Any of you upgrade your power supplies?

[Canon GL-2 Guy]

This past spring,

I bought a HP Pavilion Elite model 510t PC which only has like a 300/350 watt power supply. This is woefully inadequate considering I also purchased Premiere Pro CS5.5 and an accelerated graphics card which requires a lot of power.

Rendering speed is painfully slow and ridiculous in "software only mode".

I've found someone who will swap out the power supply when I can obtain a replacement.

Of course that will void the warranty.

What suggestions do you have for a suitable power supply and is the risk of something going wrong with my PC (which may or may not result from swapping out the power supply) weigh in comparison to future processing and speed benefits?

Please, what are your thoughts?

[usually_quiet]

I can give you some guidelines as to what to look for in the replacement, but I don't have a suggestion for an exact model.

Your video card may have a PSU wattage requirement listed in its technical specs. Look for something with that wattage or a little higher.

Pre-built PCs sometimes use PSUs with non-standard dimensions or screw positions for mounting in the case. Measure the physical dimensions of the PSU. Use Newegg or some other website that provides physical dimensions and look at some of the better quality ATX PSUs having an appropriate wattage. Better quality means Thermaltake, Antec, PC Power and Cooling, Silverstone, Seasonic, Corsair, or OCZ, not the cheapest brands. Compare the measurements you took against those for the PSUs you find and see if any are a good match for size. That will tell you if you are likely to find a replacement. Sometimes the aftermarket PSU manufacture's product page will have diagrams that show the position and dimensions of everything. The PSU fan and cables may need be in the same place as the original, if the case is crowded.

[aedipuss]

something like this is what i would go for http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341049&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-17-3...-049-_-Product

or corsair. the newest big wattage coolermasters are good also.


that oz 750 for 60 w/free shipping (after rebate) is a good deal if you can buy today. [edit] too late to get it for $60. but still not bad at $70 [/edit]

[edDV]

You may want to get a PC service shop to help you with this. HP/Compaq like to go non-standard on many parts.

It looks fairly standard but a good PC tech would be able to find a replacement.


http://www.fatwallet.com/p/desktop/desktop-computer/hp-pavilion-elite-hpe-510t-desktop...0-quad-core-1/

[aedipuss]

i hope that's not the inside of your hp pc. have you tried to fit a cs5.5 capable card in there? it looks way to short.

[Canon GL-2 Guy]

Yes, that's the inside all right. Very crowded.

I recently had a Firewirecard put in so now there's only 2 pci-e slots left (1x).

I upgraded the "stock" video card to a NVIDIA GeFORCE GT 440 which I'm told is/should probably be CS 5.5 compatiable which remains to be seen until I have enough power.

Is it possible to find out what HP actually put in there?

[edDV]

Should be spelled out on the label. But that won't help with a double power replacement in the same form factor. A good tech could help with cooling as well.

[aedipuss]

a gt440 isn't a 5.5 capable card, there may be a hack to get it to do something with 5.5 but you may not be impressed with it. here's the current official list.

Supported NVIDIA graphics cards for GPU acceleration

• GeForce GTX 285 (Windows and Mac OS)
• GeForce GTX 470 (Windows)
• GeForce GTX 570 (Windows)
• GeForce GTX 580 (Windows)
• Quadro FX 3700M (Windows)
• Quadro FX 3800 (Windows)
• Quadro FX 3800M (Windows)
• Quadro FX 4800 (Windows and Mac OS)
• Quadro FX 5800 (Windows)
• Quadro 2000 (Windows)
• Quadro 2000D (Windows)
• Quadro 2000M (Windows)
• Quadro 3000M (Windows)
• Quadro 4000 (Windows and Mac OS)
• Quadro 4000M (Windows)
• Quadro 5000 (Windows)
• Quadro 5000M (Windows)
• Quadro 5010M (Windows)
• Quadro 6000 (Windows)
• Quadro CX (Windows)

[edDV]

That doesn't mean the card won't work with CS 5.5. Only that it won't work for GPU acceleration.

[Nelson37]

Risk of anything going wrong is extremely minimal.

If the work is done by a shop authorized to do Compaq/HP warranty repairs, the upgrade should not void your warranty other than for the power supply itself.

Otherwise, keep the original PSU and if you ever need to ship the PC back for warranty repairs, put the old unit back in.

[usually_quiet]

Yes, that's the inside all right. Very crowded.

I recently had a Firewirecard put in so now there's only 2 pci-e slots left (1x).

I upgraded the "stock" video card to a NVIDIA GeFORCE GT 440 which I'm told is/should probably be CS 5.5 compatiable which remains to be seen until I have enough power.

Is it possible to find out what HP actually put in there?

If you are uncomfortable installing a PCI-e firewire card yourself, then I agree with edDV. Having somebody else take care of choosing and installing the PSU is your best option. It will cost more, but if you are not confident that you can do this yourself, it makes sense to pay someone with the right training and experience to do it for you. Peace of mind is worth something.

[Canon GL-2 Guy]

UR quite right as peace of mind is indeed priceless and valuable.

I'm told and have read online that the card should work with CS 5.5 once hacked which supposively is "easy".

I need to locate a HP authorized repair place or a good tech. That was a great idea!

Thanks for all of your help.

[MJA]

you don't need a "HP authorized repair place" .any local PC repair shop will do the job.just be sure they have a good feedback.plus OEM repair shops charge an arm and a leg

[Nelson37]

"HP authorized" will Guarantee it does not void the warranty. Otherwise, if your repair shop can PROVE that they are not incompetent fools, then it may, or may not, void the warranty.

Generally, I have not had too much trouble with various companies authorizing work within the scope of the warranty without voiding it. But then, I AM "HP authorized".

Find a shop that is an authorized warranty service provider for a major company, that will generally be sufficient. If you are real concerned, call HP and verify.

If you want to use Joe Schmo from Idaho, good luck getting the warranty honored.

[MJA]

what a joke . They call it "Elite" and it comes with a 300 psu