Upgrading HP Compaq Elite 8300 USDT

[Eliasch]

Hi from Cyprus. How did you powered the gpu? Via external power supply.? Any photos? 

[NonSequitur777]

Hi Eliasch,

Please go to page 2-4: you keep the original HP Compaq Elite 8300 USDT power supply -or, what I did, upgraded it to a 230 watt power supply.  The GPU (right now an AMD RX 6600) is separately powered through a standard ATX PSU connected to the MXM to PCIe X16 dock and the GPU itself is powered from one the ATX PSU PCIe 8-pin power connectors.

[EDIT:] I fitted several CPUs during the testing/optimization phase, but decided on the Xeon E3-1280 v2 (4C/8T, 3.60 - 4.00 GHz, LGA 1155), which performs wonderfully.  To this day [01/26/22] this rig is still ranked #1 globally! -link: https://www.userbenchmark.com/System/HP-Compaq-Elite-8300-USDT/6337

Btw, the MXM to PCIe X16 conversion cable/dock is still available through AliExpress, but is pricey. (Both the "X8" or "X16" version will work, the "X8" is cheaper.)

[EDIT:] To the best of my knowledge, AliExpress is the only legit & reliable vendor to obtain this MXM to PCIe extension cable/dock at this time.  For reasons unclear to me it is difficult to find this MXM part at this site, so if you are interested, here are the product links as they exist today [01/26/22]: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003662616515.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.376e5e4a8NSOCU&algo_...

And here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003662294560.html?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_allProduct.8148356.1.1c4b2d...

[DISCLAIMER:] -I am not endorsing and do not represent any business or business-specific part(s).  These links are only a courtesy to show Forum members where to locate difficult-to-find upgrade parts.

This rig continues to run any game I throw at it in ultra HD 1080P detail flawlessly to this day.

[marteeeman]

Hello everybody. 

Is there really  no problem to put i7 3770 into 8300 usdt? I've got this usdt with 180W power supply. I've fot the latest bios. 

3770 has over 70w tdp and 3770s has 35w tdp. Will all 8300 usdt motherboards handle 3770 ? 

Hp says 3770s is the only one i7 supported. 

[NonSequitur777]

@marteeeman,

No, there is no problem whatsoever to run an i7-3770 or even an i7-3770K on an HP Elite 8300 USDT. Or a Xeon E3-1280v2 or a Xeon E3-1290v2 if you so choose. Please be reminded that the Xeon CPUs require an MXM GPU or eGPU (external GPU + external PSU), which would require much higher expenditures as explained and shown earlier on in this thread.

Anyway, not to be sidetracked, please see my UserBenchMark i7-3770 user benchmark for the 8300 USDT: https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/46711688, or an earlier user benchmark with an i7-3770K before I switched to a Xeon processor and higher performing GPU: HP Compaq Elite 8300 USDT Performance Results - UserBenchmark

What I WOULD recommend is that if you want to install an i7-3770 / i7-3770K or one of the aforementioned Xeon processors, that you upgrade your power supply to a 230 watt PSU unit (HP p/n: 609946-001) as seen here, for example: https://www.ebay.com/itm/183682299366?hash=item2ac45175e6:g:sxIAAOSw~E9cYs4V

And since higher performing processors -with considerably higher TDPs as you correctly mentioned, you should definitely consider improving the internal airflow -especially through your CPU heatsink- in your USDT such as described in this thread.

Hope this helps.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[JohnDeMol]

Awesome project, well done on the upgrade. Also thanks for showing Hewlett-Packard the fact that PC's are indeed modular and thus should be able to carry on much longer into the future than most consumers expect. Especially using the readily available second hand parts for these outdated chipsets.

In a world filled with waste we really should focus more on repair & the ability to upgrade.

[NonSequitur777]

@JohnDeMol,

Showing and demonstrating sustainability and reuse is indeed one of my motivators.

I understand it is a difficult balance to strike for HP -or most companies for that matter, to balance profits and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) criteria.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777