz*, we can quickly confirm that the mighty 2687W is, in fact, king kong when it comes to peak base clock in this family. *Except that's not the whole story. *

Both chips have identical turbo specs. Meaning --- if cooling is sufficient, and in most cases it is, you can ignore the 3.3ghz vs 3.4ghz stock base speed difference, as they will both run at an all core turbo base speed of 3.6GHz and they will both turbo to the identical 4.0GHz mark on a single core)… In other words, I am getting *identical, equivalent, top notch performance from my OEM* 2673 CPU over it's retail counterpart (either the 130w 2667 or the 150w 2687w). Factor that into something like a dual socket z820 workstation, and you have quite a powerhouse rig that also happens to run surprisingly cool, for a total of 16 cores and 32 threads, 50MB L3 cache and 4.0GHz turbo. In other words, I am getting best in class performance from my OEM chips and I'm doing it while using 80 watts less than its "retail" counterpart. Its really a no brainer to go OEM, but the drawback is that sometimes OEM CPUs can be much more difficult to find (case in point).

For two OEM 2673 chips, my TDP is *220w*
or
*300w* for two 2687w processors (retail)
or
*260w* for the 2667 processors (retail)

Intel Xeon E5 2600 Series family (with 8 core chips highlighted in yellow) (Not a complete list, but has most of the significant chips - courtesy of CPU world)




Due to the rarity of some of these these OEM chips, I'm actually in first place over on HWBot for running dual E5-2673 processors in a single rig. Of course I don't have much competition, but still Im going to bring it up


----------



## storm-chaser (Jul 25, 2020)

*I did the same thing with my other HP z820 system. *Dual socket, 64gb eight channel memory kit, MSI RX 5700 XT Gaming X GPU, SSD x2 raid 0, etc. This time I favored core count over peak clocks, but still went with OEM Xeon processors for obvious reasons (more on that below). Also note, I was able to get the #1 score for CPUz freq on hwbot.com again, due to the rarity of these processors in a dual socket configuration...









*The OEM only, 12 core / 24 thread Xeon E5 2696 v2 chip is all around Intel's most powerful processor in the entire 2600 v2 series family, *retail or OEM.

-12 Cores
-24 Threads
-3.1GHz base (all turbo base)
-3.5GHz turbo (single core boost)

*Essentially, the 12 core 2697 v2 is more or less its equivalent retail counterpart.* The all core max turbo speed of the 2696 v2 is 100MHz faster than the E5 2697 v2 (3.4 vs 3.5), making the OEM Xeon E5 2696 v2 a more desirable chip. 

And the OEM E5 2696 v2 comes in at 120w TDP versus 130w for the retail 2697 v2. Yes, that's a lower TDP for the OEM chip despite the fact that it has a higher all core turbo boost of 3.5GHz (vs 3.4 for the retail chip).

Turbo Ratio Limits:                                                             
35x (1c), 34x (2c), 33x (3c), 32x (4c), 31x (5-12c)


----------



## Vario (Jul 25, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> Yes I read you loud and clear.
> 
> Matter of fact I have 4 new monitors at home. Just have to go back and get them.
> 
> Unfortunatly they are all Acer but the actual quality of the screens is drastically improved and much higher than that other one I listed earlier. These are decent gaming level monitors with 75 hz refresh rate.


Nice desk!


----------



## storm-chaser (Jul 27, 2020)

Vario said:


> Nice desk!



Thank you. It really does have a lot of significance and its use spans the entire history of my overclocking/computer hobby/passion (since rig #1), as something I've had around since day one. It was my grandfather's desk at Plattsburgh Air Force Base in Upstate NY where he was the base civil engineer, *colonel, *and pilot in the strategic air command division, flying B-47s and nuclear bombs post WWII. In the late 80s, I inherited it from him along with a wooden propeller from a 1941 Avro Anson, which I happen to be in the process of reconditioning right now. It's going to look really good when it's done. It's a really beautiful piece of aviation history.

This was my setup before I upgraded to four monitors (as already pictured earlier in the thread.) In some cases I like the simple, dual screen setup I had before more for certain games and general web browsing.





At some point I am going to get a new key made for the center drawer. Other than that, it's a tank. I keep the cabinets in order and the slides well greased. A well oiled machine, just like all my computers


----------



## ELECTROHERMIT (Aug 24, 2020)

I've been using the Z820 for a couple of years now and really love this workstation. The performance to cost ratio is amazing and I'm also in love with the simple design and build quality. I've begun to work on a second Z820 with the same specs for a render only machine.

If some of you are looking to install three GPUs in the Z820 I have created a page that outlines how to go about this process, and the pros and cons. https://www.facebook.com/pg/daviddavisart/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2324347777600160


----------



## ELECTROHERMIT (Aug 24, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> Well I did it again! I simply cannot escape from the clutches of eBay, but who doesn't like new hardware, right?
> 
> Having initially ordered a Dell PowerEdge 710, news was broken to me that it was not greatest machine to mod, high noise, not a great "home" computer. And as luck would have it, there was a two day delay in shipping the server, so I worked with owner and he was gracious enough to cancel the order and refund me the money.
> 
> ...


Great build. The 2667 V2 is the fastest XEON from my understanding, hence the obligatory water cooling and the higher power rating of 130 watts. I would recommend installing 1866Mhz DDR3 RAM. The 1866Mhz is the fastest DDR3 available, so if looking to make the fastest Z820 possible, then go for that.


----------



## ELECTROHERMIT (Aug 24, 2020)

storm-chaser said:


> If you are interested in learning more about this particular rig, here is a brief, informative synopsis I found on youtube. Definitely an exceptional piece of hardware.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You ABSOLUTELY want to go for the Version 2.0 Motherboard and Version 2.0 Xeons. There is no reason to buy a Gen I Z820, unless it is free, as the Version 2.0 is extremely cheap to begin with and carries several advances that make it competitive with current day workstations.


----------



## Eddielawson666 (Aug 24, 2020)

ELECTROHERMIT said:


> Great build. The 2667 V2 is the fastest XEON from my understanding, hence the obligatory water cooling and the higher power rating of 130 watts. I would recommend installing 1866Mhz DDR3 RAM. The 1866Mhz is the fastest DDR3 available, so if looking to make the fastest Z820 possible, then go for that.


not necessary. mine are cooked by a simple arctic freezer 33, and temps in full load are always under 70°


----------



## ELECTROHERMIT (Aug 24, 2020)

Eddielawson666 said:


> arctic freezer 33


The Arctic Freezer 33 looks like a great cooler, very nice. I would prefer to go with non-water cooling where possible, as water cooling will eventually get dirty and fail.


----------



## Eddielawson666 (Aug 24, 2020)

ELECTROHERMIT said:


> The Arctic Freezer 33 looks like a great cooler, very nice. I would prefer to go with non-water cooling where possible, as water cooling will eventually get dirty and fail.



i prefer air cooling to liquid for the same reasons (and it's also simpler). by the way I like a lot freezer 33; they are inexpensive (around 30 euros) and have a very solid mounting system


----------



## Woutch (Nov 27, 2020)

Hi @storm-chaser

Read this thread carefully. I'm very intressted in your findings. I to have a Z820 (v2). This is my main plex server running on unraid at the moment. It is a dual E5-2650 (v1) with 32GB ECC RAM. I'm upgrading this so I can host my own "cloud" game service using moonlight. I have a proof of concept running using an old K2000 quadro card passedtrough to the VM, as well as an pcie SSD. This works but is underperforming, mainly for the GPU, but I have an RTX2080 incomming.  The main thing that needs upgrading is the CPU then and read some good info here.

I looked after the E5-2673 V2 online and found it at a price around 150€ (177 USD) in China. Is this a correct price? Or did you find it at a better value? And where if I may ask?

I'm running the 1250W power supply, so no problem for the RTX2080. But I only have the regular air coolers. Sound is not an Issue, the workstation lives in my cool basement ;-)

EDIT: An alternative is the E5 2680 v2, it is only slower 2.8GH -> 3.6 GHZ but 10 cores and can find it for half the price. But for gaming I think the 2673 seems a better fit. And I want to stay amay from the 130-150 watt TPD's.

Thanks for any info!
Best regards,
Wouter


----------



## storm-chaser (Nov 28, 2020)

ELECTROHERMIT said:


> Great build. The 2667 V2 is the fastest XEON from my understanding, hence the obligatory water cooling and the higher power rating of 130 watts. I would recommend installing 1866Mhz DDR3 RAM. The 1866Mhz is the fastest DDR3 available, so if looking to make the fastest Z820 possible, then go for that.


The 2667 v2 is a power house chip with single core turbo of 4.0GHz. There are three eight core chips with nearly identical specs in the 2600 series line. The E5 2667 v2 coming in at 130 watts, the E5 2687w v2, at 150w and the OEM only E5 2673 v2, which also has a 4.0GHz turbo, identical core count but comes in at a much lower 110W TDP. Again the OEM chips seem to be the better buy in this case. My 2673 v2 performs identically in benchmarks when compared with both of these higher wattage chips.


----------



## storm-chaser (Nov 28, 2020)

Woutch said:


> Hi @storm-chaser
> 
> Read this thread carefully. I'm very intressted in your findings. I to have a Z820 (v2). This is my main plex server running on unraid at the moment. It is a dual E5-2650 (v1) with 32GB ECC RAM. I'm upgrading this so I can host my own "cloud" game service using moonlight. I have a proof of concept running using an old K2000 quadro card passedtrough to the VM, as well as an pcie SSD. This works but is underperforming, mainly for the GPU, but I have an RTX2080 incomming.  The main thing that needs upgrading is the CPU then and read some good info here.
> 
> ...


Good to hear about your own z820 project. I'm sure it will be suited for the task at hand. Regarding CPU choice, the 2673 v2 is probably the best route to go down for gaming at least... but that 10 core sounds interesting as well.. what is the highest all core turbo speed it will run? The z820 has multiple GPU supply lines but they are only six pinners, so you may need to order a couple 6 to 8 pin GPU adapters. That's what I had to do for my 5700XT. Another option would be two E5 2696 v2 chips, which are available from the US market and appear to be going for around $150 a pop on ebay. 

CPU Price for your 2673 v2 sounds about right at just under $200 a pop and yes they only seem to be coming from China at the moment (absolutely nothing on the US market, its a pretty rare chip).


----------



## storm-chaser (Feb 19, 2021)

u2konline said:


> hmm i would buy the E5-2673 v2 for my HP 420, but 60 bucks a bit to much for old cpu, considering i only paid 22 dollars for my 2630 v2.


Where are you finding the 2673 v2 for $60???


----------



## DailymotionGamer (Mar 4, 2021)

storm-chaser said:


> Where are you finding the 2673 v2 for $60???



Sorry for the late reply, it was on Ebay months ago, but i bought a Xeon 2678 v3 for 83 bucks for the computer  i am using now, and back then i bought a 2650 v2 for 50 bucks for my second computer. I get everything from ebay, its the best place for computer stuff.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 5, 2021)

u2konline said:


> Sorry for the late reply, it was on Ebay months ago, but i bought a Xeon 2678 v3 for 83 bucks for the computer  i am using now, and back then i bought a 2650 v2 for 50 bucks for my second computer. I get everything from ebay, its the best place for computer stuff.


207 to 197 is not that much of a difference in benchmark averages. and I want you to know I take your concerns seriously. EDIT: This was for a different thread, disregard


----------



## bobbybluz (Mar 5, 2021)

Interesting thread. I got my E5 2699 V4 two days ago and it's a big improvement over the 2683 V3 and 2683 V4 I was previously using. The first Cinebench20 and Passmark 9 benchmarks are posted in the Xeon forum. Watching Cinebench 20 run was a hoot, very quick. I have a lot more work to do in it though.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 5, 2021)

bobbybluz said:


> Interesting thread. I got my E5 2699 V4 two days ago and it's a big improvement over the 2683 V3 and 2683 V4 I was previously using. The first Cinebench20 and Passmark 9 benchmarks are posted in the Xeon forum. Watching Cinebench 20 run was a hoot, very quick. I have a lot more work to do in it though.


Yeah my rig with two E5 2696 v2 processors, which comes out to play with 24 cores and 48 threads in total is about as powerful as a threadripper 1950x


----------



## bobbybluz (Mar 5, 2021)

storm-chaser said:


> Yeah my rig with two E5 2696 v2 processors, which comes out to play with 24 cores and 48 threads in total is about as powerful as a threadripper 1950x


I beat a 1950X in Cinebench20 but by only 5 points on the only test run I did. I suspect I can get more out of it with a bit of tweaking though. The 2699 V4 actually has 24 cores but two are disabled and Intel never offered a higher end one with all 24 enabled (I suspect for power draw reasons). I'll be getting it sorted out in the next few weeks. Xeons are an addiction. I bought one to play with a little over a year ago and now have five of them, three in currently fully functional rigs.


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 5, 2021)

bobbybluz said:


> I beat a 1950X in Cinebench20 but by only 5 points on the only test run I did. I suspect I can get more out of it with a bit of tweaking though. The 2699 V4 actually has 24 cores but two are disabled and Intel never offered a higher end one with all 24 enabled (I suspect for power draw reasons). I'll be getting it sorted out in the next few weeks. Xeons are an addiction. I bought one to play with a little over a year ago and now have five of them, three in currently fully functional rigs.


Xeons are definitely a Narnia of sorts... if you know what I mean






EDIT:
Here is my z820 with two E5-2696 v2 processors against a 1950X...


----------



## storm-chaser (Mar 5, 2021)

bobbybluz said:


> I beat a 1950X in Cinebench20 but by only 5 points on the only test run I did. I suspect I can get more out of it with a bit of tweaking though. The 2699 V4 actually has 24 cores but two are disabled and Intel never offered a higher end one with all 24 enabled (I suspect for power draw reasons). I'll be getting it sorted out in the next few weeks. Xeons are an addiction. I bought one to play with a little over a year ago and now have five of them, three in currently fully functional rigs.



Here is my twin E5-2673 v2 rig.... on CBR15


----------



## Woutch (Dec 2, 2021)

storm-chaser said:


> Here is my twin E5-2673 v2 rig.... on CBR15


Hi Storm-chaser,

Just reinstalled my dual e5-2667 v2 machine with windows 10 and an RTX 2080. But i'm seeking the best bios settings. Do you have anything that you can recommend? Do I set numa on or off? some other settings to keep an eye on?

The machine is running very good, but during gaming I get some regular FPS drops to sub 10 fps...

Thanks for some pointers!
Wouter


----------



## Toothless (Dec 2, 2021)

Woutch said:


> Hi Storm-chaser,
> 
> Just reinstalled my dual e5-2667 v2 machine with windows 10 and an RTX 2080. But i'm seeking the best bios settings. Do you have anything that you can recommend? Do I set numa on or off? some other settings to keep an eye on?
> 
> ...


You issue either is the game not being NUMA aware (locked to a single cpu) or some generic issue, like thermals. You haven't given us enough details on the machine in general for anyone to give proper advice, like what games, your entire spec, etc.


----------



## Woutch (Dec 2, 2021)

Toothless said:


> You issue either is the game not being NUMA aware (locked to a single cpu) or some generic issue, like thermals. You haven't given us enough details on the machine in general for anyone to give proper advice, like what games, your entire spec, etc.


The game is cod: Cold War for example. Most of the time it is around 90fps. And every minute or so i get a dip below 10fps for 3 second. I think numa is turned off in the bios now, do I need to turn it on? Is there a program I can use to check the termals?

Then machine is a dual xeon z820 e5-2667. 8core 3.3 GHz. 64GB Ram. RTX 2080

Thanks!


----------



## Toothless (Dec 2, 2021)

Woutch said:


> The game is cod: Cold War for example. Most of the time it is around 90fps. And every minute or so i get a dip below 10fps for 3 second. I think numa is turned off in the bios now, do I need to turn it on? Is there a program I can use to check the termals?
> 
> Thanks!


Coretemp, HWinfo64 for thermals. Do you have all 32 threads enabled?


----------



## Woutch (Dec 2, 2021)

Toothless said:


> Coretemp, HWinfo64 for thermals. Do you have all 32 threads enabled?


I have disabled hyperthreading. That seemed to work better.


----------



## Toothless (Dec 2, 2021)

Woutch said:


> I have disabled hyperthreading. That seemed to work better.


Check thermals, and what is the rest of the system spec? What cooling are you using?


----------



## Woutch (Dec 2, 2021)

Toothless said:


> Check thermals, and what is the rest of the system spec? What cooling are you using?


Ok, will check thermals first. Cooling solution is a proprietary system from HP. Its a whole blok with like 10 fans or so. And the system is in my basement, so room temp is like 16 degrees. Maybe a fan is broken or so.


----------



## Lastmile (Mar 6, 2022)

Thanks for so much detail on your build progress!

I really like these HP Z workstations. I started with a Z800 with the rare liquid cooling solution.

I’m currently running a Z620 with a liquid cooler from a Z420 and a E5-1660 v2. The 1650, 1660, and 1680 can be overclocked using Intels Extreme Tuning Utility. There are some great threads on these type of Z620 upgrades on the HP forums.

I also have a Z820 that I want to get up and running. Since the water-cooled Z620 can be overclocked past 4.0 GHz, I’m aiming for maximum multi-threaded performance with the Z820.

@storm-chaser, you mentioned that you’re using 2696 v2 CPUs. I haven’t seen them on any of the Z820 spec sheets. How did you know that they were compatible? Do you know of any other options that aren’t on the official list or am I just not seeing the most up-to-date one? The 2696s sound like the ones I’m looking for.

If you’re still looking for upgrades, the fanless phase change Z cooler CPU coolers from the Z840 will fit in the Z820, you will just get an error on boot. I think the connector on the Z820 is lacking a pin and that causes the error which can be bypassed with a key press.


----------

