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erico
Posts: 25,943
Member Since: ‎01-07-2009
Message 1 of 12 (9,974 Views)
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Can I upgrade the Pavilion Slimline 180 Watt PSU to a 300 Watt PSU

[ Edited ]

Of course you can!

 

Here is an informative video on possibilities for upgrading your slimline PSU found on YouTube.  A comparison of three PSUs, including the HP proprietary PSU, and stress testing  (both video and CPU) and noise comparison is shown during the video.

 

Be aware that some, but not all, of the PSU upgrades require a slight and simple modification of your slimline PSU bracket.Modification depends on the model of PSU chosen for the upgrade.

 

The purchase of a molex adapter as HP PSUs is required for Slimlines that use a PSU with the proprietary microfit ATX 24 pin format as the standard for HTPC PSUs is ATX 20 pin format.

 

Upgrading your PSU to one with a higher wattage rating will not damage your motherboard. A PSU will only supply as much power as is demanded of it by the motherboard and peripherals up to the rated capacity of the installed PSU. 

 

This is for those who wondered how to get around the limitation of the low wattage 180 Watt PSU that most Pavilion Slimline PCs come with from assembly. With an upgraded PSU, more memory and a low-profile graphics card, including the bracket (this is a requirement) your Slimline can be your gaming PC.

 

Selecting a graphics card is another subject. Not all graphics cards will fit inside the case of a slimline. A low profile video card is required. They are available for purchase online. 

regards,
erico
Message Edited by erico on 11-15-2009 01:17 PM




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1badGuard
Posts: 2,491
Member Since: ‎12-09-2008
Message 2 of 12 (10,004 Views)

Re: Upgrading Pavilion Slimline 180 Watt PSU to a 300 Watt PSU

1,000,000,000 kudos for Erico. Great post. Debunks lots of myths and hearsay's.    :smileyvery-happy:

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RoyalSerpent
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Member Since: ‎01-27-2009
Message 3 of 12 (9,975 Views)

Re: Upgrading Pavilion Slimline 180 Watt PSU to a 300 Watt PSU

Novice users should also pay attention to the quality of the PSU.  Look for a unit that's rated to delivery at least 300W continuous into +12VDC at 40C or higher ambient temperature.  DO NOT rely on the generic total wattage of the PSU.

 

The slimline case will not accept a mid to high-end graphic card.  Therefore, don't expect to run the latest games will all the bells and whistles.  Case ventilation will be an issue, since these units are not meant to dissipate a lot of heat.

 

In summary, these machines are meant for web browsing and office duties.  I would not attempt to convert a slimline to a decent gaming rig.  A decent E5300 CPU/MB combo is only $100.  This rig can be overclocked to a minimum of 3.4GHz.  Use it as the foundation of your gaming rig.

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GeneAum
Posts: 5
Member Since: ‎11-14-2009
Message 4 of 12 (8,875 Views)

Re: Upgrading Pavilion Slimline 180 Watt PSU to a 300 Watt PSU

Hey Royal,   A thought just occurred to me.  Taking my situation as an example, the slimline is on a shelf (laying on it's side)  in the entertainment center.  So, I'm thinking of replacing the wimpy internal supply with a larger unit that would sit behind the computer, pretty much out of view.

 

I would think the only issue would be extending all the cables into the computer, which may not be an issue as desktop supplies have very long cables.

 

Any gotchas with this plan?

 

Cheers,   GA

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old_geekster
Posts: 10,405
Member Since: ‎11-21-2008
Message 5 of 12 (8,871 Views)

Re: Upgrading Pavilion Slimline 180 Watt PSU to a 300 Watt PSU

Gene, Royal hasn't posted on the forum since August.  So, I don't know if he will see your post.  However, the only gotcha that I can think of is the PSU helps cool the inside of the case.  Therefore, this may be a problem, unless you add another fan to take its place.
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GeneAum
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Message 6 of 12 (8,868 Views)

Re: Upgrading Pavilion Slimline 180 Watt PSU to a 300 Watt PSU

Oh, thanks OG.  New to the HP forums myself.

 

My new 5200z has fours fans, so I would think there's quite a bit of cooling going on.

 

Guess I was wondering if there were any proprietary connectors from the supply.  Perhaps not as 3rd party units work.

 

I just purchased an Asus vid card that states it draws less than 20watts at full load, so hoping this works in the slimline w/ a 220w PSU.

 

Will let you know.

 

GA

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AZPaul
Posts: 20
Member Since: ‎12-19-2008
Message 7 of 12 (8,850 Views)

Re: Upgrading Pavilion Slimline 180 Watt PSU to a 300 Watt PSU

These slim-line computer mother boards are crap, HP has changed mine 3 times, once for no-boot and twice for the PCI-e crapping out and again for the third time the PCI-e slot has quit working.
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GeneAum
Posts: 5
Member Since: ‎11-14-2009
Message 8 of 12 (8,839 Views)

Re: Upgrading Pavilion Slimline 180 Watt PSU to a 300 Watt PSU

How were the repairs handled:  onsite, ship to depot, or parts shipped to you (and you replace)?

 

Sounds terrible!  The warranty is only a year, so I imagine after that you'll just replace the mobo with a decent quality unit.

 

I guess I can't complain:  I purchased thru APP, and had a $50 coupon, so the silly thing was ~~ $280

 

 

GA

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erico
Posts: 25,943
Member Since: ‎01-07-2009
Message 9 of 12 (8,819 Views)

Re: Upgrading Pavilion Slimline 180 Watt PSU to a 300 Watt PSU

[ Edited ]

Hi Gene,


GeneAum wrote:

Hey Royal,   A thought just occurred to me.  Taking my situation as an example, the slimline is on a shelf (laying on it's side)  in the entertainment center.  So, I'm thinking of replacing the wimpy internal supply with a larger unit that would sit behind the computer, pretty much out of view.

 

I would think the only issue would be extending all the cables into the computer, which may not be an issue as desktop supplies have very long cables.

 

Any gotchas with this plan?

 

Cheers,   GA


 

That method is only viable when testing a PC with the case side left open. Slimline PC's just don't have the cooling airflow of standard PC's. As a long term solution would tend to shorten the life of the chipset on the motherboard.

 

BTW...you stated that your 5200z has four fans. That is a bit unusual. Normally a standard OEM PC has a rear fan and a CPU cooling fan and nothing more except the PSU built in fan. A slimline PC has even less space to add fans that a standard ATX footprint PC does.  I take it you installed more fans than it was delivered with.

 

regards,

erico 

Message Edited by erico on 11-15-2009 12:38 PM
Message Edited by erico on 11-15-2009 12:40 PM




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cavedog
Posts: 1
Member Since: ‎09-14-2009
Message 10 of 12 (8,420 Views)

Re: Upgrading Pavilion Slimline 180 Watt PSU to a 300 Watt PSU

erico,

 

Is it possible to use a stand alone PSU outside the case to power the HD and DVD/CD and leave the onboard PSU for the mother board?  Would that free up enough wattage for a decent graphics card?

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