The highly rated HP Pavilion Slimline PC thread

Hi everyone, I stumbled on this site while doing research and I have learned a lot from here. I bought a slimline s7520n from Savers for 15 dollars but when opened it up I found it had old hardware and a damaged hard drive. However I fell in love with the case, the size and the potential for use as a HTPC and moderate gaming appealed to me. What I didnt bargain for was the problems I would encounter powering up the system and keeping it cool. I thought all I needed to do was replace the hardware and I am good to go. I had a Sapphire Radeon 7750 lp card lying around, a 320Gb WD hard drive I had used for my previous build, an Intel Pentium G860 CPU and Kingston HyperX Genesis DDR3 4GB Memory I bought off craigslist. All it seemed I needed was a new motherboard and as I later found out a new power supply as the stock HP power supply was only about 100watt. I bought a Foxconn H61S mini itx motherboard and also a Rosewill CPU cooler when I found out the stock cooler would be a bit tight in the case.

The real problem I had was finding a power supply that had decent wattage but was quiet. That was the begining of my nightmare with this case as I couldnt get anything decent that wouldnt cost an arm and a leg. I eventually opted for a Solid Gear Mini ITX 320-Watts Power Supply which turned out to be very noisy and therefore unusable for a HTPC. I decided to buy a Scythe MINI KAZE ULTRA" 40 x 20 mm Silent Mini Fan to change the PSU fan. My guess is it has a lower CFM the original PSU fan (There is very little information on the PSU, the manual is really flimsy). I also bought a Noctua 40x10mm fan for the case to help with the cooling.

My question is should I continue with this project that seems to be never ending or just buy a new case (I am thinking of the cooler master elite 120). I was also wondering what would be the danger to my PSU if I change the fan to a fan with lower CFM but less noise. Can I get a PSU that would have at least 300watts that isnt noisy but would fit into the case and wouldnt be too expensive. Finally for those that have one of these cases, do I really needed to modify the case and put a 120mm fan on the side? That to me would be a bridge to far and I would just give up on the case.

I'm sure such a PSU exists I guess it's just finding one at acceptable availability and price...

btw. any reason for 300W particularly? I would think 250W will be sufficient in 90% of situations...I am running a 7750 off mine :)
Down-speccing your target PSU should ease the cost and the noise requirements you may have~

I would also re-emphasise what the other guy said about getting a proper CPU cooler &fan..when you say the g860 cooler was tight in the case what do you mean? height wise or width-wise? This isn't necessarily a problem - you don't necessarily want loads of space inside the case (as opposed to a taller cooling set-up that can draw in air from outside). a low profile cpu cooler with weak fan could end up with more of a oven situation in these small cases but as you say you have other fans you should be okay.
But yeah, if you are worried about noise then you will be better off with a larger heatsink and larger fan..
 
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I'm sure such a PSU exists I guess it's just finding one at acceptable availability and price...

btw. any reason for 300W particularly? I would think 250W will be sufficient in 90% of situations...I am running a 7750 off mine :)
Down-speccing your target PSU should ease the cost and the noise requirements you may have~

I would also re-emphasise what the other guy said about getting a proper CPU cooler &fan..when you say the g860 cooler was tight in the case what do you mean? height wise or width-wise? This isn't necessarily a problem - you don't necessarily want loads of space inside the case (as opposed to a taller cooling set-up that can draw in air from outside). a low profile cpu cooler with weak fan could end up with more of a oven situation in these small cases but as you say you have other fans you should be okay.
But yeah, if you are worried about noise then you will be better off with a larger heatsink and larger fan..

A bit off subject from what you were talking about, but i wonder if that motherboard and PSU would fit in my s3713w...time for some measuring...
 
I saw one person was thinking of installing a fan into the empty Pocket Drive space at the bottom front of their case, I'm thinking of doing the same, but as an intake to direct air onto a passive cooling GPU. There's gotta be someone who's found a useful way to occupy that space. Any advice, pictures, or video?
 
The slimlines will play WOW or Everquest even with a base configuration of the 6150 video card at lower quality settings. It will play WOW or Everquest at max settings and a smooth frame-rate with the 8600GT card on any display/any resolution, and play WOW or Everquest at max settings and smooth frame rate at say a 22" widescreen or less (typical native resolution) with an 8400GS, or 8500GT.

Really the limitation is all the video card --- processor doesn't matter much on those games and the dual core processors in the slimlines are far more than capable to play those games. Basically look up reviews on the different video card options available against the games you want and there's your answer.

Wonder if this still holds true for WoW:MoP. I can not wait for this Video card to arrive so i can put it to the test and update some info on this thread, if i can ! :p
 
Saw a bunch of questions about the 5450 and thought I'd pipe in. My ventilation issues are because my Sapphire 5450 runs at 106 Celsius at full clip (State of Decay on 720p and minimum graphics) and rests at around low 80s maybe high 70s if just web browsing. The tuner card in the adjacent slot sits right up against the passive heat sink so there very little air flow for the card to cool. I have the s3600t model, if that means anything. If I could just direct the air from the empty pocket media bay to the pci slots, I think it'd solve my issues. The video card slows down but hasn't BSODed yet. My stock Nvidia BSODed regularly toward the end of its life when the fan started to go.
 
Saw a bunch of questions about the 5450 and thought I'd pipe in. My ventilation issues are because my Sapphire 5450 runs at 106 Celsius at full clip (State of Decay on 720p and minimum graphics) and rests at around low 80s maybe high 70s if just web browsing. The tuner card in the adjacent slot sits right up against the passive heat sink so there very little air flow for the card to cool. I have the s3600t model, if that means anything. If I could just direct the air from the empty pocket media bay to the pci slots, I think it'd solve my issues. The video card slows down but hasn't BSODed yet. My stock Nvidia BSODed regularly toward the end of its life when the fan started to go.


Thanks for the info flash, much appreciated. I hope i personally do not run into this heat issue, as i am currently working in Ohio and do not have to worry about the Florida heat ! Will post my temp's on the 26th when my card arrives ( or so says Newegg ). Might not be much of a difference, but i purchased the XFX One as i could not find the Sapphire. Quick noob question while im at it, does my PCI-E x16 slot support the newer 2.0,2.1,3.x?
 
A bit off subject from what you were talking about, but i wonder if that motherboard and PSU would fit in my s3713w...time for some measuring...
Any s3xxx should take a mini itx unless its one of those super fancy PCB continues up the sides at 90degree jobs...

by which I mean...
Z77-Mini-ITX-Comparison,K-V-366223-22.jpg

and even then it might be possible...
 
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Any s3xxx should take a mini itx unless its one of those super fancy PCB continues up the sides at 90degree jobs...

by which I mean...
Z77-Mini-ITX-Comparison,K-V-366223-22.jpg

and even then it might be possible...

Awesome to hear, thanks for the answer. Now to pair it with a decent CPU and PSU and i should be ok for another couple of months until i can build a rig.
 
Reporting back with results;

After installing the video card it booted up just fine and i instantly started testing it out. Videos on you tube and movies look better than stock. Ran fine on WoW on Low settings, a bit of lag with Fair settings. The PSU is running HOT though, don't know about the card since i have not touched it yet. Is there any software to monitor this?
 
Reporting back with results;

After installing the video card it booted up just fine and i instantly started testing it out. Videos on you tube and movies look better than stock. Ran fine on WoW on Low settings, a bit of lag with Fair settings. The PSU is running HOT though, don't know about the card since i have not touched it yet. Is there any software to monitor this?

To monitor the PSU? no shouldn't think so. Mind you the PSU can generally take it - you should only care about this so much as it is warming the rest of the case (which it will to some extent).
I know my PSU seems to be the hottest thing in my case. at least to the touch and feel test...:p

You can definitely monitor the gpu temp with s/w. my favs are the ones that just serve up a temp reading in the notification bar
 
I've been using the sapphire 5450 for strictly watching videos. various 1080p clips in various formats have had no issue playing on this card.
 
Hi all

Has anyone tried a PicoPSU?

It can apparently power a quad core PC. And with 160w w/ max 200 load, it should easily power our dual core PCs.

http://www.quietpc.com/picopsu-160-xt-acdc

Someone probably has earlier in this epic thread haha.

I sometimes get the feeling everythign that can be done has been done and we are now just repeating the same stuff because noone can be bothered to read the whole thing! :p

Pico PSU would be neat and probably help temperatures in the case. Not loving that pricetag though :mad: and you would need some simple extension cables based on the picture...

Are you going to use? :)
 
Someone probably has earlier in this epic thread haha.

I sometimes get the feeling everythign that can be done has been done and we are now just repeating the same stuff because noone can be bothered to read the whole thing! :p

Pico PSU would be neat and probably help temperatures in the case. Not loving that pricetag though :mad: and you would need some simple extension cables based on the picture...

Are you going to use? :)

Lol.

Thanks for your reply.

I did a search but didn't find anything.

I'm not sure I will. They are a bit expensive. And at this rate, newer machines that are faster # and quieter # even laptops may be a better way to spend the money.
 
Just checked and the s3300z also has a 160W PSU, but it runs a low-power BE-2300 instead of a full Athlon X2. I still think you'll be ok dropping a 5450 into your s3713w, though.

I've had the 5570 with the X2 5000+ running on the 160 watt power supply with no issues since April of 2011. I've got it running Windows 8 with 4gb RAM, I'm still thinking of dropping in a Phenom CPU at some point to see what happens.
 
To monitor the PSU? no shouldn't think so. Mind you the PSU can generally take it - you should only care about this so much as it is warming the rest of the case (which it will to some extent).
I know my PSU seems to be the hottest thing in my case. at least to the touch and feel test...:p

You can definitely monitor the gpu temp with s/w. my favs are the ones that just serve up a temp reading in the notification bar

Well i think i have pushed her to the limit. Today i went to turn it on and it did not get past the hp logo, so i turned it off and tried again and nope no go. So i went ahead and disconnected the dvd from the psu and the mobo. Still frozen at the hp logo . Kinda frustrated it did not last long.
 
Well i think i have pushed her to the limit. Today i went to turn it on and it did not get past the hp logo, so i turned it off and tried again and nope no go. So i went ahead and disconnected the dvd from the psu and the mobo. Still frozen at the hp logo . Kinda frustrated it did not last long.

So i decided to gut her out and build a new mini itx based computer. This is what i have in mind so far. I am planning on using the Hard drive,RAM and whatever cables i can from the s3713w along with the video card i bought for it. So maybe just purchasing a new PSU, mobo, and CPU will be ok ? Will this mobo fit comfortably in the s3713w case or should i just invest in getting a new case as well ?


This is the motherboard.

This is the CPU.

This is the PSU .
 
So i decided to gut her out and build a new mini itx based computer. This is what i have in mind so far. I am planning on using the Hard drive,RAM and whatever cables i can from the s3713w along with the video card i bought for it. So maybe just purchasing a new PSU, mobo, and CPU will be ok ? Will this mobo fit comfortably in the s3713w case or should i just invest in getting a new case as well ?


This is the motherboard.

This is the CPU.

This is the PSU .

MB: is mini-itx so will be fine. only consideration is the CPU cooler & CPU placement within the board wrt not hitting the ODD. If that makes sense. A big cooler or a board with the CPU too near the edge furthest from the connector may clash with the ODD which slides in over the board to a small extent. Advise doing some quick measurements to check!

CPU: see above

PSU: I was going to say measure this as well by it shouts out that it is okay for slimlines so will probably be fine. 350W is quite a lot! what graphics card are you planning on? you may be able to save money here with a lower wattage one...

should i just invest in getting a new case as well ?
That is not an acceptable question to ask in this thread :p

In retrospect my system would probably be cooler and probably similar price (ie even with the price of a cheap modern case included). But it really wouldn't be the same and I wouldn't have got the enjoyment of jamming everything into the Slimline case :) your call (do have a think on this.)
 
My system was having problems so I grabbed a random hard drive I had laying around to try booting from, couldn't work out what I had previously put on it (only that it wasn't windows!)...

Booted up from it:

DSCF7824.jpg


Haha Google yes this Chromebook has had significant factory hardware modifications lol :p

So may I present to you all:

DSCF7828.jpg
 
I saw one person was thinking of installing a fan into the empty Pocket Drive space at the bottom front of their case, I'm thinking of doing the same, but as an intake to direct air onto a passive cooling GPU. There's gotta be someone who's found a useful way to occupy that space. Any advice, pictures, or video?

Your only problem is with regard to directioning the air from wherever it is intaking back down the case towards the GPU. There is much in terms of intake ingress on the front of the case (the HDD fan you may have seen I think pulled in the bottom of the case and fired upwards over the HDD).

You are quite limited in that part of the case with the size of fan which will fit...

My thoughts would be you want a fan further back from where the pocket drive was that ensures the fan is firing onto the GPU. You then need to try an find a way of get the coolest air possible for that fan to suck on...possible with some fashioned intake shroud

[advice based on s3xxx case]

Mwmpj.jpg
 
Hi all, i updated my first look about my rig (im the guy who bought the 7850 LP)

For my bad luck,the cards was coming DOA, i only use it for about 3 minutes playing bf 3 maxed out and dies :(
So i change my PSU (Seasonic SS 500 1u) and return to warranty the card

I dediced change the case,because the airflow for this card doesnt exist , so i bought a Gateway SX case
19b.jpg



Because the graphics card will be located in the top of the case, i have the choice to put 2 80 mm fans to fresh the system and this powerfull card or simply make little holes to get better airflow

So,next week my new PSU (Shuttle PC63J 500 watts bronce ) and my refurbished 7850 LP comes, i updated the tread to see if is possible ,finally make my dream a success , and i compare the size of this machine versus my new Xbox One when i get it 22 th november and see how much bigger is the case vs a next gen console
 
Retired my Slimline yesterday. Needed more room with buying a Radeon R7 240. Ended up being a dual slot card and my mATX board is just too big. Amazingly the power supply could handle it being a 210w. Moved everything into a Rosewill R379-M case w/ 300w PSU. Will be moving up to Kaveri when it comes out but for now things are great.

Here is what was moved:

Phenom II x2 555 BE (Currently OC'd to 3774 MHz...couldn't make 3800 stable on stock voltage but I'll be working on that)
8GB Geil DDR2 800 Black Dragon kit
ASUS M4A785-M mATX board
XFX Radeon R7 240 2GB Low Profile (Picked this up at Best Buy randomly...Newegg has a version that is $10 cheaper but seems to have a smaller cooler. The Best Buy one has a dual slot size cooler and so far has been able to overclock up to 835MHz...still WIP)

The only hold overs I had from my original Slimline are the WD 640GB drive and DVD burner. Seriously, if I had one more slot in that case, I would have kept it but sadly it is now sitting in a closet. Will most likely use the PSU as a back up in case this one dies. Great case tho. Definitely made it a long way from my original purchase in 2010.
 
hi everyone!
i wanna ask, who have tried modding an HP Pavilion s3520d Slim Mini-ITX case so it could fit a standard SFX Power Supply (Silverstone ST45SF)...???
 
hi everyone!
i wanna ask, who have tried modding an HP Pavilion s3520d Slim Mini-ITX case so it could fit a standard SFX Power Supply (Silverstone ST45SF)...???
Seems like it might be a stretch...

SFX is both too wide and too tall, you would likely need to cut away both the side and the top of the case to fit it in there.

Why SFX?
 
Seems like it might be a stretch...

SFX is both too wide and too tall, you would likely need to cut away both the side and the top of the case to fit it in there.

Why SFX?

well, i was thinking of positioning the SFX PSU sideways and putting it on the front, removing the HDD and ODD bay in the process.

i wanna use my existing SFX PSU (ST45SF) for the system as i cant find a decent rated PSU for the case. the original PSU that came with the case doesn't have standard connector..
 
well, i was thinking of positioning the SFX PSU sideways and putting it on the front, removing the HDD and ODD bay in the process.

i wanna use my existing SFX PSU (ST45SF) for the system as i cant find a decent rated PSU for the case. the original PSU that came with the case doesn't have standard connector..

Might fit (just) that way (with the constraint being the width of the case.
I looked at the measurements before and it looked borderline. I guess you might cut a square out for the fan intake to help...
Does the PSU look like it will fit? can you close the case on it?

You would need to mount it somehow (or it is living at the bottom?) & you lose the HDD mount :(
 
Might fit (just) that way (with the constraint being the width of the case.
I looked at the measurements before and it looked borderline. I guess you might cut a square out for the fan intake to help...
Does the PSU look like it will fit? can you close the case on it?

You would need to mount it somehow (or it is living at the bottom?) & you lose the HDD mount :(

well, i haven't really tried fitting my SFX PSU on it cause i'm still using it.. but i'm planning to do it this weekend.. i'll take photos of it and i'll post 'em here.. hopefully it'll work.. :D
 
I need some help diagnosing a problem with an S3620F.

When I press the power button, the CPU fan spins but there is no video. Steps I have tried so far:

1. Different GPU (changed out 5450 with passive cooling for 6450 with a fan, the fan spins up when the rig is powered on, but still no video to the monitor)

2. Tried booting with every possible RAM configuration (both sticks but in opposite slots, and tried each stick individually in both slots)

3. Took off cpu cooler and put on new thermal paste twice

4. Took out CMOS battery, and tried booting without it and then again with it

Any other suggestions?
 
I need some help diagnosing a problem with an S3620F.

When I press the power button, the CPU fan spins but there is no video. Steps I have tried so far:

1. Different GPU (changed out 5450 with passive cooling for 6450 with a fan, the fan spins up when the rig is powered on, but still no video to the monitor)

2. Tried booting with every possible RAM configuration (both sticks but in opposite slots, and tried each stick individually in both slots)

3. Took off cpu cooler and put on new thermal paste twice

4. Took out CMOS battery, and tried booting without it and then again with it

Any other suggestions?

This sounds like the classic no vid Slimline fault.

If you are out of ideas try checking under the integrated GPU cooler (silver with Foxconn on). The cooling pad under seemed baked to me. Might be worth redoing with fresh pad/paste if yours looks similarly.

I do have to warn it was terminal for mine. I never worked out if it was the motherboard or the PSU that had failed me.
 
Yea, I did a bunch of Googling and concluded the same thing.

Gonna take the CPU, RAM, HDD, and 5450 GPU and throw them with another MicroATX case with a Foxconn G31MXP-K motherboard I got for cheap and a Corsair CX430M PSU I just picked up for 25 bucks and give it to my roommate to use as a HTPC as he is always complaining that the netbook he uses stutters when playing MKVs I have ripped from BDs. I know for a fact this setup should handle that no problem, and for <100 bucks total, should be worth it.
 
FWIW, I think this $69.99 board will fit in the s3000 cases:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157228

and turn it into an HTPC case. All you need is a cheap HP power adapter. It is not the same as the ASRock E350M1 that I used. But I guess it is similar. The stock PSU is more than enough.

Also, I think I it is possible to make a cable to bridge the break-out 4-pin ATX cable into a 4-pin P4 CPU cable. If it works, it would mean all the mini-ITX boards will be instantly compatible with the s3000 slimine case.

All you need is to savage a 4-pin CPU power cable from old PSU (should be quite easy to find / pull). If not, you can still buy one off eBay, I see P4 extension cable for less than $1@. The 4-pin ATX has 1 +12V and 1 GND (yellow and black). Just cut and bind them to the 4-pin P4 CPU cable you cut. Since you are only cutting the ATX adapter. You do not risk breaking any original component, not that they are worth much.

atx-connector-20-24pin.jpeg


ATX-connectors.JPG
 
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Hi everyone

I just picked up a S3010n which has the single front USB port.

Unfortunately the front panel and button are broken. There's quite a few cases on ebay but most seem to have the two usb front ports.

I've seen spare usb's but the cables look different (the single port has three cables whereas the twin port has two cables)

Twin USB Port

Single USB Port

Just wondering if I pick a twin port usb case will it fit and work on the 3010 motherboard?

Ta

WJUK
 
I just picked up a S3010n which has the single front USB port.

UK woo :)

Not sure why the single port has 3 cables coming off it tbh...looks like half the USB pair is headed elsewhere (black header).

The USB part of it is literally just a hub afaik so you should be fine. I'd imagine the drivers for it are pretty generic also.
You'd just be plugging the white header wherever the white header was before (presumably by the SATA plugs on your Locktite Motherboard..

can't say Ive seen a single USB version before - In terms of fitting I'd imagine they are interchangeable(ie the front plate/housings of all the s3xxx series are generic) and if you look at the size of the thing it looks like it's designed that way.
 
I totally forgot I had one of these lying around in my garage until I ran across this thread.

My uncle gave it to me after he dropped it and broke the header off the on-board video. He wanted me to take a look at it, but then decided to just buy a new computer instead, so it pretty much got forgotten.

I came to this forum looking to build a mini server for running some VMs when this thread reminded me that I had one of these. I dusted it off and put a spare video card in it and was surprised that it booted up just fine. It seems nothing else was damaged.

It's now living a new life as a EXSi box. I love this thing, it's so small and quiet, but most importantly, it's so easy to work with, everything just slides neatly into place. I'll probably upgrade the mobo sometime in the future to something that takes DDR3 instead of DDR2, but for now, I'm happy with it.
 
I totally forgot I had one of these lying around in my garage until I ran across this thread.

My uncle gave it to me after he dropped it and broke the header off the on-board video. He wanted me to take a look at it, but then decided to just buy a new computer instead, so it pretty much got forgotten.

I came to this forum looking to build a mini server for running some VMs when this thread reminded me that I had one of these. I dusted it off and put a spare video card in it and was surprised that it booted up just fine. It seems nothing else was damaged.

It's now living a new life as a EXSi box. I love this thing, it's so small and quiet, but most importantly, it's so easy to work with, everything just slides neatly into place. I'll probably upgrade the mobo sometime in the future to something that takes DDR3 instead of DDR2, but for now, I'm happy with it.

Sorry for being ignorant and out of place, but what is ESXi and what does it do?
I tried googling it but didn't find anything useful.
 
Sorry for being ignorant and out of place, but what is ESXi and what does it do?
I tried googling it but didn't find anything useful.

The easiest way to describe it is it's a "host OS" for other Operating Systems running as virtual machines. In practice, you install ESXi (aka, VMWare Hypervisor), then use it to install and manage a bunch of other virtual machines.
So a VMWare box could host several versions of Windows, Linux, etc. It's perfect for test applications across different operating systems, or to run several servers on one box.
 
Ok, im very frustated, my PCI-E slot of my MB burns again and i need buy a new one, after 2 weeks get the MB, but the Front panel doenst match with the power /reset and led internal header of my HP Slimline S5000 ;(
So, in 15 days im gonna try with a new one,and its my final chance,i wasted a lot of money and time, but im so dissapointed to use a ugly and big Micro ATX cheap case,but good news,the Shuttle PC63J can handle my rig ;D,this card runs BF4 Ultra without AA and HBAO 40 FPS ,sometimes drops to 20's,but im waiting to Mantle drivers and patch,thats increase the performance
So heres my final plan
original.jpg



i hope works, loved the case ;D, so i update 14 days
 
Well, I found a s3020n dirt cheap (50 dollars), working and just missing the hard drive. I already had a 1tb drive I slapped in that works, and would like to turn this into a cheap HTPC for the living room. Maybe use it for light steam gaming (nothing intensive or modern) and some emulated games. Mostly for the family to use while I am building a more powerful gaming one for myself.

I see that the RAM is already maxxed out at 2 gigs, but there's room to upgrade the CPU and video card. I found a Asus ATI Radeon HD6450 on Amazon that looks cheap but still seems like it would be an upgrade, and someone in the review section said he put it in an HP slimline, so perhaps the power supply could handle that card without me swapping it out.

EDIT: well after digging around this thread my board should technically support 4 gigs of ram, so thats a lot better. Also, the video card I chose only pulls 26 watts peak, so hoping I don't have to swap out my power supply. Although I am thinking of installing a blu-ray drive since it will be hooked to my tv anyway, so I may have to swap the PSU down the road anyway...
 
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Good news,finally i get the machine fully working :D
I get the most powerfull HP S5000 , i only had 2 issues,the first,i need quit the DVD Drive,i cant found the space to put all inside ,but i dont use it in last 6 months,so its ok
Second one,the case need to be open, if i close it,the cards overheat and crashes after 15 minutes
im planning cut 2 120mm circles to get better airflow,but that must wait to next summer vacations, its fine at the moment,the card runs very hot (73° max temps,39° idle-48° playing videos) but isnt very loud
 
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