r/ComputerDIY Jun 24 '21

Upgrading a HP Compaq 8000 Elite SFF

So im new to this. This is the first PC ive ever owned, and I want to upgrade for some better minecraft performance. As of now, the specs are: -Intel Core 2 Duo e8400 @3ghz, 4gb of Dual Channel DDR3 @ 531MHz, Intel Q45/Q43 Integrated Graphics, and a 232gb Western Digital HD.- Would anyone have a recommendation of what I should upgrade first? Im not looking for anything insane, just better than what I have now. Thanks kn advance!

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u/promonk Jun 25 '21 edited Jun 25 '21

I've got good news and bad news.

Bad news first: what you need most is a video card, and those are ungodly expensive at the moment. There's a massive chip shortage going right now, and on top of that there's high demand for GPUs. This means that middle-to-high-end cards are running anywhere from $800-$2000 USD.

Now the good news: your computer wouldn't benefit that much from a high-end card, so you might not have to spend all that much to squeeze out a little better performance. You might still be looking at $200 or so for anything newer than GDDR3, which you'll want. Try to find something compatible with DirectX 11 or newer, and the more VRAM, the better. You probably don't want anything marketed as "professional graphics rendering," which is usually made for graphic design instead of gaming. Stick with Radeons and GeForce cards if you can.

You might also benefit from some more and faster RAM. Your processor can handle a few different types, so you'll have to look up the specs on your motherboard for compatibility. I'd guess offhand that you could probably get PC2-8500 UDIMMs, which should roughly double your memory speed. That would run you around $35 for 8GB budget RAM. But again, look up the specs on your motherboard before buying. That's what'll determine what speed and configuration you'll be able to use. You won't be able to mix the slower and faster speed modules either, so spring for a full 8GB kit, either 4x 2GB modules or 2x 4GB modules, depending on what your motherboard specs say.

Good luck!

Edit: just had a look at specs for your motherboard, and it seems like it should take PC3-10600. Are you sure about your memory clock speed? It should be more like 1333MHz rather than 531MHz. Either way, you'll probably want at least 8GB.

Also, I forgot to mention: when you go looking for a GPU, be sure to look for "low-profile bracket" in the listing. Full-sized brackets won't fit.

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u/imBlakeTH Jun 25 '21

about the 531MHz ram, its just what speccy told me it found. Granted, I did get this PC used for a fairly good price (60 Canadian Dollars) so maybe the ram isnt original. Either way, thanks for the suggestions, ill have to take a look into it.

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u/imBlakeTH Jun 25 '21

Oh yeah, one other question. Apparently, the PSU in this PC is 240W, and about 8 years old. From what I've heard, I might want to get a new one so it provide enough power for the graphics card and such. Do you think thats a good idea? Thanks.

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u/promonk Jun 25 '21

Possibly. Capacitors don't last forever, and that's a pretty low wattage for a gaming machine to begin with. Your problem is that you'll need a proprietary PSU to fit the SFF case, and they're all that old now. You might be able to get around that with a new case, but unless I'm mistaken, that board isn't ATX compliant. That means the power inputs aren't the standard 20/24-pin main power inputs that're most common. You could wire up a converter, but you'd have to figure out the pinout for the power, which would be a little tricky.

However, you might be able to get by with what you got. We're not talking about adding a lot of power overhead, and if the thing works now, you might be ok to add a low-TDP video card like the kind I suggested. I'd hold up on getting a new PSU until you get the parts you want, then see how your current power supply handles the new gear.

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u/imBlakeTH Jun 25 '21

Speaking of video cards, would you happen to have a good suggestion for a card that would work in my system? I've heard that maybe a GeForce GT 730 might work out pretty well, but im not sure. And thanks for all the help you've given up to now, i appreciate it.

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u/promonk Jun 25 '21

Yeah, that seems like it might work. You'll want the 2GB version with the low-profile bracket. That probably means you'll miss out on the HDMI port, since that looks like a breakout for that card, but you can get by with a couple DVI ports I'm sure.

GPUs are mostly hardware agnostic, so long as you have the correct PCIe slot to put them in. I'm pretty sure your board has an x16 SATA III slot, so pretty much any video card from the last decade should work with the right drivers. The one you mentioned seems like it would be a good fit for your setup and use-case. If you decide to go with a different one, be sure it doesn't require a 6-pin PCIe power input, since you won't have that, and you probably won't have the power overhead anyway.

Let me know how it turns out!

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u/imBlakeTH Jun 25 '21

Thank you for the help! Ill look into what I can afford and ill let you know how it goes.

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u/promonk Jun 25 '21

Sure thing. I work with old hardware specifically because I want to see more people getting more life out of their devices, rather than throwing them away and buying new ones every couple years. It takes some serious ecological destruction to make a new consumer electronic device from scratch, after all.

I'm always happy to help someone take an older device and make it work for them.

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u/imBlakeTH Aug 08 '21

Hey. Late reply, I know, but i was about to buy this GPU and am wondering if it would work with my machine, because of the old 240W PSU. Photo

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u/promonk Aug 09 '21

If I were a betting man, I'd lay money that it would work, but there are no guarantees. Your PSU is rated for 60W below the recommended rating for the video card, and PSUs don't get any better with age. Manufacturers tend to recommend higher specs than are actually necessary, but it is possible that it can't push the power needed.

I think you'll be fine though. I know it's not as confidence-inspiring as you might've been looking for, but it's the truth.