Question HP Compaq Elite 8300 Small Form Factor - installing new board/processor?

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

I bought 2 of these used Core I5 desktops several months back with the intent of: 1) giving my 11 year old son some experience in upgrading old PC's before he built a new one from scratch for his 4-H project, and
2) to buld a pretty basic PC for my kids to play old games on so they wouldn't annoy their Grandpa quite so much when we all went to visit with him occasionally

The build of the first one went pretty much without a hitch - we upgraded ddr3 ram to 16GB, installed a new hard drive, then used the Windows 7 PRO COA sticker on the side of the case and a Windows 10 image on USB to install a full copy of Windows 10. We ran a number of burn-in type tests, and it passed everything just fine. The first one will be an upgrade PC for their Grandpa, who is currently using a core 2 duo system that is SO SLOW that it often takes 3 minutes to load a website. (that one is running XP) Anyway, it will be a huge upgrade for him.

The second build did not go so well. It kept locking up when trying to run the basic stability testing. I reseated the ram, then bought new ram and used that, with same result. I went into BIOS and reset to default settings, same result. System was very flaky for some reason, and not running stably. Eventually, it got to a point where it would not boot to BIOS at all - would just hang. I tried clearing the BIOS, and also put in a new battery on the board. Nothing seems to get me back into the BIOS, nor will the system boot.

I have come to the conclusion that the board itself may be bad, since changing the memory did nothing to help the issues. You can see specs of the system at link below, just scroll down to where it says "small form factor" I'm pretty sure that both of these desktops came from some big business that had hundreds of these.

HP Compaq Elite 8300 PC Product Specifications | HP® Customer Support

Specifications page for HP Compaq Elite 8300 Series.

support.hp.com

At this point, the only real value in the thing is probably the case, DVD-RW drive and Windows 7 Pro COA sticker which allows a full, legal install of Windows 10. I have two sets of ddr3 ram, plus a low profile video card that I bought to use with it. I also have a 2tb enterprise sata hard drive I was going to use with it.

I guess my question is this: can I pop a different motherboard and processor in this thing and still use the Windows 7 Pro COA on the side of the case to install Windows 10 successfully? Would the Windows 10 install see that a different motherboard was used and keep me from using the current Windows 7 Pro COA?

 

[VirtualLarry]

HP Haswell SFF / 8GB / 500GB HDD / Win10 Home key $119.50 @ Newegg (TheGoodComputerGuy) (TechYesCity YT conversion video)

https://www.newegg.com/hp-elitedesk-800-g1-business-desktops-workstations/p/1VK-001E-23332?Item=9SIAAYZ9144175 This is one heck of a decent deal on a SFF HP with a Haswell quad-core i5. I picked up a couple, just popped in a 480GB SSD and did a fresh install of Win10, using a newly-downloaded...

forums.anandtech.com

HP Compaq Elite 8200 SFF quad-core (i5-2400, 4GB, 320GB HDD, W7 Pro) $89.99 + $11.99 @ Newegg (CTechCity)

https://www.newegg.com/p/1VK-001E-3JFF4?Item=9SIA6A3A282684 Another cheap SFF from a marketplace seller, also a quad-core, a bit older though, this one is supposedly a Sandy Bridge i5-2400, which has a (barely/not-really-supported iGPU), which would be a good choice to drop in a cheap LP GT710...

forums.anandtech.com

Seen these recent deals?

Most OEM SFF that I've seen is proprietary, and putting a non-identical board in would necessitate swapping out the PSU too, dealing with case cooling, etc. Total PITA.

I would recommend just getting another unit from one of the above deals, OR get an exact replacement OEM mobo off of ebay from a hopefully-reputable parts dealer. (Ascendtech is good.)

 

[VirtualLarry]

Grandpa, who is currently using a core 2 duo system that is SO SLOW that it often takes 3 minutes to load a website. (that one is running XP) Anyway, it will be a huge upgrade for him.

Unless he's using that Core2 CPU that was actually a single-core, then I would:
1) Check cooling, that the heatsink fan spins freely, and is not clogged with dust, and also re-paste the CPU... it has probably been a few years.
2) Get his an SSD, chances are, he's using a HDD, that may be fragmented, or just old and slowing down.
(Clone the OS with Macrium Reflect Free edition, you don't want to try installing XP clean in this day and age... or just put Win10 on the SSD for him, and let him adapt.)
3) (Optional), if his board supports quad-core Core2-era CPUs, and/or especially 45nm CPUs, then get him a decent quad CPU. Some boards could take Xeons of that era, but they are 771, and you have to mod them to get them to work.
4) (Optional), if he mostly watches videos online, get him a discrete GPU, something like a GT1030 or RX 550, or better, if the kids get to use that PC to game on.

Oh, I forgot, this is important, get him a browser that won't auto-play ad videos, and get him a decent free ad-blocker. Make sure that he's not using IE, IE (even 8) is slow. Try the 32-bit version of Brave browser, www.brave.com .

Also, do a malware scan, if you can find software that is still supported on XP. Otherwise, just install Win10 on the SSD, and let Windows Defender take care of him.

Edit: If you bought another cheap (cheap being relative here) SFF from one of the above deals, you could upgrade your Grandpa to Win7 or Win10 using the key off of your SFF with the busted mobo.. if the key hasn't already been used.

 

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

Most OEM SFF that I've seen is proprietary, and putting a non-identical board in would necessitate swapping out the PSU too, dealing with case cooling, etc. Total PITA.

So no go at all on using a different mboard/processor? Windows 10 would reject the COA as having been previously used with a different motherboard?
I typically use budget processors of 65 Watts or under, and video card that uses 40 watts or less. Power and heat wouldn't be a problem. My understanding was that they make adapters that allow hooking the proprietary mini power supplies up to standard motherboards.

I wouldn't even mind using an old cpu/motherboard combo that could use the DDR3 that I have already purchased, now that I have two sets of 16GB DDR3 sitting on the shelf. System would mostly be used a few weeks a year when our kids are on it playing some old games, and watching a few videos.

 

[VirtualLarry]

My understanding was that they make adapters that allow hooking the proprietary mini power supplies up to standard motherboards.

I have this feeling, that you really need to double-check that, and check specifics. I've seen adapters (in some cases), that go from ATX 24-pin to proprietary, but not the other way around. Not saying that they don't exist, in this particular case, but rather, you should actually verify, before you go to the trouble of swapping parts, IMHO.

Edit: Basically, just generally saying, you shouldn't just assume that "they make adapters for everything".

 

[VirtualLarry]

So no go at all on using a different mboard/processor? Windows 10 would reject the COA as having been previously used with a different motherboard?

Those are two separate issues. The hardware issue, I've already mentioned. The software issue, that of using the Key, it should work on another PC, if it was never used before. Those are typically single-PC keys, that are not always, but sometimes can be (I think) tied to particular hardware, but if it was used to activate Windows 7 or 10 in the past, then it DEFINITELY is tied to the particular hardware that it was activated against.

BTW, you could "luck out" with the PSU in that unit, if it happens to be a TFX or SFX PSU form-factor, just with proprietary cables. You could then, assuming that the mobo is some semblance of micro-ATX, at least on the mounting screws, remove the PSU and mobo, and put in a TFX or SFX PSU with a standard ATX 24-pin + 12V pinout, and a standard micro-ATX mobo.

Good luck! If it works, post pics.

 

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

Good luck! If it works, post pics.
[/QUOTE]

Hmm. It looks like about $30 for an exact replacement board, which would let me use the existing ram, not have to mess with adapters & such, & use the same processor. I'm tempted by that, but also a little annoyed in that it is about what I paid for the system originally. ($35 picked up)

I'm still tempted to buy a different small, used board and try that, but I'll have to think about it for a few days. I may just end up going with the exact replacement board, since it would probably be the absolute simplest route to go.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I may just end up going with the exact replacement board, since it would probably be the absolute simplest route to go.

If you plan on re-using the same chassis and PSU, that's what I would personally do.

However, if you have two identical units, and one is flaking out... how do you know it's not the PSU? You might consider, before buying a replacement board, try swapping the PSU from the working PC into the non-working unit, and see if it starts working? Maybe you need a replacement PSU rather than a replacement mobo.

Just trying to cover all of the bases here.

 

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

Here's a photo of the power supply

If you plan on re-using the same chassis and PSU, that's what I would personally do.

However, if you have two identical units, and one is flaking out... how do you know it's not the PSU? You might consider, before buying a replacement board, try swapping the PSU from the working PC into the non-working unit, and see if it starts working? Maybe you need a replacement PSU rather than a replacement mobo.

Just trying to cover all of the bases here.

- any way to see from this what adapters would be needed to use standard tiny sized motherboard in it? I see used replacement power supplies on Ebay about $14 shipped, and new for $23 shipped. Could try this out, then have a backup if it turns out the power supply not the problem.

 

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

My son and I replaced the power supply with a new one. System seemed to boot up ok, we got into BIOS, and I had it start a memory test. After about 10 minutes, the screen went blank, the power supply fan started blowing harder and harder and was very loud. In retrospect, I remember this happening with the old power supply as well.

Now the system won't POST at all - nothing on the monitor. I have disconnected all data cables, removed all cards, pulled memory. I can't even get a beep out of it. Power supply fan comes on and blows, and eventually gets very loud. This is same behavior we were getting with the old one. I'm guessing we may need to replace more than just the power supply?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Power supply fan comes on and blows, and eventually gets very loud. This is same behavior we were getting with the old one. I'm guessing we may need to replace more than just the power supply?

I'm sorry. That doesn't sound good. Maybe @jonnyGURU knows the reason that an OEM PSU fan would get "very loud".

 

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

On the plus side, since we have a new power supply, at least we can rule that out as the cause of the instability.

 

[jonnyGURU]

I'm sorry. That doesn't sound good. Maybe @jonnyGURU knows the reason that an OEM PSU fan would get "very loud".

I'm not the one to ask. Only reason I would have bought one of these in the first place is for target practice.

 

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

I'm not the one to ask. Only reason I would have bought one of these in the first place is for target practice.

I guess we just lucked out on the other one, which is working fine. $50 for 2 systems with COA stickers that allowed me to install Windows 10 seemed like a good deal, especially since we were driving home past the place (over an hour away), and could just pick up, skipping ~$25 shipping. I already had the hard drives for both systems and memory for 1 system. Just needed memory for one of the systems, and cheapo used video cards for both.

Evidently it turned out that the motherboard was bad on one of the systems.

Question: am I absolutely stuck with needing to buy the same exact model of motherboard, or is there some way to see what other boards would be size compatible with this case? (SFF)