Upgrading an old HP Pavillion computer

[ceflynline]

In cleaning out my mothers computer secretary, i found a very old HP computer.

While I have at least four working HP's (all Intel) I decided to open thj one up, find out what was in it, and upgrade it as much as I could for the experience.

So I a looking for either detailed advice on doing this, or advice that would lead to someone who has already put such advice on line where I can find it.

[NonSequitur777]

@ceflynline,

Welcome to our HP User Forum!

Does this "very old HP computer" have a model number?

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[Prométhée]

what exactly are you looking for?
First of all you should know the model of the computer, if too old, it may be quite limited, without interest etc.
in the meantime you can still read this

@old_geekster's kb

Upgrade Video Card - HP Support Community - 7481981

Upgrade Processor, Memory or b...

Moving HP Motherboard to a new...

and

Upgrade, for games, what to do...

upgrade computer h9-1228ef mot...

How to identify what is slowin...

[ceflynline]

Numbers from computer case:

System NY438AAR#ASBA

P6000

BID93NAv6PrP6116Y

[ceflynline]

The numbers all over the case are:

System NY438AAR#ABA

P6000BID 93NAv6PrA4P6116Y

[personal info removed]

The Motherboard is a Geloton 74M

Learning what these mean is one of the aims of this exercise.

[NonSequitur777]

@ceflynline,

The product number NY438AAR as per: https://partsurfer.hp.com/partsurfer?searchtext=NY438AAR, indicated that this legacy HP desktop is the: HP Pavilion p6115y Desktop PC.

This PC can be fitted with up to a max of 4 x 4GB (16GB total) of DDR2 PC2-6400, 800 MHz, Unbuffered, Non-EEC, SDRAM DIMM, 240-pin RAM sticks.

It is fitted with the AMD Athlon X2 dual-core processor 7550 (2.50 GHz, 2 Cores, 2 Threads). This processor does not have integrated graphics; hence this PC must have a separate (discrete) graphics card.

Product specification/information for this PC is difficult to come by, but here are two useful links:

1.) https://www.manualshelf.com/manual/hp/hp-pavilion-p6115y-desktop-pc/upgrade-and-service/page-31.html

2.) https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-pavilion-desktop-with-amd-athlon-x2-dual-core-processor/9487156.p?sk...

Specs:

AMD Athlon™ X2 dual-core processor 7550*
For increased multitasking performance, improved security with Enhanced Virus Protection** and Cool'n'Quiet™ Technology to minimize heat and noise.

AMD dual-core technology
Enables you to work or play with multiple programs without impacting performance. 1MB L2 cache + 2MB shared L3 cache for high-speed processing.

8GB PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM memory
For multitasking power; expandable to 16GB.

Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive
With double-layer support records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video using compatible DVD+R DL or DVD-R DL media. Supports DVD-RAM and LightScribe direct-disc labeling using compatible LightScribe media.

750GB Serial ATA hard drive (7200 rpm)
Provides plenty of storage for all of your data with fast read/write speeds.

Nvidia GeForce 9100 graphics card
With 256MB dedicated video memory; up to 1407MB total video memory as allocated by Windows Vista. High-definition audio (8-speaker support) delivers crisp, clear sound.

See the benefits of an NVIDIA graphics processor in your desktop.

Front-panel 15-in-1 media reader
Supports CompactFlash I/II, Microdrive, Secure Digital, miniSD, MultiMediaCard, Reduced-Size MultiMediaCard, MultiMediaCard Plus and MultiMediaCard mobile formats.

Also supports Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo, SmartMedia and xD-Picture Card formats.

1 IEEE 1394 port and 6 high-speed USB 2.0 ports
Front and rear accessible for fast digital data transfer and easy peripheral connectivity.

Built-in 10/100Base-T Ethernet networking interface
With RJ-45 connector for wired Internet connectivity.

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 64-bit operating system
With Service Pack 1 (SP1) preinstalled for a stable platform from which to launch games, programs and other applications.

Software package included
With HP MediaSmart Suite, Cyberlink DVD Suite Deluxe, Microsoft Works 9 and more. 60-day trial of Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition 2007 also included.

Hope this was helpful.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[ceflynline]

Ok, Now I have to look into the box and see just how many bof the various edge connector slots are populated, and figure out just what is what.

Just what is the maximum I could expect to upgrade this box, for instance how much bigger AMD cpu could I put in?

To get at the CPU I had to remove a big fan and heatsink, should I clean off the old heat sink grease and regrease the chip?Also, I cant make the fan line up and clamp down. WHY?

This box might very well work as is, so I want to put it back together and hook it to a display. (I have half a ton of old computers and monitors from my previous days, and from my sons time in the Army. 

Is thhere some equivalent to a Sams Photofact available for this box?

[NonSequitur777]

@ceflynline,

As far as upgrading your processor is concerned, according to: https://www.cpu-upgrade.com/CPUs/AMD/Athlon_X2/7550.html, the fastest compatible CPU for your desktop would be the AMD Athlon X2 7850, which you can purchase inexpensively via eBay ($14.95), as offered by this Seller at this point in time: https://www.ebay.com/itm/295343842649?epid=74069212&hash=item44c3dd6559%3Ag%3ArtcAAOSwoyZjdV4C&amdat....

Why did you remove the heatsink/fan assembly to get to the CPU?  Yes, whenever you remove a CPU's heatsink, you should apply fresh thermal paste before putting things back together.  Anyway, I am not sure why you can't make the fan line up and clamp down -this is comparatively an exceedingly ancient system I have zero experience with, and unfortunately HP/Internet retrievable information is sparse as mentioned...

Forgive my apparent ignorance, but I have no idea what "Sams Photofact" is.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[ceflynline]

Sam's Photofacts were full service documents for consumer electronics repairmen, If you were going to work on a television, you got the Potofzcts document, which included full schematics, a picture of both sides of every board and all parts labeled with what they were as for instance R17, which would be so listed on the board picture, which might be a 1/5 watt resistor the plain cylindrical kind, carbon compounded, etc. 

It also had the trouble shooting bifurcated procedure, etc. plus assembly and disassembly instructions, and warnings not to mix up screws because one short screw replaced by a longer screw could break a PC board.

People kept them, and now sometimes they are they only way to deal with Grandmom's GE Halolight® black and white TV that should have gone to the junkyard fifty years ago.

[ceflynline]

By the way, that should be best regards, or 77 (--,,, --... in morse code, and to end thatv would be SK And I don't knoiw how to find overscore in then character lists) or ...-.-