Upgraded Core i7-3770 CustoMac Mini w/ 12GB ram for $420 at Newegg

[trs96]

That ram wont fit. You need low profile ram with a low profile heat shield other wise it will hit the power supply. I use ballistic ram.

I use a 2 x 4GB G.Skill Ripjaws kit in my HP SFF. I have them in the two white DIMM slots and some standard HP ram in the two black slots as shown below. Nearly all of these HP 6300/8300s come with 2 x 2GB or 1 x 4GB of HP ram preinstalled. For gaming there's no need to go over 12 GB of ram. The most demanding games will only use up to 10 GB. So adding the G.Skill kit doesn't present any problems and works out quite well. (no case window means you don't see the mixed green and red ram modules)

You're right in that it's difficult to fit in a 4 x 4GB kit of G.Skill ram as the CD/DVD drive closes down on the top of one of the module's heat spreaders. So if anyone does want to install 4 DIMMs of either 4 or 8GB each of this G.Skill ram, then the Ballistix Sport is the better choice barring a modification or removal of the G.Skill Ripjaws heat spreader on one DIMM. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[Gigamaxx]

I'm running two 1080 monitors using a GT710 2 GB, and that card supports 2560x1600 over DVI and 4096x2160 over HDMI, so I have to imagine pretty much any card could handle that.

Great card for the price, it just works and works and works. My gt210 has worked from Mavericks through the High Sierra betas. It runs on only PCI power so no 6-8 pin needed.

 

[JayceB]

Update:

Installation went good - Few things I am noticing not working.
1. MSI GTX 1050i (none of the the web-drivers will load) getting error
2. Ethernet - Speed test and Pings are horrible compared to the Windows test b4 the format and install of 10.12.6


Followed the (Guide for Sierra on the HP 6300 Pro/Elite 8300)

 

[Gigamaxx]

Update:

Installation went good - Few things I am noticing not working.
1. MSI GTX 1050i (non of the the web-drivers will load) getting View attachment 300198View attachment 300199
2. Ethernet - Speed test and Pings are horrible compared to the Windows test b4 the format and install of 10.12.6


Followed the (Guide for Sierra on the HP 6300 Pro/Elite 8300)

Check out the WEB Drivers guides for High Sierra, there is something about disabling SIP (System Integrity Protection) to install the drivers then enabling SIP to get them to work.

 

[trs96]

Update:

Installation went good - Few things I am noticing not working.
1. MSI GTX 1050i (non of the the web-drivers will load) getting View attachment 300198View attachment 300199
2. Ethernet - Speed test and Pings are horrible compared to the Windows test b4 the format and install of 10.12.6

Great to hear you've had some success so far. Next step is to put all your current hardware in personal details section of your profile. https://www.tonymacx86.com/account/personal-details then once that is done, start a new thread in Sierra Desktop Support to get help to fix the ethernet and graphics issues. Thanks.

 

[andwhy81]

@trs96 If you had to choose, would you do a fully built 8300 pro (I7, SSD, 1050, 12gb DDR3), verses spending the money on a new Coffee Lake build, (I5-8XXX, 8gb DDR4, Built in GPU), also considering you already had the DDR3?

I am trying to justify the extra money and wondering if im just using it as a Plex/ NZB box and very occasional gaming is it worth it.

Also is there really any cons with SFF besides the smaller PSU and smaller case?

 

[trs96]

@trs96 If you had to choose, would you do a fully built 8300 pro (I7, SSD, 1050, 12gb DDR3), verses spending the money on a new Coffee Lake build, (I5-8XXX, 8gb DDR4, Built in GPU), also considering you already had the DDR3?

I am trying to justify the extra money and wondering if im just using it as a Plex/ NZB box and very occasional gaming is it worth it.

Also is there really any cons with SFF besides the smaller PSU and smaller case?

I would only go with Coffee Lake if I were doing pro or prosumer video and photo editing. Then the newer CPU and DDR4 makes a major difference in how fast your editing and rendering goes. For things like a Plex server and gaming I would choose an 8300 for those uses and save the money for other things like more storage or whatever else.

 

[andwhy81]

I would only go with Coffee Lake if I were doing pro or prosumer video and photo editing. Then the newer CPU and DDR4 makes a major difference in how fast your editing and rendering goes. For things like a Plex server and gaming I would choose an 8300 for those uses and save the money for other things like more storage or whatever else.

So, what about upgrading to an I7 in the SFF? I have access to an SFF very very cheap with a i5, can the PSU take the i7 and a beefier GPU? What about moving it to a larger case with an aftermarket PSU (i understand i would need an wiring adapter).
Any benchmarks with these?

 

[Svetgar]

I just picked one of these up from a seller on eBay for $229. Thanks for taking the time to detail this out; looking forward to getting it and working on my mac.

 

[trs96]

So, what about upgrading to an I7 in the SFF? I have access to an SFF very very cheap with a i5, can the PSU take the i7 and a beefier GPU? What about moving it to a larger case with an aftermarket PSU (i understand i would need an wiring adapter).
Any benchmarks with these?

The mounting holes in the motherboard don't match the standard mATX pattern so you really can't install it in another case unless you custom build one. You can upgrade the CPU to an i7-3770, that is no problem with the standard 240W PSU. The wiring adapters have an issue with fan regulation. The psu fan is not regulated the same way if you use a third party PSU. I don't recommend doing that. Just get the 8300 MT and you'll get the 320W version.

All the large OEMs (Dell, HP and Lenovo etc.) use proprietary features in their computers so that people do not use third party cases and PSUs. They want to lock you into their system. An exception to that is some Dell Business PCs from roughly the 2011-2013 era that can use a third party PSU with no problems. Those can be found on Ebay. Some of the motherboards have the standard 24 pin ATX power connection so you can easily use another brand of PSU. Research each one individually. I think that the 7010/9010 series are Ivy Bridge and can use the i7-3770 CPU. You could look into those models.

Pictured is the Dell 7010 motherboard with standard 24 Pin ATX conncetor. The HP has only a 6 pin connection.