HP Pavilion HPE h8xt Desktop i7-3770 8GB memory 1TB HD $599 at Costco

Hi, regarding this PS, I have been able to upgrade the PS in several "consumer" PC. The hardest part is that it's usually a tight fit because the cases are just sized big enough to fit all the "stuff" inside. But I haven't had any problem with "non-standard connectors."

For example, right now I am running on an off-the-shelf Lenovo system in which I've changed the PS and put in an XFX 6870 graphics card, upgraded the RAM and maybe some other stuff, all in the original case -- works fine!

But I can't say specifically about this model and there don't seem to be any photos of the "insides" available. Also, I'd agree with the previous poster that there are many mid-grade video cards that have plenty of graphics power for most applications, and many of these will work fine with the stock 300W supply and no extra wiring. If you are going to stay at 1920x1080 or below, this is likely all you will need even for most gaming.
[Edit: just read through the thread some more and I see that someone posted great links to the product site -- it sure looks like a standard set of power connectors to me -- a 24-pin for the main connector plus an extra 4-pin near the CPU. Note that some board made for overclocking and high-power CPUs use an 8-pin extra power connector. This is just a 4-pin, so it should work with pretty much any decent aftermarket supply]

If you want to do serious gaming with multiple screens, or a 2560x1600 monitor, or whatever, then, yes, you'll want a high-power video card and will need to swap the PS. But if you're that serious you are probably looking into getting a big tower case with 4 fans and liquid cooling and all that fun stuff!

Quote from solchitlins : It just seems like that's what is on sale

But if that's not what you need, what good does it do?

Quote from pmarin : I'd agree with the previous poster that there are many mid-grade video cards that have plenty of graphics power for most applications, and many of these will work fine with the stock 300W supply and no extra wiring. If you are going to stay at 1920x1080 or below, this is likely all you will need even for most gaming.

any cards come to mind? I'm thinking about getting this and wouldn't mind installing a card, but I'm clueless on modern cards, last time I bought one was 10+ years ago.

Quote from solchitlins : any cards come to mind? I'm thinking about getting this and wouldn't mind installing a card, but I'm clueless on modern cards, last time I bought one was 10+ years ago.

Sorry, I don't have specific up-to-date info on this. I have several mid-end cards I have bought through the years in the $20-$60 price range, and all have worked fine, but these are basically out-of-date now. You don't want to get an older card because they are less efficient (i.e. not as much speed for the amount of power used.) You also want to pick based on what your main usage is: home theater, gaming, etc. I'd probably check on of the online guides at places like tomshardware.

For gaming, I admit I've been using a higher-power card which did require swapping a supply (like the 6870) in my system.

Quote from solchitlins : any cards come to mind? I'm thinking about getting this and wouldn't mind installing a card, but I'm clueless on modern cards, last time I bought one was 10+ years ago.

Here are a couple links that show the insides of a higher-end h9 system. I bet though that this one will look very similar.

http://computershopper.com/desktops/reviews/hp-pavilion-hpe-h9-1120t-phoenix/%28page%29/3#review-body

http://www.digitaltrends.com/desktop-computer-reviews/hp-phoenix-hpe-h9-review/

not to shift gears too much but is this pc over kill for me, I mean, I could easily probably get away with this for the next couple of years right?....

This: http://www.provantage.com/dell-46...ELL29V.htm

Add this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6820139075

You will come in under $450 with shipping.

I finally decided to pull the trigger on this. I kept debating whether to buy this at $630 (with shipping at Costco) and later adding a discrete video card over buying it from HP.com for $780 (HPA price but w/ free ship and with a discrete video card already and a free Xbox worth $200. ) The HP.com deal actually gives you better value BUT I don't want the xbox and I don't want to go thru the hassle of selling it. I'm just going to upgrade the GPU and PSU later down the road if I think I need it (i'm not a pc gamer, but I do want to edit HD video so maybe a discrete GPU is needed?)

At least I have 90 days to return to Costco if I change my mind or a better deal comes along.

Quote from Ps3Rules : I finally decided to pull the trigger on this. I kept debating whether to buy this at $630 (with shipping at Costco) and later adding a discrete video card over buying it from HP.com for $780 (HPA price but w/ free ship and with a discrete video card already and a free Xbox worth $200. ) The HP.com deal actually gives you better value BUT I don't want the xbox and I don't want to go thru the hassle of selling it. I'm just going to upgrade the GPU and PSU later down the road if I think I need it (i'm not a pc gamer, but I do want to edit HD video so maybe a discrete GPU is needed?) At least I have 90 days to return to Costco if I change my mind or a better deal comes along.

do you have a link to that hp deal, for comparison

Quote from solchitlins : do you have a link to that hp deal, for comparison

http://www.shopping.hp.com/en_US/...Desktop-PC

You need to have an HPA student account to get the $780 price and the free xbox360 (add both the PC and the xbox to your cart and then write "xbox360" in the coupon box before checking out).

Quote from Ps3Rules : http://www.shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/products/Desktops/HP-Pavilion/B4J27AV;pgid=QT5wGfjcGRlSRpIqjWpHvRV300006gXVsSSG;sid=VYLdhPVZR762iKV-ZvF0DC1WX1lQL_-C2CnwiCbGX1lQL5Vf0wOKSAU2?HP-Pavilion-HPE-h8-1360t-Desktop-PC You need to have an HPA student account to get the $780 price and the free xbox360 (add both the PC and the xbox to your cart and then write "xbox360" in the coupon box before checking out).

Based on this link, if you try to select any video card above HD 7570 or GT630, you will also need to select a higher-wattage power supply. This gives a definitive answer to those who have been wondering about graphics upgrade: virtually no after-market graphics upgrade options unless you upgrade the power supply as well.

Quote from Ps3Rules : http://www.shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/products/Desktops/HP-Pavilion/B4J27AV;pgid=QT5wGfjcGRlSRpIqjWpHvRV300006gXVsSSG;sid=VYLdhPVZR762iKV-ZvF0DC1WX1lQL_-C2CnwiCbGX1lQL5Vf0wOKSAU2?HP-Pavilion-HPE-h8-1360t-Desktop-PC You need to have an HPA student account to get the $780 price and the free xbox360 (add both the PC and the xbox to your cart and then write "xbox360" in the coupon box before checking out).

For those that are considering the HP.com deal instead of the Costco deal: I just got a stackable $100 off $999 coupon by email: MUL3297. Just add $50 worth of options (like a PSU upgrade, wireless keyboard, a 2nd HDD etc.), apply the coupon and the price drops to $750.

You don't even need an HPA/EPP account. But if you do have one, it saves you another $20. I don't know how it affects the free xBox option.

So, Ps3Rules, you may want to cancell your yesterday's order and re-order with this coupon. Maybe I should even post it as a separate deal.

how do you apply both codes? I don't see how your getting that xbox

Quote from solchitlins : any cards come to mind? I'm thinking about getting this and wouldn't mind installing a card, but I'm clueless on modern cards, last time I bought one was 10+ years ago.

this deal is hot if you dont plan to do any mainstream gaming. This rig will not run COD, BF3, Diablo 3, Darksiders II, or any or the current gen games well w/o a GPU and PSU upgrade.

At minimum youll want a Gtx 560ti 448 to run current gen and next gen games. You could get away with a Gtx 550ti, but I would recommend the 448 version. Either way youll need atleast a 650wat psu.

Quote from randomdeal : 300W Power Supply, so even if you wanted to add a nice video card to it you would need to fix that as well.

With Dell pc's with a 300 watt power supply, the Radeon "6670" works fine. For instance, the Dell Vostro 260 (with 305 watt) manual, indicates that the Radeon 6670 is an option. The cheapest I have seen for the Radeon 6670 card is $38 after rebate (the deal was about 2 months ago at :

http://slickdeals.net/f/4780996-H...IR-Shipped

Note that nvidia states that a 400 watt supply is needed for the Radeon 6670, but they are likely overstating the power requirements to play it safe otherwise an OEM like Dell wouldn't stick it in one of their 300 watt computers.

If you want something more powerful than the Radeon 6670 then obviously you would need to upgrade the power supply.

Here is chart on how the various video cards, including the Radeon 6670, stack up:
http://www.tomshardware.com/revie...107-7.html