Possible Hardware Upgrades

[e_norm]

Hello, I currently own a HP Pavilion Gaming - TG01-1160xt CTO and I wanted to know if there are any upgrades I can make to the CPU, GPU, storage, etc. I understand that I am limited by the case of the PC, the current proprietary power supply, the motherboard, I am just curious as to what I can do, and where I can find upgrades to the power supply if needed.

Specs:
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 SUPER™ (4 GB GDDR6 dedicated)
256 SSD storage
1 TB HDD storage
16 GB DDR4-2666 SDRAM i3, i5
400 W PSU
Windows 10
Intel® Core™ i5-10400 (2.9 GHz up to 4.3 GHz, 12 MB L3 cache, 6 cores)

[NonSequitur777]

@e_norm,

Welcome to our HP community forum!

Given your specs (including your 400-watt power supply), I would recommend the following upgrades for your HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop TG01-1160xt as fitted with a Baker motherboard (SSID: 8767) -please verify.  These upgrades will create a lean-mean gaming machine, that will last for many years to come:

1.) Upgrade to an i7-10700 (such as via this eBay purchase example: https://www.ebay.com/itm/285754405585?epid=21039070162&itmmeta=01HT5PZY013P9KYJ56HZV054S7&hash=item4...), or an i7-10700F (such as via this eBay purchase example: https://www.ebay.com/itm/226067154601?itmmeta=01HT5PZY00S760T1A2Q9Q4Y7A8&hash=item34a2a706a9%3Ag%3A8...).

2.) Upgrade your RAM with a dual-rank 2 x 16GB RAM kit of DDR4 PC4-25600, 3200 MHz, Non-ECC, Unbuffered, DIMM (UDIMM), 288-pin RAM sticks, such as this Amazon purchase example: https://www.amazon.com/TEAMGROUP-3200MHz-PC4-25600-Unbuffered-Computer/dp/B086X2KM1V/ref=pd_ci_mcx_p....) This RAM will "bridge" (down throttle) to 2933 MHz as per your processor specs.

3.) Upgrade to an RTX 4060, such as this smaller-sized (two fan) model powered by a single 8-pin PCIe power cable: https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/asus-dual-rtx-4060-oc.b11146.

4.) Use an M.2 NVMe SSD as your primary (boot) drive, preferably a 1TB model, such as this outstanding Crucial T500 1TB example for sale at the moment for $72.49: Amazon.com: Crucial T500 500GB Gen4 NVMe M.2 Internal Gaming SSD, Up to 7200MB/s, Laptop & Desktop C....

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[e_norm]

Couple of questions, 
- How do I find the SSID mentioned?
- Are there cheaper alternatives to the CPU and GPU mentioned around the $250 or lower range?

[NonSequitur777]

@e_norm,

Type in System Information in your Windows search bar and click on the System Information App.  Look to the right of "BaseBoard Product" which will show your motherboard's SSID number.

Well, in order to upgrade your desktop to a gaming level I think you would like it to be, you'll need more than $250.

What you could do is at least upgrade your RAM and your CPU as I recommended, which will cost you around that amount, and save up for a graphics card upgrade later.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[e_norm]

My baseboard product number is 8767, version is A (SMVB). Anything significant about this? Like is the ASUS DUAL RTX 4060 OC compatible with it considering the 1650 Super uses 6 pins and the 4060 OC use 8 pins?

[NonSequitur777]

@e_norm,

You verified that you got a Baker motherboard, meaning, you can upgrade your power supply with a 500-watt unit, with p/n: L05757-800. Knowing this is helpful because you could upgrade your PC to additional high-end graphics cards.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[NonSequitur777]

@e_norm,

Your existing 400-watt power supply should be equipped with a 6+2-pin PCIe power cable, and thus could power an RTX 4060 (which sports a surprisingly low 115-watt TDP given its graphics performance power), as shown in the TechPowerUp link I provided:

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[e_norm]

Would it be more beneficial to purchase the version with the heatsink already installed? I checked the description for the version you sent, and it does not seem to have a thermal pad.

[NonSequitur777]

@e_norm,

Sorry, do you mind explaining what you mean with: "it does not seem to have a thermal pad."

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[e_norm]

Sorry, meant to mention the NVME SSD you linked earlier, the Amazon page for it does not list a thermal pad in "what's in the box". I was wondering if I should purchase a thermal pad with the NVME SSD or just get the version with the heatsink already installed.

Videos I have seen of replacing the NVME have not had a heatsink on the SSD provided in the HP system.