Xeons with an open multiplier

[zachj]

I wrote an efi driver for the e5-1680v2 because my hp z420 didn’t support bios overclocking and I couldn’t do software overclocking in ESXi.

The code was super trivial. Setting up tianocore build environment was nightmarishly difficult. Took days because the instructions suck.

 

[xinzhiqiang]

to change package OC setting you have to run the code to change MSR/CSR on a core within the package,
XTU and TS (throttlestop) seems to run these code only on the first threads, so only the first socket is affected.
with TS there is a workaround.
start TS, make settings. then remove the threads of the first socket from TS app.(taskmanager,affinity)
then make same settings on the 2nd socket.
or write an EFI driver to make that setting: similar was done with Xeon E5-26xx V3 turbo unlock hack.

Yes, u r right. XTU can only set one socket.
Next step, I have to learn how to write an EFI driver similar hack E5-26xx.
Thanks for your guide !!!

 

[xinzhiqiang]

I wrote an efi driver for the e5-1680v2 because my hp z420 didn’t support bios overclocking and I couldn’t do software overclocking in ESXi.

The code was super trivial. Setting up tianocore build environment was nightmarishly difficult. Took days because the instructions suck.

I'm new to this area. May be broken at any time

 

[Retrorockit]

There are some Dell and HP workstations coming on the surplus market now. The Dell Precision T5820 W series Xeon system, and the 5820 X Series for CoreX CPUs, all of which seem to be unlocked?? i9 10900X is common. X299 chipset

UserBenchmark: Dell Precision 5820 Tower X-Series Compatible Components

Does anyone know if the W series Xeons are unlocked? C422 chipset in the regular T5820 Tower

UserBenchmark: Dell Precision 5820 Tower Compatible Components

A similar situation applies at HP The Z4 G4 has the same 2 versions only they didn't change the name. CoreX or Xeon choices.

UserBenchmark: HP Z4 G4 Workstation Compatible Components

The HP seem all mixed together. They also report the same MB part number. Hmmmm. Does the CoreX CPU run on the C422 chipset??

Anyway all the CoreX CPUs seem unlocked. What about the matching W2xxx Xeons? Has anybody tried one on an unlocked X299 motherboard?

 

[RolloZ170]

Does anyone know if the W series Xeons are unlocked?

they are all locked.

What about the matching W2xxx Xeons? Has anybody tried one on an unlocked X299 motherboard?

Xeon W do not work on X299.

 

[zachj]

The coreX processors are unlocked but whether HP/Dell will let you overclock them is a different story.

For example on an HP z420 I installed an unlocked E5-1680v2 and without any bios options for overlocking I was limited to using software overlocking and I was subject to the package TDP limit (which HP locked in bios). HP signs their bios to prevent modification so I wasn’t able to work around the TDP limit, although one thing I never tried was an EFI driver to set the limit higher before the HP bios got a chance to lock the MSR—not sure whether the driver would load before or after the HP MSR lock.

 

[RolloZ170]

although one thing I never tried was an EFI driver to set the limit higher before the HP bios got a chance to lock the MSR—not sure whether the driver would load before or after the HP MSR lock.

maybe you try your luck with RU.efi. you can hopefully access the NVAR store and disable the MSR lock.
which store and which var index is another story, IFRExtractor is the Tool.

 

[zachj]

maybe you try your luck with RU.efi. you can hopefully access the NVAR store and disable the MSR lock.
which store and which var index is another story, IFRExtractor is the Tool.
View attachment 33662

I did. Didn’t work.

 

[RolloZ170]

I did. Didn’t work.

its not only the MSR lock of course.

overclocking lock
package RAPL Limit CSR lock
energy efficient turbo (off)
current limit override

 

[Retrorockit]

Thanks for the Replies. FWIW the HP Z420 has been overclocked
HP Z420 , Xeon 1680v2 @ 4.4Hgz all cores
Look around in here.

XTU Version required for overclocking Z420 on Win 10?

Can someone please let me know the version of Intel XTU they are using on an HP Z420 to overlclock their CPU? The CPU I am trying to overclock is the Intel E5-1650 V2, on a Z420 running Windows 10 Pro 1909, all latest patches. System has 64 GB of Hynix DDR3 1866MHZ Unbuffered RAM, & a GTX 1070...

h30434.www3.hp.com

The HP Z4 G4 did come with different chipsets for the different CPU families. But Dell and HP both offered unlocked CPUs and X299 versions.
The HP guys seem to favor Intel XTU. The Dell guys use Throttlestop more. The X299 Dell is the T5820X.
So the question still remains is the W Xeon itself locked, or is it just the matching C422 chipset?
Maybe Intel feels they have more control at the chipset level than the BIOS level. LGA771 and LGA 775 didn't swap until the tape mod for that came along.

 

[RolloZ170]

So the question still remains is the W Xeon itself locked, or is it just the matching C422 chipset?

the chipset does not block OC
xeon W-2xxx are locked,Xeon W-32xx are locked (intel does not make same fault more than twice)
i have C612 board with E5-1650v3 and can overclock(with BIOS tweak)

 

[RolloZ170]

So the question still remains is the W Xeon itself locked

easy checkable with HWinfo, max. overclocking bins = ?

 

[zachj]

Thanks for the Replies. FWIW the HP Z420 has been overclocked
HP Z420 , Xeon 1680v2 @ 4.4Hgz all cores
Look around in here.

XTU Version required for overclocking Z420 on Win 10?

Can someone please let me know the version of Intel XTU they are using on an HP Z420 to overlclock their CPU? The CPU I am trying to overclock is the Intel E5-1650 V2, on a Z420 running Windows 10 Pro 1909, all latest patches. System has 64 GB of Hynix DDR3 1866MHZ Unbuffered RAM, & a GTX 1070...

h30434.www3.hp.com

The HP Z4 G4 did come with different chipsets for the different CPU families. But Dell and HP both offered unlocked CPUs and X299 versions.
The HP guys seem to favor Intel XTU. The Dell guys use Throttlestop more. The X299 Dell is the T5820X.
So the question still remains is the W Xeon itself locked, or is it just the matching C422 chipset?
Maybe Intel feels they have more control at the chipset level than the BIOS level. LGA771 and LGA 775 didn't swap until the tape mod for that came along.

The HP forum post about all-core overclock on the z420 is misleading. Yes you can technically overclock the E5-1600 range of processors on the z420 to a billion gigahertz but _subject to_ the package TDP limit…in other words it’ll happily run at 4.4ghz all-core at idle but when you put it under load it’ll throttle the multiplier to keep under something like 130W.

HP locks the package TDP MSR so you can’t override it in XTU.

I wrote an EFI driver to overclock my z420 in ESXi (because obviously XTU is windows-only). I never tried to use the driver to set the package TDP because I never found the need to hit 4ghz on every single core simultaneously

 

[zachj]

its not only the MSR lock of course.

overclocking lock
package RAPL Limit CSR lock
energy efficient turbo (off)
current limit override

Yes I know. I played with RU.efi for a few hours and couldn’t get it to work. Maybe somebody else could but from my memory it couldn’t see much of the bios so it was pretty useless.

I played with another tool referencing the output from ifrextractor and I was able to persistently override some of the hidden bios settings but they had no effect; I could see my changed value after reboot but it wasn’t being honored by bios. I think aptio just outright ignores the settings contained in hidden bios pages…

 

[RolloZ170]

Yes I know. I played with RU.efi for a few hours and couldn’t get it to work. Maybe somebody else could but from my memory it couldn’t see much of the bios so it was pretty useless.

I played with another tool referencing the output from ifrextractor and I was able to persistently override some of the hidden bios settings but they had no effect; I could see my changed value after reboot but it wasn’t being honored by bios. I think aptio just outright ignores the settings contained in hidden bios pages…

first is ifrextractor to find the NVAR store and index of the option and the new value.
then run RU.efi, open the UEFI variable, locate the index and change to new value.
worked for me on several platforms, gigabyte MD71 i.e. to OC dual 3175X ES. but unfortunaly XTU doesn't support dual socket....
(i have simulated the RU.efi screen with HxD)

 

[zachj]

I no longer have the z420 so I cannot try it. As you hopefully agree RU.efi is not well documented so if I didn’t do it right I hope I can be forgiven

It was probably a year ago I tried to do it so my memory is poor on what I tried and why it didn’t work.

I definitely did ifrextractor and found the nvar store and index—that much I’m sure of. I just couldn’t figure out how to change it using RU.efi. Like I said RU.efi seemed to be unable to find/access the nvar store.

 

[RolloZ170]

As you hopefully agree RU.efi is not well documented so if I didn’t do it right I hope I can be forgiven

is not the fault of RU.efi - The tool is only for changing the value if you know it.

I just couldn’t figure out how to change it using RU.efi. Like I said RU.efi seemed to be unable to find/access the nvar store.

Ru.efi does not find: you select UEFI var SocketPowerManagementConfig,
this can be twice there, one for working current, one of defaults(copied to current if you set defaults)
but well it is possible the varstore is write protected.

 

[Retrorockit]

I see you guys have done some workstation overclocking. Did any of you try Throttlestop?
TS was designed to undervolt and underclock laptops. So it's all about TDP and TDC control, plus multipliers.
On unlocked CPUs it can raise things also. Intel doesn't have their fingers in the pie. It work from inside Windows.
The HP guys and HWBOT are all in with XTU. Some Dell guys are using TS. IDK if anyone has done a direct comparo. I have no idea if it's better, worse or the same. It works back to LGA7775 where thermal throttling doesn't exist. It's just shake and bake. I guess if you have the cooling thermal throttling won't matter? THe HP XTU guys are doing water loops.

 

[RolloZ170]

I see you guys have done some workstation overclocking. Did any of you try Throttlestop?

because XTU does not support dual socket OC i tried TS.
TS don't care about two processors as well, but with 2 instances of TS i got something to work(thread affinity)

 

[zachj]

I did try throttle stop. It can’t bypass the MSR lock on TDP—if the oem sets the lock then TDP is fixed in stone—so it wasn’t any better than XTU.

the only benefit to TS (compared to XTU) on z420/z620 platform is that you needed to find an old version of XTU to do an all-core overclock (which wasn’t available directly from intel so you are stuck downloading from random sources on the internet)—with TS you don’t have that problem.