Question Are there any downsides to using a prebuilt desktop motherboard in a new build ?

[Deus Vu1t]

Hi all

Recently I've acquired an HP 290 G1 from a friend, it's a regular HP desktop so it's nothing spectacular, however it does have an i5-8500 which I would like to use in a new build. The PC does have its own ATX HP branded motherboard in it with 2 DIMM slots and a PCIE slot. I'll probably be putting an RTX 2060 in it so I was wondering if there is any reason to buy a new LGA 1151 motherboard or would I be good to just use this HP one ?

Other than the DIMM slots, are there any drawbacks to using a prebuilt desktop motherboard or does it not really matter?

Thanks

 

[Lutfij]

HP prebuilts are notorious for having proprietary parts in them. This is the motherboard used in their system. You can't drop in an aftermarket motherboard without having to do some major renovations to the case.

 

[Deus Vu1t]

HP prebuilts are notorious for having proprietary parts in them. This is the motherboard used in their system. You can't drop in an aftermarket motherboard without having to do some major renovations to the case.

Oh right, what kind of renovations do you think I'd have to make if I wanted to use it? I assumed it would just fit normally lol

 

[Misgar]

If your HP motherboard does not conform to the microATX or standard ATX layout, especially regarding the location of the ports on the rear panel, you won't be able to fit the HP board into a standard computer case.

If all you're doing is upgrading the GPU to an RTX 2060, check to see if the card will fit in the case and then check the rating of the HP PSU.

Many HP computers use a non-standard power supply which doesn't conform to the ATX PSU profile (shape). This makes upgrading to a normal ATX PSU difficult or impossible. In addition, the power cable connections to a proprietary HP motherboard might not conform to the ATX standards.

If your HP PSU is rated at less than 500W, e,g only 300W, you'll need a more powerful unit to supply the RTX 2060. You'll also need a PSU with PCIe 6/8way leads.

Brand new 1151 motherboards are rare, but not impossible to find on eBay.

Intel released the i5-8500 in 2018 and stopped production in Spring 2020. This CPU is obsolete and the design is now more than 5 years old.

You might be lucky. Your motherboard might be standard ATX or microATX. The RTX 2060 might fit inside your case. The existing PSU might be rated at 500W+ and have enough PCIe 6/8-way cables. Take a look inside your computer.

 

[Deus Vu1t]

If your HP motherboard does not conform to the microATX or standard ATX layout, especially regarding the location of the ports on the rear panel, you won't be able to fit the HP board into a standard computer case.

If all you're doing is upgrading the GPU to an RTX 2060, check to see if the card will fit in the case and then check the rating of the HP PSU.

Many HP computers use a non-standard power supply which doesn't conform to the ATX PSU profile (shape). This makes upgrading to a normal ATX PSU difficult or impossible. In addition, the power cable connections to a proprietary HP motherboard might not conform to the ATX standards.

If your HP PSU is rated at less than 500W, e,g only 300W, you'll need a more powerful unit to supply the RTX 2060. You'll also need a PSU with PCIe 6/8way leads.

Brand new 1151 motherboards are rare, but not impossible to find on eBay.

Intel released the i5-8500 in 2018 and stopped production in Spring 2020. This CPU is obsolete and the design is now more than 5 years old.

You might be lucky. Your motherboard might be standard ATX or microATX. The RTX 2060 might fit inside your case. The existing PSU might be rated at 500W+ and have enough PCIe 6/8-way cables. Take a look inside your computer.

Thank you! Yesterday I removed the motherboard and to my surprise it was not ATX (but the case seemed to be so it was a false assumption on my part). The card would have fit but the case layout was very closed and there is a very limited amount of cooling fan mounts (there is space only for one intake and one exhaust at 120mm where I usually have much more). I have taken a look on ebay per your suggestion and LGA 1151 seems to be fairly rare so I unfortunately might be forced to retire this project for now.

Thank you for your insightful response

 

[Misgar]

If you're dead set on continuing with a socket 1151 build and you need a replacement motherboard, you might consider second-hand.

I have purchased a number of used motherboards on eBay and most of them have worked perfectly. Check the seller's feedback carefully and avoid anyone who has a history of bad deals.

If you do have any trouble and the board was described by the seller as "fully working" and "in good condition", you can ask eBay for a refund.

Of course the life expectancy of an obsolete used board is shorter than that of a brand new board using current technology, but it's much cheaper than building a whole new system.

The choice is yours, but don't spend too much. Some sellers ask more for a well specified second-hand board than the cost of a brand new budget mobo.