The highly rated HP Pavilion Slimline PC thread

Hello Lord Jepoen!

Hi, Welcome to the font of slimline knowledge! :)

Just like to say that I had the POV 8600 GT working in my slimline last year and mine has a 160watt PSU... Having said that! I would NOT recommend this as I noticed an increase in noise from ALL my fans and the top of my PSU was much too hot. I never got any errors but I soon changed to a lower graphics card ... the ATI HD3450 and now I have reverted back to my stock ATI HD2400 pro (which is by far the quietest and coolest) as my system is solely used as a HTPC attached to my TV. I have a custom built high spec rig for my gaming needs, to be honest its the only less headachey way of doing this... for my needs and experiences anyways.

In short a lot of people in here got a 8600 GT of some kind last year but one by one something wicked always happend to them, I was not prepared to take the risk and soon removed it, thats my experience.

I have heard that if you replace the CPU to a 45 watt jobby, with the 180watt PSU, you might just get away with it, but please.. I would recommend that you DO source the PSU, in the long term you will not regret it.

John.
 
How many different models of the Slimline did HP make? (and why did they make so many?)

I'm guessing a gazillion - to thoroughly confuse people and leave them dangling on a thread (like this one) ;)
 
Hi Everyone...

So I succesfully upgraded my 7720.nl with a A8MN-BR (Hematite) motherboard to 4Gb.

The perfomance gain is evident ! if you're running Vista, I would encourage you to upgrade !

The memory now inside is Kingston KVR533D2N4K2/4GB (if you are in doubt which ram to buy)

Removing the DVD-Drive wasn't that hard after all.
a step by step :
- open the cover (3 screws)
- remove drive fixing screw (1 black), so the drive can slide out
- removing all but one of psu screws, just loosen the last, so you can tilt the psu a bit which gives you a bit more room the move the cables
-cut the tie-rap which binds the cables leaving the psu
-remove the drive
-remove old and enter new memory
-apply a new tie-rap to the psu cable bundle, so the cable will not touch the CPU-cooler
-I noted some minor heat damage on the dvd flat cable, make sure it does not touch the memory.
- reassemble & have fun

@Archea can you please update the factsheet about A8MN-BR, that is working with 4gb ?

Thanks everbody!

Next will be a new GPU! still to decide what model I'll use, considering performance gain versus power consumption....suggetions are welcome

Regards,

Don
 
@Archea can you please update the factsheet about A8MN-BR, that is working with 4gb ?

Next will be a new GPU! still to decide what model I'll use, considering performance gain versus power consumption....suggetions are welcome

Regards,

Don

Don,

updated at the very bottom unless you think there is a better place to put that info. At this point I think most of the later slimline models support 4GB. Only the first slimilne models were limited to 2GB.

For the GPU --- don't go for much of anything without either going to a 45 watt processor or upgrading your PSU. The 160 watt PSU on these slimlines has proved pretty meager (over the long term) and is about taxed with the stock configuration. If you go for a power supply upgrade --- the world is your oyster -- even up to the 9800GT. If you go for a 45 watt processor I still would limit your choice to say a 9500GT or equivalent ATI side. 9600GT and 9800GT are power hungry.
 
does anybody tested 2x2 GB RAM on Slimline s3030 ?? (Hematite-XL)

and how do i clean my lcd? HP w19ev... i don't want to f*ck it...
 
how do i clean my lcd? HP w19ev... i don't want to f*ck it...

LCDs should be cleaned with a vinegar based cleaner - NOT an ammonia based cleaner.

Windex makes a vinegar based cleaner as an alternative and it works fine. Ammonia removes the antiglare coating on LCDs.
 
Next will be a new GPU!

suggetions are welcome

Don
Hi Don:

I'm running a PowerColor ATI HD2400 w/ 256MB in my s7600n, per my earlier note. No problems with this card, and it is known to fit in your chassis / case. It is a PCI card, which is what I believe your MoBo limits you to. If you can go PCI-e x16, that would be vastly better. The biggest problem is that I don't believe that it includes the low-profile bracket, but any ATI low-profile bracket should fit the card.

NewEgg has a $15 rebate on the PowerColor ATI card, ending today. I assume they'll have a new rebate starting tomorrow.

/John
 
I'm trying to figure out a few things I wasn't able to find (or missed) reading this behemoth of a thread:

1) Is there a low-power, low-profile version of the 9800 GT? I see low-power, low profile, but I don't see a card that has both, like for the 9600 GT.

2) I see the 9800 GT is basically a rebranded 8800 GT and the 9600 series is newer technology. I plan to game with my Slimline, not heavy duty gaming, but occasionally I might want to fire up Fallout 3 or something potentially graphics-intensive. And I plan to get a supporting PSU. What are the performance and power draw differences between the low-power, low profile 9600 GT and the low-profile 9800 GT?

3) My local computer store had the In-Win IP-P300F1-0 PSU that Archea recommended for $33 so I picked it up. But I don't know where I can find one of those molex adapters so it will connect to the Slimline motherboard for $2 instead of $10+ (the one on eBay is going for $15 after shipping which still seems exorbitant.) Anyone have a link to the most reasonably-priced molex adapter?

Thanks everyone!
 
I'm trying to figure out a few things I wasn't able to find (or missed) reading this behemoth of a thread:

1) Is there a low-power, low-profile version of the 9800 GT? I see low-power, low profile, but I don't see a card that has both, like for the 9600 GT.

2) I see the 9800 GT is basically a rebranded 8800 GT and the 9600 series is newer technology. I plan to game with my Slimline, not heavy duty gaming, but occasionally I might want to fire up Fallout 3 or something potentially graphics-intensive. And I plan to get a supporting PSU. What are the performance and power draw differences between the low-power, low profile 9600 GT and the low-profile 9800 GT?

3) My local computer store had the In-Win IP-P300F1-0 PSU that Archea recommended for $33 so I picked it up. But I don't know where I can find one of those molex adapters so it will connect to the Slimline motherboard for $2 instead of $10+ (the one on eBay is going for $15 after shipping which still seems exorbitant.) Anyone have a link to the most reasonably-priced molex adapter?

Thanks everyone!

1. No - to my knowledge there is only one 9800GT low profile. That is the Sparkle 9800GT. It is double height, meaning you will lose the additional PCI or PCI-E slot.

2. I don't know these numbers off the top of my head, you may be able to find a guesstimate on google. Both the 9600GT and 9800GT will require a PSU upgrade, and the PSU upgrade will work with either so the question may be moot.

3. If you find one cheaper than $15 please let the rest of us know. I've spent prolly 5 hours going through 100 pages of google hits trying to find a cheaper cable. The only one I've ever seen before the Ebay hit that you refer to was the one at www.atxpowersupplies.com and it's horribly horribly horribly overpriced. (It's the one I bought because at the time, nobody had discovered the ebay one yet.)
 
OK UPDATE ON MY 4 TIME RECALLED BOX

I pop in and out so here are the cliffs:
1) box sent in for recall
2) vid card stops working after 4 weeks
3) box sent in for recall
4) 9400gt card added, runs great for 3 months
5) card stops working, system unstable
6) box sent in for recall
7) box comes back, seizes up the day it comes back
8) replacement sent: s3720f with 4g ram, 2.5g Intel, 500gb hd, 64bit Vista, I slap the 9400gt back in

It seems the design of the cooling system on early boxes was really poor, small fans mated to small copper heatsinks. The white lithium grease would 'cook off' and the cpu would overheat.
 
I sent mine back to HP twice. First time they replaced the motherboard. Second time they replaced the HD (gave me a 250GB instead of the original 120GB! ;).

The unit would still blue screen randomly. I opened the case and pulled one bank of RAM. No change. Swapped out the other bank of RAM. Stable as a rock!

So, for all my trouble (and theirs) all that was wrong was one bad DIMM. I ordered a replacement from NewEgg for $11.99, and I'm finally happy with my slimline. YMMV.

SF
 
Hey fellas,

Work has kept me out of town for about a month, but today I got home and my 9500GT was patiently waiting. Installation was a breeze and I'm very happy with the results so far. Here's a shot...

9500gt.jpg


I might get greedy and upgrade to an even bigger PS and get me a 9800GT but first I'm gonna tune this baby and see how it does.
 
HUGE HUGE HUGE difference between 9500GT and 9800GT. :)

but would only be noticeable if you game ;p
 
The sparkle is silent and blazing fast...What's not to like? ;)

You can find some benchmark numbers in google between the 9500GT and the 9800GT...the numbers speak for themselves. Just keep in mind if you get disastisfied with your 9500GT you can always toss it on ebay and use your upgrade options.
 
Hey I paged through the thread, but I couldnt come up with a straight answer. What form factor are theses? Regular ITX or a different kinda?
 
Hey I paged through the thread, but I couldnt come up with a straight answer. What form factor are theses? Regular ITX or a different kinda?

the hp mobo's are all mini itx, tried a different micro atx mobo on the hp slimline and it didnt fit, well maybe if you modded the back plate, but that would be too much work
 
So then I discovered that cute little trap door on the front of my Slimline and said to myself: Hey - that's prolly useful for doing system backups! So I ordered a 250GB PD from Amazon and inserted it without any problems - even though somewhere it said for Vista only. Then I discovered Roxio BUMP7, which is an included freebie. Does anyone here use that software for doing backups? Having come to the HP Slimline party only lately, it seems that BUMP7 is no longer actively supported by Roxio (but they have a User Forum for it, which was quite useful in learning how to backup to the 'Z' PD drive). Anyway, if someone raises their hand as a BUMP7 user, I'd love to find out how to turn off the 'C' drive forced selection for doing a backup (the 'C' drive is not my system drive).

Am I venturing too far into the Software zone here?

Aw- shucks - I decided to DUMP BUMP and stick with XP Backup/Restore. Love that Slim Pocket Drive! :D
 
Hi all, I Currently own a slimline 3130 sc (sold in Scandinavia) and want to do a few upgrades. I want some help clarifying certain aspects of the process and would be grateful for ANY help
I’m planning on upgrading the CPU & video card. The sys is mainly used in my entertainment center so very little to no gaming is done on it.
It is made up of a:

M2NC51-AR (HematiteXL-GL8E)
Athlon 64 X2 (B) 4400+ 2.3 GHz (65W)
2 GB ram
Geforce 7500LE 256 MB DDR memory

I was originally planning on upgrading to a Athlon 64 X2 (B) 5600+ 2.9GHz (65W) but after reading page 49 of the threat it seems that this would not be possible that the apparently the “best” option is a
Athlon 64 X2 (W) 5200+ 2.6GHz (65W), can anybody explain why this is, & whether this is still the case (with the latest BIOS). Doing some more digging I read something about it having to do with the motherboard allowing a maximum clock speak of 2.6 GHz but I’m a bit unsure.
With regards to the GPU I was thinking of going with the 8500gt but read some interesting posts about the ATI Radeon HD 4550. And at the moment I’m planning on going for the fanless version. Is this wise when I have a tv tuner in the extra PCI slot (with regards to heat). And reading more about the PSU limitations only make me more nervous 
I really want the system to be as quite as possible but still powerful, are these the best options to go for? Any tips on what the best silent but effective CPU cooler would also be appreciated or should I just stick to the stock.
I know this is a really long post but I had so many questions and was so glad to find this thread, any and all advice would be appreciated. This threat has already helped me so much, if i may happened to miss some of the earlier post with the info needed, i feel free to point in the right direction. Thanks in advance
 
Hi all, I Currently own a slimline 3130 sc I was originally planning on upgrading to a Athlon 64 X2 (B) 5600+ 2.9GHz (65W)With regards to the GPU I was thinking of going with the 8500gt but read some interesting posts about the ATI Radeon HD 4550. And at the moment I’m planning on going for the fanless version. Is this wise when I have a tv tuner in the extra PCI slot (with regards to heat). And reading more about the PSU limitations only make me more nervous 
Any tips on what the best silent but effective CPU cooler would also be appreciated or should I just stick to the stock.
Thanks in advance

If your slimline will be primarily used for home theatre use and no gaming why are you wanting to upgrade the processor? The 4400+ X2 that you have in there should be sufficient for ALL things multi-media. If you plan to upgrade the video card and don't want to exchange the PSU out/upgrade it --- then I'd recommend the ATI 4550. It's supposedly much more power efficient than the Nvidia cards. (uses like 20-30 watts rather than 30-40.)
Which fanless 4550 are you looking at? oftentimes "fanless" heatsink designs will be too tall to allow the adjacent PCI slot to have any thing in it. For the most part the fans on these video cards should not be speeding up when you are watching media --- so fanless or fanned doens't really make a whole lot of difference -- just go for fit.

Stock CPU cooler is a good cooler. I doubt you'll find a better cooler that fits. Heatpipes are all the rage right now and these stock coolers use the heatpipe system. It also is pretty much acting as the only case ventalation, so ensure if you do swap the CPU fan/heatsink out that you don't just get a down blowing setup because the slimline case has poor ventalation outside of the CPU fan's forced movement in stock configuration.
 
The reason for upgrading the CPU is because at some point in time i would like to upgrade to a Blu-Ray drive (hope that doesn't put too much stress in). Even with my current setup my CPU is seems to be struggling. So i'm hopping upgrading the it solves this ... however i'll take your advise and upgrade the video card first hoping it takes some of the load off the CPU and then if the issue still remains i'll upgrade the CPU. Would upgrading the CPU have adverse effects on the PSU though?

With regard to the GPU i've decided to go with the the Club 3D HD 4550, PCI Express 2.0 x16 low profile 512 MB GDDR3, DVI, HDMI ( HDCP ) HDTV out

http://edbpriser.dk/Products/Listprices.asp?ID=478663&searchArea=&Soegeord=low+profile

Are there any success stories with this card/type of card?
 
Have had problems in monitoring real core temps on my cpu (4850e). CPUID and any other program tested so far, resulted in invalid results.
Now tested Core Temp 0.99.4 and guess these readings seams very realistic. Have atached also a picture comparing Core Temp 0.99.4 and CPUID simultaneosly at idel. Ambiet abt 22C.

205.JPG


For Fabolouso regarding CPU: this might be a good option. AMD Athlon 64 X2 5050e AM2 prosessor. Athlon 64 Dual Core Energy Efficient prosessor AM2. 2,6 GHz, 45W, 1MB L2. I have the 4850e, version on mine, but guess this one would work too. But this is not fact, gestimate only at this stage.
 
Thanks for the tip C-NUMB i've started looking into it and it just might work, the 45w will def make me feel better with regard to PSU strain ... what do u think Archaea? you are well versed in compatable chip sets for the mobo, think it will work or heard of anyone trying this CPU. I just might give it a try, will keep u guys posted.
 
Thanks for the tip C-NUMB i've started looking into it and it just might work, the 45w will def make me feel better with regard to PSU strain ... what do u think Archaea? you are well versed in compatable chip sets for the mobo, think it will work or heard of anyone trying this CPU. I just might give it a try, will keep u guys posted.

I know my s3020n did not work originally with a 45 watt AMD CPU until a BIOS update occurred, at this point the 5050e is the best 45 watt processor avaialable and should work with any slimline after a BIOS update if not out of the box.

The only issue is --- your 4400+ is 2.3Ghz. the 5050e is only 2.6ghz so you aren't really gaining that much ground. (10 to 15% faster????) If you want to go to a blu-ray drive then I would recommend upgrading the procesor to the 45 watt simply because the blu-ray drives use 2 to 3x's more power specifically off the 12 volt rail (the most important rail) than a normal DVDRW drive.

As far as your previous question on upgrading to a X2 5600+ -- that's a faster CPU (2.9Ghz) and a 65 watt CPU is a 65 watt CPU...it won't matter in that family....as to which you have.

I'd say upgrade the graphics card first to the 4550 and see what you think, as upgrading the graphics card may increase your PC's performance to a level that is acceptable to you.
 
The only issue is --- your 4400+ is 2.3Ghz. the 5050e is only 2.6ghz so you aren't really gaining that much ground. (10 to 15% faster????) If you want to go to a blu-ray drive then I would recommend upgrading the procesor to the 45 watt simply because the blu-ray drives use 2 to 3x's more power specifically off the 12 volt rail (the most important rail) than a normal DVDRW drive.

As far as your previous question on upgrading to a X2 5600+ -- that's a faster CPU (2.9Ghz) and a 65 watt CPU is a 65 watt CPU...it won't matter in that family....as to which you have.

Ok, just so i understand u correctly.
-You would advice that i pick a 45w cpu if i go the blu-ray route.
-But i can also upgrade to a X2 5600+ even with my mobo (M2NC51-AR (HematiteXL-GL8E)) ???? ... please confirm

if point 2 is the case i would seriously concider going that route and maybe for-go the blu-ray upgrade since its more of a "nice to have" and not a necessity.

There one more thing i've been wondering, what steps do i take to get the slimline as quite as possible (its pretty noisy at the moment with all the fans running all the time and thats not very conducive in a home theater environment) right now i'm about to upgrade the GPU & maybe the CPU and i hope that solves most of it. Does an upgrade to a faster CPU help with the noise levels at all, or does it have the adverse effect???
 
The reason for upgrading the CPU is because at some point in time i would like to upgrade to a Blu-Ray drive (hope that doesn't put too much stress in). Even with my current setup my CPU is seems to be struggling. So i'm hopping upgrading the it solves this ... however i'll take your advise and upgrade the video card first hoping it takes some of the load off the CPU and then if the issue still remains i'll upgrade the CPU. Would upgrading the CPU have adverse effects on the PSU though?

With regard to the GPU i've decided to go with the the Club 3D HD 4550, PCI Express 2.0 x16 low profile 512 MB GDDR3, DVI, HDMI ( HDCP ) HDTV out

http://edbpriser.dk/Products/Listprices.asp?ID=478663&searchArea=&Soegeord=low+profile

Are there any success stories with this card/type of card?
I'll just jump in here briefly. While I don't have a Slimline, I have a small form factor Dell Vostro 220s that I'm using as an HTPC. I successfully installed an Asus-branded ATI 4550 and get audio and video through HDMI without issues. It works great for HTPC purposes (mostly as a PVR). I don't game on it.
 
Ok, just so i understand u correctly.


If you want quiet then move to a 45 watt CPU. They create MUCH less heat. Like my BE-2400 45 watt AMD processor doesn't even make the heatsink warm...My s3200n HTPC slimline with 9500GT, and BE-2400 is for practical purposes silent. Since the BE-2400 (and other 45 watt chips make so little heat the fans don't have to spin up to expel heat.

The 4400+ x2 and the 5600+ x2 will use the same amount of max power = 65 watt. They may idle slightly differently, but it wouldn't be enough to really worry about. MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE YOU BUY THE 65 WATT VERSION OF THE X2 5600+ processor if you are going to buy the X2 5600+. It comes in several different wattage "flavors" and the ONLY one that will work with your slimline is the 65 watt CPU. That processor "should" work without a BIOS upgrade.

I'd just advise at first that you buy the ATI 4550 and see how you like it. But then I'd advise you stay there until you either upgrade your CPU to a 45 watt CPU, or upgrade your power supply. I.E. Putting a blu-ray drive in that your current setup with an upgraded video card will likely be too much load on the stock 160 watt PSU - even if it does work( A blu-ray drive uses 2 to 3 times the power that a CD or DVD rom uses) you'll be right on the border of that PSU's max output - which is not good.

If you want to have your cake and eat it too

Buy the x2 5050e (45 watt)
Buy the ATI 4550 (20-30 watt)
Buy a Blu-ray drive (~45 watt) example pic of one I had for wattage draw information - http://www.putfile.com/pic/8052949/?action=zoom

That combination should be nearly silent, run cool, be able to run on the 160 watt PSU, and be quite a good home theatre PC setup.

If you upgrade your PSU then you could have those three above but exchange out for X2 5600+.
 
Thanks alot for the advice guys,
I have just ordered the x2 5050e & Buy the ATI 4550 (blu-ray drive to come later)... will keep posted on how the X2 5050e pans out ;-).
With regards to the blu-ray drive would this do: LG GGCH20L Super Multi Blue or is there a designated drive for slimlines??? Do i also need to buy new rails or can i use the rails the DVD uses?
 
Thanks alot for the advice guys,
I have just ordered the x2 5050e & Buy the ATI 4550 (blu-ray drive to come later)... will keep posted on how the X2 5050e pans out ;-).
With regards to the blu-ray drive would this do: LG GGCH20L Super Multi Blue or is there a designated drive for slimlines??? Do i also need to buy new rails or can i use the rails the DVD uses?

Any blu-ray drive will work. The standard "cage" the slimline has will work for any standard cd, dvd, or blu-ray drive.

Make sure you have the newest BIOS udpate. Look up your model of slimline on HPs site and download and install the newest BIOS update before you upgrade your procesor.

Here is the link for the HP 3130.sc slimline. Get the BIOS update off this page.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareList?os=2093&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&product=3458624&lang=en
 
So...

I've been on my s3600t pretty much all day....Parts list: Q9300 quad core CPU, 9800GT, and 1.5TB hard-drive.

It makes me smile.

It's a little hot-rod!
 
I posted last month of my system shutting down a few times a week at random along with performance decreasing during HD recording/playback.

I finally made time to dig deeper and found my video card was getting a whopping 125 degrees!

The GPU fan is not working on my ATI HD 3450. I made a warranty request to Diamond since it's only 9 months old.

Thankfully, I have a 2400pro as a spare and it's working well. It's peaked at 65 degrees, but that's probably not too bad considering it's up against the TV tuner.

Still considering a PSU / GPU upgrade after all this anyways. What's the most powerful (and quiet) videocard someone has been able to get in use in conjunction with the TV tuner?
 
The reason for upgrading the CPU is because at some point in time i would like to upgrade to a Blu-Ray drive (hope that doesn't put too much stress in). Even with my current setup my CPU is seems to be struggling. So i'm hopping upgrading the it solves this ... however i'll take your advise and upgrade the video card first hoping it takes some of the load off the CPU and then if the issue still remains i'll upgrade the CPU. Would upgrading the CPU have adverse effects on the PSU though?

With regard to the GPU i've decided to go with the the Club 3D HD 4550, PCI Express 2.0 x16 low profile 512 MB GDDR3, DVI, HDMI ( HDCP ) HDTV out

http://edbpriser.dk/Products/Listprices.asp?ID=478663&searchArea=&Soegeord=low+profile

Are there any success stories with this card/type of card?

I bought my parents a new Slimline for Christmas during the Black Friday sale, it had a blu-ray, 9300GS and a 4850e directly from HP, works great for playing blu-ray at 1080p connected to both my TV and my parents TV. (LcOS, both, mine 56" parents 61"). As of now the system is unmodified. If the PSU ever goes out I will probably upgrade it.
,
4550 and 5050e should be a great choice for Blu-Ray playback on your Slimline based on my observations.
 
Thank god for this forum, wish I read it before I bought the s3620f. F*$#k!
THis impulse buy killed me until you all gave hope.
Read it for hours yesterday... Thanks to you all who contributed your time and minds
Fired up by all your tales, my wallet gave herself up to your dreams and hopes
Before the day was over I had ordered;
300 psu recommended earlier in the thread,
the small pin 24 to connect the psu to the mboard as appeared in thread w/ the psu
sparkle 9800gt 512 gddr3 lo-pro,

My main worry is that the 300w will not be enough, and it seems about 50/50 on here whether I can use it without problems. Any last words before I start, an alternative that anyone recommends above all?
I've never done anything like this before but should be fun. I'm thinking that any other cords I need I can pull out of my other old game computer, like the 6pin something or other. It sounds like there might be some heat issues with the 9800 but nothing I can't deal with by, say, leaving the case open. Do I need fans? :)
I should have all the stuff by the end of the week, anything I need that I forgot?
MY shitty HP has: Pent dual-core es2000, 4gb system, 500 gb hd, windows vista 64bit
the psu is hard to tell, says 160- but if its 180 its out anyway.
THANKS,
this should be fun, I'll let anyone who wants to do the same thing, with little exp, how its done! Hopefully
 
It killed me too last year when I realized that my s3620f PSU was a 160W version... Archaea, are the new 230W PSUs models supporting at least a 9500GT?
 
So...

I've been on my s3600t pretty much all day....Parts list: Q9300 quad core CPU, 9800GT, and 1.5TB hard-drive.

It makes me smile.

It's a little hot-rod!

That sounds like a sweet little setup. Did you ever hook it up to a Kill A Watt to see how much power your upgraded system is drawing?
 
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