Buying refurbished HP.

[cloudrunner14]

Hello people of tomshardware,
I recently found a refurbished HP small form factor desktop with an i5 3470, 4 gigs of ram, 250gb etc. for rather cheap (€250(I live in the Netherlands)) which I would like to pick up. It also comes with windows 7 (which makes sense). The HP productnumber is the following: A2K86ET#ABH .
I was wondering if someone knows whether this is a normal size motherboard because if so I'd like to change the case and then put a different psu in and add a graphics card.

ps: I'm not sure whether I put this in the correct category, sorry if I messed up.

Thanks in advance,
-Cloudrunner

Edit: if it's of any use, the seller lists this under system specifications: Chipset Intel Q77 Express

 

[Barty1884]

That's an HP Elite 8300, in a SFF (small form factor) case.

I've worked on a few of those in the past - the motherboard appears to be a standard mATX (from memory) - with a PCIe slot.

The biggest problems I've seen with these are:
1. The PCIe expansion slot is half-height (because it's a SFF case), limiting your options
2. The PSU connectors on the board are proprietary. Standard ATX PSU's connectors don't line up. You also don't have any PCIe power cables for a GPU requiring additional power.
3. The cooler lacks a backplate and screws directly into the back/side of the case.
4. The front panel I/O use proprietary connectors

I considered transplanting to a new case to deal with the half-height issue but, given the problems with the lack of a backplate, proprietary PSU & front panel connectors, decided it was more hassle than it's worth.

 

[cloudrunner14]

Thank you for your answer Barty1884.

That's very unfortunate to hear since it would've been a lot better than what I would be able to buy new. So there is nothing I could do? I think I read something about a 2nd dedicated PSU for the GPU but I don't know if it would be wise/worth it to do and if it's even safe at all.

 

[Barty1884]

Nothing I would recommend, unfortunately.

Look for a more 'standard' desktop. Nothing in a SFF or 'slim' case etc and you might have better luck.

HP & Dell were notorious for proprietary PSU connectors (although I just found a Dell XPS Studio locally, and was surprised to find a standard PSU/connector inside!).

 

[cloudrunner14]

Alright I'll continue my search.

Lucky you, hahaha

 

[cloudrunner14]

Sorry to bother you but if you're still reading this what about this one? productnumber: XL508AV
It's another HP but it states it's a convertible mini tower, what about one of those?

 

[Barty1884]

Unfortunately the Compaq Elite 8200 (I believe that's what your product number speaks to) is plagued by the same problems.

 

[cloudrunner14]

I think it's the Compaq Elite 6200 CMT (Convertible micro tower), at least that's what the seller's website says. It probably has the same issues but perhaps there is a chance it doesn't ..?

 

[Barty1884]

Yeah, it's very similar. I've never opened one up, but from looking at it briefly, I'd expect the exact same issues.

 

[cloudrunner14]

Okay, thank you for your expertise and your very quick answers, I greatly appreciate it!

I guess I'll continue looking for a good refurbished and upgradable computer.
Have a nice day!

 

[GarryH_Geek]

Maybe on eBay or somehere like there are parts allowing making a fix for this problem? (Some years ago, I accidentally bought a noname Chinese kit for moving some old SPARC hardware to a PC case...)

 

[Barty1884]

It's possible, but I wouldn't count on it. Determining Dell or HP's pin layout can be tricky, as it has been known to vary by model.

 

[cloudrunner14]

So I was wondering if I buy the hp 8300 sff and get something like the gtx 750 ti low profile which requires a small psu ( http://cryptomining-blog.com/1014-how-to-increase-the-geforce-gtx-750-ti-power-target-limit/ ) . Would that work? Do you know how "big" (for the lack of a better word) the PSU is in the i5 3470 hp 8300 sff is? @Barty1884 if you're still reading this.

Would that be a viable option? since the 750 ti isn't a terrible card

 

[Barty1884]

A low profile 750TI *should* work, yes. Finding a low profile version for sale these days might be tough though.

The PSU in these setups are usually in the 240-300W range, with an expected power draw of the balance of the components (CPU+Mobo+RAM+Storage) likely not exceeding 150 at theoretical max.....adding a 750TI shouldn't put you over 200W (ish) at theoretical max.

 

[cloudrunner14]

That sounds pretty good but would it be advisable?

 

[Barty1884]

Should be fine, but the 750TI is not a very good investment...

 

[cloudrunner14]

Should be fine, but the 750TI is not a very good investment...

It should be fine for my needs since I don't play any AAA games anyway and I won't be able to game very often either so should I go for it?

 

[Barty1884]

It'll work, yes. So in that sense, go for it.