Re-using my Dell Dimension 9100 Casing

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
M

Masterclass

Reputable
Feb 3, 2015
2
0
4,510
Good Morning to All.

I have an old Dell Dimension 9100 which has been with me for a long time. It actually still works but seems to be kind of struggling these days.

I would like to upgrade it completely keeping just the casing. But I am not sure what would fit (MOBO size, PSU) or what I should be getting for my budget.

I am thinking of spending below $1000. I would use it for work. Video Conference, remote access, papar work etc.

Is this a worth while project? Or should i just turn it into a paper weight?
 
Solution
bambiboom
Masterclass,

I like to keep the old crocks going and recently enjoyed getting a gift Dimension E520 to run well at modest cost, but the 9100 does not have a good potential- the high system rating on Passmark is 887 and most systems are in the 400's. The power supply is probably modest, though may be sufficient with a modern, efficient graphics card..

However, I understand fully wanting to give an older system it's second wind as I did with my ol' Dimension 8400, which I bought new in 2004. We should consider how lucky we are today- the Dimension 8400 cost about $1,800, having a Pentium 4 630 single core, hyperthreading 64-bit @ 3.0, 2GB RAM and I think an 80GB HD. I wouldn't think Revit or Maya 2015 would be too happy on...
Sort by date Sort by votes
I

IamTimTech

Admirable
Oct 13, 2014
1,685
0
6,160
Digi is right. Proprietary cases are just that, proprietary. They often only furnish BTX motherboards instead of ATX and have other qualities which are not the same as the industry standard. I have a soft spot for modification and fabrication, and it CAN be done with the right amount of effort, but it's not really worth it in this instance.

Here is an inexpensive case that is also white and has all the basics!

https://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-s210002
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
delaro

delaro

Judicious
Ambassador
Aug 23, 2011
4,428
250
33,740
The Case uses a Standered ATX Motherboard and power supply "375Watt". You can fit any mATX and ATX motherboard in that case as well as any ATX power supply granted it is top mounted and does not cool as well as newer cases. As far as Graphics cards go you have a good 12 inches or more so most cards will fit. I upgraded one with a Asus 7870 which was around 11 inches and it fit with ease. Now with the willingness to spend up to $1000 why would you use a old Dell case? They are not the best for cooling.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
M

Masterclass

Reputable
Feb 3, 2015
2
0
4,510
Haha. Thanks for the advice!

It is really more of a sentimental thing. Not a logical decision. I guess I should reduce my budget ya? Would the Asus 7870 be able to output to 2 monitors? I googled it and see some with 2 DVI output and some with one.

I am also not really familiar with CPU anymore. What should i go for if I want to give this PC another 5 years? How much RAM I should put in to have a decent system. Anything else i should add to it? Some sort of cooler for the CPU?

I probably won't build it myself. I will bring it down to a tech and have him build it but using the parts you guys recommend.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
bambiboom

bambiboom

Splendid
Apr 7, 2012
2,462
5
21,965
Masterclass,

I like to keep the old crocks going and recently enjoyed getting a gift Dimension E520 to run well at modest cost, but the 9100 does not have a good potential- the high system rating on Passmark is 887 and most systems are in the 400's. The power supply is probably modest, though may be sufficient with a modern, efficient graphics card..

However, I understand fully wanting to give an older system it's second wind as I did with my ol' Dimension 8400, which I bought new in 2004. We should consider how lucky we are today- the Dimension 8400 cost about $1,800, having a Pentium 4 630 single core, hyperthreading 64-bit @ 3.0, 2GB RAM and I think an 80GB HD. I wouldn't think Revit or Maya 2015 would be too happy on it, but still works well on AutoCad 2004, Adobe CS3, Office 2003 and Sketchup 7. It's also worth so little to anyone else that I may never sell it. Ah, the irrational fondness we have for technology of the previous Century!

The 9100 apprently used only Pentiums 4's or Pentium D's- which were actually two Pentium 4's linked together. I don't think you can change to Core2 Duo, which would offer a very much better potential.

The highest rated 9100 on Passmark at 887.5 uses a Pentium D 950 @ 3.4GHz- which is 64-bit, Quadro 600, 4GB RAM , and Crucial 120GB SSD. The highest 3D score- 1563- in a 9100 is a Radeon HD 6770, 2nd is Radeon HD 4870, 3rd: HD 5770. The fastest disk is the Crucial M500 120GB scoring 1715. As a Pentium D is about $10, and the 3D potential and disk systems are encouraging, you could get the ol' 9100 ticking over at a very reasonable cost. It appears 4GB is the maximum RAM. Update the BIOS and Windows 7 64-bit if you're likely to use current programs.

If you're amenable to a more forward-looking system of much higher potential, you might consider a Dell Precision T3500 with the excellent W3580 four core @ 2.93 / 3.6GHz and 12GB RAM for $200-250 such as:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Precision-T3500-Quad-Core-XEON-W3580-3-33GHz-12GB-300G-DVD-Windows-7-Pro-A8-/311260557706?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item487893318a&nma=true&si=VKDNSjsQtV5Vqjkxlu44IIYcS%252Bo%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

> a completed listing for $187, but most like this will be $250-300. To this add, a used GTX 750ti 2GB, a Samsung 840 Evo SSD for Windows and programs and a 1TB Western Digital Blue fro files. This will total under $500 or so and you'll have a system that will rate about 2900 on Passmark and do about any task- including 3D modeling, photo and video editing you could throw at it. Precisions are beautifully made and ultra-reliable. No guarantees, but these were designed to have server level reliability under long, full-bore use. I've had five of them and never had a failure- even the 10 year old low end Quadro Video cards still worked perfectly. This approach would offer a better investment of time and effort with a world of difference in performance and future application, but a hot- rodded 9100 with good graphics card and disk might work just fine for your uses.

Cheers,

BambiBoom

HP z420 (2014) > Xeon E5-1620 quad core @ 3.6 / 3.8GHz > 24GB DDR3 ECC 1600 RAM > Quadro K2200 (4GB) > Intel 730 480GB > Western Digital Black WD1003FZEX 1TB> M-Audio 192 sound card > Linksys AE3000 USB WiFi > 2X Dell Ultrasharp U2715H 2560 X 1440 > Windows 7 Professional 64 >
[ Passmark Rating = 4402 > CPU= 9280 / 2D= 797 / 3D=3480 / Mem= 2558 / Disk= 4498]

Dell Precision T5500 > Xeon X5680 six -core @ 3.33 / 3.6GHz, 24GB DDR3 ECC 1333 > Quadro 4000 (2GB ) > Samsung 840 250GB /WD RE4 Enterprise 1TB > M-Audio 192 sound card > Linksys WMP600N PCI WiFi > Windows 7 Professional 64> HP 2711x (1920 X 1440)
[ Passmark system rating = 3339 / CPU = 9347 / 2D= 684 / 3D= 2030 / Mem= 1871 / Disk= 2234]

Also: Dell Precision T5400 (2X Xeon X5460 4-core, Quadro FX 4800), Precision 390, Dimension E520, Optiplex 740, Dimension 8400 (2004)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
Mistablanco

Mistablanco

Reputable
Jan 26, 2015
16
0
4,510
A few Questions...
What sort of video card will you be using?
How many of the original parts do you want to transfer over to the new build?
Do you have a CPU in mind?
How much work are you really willing to do to accomplish this?

This is more difficult than a standard build, but it's definitely possible. I've done a similar conversion myself recently.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom