The highly rated HP Pavilion Slimline PC thread

I'm already running a 5000+. If I switch over to that I loose 600Mhz of power. It's a good deal on newegg but I think I'll stick with what I got.
 
360Spider said:
I'm already running a 5000+. If I switch over to that I loose 600Mhz of power. It's a good deal on newegg but I think I'll stick with what I got.
Click to expand...

The advantage is that in the typical config you are trading marginal CPU capability for significantly less (>25watts) heat dissipation in the case which can be used to trade against a more powerful graphics card. It's basically the name of the game on the slimlines for most people so I can see what the thread guru, Archaea is advocating. But if you are able to reliably run the 8600GT in your box (at max power settings) then I agree its a step backward. Just surprised you are not having any heat issues in that config.
 
I think Spider is going to use the video card booster power supply.
I missed the deal on the BE-2400, it would of been nice, I have the BE-2350 now.
 
vferrari said:
The advantage is that in the typical config you are trading marginal CPU capability for significantly less (>25watts) heat dissipation in the case which can be used to trade against a more powerful graphics card. It's basically the name of the game on the slimlines for most people so I can see what the thread guru, Archaea is advocating. But if you are able to reliably run the 8600GT in your box (at max power settings) then I agree its a step backward. Just surprised you are not having any heat issues in that config.
Click to expand...

No I'm not having an heat issues at all. My sister is constantly playing the Sims2 on that compter and never once has it crashed or locked up. The settings are as high as the game allows them to be too. I have also maxed out NFS Most Wanted on the card and it runs fine as well (using the widescreen mod). Also don't forget I do have the 'frankencase' setup as well which works like a charm. I think I'm at the best I can possibly cool it without going to watercooling.

lrwatson said:
I think Spider is going to use the video card booster power supply.
Click to expand...
Yeah that is what I'll be using. (check sig) Should it work at least. I'm somewhat having some doubts but I'll see tomorrow afternoon when I get home what the final ruling will be.
 
Hello everyone

Well - I've just had my rig fail for the second time. First time was clearly a MB issue. Unit would lock up, wouldn't reboot - etc. HP Support dropped a new MB in it, and things calmed down.

This time I started getting BSODs. At first it was only once every couple of weeks. Started with gfxkrnl.sys. Next it would be once a week. Then once a day - finally several times a session. I removed the 8400GS, returned the unit to "as shipped", and restored the OS using the recovery disk. Nada. The thing won't even let me log in now without going to BSOD, and rebooting. HP is shipping me a box and packing slip for round two with HP Support.

If this round doesn't fix it, I'm going to ask HP to just replace it with a new box. Not holding my breath, but anyway....

SF
 
Does anyone have their slimline connected to their avr by hdmi? :confused: Can someone confirm that movies from the DVD player and the hard drive will play over hdmi alone with 5.1 audio? Also, can someone confirm that they are able to play mp3 and other audio files on their avr over hdmi?

Thanks!
 
Gadzooks,

Audio through HDMI only plays 2 channels, you have to get Asus's new audio card to pass 5.1 channel over HDMI. I have no problems playing back music, movies over digital connectors.
 
I have purchased 3 Slimlines. One from Compusa, two from UBid. The one from Compusa is very good, no overheating problems what so ever. I have install a 8600GT, TV card in it for half years without any problems, I play games, surf webs and watch videos without any problems. Of course, this one is the most expensive one, it costs me around $400.

The two from Ubids keeps giving me problems. One has a broken USB from the beginning. The USB is literally broken -- the latch in the socket is broken, you can't install USB devices in it. The other one has over heating problems. It would lock up from time to time in the past few months and the problem is the SATA ports -- it would start the system, then stuck in the middle of hard disk operations. When i touched the chipset, it is burning, very hot! I can't return it because it has been 5 months.

I installed a spare highpoint 2300 card into the x16 slot, fortunately it works! Since then, I no longer have any lock ups. Oh, in this system I installed nothing except the highpoint card. The CPU is 4800+ which runs very cool.

I suspect the nvidia chip set is causing most of the Slimline lock up problems.
 
No that doesn't sound right. That chip does get hot. That's why there's a heatsync on it. If it's overheating make sure there's no dust on the CPU fan (the only fan for ventilating the slimline) or anywhere else that is blocking airflow. Another thing I can suggest is getting a LP graphics card. (There are plenty that are good and are better than the integrated one.) Then go ahead in your bios and shut off your VGA port. In doing reasearch on the NVidia MCP61 chipset I have found the integrated graphics is also inside that chip. Disabling that will definitely cool things down if there is a cooling issue.
 
I'll get back to you on that one tomorrow [H]unter. I have one ordered right now that's on it's was as I speak. As for the power supply you will need extra power. For that I ordered a 300W supplemental power source as well.
 
360Spider

Is your post a reply to my post? If so, my case is very clean, no video card is used except the onboard one. The problem definitely is the chipset as after I switch to highpoint 2300, there's no more lock ups. The performance is very good too! I am using a Raid0 external drive as the boot drive and it is very fast! Now I am able to use up to 8 drives...The main problem now is I cannot upgrade to 9600GT...:(
 
Well I have good news and bad news. I'll start with the good news:

The 9600GT and supplemental power supply came today. The card works. There's no doubt about that.

The bad news:

I need a damn molex power connector to get the supplemental power supply to turn on.

So with that being said I will need to get an external USB DVD drive so I can convert the SATA power connector from it to a molex connector for the power supply. Then I can just keep the thing in the computer and risk it overheating. Well, not really, but still. Ugh, now the hunt to spend more money! :rolleyes:

I'll get some pics up in a min though....
 
Hi 360 Spider,

I've modified the sata power cable in a very easy way. If you look at the sata power cable carefully, you can see that the connector's cap is removable. open the cap, you will find that it is very easy to remove the power wires from the connector -- just pull those cables up from the connector. Now, all you need is to get a spare molex from performance-pc.com, insert those cables into the molex, then use molex splitter to split the cable -- one goes to DVD and the other one goes to power booster, that should work. That's how I add a 8mm fan in my slimline to cool the chipset.The wattage from power outlet is around 85w at peak, most of the time it consumes around 57W. My CPU is 4800+.
 
Joseph_Lin,

Thanks a bunch for that advice! I'll give that a shot. That will be much easier than cutting and soldering wires. Honestly though I think I may just go out and buy an external DVD drive anyways. That way I can just keep the supplemental power supply in the drive bay. But thanks for the advice that the SATA wire comes apart. I would have just cut it. :p As for the molex connector I have more then enough of them laying around here. lol

Here's the pics I said I would post up though (I apologize some are kind of blurry. My camera sux.)

The 9600GT and opening:

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d153/HornHead8898/100_1477.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d153/HornHead8898/100_1478.jpg

General card pics:

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d153/HornHead8898/100_1479.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d153/HornHead8898/100_1480.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d153/HornHead8898/100_1481.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d153/HornHead8898/100_1482.jpg

Box came with everything it said it would:

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d153/HornHead8898/100_1483.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d153/HornHead8898/100_1484.jpg

300W supplemental power supply:

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d153/HornHead8898/100_1485.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d153/HornHead8898/100_1486.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d153/HornHead8898/100_1489.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d153/HornHead8898/100_1487.jpg

Awwwww yeeaaaaahhh....
 
Yes while I had it in praying it wouldn't burn out my PSU I did notice it is a bit louder than the 8600GT, but not by much. It's just a smudge louder.
 
Nah, I did it the hard way and risked blowing myself up. But guess who's the first person to successfully install at GeForce 9600GT in their slimline? That's right. I have it installed and running smooth. :D

9600gt.jpg

1-1.jpg

2-1.jpg


I'll get some hardware pics up either tonight or tomorrow.
 
Anyone see the Acer Aspire x1200?

Onboard Geforce 8200
HDMI Out
Almost identical profile to the Slimline actually smaller
Slimline - 13 x 10.9 x 4.2 inches - Acer Aspire - 12.4 x 10.4 x 3.9 inches
Has 1 PCI-E x 16 and 1 PCI-E x 1
Hybrid SLI
220Watt PSU
4 Memory Slots :eek:
$400 *Refurb at tiger-direct, saw it at bestbuy for $450
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...ODE=CNETFEED&cm_mmc_o=2mHCjC2WHaCjCVqHCjCdwwp

Sounds like a really decent alternative to a Slimline.
 
Finally received my s3400t with Q9300. BIOS will be uploaded later once I've finished burning the recovery disc. First impressions:

  • Box itself is a little larger than I imagined and I'm not sure that it's a more attractive form factor than my G-Series Shuttle
  • BIOS is rather spartan - basically nothing in there to excite an enthusiast. No OC options (obviously) and I was a little disappointed that there was no love for RAID (ie replacing SATA optical drive with second HDD)
  • Got Vista Home Premium with mine and it's crammed full of pre-installed shite :( Lots of fun removing that coming up then
  • It is far, far quieter than I thought it would be, although this is just at idle right now... quieter than my SG33G5 Shuttle at idle any way
  • Here's an important one - PSU on the Intel model is... multi-voltage! Initially I was worried by the lack of red switch on the back (I'm in 220v territory and I imported my uBid win from the US). So I popped my head under the hood and saw the familiar 110-220v -- 50/60Hz label I love
  • Weirdly my unit has a 'Pentium Inside' sticker on it when I've got a Q9300!

More impressions later :)
 
A couple more impressions - stressing the Q9300 to 100% on all four cores using Prime95 seems fine and more than that, the system is still eerily quiet. Some fan noise but nothing sinister.

What I will say though is that this thing is VERY hot. PSU is hot and the Northbridge is baking. I really think it needs to be actively cooled. The fan on my 8400GS is probably not much good when the expansion card in the x1 slot is blocking it too.

Out of the whole thing, the CPU seems to be the coolest part!

BIOS revision 5.12 is what I have with my s3400t and I've dumped it with Winflash 1.9. On loading the tool, it automatically backs up the existing BIOS and that's what this file is. It's 1MB:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3KOFCTKA

Use at your own risk etc etc.

Curiously the BIOS revision posted earlier is 5.14. I'd be amazed if HP actually removed Q9300 support from it!
 
Blazestorm said:
Anyone see the Acer Aspire x1200?

Onboard Geforce 8200
HDMI Out
Almost identical profile to the Slimline actually smaller
Slimline - 13 x 10.9 x 4.2 inches - Acer Aspire - 12.4 x 10.4 x 3.9 inches
Has 1 PCI-E x 16 and 1 PCI-E x 1
Hybrid SLI
220Watt PSU
4 Memory Slots :eek:
$400 *Refurb at tiger-direct, saw it at bestbuy for $450
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...ODE=CNETFEED&cm_mmc_o=2mHCjC2WHaCjCVqHCjCdwwp

Sounds like a really decent alternative to a Slimline.
Click to expand...


Outside of the case (I like slimline's looks better) - that does seem like a strong contender! The 220 watt PSU is very nice (wonder if it would fit in a slimline?) - the four memory slots are unecessary but nice bonus!
 
Does anyone know if the 9500GT low profiles are available? I think Sparkle and Gainward have one, but I can't seem to find them anywhere yet. Also, what are your thoughts on running a passively cooled version with a 45watt processer?
 
Blazestorm said:
Anyone see the Acer Aspire x1200?


Sounds like a really decent alternative to a Slimline.
Click to expand...


CNET traditionally gives the slimlines 4-5 stars. They gave the Acer 3.5 and it looks like it might be significantly slower. Slimline reviews on CNET state specifically that it is a living room PC capable of keeping up with any PC. They state in the x1200 review that it is best served as a HTPC and doesn't quite measure up to a typical desktop in performance.

http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/acer-aspire-x1200-u1520a/4505-3118_7-33229227.html

I think this might be due to overall performance not just the 300mhz CPU difference that is a combination of motherboard choices/speed/performance in buses etc.

You'll notice that you can typically have a laptop and a full size desktop with the exact same hardware (except motherboard) and the desktop will perform significantliy better in benchmarks. Because the motherboard is more capable. I think that's what's so strong on these slimlines. Typically you don't loose any performance from a slimline motherboard as compared to a 'favorite' full size ATX board at the same clock settings. Doesn't perhaps seem to be the case with the Acer X1200. Notice the slimline in the above review beats every other 'SFPC' - while not necessarily holding the best hardware setup. I think the Asus motherboards these slimlines use is the key advantage here. They didn't got with a bottom of the barrel manufactorer arguably the most important component with the slimlines (motherboard)
 
Woot has a HDTV usb token for sale today $89 bucks for those of you worried about power consumption, heat, or slots in your slimline but also wanting to add HDTV capability.

www.woot.com.
 
Yeah I noticed that Acer a couple of months ago actually, I really like it - in fact I think it looks a bit better than the Slimline as it doesn't have that silver plastic trim which looks a little cheap IMO (the Slimline could do with a case update). The exciting aspect is the 220wt power supply - if the 9600GT LP could fit in there it probably could handle it provided it's not an inflated rating. If anyone confirms that, I'm plopping down my cash in an instant. Add in E-seta, HDMI - in specs and size, I think aside from the great uBid deals this looks to be the better machine - maybe it deserves its own thread? :)

What's disappointing to me though about both HP's and Acer's offerings is that no one has built an ATI RS780/90 motherboard yet that can fit these cases, it seems like an awesome fit and I expected HP would have one ready upon its launch. The on-board video is the best out there, and with hybrid crossfire you could get far better performance and have dual-screen capability with a very cheap card, plus it's just loaded in features to boot.

Edit: Doh, forgot the Acer has an 8200 on-board (which runs Aero very nicely from what I've used of it briefly on laptops) that has hybrid-SLI. Not quite as fast as ATI's chipset but the 8200 is still a big improvement over the 6200/7100. Really, HP needs a chipset update me thinks - the Acer really has it beat in basically category.

I'll have to do some more digging but a problem with the 9600GT may be the power connector which I doubt the acer has...
 
Archaea said:
You'll notice that you can typically have a laptop and a full size desktop with the exact same hardware (except motherboard) and the desktop will perform significantliy better in benchmarks. Because the motherboard is more capable.
Click to expand...
No, that has a small impact actually. The difference is the hard drive - a 3.5" desktop 7200RPM HD will blow away the performance of your typical notebook HD easily.
I think that's what's so strong on these slimlines. Typically you don't loose any performance from a slimline motherboard as compared to a 'favorite' full size ATX board at the same clock settings.
Click to expand...
Well yes, but that's far more to do with using standard 3.5" HD's.
Doesn't perhaps seem to be the case with the Acer X1200. Notice the slimline in the above review beats every other 'SFPC' - while not necessarily holding the best hardware setup. I think the Asus motherboards these slimlines use is the key advantage here. They didn't got with a bottom of the barrel manufactorer arguably the most important component with the slimlines (motherboard)
Click to expand...
It's no the motherboard, it's obviously just the difference in the CPU's - the Acer had a 2.5ghz X2, the Slimline had a 2.8ghz. There you go.
 
grandmaster said:
BIOS revision 5.12 is what I have with my s3400t and I've dumped it with Winflash 1.9.
Click to expand...
Thanks grandmaster. I am sorry to report that I still get unsupported CPU errors even with your BIOS. There are three possibilities:
  1. The Q9300 CPUs HP installs in the slimlines are different from the retail ones,
  2. There are hardware differences between slimlines which inform the BIOS whether a specific CPU is supported in a specific machine, or
  3. It should work, but I am an idiot and I screwed something up.
On the bright side, at least I did not brick my slimline with the BIOS updates. :eek: I am going to sell my Q9300 and end my quad-slimline project.
 
Here's a link to the scores. Keep in mind I really don't know much about what they mean. It seemed to do the graphics tests very well however the CPU tests didn't have a very good fps. I don't know if that's how it's suppose to be or what. But there you are.

Edit: It seems the scores don't stay on the site for long. I'll redo it in a little bit.
 
Archaea said:
:confused:

I've cashed two NCIX rebates for the 8800GT and the 8600GT. Both worked fine...

Sorry about your trouble. Contact NCIX and I'm sure they'll work it out.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I contacted NCIX and their only advice was to contact the manufacturer directly since they offered the rebate. So I've fired off an email to KFA2 sales but am not holding my breath for anything positive to happen.
 
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