PsuMobo

[Lance]

Hello all.
My brother in law purchased a Hp Pavilion a1430n it has on board graphics.
He wants to add a PCI express x 16 card but his psu is only 300W the card choices call for a higher wattage psu with dual rails ranging between 400-450W range.
He tells me that between best buy and Hp support he doesnt know what to think,before he purchased the pc he was told he could add any standard pci-express psu(Antec,Fsp etc and it would be fine,well now Hp chat support says he needs to use a uAtx supply so he called support on the phone and they said he could use any standard pci-express psu.
I told him there was a some great forums i read and i would ask for there input.
Many Thanks
Here is a link to hi mobo specs.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=1843642&dlc=en&docname=c00647121

 

[jaguarskx]

Unfortunately HP's site tells you how to upgrade just about everything except the power supply (PSU). The best way to determine if you have a u-ATX or standard ATX is to remove the PSU and measure it.

A standard PSU is approximately 5-15/16" wide and 3-3/8" high. The depth, from the back of the PSU (fan and power switch) to the front (where wires sticks out from) may range from 5.5" to 6.5" and doesn't really matter. It is the width and height that are important.

If the width and height of the HP PSU are nowhere near the measurements I gave then you have a u-ATX PSU. Sorry I don't have one to take measurements off of.

 

[Lance]

Many Thanks jaguarskx

 

[doolittle]

to get the detaild specs of your parts, you can go to www.hp.com, select "home" then "support" then plug in "Pavilion a1430n" and use the default "See support and troubleshooting information" you should get this support page. "product information" tells you lots of goodies but "parts ordering" is what you want - it will bring you to partsurfer.hp.com and then just click the ">>" button to expand the list.

At the bottom you will see "Power Supply [Electronic Parts]" and the part # 5188-2625 "Power supply - 300-watt (Merlot C) regulated" for $43.

So time to be detective, google that part # - I found a BESTEC ATX-300-R or ATX-300-12R and an ebay reference to ATX-300-12Z, and that led to the excellent poweron ATX12V-HP300BT which shows nice details, dimensions and pinouts and a reference to HP part #5187-6114 which is the 300-watt (Merlot B) version so it should be close. Looks like a standard ATX unit... maybe close enough.

 

[Lance]

Many Thanks doolittle.
This is the supply he says he has now it is a bestec.
http://www.circotech.com/bestec-atx-300-12z-bd-hp-pavilion-300w-power-supply-part-no-5187-6114.html
This is the part ordering from Hp

http://partsurfer.hp.com/cgi-bin/spi/main?sel_flg=partlist&model=ER900AA&HP_model=&modname=HP+Pavilion+a1430n+home+PC&template=main&plist_sval=Power+Supply&plist_styp=subcat&dealer_id=&callingsite=&strsrch=&keysel=Power+Supply&catsel=%3F

 

[doolittle]

That should be able to handle a 7900gt / x1600 (or lower) safely

x1800's and 7900gtx would definitly make me unconfortable in that system...

 

[Lance]

He plans on adding a higher wattage supply,he has his eye on a Fsp 500W.
Would you feel more comfortable with a higher supply?
Thanks

 

[Lance]

He is running a Amd Athlon 64 3800+ X2 dual core and a gig of pc 3200 ram i told him to add another gig.
Also this about his supply
This ATX12V power supply is a 300W, five output unit with remote on/off, and UL, CSA, and TUV approvals. Original HP part number 5187-6114 used in many Media Center and Pavilion computers. Airflow drawn out of case into surroundings by 80mm internal fan. Built-in power status LED above AC inlent. 2 x 12 (24 pin) main board power connector. Includes two daisy chained Serial ATA connectors. Bestec model ATX-300-12Z BD.
http://www.power-on.com/atx12vhp300bt.html

 

[doolittle]

Fsp 500W

That is an excellent choice. I can tell you from personal experience FSP and SPI (fsp rebranded units, owned by fsp) are quality, well made units. We have thousands of 200w/250w/300w FSP/SPI units in the field and reliability is well over 99%.

Some people will tell you not to buy a particluar unit unless there is a hardware review with a good rating - which I am skeptical of since hardware reviews themselves can become politically motivated to give a good review and a high rating. Personal experience, especially with a high volume with a particular brand, is a much better gauge of quality than any hardware review - although it may help those who simply just don't know - or have no experience with a particular brand.

 

[pengwin]

an Antec TruePower2 430w or 480w will be fine for ur needs

 

[Lance]

Thanks for all the help guys.
This is a great forum

 

[pengwin]

anytime

 

[Lance]

Hey Guys/Gals.
I found this on new egg it seams cheap but i have read and heard this brand is very good Fsp makes it.
I'm following the advise allot have given and that is to not buy a psu based on wattage but buy based on quality.
What do u think of this?
FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX450-PN, 12cm FAN, version 2.0, 2 SATA, PCI Express, 450W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104954
Thanks

 

[doolittle]

Excellent choice. I am using that exact same unit on my kids game rig.

You can get it for under $53 shipped from page computers, however newegg will definitly ship it out faster.

 

[Lance]

Many Thanks doolittle.
Thanks for the link.
New egg threw me off for a minute under specs.and connectors it did not list a pci connector like it said in the main title FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX450-PN, 12cm FAN, version 2.0, 2 SATA, PCI Express, 450W Power Supply - Retail .
The link u gave me confirms that it is pci express.