HP Z2 mini G9 - upgrade CPU to Raptor Lake, getting PCA not fully compatible warning

[NickKX]

I just noticed that they support 14th gen Intel CPUs now on these.

I was thinking of upgrading myself (currently running an i5-12500), but then i remembered this thread!

I went and checked HP Partsurfer and the new 14th gen SKUs are using the exact same system boards as the older ones, so there is no hardware change or increase in VRMs or anything like that. It’s simply a software lockout.

I just had my motherboard replaced too, the original board died in January. Took three months for the replacement board to ship.

Buying this thing was a huge mistake on my part, and it is absolutely the last HP product i will ever buy.

HP desktops may have more modular components compared to Macs, but if you can’t upgrade or even service them yourself, then what is even the point?

Oh, right. The point is so that HP can price gouge on higher spec’d config pricing, and be more flexible in their own supply chain and manufacturing. Modularity when it benefits them, but not you.

I suspect that there is some programming or “branding” of the motherboard that only HP / authorized support are able to perform, and this is what determines if it “allows” component upgrades and displays nag screens. As to where exactly this information is stored, probably on an eeprom somewhere.

Oh, and I forgot to mention. I upgraded the ram to Micron MTC20C2085S1TC56BR.

I found out the OEM ECC ram that HP uses is made by SK HYNIX, but as you would expect, the price they charge is ludicrous.

So, I picked up some Micron ecc ddr5 sodimms for a much more reasonable price ($120 per stick) — and to my surprise, they work great. They’re currently running at 4800, but I think that’s a CPU limitation, of the i5-12500.

 

[Trappenbild]

I just had a board replaced, which has a broken USB-C Controller, firmware showing 0.0.0.0.
So looks like a 2nd board replacement here. Infuriating.
Wondering if I need to start replacing the thermal pads each time the board gets swapped.

 

[NickKX]

I just had a board replaced, which has a broken USB-C Controller, firmware showing 0.0.0.0.
So looks like a 2nd board replacement here. Infuriating.
Wondering if I need to start replacing the thermal pads each time the board gets swapped.

During boot press escape, and then go to the bottom menu option, update system and supported device firmware. It will re-flash the USB controller(s). Probably just corrupt firmware. If that does not work try the system diagnostics.

The new boards don’t come with replacement thermal pads, at least mine didn’t, and I don’t see why they would. Those things last forever, as long as they’re not completely mangled.

 

[Trappenbild]

I tried that from the BIOS menu, but it gets to the USB-C TBT firmware flash, then fails, with "USB-C Type C controller firmware update failed. Info: Flash row update failed.

Maybe looks like new motherboard time?
Thats good to know on the thermal pads, appreciate it.

 

[NickKX]

I tried that from the BIOS menu, but it gets to the USB-C TBT firmware flash, then fails, with "USB-C Type C controller firmware update failed. Info: Flash row update failed.

Maybe looks like new motherboard time?
Thats good to know on the thermal pads, appreciate it.

Try re flashing it from Windows or Linux, or using a USB boot disk. It’s possible that the firmware file on the EFI partition is corrupted. But yeah if that doesn’t work, then new motherboard unfortunately I would say

 

[Trappenbild]

Gets worse. Had someone visit today for a system board swap, and take a chunk out of my 100% mint condition chassis with a screwdriver trying to pop the blanking plate on the flexIO port.
The systemboard also has been damaged with a screwdriver! Huge deep scratch. What would you guys do?
Im starting to lose my patience with this now. I cant take any more.

 

[NickKX]

TBH that's not that bad, it was bound to get scratched anyway. It's a pretty low quality chassis. Mine bends and shifts all over the place. The lid mechanism is a complete joke. The scratch on the board doesn't look that bad either, doesn't look like it will affect any signaling IMO. Obviously it's not good, and that's not great service by any means, but idk what you're gonna do about it ::shrug::

A mac mini or Mac Studio, this thing is not. But you don't want to hear how bad my HP experience has been. OMG...I could write ten paragraphs about it. Condensed version is, my system hard locked in January, and then after that...it wouldn't POST. No beep codes, nothing. Dead board.

They originally shipped my replacement board to a local fedex location, but never told the onsite support company (Hemmersbach) or me that it was there and ready to be picked up. So after five days of not being picked up, the board was sent back to HP...after I had already been waiting TWO MONTHS for it. Took another month for them to send it back to me. Like I said, this is my first and last HP product.

Motherboard died first week of January, and I didn't get back up and running until the last week of March. OFC they have brand new boards for sale in new systems, and they're in stock all over the place, including on their own website. But no boards for repair? HMMM....Must be a global component shortage! Right...

Their first line tech support are also the worst in the entire tech industry, at least that's what my experience has been. I regularly reach out to Apple support, and while they are not always 100% useful or helpful, they at least try!

All the HP techs do is load the manual PDFs and search through them. Like guys...I can do that myself. If the answer to my question was in the publicly available PDFs, then why would I even be contacting you? If ever there was a job that could easily be replaced by a chatbot, it's HP's first line support.

 

[Trappenbild]

Yeah I get that, but I actually suffer from OCD, so having a previously flawless mint condition machine that was out of the factory in terms of freshness, damaged like this has unfortunately set me off. Seems I cannot find a replacement chassis part number either... so maybe they do not make them.
It gets worse though. Since the repair, the A2000 graphics card now rattles in the chassis. If I plug anything into it, there is now movement there was not before, so something has got bent or out of alignment. I'm fed up with this, as HP have made my system WORSE.

I don't think its acceptable, and I am going to push them for a replacement machine, its just not on for a top spec workstation that cost me an absolute bloody fortune. If I had caught the guy setting about the thing with a flat blade screwdriver I would have gone nuts, I cannot believe I left them unsupervised for a while.

Like you my experience is bad, its been a 6 month open ticket, and it feels like Ive lost my marbles, and this now damaged chassis, I know not horrific, is now the last straw for me.

 

[NickKX]

I actually bought an in warranty base model (old stock) on eBay, so I got lucky and only paid around $450 for this POS, and then upgraded the individual components on my own. I still don’t have a graphics card in mine though, unfortunately. The custom PCI slot bracket mechanism is a joke, too. I was looking into Oculink actually, and running an eGPU possibly. I thought my three month wait time was bad lol, yours was six months?

 

[Trappenbild]

Well it's longer if I include latest saga. September last year I raised the ticket for the initial problem!
Absolute madness.
They can bloody well take this machine back, give me a new one, and upgrade the spec for all the trouble and time I've wasted on it.
Mines i9 13900, RTX A2000, 64GB ECC etc etc, the best I could buy at the time, so I think out of courtesy I should get the best spec currently available also, shy of any silly 125W TDP chips, they are way too much for such a small chassis.
What I do know though is HP customer services/complaints always try everything to not give you a replacement. I really don't know why, as there comes a time when just throwing parts at a jinxed machine, or a lemon, costs more than just to replace.

Anyone tried out the ADA 4000 SFF Lovelace cards?

 

[NickKX]

Nope. Still looking into an oculink GPU. It's too bad that no one really makes good SFF GPUs aside from Nvidia. I don't think AMD even has anything worth considering. Not that it would work anyway, since the custom bracketing mechanism...You'd have to run it without the bracket and zip tie it in there to retain it :X

Any thoughts on what the best CPU would be for this chassis? I broke down and ordered the copper heatsink. Now looking to get a new CPU to go along with it. The 12500 is not that great. Even my 2020 M1 Mac Mini kicks its ass most of the time.

 

[Trappenbild]

My i9 13900 was mostly absolutely silent, 65w TDP.
Would never get any of the 125w chips.

 

[NickKX]

So the $42 “125W” fan arrived today (Z2 Mini G9 just to clarify)

Sure looks like it’s the exact same fan, with one additional wire lead going to the fan connector, along with a sticker to let the assemblers know which is which…although one PCB is red and the other is green, if that means anything…

Here are the two side by side, tried uploading here but this forum is very strict about image size

IMG-7037 hosted at ImgBB

Image IMG-7037 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

Also just saw, there’s a March ‘24 BIOS release but no mention of 14th gen support in the public release notes

 

[Trappenbild]

Same part number on the sticker? lol.
If so, then the optimum combination for noise and performance is the 65w fan, 65w TDP i9, and the copper cooler.
Oh the feet are cut on the 125w. Strange
Whats the deskmat? Looks interesting.

 

[RolloZ170]

Sure looks like it’s the exact same fan, with one additional wire lead going to the fan connector

Same part number on the sticker? lol.

no, completely different. i guesshigher min RPM and max. RPM

 

[NickKX]

Same part number on the sticker? lol.
If so, then the optimum combination for noise and performance is the 65w fan, 65w TDP i9, and the copper cooler.
Oh the feet are cut on the 125w. Strange
Whats the deskmat? Looks interesting.

Different part numbers. They’re in this thread somewhere. The deskmat is from Linus tech tips. I really don’t think the RPM are any different but I will have to test that. I would be absolutely shocked if this were anything other than a way of telling the mobo what processor it’s supposed to be paired with.

 

[RolloZ170]

I really don’t think the RPM are any different but I will have to test that.

if the RPM is not higher your CPU will throttle early by overheating.

 

[NickKX]

if the RPM is not higher your CPU will throttle early by overheating.

After testing for a couple days, I can confirm that they are the same RPM…and also modern bios for the z2 mini g9 support fan control settings, however the older ones did not

 

[Trappenbild]

Stands to reason given they are rated at the same current draw.
I wonder if the two models you posted are different due to different suppliers.
I take it you were recording the fan speed inside the OS?
If/When I get my replacement machine, I will source a copper cooler to keep it even quieter than the boggo silver one.
Ive 0% interest in a "K" series CPU, a lot of hot nonsense for what.. 5% more speed? Not for me.

 

[NickKX]

Stands to reason given they are rated at the same current draw.
I wonder if the two models you posted are different due to different suppliers.
I take it you were recording the fan speed inside the OS?
If/When I get my replacement machine, I will source a copper cooler to keep it even quieter than the boggo silver one.
Ive 0% interest in a "K" series CPU, a lot of hot nonsense for what.. 5% more speed? Not for me.

The newer CPUs also support 5600Mhz memory clock. I haven’t benchmarked yet but I think it’s worth the upgrade given how cheap they are, at least for me since I’ve got a 12500. I haven’t decided whether or not to get a K or not. I am thinking 14700K though if I can get a good deal.

How hot does your CPU get under load?

I compiled the Linux kernel from source earlier today, and it got up to 87C during the build. Not good, lol. This is the cheaper cooler though. Ambient air temp around 25C.

The copper one arrives Monday. Hopefully it will perform better.

And yes, FYI the bios also tells you the current fan RPMs.