HP Compaq Pro 6300 MT upgrading power and videocard and maybe SSD?

[The_Wesss]

Hi everyone,

I want to futher upgrade my pc: HP Compaq 6300 Pro MT.

Memory and Cpu already upgraded from 8 - 32gb and I5 to I7, no problems that was easy.

But how do i upgrade the Power Unit(now 320W) for a good Videocard(if that is possible).

I got a GT 1030 Geforce but FPS is not really good with games.

I selected that card because of the low Watt(55 i believe).

Can i change the Power Unit, and if yes which one so i dont have to change my motherboard, for like 500 or 600W and a better videocard with higher W and better specs?

Also is it possible for a 500mb/1gb SSD when i have more power?

Or am I stuck with my current GT 1030,500gb HD and 320W Power Unit?

[BeemerBiker]

You should read this article by @NonSequitur777 

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Desktop-Hardware-and-Upgrade-Questions/Upgrading-HP-Compaq-Pro-6300-SF...

[NonSequitur777 · Accepted solution]

@The_Wesss,

Thank you, @BeemerBiker.

What I should add to this discussion, given that you got the MT model, are the following observations/suggestions/facts:

1.) In order to power a high(er)-end graphics card as seen in this HP Compaq Pro 6300 MT User benchmark link, you'll need to upgrade your power supply as you already mentioned. And yes, a GT 1030 sucks -but I digress. What I would do, is to use a 24-pin ATX to HP power adapter as seen here in this Amazon-US link, but you should be able to purchase it in your neck of the woods as well, including AliExpress. What this adapter will allow you to do, is to get rid of your proprietary 320-watt power supply and replacing it with an industry standard ATX power supply up to 1,000 watt, though you are unlikely to need more than, say a 700 watt PSU. As a matter of fact, HP's specs suggests that you shouldn't go over 725 watt anyway. Watch its dimensions (LxWxH) for fit inside your MT case.  Don't buy a cheapo power supply.

2.) Same with installing a better graphics card: make sure it physically fits inside your case, and that your upgraded power supply can power your card.

3.) You said you upgraded your MT to an i7 processor.  I would strongly recommend an i7-3770K.

4.) You can upgrade your MT with whatever capacity SATA SSDs (plural) you are willing to spend. 

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[The_Wesss]

Thank you for helping me out.

I ordered the  24pin and a 700w atx psu from Amazone, faster delivery;-)

They ship it Wednesday to my house, so i can install everything and see if it works. Also do i need something to change in Bios some settings or?

I have the I7 3770 without K installed. is there much difference without the K version?, and can a I7-3770K also in the PC?

If all goes well wednesday i will search for a videocard and will update it here the upgrade status further.

O 1 question about it, can a 4.0 PCI Express videocard in a 3.0 slot?

Thanks again, preciate it 😉

[NonSequitur777]

@The_Wesss,

I would recommend that you get the latest HP BIOS version, that's all. Go to: HP Compaq Pro 6300 Microtower PC Software and Driver Downloads | HP® Support and select "Windows 7 (64-bit)".  The most recent BIOS version is:

The i7-3770K works great in your platform, as you can see with this HP Compaq Pro 6300 MT User, for example. The difference between an i7-3770 and an i7-3770K is minor, but for the enthusiast who would like to squeeze out every last drop of performance from your system, it would be an option. The absolute very best processor compatible with your platform would be a Xeon E3-1290 V2, as I installed it in my HP Compaq Pro 6300 SFF upgrade project, but this processor is expensive.

A 4.0 PCIe videocard will run at 3.0 speed.  In other words, it will run just fine.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[The_Wesss]

Pfoe what a work that bios upgrade, after 1 hour spending useless multiple times updating i found on google that i had to update the 2.9version first otherwise the latest version wont install haha. But at the end the victory was mine!

Today came the 700w ATX psu with that cable you mentioned.

After some trial and error and many beeps it worked finally so i got myself a 700w powered pc 🙂

Next in line is the videocard i am gonna order now.

Thank you for all the help!

[NonSequitur777]

@The_Wesss,

Outstanding / Uitstekend!

If you don't mind, please follow up with your graphics card upgrade, and how well it performs.  You could test your system using the UserBenchMark software as a (free) tool.

Kind Regards / Met Vriendelijke Groeten,

NonSequitur777

[The_Wesss]

inderdaad uitstekend 😉

Yes i will follow up with the GPU.

Today after the PSU upgrade i cleaned everything inside the MT. Do i need to refresh some coolingpaste somewhere? The MT is so much old, but i dont want to end up overheating something and broke everything after all the hard work haha.

[NonSequitur777]

@The_Wesss,

You should be fine.  Btw, your 700-watt power supply upgrade will only deliver the wattage needed by your desktop.  As a matter of fact, compared with your old (stock) power supply, it will run considerably cooler because it doesn't have to 'work' so hard to deliver the power to your PC components.

The power adapter cable/assembly (at least in my experience) doesn't overheat either, even when paired with an RTX 3080 and an 850-watt PSU.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777