I was reading this bootblock issue now alot and this is a true letdown for hp
about my rig I asume its a returned 3yrs leasing box so it may or may nor have the 3/6/13 bootblock
about updates my cpus I am unsure if any cpu upgrade will be a significant improvement from my dual e5-2670
change hdd to a "new" ssd is in my eyes the only reasonable upgrade now as the ram is with 96gb already like maxxed