Moving a Dell XPS 8500 motherboard to a new case

myriokephalon

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May 24, 2012
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Hoo boy. So long story short, I'm not very smart, and I didn't bother to measure the dimensions of my Dell's OEM PSU before buying its replacement, a Corsair TX650 V2, which, surprise surprise, is massive and simply will not fit in that tiny case.

So what I need now is a new, larger case that can handle the possibly unusual dimensions of the Dell motherboard. I would REALLY REALLY like to avoid having to get a new motherboard, first because of the cost and second because I don't want to have to rebuy Windows 7 (and possibly even reinstall) because moving to a new motherboard voided the Win 7 OEM license I have. I just want a new case, with everything else unchanged. My first choice all other things being equal would be a Cooler Master HAF 912, but again, the issue is can I get that motherboard screwed onto just any case?

Threads like this one point to the idea of it being possible but there's a lot of conflicting information. Here is a page with a close up of the motherboard model (micro-ATX, right? I can't find the damn dimensions for it). I suppose the two main issues are (1) mounting, and (2), wiring locations from board to case. Can you guys help me please?
 

myriokephalon

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May 24, 2012
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Well I went ahead and got a Cooler Master HAF 912 and found that the screws lined up perfectly with the motherboard once I transferred. The tricky part is lining up the power button connections correctly, but there's a pin diagram here from the 8300 that as I found out also applies to the 8500. Runs like a charm - the only real issue is that the case is so big that the SATA cables for the HD and Optical Drive are barely long enough, so I'll buy a couple of new cables for that. Leaving this for anyone else who wants to try what I did so they know it can be done.
 

Biosphere

Reputable
Feb 24, 2014
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4,510
I also went with the Cooler Master HAF 912. Wasn't a problem at all figuring out the front panel wiring. Just stripped the XPS down and traced the wires up to where they belong. I did have to buy a new 4 pin extension for the power supply as it did not reach the motherboard. I also bought a 24 pin extension. Although it did reach, it was only slightly able to. There was no slack and I didnt like that there'd be tension on the mobo. Once they got here I put it all together and it booted right up no problem.



UPDATE: I recently wanted to install some more fans to accommodate my new case, and why not the LED ones? The stock XPS power supply is very bland and had no room for anything extra, and I didnt feel like buying a bunch of adapters and splitters, so I removed the stock power supply and upgraded it to a Corsair AX760. The cable clean up is more appealing to the eyes, and installed a 220 Blue led fan in the front, a 220 blued led exhaust up top and a smaller one out back. I bought an extra for the side too, but I'm unsure of what I'll do with the side panel.

My tower is looking great, and everything still runs smooth.
 

orangegasm

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Mar 29, 2014
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With the AX760, did you still have to use the Motherboard and CPU extensions?
 

Mohammad Ali_1

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Aug 28, 2015
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4,510
I am about to move my cousins 8500 into Enthoo Lux with gtx970 and antec edge PSU. Is there something i should know about any potential problems or advice. The power and reset button tip is already a big help
 

Clickenstix

Commendable
Jan 25, 2017
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1,510


Biosphere, Did you just connect the new fans directly to the PSU? Do they run constantly? I am getting ready to transfer my XPS 8500 to a HAF 912 case as well. The case came with two fans already installed. The CPU has a fan on it, plus I ordered 4 more fans to go in the case. Is there a way to connect all those fans together and have them controlled by the motherboard? How should I proceed?
 

StormBrew

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Nov 30, 2014
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19,360


I did the same project a couple months ago, and I believe the motherboard only has 3 fan headers, 1 for the CPU and 2 for the case. You could always try a fan splitter.