The highly rated HP Pavilion Slimline PC thread

Hi guys, I'm using an s3407c, and I've been wanting to get out of my integrated graphics (6150 LE) to be able to run modern games. KEEP IN MIND I DON'T expect to run games at 1900 x 1600 with all high, no I'd be happy with 800 x 600 on Medium settings. I just want my games to run good. (180 w comp btw)

I'm also on a budget, and I've gotten it down to the 8400 GS (for $20 shipped on eBay it sounds like a good deal to get out of m integrated graphics), and either a Radeon HD4350 or HD4550 (I've researched them for almost a day and they seem to not draw over 25 watts), but I'm not entirely sure how they would do gaming wise. Again I'm not looking to run any modern games over 1024 x 800 high. But I want it around 800 x 600 area.

So which graphics card should I get? Preferred NOT over $40 if anyone has any recommendations?
 
i got my hard drive working!!!! i don't know what was wrong with it, i unplugged the cables from it and blew them out, plugged them back in and it worked! so after i got that working i installed the 9800 and it works great! what a difference in performance from the 8400 GS i had before. my microsoft performance index went from 4.0 to 5.3, with everything being a 5.9 except for the CPU which is 5.3. thanks to everyone on this forum that helped me with this upgrade, i don't know what i would have done with out it.
 
Mooseifer said:
Hi guys, I'm using an s3407c, and I've been wanting to get out of my integrated graphics (6150 LE) to be able to run modern games. KEEP IN MIND I DON'T expect to run games at 1900 x 1600 with all high, no I'd be happy with 800 x 600 on Medium settings. I just want my games to run good. (180 w comp btw)So which graphics card should I get? Preferred NOT over $40 if anyone has any recommendations?
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Here is my original thread on the 8400GS when I first put together my slimline.
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1222679&highlight=8400gs

The ATI 4550 is significantly faster than the 8400GS.


here is a review that shows the performance difference between the 4550 and and several other cards -the lowest of which is the 8500GT which is faster than the 8400GS. The 4550 beats the 8500GT in every benchmark ---- so if you can find the 4550 for a price you can afford --- I'd suggest that route. Less wattage and faster than the 8400gs.
 
Archaea said:
Here is my original thread on the 8400GS when I first put together my slimline.
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1222679&highlight=8400gs

The ATI 4550 is significantly faster than the 8400GS.


here is a review that shows the performance difference between the 4550 and and several other cards -the lowest of which is the 8500GT which is faster than the 8400GS. The 4550 beats the 8500GT in every benchmark ---- so if you can find the 4550 for a price you can afford --- I'd suggest that route. Less wattage and faster than the 8400gs.
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How does the HD4350 compare to it? Also the higher I put the settings the more chance I have of frying my comp right?

I've finally decided to upgrade for the release of Resident Evil 5, and some guy's running it with an HD4350 with just the right settings I'd appreciate (about halfway down)

http://www.techjamaica.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77310&page=3

Do higher settings cause the graphics card to work a lot harder? Would I be able to run the game at around those settings using an HD4350 in a 180w comp?
 
you aren't going to burn up a video card by using "higher settings". The 4550 card uses little enough power to be the only card you should consider in your plight.
 
Has anyone tried putting in the 65w version of the Q9550, the Q9550S into one of the slimline's. Im thinking about picking up a slimline with the IRVINE-GL6E, and potentially putting this processor in. Anyone have any thoughts?

On another note, has anyone found any suitable aftermarket CPU coolers for the Athlon's, that will fit in these slimline's. In particular I have an Brisbane 5600+ and want to see if I can drop the temps below that of the stock cooler with an aftermarket cooler.
 
Archaea said:
I just applied it on my s3600t...Worked fine, but it looks like it officially only supposedly fixes something I care nothing about. It does give a new BIOS screen, a bit better looking more modern background with the HP magicans hand logo. I think it MAY have added CPU virtualization (for VM use) as an option, but I can't rememeber if I had that before or not. That's the only thing in the CMOS/BIOS settings that I wasn't sure I'd seen before at a casual glance.


Title: Irvine-GL6E Motherboard BIOS Update

Version: 5.23

Description: Irvine-GL6E Motherboard BIOS update resolves an issue with the system appearing to hang during restart if an HP Personal Media Drive is connected.
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Well, you have a s3600t which already comes with Quad Core support. I am wondering if the new BIOS supports more CPU on older slimlines which use the same motherboard.
 
AirCool said:
Well, you have a s3600t which already comes with Quad Core support. I am wondering if the new BIOS supports more CPU on older slimlines which use the same motherboard.
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Model of slimline doesn't matter, only motherboard matters and the CMOS/BIOS update that is associated. Any IRVINE GL6E motherboard should work with a Q9300. I believe I've seen the slimlines with a Q8200 as well. Since the Q9300 works with mine and works after my last generic BIOS update ----you'll be guarenteed at least q9300 support with that motherboard. Outside of that your most likely rolling the dice.
 
I have a s3500t. I put in a 9500GT and recently replaced the stock PS with the Sparkle 270W unit.

The first sparkle unit showed up DOA. The second unit works but I can not come out of sleep mode properly. When I wiggle the mouse or hit a key on the keyboard the orange LED turns turns blue but I get the HP bios screen and windows says it didn't shut down properly.

When I put the stock PS back in everything works fine. I think the Sparkle unit is glitching so the MB thinks power was shut off while in sleep mode.

Can anyone confirm that sleep mode works properly with the Sparkle PS?

I'm reluctant to try a 3rd unit. I picked the Sparkle unit because it had a reputation for being reliable but I'm starting to wonder if this is true.
 
my sparkle has absolutely no problems in any regard...sleep mode works well - I use it everyday.
 
Hi guys!
Been reading this forum for a few days... On Saturday night I ordered a HP s5150t with a 2.6 Core 2 Duo processor, 4 GB RAM, a 640GB hard drive, TV Tuner, 220 watt PSU, and integrated graphics. I didnt opt for the GT 220 because it didnt seem worth it. I plan on connecting it to my RCA HDTV and using it as a HTPC and to play some games too. I know the s5150t is relatively new, and Ive checked out the options for low profile graphics cards, but I'm looking for suggestions on what would be the BEST graphics card I could buy without having to upgrade the power supply. Any suggestions?
 
I think the Galaxy GeForce 9600GT LPLP would be fine and you don't have to upgrade the power supply or use a 6-pin power cable. It's your best bet!
 
Archaea said:
my sparkle has absolutely no problems in any regard...sleep mode works well - I use it everyday.
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Maybe I just got another lemon.

One thing that has been bugging me..... The stock 180W PS has one 12V output stage rated for 12.5A. The sparkle has two 12V outputs 12V1 (yellow&black wire) = 16A and 12V2 (yellow wire) = 10A. I only have the yellow wire connected to my MB, HD, and DVD. The yellow&black wire goes to the 4 pin connector that I don't have connected. My 9500GT doesn't have a extra power connector like the 9800 has. Bottom line is it looks like I'm actually getting less 12V current with the sparkel unit. Wonder if I should splice the 12V1 and V2 wires together??
 
Thanks Dr Penicillin! It's a shame there's not more low profile options out there. I'm assuming then that the 9800GT would be too much of a power draw? I hope the 9600GT will suit me well. After looking at some info online, I didnt think the HD 4350 or the GT 220 that HP offered would have suited my needs.
 
Hi Regional,

It might have one, since im getting a new model which supposedly has a new power supply. If there is the 6-pin connector, will the 9800GT work or will it be too power hungry for the 220 watt power supply?
 
Chances are very slim it would have one, the vast majority of OEM machines not marketed to gamers don't, and certainly not any SFF's I'm aware of - why would HP put one in to encourage cards that it doesn't want to support?
 
emozolik, no chance, pal. Personally, I think the 9800GT LP is over-talked if you want and love the Slimline computer model the way they are, and, yes, it draws a lot more power and needs the magical 6-pin power cable which even the new Slimlines doesn't have... If you want or need a greater than the 9600GT LPLP video card, please do yourself a favor and consider another computer option, surely it will be cheaper and brainless.
 
Not sure what you mean by brainless, but im sure I'll be very happy with my purchase. Since I'm using this as primarily a HTPC, im more interested in a low profile and quiet box, which I know the slimline is. And quite frankly, its a very handsome machine. My point in asking and making sure is I have little experience with low profile cards of any sort. I'm only interested in purchasing the best I can right now so I can enjoy the slimline I bought!
 
emozolik said:
Not sure what you mean by brainless, but im sure I'll be very happy with my purchase. Since I'm using this as primarily a HTPC, im more interested in a low profile and quiet box, which I know the slimline is. And quite frankly, its a very handsome machine. My point in asking and making sure is I have little experience with low profile cards of any sort. I'm only interested in purchasing the best I can right now so I can enjoy the slimline I bought!
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Then the low-power, low-profile Galaxy 9600GT is your best bet right now for the best performance you can get without upgrading the PSU.

My only concern would be noise at the desktop or watching videos - I can't say how loud or not the 9600GLPLP is.
 
Archaea said:
you aren't going to burn up a video card by using "higher settings". The 4550 card uses little enough power to be the only card you should consider in your plight.
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Well I was looking at reviews on the card and noticed that they were comparing "Idle" and "Load". What does that mean (again I am a COMPLETE novice when it comes to these things).
 
Mooseifer said:
Well I was looking at reviews on the card and noticed that they were comparing "Idle" and "Load". What does that mean (again I am a COMPLETE novice when it comes to these things).
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"Idle" means when the computer isn't doing anything, other than just being up and running. CPU (and probably GPU, depending on the test) utilization is typically close to 0%.

"Load" means when the computer is maxed out running processes. CPU (and probably GPU, depending on the test) utilization is typically 100%.

Think of it like your car. When you turn it on but are not going anywhere, it's idling. When you're drag racing someone and have the "pedal to the metal", it's under load. :cool:
 
beowulf7 said:
"Idle" means when the computer isn't doing anything, other than just being up and running. CPU (and probably GPU, depending on the test) utilization is typically close to 0%.

"Load" means when the computer is maxed out running processes. CPU (and probably GPU, depending on the test) utilization is typically 100%.

Think of it like your car. When you turn it on but are not going anywhere, it's idling. When you're drag racing someone and have the "pedal to the metal", it's under load. :cool:
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Well according to Archaotic changing the settings (in games) doesn't do anything different when it comes to power consumption, so does that mean whether I'm playing a game, whether I run it at 800 x 600 at all low or 1024 x 800 all high; it'll consume the same amount of power??
 
Mooseifer said:
Well according to Archaotic changing the settings (in games) doesn't do anything different when it comes to power consumption, so does that mean whether I'm playing a game, whether I run it at 800 x 600 at all low or 1024 x 800 all high; it'll consume the same amount of power??
Click to expand...

I find that hard to believe. The more "work" the GPU (video card) has to do, the more power it will draw. In general (all else equal), a video card will have to do more work to display 1024 x 768 than 800 x 600.
 
Mooseifer said:
Well according to Archaotic changing the settings (in games) doesn't do anything different when it comes to power consumption, so does that mean whether I'm playing a game, whether I run it at 800 x 600 at all low or 1024 x 800 all high; it'll consume the same amount of power??
Click to expand...
When people talk about games, they assume you always max out the computing power of your graphics card (especially for the mid-low end cards we talk about here).

800x600 all low: 50 frames per second, graphics card runs at 100% capacity (100% power)
1024x800 all high: 3 frames per second, graphics card runs at 100% capacity (100% power)

The only situation where you save power by lowering game settings is that the graphics card can deliver more than the maximum number of frames-per-second (typically 60) that the game supports. For example,

640x480 all low: 60 frames per second, graphics card runs at 80% capacity (80% power)
 
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beowulf7 said:
I find that hard to believe. The more "work" the GPU (video card) has to do, the more power it will draw. In general (all else equal), a video card will have to do more work to display 1024 x 768 than 800 x 600.
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That would likely only hold true if the game has a built-in framerate limiter, eg where it doesn't allow the framerate to go above 30 or 60. For most games running at a lower resolution will just mean the card will pump out more frames per second as fast as it can go, so no it doesn't really save you anything on power.
 
Regional Coffee said:
That would likely only hold true if the game has a built-in framerate limiter, eg where it doesn't allow the framerate to go above 30 or 60. For most games running at a lower resolution will just mean the card will pump out more frames per second as fast as it can go, so no it doesn't really save you anything on power.
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True, but that's why I added "(all else equal)" in my previous statement, which also meant to keep FPS equal between the resolutions, too.
 
So after 10 months my Diamond 3450 bites the dust. The RMA process with diamond took approx. 6 weeks and it cost me $10 in S&H to process it.

It worked fine for the past 2 months or so and out of nowhere one day I start getting black dot patterns on my tv ONLY in windows media center as seen in this link...
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u260/moggsquad/IMG_0161.jpg

I spent 2-3 hours troubleshooting with different drivers, HDMI slots, etc. Without any drivers, the dot pattern does not appear on screen. When I use my back up 2400 card the pattern does not appear. So it's clearly a card/driver issue (I used 5 different sets of drivers between ATI and Diamond's).

Instead of wasting time and $10 with Diamond, I am going to upgrade the 3450. I have the s3220n (with 160w I believe) and am leaning towards the Sapphire Radeon HD 4550 512MB 64-bit GDDR3 from New Egg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102819

From what I heard this should draw as much or less power than my 3450 , is that correct? If not, what should I go with? This is strictly for HTPC purposes and will be slotted right next to the tv tuner. The 2400 does a respectable job as a backup but stutters on HD stations.
 
^ That's terrible Diamond took 6 weeks to RMA it. I guess that's one vendor we should avoid. Good luck w/ the new video card. I also have the 4550, but I got the one made by Asus. I don't know how much the power consumption will compare between the 3450 and 4550.
 
Looking back, I opened a ticket on 03/22... I bumped it once a week until 04/22 I received the RMA #. So it was probably another 2+ weeks after I sent it to get it back. I didn't fret too much since I had a backup, but it was disappointing.

beowulf7 said:
^ That's terrible Diamond took 6 weeks to RMA it. I guess that's one vendor we should avoid. Good luck w/ the new video card. I also have the 4550, but I got the one made by Asus. I don't know how much the power consumption will compare between the 3450 and 4550.
Click to expand...
 
The only difference I see between the ASUS and Sapphire is the ASUS has a 1450mhz memory bus and Sapphire has 800mhz.

ASUS is out of stock, but the Sapphire will be good enough for me.

beowulf7 said:
^ That's terrible Diamond took 6 weeks to RMA it. I guess that's one vendor we should avoid. Good luck w/ the new video card. I also have the 4550, but I got the one made by Asus. I don't know how much the power consumption will compare between the 3450 and 4550.
Click to expand...
 
Hey guys it's been awhile since I have been here due to my s3220n crapping out on me. I have since upgraded to a full profile HP Pavilion Elite series machine so unfortunately I'm going to be dropping out of this thread here. What I am doing though is I am going to be parting out my old Slimline. Basically I have the entire computer up for sale. Any parts that anyone would like from me please send me an e-mail at f360speeder(at)aol(dot)com along with an offer for a price. DO NOT PM ME.

Pieces that I have are the entire metal case except the front plastic piece because I had to make a modification to it for my supplemental PSU, the media card unit, the B/G Wireless Wifi Internal Adapter, a stock 160W psu w/ a SATA to Molex conversion I did on it by splicing wires, a 65W AMD Athlon 2.6Ghz X2 CPU, the CPU cooler for it w/fan, the broken motherboard if anyone wants it, and any other pieces that you can think of that you might want. Basically it's being parted so you name the part and a price, and I'll get back to you. I'm not looking for much as far as price is concerned, but I would like if you could pay shipping too. (BTW the HDD is not for sale. If you want the RAM it's yours, just pay shipping. I'm not charging anything for that. It's just 2, 1GB sticks. Nothing special and thy are not really worth anything.)

So any interest in anything, drop me an email. Thanks and good luck to everyone with their Slimlines!
 
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