The highly rated HP Pavilion Slimline PC thread

There will be issue reusing the old OS. I tried it with a different motherboard and it simply won't boot up. I think even if it boots up, it will complain about hardware change and ask you to revalidate. It is not clear to me if Microsoft will let you revalidate your key.
 
You are correct on the RAM. It is 4GB total, including any on your video card.

On Win7, it depends on if you get the x32 (4GB max) or x64 (8 to 192 GB depending on the version)

I replaced the MB's and carried over the HDD's on an XP Pro and a Vista 32, both Slimline S3XXXX's. The XP Pro didn't ask and the Vista 32 asked and revalidated.

After replacing a bad MB on one, both booted up. Of course getting it to boot is only the start. Plan on the better part of a day for drivers, etc.

Check Post #4957 for a step-by-step S3XXXX upgrade. It includes what you can carry over and what you will need to buy new. It ran me just over $300.00 USD, not including upgrades. http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1038840304&postcount=4957
 
Thanks guys! I can't tell you how much I appreciate your insights. I am hoping that my Vista 32 on my old HDD will accept the new motherboard.

Today, though, I am off to buy a backup drive and a 2.5" drive for my daughter's laptop...fun times all around.

Just out of curiousity...I am planning to get a 1TB WD Caviar Green internal drive and a case (maybe with a fan) for my backup solution. I think that's preferable to a prepackaged backup drive.

See any issues with that?
 
Well, bought 8GB of RAM last night and the new mobo should arrive today....Fingers crossed that this is the end of the ordeal. I'll post all of the details for future seekers.

I'll post any problems, too. :)
 
Did you happened to bought the ASRock E350M1 that I recommended?

If you figured out how to turn off the LED while sleeping, please let me know. The manual says LED should be off with S3 sleep but it is clearly blinking.
 
Aircool -- YES, I DID buy the ASRock E350M1 and I LOVE it! (So far, at least.) :D Thanks for all the great info on it!

I literally just fired it up about 30 minutes ago. I put in 8GB of Micro Center RAM ($34) and had to buy the $8 ATM to mini ITX adapter cable -- and things are going fine.

I popped in the old HD and everything booted fine. *whew!* The driver disc is running right now installing things, so it has been a fairly seamless process so far.

One question: this board came with the processor and fan already installed. Should I have put heat-conducting gel on there -- or is it all good since everything was pre-installed? I didn't see anything in the manual about that, I don't think.

Regarding the LED and sleeping, I will let you know how that goes after a few days....

I can't thank you and Quadrifoglio enough for your help!

Randy
 
I didn't bother replacing the thermal paste. The E-350 suppose to run cool. But then I can definitely feel the warm air pumping out of the case (how nice that the vent of the slimline matches with the fan!). The heatsink is indeed small compare to 775 C2D.
 
Section #8 under Caution in the manual says to put new thermal paste on if you pull the CPU fan.

Check out #45 of my instructions for cleaning out the old drivers.

I don't know if it would affect the LED but there is a Suspend to RAM (S3) in BIOS under Advanced, ACPI Configuration (3.4.6.in the manual).

There are various tools for temperature reporting. I use PCWizard (CPUID) which also has other features. After a while with no problems, I forget it is there.
 
Ah -- Somehow I missed that Caution. Thankfully, I didn't have to pull the CPU fan. :)

Yes, it does run a tad warm - but MUCH less so than it did before. I ordered a Thermaltake Thunderbold 80mm fan with some snazzy blue LEDs to keep it cooler, just in case.

I'm not having any driver issues, but I will check out the instructions to see if I missed anything....

I am SO glad to have this behind me. My system has been down since March -- and it feels so good to have done all of this myself! With some friendly help, of course. ;)
 
Just want to add that if you are using E350M1 using HDMI audio, you should never use Catalyst 12.4 or above. I found out the hard way. HDMI audio frequently becomes "Not plugged In" and I get no sound. ATI did a super lousy job. It was perfectly fine with the default driver through Windows Update.
 
I have a hp slimline s3320f. i put the larger power supply (the loud one!). i had to do a little hacking to make the thing fit good enough.
i found a great graphics card called a nividia gt 9800 green. it works great and the power supply is the recomended corect watts. it powers my 47" lcd computer monitor via HDMI! I Love the thread and i want to Thank Archaea for all the info. This has been a very cheap and worth while project. II also want to thank everyone else for all the other info.

I had a question about processors my motherboard is the M2N61-AR (Acacia-GL6E)
Socket: AM2. i have currently a AMD Atholon 64x2 duel core 5200+ 2.6GHz. and my windows vista score is
5.2-processor
5.9 ram
5.9 graphics
5.9 gaming graphics
5.7 hdd

that 5.2 is dragging my score down. what is the best processor that i can buy? do i need to upgrade my bios?
 
also is the M2N61-AR (Acacia-GL6E) am2+ or am2 compatible.

I have read alot of places that am2 is reverse compatible, and am2+ processors work on am2's boards. if it stays in the 65 watt area. and if i have a 300 watt psu will the mother board provide enough to power say a 89 watt am2 processor?
 
jordan 97 said:
I have a hp slimline s3320f. i put the larger power supply (the loud one!). i had to do a little hacking to make the thing fit good enough.
i found a great graphics card called a nividia gt 9800 green. it works great and the power supply is the recomended corect watts. it powers my 47" lcd computer monitor via HDMI! I Love the thread and i want to Thank Archaea for all the info. This has been a very cheap and worth while project. II also want to thank everyone else for all the other info.

I had a question about processors my motherboard is the M2N61-AR (Acacia-GL6E)
Socket: AM2. i have currently a AMD Atholon 64x2 duel core 5200+ 2.6GHz. and my windows vista score is
5.2-processor
5.9 ram
5.9 graphics
5.9 gaming graphics
5.7 hdd

that 5.2 is dragging my score down. what is the best processor that i can buy? do i need to upgrade my bios?
Click to expand...

Dude, you need to take a chill pill. What exactly is your goal here? Build a 5.9 system?
 
This is what you have, an AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+.

http://http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01297157&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&product=3644719&tmp_track_link=ot_search#N170

This has the upgrades for your board.

http://http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01321559&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&product=3644719&tmp_track_link=ot_search

Motherboard supports the following processor upgrades:
Athlon 64 X2 with Dual Core technology up to 65 Watt
Athlon 64 up to 65 Watt
Sempron up to 65 Watt

http://http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/K8/AMD-Athlon%2064%20X2%205200+%20-%20ADO5200IAA5DO%20(ADO5200DOBOX).html

This shows you the processor details. Looks like you could only get an additional 0.2 GHz with a processor upgrade.

The question is "Does the system do what you want it to do?" If so, don't worry about the specs. If it doesn't, it is time to look at a technology change.
 
Thanks. I think your right. For the small amount of money i have put into for this pc its pretty good. I think i have 400.00 in it. I was hoping their was a interchangeable cheap mother board that i could clock up but i don't want to spend a lot. I'm impressed with this thread!
 
Aircool - YES, I have had the same problem with the audio! What is Catalyst 12.4? Is that the driver? What did you do to solve this issue? It only cuts the sounds after the system sleeps.

Speaking of sleeping, I am also having the same problem you did with the blue power light blinking during sleep mode.

The audio issue is the main annoyance, though...

Randy
 
BTW, the E350M1's BIOS supposed to have a "GoodNight LED" feature. But I cannot even confirm it exist.
 
I fixed the link above so that it actually gets there. There are instruction for updating via 1. BIOS (flash) 2, DOS and 3, Windows

ASRock isn't exactly encouraging about BIOS upgrades.

"Please read below information before download or update BIOS We don't recommend users to update BIOS while the system is running well. For any damages caused by improper operation of downloading or updating BIOS, ASRock® assumes no responsibility. Before you download or update the BIOS, please read below " (How to Update)" carefully"
 
I did read the instruction. The BIOS will not recognize the USB drive no matter I format it to FAT16 or FAT32. I even tried storing the .zip and unzipping the file altogether. No dice. Tried running BIOS update within Windows 7 and I got some strange errors. I eventually gave up. Besides, there is no proof that BIOS update actually gives me the option to turn off the LED during sleep. I wish it does dual color standby like my other M/B.
 
I am happy to report my HP Slimline s3713w is back up and running with a new power supply. The only problem is how loud the power supply is: there's an extremely loud constant whir coming from the computer. It sounds like I'm on a small propeller aircraft or something. My new power supply is a 200w FSP200-50PLA2-SL and here's a link to the one I bought:

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

The computer appears to be running fine but the noise is so loud I can hear it from two rooms away. Any suggestions? Is there something I need to change in the computer setup?

EDIT: The power supply I replaced was a stock, 160w AC Bel PC6012.
 
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Hello!
I have a S3500f stock. The on-board video died on me recently. Everything else still boots up. I can even hear the windows startup sounds come through my speakers when I turn it on. The problem is that nothing comes out of the on board VGA port. I've tried multiple monitors, and multiple cables with no luck. It's absolutely non responsive. The 3 monitors I have tried show no indication that they are plugged into a computer. I have tried resetting CMOS, and resetting the motherboard battery. I have read through this excellent thread thoroughly. I plan to upgrade my PSU & get a graphics card. Will a graphics card solve my problem? Thanks so much for your help.
 
The computer appears to be running fine but the noise is so loud I can hear it from two rooms away. Any suggestions? Is there something I need to change in the computer setup?
Click to expand...

I have two of the SPI 300 watt models and both are very quiet. I checked on your model of PSU and it also has a Noise Killer (Thermal fan speed control function). It should run quietly.

Before you do anything else, check the PSU voltage switch and make sure it is set correctly.

If it wasn’t the switch, it seems to me that you have one of two problems. 1. The PSU has a bad fan controller. 2. What ever killed your original PSU is still present.

Fortunately, you can test the PSU. Unplug the PSU connector from the motherboard. Jumper the green wire to an adjoining black wire; there are four nearby. Make sure the jumper isn’t grounded (touching) and turn on the power. If the fan remains loud, it probably has a bad fan controller. If it isn’t, then what killed your first power supply is still present. If this is the case, it is a race to see if the PSU or the component fries first.
 
Will a graphics card solve my problem?
Click to expand...

I think that the answer is a qualified yes. I would try a graphics board with technology as old as your S3500F. You are looking for a PCI Express Low Profile board. The max memory is probably 128MB and no fan (fans drive up the wattage). I ran a similar 128MB graphics card for years in a stock S3XXXX with no problems.

A Radeon X1300 Pro (128 MB) is rated at 19.8/29.7 watts and is probably supportable with the stock PSU. On Ebay, they go for about $10 to $15, including shipping. Before you buy, check the Actual Power Consumption of the board.

Go cheap and lower is better.
 
Quadrifoglio said:
I think that the answer is a qualified yes. I would try a graphics board with technology as old as your S3500F. You are looking for a PCI Express Low Profile board. The max memory is probably 128MB and no fan (fans drive up the wattage). I ran a similar 128MB graphics card for years in a stock S3XXXX with no problems.

A Radeon X1300 Pro (128 MB) is rated at 19.8/29.7 watts and is probably supportable with the stock PSU. On Ebay, they go for about $10 to $15, including shipping. Before you buy, check the Actual Power Consumption of the board.

Go cheap and lower is better.
Click to expand...

Thanks. After doing some research, I think I'm gonna upgrade my power supply as well as my graphics card. I'm planning to get a Shuttle 250W PC50-PW PSU w/ converter cables ($40) & a GeForce 9300GS ($30). I mostly use this machine as an HTPC. These are suitable upgrades, yea?
 
I think if your motherboard's onboard video failed, chances are other motherboard components will fail soon. I think you should look into upgrading the motherboard instead.
 
Quadrifoglio said:
I have two of the SPI 300 watt models and both are very quiet. I checked on your model of PSU and it also has a Noise Killer (Thermal fan speed control function). It should run quietly.

Before you do anything else, check the PSU voltage switch and make sure it is set correctly.

If it wasn’t the switch, it seems to me that you have one of two problems. 1. The PSU has a bad fan controller. 2. What ever killed your original PSU is still present.

Fortunately, you can test the PSU. Unplug the PSU connector from the motherboard. Jumper the green wire to an adjoining black wire; there are four nearby. Make sure the jumper isn’t grounded (touching) and turn on the power. If the fan remains loud, it probably has a bad fan controller. If it isn’t, then what killed your first power supply is still present. If this is the case, it is a race to see if the PSU or the component fries first.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for the reply, Quadrifoglio! My voltage switch is correctly set at 115. I haven't tried the PSU test yet as I need to disassemble the computer, but it looks like the hard drive might be the culprit. CrystalDiskInfo is reporting "current pending sector count" and "uncorrectable sector count" in the program's diagnostic report. Here's my current, stock hard drives specs:

Size: 320 GB
Interface: SATA
Transfer rating: 3.0 Gb/sec
Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM

If I get a new hard drive will it need to have the same Transfer rating and Rotational Speed?
 
You will need a SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal hard disk drive (HDD). I prefer WD (Western Digital) but everyone has his or her favorite. Rotational speed only affects how quickly the drive finds the data and how hot it runs (faster is hotter). In reality, selecting a HDD comes down to the best price for the storage size.

I use Acronis TrueImage to transfer the old HDD data to the new HDD. According to the boards, when you “resize” to fit the new HDD, the old “bad” sectors are correctly identified as new “good” ones. I also use Acronis for my backups.

Hard drives in the S3XXXX’s run hot and heat kills. Just feel a DVD that is fresh from the player and it was only close to the HDD. I put a fan in all of my S3XXX cases under the drives and the HDD's are all much cooler. The simplest fix is to get a fan cable splitter and put a 80mm x 15mm fan into the empty drive cage. For details, see #4958 in this thread under “Put the 80mm x 15mm fan inside the removable drive cage.”
 
Hi I've read this thread over the years to make various enhancements to my s3535 slimline, the most recent was an upgraded 250w PSU and a ATI HD6450 which is great for watching films and bitstreaming HD audio, I now want to improve airflow. I have seen the earlier posts on cooling but these are old now, so are there any new recommendations on cooling the slimline?

If anyone is interested in a replacement stock PSU I'm selling one here
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HP-Slimli...omputing_PowerSupplies_EH&hash=item20cdf97e38

And a ATI HD4550 that works great with the stock PSU here
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FROM-HP-S...raphics_Video_TV_Cards_TW&hash=item20cdf98d5f
 
With regard to cooling, the approaches remain the same as you see in the earlier posts. About the only things that have changed are quieter running fans, more fans that can be synched with the CPU fan (PWM), and different choices in low profile CPU fans.

For the CPU fan, you have about 110mm x 110mm x 80mm to work with.

I have been pleased with the heat reduction from putting a fan under the drives. DVDs that I watched went from hot to barely warm.

I have also been pleased with the Zalman Low Profile CNPS8000B. I have it on my two upgraded Slimlines and have one for the stock Slimline after it is fixed.
 
Hi all , season's greetings ! :)

gg61501 said:
Aircool -- YES, I DID buy the ASRock E350M1 and I LOVE it! (So far, at least.) :D Thanks for all the great info on it!

I literally just fired it up about 30 minutes ago. I put in 8GB of Micro Center RAM ($34) and had to buy the $8 ATM to mini ITX adapter cable -- and things are going fine.
Click to expand...

How is this route ( E350m ) working out for you currently ?

I am looking at similar method for my bust s3514 model (Vista, 160w PSU w/IRVINE mb)

Quadrifoglio said:
I replaced the MB's and carried over the HDD's on an XP Pro and a Vista 32, both Slimline S3XXXX's. The XP Pro didn't ask and the Vista 32 asked and revalidated.
Click to expand...
So you had no problems with re-validation? I'm guessing whatever new m/b (assuming you get it past boot) should be theoretically okay as long as you have key/details to hand?
I am keen for the OS to survive the transfer but I guess not end of the world if it doesn't...


Thanks for any help all.
 
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You are correct. I did not have any problem validating Windows XP or Vista. XP was a straight transplant of the HDD. Vista was a copy of an existing Vista HDD and the ID changed to the ID on the case of the donor machine.
 
AirCool said:
The ASRock E-350 fits perfectly inside the s3000 series case. All I need is an $8 PSU adapter for the motherboard from eBay, as seen in the middle of the following photo. The stock P/S has plenty of juice for this low power M/B. The reason for choosing the ASRock is that it does not need a 4-pin CPU socket which the stock P/S does not have.
Click to expand...

The below might also work for less $ and also has the 4 pin socket for CPU?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003GMATXW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=AS1K3ULBUB3OJ

Given the option of CPU power, are there other similarly priced motherboard options to the E350m still based on the premise of keeping the stock HP PSU?
 
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It is also offered by the same seller and it is the same ATX power adapter cable. So it is a cheaper source. Good find!

Note that the split 4-pin is for ATX power and not 4-pin CPU power. It simply won't fit:

http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/connectors.html#atxmain24

The lack of 4-pin CPU power severely limits your choice of M/B with the stock PSU.

However, it is possible to repurpose 4-pin ATX cable in the 20+4 and turn it into a 4-pin P4 CPU power. It will require some surgery. I don't see any cheap option without cutting the wires.

Without cutting. You will need a SATA power splitter and, SATA to Molex and Molex to P4. It will run you $10+ and it will make a mess. The stock PSU should have no problem driving a Core-i3.

BTW, the E350M1 works very well and it is super quiet. I use it as an HTPC with AverMedia Duet dual-tuner card. My only complain is it does not support dual color power LED. And it blinks during S3 standby.
 
AirCool said:
BTW, the E350M1 works very well and it is super quiet. I use it as an HTPC with AverMedia Duet dual-tuner card. My only complain is it does not support dual color power LED. And it blinks during S3 standby.
Click to expand...

When you were looking at replacements did you consider something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Executi...8&qid=1355780086&sr=8-1&keywords=mini+itx+775

as a replacement for the Irvine. The existing 775 socket DC processor and RAM would then be directly transferable...

On the flip-side maybe the E350 processor + the ddr3 ram is worth paying a bit extra for; any idea how the performance of those 2 setups might compare?
 
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