The highly rated HP Pavilion Slimline PC thread

cephusjed said:
If this "pseudo-passive" cooling works with an Intel e5200 it should work with 45 watt AMD CPUs? Do you think the Cooler Master 754 sans its 92mm fan would be a likely candidate?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure which heatsink that is??? i'm just using an intel retail heatsink sans the fan so probably any heatsink would work on a low wattage CPU. If you are just reading this for the first time - I've got a 120mm case fan cut into the side of my slimline case blowing over the heatsink....You'll absolutely need some type of airflow to make this work.
 
Archaea said:
Here are options
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ption=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=

You need mini-itx.

There are four motherboards listed there. They generally get "better" by MSRP prices... Do you plan to use onboard video or do you have a PCI-E video card in your current slimline? Something like the 9500GS or 8500GS?

Look at the customer reviews to get an idea, and then look at the feature specificiations. What type of monitor do you plan to hook it up to? Do you have a tv tuner or any other add-on card in your current slimline? For $400 you'll save $250 of that and be happy with the work you did yourself! Become familiar with the PDF document in the first post about replacing componets in your slimline. It gives you step by step instructions on how to remove and disassemble everything in the case.
Click to expand...

Well, I have an Intel processor, the e4700, so I would need to buy an Intel motherboard, right? Is this the correct page?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ption=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=

No, I'm not using the on board video. I'm using the 8500GT video card. And I was hoping to possibly upgrade to the 9500GS, and maybe later to the 9800GT like you did(after adding more cooling, of course). My monitor is the HP 2408h model. I have it connected to the 8500GT via HDMI.

I don't have a TV tuner. I have the wireless network card instead, although I don't actually use it. I use the integrated ethernet.

I would like to possibly upgrade my RAM to the DDR3 1066/1333 MHz type. And I was also thinking of upgrading my processor to the Core 2 Duo e8500 or e8600 as well. I figure as long as I have to buy a new motherboard, I might as well buy one that will allow me to upgrade the RAM and the processor later on.

So does this information help narrow down my motherboard choices? :confused:
 
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Archaea said:
I'm not sure which heatsink that is??? i'm just using an intel retail heatsink sans the fan so probably any heatsink would work on a low wattage CPU. If you are just reading this for the first time - I've got a 120mm case fan cut into the side of my slimline case blowing over the heatsink....You'll absolutely need some type of airflow to make this work.
Click to expand...

Sorry about my clerical error: I meant a Cooler Master 752 I purchased through Amazon some time ago.

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Vortex-Aluminum-Heatpipes/dp/B000WHAHFY

The heatsink is huge but just fits the slimline case with the 160 watt power supply. Any other power supply installed would probably not work. (I did your 120mm case fan mod to cool a Sapphire HD 4550 graphics card powering the fan off the card: worked fine.) At least two others in this thread have tried this cooler other than myself with both Intel and AMD CPUs. One problem is that it does not ventilate the case causing heat buildup. It would seem that modification to "pseudo-passive" cooling (a fanless heatsink with nearby case fan) should be possible for 45 watt CPUs.
 
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So, I finally received all of my PSU / video card upgrade components (Sparkle 270W, Sparkle 250GTS, 120mm Cooler Master fan, etc.). So far, I've completed half of the upgrade - I've installed the new PSU. I watched an episode of Band of Brothers on Blu-Ray last night and you are right, Archaea, the little 40mm fan in the Sparkle PSU gets rather loud!

I've been thinking about your suggestion to remove the PSU cover and disconnect the fan once I have the side-mounted 120mm blowing in. I'm a little concerned about RF interference with the PSU cover removed - should I be? Not only that, the cover definitely adds a fair amount of rigidity to the PSU - it's a little flimsy when removed. I don't want it sagging down from the top of the chassis over time and contacting other components.

Also, I'm wondering if it would help to dissipate the immense heat that will likely build up in this chassis once the 250GTS is installed if I mount an exhaust fan to the back of the chassis - or will the single 120mm provide enough ventilation? Thoughts?
 
ABCXYZ said:
Well, I have an Intel processor, the e4700, so I would need to buy an Intel motherboard, right? Is this the correct page?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ption=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&srchInDesc=

No, I'm not using the on board video. I'm using the 8500GT video card. And I was hoping to possibly upgrade to the 9500GS, and maybe later to the 9800GT like you did(after adding more cooling, of course). My monitor is the HP 2408h model. I have it connected to the 8500GT via HDMI.

I don't have a TV tuner. I have the wireless network card instead, although I don't actually use it. I use the integrated ethernet.

I would like to possibly upgrade my RAM to the DDR3 1066/1333 MHz type. And I was also thinking of upgrading my processor to the Core 2 Duo e8500 or e8600 as well. I figure as long as I have to buy a new motherboard, I might as well buy one that will allow me to upgrade the RAM and the processor later on.

So does this information help narrow down my motherboard choices? :confused:
Click to expand...

yes those mini-itx boards are the ones for your intel based slimline? I looked up your slimline model you listed and unless your or I typed something wrong - that model pulls up as an AMD based slimline. You might want to doublecheck. Also anything above PC6400 (800mhz RAM) doesn't seem to do much of anything to speed up system performance. check out some reviews on that for verification. I'd be considering a quad core if I were you. The q9300 is a good quad core - can be purchased for $140 from Microcenter in a retail box, and is a 65 watt power draw chip.
 
23lbs said:
So, I finally received all of my PSU / video card upgrade components (Sparkle 270W, Sparkle 250GTS, 120mm Cooler Master fan, etc.). So far, I've completed half of the upgrade - I've installed the new PSU. I watched an episode of Band of Brothers on Blu-Ray last night and you are right, Archaea, the little 40mm fan in the Sparkle PSU gets rather loud!

I've been thinking about your suggestion to remove the PSU cover and disconnect the fan once I have the side-mounted 120mm blowing in. I'm a little concerned about RF interference with the PSU cover removed - should I be? Not only that, the cover definitely adds a fair amount of rigidity to the PSU - it's a little flimsy when removed. I don't want it sagging down from the top of the chassis over time and contacting other components.

Also, I'm wondering if it would help to dissipate the immense heat that will likely build up in this chassis once the 250GTS is installed if I mount an exhaust fan to the back of the chassis - or will the single 120mm provide enough ventilation? Thoughts?
Click to expand...


Rigidity shouldn't be a problem, nor should dropping components. The PSU should be fine without the bottom of the case, but if the case is removed on the PSU you really should have the 120mm fan on the side, because that little loud 40mm fan is the only thing keeping your PSU components cool and without the case the 40mm fan will be worthless because it won't channel the air through the PSU. You don't have to worry about any interferance with the case off. A fan on the back helps but is in no way as good as the 120mm on the side. I Have a case with a 50mm on the back in my HTPC slimline and it barely moves any air. On my slimline with the 120mm on the side (blowing in) I can feel air coming out of every hole, crack, or crevice on the slimline case.
 
Hey guys I have a serious problem with my s3300t. I came into this thread before to consult about replacing my power supply--my original one died, and a replacement 300w I bought off eBay died in a week as well. I ended up getting the Sparkle 270w that was recommended in the original post, and that lasted fine for a few weeks.

Last week, however, the power supply switched off randomly. Replugging the power fixed the problem and I figured it was a freak glitch. Then today I woke up to find that the power supply is completely dead. Replugging it brought it to life just long enough to see the windows load screen, then it died again and would not revive.

Given that three power supplies now have die inside this case in a short span of time, I can only assume that there is something else wrong. Is it a cooling issue? Please advise. I am not running any other nonstandard hardware. My video card is an Nvidia 8500GT.
 
that sparkle 270 may still be under warranty.


I like you, Ignis, believe you must have another problem. Perhaps your area has dirty power, or brown outs happening. I would consider investing in a battery backup UPS - one with regulated power -- so that you run off the batteries all the time. Something like this.

CyberPower UPS
http://slickdeals.net/sdsearch.php?search=cyberpower&mode=forum&showposts=0&sdsearch_archive=0

or this

APC Smart UPS
http://slickdeals.net/sdsearch.php?search=APC++smart+ups&mode=forum&showposts=0&sdsearch_archive=0


I would also suggest getting a little 40 or 50 mm fan to mount to the back of your slimline to help exhuast some of the hot air. That helps a fair degree in my HTPC slimline. The top of the case used to be medium warm, now it is cooler. It doesn't move much air, but it does move enough to make a subjective feeling difference in the case temp when I have it plugged in or don't. See the first post for details on setting that fan up. Does your CPU fan still work? Do you have the original that is exhausting the hot air out the back of the case?
 
Archaea said:
that sparkle 270 may still be under warranty.

I like you, Ignis, believe you must have another problem. Perhaps your area has dirty power, or brown outs happening. I would consider investing in a battery backup UPS - one with regulated power -- so that you run off the batteries all the time. Something like this.

CyberPower UPS
http://slickdeals.net/sdsearch.php?search=cyberpower&mode=forum&showposts=0&sdsearch_archive=0

or this

APC Smart UPS
http://slickdeals.net/sdsearch.php?search=APC++smart+ups&mode=forum&showposts=0&sdsearch_archive=0

I would also suggest getting a little 40 or 50 mm fan to mount to the back of your slimline to help exhuast some of the hot air. That helps a fair degree in my HTPC slimline. The top of the case used to be medium warm, now it is cooler. It doesn't move much air, but it does move enough to make a subjective feeling difference in the case temp when I have it plugged in or don't. See the first post for details on setting that fan up. Does your CPU fan still work? Do you have the original that is exhausting the hot air out the back of the case?
Click to expand...
I believe I will be able to get my money back for the Sparkle 270, through my credit card buyer protection if nothing else. Still this is an awful hassle to go through for the third time in a row. I don't think it's a regional power issue as I'm in NYC and haven't heard anything of that nature.

I have absolutely no familiarity with UPS, but they seem a bit expensive and bulky, which would defeat the attraction of the slimline. I'm considering building a new computer from scratch at this point, but if I can affordably keep this computer going for another couple years I'd like to do it.

As for my CPU fan, I believe it still works, with the caveat that it's noisy. At times lately it sounded like a plane taking off--could that be the problem? I noticed that some people liked to mount fans on the side of the case. Would putting one on the back be better?

If I give this computer another go, I'll probably get another Sparkle 270 and an extra fan or two and see what happens.
 
The fans on the rear do not draw/push as much air as the ones on the side because the fans on the back must be smaller to fit, but yes either would do you well. I'd say give the sparkle another shot after warranty replacment. Your slimline should have some life left. The battery UPS just provides your computer with clean power. I recommend them whole heartidly. My computers have been on them reguarly for just shy of a decade and I never have parts die. It provides perfect regulated power to the computers without regard to what is coming from the power company. They adjust for voltage fluctuations, and noise on the line etc. They sit on the floor, silent out of the way and protect your PC. I started getting them after a I went to multiple LAN parties where power was lost when a circuit blew and occassionally someone would lose a computer component when the breaker blew. Everyone with the UPS units had no problems and their computers just kept on going through the power outage. I'm an advocate to be sure.
 
Archaea said:
The fans on the rear do not draw/push as much air as the ones on the side because the fans on the back must be smaller to fit, but yes either would do you well. I'd say give the sparkle another shot after warranty replacment. Your slimline should have some life left. The battery UPS just provides your computer with clean power. I recommend them whole heartidly. My computers have been on them reguarly for just shy of a decade and I never have parts die. It provides perfect regulated power to the computers without regard to what is coming from the power company. They adjust for voltage fluctuations, and noise on the line etc. They sit on the floor, silent out of the way and protect your PC. I started getting them after a I went to multiple LAN parties where power was lost when a circuit blew and occassionally someone would lose a computer component when the breaker blew. Everyone with the UPS units had no problems and their computers just kept on going through the power outage. I'm an advocate to be sure.
Click to expand...
Alright, so I've submitted a replacement request on CensusPC. I'm a few days over the supposed 30 day limit but I think that only applies to refunds, and regardless it seems silly to deny a replacement when the PSU dropped dead so quickly.

I went to the first post to investigate fan options--I don't want to cut a hole in the side, as while possible it'd probably be a hassle and I'm not even sure if any of this will resolve my issues. I also don't want to be splicing any wires because I don't know the first thing about voltages and such.

Given all that, this appears to be my most suitable option. It's not available on Newegg anymore, though I did find it on Amazon. I just want to double check with the opinions in here to see if I'm making a good choice.
 
Ignis said:
Alright, so I've submitted a replacement request on CensusPC. I'm a few days over the supposed 30 day limit but I think that only applies to refunds, and regardless it seems silly to deny a replacement when the PSU dropped dead so quickly.

I went to the first post to investigate fan options--I don't want to cut a hole in the side, as while possible it'd probably be a hassle and I'm not even sure if any of this will resolve my issues. I also don't want to be splicing any wires because I don't know the first thing about voltages and such.

Given all that, this appears to be my most suitable option. It's not available on Newegg anymore, though I did find it on Amazon. I just want to double check with the opinions in here to see if I'm making a good choice.
Click to expand...

If you get the one referenced in the link on the first post that is discontinued at newegg it'll certainly work.

Alternatively-

Two 40mm fans or one 50mm fan will fit inside the slimline case so you don't see any fans outside the case. The 40mm fans are actually the true width of the metal grills on the back of the slimline but 40mm fans typically don't move much air and make a lot of noise, so most people would probably prefer the 50mm or the 60mm's. A 50 mm can be wedged inside, but it is tight. I did that for a while - it works fine.

Finally 40,50 or 60mm fans can all be mounted outside the case without interferring with any of the ports on the back of the case. 60mm fans will only fit on the outside and will look exactly like this
http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1032329611&postcount=438
- they will extend to the exact length of the network card and just shy of the firewire port. Typically - the bigger the fan the more air it moves. I've tried multiple 40 mm fans and haven't found a good quite one yet. My luck has all been in 50mm and 60mm fans.

Notice The Ronin's comment that his case temps went from 40*C to 25*C idle and 30*C gaming with this fan mod -- that's quite a bit cooler, and well worth the hassle!
 
Archaea said:
If you get the one referenced in the link on the first post that is discontinued at newegg it'll certainly work.
Click to expand...
Ordered. Hoping for the best.

If the replacement from CensusPC goes smoothly, hopefully I will be able to post an update in a week or so.
 
hey guys I'm about to trade my xbox for a 8800 gtx, is it possible to use one in a slimline, with of course a PSU upgrade?
 
Even if it fits, I don't think it will last. 8800GTXs get very very very hot on poorly ventilated cases. I have a mid tower alienware (case only) and my 8800GTX would soon go over 95c before I got them watercooled
 
clay17dog said:
hey guys I'm about to trade my xbox for a 8800 gtx, is it possible to use one in a slimline, with of course a PSU upgrade?
Click to expand...

absolutely no way it would fit. That video card is longer than the entire slimline case - not to mention it is a full width card, and the slimline only uses half width. Then again the 8800GTX uses a TON of power and also generates a ton of heat!
 
Archaea said:
absolutely no way it would fit. That video card is longer than the entire slimline case - not to mention it is a full width card, and the slimline only uses half width. Then again the 8800GTX uses a TON of power and also generates a ton of heat!
Click to expand...

i guess ill have to modify the case in someway, am i limited in what power supplies i can use?
 
there is no modification possible for this card. You'd have to cut out the front of the slimline and the back PCI panel slot, and leave the side of the case off. The card will absolutely not fit. it is both wider and longer than the actual slimline case dimensions. Not to mention creates insane heat and probably utilizes more power than the known standard size working power supplies for the slimline can even provide. IE - you would not be able to use the 270 watt sparkle with this video card - even if you could make it fit in the case. That card uses at nearly twice as much power at the low profile 9800GT.

If the 8800GTX you are about to get is anything like the 8800GTX I've seen in person - just no way possible. My friend recently showed me his and it was the biggest graphics card I've ever seen! It is nearly a entire foot long. Quite a bit longer than my low profile 9800GT, and there isn't much more room in the slimline case than what the 9800GT needs. Here is an example image of a 8800GTX.

I don't know who this guy is - this is just a google image of an 8800GTX.

518174050_6831668457.jpg


compare that to this

S15-9806-01.jpg


realizing that the low profile Galaxy 9800GT is every bit filling up the cargo bay of the slimline's belly! Look how much card extends beyond the PCI-E 16x interface in comparison on both cards. Not to mention - half height vs. full height (ironically refering to width)


Not to mention the 8800GTX has no power throttling. -- It does not drop core and memory speeds and voltages at idle - meaning it draws its full ~170 watts 24/7. The heat of that thing in a slimline case. It pains me to think of it.
 
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clay17dog said:
i guess ill have to modify the case in someway, am i limited in what power supplies i can use?
Click to expand...

Strictly in terms of power supplies, unless you wanted to take out your optical drive bay and use one of those supplemental PSU's like the FSP Booster X5, then you are limited to a Flex ATX spec PSU.

Just out of curiosity, since the 8800GTX and the GTS250 are roughly the same (as I understand it, the major difference is the 8800GTX has a slightly faster memory interface [384-bit] but the GTS250 has more memory [1GB]), why not go with the GTS250?
 
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Hi All,

I have a HP Pavillion Slimline S3300t desktop. It was running smooth for 2 years and its dead now couple of days before. When the computer is turned on the blue power light comes on. CD drive light blinks a few times. Hard drive can be heard powering up/spinning. Able to hear Fan spinning sound. But Monitor does not come on. Tested Hard drive as external and works great!

Not Even the BIOS Startup showing HP Logo. I searched in Net and many of the users has reported Motherboard Issue. I went into HP part search to buy one and there is no option to add this motherboard to Cart, while i see other accessories. I searched in other Websites, but the Cost of Refurbished Motherboard itself is more than what i paid for Desktop.

MotherBoard Spec: Irvine-GL6E
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01357110&tmp_task=prodinfoCategory&lc=en&dlc=en...

So I am looking for any alternative Motherboard to replace and found the below Motherboard suits exactly with same size as HP Motherboard.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186178

Now the Problem is above M/B also has 24 Pin PowerSupply but Slimline 24 pin is smaller one.
I would like to know if there is any other adapter/converter i can use for 24 pin small to 24pin regular connector.

Thanks and Appreciate your help
 
Halsey said:
Strictly in terms of power supplies, unless you wanted to take out your optical drive bay and use one of those supplemental PSU's like the FSP Booster X5, then you are limited to a Flex ATX spec PSU.

Just out of curiosity, since the 8800GTX and the GTS250 are roughly the same (as I understand it, the major difference is the 8800GTX has a slightly faster memory interface [384-bit] but the GTS250 has more memory [1GB]), why not go with the GTS250?
Click to expand...

i am limited on terms of money, this is the best card that anybody would offer me for my xbox 360.
 
Archaea said:
there is no modification possible for this card. You'd have to cut out the front of the slimline and the back PCI panel slot, and leave the side of the case off. The card will absolutely not fit. it is both wider and longer than the actual slimline case dimensions. Not to mention creates insane heat and probably utilizes more power than the known standard size working power supplies for the slimline can even provide. IE - you would not be able to use the 270 watt sparkle with this video card - even if you could make it fit in the case. That card uses at nearly twice as much power at the low profile 9800GT.

If the 8800GTX you are about to get is anything like the 8800GTX I've seen in person - just no way possible. My friend recently showed me his and it was the biggest graphics card I've ever seen! It is nearly a entire foot long. Quite a bit longer than my low profile 9800GT, and there isn't much more room in the slimline case than what the 9800GT needs. Here is an example image of a 8800GTX.

I don't know who this guy is - this is just a google image of an 8800GTX.

518174050_6831668457.jpg


compare that to this

S15-9806-01.jpg


realizing that the low profile Galaxy 9800GT is every bit filling up the cargo bay of the slimline's belly! Look how much card extends beyond the PCI-E 16x interface in comparison on both cards. Not to mention - half height vs. full height (ironically refering to width)


Not to mention the 8800GTX has no power throttling. -- It does not drop core and memory speeds and voltages at idle - meaning it draws its full ~170 watts 24/7. The heat of that thing in a slimline case. It pains me to think of it.
Click to expand...

have you seen the ati 5970?
 
dude -

Ha - the 5970 is a HUGE card too. no way it will fit either - I've never seen it in person though.

The best card you can put in your slimline is a GTS 250 for a 9800GT - both cards by Galaxy. You need a low profile/half height card for the slimline case - nothing else will work.
 
Archaea said:
dude -

Ha - the 5970 is a HUGE card too. no way it will fit either - I've never seen it in person though.

The best card you can put in your slimline is a GTS 250 for a 9800GT - both cards by Galaxy. You need a low profile/half height card for the slimline case - nothing else will work.
Click to expand...

any cheap case suggestions?
 
Hey guys, I have a quick question. I was looking around this huge thread but I couldn't find it. I have searched, but I just want to double check to be sure.

Right now I have a slimline s3300z with (according to hp) a 160w PSU

Stock with:
Athlon 64 X2 (B) BE2300 1.9 GHz (45W)
and 2GB of ram.

I would like to upgrade to:
Athlon 64 X2 (B) 5200+ 2.7 GHz (65W)
and 4GB of ram.

If I do this, will I be okay with the stock PSU and cooling? Graphics aren't a big issue for me the built in Nvidia one is fine. (Although the newer drivers cause issues but that's another subject...)
 
Kiden-

You should be fine with that set up. My s3400f came stock with the Athlon 64 X2 5200+ 2.7 GHz and 4GB of ram and it ran perfectly fine with the stock 160W PSU. The top of the case around the PSU would get rather warm from time to time, but nothing too serious, and it never locked up on me.
 
Okay cool. I was thinking either that or one of the 4850e (although much harder to find) I think i will just go with the 5200 then. Oh and do I need to use thermal paste when I install the new CPU?

Cool. Also, did you ever try and run Windows 7 with the stock GPU? Cause I'm running intro driver issues when I try and update to the newest version. Although the correct options are listed, nothing works besides some of the lowest resolutions
 
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Kiden said:
Okay cool. I was thinking either that or one of the 4850e (although much harder to find) I think i will just go with the 5200 then. Oh and do I need to use thermal paste when I install the new CPU?
Click to expand...

Yes! You must always use thermal paste when installing a new CPU. In fact, whenever you remove the heatsink on the CPU, you must ALWAYS clean the old thermal paste off the CPU and the bottom of the heatsink and reapply fresh thermal paste before putting the heatsink back on. (I nearly learned this the hard way once, and I still don't want to find out what happens if you don't. :eek:)

Kiden said:
Cool. Also, did you ever try and run Windows 7 with the stock GPU? Cause I'm running intro driver issues when I try and update to the newest version. Although the correct options are listed, nothing works besides some of the lowest resolutions
Click to expand...

I actually took out my Galaxy 9600GT LPLP in anticipation of upgrading to the 9800GT, and as a result I am running Windows 7 Home Premium with the stock GeForce 6150 SE graphics right now. My current driver is version 195.62 and I'm not having any problems (at least none that I can tell) running it with Aero enabled on a 17in monitor at 1440x900. What driver version are you trying to upgrade to? Also, which monitor are you using?
 
I'm not sure what version I have now. The version displayed in the device manager is nothing like the NVIDIA ones. I was trying to update to the newest, 197.45. I will try the version you are using and see what happens.

Also, I currently have bios version 5.10 and the newest available is 5.18, will I run into problems with either the 4850e or 5200+ if I dont update? Cause to run the update I need vista aparently and I have 7.

EDIT: Nope that version wont work either. Any time i try to go to the correct resolution, the screen goes black. But Aero works...arrghh
EDIT2: Got it to work by going through the NVIDIA control panel instead! woot! gonna try for the newest driver and see what happens.
EDIT3: Okay now it works. Not on 1366 x 768, but on 1360 x 768. Good enough i guess. And it works through the NVIDIA control panel, but not the regular one.
 
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Hey guys, a small update on my slimline cooling situation, and this is fairly important for anyone considering adding some auxiliary fans onto their machine. The replacement power supply hasn't arrived yet but the 60mm fans did. These are the exact same fans used by The.Ronin, linked in the first post.

If you are planning to mount these fans on the back, be aware that it will not work for every model. In the picture The.Ronin posted the cover fits perfectly with no modification, and there is space for a small gap between the two fans. This was absolutely not the case with me. The back of the slimlines look similar but are different--among the differences is that I have a video out port beneath the vents.

For reference my model is an s3300t.

I do not have my camera on me so I can't take pictures of the problem, but in sum the fans overlap with the lining of the case and the cover will not fit. There is also no room for space between the fans, though this was not the fatal problem.

All is not lost, however. I have currently mounted the fans on the side instead, and covered up the holes around them to increase the draw power. It seems to be working fine this way and I'm looking forward to testing the setup when my new PSU arrives. My only complaint with this is that the wire to the USB port runs along the side and it's a bit ugly. The blue LEDs are also bright, but I don't mind that too much as they add a little glitz to an otherwise boring case.
 
Ignis - once you get a picture up I'll update the first post to include your exp. I was going to do it without verifying, but I've purchased about 12 slimlines and every case has been identical. I'm not saying your exp. didn't happen, and I'd like to update the first post if what you have seen could affect others. I just have a certain trust but verify responsibility.
 
Archaea said:
Ignis - once you get a picture up I'll update the first post to include your exp. I was going to do it without verifying, but I've purchased about 12 slimlines and every case has been identical. I'm not saying your exp. didn't happen, and I'd like to update the first post if what you have seen could affect others. I just have a certain trust but verify responsibility.
Click to expand...
Well I'm not going to dismount the fans and try to remount them on the back just to prove that it doesn't work but I took a series of pictures here that should get the point across:

This is the picture The.Ronin posted:

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/6774/breathe3iy9.jpg

This is what the back of my slimline looks like:

http://i39.tinypic.com/259jvp4.jpg

Differences are noted in red. There are also clearly differences in the placement of certain elements, and the difference in available vent space should be self evident. Furthermore, as you can see the end of the case goes right up to the edge of the grill. The edges of the fan, when installed, overlap and it becomes impossible to close the case. I thought about moving the fans down a notch but at that point the draw power would be negligible and they would start to overlap with the ports etc. underneath.

The part noted in blue is where there was a jutting piece of the case which was completely getting in the way of the fan. I initially filed it off in hopes of getting it to fit--it didn't, because as mentioned the entire edge overlaps. You'll note that this highlighted area, with the funny elongated hole, is on the complete other side of Ronin's case.

Here is a ruler measurement of the fan compared to a ruler measurement of available vent space:

http://i43.tinypic.com/rcpy4m.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/1zd5f2e.jpg

As you can see here the fan is 2 and 1/4th of an inch in length. There is a little less than 4 and 1/2 inches available at the top of the vent. I was able to get them to fit side by side but there was no room between them as in Ronin's picture. Again this was not the fatal problem (that was the overlapping at the top) but it demonstrates that we were working with different vents.

In conclusion the case is different in such a way as to make installation on the back impossible. That's not to say these fans are a total waste, however. Here is how I currently have them mounted:

http://i39.tinypic.com/1dyf4g.jpg

As you can see I used black cardboard to block up the holes around the fans to increase draw. It's unsightly, but I think it will work. However I think everyone should be fairly warned before they go chopping off pieces of their case trying to install these things on the back that it is not possible with every model.
 
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Kiden said:
Also, I currently have bios version 5.10 and the newest available is 5.18, will I run into problems with either the 4850e or 5200+ if I dont update? Cause to run the update I need vista aparently and I have 7.
Click to expand...

I'm honestly not quite sure, sorry. I...wouldn't think replacing the processor without updating the BIOS first could cause problems, but either way I can't say for certain from experience. Same thing goes for the Vista/7 issue on the BIOS...When I updated to version 5.18 I was still using Vista.

Actually, I just thought of this: my slimline, which as the same motherboard as yours (M2N61-AR) came with the 5200+, and originally had BIOS version 5.10. So one could reason that at least the 5200+ should theoretically work with / be supported by BIOS version 5.10. This is just an educated guess, though. I really can't say for sure whether it will work.
 
Hi all i've read alot of this forum and just wanted to give a few of my experiances, I was looking for a graphics upgrade for a 5xxx series slimline and in the end i went for the 5570 hd I havent seen much discussed about this card but thus far my experiances have been positive, it consumes very little power 45w at stock and thus does not seem to require a psu upgrade and its performances seem to be comparable to the gddr3 version of the gt 240 (i belive the gddr5 version is not avalible low profile) its performance is slightly below the 9600gt however the low profile low power variants of this card are almost impossible to get hold of in the uk.

Another point about this card is if you feel like you have the psu headroom then it overclocks very nicely im running the memory at 1050mhz totally stable which is 150mhz above stock. (memory bandwidth appears to be the limiting factor on this card so no core overclock used to save power) I expect this overclock to bring performance up to a 9600gt level thoucgh havent yet had time to do performance tests) (the card currently runs ntw without glitches on a 1920-1080 monitor (though at this rez some effects have to be turned down (high rather than utra for quality but still ultra unit sizes) runs on full quality with good framerate at lower resolutions.)

Temeratures are a little high even with fan on full (gpu hit 83'C after 2 hours gaming therefore i will add additional fans to be safe)

Overall I would highly recomend this card not quite the power of the 9600 gt (though maybe equal to the green edition?) but it is far more availble especially in the uk. (also offers additional features)

Overall this card has performed very nicely and im pleased with it, though obv its no 9800gt) i will post testing scores as soon as i have time for them but it definitly is a card to consider for an easy and avalible upgrade.
 
Also this card is single slot (at least the sapphire version i have and had 2 sets of lp plates) thus i can keep my tv card :)
 
Hi!! im from argentina, and i ve been readding a lot about the slimlines round here for a long time...im owner of s3620la, and ive been thinking about updating my graphic card (8400GS) to a 9500GS or GT with 1GB or something like that one. I ve seen in the first page that in some cases the 160W power supply its not enought for some grphic cards. Should my 160W power supply works fine with the 9500GS or GT with 1GB plus some external coolers to avoid high temperatures? The thing its that here in argentina after weeks of search ive realised that there are almost inexistent higher power supplies for slimline, not even HP got them in stock. So if anybody can help me about if the 9500 will work on my slimline cuold be a great help!!!

Thx!!!
 
Hey Archaea! Based on our conversation a few pages back, I was able to find an affordable 5600+ to be used in my s3100n. I will report back on it once I've put it in (still waiting for my Arctic Ceramic compound to arrive).

Coincidentally, I also just had a problem with my Galaxy 8600GT card this morning. I noticed a slight burning smell and finally was able to track it down to this card. The fan had melted and was stuck, and the GPU, as reported by GPU-Z, was at 105 degrees. I immediately shut it down and took the card out. Other than the cooling fan, it seems to be in good condition still. So I am wondering where I could get a replacement fan, and what I should be looking for in this regard?

Thanks!
-J
 
ObiYawn,

you can buy vga heatsink solutions at most places - IE newegg or microcenter etc, but you know what I'd look up Kyle Bennett, [H]ardForum owner and editor in chief and have him fix the situation for him based on this thread! You are NOT the first person this has happened to on those cards.

http://hardforum.com:80/showthread.php?t=1510922
post 13 and post 93.
 
nikotina00 said:
Hi!! im from argentina, and i ve been readding a lot about the slimlines round here for a long time...im owner of s3620la, and ive been thinking about updating my graphic card (8400GS) to a 9500GS or GT with 1GB or something like that one. I ve seen in the first page that in some cases the 160W power supply its not enought for some grphic cards. Should my 160W power supply works fine with the 9500GS or GT with 1GB plus some external coolers to avoid high temperatures? The thing its that here in argentina after weeks of search ive realised that there are almost inexistent higher power supplies for slimline, not even HP got them in stock. So if anybody can help me about if the 9500 will work on my slimline cuold be a great help!!!

Thx!!!
Click to expand...

It's a crapshoot, I would not recommend it. if you want to make sure it works - put in a 45 watt AMD CPU instead of the default 65 watt CPU. That gives you a spare 20 watts of headroom to make sure the video card is sufficient. (without having to change the PSU)
 
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