I need help upgrading my PC

[KlngKai]

I have a hp pavilion desktop 550 172 and I have been researching on upgrading my GPU so I can turn this pc into a gaming pc but I don't want to make a mistake on buying products not compatible with my PC as I heard I need at least a 450w psu to support a good gpu but as I was choosing one I realized the wires arent the same and worried it wouldnt work one it came, any recommendations anyone could make me on a list of PSU and a good GPU I could buy to start upgrading my computer, many thanks for the help!. Any additional advice would be greatly appreciated!.

[NonSequitur777 · Accepted solution]

@KlngKai,

Welcome to our HP User Forum!

Fortuitously, your HP Pavilion 550-172 Desktop PC according to: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c04796698, is fitted with the Pegatron Memphis2-S motherboard which has an ATX 24-pin power connection. That means you could choose any industry standard ATX power supply, as long as you watch the size (dimensions) of the replacement PSU to make sure you can fit it inside your chassis.

If your budget allows you to spend more, choose a fully modular power supply. The advantage is that you'll only have to plug in the power cables you need, which makes cable management a breeze.

But for a budget-friendly priced power supply unit, take a look at this 550 watt power supply unit, for example: https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Warranty-Power-Supply-100-N1-0550-L1/dp/B01LYGJL0E/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3Q4WW..., which has these dimensions: 5.51 x 5.91 x 3.35 inches (LxWxH).

Take some measurements inside your desktop and see if this PSU is a fit.

Hope this was helpful.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[KlngKai]

I appreciate the fact you even added a link to make things easier for me, a really nice save!. I have decided to go ahead and might as well buy the 750w PSU since there's no harm in having more!. My only question now is what GPU would you recommend I get for gaming? As well as is there anything else that I would need to buy/get to enhance the performance of gaming? Im not trying to go with a crazy build but I just want to make sure a good GPU is all I would need to get a better gaming experience and if not I would love to go ahead and fix all the problems now so gaming would be easier for me, Thanks and much appreciated for the help! 🙂

[NonSequitur777]

@KlngKai,

As long as the 750 watt PSU fits inside your desktop, indeed why not. As a matter of fact, you could even park a PSU outside your chassis, and you may be able to feed the power cables to your motherboard by removing the PCIe bracket slots located at the back of your case.

As far as a CPU upgrade is concerned, looking here: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c04796698, the Intel Core i7-4790S or i7-4790 are listed as the most powerful processors for your desktop.

You can get an i7-4790S around $45 via eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=i7-4790S&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&LH_BIN=1&_sop=15&LH_....

Do not buy one of these "for parts only" or "delidded", and buy from a trusted Seller who allows "30 day returns" -just in case.

The i7-4790S looks like a good choice to me because the i7-4790S has a TDP ("Thermal Design Power") of 65 watt, whereas the TDP of the i7-4790 is 84 watt. It isn't because you won't have enough wattage to power the i7-4790, it means that the "S" version generates considerably less heat, and performance-wise is almost identical to the non-S version.

You want me to be even more specific? I can indeed. If I were in the market for an i7-4790S, I would strongly consider this Seller: https://www.ebay.com/itm/334477204111?hash=item4de0651a8f%3Ag%3A3E4AAOSwrMxiTKRK&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAA....

But wait. Researching this a little more, it appears that your desktop would also be compatible with the i7-4790K, which has a high TDP of 88 watt, but according to HP's specs ("TDP: Up to 88 W") would work. The i7-4790K is aptly named the "Devil's Canyon", and is a powerful gaming processor. You can get one of these for around $100 via eBay. If you were to go this route, you probably will have to upgrade your internal cooling fan(s). It is something I would do, but going off the HP reservation and making non-HP sanctioned modifications is not for everybody.

As far as graphics cards are concerned, almost all GPUs have come down in pricing considerably. It is definitely a "buyer's" market. With a 750 watt power supply, you can power most higher end graphics cards -it all depends on your budget, and you want to take a close look at the GPUs dimensions, making sure it will fit in your chassis, and that your PSU has the PCIe power cable(s) to power it.

Anyway, some graphics card examples I ran into lately ( competitively priced ) are the GeForce RTX 2060 12GB: https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Gaming-12G-P4-2263-KR-Backplate/dp/B09NQ99NSR/ref=sr_1_9?crid=T7..., the GeForce GTX 1660 Super SC Ultra Gaming 6GB: https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Gaming-Backplate-06G-P4-1068-KR/dp/B07ZHZL2JB/ref=sr_1_2_mod_pri..., and the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT Gaming 4GB: https://www.amazon.com/PowerColor-Fighter-Radeon-Gaming-Graphics/dp/B09PSN3Y63/ref=sr_1_9?crid=33TLC....

But like I said, you will have a lot of graphics card options to choose from.

Hope this was helpful.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[NonSequitur777]

@KlngKai,

We haven't discussed RAM yet -my bad. You really should max out your RAM: 2 x 8GB DDR3 PC3-12800, 1600 MHz, Non-ECC, UDIMM, 240-pin RAM.  If you have one 8GB RAM stick, buy an identical second 8GB RAM stick.  If you got, say 2 x 4GB RAM sticks, replace with a quality brand 2 x 8GB RAM sticks, such as Samsung.

I looked at various RAM options, and you may want to consider this example: https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-original-240-pin-PC3-12800-desktop/dp/B00G1H3UUI/ref=sr_1_2?crid=N1L0..., but there are cheaper 2 x 8GB options such as "Patriot", "LEVEN", or "Silicon Power" DDR3 240-pin RAM.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[KlngKai]

Went ahead and bought the PSU, RAM stick, and CPU, Sadly the 12GB GPU doesnt fit in my computer so I had to settle for the 6GB GPU I hope it doesnt make it too much difference waiting till friday to order that but many thanks to you my brother for making this so easy for me I greatly appreciate you for all the information and help I wish you the best!.

[NonSequitur777]

@KlngKai,

It was my privilege to assist you as a fellow HP User.

Through my own small contributions to fellow HP computer users, I try to pay it forward, so to speak.

If you can find the time, please follow up how things worked out.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777