HP 290 G2 MT upgrade

[An-old-fart22]

Hello, l have an HP 290 G2 MT I have upgraded the ram and the SSD drive. I would like to upgrade the psu to the 310w version in order to get a better gpu ( I have a gt 1030). I have searched the HP community website and part finder website but I cannot find the part at all. Could anyone help please?

[NonSequitur777]

@An-old-fart22,

Welcome to our HP User Forum!

This is an interesting query, right up my proverbial alley. -Yes, there is a 310-watt power supply available for your HP 290 G2 MT ("310W 90% HE power supply SFF ENTL EPA90 (Gold) Full range 115V/230V"), but precious little information is available as to what its OEM HP part number actually would be.

But no worries: I have reduced the number of compatible OEM HP 310-watt power supplies to two.

It is either one of these two -or both of them, I'll explain in a second: 

1.) HP p/n: 937516-004 ("HP PCG007 Power Supply 310W"), such as this purchase option: https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-In-Box-HP-PCG007-Power-Supply-310W-/164755774033?_trksid=p2349526.m4383....

2.)  HP p/n: 901772-003 ("HP PCG007 DPS-310AB-3A"), such as this purchase option: 901772-003 901772-004 310w For HP ProDesk 280 288 G3 PSU dps-310ab-1a pcg007 - 365PowerSupply.com - ....

Interestingly, the proprietary HP "P2" 7-pin power connectors for both power supplies are wired identical. Which -in my admittingly limited personal/anecdotal experience almost certainly means they can power the same PC platform -and since I have ruled out other 310-watt power supplies (DISCLAIMER: at least the ones I could identify in the internet maze), there is a good chance either one should work on your desktop:

No guarantees, though.  However, if your HP 290 G2 MT were my Upgrade project, I would try these options.  Buy from a Seller who allows 30- or 60-day returns, so that if it doesn't work, you can return it to sender and get your money back.

This is unfortunately a fairly common practice you have to pursue when it comes to upgrading legacy HP PCs.  I should know, because I have upgraded a number of them and found it challenging with some of them to figure out what computer components were compatible and which ones were not.

Please look at your "P2" power connector -a picture would be nice, and see how yours is wired.

Hope this was helpful.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[An-old-fart22]

Hi, thank you for taking the time to send an answer, I will post a photo of the p2 connector.  I have seen a power supply on eBay for £20. But I was thinking of getting a gtx 1650 low profile card but it’s a bit steep at around £215. Or would a gtx 1050 gpu be suitable? I did not realise upgrading a cheap pc would be so expensive! Cheers

[NonSequitur777]

@An-old-fart22,

The expenses for upgrading a PC can be minimized by looking out for 'good deals' (like on eBay) and sales.

With regard to a graphics card, what is it you want to do? For decent gaming, a GTX 1650 would be my choice. You can expect smooth full HD (1080p) gaming at 60 FPS as long as it is paired with a decent processor and at least 2 x 4GB of RAM.  It’s not for intense gaming though.

A GTX 1050 should be good enough for light or moderate gaming, as long as it also paired with a decent processor and at least 2 x 4GB of RAM. However, if you want to play AAA games or expect high framerates, this would not be the right GPU for you.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[An-old-fart22]

Hi again, thanks for the info. I won’t be playing any Can you see the p2 connector?AAA games as the PC only has an i3 8100 cpu, I have 16gb of ram (one module). I have attached an image of the mother board. I tried to take the P2 connector out but I didn’t want to break it. Hopefully this helps. 

[NonSequitur777]

@An-old-fart22,

So, the color-wire sequence (relative to your picture's top-right to bottom-left) is Black, empty, Grey, Green?

All I can say is that either of the two aforementioned 310-watt power supplies should work.  Mind you, despite my best efforts, I once again ran into the proverbial information brick wall. An inquiry with an HP specialist yielded the equivalent of a vacant stare, so to speak.  Anyway, as mentioned, if your PC was my upgrade project, I would try the least expensive 310-watt PSU first, and if it doesn't work, return to Sender, and try the second option.  In my experience, these try-outs either work, or they don't. Btw, I have yet to fry a motherboard when I tried out an alternative HP PSU on one of my PCs.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[An-old-fart22]

I have purchased a 310w power supply.  I will let you know how I get on. I hope my son appreciates this 😂

Thanks for your help. 

[NonSequitur777]

@An-old-fart22,

You are most welcome!

Yes, if you don't mind, please follow up as it hopefully provides a Solution for other Users looking for an HP 290 G2 MT power upgrade.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777