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Old Dell Opteplex 520 DT PSU Upgrade

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  • GPUs
  • Optiplex
  • Dell
  • Components
Last response: in Components
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June 24, 2014 8:38:09 PM

Hello. I am converting an Old Optiplex 520(medium) to an HTPC. To do this, I am planning on adding a low powered GPU and a new PSU. These are the current specs.
I am posting pictures of the PSU and the area for the GPU.

More about : dell opteplex 520 psu upgrade

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June 24, 2014 8:51:01 PM

They're not specs we can use eg make and model ram, make and model power supply and form factor eg atx or other.

That's what happens with Dell (and HP). Hard to get info on their stuff.

What max vga card length will fit in the case? On other case specs it's spelt out eg http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_i...

Your going to have to measure stuff and go through specs to see what fits.
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June 24, 2014 8:58:08 PM

Ah, I have measured out the size of the GPU. I have space for one 12 inches long(11.5 because otherwise I cant put is inside the case. I have 2 inches of width(card and fan) before it hits the HDD and CPU heatsink. Also, the PSU is some weird form factor and the same with the mobo.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9UIH3UN_d2FRDktdjBiSTJ...
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9UIH3UN_d2FckQ3RTFKc1h...
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9UIH3UN_d2FSl9ITkpzMmp...
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June 24, 2014 9:25:39 PM

The connectors are ATX standard, but the PSU itself is custom made. Also, I have to cut holes and add fans to the case because there is no ventilation besides small vents at the back, with no fans.
I need to find one what looks like that, but with atleast 500 watts.
http://www.discountelectronics.com/product?gclid=CjkKEQ...
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June 24, 2014 9:31:19 PM

That's not ATX or any variation. Even variations are just normal boxes. It's custom built for Dell. It probably won't have the standard mother board 24pin connector either. And that psu is probably made by Delta. Yuuuuuuuuck as someone said last time one of these came up. It will probably also have multiple 12V rails which will rule out using it for any decent graphics card. Even with a fudge factor.

Be good if you could borrow a standard ATX and see how close it comes to fitting.
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June 24, 2014 9:40:04 PM

i7Baby said:
That's not ATX or any variation. Even variations are just normal boxes. It's custom built for Dell. It probably won't have the standard mother board 24pin connector either. And that psu is probably made by Delta. Yuuuuuuuuck as someone said last time one of these came up. It will probably also have multiple 12V rails which will rule out using it for any decent graphics card. Even with a fudge factor.

Be good if you could borrow a standard ATX and see how close it comes to fitting.


I have seen replacements of the PSU, and I can barely see a standard 24 pin ATX. ATX does not even come close to fitting. Can I transfer everything to a new case? A very cheap one.
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June 24, 2014 9:44:06 PM

Yes. But don't do cheap please. Dell does cheap and you can see where it gets you.

What sort of money (I gather USD) do you want to spend on case+ psu + graphics card)?

Then I'm not sure if the Dell motherboard is standard size either. Hopefully it will be. But it'll also have an odd 24 pin connector.

Can you see why these sorts of things get complicated? Dell and HP. Both do this sort of stuff.

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June 24, 2014 9:52:49 PM

i7Baby said:
Yes. But don't do cheap please. Dell does cheap and you can see where it gets you.

What sort of money (I gather USD) do you want to spend on case+ psu + graphics card)?

Then I'm not sure if the Dell motherboard is standard size either. Hopefully it will be. But it'll also have an odd 24 pin connector.

Can you see why these sorts of things get complicated? Dell and HP. Both do this sort of stuff.



I have and HP AND a dell. One can't be open the other cant. Both are crap. I don't know my exact budget, but I am guessing 200-250, because this is more of a side project. I don't need an OS as I put Linux on it.
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June 24, 2014 9:56:55 PM

If the Dell motherboard has a non standard (ATX) 24 pin connector, then you'd have to get another motherboard too. Or you could solder the connector from the 24 pin Dell power supply onto a standard ATX power supply. You'd have to be 100% sure of the pinouts of both tough. ATX pinout is easy to find. I'm not sure with Dell.
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June 25, 2014 7:45:54 AM

i7Baby said:
If the Dell motherboard has a non standard (ATX) 24 pin connector, then you'd have to get another motherboard too. Or you could solder the connector from the 24 pin Dell power supply onto a standard ATX power supply. You'd have to be 100% sure of the pinouts of both tough. ATX pinout is easy to find. I'm not sure with Dell.


As usual with insecure OEM's, the HDD is locked to the CPU/mobo.

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June 25, 2014 3:00:17 PM

Gee -this gets worse and worse. Ready to give up yet xxd?
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June 25, 2014 3:04:38 PM

i7Baby said:
Gee -this gets worse and worse. Ready to give up yet xxd?


At this point, I am just turning this into a legacy Hackintosh. No, I'm not ready to give up. Besides, the HDD is an 80 gb Maxtor
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June 25, 2014 3:23:14 PM

OK. So what's the plan now?
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June 25, 2014 3:28:56 PM

Seagate bought out Maxtor in 2006 , Maxtors use to fail at a high rate.
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June 25, 2014 3:49:12 PM

i7Baby said:
OK. So what's the plan now?

HELP ME FIND A NEW REPLACEMENT PSU WITH HIGHER WATTAGE. oops, forgot caps.
SR-71 Blackbird said:
Seagate bought out Maxtor in 2006 , Maxtors use to fail at a high rate.


Figured that out from the really bad reviews I saw. Too bad this one was for free.
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June 25, 2014 8:41:12 PM

Any idea what graphics card you want to use? or How many Watts psu?
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June 25, 2014 9:33:35 PM

i7Baby said:
Any idea what graphics card you want to use? or How many Watts psu?


As this is for an HTPC and some steam games(team fortress 2), I only need 400 watts, 350 MIGHT do. I was thinking of some sort of 650 ti that would fit and not over heat as there is little/no ventilation save me leaving the case open slightly. A card with a passive cooling systems with a small or no fan at all would be nice. Also one that does not use any sort of direct line from the psu, and draws its power from the mobo. I had a card, but it was very, very old. I can get a hold of a geo-force 210-230, but still old.
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June 25, 2014 9:42:32 PM

Well for a low power gpu, you can't go past a GTX750Ti.

Then get a Seasonic 360W psu.
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June 25, 2014 9:53:57 PM

Can I move these parts to a new case, seeing as it is a custom dell Mobo. I believe it is of the BTX form factor.
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June 25, 2014 9:56:23 PM

Probably. But you might need to move the motherboard standoff to non standard locations. If BTX is smaller than ATX, then get a case that can take an ATX motherboard.
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June 25, 2014 10:07:18 PM

i7Baby said:
Probably. But you might need to move the motherboard standoff to non standard locations. If BTX is smaller than ATX, then get a case that can take an ATX motherboard.

Ok so I found the Amperages for the PSU. How many watts can the thing REALLY output? Not expecting more that 180

100-240V ~ 8.0A - 50-60 Hz
200-240V ~ 4.0A - 50-60 Hz
+5V -_-_-/17.0 A
+12V -_-_-/12.0A
+5vFP -_-_-/1.0A
-12V -_-_-/ .5A
+3.3v -_-_- 1.0a

Well, I'm off to bed. It is 10 in the night in Sunny California here.
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June 25, 2014 10:46:38 PM

Yep 180W all up. Only 150 for the cpu and gpu etc. The GTX750Ti will take 5A (60W).
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June 26, 2014 9:40:46 AM

So I cannot fit a GPU in there, even with a crusty single core Pentium and 1 HDD. That is all that is connected. I disconnected the DVD drive.

Question: If I fully format the HDD and put linux on it, can I move it to a different computer.
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June 26, 2014 3:31:35 PM

Yep.
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June 26, 2014 6:19:11 PM

No idea. Doesn't even give the case size.

Normal case specs look like - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_i...

tells you the case size, fans, vga card max length, cpu cooler max height etc.

Dell and HP don't give away any of this info. They hope you just buy it as is. Which most people do. Not just cases, but motherboards, ram, psu's etc are all kept a secret. That's why I don't like dealing with them. Always end up blind alleys.
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June 26, 2014 8:51:51 PM

i7Baby said:
No idea. Doesn't even give the case size.

Normal case specs look like - http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_i...

tells you the case size, fans, vga card max length, cpu cooler max height etc.

Dell and HP don't give away any of this info. They hope you just buy it as is. Which most people do. Not just cases, but motherboards, ram, psu's etc are all kept a secret. That's why I don't like dealing with them. Always end up blind alleys.


It's a mini-ITX. The mobo is a STANDARD(thank god) mini-itx from MSI. I know I can transfer this one, but I'd rather not.

If I disconnected the DVD drive, could I use the GPU below?(Dell PC)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
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June 26, 2014 9:35:50 PM

i7Baby said:
It'll work. Only you know how much space you've got.

The GTX750Ti is a lot better performer for a bit less http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Superclock-Dual-Link-Graphic...


I know it will fit, but does it need a line from the PSU? I chose that ASUS one because It draws all it's power from the PCI slot.
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June 27, 2014 8:33:28 AM

OK thanks. However, I ran into several problems.
1. I put Zorin OS(for the cool games that came with it lol, not for the fact that it looks like Windows) on the 80 gb hard drive and formatted it before that. Can I still install the drivers.
2.The PCI Slot looks different than what I have.
http://www.txcesssurplus.com/catalog/9237-dell-XG309-mo...
Would it still work?
3. The PC can fit a card with a height of 1.2 inch. Another problem
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June 27, 2014 4:15:34 PM

I don't know about Zorin. But there should be drivers for Linux which I think is free. Check the website(s).

That's a funny looking pcie slot. Looks extra long. Try fitting a card to it while its out of the pc.
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June 28, 2014 10:49:58 AM

Ok, so I need a low profile card as the back of the PCI slot(where the outputs are) is 3.12 inches tall(something like that).

Also, its a regular wtf PCI slot, not aPCIe
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June 28, 2014 3:47:58 PM

Graphics cards need pcie slots. Not pci
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June 28, 2014 5:14:28 PM

i7Baby said:
Graphics cards need pcie slots. Not pci

The latest one I could find was a 5450.
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June 28, 2014 5:52:01 PM

Does it go into the 'pci' slot?
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June 28, 2014 8:20:37 PM

The slot I have is a regular PCI slot. Otherwise I'd take the 650, but it does not fit into the slot. Also, It must be low profile.
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June 28, 2014 8:29:25 PM

The 5450 is a pcie card, not plain pci. It's just that's it's a 'single slot' card and it doesn't have active (fan) cooling. Similar to the ASUS GeForce GT 630 Silent.

If that's all you can fit then use it.
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June 28, 2014 8:38:47 PM

i7Baby said:
The 5450 is a pcie card, not plain pci. It's just that's it's a 'single slot' card and it doesn't have active (fan) cooling. Similar to the ASUS GeForce GT 630 Silent.

If that's all you can fit then use it.


oh. Weird. It said it was regular PCI. Crap, oh well, that PC is doomed.
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June 28, 2014 8:40:42 PM

Don't tell me you're giving up.
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June 29, 2014 10:52:48 AM

i7Baby said:
Don't tell me you're giving up.


A regular PCI GPU? How hard can it be to find that? That will play tf2
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June 29, 2014 4:17:20 PM

Try eBay
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June 29, 2014 4:22:20 PM



i7Baby said:
Try eBay


ZIP, ZILCH, nada.
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June 29, 2014 4:26:09 PM

Hmmm - maybe at a dead end then.
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June 29, 2014 7:30:09 PM

  • i7Baby said:
    Hmmm - maybe at a dead end then.


    yEAH. I am trying to find the voltages/amps/watts of my other PC, as I know it has a proper GPI slot, just a ow profile version.
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