Pavilion Elite HPE-575a - Upgrade Questions [ Edited ]

[Jason_]

Hi, I’m looking at buying this PC: Pavilion Elite HPE-575a Product Specifications

I’d like to get as much information on the upgrade potential of this PC. I’m a gamer so upgrading the GPU is a must at some stage. Of course that depends on what PSU will fit in the case. What would be the maximum wattage good quality PSU that would fit in that case. 750w looks like the sort of PSU I’d need to upgrade in about a year or so to get the GPU I’d want for the games I’ll be playing. Are there any 750w PSUs for this PC, is there a good brand range and are there quality brands available?

Memory and processor upgrade is covered.

Thanks for any info, Jason.

[Big_Dave]

Hi Jason,

You should be able to get a 650 watt power supply (PSU) to work.  Just be sure that it is the same physical size as the standard HP PSU.  I am using a Corsair HX 650 in basically the same cabinet.  The Corsair line of power supplies are top notch and excellent quality.  The HX 650 has a 52 amp rating for the +12 volt bus which is sufficient to run most high end video cards (if you can get them to fit in the HP cabinet).

[old_geekster]

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Jason_ wrote:

Hi, I’m looking at buying this PC: Pavilion Elite HPE-575a Product Specifications

I’d like to get as much information on the upgrade potential of this PC. I’m a gamer so upgrading the GPU is a must at some stage. Of course that depends on what PSU will fit in the case. What would be the maximum wattage good quality PSU that would fit in that case. 750w looks like the sort of PSU I’d need to upgrade in about a year or so to get the GPU I’d want for the games I’ll be playing. Are there any 750w PSUs for this PC, is there a good brand range and are there quality brands available?

Memory and processor upgrade is covered.

Thanks for any info, Jason.

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Jason, welcome to the forum.

The computer appears to be good for gaming.  Any ATX PSU should work fine.  I always suggest measuring the existing PSU to compare to the one that you choose.  You can use the 750W PSU since the computer only uses the amount of wattage required to run it.  I like Corsair and OCZ.  They are manufacturers who make their products for gamers / enthusiasts.

Please let us know if this solves your problem or not.

[Jason_]

Thanks Big_Dave and old_geekster, that is very helpful.

Big_Dave what your saying sounds like what others are saying on this thread from the Nvidia forums (GTX 580 with 650 Watts psu) it has more to do with the AMPs then the wattage. Apparently the GTX 580M requires 42 amps so the 52 amps HX 650 will likely work, though I do understand it’s always best to get as much wattage for better power consumption efficiency. So it maybe possible to use GTX 580 if it will physically fit or maybe something similar at least. Also would you guys agree with what Heedless_onE is saying on this Nvidia forum thread: The PSU Quick Reference Guide By Heedless_onE.

Say I do upgrade to the GTX 580M in about a year or so when the price comes down a lot, the other issue is cooling. I live in Australia just north of Sydney, in mid-summer temperatures can and usually at some stage exceed 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40C). I’m thinking the existing fan won’t be enough, are there fans with faster RPM that will fit and work with this computer? Would just installing one fan of the same size with much higher RPMs be good enough or would it be better to go two fans? Can a second fan be installed?

Oh almost forgot, there is a warning about faulty Intel CPU on the product page for this computer. I’m thinking that doesn’t apply to newly brought units, but I just want to make sure. 

Again thanks for any information, I‘m learning so much useful stuff.

[Big_Dave]

Hi Jason,

I don't feel that the HP cabinets are really designed to handle the type of wattage consumption that you are considering. If you were to install a video card that uses considerable less wattage then you should be OK.  What gives off more heat, a 100 watt light bulb or a 250 watt light bulb?  I am just trying to put the wattage in perspective for you.

If you can wait, both AMD (6xxx) and NVIDIA (7xxx) are coming out with new video cards.  This is a very good site to do some video card research.

As far as a cabinet goes, depending on the wattage consumption of the card, you might want to consider a custom cabinet that has better venting and more fans.