The highly rated HP Pavilion Slimline PC thread

Just got my BE-2400 CPU (OEM) and will swap out the stock CPU on my s3120n. I assumed that I will need to reuse the same heatsink/fan given the dimensions of the case and the unit itself. Isopropyl Alcohol and coffee filter is commonly recommended for cleaning up the old thermal paste. I purchased arctic silver 5 for the reinstall.

Any advise or tips for a first time CPU/Heatsink swapper?
 
You've got it mug_c. Make sure the isopropyl alcohol is over 90% purity. The heatsink that HP provides is great imo, so I would definitely recommend using the HP heatsink/fan assembly.
 
mug_c said:
I purchased arctic silver 5 for the reinstall.

Any advise or tips for a first time CPU/Heatsink swapper?
Click to expand...

Artic SIlver actually has documentation on their website that shows the best way to apply the thermal compound as verified in their testing.

There are several ways of doing it and it matters if you have a single core, dual core, or quad core on which is the best manner to apply.

http://www.articsilver.com/instructions.htm
 
I think I already know the answer but here goes.

I have a 3400T that I am using for an HTPC.

Is there anyway to push out dolby digital with the integrated sound? Tried any option I could think of any using HDMI I only get two channel.

I am playing blu ray rips through my gig network that is being fed to my home theater receiver from the slimline

thanks for the help
 
yes you can get 5.1 on a 5.1 source on the onboard soundcard through movies and HDTV. I've done it with my SR-805 and my slimline s3200n. I have mine connected currently through the digital coax out however -- not sure if that makes a difference or not. Make sure both your media is 5.1, and your software you use to play it supports 5.1
 
So my 3100n just got back from the recall and my eVga 8400gs is dead. What card should I get? I hear debates, and I was looking at the Jaton cards, but I am more confused now, than when I started reading on page 60-something. 64 bit, 128 bit, 12 stream processors, 80 stream processors, so confusing. No games, just video and photoshop here.

I have 3gb of ram, and the original 4000+ in here, but neither the ram, nor the cpu show up in the vista properties since adding a 2gb stick in place of matched 1gb sticks, and my gaming gfx index is at 2.4 from the 3.5 it was stock on the 6150le! 3.9 with the eVga card.
 
For me, photoshop, some premiere, video encoding (tmpg), and basic stuff like dreamweaver, mssql express client. As far as older games, I play tiberian sun and grim fandango for kicks now-and-then, but aside from that I actively avoid games, sad considering my best friend from childhood was the head taco on Force Unleashed and I produced a flight sim years ago.
 
Archaea

I have it running to my Onkyo 905 but forgot about the digital input. THanks for the tip. I will run HDMI for video and dig for sound.

I now have 500 blu ray movies ripped on my homemade server and using my slimline as a slave via a gig network. The final icing on the cake was the mymovies software to integrate into windows media center

life is grand
 
TestShoot said:
So my 3100n just got back from the recall and my eVga 8400gs is dead. What card should I get? I hear debates, and I was looking at the Jaton cards, but I am more confused now, than when I started reading on page 60-something. 64 bit, 128 bit, 12 stream processors, 80 stream processors, so confusing. No games, just video and photoshop here.

I have 3gb of ram, and the original 4000+ in here, but neither the ram, nor the cpu show up in the vista properties since adding a 2gb stick in place of matched 1gb sticks, and my gaming gfx index is at 2.4 from the 3.5 it was stock on the 6150le! 3.9 with the eVga card.
Click to expand...

Any of the cards should be fine and preform about the same if you aren't gaming. Don't fret about it too much. Re-run your WEI score index under your system options in the control panel. --- it SHOULD update your scores.
 
Archaea said:
yes you can get 5.1 on a 5.1 source on the onboard soundcard through movies and HDTV. I've done it with my SR-805 and my slimline s3200n. I have mine connected currently through the digital coax out however -- not sure if that makes a difference or not. Make sure both your media is 5.1, and your software you use to play it supports 5.1
Click to expand...

I am using powerdvd8 which is supposed to be able to decode TrueHD tracks. Routing it to my 905 via the coax, will I be able to reproduce those TrueHD tracks? Tried it with Iron Man tonight and it only displayed Dolby Digital
 
Has anyone tried to boot a slimline pc off one of the front faced memory card readers? I mean install an OS on the memory card? I've not tried it...Probably could/will try tomorrow if I get the chance --- unless anybody knows one way or another.
 
aleicgrant said:
I am using powerdvd8 which is supposed to be able to decode TrueHD tracks. Routing it to my 905 via the coax, will I be able to reproduce those TrueHD tracks? Tried it with Iron Man tonight and it only displayed Dolby Digital
Click to expand...

I don't know, but I would suggest looking up the realteck card info...

my strong suspicion is no truehd 7.1

just standard dd 5.1
 
Hey, I've been searching through the forum here, and i think like others, there's so much good info that i get lost in the numbers.

so my question is this,

right now have the s3320f with the AMD 64 X2 5200+, and just put in 4 gb of 633 kingston ram.
I've been told by HP that it's the 160w Power supply

I'm looking to upgrade the graphics without spending much, would I be able to put in this 8500GT card from newegg? or is there a better one out there i should be looking at for this pc.

My use is 90% video editing and light gaming, I probably wouldn't play anything past the half life 2 era of games.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162004&Tpk=8500 low profile

thanks for the time, awesome info on here
 
Wow, that's a cheap card (AR). The 8500GT should serve your purposes just fine.

Also, a little follow up on my dead 8600GT, Galaxy customer service is crap. They're not even writing me back. Anyone have luck contacting them for RMA?
 
So it will work with the power set up no problem?

Do i need to buy the 6 to 4 converter for the power alongside of it?
 
The card doesn't need an extra power connector. Others (Archaea?) would have a better idea if the card works, since I don't have the 160W PSU. I think you should be fine though.
 
just want to go on the record and say you guys are some of the craziest devoted computer modders i've ever seen. I love it lol, I bought my slimline like a lot of others off of woot, I'm starting a film company/ministry so i really want it to function as my editing PC, but when that 8500gt is only 20 bucks after rebate it seems worth it to kick it up to a light gaming PC,



if anyone else has had success/failure with this card in the amd 5200+ / 160w power supply set up, please let me know
 
Did a quick search of the thread for any comments on this PSU and did not see any. I came across the following 200watt unit that claims to be made for the slimlines:

http://www.atxpowersupplies.com/200-watt-HP-slimline-power-supply-FSP200-50PLA2-SL.php

It lists multiple compatible models including the HP Pavilion s3122x. Taking a look at the HP Parts Store, PSU for the s3122x:

5188-7520
Power supply - 160-watt regulated output (Arches)

HP Parts Store listing for the s3120n (which I have) as being the same.The FSP200-50PLA2-SL states that it has a 24 pin small atx connector.

Has anyone tried this power supply? That extra 40 watts sure would be nice – but given the research done on this forum – I suspect someone else has come across this!

The site lists the following options for the PSU:

No Y-Splitter +$ 0.00One Y-Splitter +$3.00Two Y-Splitters +$6.00Three Y-Splitters +$9.00 view image
No PCI Express Adapter +$ 0.00One PCI Express Adapter +$6.00Two PCI Express Adapters +$12.00Three PCI Express Adapters +$18.00 view image
No IDE to SATA adapter +$ 0.00One IDE to SATA adapter +$5.00Two IDE to SATA adapters +$10.00Three IDE to SATA adapters +$15.00 view image

Any comments on this are greatly appreciated!
 
Nice! A company finally wised up and is offering a PSU for us. Too bad it wasn't more powerful and had SATA power connectors instead.
 
Based on the part number – the manufacture is certainly FSP (that was tough to figure out! :)). I could not find the product on the FSP site though. Looking on the sparkle site I do not see the exact part number – but it appears to be based on the FSP-200-50PLA that they re-brand. There is a pdf with specs on the sparkle site:

http://www.sparklepower.com/proPCPS_Micro.html

http://www.sparklepower.com/pdf/FSP200-50PLA.pdf

(Note – the above model is only 20 pin for P1)

I am sure there are other PSU companies that re-brand the FSP supplies – but knowing that the guts of the unit are from a reputable source is good.

Yes – no sata connections – would need to order 2 adapters for the ide to sata.
 
dj12345 said:
if anyone else has had success/failure with this card in the amd 5200+ / 160w power supply set up, please let me know
Click to expand...

Some people have been okay with the setup you are talking about. Others haven't (including myself) My 8400GS, and 65 watt CPU with 160 watt PSU combo would lock up in full perofrmance mode, or under heavy number crunching stress test type situations (Prime 95, Video encoding, etc). It would never lock up in gaming - apparently gaming didn't push the hardware that hard. A lockup due to insufficient power at full processor draw is unaccepatable to me. A purchase of a BE-2400 processor will remedy that situation. I recommend the use of the AMD BE-2400 or any other 45 watt processor when coupled with any aftermarket graphics card just for assurance and long life of your slimline.

BE-2400's are cheap and a processor swap is super easy to preform, even if you aren't comfortable around PCs. There are only about 7 screws to take out in total to preform a processor swap (3 on the case, four on the AMD CPU heatsink). The CPU only goes in one way, and frankly it'd be moderately difficult to mess up! :)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=be-2400

Open box for $28, New for $40.
 
mug_c said:
Did a quick search of the thread for any comments on this PSU and did not see any. I came across the following 200watt unit that claims to be made for the slimlines:

http://www.atxpowersupplies.com/200-watt-HP-slimline-power-supply-FSP200-50PLA2-SL.php

Has anyone tried this power supply? That extra 40 watts sure would be nice – but given the research done on this forum – I suspect someone else has come across this!

Any comments on this are greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...


You don't want it...It's no more powerful than the 160watt. Check out the wattage supplied on the 12volt rail (the only rail of importance for modern computers).

12 Volt Rail Comparison follows.
The above referenced 200Watt - 12 AMP
HP's 160 Watt - 12 AMP
HP's 180 Watt - 12.5 AMP

Processor, Video card, HD, and CD-ROM, work off the 12 volt rail. That 200watt PSU has 2x's as powerful 3.3 volt rail - but that doesn't do you any good. It has a less powerful 5 volt rail, and as stated above, has a similar 12 volt rail to the 160watt HP standard, and less power than the 180watt PSU on the only line that matters.

Here are some images of the HP PSU stats - both 180 and 160 watt PSU's that I took a couple months back. You can see the different rail wattage standards for both 160 and 180 watt PSUs.

http://www.putfile.com/album/186901?pos=top


And just for the record - something's fishy about a "slimline powersupply" that isn't really going to support a slimline out of the box with no Sata connectors. All hard-drives and cd-roms that go in slimlines are SATA based. I've opened and gutted about 12 slimlines myself. From the s3020n to the s3400t
 
Archaea said:
A purchase of a BE-2400 processor will remedy that situation. I recommend the use of the AMD BE-2400 or any other 45 watt processor when coupled with any aftermarket graphics card just for assurance and long life of your slimline.
Click to expand...



Would I be losing any performance? My main use of the computer is SD/HD video editing with a lot of rendering, so I really don't want to lose any performance in that aspect.
 
Archaea said:
You don't want it...It's no more powerful than the 160watt. Check out the wattage supplied on the 12volt rail (the only rail of importance for modern computers).

12 Volt Rail Comparison follows.
The above referenced 200Watt - 12 AMP
HP's 160 Watt - 12 AMP
HP's 180 Watt - 12.5 AMP

Processor, Video card, HD, and CD-ROM, work off the 12 volt rail. That 200watt processor has 2x's as powerful 3.3 volt rail - but that doesn't do you any good. It has a less powerful 5 volt rail, and as stated above, has a similar 12 volt rail to the 160watt HP standard, and less power than the 180watt PSU on the only line that matters.

Here are some images of the HP PSU stats - both 180 and 160 watt PSU's that I took a couple months back. You can see the different rail wattage standards for both 160 and 180 watt PSUs.

http://www.putfile.com/album/186901?pos=top


And just for the record - something's fishy about a "slimline powersupply" that isn't really going to support a slimline out of the box with no Sata connectors all hard-drives and cd-roms that go in slimlines are SATA based. I've opened and gutted about 12 slimlines myself. From the s3020n to the s3400t
Click to expand...
Archaea – Thank-you. Glad you are around to point out such details!!!!! I would not have known to check that and would have wasted $ on this…. Cheers!
 
dj12345 said:
Would I be losing any performance? My main use of the computer is SD/HD video editing with a lot of rendering, so I really don't want to lose any performance in that aspect.
Click to expand...


Yes, you would be losing a bit of performance. You could try the 4850e chip instead, and loose less performance, but it'll cost you about $25 more.

You have an X2 5200+, which runs at 2.6Ghz and 65 watts.

The BE-2400 runs at 2.3Ghz and 45 watts. - Costs $40. Most reviews put it between a x2 4400+ and a X2 4600+ as far as performance.
The 4850e runs at 2.5Ghz and 45 watts. - Costs $65. It'd probably be the equavalent of a x2 4800+ or X2 5000+ so yes -- you'd be loosing performance either way. Not a whole lot though either way ;p

4850e processor option.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103255

My recommendation is to go 45 watt CPU if you want a video card, but as I mentioned before, there is a split crowd here on some who just continue using a 65 watt proc and an updated vid card with a 160 watt, and some who it seems that a 65 watt proc and an updated video card causes reboots, BSODs, etc. I feel pretty confident saying that 160 watt PSU is at/near its limits with a fully equipped slimline, 65 watt CPU, and any 40 watt video card (40 watt is the max you should use from what I've read with a stock 160 or 180 PSU)
 
Slightly confused regarding the power supply on this slimline(s7610sc). I stated previously that this unit has a 180 w PSU. Well...not so sure anymore. Checked carefully the label, in fact on the label it reads combined power 3.3v & 5v =83W max and combined power 5v& 12=97W max. So in this case 83+97 is not 180 w.

Other text on the PSU label:

Delta electronics
Model DPS-108 DB
HP P/N 5188-4388
Max power 108W
3,3v 7A
12v 6A
5v 12A

It was mentioned about wrong labeling on some PSUs. However, on HP PartSurfer page is the following information:
5188-4388 Power supply (Bryce) 108-watt, 100-127V, 3A (50-60Hz), 200-240V, 2A (50-60Hz). Souns strange that there would be same mistake also on HP pages?
On the other hand, this unit had peak consumption 120W+ in original configuration so doubt that the info in HP page is correct. But for time beein don't have a clue
what psu i have.....Any ideas?
 
6 amps on the 12 volt rail wouldn't power much of anything. I think your sticker must be wrong as discussed on page 90. Other than calling, which you've done --- I'm not sure how verify??
 
Your sticker may be wrong, but then again, you don't have an s3xxx series box, so I don't know.

HP tech support is pretty crappy from my experiences with them, so I would take what they say with a grain of salt.
 
Just installed the BE-2400 in my s3120n. Used arctic silver 5 as per the instructions on their site. Dramatic drop in core temp compared with the 4200+ that was stock. One item of concern though - the two cores register a difference in temp of 8 to 10 degrees c. At idle - CPU 0 is at 33 and CPU 1 is at 24. Should this be cause for concern?? Any comments appreciated!
 
That's a pretty big difference, but neither temp is too hot by any means.

You ensured you have all four screws tightened down the same amount?

Run a number cruching program like the Prime95 torture test or Orthos to heat the CPU up while monitoring the temps to make sure everything stays in order.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime95
 
Thanks again .. running prime95 - temp on cpu0 maxed out at 46 and 41 with cpu1. Seems to average that 5 degree diff under load. That seems to be acceptable. Will recheck the mounting of the heat sink and if the 10degree diff at idle persists - might just redo the whole job - might have used a small tad too much thermal paste and caused an air pocket..
 
5* difference is a tad high, but not unheard of. There's not much trick to the heatsink screwdown. Just make sure all four mounting screws are screwed all the way down. That's what I've done with mine and it works just fine. If you lift the heatsink up -- supposedly you should clean off the heat sink paste and start again because at that point you may introduce airbubbles. Not sure how true that is, but it's what I've always heard, I've done it both ways and it makes a couple C* difference perhaps, but nothing that amounts to too much.
 
Hello everyone,

I have a 3400f that I'm planning to upgrade so it can handle gaming and in addition to reading through most of this thread, I've also done some research here:
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7586_102-0.html?forumID=68&threadID=242304&start=15&tag=forum-w;forums06

Basically, there are two power supplies that people have reportedly used that have substantially increased their available power.

Shuttle 300 watt:http://global.shuttle.com/product_detail.jsp?PI=429

Sparkle 270 watt:http://www.sparklepower.com/pdf/SPI270LE.pdf

They both apparantly fit in the in the Slimlines, but need some adaptations for the 24-pin connector to connect to the motherboard. There are solutions highlighted on the cnet thread from "tony2socks". (bascially build an interconnect from the cable on the stock psu)

With these power supplies, both having two 12-volt rails with 12-13 amps on the first rail, there should be no problem using cards like the 8600gt. What I'm curious about though, is the 9600gt from Galaxy which offers better performace than the 8600gt, and the 4650/4670 (still haven't found any low profile versions of these despite a number of rumours). A 256 bit bus on a low-profile card will be quite attractive methinks.

My only concern is that the 9600gt is quite long. I haven't been able to find any dimensions on it - can anyone confirm that it will fit in the slimlines?
And if anyone has tried either of these power supplies, can you relay your experience here?

*edit - links backwards:(
 
Hi everyone -

Ill jump in as well...long time lurker. Had a 3020, now on a 3220n. Looking to upgrade vid, need more power, same old...etc

In addition to the above mentioned power supplies, Id like to also suggest the one used by lrwatson(pg.78ish in this thread):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817374002

I plan to try this approach as lrwatson did. Any suggestions from anyone would be appreciated.

Also, after reviewing all 92 pages of this thread, which has great info, I noticed that the big obsticle with power supplies is mating them to the semi-propritary motherboard connector of our slimline systems. That and mounting, which I think most people have a handle on. I, probably like most, prefer not to cut/solder wires, and would like to keep the original PS around. Can someone confirm that our systems use a standard mini-itx 24pin connector? Either way, I did stumble upon this adapter:

http://www.atxpowersupplies.com/20-pin-to-24-pin-hp-slimline-atx-converter.htm

and hope to use it with a new power supply(small size but atx connectors). Any comments? Hope this helps/doesnt waste everyones time.
 
I would hesistate with that supply, two 16 amp rails for $30 sounds too good to be true. The reviews are fairly positive though.
 
Sorry for the multiple posts...

I finished reading the cnet thread, and its appears that we are all pretty much on the same track. I will pursue the IN-WIN newegg power supply and report back my findings if people are interested. I plan to use the previously mentioned adapter and if that doesnt work, I will splice the connectors using the current power supply connectors.

Additionally, lrwatson's posts begin on page 75, not 78.

Lastly, through the endless searching, I did come across this power supply:

http://www.newpowersupply.com/hec_h...2v_power_supply_bulk_pack-pr-522-c-0-p-1.html

The cliff notes are: 250W, 18A on the 12v rails, $27 and may come wired with an ITX connector(its mentioned, tough to tell in pics).
 
I sent my Slimline 3020n in for repair at HP. I was having those video issues that some people are talking about, maybe thats why I bought it off craigslist for $60. Guy proably thought it was busted, HA
 
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