HP Z820 - upgrade CPUs or not?

[ModemJunki]

Hello all,

I have an old HP Z820 that I use for general computing and some work stuff. Win10 Pro, lots of large Visio diagramming, some Chief Architect home designer stuff, and general use. No gaming or rendering. I got it for free. Bee using it for a couple of years now and it's very much rock solid stable.

It's got the V2 bootblock and currently has the 1275 watt PSU, dual Xeon E5 2620 V2s, a pair of Quadro M4000 video cards, two 512GB SSDs, and a pair of 1TB HDDs in a RAID mirror. Additionally there is an Intel AX200 WLAN card

I'm debating if I should go for a pair of Xeon E5-2680 V2 or E5-2695 V2 CPUs to give this old beast a bit more pep. I lean to the 2680 for the higher clock as Visio is not going to get a boost from more threads and it's my target for improvement but all opinions are welcome. I don't want to go with higher TDP Xeons as the water cooling for these is known to be problematic after time (they can leak when they get old, so I'm told by the IT staff that gave me the system).

Thanks in advance for any advice given!

 

[repman244]

If you think you can benefit from more cores, I would say go for it. And IMO the 2680 looks like a better choice and can be found for cheap.

And even if you don't benefit from more cores I would still say go for it it's a cheap upgrade and it's fun.

 

[storm-chaser]

Hello all,

I have an old HP Z820 that I use for general computing and some work stuff. Win10 Pro, lots of large Visio diagramming, some Chief Architect home designer stuff, and general use. No gaming or rendering. I got it for free. Bee using it for a couple of years now and it's very much rock solid stable.

It's got the V2 bootblock and currently has the 1275 watt PSU, dual Xeon E5 2620 V2s, a pair of Quadro M4000 video cards, two 512GB SSDs, and a pair of 1TB HDDs in a RAID mirror. Additionally there is an Intel AX200 WLAN card

I'm debating if I should go for a pair of Xeon E5-2680 V2 or E5-2695 V2 CPUs to give this old beast a bit more pep. I lean to the 2680 for the higher clock as Visio is not going to get a boost from more threads and it's my target for improvement but all opinions are welcome. I don't want to go with higher TDP Xeons as the water cooling for these is known to be problematic after time (they can leak when they get old, so I'm told by the IT staff that gave me the system).

Thanks in advance for any advice given!

I've had pretty good luck with the E5 2696 v2, which is actually a bit faster than the flagship 2697 v2 in multi core operations, plus it has a relatively low TDP at 120W when compared to some of it's retail counterparts. Another one I had was the E5-2673 v2, which has a 4.0GHz turbo, but only contains 8 cores. As with the other OEM processor as listed above, it has a relatively low TPD at 110W.

I wouldn't worry about leak problems. I've had multiple z820s over the years and I've never had a problem with the liquid cooling system, it's very robust and can certainly handle anything you throw at it.

 

[ModemJunki]

I've had multiple z820s over the years and I've never had a problem with the liquid cooling system

Thanks for the feedback on the liquid cooling but - wow - the prices for these are insane!

I'm still on the fence over the upgrade. I certainly don't think I could get a machine that performs as well as this old workhorse without getting spendy, though.

 

[lexluthermiester]

I lean to the 2680 for the higher clock as Visio is not going to get a boost from more threads and it's my target for improvement

This. Solid upgrade as long as the prices are good, which they seem to be. However, I would suggest a pair of 2667v2s would be a better choice as the clock speed are much better bang for buck option if you are looking for a per-core speed advantage.

 

[newtekie1]

I don't want to go with higher TDP Xeons as the water cooling for these is known to be problematic after time (they can leak when they get old, so I'm told by the IT staff that gave me the system).

They make an air cooler replacement for the liquid coolers. I'd switch them out just for the piece of mind.

Amazon.com

 

[Toothless]

Gonna tell you right now the 2680v2 chips are amazing. I've got a dualie with those and they just run so we'll and cool. Will pull 100w/ea on full load.

Also normal 212 coolers will keep them chilly enough.

 

[storm-chaser]

They make an air cooler replacement for the liquid coolers. I'd switch them out just for the piece of mind.

Amazon.com

Why would you downgrade to air when you have a perfectly good liquid cooling setup? What's the logic here? Because the liquid coolers are much better than the standard air cooling.

 

[Toothless]

Why would you downgrade to air when you have a perfectly good liquid cooling setup? What's the logic here? Because the liquid coolers are much better than the standard air cooling.

Reliability probably.

 

[storm-chaser]

Reliability probably.

The liquid cooling on the Z820 is very reliable. HP used high quality 80mm fans and the actual cooling system is sick in form and function. it's all self contained and runs about 10-15 degrees cooler than the weak air cooler. To me, that's a no brainer. Anyone knocking the water cooler means they are bench racing from the sidelines and probably don't even own a z820. These are just rumors, if you fall for them you will really limit yourself, such as downgrading to air cooling as you recommended.

 

[Toothless]

The liquid cooling on the Z820 is very reliable. HP used high quality 80mm fans and the actual cooling system is sick in form and function. it's all self contained and runs about 10-15 degrees cooler than the weak air cooler. To me, that's a no brainer. Anyone knocking the water cooler means they are bench racing from the sidelines and probably don't even own a z820. These are just rumors, if you fall for them you will really limit yourself, such as downgrading to air cooling as you recommended.

View attachment 212944

View attachment 212945


View attachment 212946

I agree that the coolers on that z820 are very well built, and probably the safest AIOs out there. However you can't always change people's minds.

 

[newtekie1]

Why would you downgrade to air when you have a perfectly good liquid cooling setup? What's the logic here? Because the liquid coolers are much better than the standard air cooling.

Because they aren't really any better than the standard air cooling. They are just tiny 80mm radiators sitting on top of the CPUs. This isn't a huge 240mm AIO we are talking about here. The liquid coolers HP used in these systems were not significantly better than the same 80mm air cooler with heatpipes. Just because a cooler is a "liquid cooler" doesn't magically make it better. It doesn't have have a huge radiator, so there isn't a huge increase in fin surface area like there would be with even a 120mm AIO vs the 80mm air cooler. The fans used are the same, the shroud is the same. If anything there is more fin surface area for the air cooler because it's actually thicker than the rad on the AIO in this system and the fin stack is taller because there isn't a radiator tank taking up space at the top of the cooler.

Its the same concept as 120mm AIOs not really being any better than a good 120mm tower air cooler, expect we are talking about 80mm AIO vs 80mm tower air cooler. The only real benefit the AIO has is it takes a little longer to heatsoak because the fluid takes a little longer to heat up. But in the small AIO coolers HP put in these system, they contain so little fluid, the difference really is marginal.

 

[storm-chaser]

I agree that the coolers on that z820 are very well built, and probably the safest AIOs out there. However you can't always change people's minds.

Just emphasizing the fact that you are recommending the low end option, the weaker option. I obviously don't have to explain why this is problematic. Lol

Because they aren't really any better than the standard air cooling. They are just tiny 80mm radiators sitting on top of the CPUs. This isn't a huge 240mm AIO we are talking about here. The liquid coolers HP used in these systems were not significantly better than the same 80mm air cooler with heatpipes. Just because a cooler is a "liquid cooler" doesn't magically make it better. It doesn't have have a huge radiator, so there isn't a huge increase in fin surface area like there would be with even a 120mm AIO vs the 80mm air cooler. The fans used are the same, the shroud is the same. If anything there is more fin surface area for the air cooler because it's actually thicker than the rad on the AIO in this system and the fin stack is taller because there isn't a radiator tank taking up space at the top of the cooler.

Its the same concept as 120mm AIOs not really being any better than a good 120mm tower air cooler, expect we are talking about 80mm AIO vs 80mm tower air cooler. The only real benefit the AIO has is it takes a little longer to heatsoak because the fluid takes a little longer to heat up. But in the small AIO coolers HP put in these system, they contain so little fluid, the difference really is marginal.

Actually you are totally wrong, totally mistaken. I'm amazed at the misinformation I'm seeing here regarding the z820 cooling options in this thread. I'm sorry but I have to set the record straight, ive done extensive testing with the z820s cooling system, measuring performance with multiple processors both with the low end air cooling and also with the high end liquid cooling system. I'm certain you are bench racing here, like the other guy, because if you actually did real testing with both air and liquid cooling with high TDP chips, you would not arrive at that conclusion. The real truth is that the liquid cooling system is far superior to the air cooling, especially under heavy loads. The cpu core temperatures are substantially lower with the liquid cooling system in place, which is very beneficial, especially in allowing the chip to run at it's turbo limits all the time, even under a heavy work load. So that's the first thing to note. A high TDP chip may not turbo up to its full potential with the standard air cooler in place, which can seriously impact perofrmance. With the E5 2696 v2, which is a 120w chip, I noticed a temperature differential of 15-20* with the liquid coolers in place. This cpu is a beast, running 12 cores at 3.1ghz turbo. It's not make believe, it's not smoke and mirrors, the liquid cooling system was engineered and designed by HP to be used with the high end, high TDP
processors with which the low end air coolers will struggle. For example, the liquid cooling system is mandatory for processors like the 2687w v2. HP is very clear about this in their documentation. This isnt a land of make believe and I am totally shell shocked at the misinformation in this thread alone, given by people who very likely have never actually done the testing themselves and don't even own a z820. So bottom line, the liquid cooling system on the z820 is far superior to it's air cooling counterpart. This is done by design to allow their system to handle 130 watt and up cpus that see a heavy work load.. I'm not bluffing, and I've seen the results first hand on multiple z820s and muliple cpu configurations, including most of the flagship cpus as well as OEM processors like the 2673 v2 and the 2696 v2. The results are crystal clear, liquid cooling wins by large margin. Wonder what we will see next here regarding the z820 and the rumor mill.

This. Solid upgrade as long as the prices are good, which they seem to be. However, I would suggest a pair of 2667v2s would be a better choice as the clock speed are much better bang for buck option if you are looking for a per-core speed advantage.

While the 2667 v2 is good, the oem 2673 v2 would be an even better choice (if this guy is interested in clock speed over core count as you are suggesting ) in this case because it still has the highly sought after 4.0ghz single core turbo and basically identical clock/turbo speeds otherwise, but comes into the game with a much lower TDP. But they can be difficult to find in the states. I had to order my pair of 2673s from a seller in china. it was definitely worth the wait. matter of fact, almost all OEM processors in the 2600 series line up have an advantage over their retail counterparts (take a look at the 2696 v2 for example) and compare with the flagship 2697 v2, you will see lower power use / consumption but identical clock speeds relative to their retail siblings. In fact the 2696 v2 actually has a 100mhz advantage in all core turbo clock, meaning it's actually a better performer under heavy work loads than intels flagship 2600 series processor!

 

[Toothless]

Just emphasizing the fact that you are recommending the low end option, the weaker option. I obviously don't have to explain why this is problematic. Lol

Actually you are totally wrong, totally mistaken. I'm amazed at the misinformation I'm seeing here regarding the z820 cooling options in this thread. I'm sorry but I have to set the record straight, ive done extensive testing with the z820s cooling system, measuring performance with multiple processors both with the low end air cooling and also with the high end liquid cooling system. I'm certain you are bench racing here, like the other guy, because if you actually did real testing with both air and liquid cooling with high TDP chips, you would not arrive at that conclusion. The real truth is that the liquid cooling system is far superior to the air cooling, especially under heavy loads. The cpu core temperatures are substantially lower with the liquid cooling system in place, which is very beneficial, especially in allowing the chip to run at it's turbo limits all the time, even under a heavy work load. So that's the first thing to note. A high TDP chip may not turbo up to its full potential with the standard air cooler in place, which can seriously impact perofrmance. With the E5 2696 v2, which is a 120w chip, I noticed a temperature differential of 15-20* with the liquid coolers in place. This cpu is a beast, running 12 cores at 3.1ghz turbo. It's not make believe, it's not smoke and mirrors, the liquid cooling system was engineered and designed by HP to be used with the high end, high TDP
processors with which the low end air coolers will struggle. For example, the liquid cooling system is mandatory for processors like the 2687w v2. HP is very clear about this in their documentation. This isnt a land of make believe and I am totally shell shocked at the misinformation in this thread alone, given by people who very likely have never actually done the testing themselves and don't even own a z820. So bottom line, the liquid cooling system on the z820 is far superior to it's air cooling counterpart. This is done by design to allow their system to handle 130 watt and up cpus that see a heavy work load.. I'm not bluffing, and I've seen the results first hand on multiple z820s and muliple cpu configurations, including most of the flagship cpus as well as OEM processors like the 2673 v2 and the 2696 v2. The results are crystal clear, liquid cooling wins by large margin. Wonder what we will see next here regarding the z820 and the rumor mill.


While the 2667 v2 is good, the oem 2673 v2 would be an even better choice (if this guy is interested in clock speed over core count as you are suggesting ) in this case because it still has the highly sought after 4.0ghz single core turbo and basically identical clock/turbo speeds otherwise, but comes into the game with a much lower TDP. But they can be difficult to find in the states. I had to order my pair of 2673s from a seller in china. it was definitely worth the wait. matter of fact, almost all OEM processors in the 2600 series line up have an advantage over their retail counterparts (take a look at the 2696 v2 for example) and compare with the flagship 2697 v2, you will see lower power use / consumption but identical clock speeds relative to their retail siblings. In fact the 2696 v2 actually has a 100mhz advantage in all core turbo clock, meaning it's actually a better performer under heavy work loads than intels flagship 2600 series processor!

Dude I'm just saying a piece of metal with a fan is more reliable. Kinda been like that for quite a long time. Nothing wrong with having an opinion when what's suggested isn't going to actually hurt anything.

My 212s keep the 2680v2's under 50c on sustained full load for weeks straight. Just, chill.

 

[newtekie1]

Actually you are totally wrong, totally mistaken. I'm amazed at the misinformation I'm seeing here regarding the z820 cooling options in this thread. I'm sorry but I have to set the record straight, ive done extensive testing with the z820s cooling system, measuring performance with multiple processors both with the low end air cooling and also with the high end liquid cooling system. I'm certain you are bench racing here, like the other guy, because if you actually did real testing with both air and liquid cooling with high TDP chips, you would not arrive at that conclusion. The real truth is that the liquid cooling system is far superior to the air cooling, especially under heavy loads. The cpu core temperatures are substantially lower with the liquid cooling system in place, which is very beneficial, especially in allowing the chip to run at it's turbo limits all the time, even under a heavy work load. So that's the first thing to note. A high TDP chip may not turbo up to its full potential with the standard air cooler in place, which can seriously impact perofrmance. With the E5 2696 v2, which is a 120w chip, I noticed a temperature differential of 15-20* with the liquid coolers in place. This cpu is a beast, running 12 cores at 3.1ghz turbo. It's not make believe, it's not smoke and mirrors, the liquid cooling system was engineered and designed by HP to be used with the high end, high TDP
processors with which the low end air coolers will struggle. For example, the liquid cooling system is mandatory for processors like the 2687w v2. HP is very clear about this in their documentation. This isnt a land of make believe and I am totally shell shocked at the misinformation in this thread alone, given by people who very likely have never actually done the testing themselves and don't even own a z820. So bottom line, the liquid cooling system on the z820 is far superior to it's air cooling counterpart. This is done by design to allow their system to handle 130 watt and up cpus that see a heavy work load.. I'm not bluffing, and I've seen the results first hand on multiple z820s and muliple cpu configurations, including most of the flagship cpus as well as OEM processors like the 2673 v2 and the 2696 v2. The results are crystal clear, liquid cooling wins by large margin. Wonder what we will see next here regarding the z820 and the rumor mill.

You are simply wrong. The AIO Liquid cooler and the air cooler perform nearly identically. I've supported 10 of these for about 6 years now. I keep at least one of the air coolers on hand at all times because I have had the AIO cooler fail(the pump tends to die on them from my experience, but no leaks). I have systems running the air cooler on one CPU and the AIO on the other, and the CPUs run within 1-2°C of each other under load(mostly blender). Again, like I said in my last post, the only advantage is the AIO takes a minute or two longer to reach that max temperature while the fluid inside warms up. But it literally is a minute or two thanks to the small amount of fluid in them. All of the ones I support run the E5-2697 v2 130w CPU. At the end of the day, the AIO is nothing more than an 80mm slim radiator sitting on top of a Asetek style pump/block combo. It's not magical, it can't dissipate significantly more heat than the 80mm tower style cooler with 4 heat pipes, the physics just won't allow it.

 

[ModemJunki]

Woo lots of good info, thanks everyone.

I went for a pair of 2680 V2s and will stick with the air cooling setup I have now as the liquid coolers aren't available cheap (IT dept doesn't have spares they are willing to give away as they still have to support a bunch of these older machines). I'm sure the 2680s will give this old workhorse a bit more pep with my single-threaded needs for a reasonable cost.

I did find out the reason my particular machine is specced with 2620s was for power budget reasons, apparently it was stuffed with mechanical drives, has 64GB of RAM, and used to have high-end Quadro cards back in it's day where raw CPU wasn't the target.

Question: what would be a good way to "benchmark" the existing vs. future upgrade? CPU-Z?

 

[Zyll Goliat]

I am currently using 2697 V2 'tho my CPU is OC because I have "branded" X79 board/Asus Sabertooth so I could do a BCLK OC now it's working on 3,45Ghz on all cores + turbo up to the 4,03Ghz...This CPU is 12 headed beast but yeah 2680V2 is also good choice or as @lexluthermiester said 2667 V2 is also fine as well,really depends do you need more cores/threads or less but faster...anyway I will leave you this pic bellow so that you can see all 2600 series clock speeds and turbo peaks.....

P.S. As a really cheap solution I really also liked 2650V2...it's a 8c/16t with 2,6Ghz base and up to the 3,4Ghz turbo.......

 

[lexluthermiester]

the oem 2673 v2 would be an even better choice

As the OP has already bought CPU's, this is just an aside comment, but the 2673v2 operate at the same clock speed as the 2667v2 but without a turbo boost. So no, they're not a better choice but instead would be a worse choice as the single core performance would suffer. From what I've seen it also lacks any of the C-state features which means that it operates at 3.3 ghz only. It does not boost, it does not down clock. The 2673V2 was designed specifically as a steady-state CPU for particular use-case scenarios.

 

[storm-chaser]

As the OP has already bought CPU's, this is just an aside comment, but the 2673v2 operate at the same clock speed as the 2667v2 but without a turbo boost. So no, they're not a better choice but instead would be a worse choice as the single core performance would suffer. From what I've seen it also lacks any of the C-state features which means that it operates at 3.3 ghz only. It does not boost, it does not down clock. The 2673V2 was designed specifically as a steady-state CPU for particular use-case scenarios.

Double check your information, as far as I can remember the 2673 v2 turbos like any other CPU in the 2600 series family. I know mine turboed to 4.0GHz, just like the 2667 v2 and the 2687W... see below for details.

You are simply wrong. The AIO Liquid cooler and the air cooler perform nearly identically. I've supported 10 of these for about 6 years now. I keep at least one of the air coolers on hand at all times because I have had the AIO cooler fail(the pump tends to die on them from my experience, but no leaks). I have systems running the air cooler on one CPU and the AIO on the other, and the CPUs run within 1-2°C of each other under load(mostly blender). Again, like I said in my last post, the only advantage is the AIO takes a minute or two longer to reach that max temperature while the fluid inside warms up. But it literally is a minute or two thanks to the small amount of fluid in them. All of the ones I support run the E5-2697 v2 130w CPU. At the end of the day, the AIO is nothing more than an 80mm slim radiator sitting on top of a Asetek style pump/block combo. It's not magical, it can't dissipate significantly more heat than the 80mm tower style cooler with 4 heat pipes, the physics just won't allow it.

We can agree to disagree then. There is a reason HP designed a liquid cooling system for the z820, a reason it is mandatory for some of the high end processors, and they didn't do it just for kicks. There are real world advantages, which I'm shocked you couldn't see the difference from a 130 watt processor. Because the performance advantage is pretty obvious, even when starting with a lesser 120 watt CPU.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Double check your information, as far as I can remember the 2673 v2 turbos like any other CPU in the 2600 series family. I know mine turboed to 4.0GHz, just like the 2667 v2 and the 2687W... see below for details.
View attachment 213064

Interesting. When I looked here;

Seems like TechARP got one wrong. This is the list I check when I quick reference CPU specs. I've only seen one 2673v2 in person and it was running steady state at 3.3ghz, thus my input. Sorry about that. Honest mistake.

Given the wattage advantage, you're right, the 2673v2 is the better choice!

 

[newtekie1]

There is a reason HP designed a liquid cooling system for the z820, a reason it is mandatory for some of the high end processors, and they didn't do it just for kicks.

Yeah, they did it so they could charge $500 for a pair of AIO coolers that cost them $40 to buy from Asetek. HP are greedy assholes. Remember, this is the same company that won't give you bios or driver updates for their workstations and servers unless you buy an insanely expensive support contract with them.

There are real world advantages, which I'm shocked you couldn't see the difference from a 130 watt processor. Because the performance advantage is pretty obvious, even when starting with a lesser 120 watt CPU.

Nope, there really is no performance advantage. But HP sure did get you with the marketing. But I'm guessing you're also the kind of person that puts a H60 in their computer and brags about how it just crushes all the air coolers on the market while the H60 gets beat by a 212 Evo in real life.

 

[storm-chaser]

Yeah, they did it so they could charge $500 for a pair of AIO coolers that cost them $40 to buy from Asetek. HP are greedy assholes. Remember, this is the same company that won't give you bios or driver updates for their workstations and servers unless you buy an insanely expensive support contract with them.


Nope, there really is no performance advantage. But HP sure did get you with the marketing. But I'm guessing you're also the kind of person that puts a H60 in their computer and brags about how it just crushes all the air coolers on the market while the H60 gets beat by a 212 Evo in real life.

Regarding water vs air, I'm not bias one way or the other. Well aware that many air coolers operform on par with some liquid cooling. But not in this case. The z820 is of an excellent design for a powerhouse workstation, so yeah it's expensive already because it was billed as HPs flagship workstation at the time. As for the liquid cooling, I will take HP best practices and recommendatiions over your advice every day of the week. Also you have to keep in mind HP server division is very much a different animal that what they do with consumer hardware. They do top notch work with servers and the recommendations they lay out are typically framed for mission critical hardware operation in a business environment , not to upsell you on parts you don't need.

did it so they could charge $500 for a pair of AIO coolers that cost them $40 to buy from Asetek. HP are greedy assholes

HP isn't doing it for monetary gain, this is pure speculation on your part.

Id also like to point out the z820s liquid cooling system is no cookie cutter "generic' design. People may get the wrong idea from your comment here. It's entirely engineered and built for use specifically with a z820 and only a z820. Not something they just pulled off the shelf and swapped in place of the air cooler. $40 doesn't even come close when you factor in research and development and HPs use of high quality copper components. They are much more valuable than you are implying.

 

[newtekie1]

But not in this case.

Yes, in this case.

not to upsell you on parts you don't need.

HP isn't doing it for monetary gain, this is pure speculation on your part.

That's why they're the only manufacturer that hides driver and BIOS updates for their workstations and servers behind a paywall, right? Because HP isn't doing stuff for monetary gain and would NEVER upsell people on parts they don't need, riiiight?

Id also like to point out the z820s liquid cooling system is no cookie cutter "generic' design.

You are right, the cooling system isn't a cookie cutter generic design, just the AIO they use is. It is a generic Asetek cooler, a generic Asetek pump/block combo with a slim 80mm rad bolted on top. It isn't even a unique design to HP. Asetek produces the same thing for Coolermaster IIRC, though they used a 92mm rad instead and it wasn't mounted at an angle.

What makes the HP cooling system in the Z820 special is the shroud, the cooling zones, and the fans they use. And all of that remains unchanged with the air coolers. Why does it remain unchanged? Because the air coolers were designed by HP too.

It's entirely engineered and built for use specifically with a z820 and only a z820. Not something they just pulled off the shelf and swapped in place of the air cooler.

The AIO is 100% pulled off the shelf, that's kind of the point of an Asetek cooler.

$40 doesn't even come close when you factor in research and development

What research and development? It's an Asetek cooler, Asetek engineered it, not HP. And it uses their generic pump/block and a generic slim 80mm rand. Did HP put millions into getting that radiator angle just perfect? But then again, the air cooler they designed is at the same angle...so...

HPs use of high quality copper components.

WTF does this even mean? The radiator isn't even copper. The block is, but it is a standard AIO from Asetek that uses an aluminum radiator. The air cooler is a direct contact heatpipe design and probably has just as much cooper in it as the liquid cooler. LOL.

 

[storm-chaser]

Yes, in this case.



That's why they're the only manufacturer that hides driver and BIOS updates for their workstations and s byervers behind a paywall, right? Because HP isn't doing stuff for monetary gain and would NEVER upsell people on parts they don't need, riiiight?


You are right, the cooling system isn't a cookie cutter generic design, just the AIO they use is. It is a generic Asetek cooler, a generic Asetek pump/block combo with a slim 80mm rad bolted on top. It isn't even a unique design to HP. Asetek produces the same thing for Coolermaster IIRC, though they used a 92mm rad instead and it wasn't mounted at an angle.

What makes the HP cooling system in the Z820 special is the shroud, the cooling zones, and the fans they use. And all of that remains unchanged with the air coolers. Why does it remain unchanged? Because the air coolers were designed by HP too.


The AIO is 100% pulled off the shelf, that's kind of the point of an Asetek cooler.


What research and development? It's an Asetek cooler, Asetek engineered it, not HP. And it uses their generic pump/block and a generic slim 80mm rand. Did HP put millions into getting that radiator angle just perfect? But then again, the air cooler they designed is at the same angle...so...


WTF does this even mean? The radiator isn't even copper. The block is, but it is a standard AIO from Asetek that uses an aluminum radiator. The air cooler is a direct contact heatpipe design and probably has just as much cooper in it as the liquid cooler. LOL.

Lol you have to say HP is doing it for monetary gain because it's the only out you have left. The only other option would force you to say the liquid cooling system is better, which you can't do now because youve already said multiple times it's no better. Now that HP documentation and best practices contradicts your opinion you need more excuses to convince people you are still telling the truth.

Yeah, HP was looking to make a 'killing" on what likely amounts to about 5% or less of total z820 configured systems. There are only a select few processors that were deemed as requirement for the better liquid cooling system. Oh yeah, HP was really making millions on their z820 liquid cooling cash cow!

 

[ModemJunki]

You guys are getting carried away with this. My thread has devolved.

Pls stop the arguing. Hamster is deeply concerned by it.

I made a typo in my first post, my CPUs are not E5 2620 V2s, they are just E5 2620s. Apparently it was ordered this way for some specification made by the project that was running it even though the Z820 has the V2 bootblock. The upgrade should make a substantial difference!

It also has DDR3 1333 DIMMs as it was specced with a slower CPU. According to the IT folk, it's not the only "weird" configuration in the pile, whatever that means. The Quadro cards I have are not what was shipped in the system either (nor were the SSDs or hard disks, apparently, but I do have enough drive carriers and 2.5" drive adapters to go full SSD if I choose to later, which is nice).

And having the dual Quadro M4000 cards setup with SLI is probably not needed by me, should I remove one to conserve a bit of power or just leave it?

Also took a peek in the chassis and - woooo - dust bunnies 'n stuff. A thorough cleaning is in order.

Looking forward to installing my 2680 V2s this weekend and I still don't know which free tools might be best to capture the before/after performance improvements to share with all y'all.

CPU-Z?
Cinebench?
...?