I have done some reasearch and realize that the hp pro 3400 mt has some  compatibility issues with the gtx 7xx series and  amd r9/r7 series cards. I want to ask a few questions in hope that i can find a solution for upgrading for both myself and other hp pro 3400 mt users. If you have a similar model and or problem and have a solution then by all means  plz reply.

1. does anybody know any CONFIMED mid to high range video cards that work in this model?

2. does anybody know if the hp mobo is a rebranded mobo by foxxconn or some other company  that could have an identical board to update the bios. (hp stops at rev 7.xx)

3. does anyone know the particular reason that these cards have compatibility issues? (why  or why not supported)

Note: I know about psu requirements, what I am referring to is mobo and gpu compatibility.

that way perhaps someone could look for cards that have a particular "feature", "instructions set", "version", or "component" that is compatible.

4. Are there any work arounds that i may have not come across?

 

If you have answers to any of these questions of found similar solutions with another model, plz state that as well. Thankyou.Of the 3400 series it comes in quite a variety of options from weak Celeron CPU's to far better Core i7 heavy processing power. Hopefully your system has a Core i3 or better to be considering this video card paired with this system. Many would probably suggest the Core i5 as a starting point with this video card than the Core i3, but I have seen friends computers with the Core i3 Dual-Core and they play the games well, but the CPU is very busy at doing so as well. The Core i5 Quad-Core is far better for games.  Here is a link to your system series that shows all the different options it came in for CPU's and at least 3 different motherboards. http://www8.hp.com/h20195/v2/GetDocument.aspx?docname=c04123249   Also I have counted at least 3 different motherboards used for this product line. Knowing which specific CPU you have and which specific motherboard would help in trying to find the info that you need if its out there to be found?

Usually a video card issue with a high end card and motherboard having issues supporting it is due to the chipset for the PCI Express BUS being not up to par with the video card. Most video cards can compensate with motherboards that ( lag ) with their PCI Express BUS, however due to this, the performance of a high end card slows to compensate with timing of the PCI-E Bus.

I have run into issues in the past long ago with AGP Bus video cards and wanting 8x AGP and the motherboard only supporting 4x, and the simple fix was to migrate my CPU and RAM over to a motherboard that supported 8x AGP Bus. This is a problem people run into trying to convert an off the shelf brand computer that was sold as a low cost home PC which is repurposed by the customer to be a gaming rig. You run into issues where the motherboards were never really INTENDED to be a high end gaming rig and you can run into issues.

Most of the time however a power supply upgrade and proper airflow=cooling and a affordable RAM upgrade can convert most off the shelf computers into a gaming rig running a good GPU with a middle range CPU to support the games that for example may have a minimum system requirement of a 4-core ( quadcore ) CPU of 2.5Ghz or better etc.

You may find that if you want that computer to support the video card of your choice that you have your heart set out to buy, that you will end up having to replace the low cost motherboard with a better motherboard. This can usually be done for less than $100 unless your going all out for the best of the best motherboard to swap the CPU and RAM over to. You also THOUGH would have to find a mATX motherboard that would fit this case, and finally comes the fun of mapping out what pins are what for the front panel and matching them up with the different pinout of the replacement motherboard in which HP has a single connector that has Power LED, HDD LED, Power Switch, and (sometimes, but rare these days ) PC Speaker. And you end up having to pop the pins connected to the wires out and insert them in a different arrangement into the single connector to match up to the new motherboard pinout for the front panel connections or even easier, cut the front panel wiring out of an old computer case that has the universal layout in which everything is individualized for 2 pin connectors for Power LED, HDD LED, and Power Switch, and a 4 pin with 2 used for the now days rare PC Speaker connection since most motherboards have on board piezo speakers for the beeps. * I have converted a number of HP, Dell, Compaq, and other brand cases over to universal front panel wiring to TAKE any motherboard quickly without having to mess with remapping pins with future board upgrades. I have one case that I have had since 2003 that still works well on its 2nd upgrade, which is probably its last upgrade since I favor full ATX boards more than the mATX boards that have limitations for memory expansion and additional add on cards such as dual video card support is best with ATX boards.Thanks for your answer Dave. I ended up getting an r9 270 and taking a risk to see if it works. It does! The exact model is "Radeon XFX R9-270A-CDFC" So I can confirm that this card works with my mobo. I wouldn't recommend getting any card that is larger in size than this because fitting it in was quite a pain.

The mobo is using the h61 chipset. I have an i5 2300 with 4 gb ram. As to the exact model of the mobo, I am not sure... 3dmark reads it as a foxconn board (2abf). I am using a cx-600 watt power supply.

Yeah, the pre-manufactured mobo's can be risky business for upgrades. Perhaps a clue but i read SOMEWHERE that some of the h61 chipsets only provided 60w(or a little less) of power on the pci-express slot. I saw a few posts about a 750ti not working, which might make sense since its max tdp is 60w. I'm not sure if other cards that require a power connector would be affected or not. Do cards with power connectors still draw power from the  pci-e slot? So I can't confirm that but that's a theory of mine.

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Yeah, the pre-manufactured mobo's can be risky business for upgrades. Perhaps a clue but i read somewhere that some of the h61 chipsets only provided 60w(or a little less) of power on the pci-express slot. I saw a few posts about a 750ti not working, which might make sense since its max tdp is 60w. I'm not sure if other cards that require a power connector would be affected or not. Do cards with power connectors still draw power from the  pci-e slot? So I can't confirm that but that's a theory of mine.