i am new to this site and am not sure if i am using the correct forum so if i am not please excuse me and direct me in the right direction. ok here it goes...... i just bought a HP pavilion a1720n and am trying to upgrade my video card and power supply (mostly for gaming). before i commit to buying any new equipment i really want to know which video cards and power supples would be compatible with my system. i have searched the HP website, numerous video card manufactures sites, and a multitude of "googled" phrases but cant seem to find the info i need. any help i could get would be tremendously appreciated. here are my computer specs...(copied from cnet shopper.com) Full specifications - HP Pavilion Media Center a1720n - Core 2 Duo E6300 1.86 GHz Manufacturer: HP Part number: RT641AA#ABA Processor Processor manufacturer Intel Processor type Core 2 Duo Processor number E6300 Clock speed 1.86 GHz Installed processor qty 1 Max supported processor qty 1 Processor main features Intel Extended Memory 64 Technology RAM RAM installed 1 GB Max supported RAM 4 GB Memory specification compliance PC2-4200 RAM form factor DIMM 240-pin RAM technology DDR II SDRAM System Windows Vista certification Windows Vista Premium Ready Platform technology Intel VIIV Technology Recommended use Home use System type Media center Video Output Video Output / Graphics Processor / Vendor Intel GMA 950 TV tuner type None Video output form factor Integrated Display (Projector) Display type None. Service & Support Service & Support type 1 year warranty Optical Storage CD / DVD type DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM CD / DVD read speed 40x (CD) / 16x (DVD) CD / DVD rewrite speed 32x (CD) / 6x (DVD-RW) / 8x (DVD+RW) / 5x (DVD-RAM) CD / DVD write speed 40x (CD) / 16x (DVD±R) / 4x (DVD-R DL) / 8x (DVD+R DL) Optical storage interface type IDE Storage Hard Drive Hard drive interface Serial ATA-300 Hard drive installed qty 1 Hard drive size 320 GB Hard drive type Standard Spindle speed 7200 rpm Audio Input Audio input type None Interface Provided Interface 1 Mouse Generic, 1 Keyboard Generic, 7 Hi-Speed USB, 2 IEEE 1394 (FireWire), 1 Network Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX, 1 Display / video VGA, 1 Display / video, 1 Display / video, 1 Display / video S-video output, 1 Display / video DVI-Analog/Digital, 1 Headphones Output, 2 Microphone Input, 4 Audio Output, 1 Audio Line-in, 1 Audio Line-out, 1 Parallel IEEE 1284 (EPP/ECP), 1 Audio, 1 Audio Connector Type 6 pin mini-DIN (PS/2 style), 4 pin USB Type A, RJ-45, 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15), RCA, Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, Mini-phone 3.5 mm, 25 pin D-Sub (DB-25) Storage Hard Drive (2nd) 2nd hard drive type None Optical Storage (2nd) 2nd optical storage type None Storage Controller (2nd) 2nd storage controller form factor Integrated 2nd storage controller installed qty 1 2nd storage controller type IDE Modem Modem 56 Kbps Fax / modem Audio Output Audio output form factor Integrated Audio output type Sound card Speaker (s) Type None Cabinet (Chassis) Cabinet form factor Tower Manufacturer form factor Tower Cache Memory Cache 2 MB L2 cache Cache per processor size 2 MB Card Reader Card reader 9 in 1 card reader Supported flash memory cards Microdrive, Memory Stick, MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card, SmartMedia Card, XD-Picture Card, Memory Stick Pro, CompactFlash Card type I, CompactFlash Card type II Mainboard Chipset type Intel 945G Express Data bus speed 1066 MHz Networking Data link protocol Ethernet, Fast Ethernet Networking Network adapter Integrated Dimensions & Weight Depth 17 in Height 15 in Weight 24 lbs Width 7.2 in Bay Provided Expansion bays 2 (1 free) Front accessible 5.25" x 1/2H, 3 (1 free) Front accessible 3.5" x 1/3H, 1 (0 free) Internal 3.5" x 1/3H Storage Floppy Drive Floppy drive type None Service & Support Details Full contract period 1 year Service & Support details Limited warranty Service included Parts and labor Input Device Input device Mouse, Keyboard Power Device Power device type Power supply Printer Printer type None Video Memory Video memory technology Dynamic Video Memory Technology 3.0 OS Provided OS provided Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Storage Removable Removable storage type None Slot Provided Slot provided 4 (2 free) Memory DIMM 240-pin, 1 (1 free) PCI Express x16, 3 (2 free) PCI, 1 (0 free) Processor LGA775 Socket Storage Controller Storage controller form factor Integrated Storage controller installed qty 1 Storage controller type Serial ATA Software Software type Adobe Reader 7.0, Microsoft Works 8.0, Norton Internet Security 2007 (60 days subscription)
can use any pci/e 16 videocard. motherboard specs, http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...n &product=3340228&dest_page=prodinfoCategory need to make certain any psu you get has 24 pins on the main power connector to motherboard besides the 4 pin square connector. what is marked on the label on the side of the current psu for watts?
i am not completely certain what is marked on the side of the psu but i know the psu spec states that it has only a 250w output. i just went and looked at the psu and it indeed says "max output 250w" thank you soooo much for your help, do you have any suggestions on which type of video card/psu i might want to consider? my primary goal is to play games like DOOM 3 or the new HALO coming out with the max graphics settings.
depends on your budget as to what card to get. take a look at your newest game you have or about to get to see what that game requires for video card. will most likey have to get a new psu as some of the pci/e videocards want at least 300 watts or more to run on. measure the dimensions of current psu as in length x width x height & post it here to see if is a standard psu size or not.
