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SP35P2 Pro GPU upgrade path

Z

zwotb

Weaksauce
Joined
Oct 19, 2003
Messages
74
I'm purchasing a SP35P2 Pro system from a friend, currently it sports an Nvidia 8800GT and the stock PSU (1 x hd, 1 x dvd-rw and that's that).

I checked out the 'Will it fit?' thread, but I wasn't sure if the spreadsheet directly refers to the SP35P2 Pro as part of the 'P-series' (one would think so) and also if going with something top-of-the-line (single card, not crossfire/SLI) was also going to bump up the PSU requirements.

Any thoughts/experience on that, and what I could upgrade to beyond the 8800GT?


TIA
 
A GTX260 will fit, but will require a mod on the 4-pin ATX 12v cable from the PSU. I simply bought a 4-pin extension cable and did the mod on it, keeping my original cable intact.

Since a GTX280 is the same size, it would fit as well. I can't confirm the stock PSU is enough for the GTX280 though. Despite what many might think, heat is definitely not an issue (something I was worried about when attempting it). The stock cooler on the 200 series is that good.

The GTX200 series will fit in a SP35P2 Pro, but just barely...
 
As keen as I am on doing a 12v mod, is there an easy way out such as a 3rd-party PSU to replace the stock PSU?
 
zwotb said:
As keen as I am on doing a 12v mod, is there an easy way out such as a 3rd-party PSU to replace the stock PSU?
Click to expand...

No, it's a matter of the card not fitting without somehow modifying the way the motherboard's 4-pin 12V plug is connected. The standard connector is simply in the way of 10.5" cards -- supposedly this is fixed on the non-barebones version of the SX48P2.

There is less than 1/8" inch of clearance between the top of the motherboard's 12V plug and the bottom of the GTX 260/280. The most common mod is to buy a 12V extension cable and mod it to reduce the height of the connector and bend the inner two pins at a 90 degree angle just above the plug.

You could also take the motherboard out and solder the extension cable's pins to the soldering points on the bottom of the board (taking care that they are connected to the correct terminals).

There are detailed pictures and discussion on the Sudhian Shuttle forums.
 
For what it's worth I think other than the 12V cable mod, the GTX 260 fits the P2 chassis better than say a Radeon 4870. It is longer yes, but not quite as wide, meaning it won't be pushing up against the PSU cables like my 4870 did. The video card fan also lines up better with the ICE fans, so if your ICE fans are in the reverse configuration you will have great airflow. Finally it's a whole lot quieter than the 4870's HSF.
 
For what it's worth *grin*, the 12v cable mod isn't that hard. On a scale of 1-5 difficulty, I'd rate it a 2. The only tools I used were some small staples to remove the small pins and a good box cutter to slice through the hard plastic housing. I finished off the mod with heat-shrink tubing to make things look nice & safe.

It's a painlessly easy mod if you sport any patience at all.

Oh, and props to the guys over at Sudhian for introducing me to the idea in the first place. Otherwise, I'd have wimped out on a 4850.
 
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