HP 8300 Elite w/ Intel i5-3470 Quad Core at Newegg

[bitguru]

update: success!

I tried so many things that it's hard to know exactly what was and what wasn't relevant. But I think the big thing that allowed the machine to boot from disk again was to re-run Multibeast, this time choosing UEFI Boot Mode instead of Legacy Boot Mode. (I guess this even sort of makes sense after updating to more recent BIOS firmware.)

Audio works well, using that same kext I attached above and sliding Input Gain all the way to the left in the VoodooHDA control panel. In fact, both the internal amplified speaker and the green rear jack work, switchable via the Sound control panel. This wasn't the case when I was trying Legacy Boot Mode though, again, I can't be absolutely sure that's the reason for the improvement.

I said earlier that it was a mistake to update the BIOS, but now I might go so far as to say it was a good idea.

 

[trs96]

update: success!

I tried so many things that it's hard to know exactly what was and what wasn't relevant. But I think the big thing that allowed the machine to boot from disk again was to re-run Multibeast, this time choosing UEFI Boot Mode instead of Legacy Boot Mode. (I guess this even sort of makes sense after updating to more recent BIOS firmware.)

Audio works well, using that same kext I attached above and sliding Input Gain all the way to the left in the VoodooHDA control panel. In fact, both the internal amplified speaker and the green rear jack work, switchable via the Sound control panel. This wasn't the case when I was trying Legacy Boot Mode though, again, I can't be absolutely sure that's the reason for the improvement.

I said earlier that it was a mistake to update the BIOS, but now I might go so far as to say it was a good idea.

Congrats on the success. If you look under the UEFI security settings section you may see the reason why it wasn't booting up from the HDD when booting in legacy mode. If you have some time you could post a screen shot of the settings that work in that section of the UEFI for the Elite 8300. No one has posted a detailed User Build for one of these either. That could help others to figure out El Capitan on this hardware. Thanks for the update on your success.

 

[bitguru]

If you have some time you could post a screen shot of the settings that work in that section of the UEFI for the Elite 8300. No one has posted a detailed User Build for one of these either. That could help others to figure out El Capitan on this hardware.

No screenshots, but I just took the time to transcribe all the BIOS settings.

These are BIOS settings for HP Elite 8300 SFF with firmware version K01 v02.99 (v2.99). I'm not saying these settings are "correct," but they do work for me with OSX 10.11.x "El Capitan."

Storage -> Storage Options
@ eSATA Port: Enabled
@ SATA Emulation: AHCI
@ Removable Media Boot: Enabled
@ Max eSATA Speed: 3.0 Gbps [1.5 Gbps also works, but once I failed to boot after changing from 3.0 to 1.5.]

Security -> Device Security
@ Embedded Security Device: Device hidden
@ System Audio: Device available
@ Network Controller: Device available
@ SATA0: Device available
@ SATA1: Device available
@ SATA2: Device available
@ SATA4: Device available

Security -> Network Boot
@ Network Boot: Enabled [I probably would have disabled this if I had thought about it, but I didn't.]

Security -> Master Boot Record Security
@ Master Boot Record Security: Disabled

Security -> System Security
@ Data Execution Prevention: Enabled
@ Virtualization Technology (VTx): Disabled
@ Virtualization Technology Directed I/O (VTd): Disabled

Security -> Secure Boot Configuration
@ Legacy Support: Enabled
@ Secure Boot: Disabled
@ Key Management -> Clear Secure Boot Keys: Don't Clear [I didn't mess with this.]
@ Key Management -> Key Ownership: HP Keys [I didn't mess with this.]
@ Fast Boot: Disabled

Power -> OS Power Management
@ Runtime Power Management: Enabled
@ Idle Power Savings: Extended
@ Unique Sleep State Blink Rates: Disabled

Power -> Hardware Power Management
@ SATA Power Management: Enabled
@ S5 Maximum Power Savings: Disabled [I might try enabling this later.]

Advanced -> Power-On Options
@ POST Mode: FullBoot
@ POST Messages: Disabled [Presumably this doesn't matter.]
@ Press the ESC key for Startup Menu: Enabled
@ Option ROM Prompt: Enabled
@ After Power Loss: Off
@ POST Delay (in seconds): None
@ Bypass F1 Prompt on Configuration Changes: Disabled
@ Remote Wakeup Boot Source: Local Hard Drive
@ Factory Recovery Boot Support: Disabled
@ POST Memory Manager Runtime Allocation: Disabled

Advanced -> Onboard Devices
@ Serial Port A: Disabled

Advanced -> Bus Options
@ PCI SERR# Generation: Enabled
@ PCI VGA Palette Snooping: Disabled

Advanced -> Device Options
@ Turbo Mode: Enabled
@ Printer Mode: Bi-Directional
@ Num Lock State at Power-On: On
@ Integrated Video: Disabled [Because it's using a GeForce 610 PCIe card, not integrated HD2500 graphics.]
@ Internal Speaker: Enabled
@ NIC PXE Option ROM Download: Disabled
@ Multi-Processor: Enabled

Advanced -> Management Operations
@ AMT: Disabled

Advanced -> Option ROM Launch Policy
@ PXE Option ROMs: Do Not Launch
@ Storage Option ROMs: Do Not Launch
@ Video Option ROMs: Legacy Only

 

[sallyluvsmacs]

does playing DRM TV Shows and Movies bought from iTunes work on the
HP 8300 Elite w/ Intel i5-3570 Quad Core

I have an HP Elite 8000 - Core 2 Duo E8400
running Mavericks and DRM content is working.
Thanks.

 

[trs96]

does playing DRM TV Shows and Movies bought from iTunes work on the
HP 8300 Elite w/ Intel i5-3570 Quad Core

I have an HP Elite 8000 - Core 2 Duo E8400
running Mavericks and DRM content is working.
Thanks.

Yes, works fine on the 8000. Should also work on the 8100s and the 8200s by HP.
Newer than that, like the 8300 it may not work.

 

[Lonelytanker]

5-23-16 Update: PC Gaming for under $430 ?

You can also get an Elite 8300 Mini-Tower with an I7-3770 from Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FRBTLUG/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

Just $320 plus tax for a mini-tower with an Ivy Bridge I7 CPU that can
easily game and edit video with the addition of an Asus Strix or EVGA
750 Ti graphics card. Pretty good deal for about $425 USD with a 750 Ti
if you live in a state where Amazon doesn't charge sales tax. Note: you
need to use a 750 Ti that doesn't need a 6 pin power connection. You
can find links to either 750 Ti in my EZ 8000 User Build. See below. Ram
can be upgraded to 32 GB max. For video editing add at least another
8 GB kit if you'll use it primarily for video work.

5-24-16 Update
Wow ! 10 of these sold out in one day. Not sure if all TMX86 members
bought them but it was an incredible deal.

I contacted the seller, and they put 3 more up for sale today. I bought one, so now there are 2 left. Seems like a great deal for an i7 8GB system with a 1yr warranty (I think).

 

[trs96]

I contacted the seller, and they put 3 more up for sale today. I bought one, so now there are 2 left. Seems like a great deal for an i7 8GB system with a 1yr warranty (I think).

Nice. You'd even have the option in that large case for a second PSU with 6 pin/ 8pin power connectors to run a high end gaming card. I'm testing a 750 Ti Low Profile in the HP SFF and the temps get to the mid 80's C when stress testing. Not good enough air flow in the Elite SFF cases for any serious, graphics intensive gaming.

Game On.

 

[Lonelytanker]

Nice. You'd even have the option in that large case for a second PSU with 6 pin/ 8pin power connectors to run a
high end gaming card. I'm testing a 750 Ti Low Profile in the HP SFF and the temps get to the mid 80's C when stress
testing. Not good enough air flow in the Elite SFF cases for any serious, graphics intensive gaming.
Game On

Not sure how capable I am of installing a 2nd PSU. To be honest, I'm not much of a gamer, just looking for a way to get buttery smooth 4K @ 60Hz on the cheap Having a system with a capable GPU vs. the anemic one (GT 750m) in my 15" rMBP might convert me, though, lol. I'll probably be able to use this as a file server and Plex server too since it has plenty of drive bays and USB 3.0.

I should probably decide which GPU to get now. Have to research if a GTX 960 will be noticeably better than a 750Ti in driving 4K @ 60Hz. Would also like to add another 16GB RAM to this if there are 2 slots empty.

Thanks once again for posting the deal. I wouldn't have even thought to look at these systems if I hadn't seen your Deal and EZ Guide posts. I was patiently waiting for a Skylake Mac mini. Might have been waiting a while and certainly would have paid much more for anything with close to the same power.

Now I have to read up to make sure I know what I'm doing once I get the system. Bluetooth, wifi, sound, etc.

 

[trs96]

I should probably decide which GPU to get now. Have to research if a GTX 960 will be noticeably better than a 750Ti in driving 4K @ 60Hz. Would also like to add another 16GB RAM to this if there are 2 slots empty.

I don't believe there is a 960 that can work without the extra 6 Pin power connector as they easily draw much more power than the limit of the PCI-E slot. Do some research into it though as I may be wrong on this. I know that there are 950s that don't need 6 pin supplemental power.

 

[Lonelytanker]

I don't believe there is a 960 that can work without the extra 6 Pin power connector as they easily draw much more power than the limit of the PCI-E slot. Do some research into it though as I may be wrong on this. I know that there are 950s that don't need 6 pin supplemental power.

Thanks for correcting me. I actually did mean 950, add you pointed that out to me in this post.
http://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/sff-hp-elite-8300-w-core-i7-3770.194030/page-2#post-1268172