HP Proliant ML330 G3 Processor deliemma

[idata]

I purchased a used ML330 G3 with an INTEL XEON 2.4GHZ. Im being told this is a ppga socket 604 which is true to the specs as far as i can see. So here is the deliemma, this unit right now has a single core xeon 2.4Ghz processor in it. It has a second CPU slot that id like to use. Does anyone know if this server will accomadate a dual core or quad core processor?

According to HP the only processors that this unit will support is:Intel Xeon Processor 3.06 GHz/533-512KB, Intel Xeon Processor 2.8 GHz/533-512KB,Intel Xeon Processor 2.4 GHz/500-512KB.

I find it hard to believe that that they will not support anything bigger/better. Since this is a dual CPU mobo, i would think this unit would at least support dual core processors. When i call HP support and ask if this will support a dual or quad, I get the usual HP standard "This is what we recommend and we dont support anything other than we recommend".

Just as a for instance, would this processor work in this unit? Intel Xeon SL8MA CPU Processor 2.8 GHz 800MHz 4MB Cache Socket 604 Dual Core. This just happens to be a processor set I found on ebay and thought i could get away with upgrading the unit to at least a dual processor, dual core machine to make it work well for a webserver lets say.

Does anyone have any first hand experience with this type of upgrade (outside of what HP would recommend) and has it worked? Id be interested to hear some disscussion on this.

[Daniel_O_Intel]

In my experience, where you run into the real problem is that the BIOS of the motherboard won't have the microcode patch for a bigger / better / newer processor.

Even if you did get a newer CPU to boot, it would only have the capabilities of the older CPU - you would be limiting the new one artificially, and it would be no better than sticking with the old one. Possibly worse, since it may very well not boot at all.

[Edward_Z_Intel]

Very unlikely. Seems the server supports 533Mhz FSB only.