power supply upgrade

I have and HP 754n pc, windows xp pentium 4 2.5g. I want to upgrade my power supply to keep up with the damands of the extra upgrades I have in stalled over the last 2 years. After purchasing a new power supply and removing the old one I found that they are different sizes. Aparently hp uses a proprietary power supply of a smaller size. So when looking in to getting one that fits my computer... they only go up to around 250 watts. My current one is 200 watts. I would like to somehow use a standard power supply in my machine so I can get a more powerfull one, but the room just isnt there. Question... is it at all possible to perhaps drill a hole in the case and mount the power supply outside the case? Or is that just a bad idea? Anyone ever have this problem with an hp before?

 

i took the hp guts out of its case, installed in custom case with 600 watt ps.

slick stuff!!

 

Hmmm.... not a bad idea. Mabee I should get a new case.

 

I would get a new, standard ATX case and just move the parts over.

It's certainly a better option than drilling or buying a HP power supply.

 

Ok so is there anything I need to know when selecting a new case. Will just any standard ATX case do the trick?

 

and also do most cases come with a power supply?

 

Yes, a standard ATX form factor should be fine.

The rest is up to you, as far as how many bays, fans and front ports if any etc.


EDIT: A lot of cases come with a power supply, but their quality isn't the best.

Look around. There are plenty that don't come with one.

 

Thanks for you help. I think that is what I will do.

 

DEWBACK.......I can probrably help you out here. First off, if your HP case has a ducted intake fan, that delivers outside air right over the processor (like most HP's do), I'd seriously reconsider buying a new case. It's the ideal setup. I actually scrounge around for old HP cases, to use for custom builds. The cases are sturdy, and the ducted intake fan is the tits. As for the power supply, I'm assuming you're having trouble with the depth. Replacement ATX's are too deep, and hit on your CD drive(s). If you can find a Powmax ATX power supply, model# LP-9900D-N, it may fit. The LP-9900D-N measures
4 3/4 inches deep. Much shorter than standard ATX's. Get in your case with a ruler, and see if that will suffice. If I'm remembering the 754N case correctly, the 4 3/4 inch depth should fit, and leave you with around an inch and a half to fit the connectors into your drives. The LP-9900D-N is a 400 watt power supply, and I've been using one in my HP 563W for over a year now. It's a good unit. The ventelation slots on the inside of the power supply case will be facing your disk drives, instead of downward. So you should just make sure you keep the cabling coming out of your disk drive(s) not bunched up there. I too searched for one that fit my HP, I went to a lot of computer parts sites. Some sites gave the measurements of the power supplies. That's how I finally found that particular one.

 

I'm all for swapping cases - many have "cooling advantaged" ducts that you can add a fan to if you want. Many decisions made in the choice of case by the big box pushers (HP, Dell, etc.) are made in favor of assembly/parts costs and shipping volume (the amount of space the boxed unit takes up in a truck) - not necessarily what the user might need or want.
. The excellent Antec SLK3000-B is a fine example of such a case: Linkage
. It was available at Amazon or Provantage for ~$50. shipped. You can use the PSU you already bought in it.

.bh.

 

ive done that for a few friends too taking hps out of their cases. worked fine everytime

 

Ok guys I went ahead and bought a new case. This one has plenty of room compared to the other one. Got all the guts switched over to the new case... fits well. Now the problem I have is getting the power switch and leds hooked up. In the old tower several wires came together in one connection that plugged into the motherboard. In the new case they are separate... such as there is a wire for the power switch... a wire for the hd led... a wire for the power led etc. This is my first time doing such an upgrade and I do not know how to hook them up properly since they do not match what I had before. Therefore I am getting no power when I push the button. I checked my user manual for my pc but it had no info on the motherboard. So what I am asking is how do I go about solving the mystery of where to plug in these connections... and in general making sure ALL the connections I have made are correct? Is there perhaps an online resource for motherboards? Mabee I need and adapter or 2? Any help appreciated!

 

What is your mobo? I know it shipped in a HP set-up but do you know the name and model number?

For the Power itself there is a molex that comes straight from the PSU (maybe even two) and usually plugs in around the processor area. If your card is AGP, which it probably is, then you probably do have two power connections onto the motherboard so make sure they are both plugged in.

That should get you power, now for the little l.e.ds...

Kiwi

 

HP often has tech docs on their systems. Just go to their site and do a search on your specific model. See if you don't come up with a tech ref manual in PDF format on it. The pinout of the front panel connector should be in there. It's easy for assembly if they get all those wires together in one connector. Quite often there are markings next to the header on the mobo, but usually small print so a magnifier and good light will help to see them.

.bh.