Upgrading Pwer and Vid on a HP a6230n

[RockHaven1]

Hello,
I am looking to upgrade my PC. HP a6230n. I want to go to an 800 watt power supply..don't need that much but headroom is nice! lol. I want the best graphic card the board will support. Has these PCI slots.

PCI Slots (Available/Total)
(1/2) PCI slots
(1/1) PCI-E x16 slot
(1/1) PCI-E x1 slot

I'll be bumping the RAM as well to 8 gigs if I can find DDR2 to do it. 4 slots I'll do 2 gigs a slot I guess.
Eventualy I will just buy a new system...can't do that just yet and thought I might be able to ebay the parts and do it myself...The vid card though...I'm just not sure what to get. I do like my games...Rift DDO SWTOR (that's why I want to upgrade) Anything will be better than thr stock NVIDIA 6150 card though.

Thanks!

 

[buzznut]

Do you know your computer's form factor? A micro-ATX may not take a large PSU.
Also, when asking for video card advice you should make sure to mention your resolution.
It is best to supply as much relevant info as possible to get the best recommendations.

 

[RockHaven1]

Do you know your computer's form factor? A micro-ATX may not take a large PSU.
Also, when asking for video card advice you should make sure to mention your resolution.
It is best to supply as much relevant info as possible to get the best recommendations.

I have to claim ignorance....Is it a micro atx? I thought it was a normal sized unit.....I don't know what Form Factor is though. Did you mean screen resolution? If so...I change that as my system dictates. I want to go as high as I can though...It's nice to see as much ingame detail as possible.
Rift...DDO and the new Star Wars MMO are the games I will be playing. I wish I knew more about PC's but I dont :-(

 

[ko888]

The HP Pavilion a6230n uses a standard ATX form factor power supply unit with the following dimensions:

5.9"(W) x 3.4"(H) x 5.5"(D)

The current most power hungry dual-GPU single graphics cards (GeForce GTX 590 or Radeon HD 6990) require that the power supply unit have a minimum of 700 Watts or greater with a minimum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 50 Amps or greater and with at least two 8-pin PCI Express supplementary power connectors.

... I want to go to an 800 watt power supply..don't need that much but headroom is nice! lol. I want the best graphic card the board will support.

850 Watt power supplies are more common than 800 Watt power supplies.

Only buy one that has been reviewed and recommended by a reputable test site like Hardware Secrets or jonnyGURU.com.

What is your power supply unit budget?

 

[RockHaven1]

I just picked a number out of hat on the power supply size. I do plan on using it in the next PC I put together so I thought it would be wise to go large for the newer Vid cards out there. I was thinking around the 100.00 range on the power supply. There are lots out there but what company is reputable? Coolmax seems cheaper and gets good and bad reviews depending on the forum I check. You get what you pay for though and cheap usualy is not good. Corsair gets good reviews and Antec as well. I was hoping get a list of good dependable companies and making adjustments from there.

 

[RockHaven1]

This is the reccomendation I recieved from a local computer store for the upgrades I want to do.



Cooler Master RS550-PCARE3-US eXtreme Power Plus 550W Power Supply--- $69.95



DDR2-800 4GB (2x2GB) Memory Kit --- $59.95 ea. Will need 2 of these kits to get to 8gb total—need to confirm speed compatibility also.



Asus nVidia GeForce GTS450 1GB DDR3 VGA/DVI/HDMI PCI-Express Video Card--- $129.95---good bang for the buck vid card

 

[ko888]

This is the reccomendation I recieved from a local computer store for the upgrades I want to do.



Cooler Master RS550-PCARE3-US eXtreme Power Plus 550W Power Supply--- $69.95



DDR2-800 4GB (2x2GB) Memory Kit --- $59.95 ea. Will need 2 of these kits to get to 8gb total—need to confirm speed compatibility also.



Asus nVidia GeForce GTS450 1GB DDR3 VGA/DVI/HDMI PCI-Express Video Card--- $129.95---good bang for the buck vid card

The Cooler Master Extreme Power Plus 550W (RS-550-PCAR-E3) is a piece of crap. It burned out when Hardware Secrets tried to draw that power supply's rated wattage. Cooler Master is not considered a reputable brand when it comes to power supplies.

It's at most a 500 Watt power supply because that is all it can deliver.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Cooler-Master-eXtreme-Power-Plus-550-W-Power-Supply-Review/969

It may be good enough for the configuration you've listed since the GeForce GTS 450 is not a very high power consuming card (106 Watts).

 

[RockHaven1]

This is why I am posting here....You aren't selling me anything...Just telling me your honest opinion and experiences. Thats exactly the input I need Thank You
I'll purchase a different PSU than the computer shop reccomended.
The power supply will eventualy be used for something requiring more power. I have a band and put a ton of money into that recently so the computer isn't getting as much of a budget. That's why I am just upgrading the old one for now....Heck just last weekend my old Kawai keyboard died on stage so I had to go out and replace it...700.00 right there and that was on the low end for Roland keyboards....But that's off topic. I do plan on getting a Vid card in the 250.00 range late next year...That will go into the new system I purchase. I think I read that the 400 watts range was comon on the better vid cards.

 

[ko888]

The reputable power supply companies are Antec, Corsair, Enermax, Seasonic and XFX.

The XFX PRO750W XXX Edition Semi-Modular 80Plus Silver 750 Watt Power Supply for $129.99 is the minimum I would recommend. You can't get any better than jonnyGURU.com's perfect 10 rating for its electrical performance.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207016

 

[RockHaven1]

Thanks!....That's a little higher than I thought but I can do that.

 

[ko888]

Thanks!....That's a little higher than I thought but I can do that.

The only reason I recommend that one is because it can handle the highest power consuming single graphics card currently on the market.

If you can find it on sale that's even better.

 

[RockHaven1]

The HP Pavilion a6230n uses a standard ATX form factor power supply unit with the following dimensions:

5.9"(W) x 3.4"(H) x 5.5"(D)

The current most power hungry dual-GPU single graphics cards (GeForce GTX 590 or Radeon HD 6990) require that the power supply unit have a minimum of 700 Watts or greater with a minimum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 50 Amps or greater and with at least two 8-pin PCI Express supplementary power connectors.

... I want to go to an 800 watt power supply..don't need that much but headroom is nice! lol. I want the best graphic card the board will support.

850 Watt power supplies are more common than 800 Watt power supplies.

Only buy one that has been reviewed and recommended by a reputable test site like Hardware Secrets or jonnyGURU.com.

What is your power supply unit budget?

I was looking for something that told me my PC was a standard ATX form factor...You answered two questions for me there ...I didn't know what "Form factor" meant.
Thanks!

 

[RockHaven1]

Best answer selected by rockhaven1.

 

[RockHaven1]

Another noob question regarding my system...How do I know if it's a 32 or 64 bit operating system?

 

[ko888]

Another noob question regarding my system...How do I know if it's a 32 or 64 bit operating system?

Are you using the original Operating System that was installed on the HP Pavilion a6230n?

I think it was Windows Vista Home Premium and there was a choice for you to install the 32-bit version or the 64-bit version.

If you right-click on the My Computer icon (located in various places like the Start button menu or Windows Explorer) and select Properties from the context menu you should be able to see which version of the Operating System you have installed.

 

[RockHaven1]

I thought that would be the way to find out....I am using the original OS. I'll see what is installed when I get home tonight. I tried to answer my own question but it wouldn't let me post 3 messages in a row lol....