You Can Easily Destroy This Board Unwittingly and Several Other Issues
Beware: This motherboard has several hidden issues that make it difficult to build a computer, and these bring the value way down: Non-standard power supply with a booby trap; non-standard heatsink/fan required; special "Retention plate" required; a fan shroud may be necessary; and the pinout plan is also not standard. The motherboard you buy will probably not come equipped with these things.
UPDATE: I discovered so many proprietary (= unique, hard-to-find, pricey) parts were required and so many previously unknown issues popped up that I abandoned this project. It was less expensive to start again with a board meant for building from scratch. Keep in mind that every special part or adaptor you need adds to the cost, potential risks and time to complete. I will never rebuild from an HP computer MoBo. (By the way, I only buy HP computers new.)
First: This motherboard, as well as many motherboards from Hewlett-Packard, use non-standard power supply connections that are not fool-proof. In fact, they use a PCI-E-type power socket for the main power, but if you power up using the typical PCI-E connection from a standard power supply, you will fry the board. (Risk)
You need a special adaptor that adapts the standard 24-pin power connection to two separate power plugs: One for the six-pin socket and one for the PWR CMD P2 pins, immediately adjacent. ($)
Next: the heatsink and fan that comes with the CPU will NOT fit onto this board. You need to find a specific new or used HP part. Fortunately, different HP computers use the same heatsink design. Look for one that came from an EliteDesk 400/600/800, or a ProDesk 400/600/800, or a Z230, among others. ($$)
But wait! You will also need a backing plate - or retention plate - which goes behind the motherboard and which the heatsink screws into. (I never could find one.) ($$)
You should probably also get a fan shroud to direct the fan air properly, but this may depend on the case you're building into. ($?)
When buying, see if someone is selling these things as a set! I wish I had.
Finally: The front panel power switch and LED connections are not labelled on the board (such as you might find on a MB sold for builders). This would not be so bad but THERE IS NO PINOUT DIAGRAM AVAILABLE for this motherboard! Sometimes HP provides this info in their technical PDFs, but for this model it is nowhere to be found. (Time & Frustration!)
I am still building my computer, awaiting parts. I have found what I believe to be a reliable description of the front panel connections. When I am done building my computer I will update this review with the information I know to be true. (Abandonded project; see update above)
There are many boards of this design for sale on Ebay. If you found this review helpful, I request that you rate this review highly so that other future buyers will see this and be forewarned.
I know HP to sell fine products, and the features of this board (like four slots for RAM) make this model enticing. But I would not make the purchase unless the seller includes ALL of the parts above that you need, plus the pinout diagram). Just not worth it, and this would probably be the same story with any HP MoBos.
Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned