Upgrading hp pavillion 500-311no

[Vezage]

I bought Hp pavillion 500-311no desktop pc some years ago and now I feel like I would like to get some more power out of it so is it possible to upgrade this computer. I mostly use this pc for gaming so what I am looking to upgrade is the gpu. It seems the motherboard supports the newest grphics cards and i think they should also fit the case. Incase of replacing parts the psu should be probably replaced as well. Also does the motherboard support overclocking and how does overclocking and replacing parts affect warranty?

[Jay_101 · Accepted solution]

Greetings,

You have some pluses on your side:

Available PCIe x16 3.0 slot,

UEFI BIOS.

Your chassis will limit the length of the graphics card upgrade.

You only have a 300 watt power supply.

Most HP motherboards cannot be overclocked. I have an Intel 4820K. HP provides limited overclocking capabilities with this processor.

Check measurements on the existing power supply.  A 600 power supply will run most newer high end graphics cards. Nvidia cards tend to require less power than equivalent AMD cards.

Check headroom from the back input/output panel where the x16 slot is to determine the maximum length of the new card.

Shop for a new graphics card and power supply after you know your limitations. High end cards are usually dual slot. Verify you have room to install a dual slot card. You'll have to be able to pop a second input/output panel backplate to install a dual slot graphics card.

Modular power supplies reduce cable clutter in the chassis.

Cheers!

[erico]

What is the installed socket FM2+ CPU?

See then following official specification sheet for the list of compatible CPUs.

http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docId=emr_na-c04378197 

"Also does the motherboard support overclocking and how does overclocking and replacing parts affect warranty?"

Overclocking features are not present in the BIOS.  

Replacing parts does not affect warranty, unless you happen to damage the PC during the removal or installation of parts. Keep the original parts so you can put them back in if you have to send the PC in for warranty service.

Your PC is a 2014 model, so it is unliikely to still be within warranty unless you purchased an extended warranty.

Make certain that you purchase a video card that has the ability to support legacy and UEFI BIOS.  That can definitely be a roadblock if you don't pay attention to that. Otherwise the motherboard's BIOS won't recognize it as being present.

You will have to upgrade the current PSU to one that provides 400 Watts or more and that has at least one or more PCIe 6-pin power connectors.

[Jay_101]

Hi erico,

Why would Vezage have to worry about using a hybrid graphics card?

HP's Software and driver download site clearly shows the PC has UEFI BIOS.

Check the Diagnostics download options.

SP74845 is a UEFI diagnostic download file.

Is there an HP problem at the download site for this PC? Please have HP fix this.

Jay

[erico]

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@Jay_101 wrote:

Hi erico,

Why would Vezage have to worry about using a hybrid graphics card?

HP's Software and driver download site clearly shows the PC has UEFI BIOS.

Check the Diagnostics download options.

SP74845 is a UEFI diagnostic download file.

Is there an HP problem at the download site for this PC? Please have HP fix this.

Jay

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As far as I know, a "hybrid graphics card"  does not apply to the discussion in this thread. 

What I did recommend is to ensure that the card type purchased is one that supports legacy and uefi vBIOS.  

That gives the member options in case the default Secure Boot Configuration of the card does not allow the new video card to be recognized  as present on boot.  It is an issue that many people trying to upgrade a video card in their manufactured desktop PC run into.  

The solution that avoids the issue is called a hybrid video BIOS. There are PCIe x16 video cards that actually have a physical switch on the card to allow that to be done. Sapphiretech manufactures  video cards that allow that and other manufacturers as well.

[Jay_101]

Hi erico,

My usage of hybrid refers to two types of BIOS ie. UEFI or Legacy BIOS, being available for use based on the system configuration.

Why would one limit their choice of graphics card upgrades if the the system is capable of running UEFI graphics cards?

Jay