Question Intel Q4EK CPU, an Intel Engineering sample,. Keep? Or replace?

[echolane]

I bought an Intel DZ87KLT-75K motherboard six years ago, added a Core i7 processor and moved it into my good tower along with a new power supply and graphics card. The mb has developed some sort of intermittent problem so I bought a matching used DZ87KLT-75K. Of course I tried to find new, but I couldn’t. The processor on the used board came with an Intel engineering sample (Q4EK). This appears to be a XEON e5620.

Am planning to just swap this motherboard for my existing one, but what should I do about the processor? Should I replace it? With what?

PS. You might be wondering why I bought the same old motherboard. It is because I want to continue to use Windows 7. My current Intel board supports a dual boot Windows 7 Windows 10 Desktop Computer. Dual boot because after buying Windows 10, I really disliked it. If I’m lucky, my computer tech tells me I can just swap boards and be up and running without having to reload the two OSs. I hope he is right.

Advice, comments and opinions welcome.

 

[Barty1884]

Z87 would be LGA1150...... Whereas a Xeon E5620 (or engineering sample of same) is a 1366 socket chip and not compatible.

You should just be able to switch boards out. Because it's the same model, you shouldn't have driver conflicts/errors etc. You may lose your activation (if tied to the motherboard), although it probably won't detect that for a while, if ever.

 

[echolane]

Z87 would be LGA1150...... Whereas a Xeon E5620 (or engineering sample of same) is a 1366 socket chip and not compatible.

I don’t quite follow you: are you saying I should get a processor that is compatible with Z87? Z87 looks to be ASUS. My mb is Intel.

My Windows 7 & 10 installation software is my own legitimate upgrade which can be traced to me from MS-DOS > Windows 3.1 > Windows NT > Windows 2000 > Windows XP > Windows 7 > Windows 10. I would be super upset if there is a problem.

 

[Wolfshadw]

DZ87KLT-75K

Z87 is referring to the North Bridge chipset of your Intel based motherboard. What he's saying is that your motherboard has an Intel socket 1150 whereas the CPU that came with the motherboard is Intel socket 1366. A socket 1366 processor is not compatible with a socket 1150 motherboard.

The motherboard should work just fine with your Core I7 processor, but there is no way it could work with the Engineering Sample that came with it.

FYI, whomever sold you that motherboard should not have sold the processor. It's essentially a loaner processor that should have been returned to Intel.

-Wolf sends

 

[echolane]

Looks like I need to have a few words with my eBay seller.

I will transfer my present Core i7 CPU over to replace the engineering sample.

Or I will buy a new processor, though I see Core i7 processors can run over $300 which I feel is excessive for my current purpose, an Audio Computer with some minor desktop activity.

Thank you so much!!