Case Transplant????
 

Greetings All,
In a recent thread I noted that a psu that I had purchased did not fit in the POS case I got from Dell. That got me thinking that what I want to do is get a new case with a better psu, cooling, etc. My question is this: Can I just slap everything from drives, cards to motherboard into a brand new case without too much hassle. Are cases pretty generic in that fact. My Sandra 2004 utility identifies my motherboard as being made by Dell so I don't know if I can just slap this setup into a newer and better case. I have been buying the components that I want (with the exception of my 9800Pro) but I just need a better case to put them all in. Can this be done? Thanks and cheers

Everything you buy outside of Dell has to conform to the ATX form factor.

That Dell motherboard, however, may not have the proper mounting holes or ATX power connector. Dell will use proprietary mounting holes/clips and plugs to force you into buying upgrades from them.

BUT, this is not true for all Dell motherboards. In higher end Dell systems, they'll still use ATX compliant parts. A good example of this is their Poweredge 400 servers. The case you get isn't ATX since the motherboard isn't held in with screws through the mobo, but everything else in the case is ATX compliant (including the motherboard).

What he said. You need to make sure that it will fit into the new case and that the power plugs are of the right size. Beyond that, it should work fine.

You could go a step further and just make your own case. It shouldn't be too hard if you have the time and dedication to do it.

I've heard that dell sometimes uses a proprietary pin layout for the power connectors on their motherboards. Just make sure you don't need one of these:

<a href="http://www.siliconacoustics.com/atxtodelad.html" target="_blank">http://www.siliconacoustics.com/atxtodelad.html</a>

Seems like you have the same problems with the Dells as I do. I'm not really sure about the solution but if you are able to find anything that confirms that they use standard ATX please let me know. I know that Dell's cooling is crap and I feel as though I'm frying it every time I do something demanding.

Does anyone know if HP MB's conform to the ATX mounting holes and risers? I've got an old Pavillion that runs REALLY HOT and I'd like to upgrade the case to something with better airflow.

Pretty sure the XP Mobo's conform with ATX. I have had my pavillion open about 15 times and it looks right. You may have issues with your onboard connections not matching up with the tin, so you may need to remove the tin from your case..

Greetings All,
I just finished talking with someone from Dell. Unfortunately, Dell mobos do not conform to ATX standards and have those power eccentricities posters mentioned above. For me, at least, more evidence to never buy from Dell again.