The highly rated HP Pavilion Slimline PC thread

Alright...I decided to go ahead and buy the Shuttle PC50. Ordered it from mwave today... I've spent enough time and energy on this project...Mind as well give it all possible chances of success.

I want a silent S3600T and I'm there except for the PSU right now.

Q9300
1.5TB drive
9800GT
4GB RAM
DVD/RW-CD/RW
 
Archaea said:
Hey bud -- good job on the write-up...I have a couple of suggestions ---

1. Clean off the old thermal goo with rubbing alchohol -- you never want two types of thermal goos to mix because you can cause chemical reactions or loss of proper cooling.
2. Never use your finger to spread the thermal goo - the oils on your hand lessen the thermal compounds ability to transfer heat. I recommend using a credit card to smooth out the thermal paste as well. It should be spread extremely thin and evenly so as to avoid air bubbles.
3. You can fit three of the four screw holes on the back of the Sparkle PSU if you smoosh down the two stock PSU mounting brackets a wee bit. With the ledge and three mounting screws in the hold that PSU isn't going anywhere!
4. The Sparkle 270 watt PSU does NOT have a 6 pin PCI-E connector - so if your card requires that connector for supplimental power you'll need to pick up a molex to PCI-E adapter.
5. As best I can tell the ATX adapater that is needed for our slimline PCs is called Micro-Fit.



How loud would you describe your Sparkle 270 watt PSU at idle?
Click to expand...

Thanks dude for the comments. It's been awhile since I have replaced heatsinks so I haven't had to do anything in regards to the Grease for awhile so it's good for a reminder. I will keep my eye on the heat(which right now it's down.) If it starts to raise above my baseline I'll replace the grease again. Super easy with that heatsink.
Luckily my Graphics card is just a 9500 so it seems fine. I did get it to ramp up during heavy gameplay but can't really hear it then(although if the game was quite at times I would hear it). During idle, me typing this and doing some other stuff, I just get a low hummm, but I can't rememeber if that is the CPU, GPU, or PSU. Thanks for all the notes I need to order that Molex-to-SATA Adapter, Probably wil grab that notebook cooler and do that too to see my temps drop even more :).

Good luck with the Shuttle 50
 
Hi people, i'm new here. I have questions to make you, I have HP Pavilion Slimline s3030 and i want to know is:

- can I put more Fans inside this case?
- ATI Radeon HD 4550 (low-profile, obviously) it's a good video card to play recent games? It requires more power ?? Or the 160W power-supply can handle that ?
 
^ willy, while I don't have an HP Slimline, I do have an ATI 4550 video card. the power consumption on my Dell Vostro 220s Slim Tower only went up 10 W when I upgraded from the motherboard graphics to this video card (vendor: Asus). It's not a gaming card, but it plays 1080 video just fine. I don't have a Blu-ray player (yet?), but it handles 1080i and 720p HDTV just fine. :cool:
 
beowulf7 said:
^ willy, while I don't have an HP Slimline, I do have an ATI 4550 video card. the power consumption on my Dell Vostro 220s Slim Tower only went up 10 W when I upgraded from the motherboard graphics to this video card (vendor: Asus). It's not a gaming card, but it plays 1080 video just fine. I don't have a Blu-ray player (yet?), but it handles 1080i and 720p HDTV just fine. :cool:
Click to expand...

so, what are the best gaming low-profile video cards ??
 
willy93 said:
so, what are the best gaming low-profile video cards ??
Click to expand...

If you upgrade your PSU, then NVidia 9800GT (low profile) is your best bet. If you don't upgrade it, then maybe a 9500GT, although on a 160W PSU, that might be pushing it.
 
beowulf7 said:
If you upgrade your PSU, then NVidia 9800GT (low profile) is your best bet. If you don't upgrade it, then maybe a 9500GT, although on a 160W PSU, that might be pushing it.
Click to expand...

9400 GT it's not also a good choice for gaming?? Or it's worse than HD4550, because here in Portugal, i found a shop and the 9400GT is cheaper than HD4550.
 
Guys, be aware that when I put in a XFX 9400GT, I started experiencing a lot of lock ups / freezing with my stock PSU. Now it could be other issues with my setup (using all USB ports, Raptor 10k rpm HD) but since I have moved to a much lower end video card (see my sig below), the lockups are rare. Unfortunately, they haven't completely gone away which is why I mentioned this could be other issues. But rather than freezing every 15 minutes, it does so once or twice a week.
 
willy93 said:
9400 GT it's not also a good choice for gaming?? Or it's worse than HD4550, because here in Portugal, i found a shop and the 9400GT is cheaper than HD4550.
Click to expand...

I don't think the 9400 GT is better than the 4550. Here's a comparison of their specs (head-to-head).
 
so the best card for the 160W PSU might be 9500GT? Well, the HD 4650 appears to be better than the 9500gt... i don't know what video card i want to buy !!
 
willy93 said:
so the best card for the 160W PSU might be 9500GT? Well, the HD 4650 appears to be better than the 9500gt... i don't know what video card i want to buy !!
Click to expand...

You need to ask yourself what the main purpose of your Slimline will be. Many use it as an HTPC, but it looks like you want to do more gaming? If you get a good video card, be prepared to upgrade your PSU, as others have done recently (read the past few pages).
 
willy93 said:
so the best card for the 160W PSU might be 9500GT? Well, the HD 4650 appears to be better than the 9500gt... i don't know what video card i want to buy !!
Click to expand...

Willy --- The 9500GT is not okay to upgrade with a stock PSU --- in my opinion very few graphics cards upgrades are okay on the 160 watt PSU unless you swap out to use a 45 watt CPU (the BE-2400, 4850e, or 5050e). Thn you could use a 8400GT, 8500GT, 8600GT, 9300GS, 9400GS, 9500GS. If you don't swap out the PSU or use a low power CPU then you'll need to buy such a low power card (to ensure long term stability and health) that it's not worth the upgrade over the onboard video card.

From much exp (having owned about 15 slimlines now) and from having created this thread and read every single post in it (I think) - plus most other slimline information I can get my hands on outside of this forum.

----If you want to upgrade your video card you either need to swap out the PSU or use a 45 watt CPU. Anybody who says differently has typically(not 100% of the time) run into problems shortly down the line.

--- and with a 45 watt CPU you still shouldn't go over a 9500GS on a stock 160 watt PSU....NO 9xxx series GT cards are acceptable with a stock 160 watt PSU. In fact I had a problem with an 8400GT and a standard 65 watt processor on a stock 160 watt PSU. So I probably wouldn't put any decent graphics card in it period without swapping to a lower power draw CPU or upgrading the PSU. If you gamble otherwise you are just asking for lockups or damaged components.
 
^ Arch, I'm not trying to argue, but just wondering why you and others only list NVidia cards instead of ATI ones as well? ATI also makes low power consuming, low profile video cards. :cool:
 
beowulf7 said:
^ Arch, I'm not trying to argue, but just wondering why you and others only list NVidia cards instead of ATI ones as well? ATI also makes low power consuming, low profile video cards. :cool:
Click to expand...


I agree...I just don't know the low power ATI cards(I've just always liked Nvidia cards/drivers better)...so leaving them out is not intentional --- just shows my unfamiliarity with them and preference for Nvidia. Feel free to fill in the blanks...I need to fix up the first post so if you or others provide an acceptable list --- then I'll update the 1st post.
 
willy93 said:
ok, but this type of power supply omfg, i don't find nothing that fits in this case.
Click to expand...

start at the very first post willy -- I try to keep it updated with the newest information....

Then read page 115 and up for some good PSU discussion.
 
I am in agreement with Archaea about the cards. I was running a 9500GT, but my PSU was super hot. It worked but that PSU wouldn't have lasted long. I would recommend the Sparkle route (but I am partial to it since it's in my computer. Read page 120 about my endeavors with the Sparkle PSU and Archaea good advice following.

I hope you, Archaea, keep a backup of that first post. lots of good stuff there.
 
"Typically you need to limit your GPU upgrade to a card that draws less than 40 watts if you want to stay within the stock PSU capabilities." - This means that to stay with the 160W PSU I only can put a card that draws less than 40 w? 8600GT draws 43w, and 8500GT draws 40w... they don't work ???
 
willy93 said:
"Typically you need to limit your GPU upgrade to a card that draws less than 40 watts if you want to stay within the stock PSU capabilities." - This means that to stay with the 160W PSU I only can put a card that draws less than 40 w? 8600GT draws 43w, and 8500GT draws 40w... they don't work ???
Click to expand...


Read that 40 watt statement in tandem with the warnings. The 40 watt type graphics cards do work -- for some with no problems yet, for others only for a while. It's been shown by multiple people in these thread over the 100+ pages that oftentimes the 40 watt number is good, especially at first -- but many report that it fails over the course of time.. Less than 40 watts is better than over 40 watts when the wattage availble is so limited!

In my opinion and echoed in the last 30 pages by others exp. --- If you want to upgrade the video card and want a long life out of the slimline with heavy use --- you should probably consider upgrading the power supply....It may work for you 100% - no problems...but you might run into issues. Again....I had an 8400GT, a 65 watt CPU, and a 160 watt PSU on my s3020n. It locked up at any point I went into full performance mode - because the draw was too much on the 160 watt PSU. I put a 45 watt CPU in on an s3200n and used the same video card with no problems at all.
 
i have been watching this forum for quite some time. finally made an account lol.
anyway i have a slimline 3100y. i have had it for a good year and a half just about. i first had an 8400 gs for about a year then i bought an xfx 9500gt. i have had it in my slimline since about early novemberish. I am not sure how big my psu is but i do a lot of gaming;wow,all steam games. and its been running amazingly good. i admit the psu gets hot, but thats like after hours of gaming. my computer has never froze up once. but maybe its because i have a cheap intel dual core inside.
just thought id share my 2 cents :D
 
sorry to ask but sometime back someone posted a link to an adapter for a 300w psu and the connector to the motherboard. Can some kind person post that link :)


My bad I found it as well as the molex to sata

so with a 300 watt PSU for an intel slimline what is the consensus on the best low profile video card out there?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814187061&Tpk=NVidia 9800GT (low profile)



Will be throwing up a spare Slimline with blu ray soon in classifieds if anyone is interested
 
I also have a similar question for Archae. I was thinking of replacing my current Slimline in the near future with one of the new models that come with a 250 watt PS. My current Slimline is running the 9800 and stock CPU with no problems for now. I was wondering if you thought that the 9800 would be more acceptable with the new 250 watt PS Slimline models in terms of longevity.
 
I've yet to see how many amps the new HP slimline PSU puts out on the 12 volt rail --- so I can't make any judgement there. I also can't tell you about longevity with the Sparkle low profile 9800GT and a 270 watt PSU or 300watt PSU --- because there hasn't been any where near exhaustive and long term testing. I can tell you that the 270watt Sparkle PSU works just fine for the moment (currently with my Q9300, and 9800GT in an HP slimline chasis.
 
Hi. first time here. can the onboard GPU be disabled, other than in the BIOS, have installed MSI pci-e graphics card, this works fine, but the heatsink on the onboard GPU still runs hot and therefore is still using power.
 
I didn't read the entire thread, but I thought someone might find these interesting. Official HP documentation. These SFF systems are a pain to work on sometimes, especially if you don't know your way around them:

Video Tour
Chassis Manual
 
Archaea said:
I agree...I just don't know the low power ATI cards(I've just always liked Nvidia cards/drivers better)...so leaving them out is not intentional --- just shows my unfamiliarity with them and preference for Nvidia. Feel free to fill in the blanks...I need to fix up the first post so if you or others provide an acceptable list --- then I'll update the 1st post.
Click to expand...

No problem. I was also more of an NVidia fan than ATI (e.g., I have a 6800 GT in my main PC), but for HTS purposes, ATI seems to better w/ native HDMI and minimal power consumption. The following cards don't even require auxiliary power - just what the PCIe x16 bus provides:
ATI 3450
ATI 3650
ATI 4350
ATI 4550

Here's the current list of all low profile PCI-e ATI-based video cards that Newegg carries.
 
first page updated

BTW -- I've figured out through additional testing that the Sparkle 270 watt PSU has a thermal controlled fan. When I first turn the PSU on it's quiet --- not silent, but quiet. After the quad core and 9800GT have been running for a while it gets to sound like the heater vent reference I mentioned earlier. It's not terribly obnoxious -- just louder than I find acceptable in my quest for silent power. If it remained as quiet as it is when I first turn it on and it's cool in temp that'd be great. My 40mm fans have not yet arrived so I don't know if they'll be able to keep the temp down low enough to keep the sparkle's temp controlled PSU fan in check.
 
Wow
Looks like a lot has happened scents Ive been gone for almost 2 weeks..

Here are my suggestions on the best way to make this a gaming rig..
Cost will be less then $300 all together (take note that you will still need thermal grease as well as the needed connectors to make all of this work with our computers..

Heres my listing:
GPU (Graphics Card):http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048%201069633099%201419530408&bop=And&CompareItemList=N82E16814187061%2CN82E16814102754
GeForce 9800 GT (modifacations will be needed to make it run)
Radeon HD 3650 (The best ATI has to offer for slimline users~direct fit)
...................​
PSU (power supply):
Shuttle PC50 Silent X (300w) the quitest out so far:http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=Shuttle+PC50&oe=utf-8&cid=5432373551733101058&sa=title#ps-tech-specs
SeaSonic (SS-400H1U~400W) Has the most power however it gets rather loud):http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151064
...................​
CPU (Computers Processor):
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5050e Brisbane 2.6GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 45W(Stock CPU is 65w) Dual-Core Processor:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103298

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\​

In the end all that would be needed (or at least recommend) would be some case fans for your unit..
When its all said and done if the above is followed~it should run you around $300 (give or take $50) after getting all the 3rd party cables needed (that have been linked scents page 118)..
EDIT: Also dont forget about the RAM upgrade as well 2x2GB (4GB's total) is suggested..
Stock Slimlines run 2x1GB's RAM so an upgrade would be a wise choice..

If you want an all out gaming rig I would suggest a different computer..
However with all the above installed it will run all the latest games one way or another..

Well this is just my $0.03 for today..

Later,
Civic/Scooter
 
Well, boy hasn't today been interesting.

I had some free time today so I decided to try and replace an LED that stopped working on one of my fans that I have mounted inside my Slimline. It had been out for quite some time but I never noticed any issues caused by it so it wasn't of real urgent attention. The only thing I had noticed is that the fan with the burned out LED had slowed down a tiny bit. I figured it was just because the LED had burned out and disregarded it. Well, the LED didn't just burn out. It fried. Literally.

2-2.jpg


1-2.jpg


4-1.jpg

(And those leads on the ends of the wire. Those aren't unsoldered. Those were in the LED.)

3-1.jpg


5-1.jpg


Soooo... I still went ahead with replacing the LED. I had this strip laying around for awhile now and it has some uber-low power blue LEDs on it. I just took one off and used that. Worked like a charm!

6-1.jpg


7-1.jpg


9-1.jpg


11-1.jpg


8-1.jpg


Don't ask me what happened to that LED because I have no idea. When I took it out it literally fell apart. In fact, I actually pulled the wires out of it. There was no extra power hooked up to those fans except what comes through the USB. I'm guessing this must have been a flaw in the LED. So basically I'm just giving this as a heads-up to anyone using these fans. I have worked with LEDs for years and I have never seen anything like this. At least not at the point where the glass housing literally falls apart. Very interesting indeed.

Also, that fan that had slowed down a bit, now runs back at full speed. Don't ask.
 
Sents 360 spoke about LED's and what not it got me thinking..

Is there any available power source that can be used on the "main board" to use as a source to integrate some LED's within the case?..

At this point Im trying to find at least a 5v source with in the board..

However with out any schematics its rather hard to see what is what on the board is self..

I have noticed (and it has been said on this thread as well) that there is a fan input on some of the Slimline boards (mine has this as well)..
Does anyone know if this is a 5v line as I would just use this instead of splicing any wires..
A 12v line would be great as well but I dont know where to start looking..

Im just throwing out some thoughts and would love some replies as I would like to have the inside of my Slimeline glow a bit..

Great job on the repair of the LED Spider..

Later,
Civic/Scooter
 
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