For quite a while now, I have had this computer that was basically purchased at a department store as an all-in-one package. It's an HP Pavilion P2-1013W desktop.
It's a Mini ITX form factor...I presume the case is, as well.
Motherboard Specifications, APXD1-DM (Bluewood4) - HP Customer Care (United States - English) It is apparently known as a Bluewood4.
Is Mini ITX the only motherboard that I can fit into this type of case?
This computer has a laptop-style power plug that plugs directly into the motherboard and has no PSU at all. There seems to be a "place" for one in the typical upper back portion of the case, but the back is riveted on...yet the case has the locking mechanism that would grab onto a power supply on the side of the case inside.
I already know that my current motherboard has absolutely no ports at all for expandability. It came with 3GB of PC3-10660 DDR3 1333MHz RAM. It has integrated graphics and is a piece of junk. It lags/takes a long time to load even basic games. It actually processes games and hd video better than basic tasks like windows updates (those take an incredibly long time).
I actually don't mind the case. I like the smaller size and the design of the case itself. Please note that I am not a heavy gamer, so I'm not asking to take a piece of junk machine and magically transform it into some graphic intensive monster.
My question is...can I change the motherboard in this and find one that has a better performing processor that will be quicker than what I have in it now? I have gone to newegg.com and looked at motherboard/cpu combos for Mini ITX, for instance. All I see is Atoms and stuff like that. Apparently, even the E-450 in this desktop is actually meant to be a netbook processor. Can I fit anything else into this case?
Even with this piece of junk processor with the integrated Radeon HD 6320 graphics, it can reasonably play the the lower-end games that I play (SWAT 4, C&C Tiberium Wars, Orbiter Space Simulator, etc.) with okay graphics. It is moreso the speed of daily tasks and lagging simply due to the crappy processor that bugs me more than anything.
The processor is soldered into the motherboard, so I can't do anything with this current setup. I'd rather not buy another case and all of that. Yes, I do know that for probably $400 I could build a decent moderate gaming computer. But I don't feel like doing all of that right now. This case appears to have more room for other larger motherboards, based on the screw holes inside that extend wider (and possibly taller) than the current motherboard.
I would like to be able to keep the RAM, if possible.
Here are a few pics of the said computer:
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/2645/0088611189267500x500.jpg Maybe this well help determine the size of my computer case...hopefully.
Back of computer: Imageshack - photo0177o.jpg
Where the PSU should go, from inside: Imageshack - photo0176w.jpg It looks to be riveted...can I disconnect those rivets and add in a PSU somehow? The case has the locking mechanism similar to other cases that I have had in the past when I installed a PSU, but none of them had the upper back panel riveted closed like that.
Motherboard:
ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting
The other screwholes seem to support a longer motherboard of some type.
I also realize that yes, Mini ITX boards and combos are rather expensive.
Humor me - what can I physically do to make this faster as-is without buying a new case and "starting over"? Could I add in a power supply and better motherboard/processor? If so, which is a good one?
Thanks for your advice.
It's a Mini ITX form factor...I presume the case is, as well.
Motherboard Specifications, APXD1-DM (Bluewood4) - HP Customer Care (United States - English) It is apparently known as a Bluewood4.
Is Mini ITX the only motherboard that I can fit into this type of case?
This computer has a laptop-style power plug that plugs directly into the motherboard and has no PSU at all. There seems to be a "place" for one in the typical upper back portion of the case, but the back is riveted on...yet the case has the locking mechanism that would grab onto a power supply on the side of the case inside.
I already know that my current motherboard has absolutely no ports at all for expandability. It came with 3GB of PC3-10660 DDR3 1333MHz RAM. It has integrated graphics and is a piece of junk. It lags/takes a long time to load even basic games. It actually processes games and hd video better than basic tasks like windows updates (those take an incredibly long time).
I actually don't mind the case. I like the smaller size and the design of the case itself. Please note that I am not a heavy gamer, so I'm not asking to take a piece of junk machine and magically transform it into some graphic intensive monster.
My question is...can I change the motherboard in this and find one that has a better performing processor that will be quicker than what I have in it now? I have gone to newegg.com and looked at motherboard/cpu combos for Mini ITX, for instance. All I see is Atoms and stuff like that. Apparently, even the E-450 in this desktop is actually meant to be a netbook processor. Can I fit anything else into this case?
Even with this piece of junk processor with the integrated Radeon HD 6320 graphics, it can reasonably play the the lower-end games that I play (SWAT 4, C&C Tiberium Wars, Orbiter Space Simulator, etc.) with okay graphics. It is moreso the speed of daily tasks and lagging simply due to the crappy processor that bugs me more than anything.
The processor is soldered into the motherboard, so I can't do anything with this current setup. I'd rather not buy another case and all of that. Yes, I do know that for probably $400 I could build a decent moderate gaming computer. But I don't feel like doing all of that right now. This case appears to have more room for other larger motherboards, based on the screw holes inside that extend wider (and possibly taller) than the current motherboard.
I would like to be able to keep the RAM, if possible.
Here are a few pics of the said computer:
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/2645/0088611189267500x500.jpg Maybe this well help determine the size of my computer case...hopefully.
Back of computer: Imageshack - photo0177o.jpg
Where the PSU should go, from inside: Imageshack - photo0176w.jpg It looks to be riveted...can I disconnect those rivets and add in a PSU somehow? The case has the locking mechanism similar to other cases that I have had in the past when I installed a PSU, but none of them had the upper back panel riveted closed like that.
Motherboard:
ImageShack® - Online Photo and Video Hosting
The other screwholes seem to support a longer motherboard of some type.
I also realize that yes, Mini ITX boards and combos are rather expensive.
Humor me - what can I physically do to make this faster as-is without buying a new case and "starting over"? Could I add in a power supply and better motherboard/processor? If so, which is a good one?
Thanks for your advice.