Is it possible to upgrade GPU on HP Pavilion Desktop (TP01-0066) with external power?

[retro_gamer]

I recently purchased a HP Pavilion Desktop (TP01-0066). It comes with a Ryzen 7 3700x CPU and an RX 550 GPU. It also has a 310 W power supply. I see from another post that it only has a PCIe 3.0 x16 slot though the CPU supports PCIe 4.0 x16. I picked it up since it's been a pain to find anything decent on the market due to the chip shortage lately. But I want to be sure I can upgrade it down the line. I know that a 1650 would work since it can just pull the 75W needed from the motherboard. I want to know if it can also handle a 1650 Super or 1660 Super without a power supply upgrade. Meaning does the PSU provide 6 pin or 8 pin connection that can be plugged into the GPU for external power? I have not opened up the unit. I still have a few days before the return window expires.

I realize the recommended power for 1650 Super is 400W or something but the CPU is rated at 65W. I think it should be okay. I've seen other HP desktops go as high as 3060 with a 400W PSU.

[Grzwacz]

@retro_gamer ,

A B550A chipset supports one PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (graphics card) and one PCIe 4.0 M.2 socket. So you should be able to do a PCIe 4.0 graphics card in the future.

The GPU upgrade problems could be the power supply and fitting a higher powered card in the motherboard and chassis.

HP no longer provides MB images at this support site (Link). I don't know if you have a HP proprietary power supply or a standard 24 pin ATX power supply. If a standard 24 pin ATX PSU and the new graphics card fits in the system this means you can upgrade in the future.

Look, I follow manufacturer recommendations when installing graphics cards. I also add 100 watts as a buffer for future upgrades. I would go with a 650 watt or better PSU if you can upgrade the PSU using retail parts and the prospective graphics card fits in your PC.

I am running a 850 watt PSU on a 3900x, a RTX 2080, and a PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 drive using a B550 chipset with no problems.

Regards

[retro_gamer]

@grzwacz,

Thank you for the reply. I haven't looked inside, but I believe this system has a HP proprietary power supply. Something like this perhaps -- https://www.impactcomputers.com/l03980-800.html Which means even if I get another power supply, it likely won't have what seems to be a proprietary 4-pin connector. I would have to get an HP power supply, and the largest one I've seen them make in the Pavilion line is 400W. They use a 500W in the Omen line but I believe that is a retail product from Cooler Master or something. And if I'm really going to spring for a 650W or higher PSU, at that point it's a DIY situation. Might as well build a PC. I would like to do that, but can't get a gpu to save my life. Which brings us back to why I bought a Pavilion in the first place.

[Prométhée · Accepted solution]

hi

Power Supply Cross Reference for specific models

You probably will not be able to use a different model power supply.
Installing a non-Hp power supply, may require adaptations, may be too complicated

If you can't find an answer with this document
or, if you can forget this computer, go on to something else, more "configurable" upgradable
Or if you can not install a desired graphics card, switch to another model
you may have seen already, you may find some models in the list of the same series (check power supply and motherboard)

also check the dimension of the graphics card, if too large, it may not fit, and risk of overheating
the tower  are not always very spacious

https://support.hp.com/us-en/product/hp-pavilion-desktop-pc-tp01-0000a/37874144

HP Pavilion Desktop TP01-0001nq Bundle PC Product Specifications

Erica

NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1660 SUPER™ (6 GB GDDR6 dedicated)

310 W Gold efficiency power supply

[retro_gamer]

Many thanks for the guidance. I figured these concerns can best be answered by looking in the box. So I did. Luckily the psu has a 6+2 PCIe power connector available for future upgrades. Part number is L63964-002. From the @promethee post I see that HP itself packages a GTX 1660 Super with the same power supply and CPU in another model. Which means I should be able to get up to GTX 1660 Ti at least. That's all I was looking for. Last remaining concern was the motherboard. It would have been nice to have PCIe 4.0 support, but based on this article -- https://www.anandtech.com/show/14983/amd-b550a-chipset-oem-only-pcie-30 and this AMD page -- https://www.amd.com/en/products/chipsets-am4 B550a is just a rebranded B450 chipset so PCIe 3.0 only. At any rate the 1660s are PCIe 3.0 so I should be okay either way. Thanks again.

[Prométhée]

Be careful though to check the requirements of the card manufacturer
Models may need a more powerful power supply
please mark the subject, if you have your answer

[retro_gamer]

I've checked the specs for HP OEM GTX 1660 Ti here -- https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/hp-gtx-1660-ti.b7854 and also calculated the wattage for my system on partpicker. Some manufacturers do call for 400-450 watts but the math doesn't add up even if I add a 3rd storage drive, an optical drive and better cooling. I'm not looking to do any high end gaming here, just some decent emulation with upscaling support. I think we should be okay. I'll see if I can keep an eye on the power draw from the wall. Thanks.