I want to upgrade my new HP computer...

[Phoenix7777]

Basically, I have a few questions...

1. What form factor is the motherboard on this?

2. If I upgrade the motherboard, will it match with the IO shield and will I be able to use the USB ports on the top of the computer?

3. If I do not change the motherboard, will it be able to handle a GTX 1080? (500W PSU)

My system specs are i7 5820k @3.3 GHZ, 12GB DDR4 RAM, 2TB hard drive, GTX 745 OEM, DVD optical drive, and a 500W PSU...

Thanks for helping if possible!!

[old_geekster · Accepted solution]

@Phoenix7777, welcome to the forum.

---

@Phoenix7777 wrote:

Basically, I have a few questions...

1. What form factor is the motherboard on this?  The Form Factor is uATX (9.4" x 9.4").

2. If I upgrade the motherboard, will it match with the IO shield and will I be able to use the USB ports on the top of the computer?  This can be a problem.  HP's motherboards are mostly proprietary.  The connectors and stand-offs in the case are not always the same as a retail motherboard.

3. If I do not change the motherboard, will it be able to handle a GTX 1080? (500W PSU).  The best way to know if the video card will fit is, measure from the Back I/O plate to the front of the case where the card is installed.  There are two (2) PCI Express x16 (GEN3) slots on the motherboard.  I don't believe that it matters which one you use.  It will be doubtful that it will fit, however.

The one component that you could add that would make the most differene is a SSD.  I have a Phoenix 860-170vr.  It has a R9-390X video card.  I removed the HDD and installed a Samsung EVO 840 - 500 GB, SSD.  The difference is amazing.  The boot time is about 15 seconds.  The game (COD - Blacklist) I am playing runs much more smoothly at Ultra settings with the SSD.  I used the EVO 840 because I already owned it.

@MY system specs are i7 5820k @3.3 GHZ, 12GB DDR4 RAM, 2TB hard drive, GTX 745 OEM, DVD optical drive, and a 500W PSU...

Thanks for helping if possible!!

---

Please click the Thumbs up + button if I have helped you and click Accept as Solution if your problem is solved.

[Phoenix7777]

Ok so the motherboard is basically a no go. Two more questions: where do I measure to in order to make sure the 1080 fits? IO to end of motherboard? Or IO to end of case? And will I need to upgrade the power supply to accommodate the new card?

Thank you so much!!

[old_geekster]

You are very welcome, @Phoenix7777.

I would appreciate it if you would provide a link to the card that you want to buy.  This will allow me to review the specs.

---

@Phoenix7777 wrote:
Ok so the motherboard is basically a no go. Two more questions: where do I measure to in order to make sure the 1080 fits? IO to end of motherboard? Or IO to end of case?  I would measure from the I/O to the end of the motherboard.  However, if it goes a bit beyond the mobo it shouldn't be a problem.  As I said, I have a R9-390X in my Phoenix.  I believe that it is 10.5" or 11".  It is very tight, but still works perfectly without overheating.

And will I need to upgrade the power supply to accommodate the new card?  If the card requires 500W, I would definitely upgrade to at least 650W.  This would allow for extra wattage for peak usage. 

Thank you so much!!

---

[Phoenix7777]

Thank you sooo much!! I think I will replace my PSU if need be but for now it is not a necessity... On that note, I think the graphics card might just fit! I will replace it with my current one in the same slot so I won't have to unscrew anything! I will measure again now to make sure!! Thank you again for all of your amazing help!

[old_geekster]

You are very welcome, @Phoenix7777.

Keep in mind my suggestion to install a SSD.  You won't believe the difference that it will make unless you see it for yourself.  If you have never used a SSD you will be amazed.  I will never own a computer with a HDD again.

[Phoenix7777]

I sure will! I took measurements again and it looks like the card will hang 1.5 inches out from the motherboard, but it does not seem to get in the way of anything! I may get a 128GB SSD to install windows on... With that being said, will I be able to have an SSD along with the Hard Drive in this computer? Because I definetely want both...

[old_geekster]

Yes, @Phoenix7777, you will be able to have both. However, you can't have two OS'es on the computer when it boots or there may be confusion.  I will make another recommendation.  Please buy at least a 256 GB SSD.  In fact, if you can afford a 500 GB SSD it would be even better.  The 128 GB SSD will be full before you know it.  Also, you want the SSD to be the boot drive.  This is where they are superior.  You have to make certain that the BIOS is set to AHCI in the SATA section.  This is important for the SSD to function properly.

"Advanced Host Controller Interface

The Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) is a technical standard defined by Intel that specifies the operation of Serial ATA (SATA) host bus adapters in a non-implementation-specific manner. The specification describes a system memory structure for computer hardware vendors to exchange data between host system memory and attached storage devices."

The best way to install a SSD is, leave the HDD installed as it came from the factory.  Connect the SSD to another SATA port on the motherboard.  Install the cloning software onto the HDD and open it.  It will ask which is the target drive and that will be the SSD.  Once the HDD contents are transferred to the SSD, you should disconnect the HDD and reboot.  It should boot to the SSD.  Samsung has their Data Migration software which works great.  Also, they have their Magician software that will allow you to tweak the SSD to get the best performance from it.

Here is the latest Samsung 500 GB SSD.  I believe you can get the EVO 840 for less money, however.  You will need an adapter to install the EVO 2.5" SSD into an 3.5" Drive Bay.  I paid $260 for my EVO 840 500 GB.

[Phoenix7777]

Ok! I ordered the SSD and was wondering if there was any way to migrate ONLY the OS to it... I really do not want to do a fresh install of Windows lol

[Phoenix7777]

Oh, and I got a 120GB PNY ssd as my budget would not allow for anything larger