Dell Optiflex 790 Small Form Factor case upgrade

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thesapphiredevil

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Jan 28, 2018
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I was recently able to get my hands on a Dell Optiflex 790 Small Form Factor for a ridiculous price, so since i wanted to build a gaming pc on a low budget i bought it and got a Nvidia GT 1030 and a case cause i thought the gpu wouldn't fit, however i am a bit confused because my case has a few things to plug into the motherboard: Power Switch( which i know where to plug but the motherboard has 5 pins for it and the cable only has 2 holes?), as for the other ones i don't know where to plug, Reset Switch, Power LED +, Power LED -, HD Audio and H.D.D LED +-...
Specs: I3 2120
Nvidia GT 1030 2gb
8gb of RAM Quad Channel 1333 Mhz

PS: i wasn't sure in which category i should put this so im sorry if i got it wrong...
 
Solution
D
With a SFF Dell you'd need to just install the 1030 and call it done. Use the Dell case and Dell power supply.

Dell Optiplex, of all models that I know of, use three proprietary items. The power switch, the front panel with the USB ports and such, and a thermal sensor that is usually placed by the front fan. If the bios does not detect these things then you'll get an error message. You can remove these things from the Dell case and connect them in your own case, but obviously it won't look good.

As far as connecting the new case's front panel wiring to the Dell motherboard, good luck with that.

So you see why it's best/easiest to just use the Dell stuff as is. If you really want to use your own case then you need to buy a standard...
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william p

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Sep 22, 2010
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Dell, and particularly SFF computers are very proprietary, and best used as a unit. Parts swapping even among Dells is bad. A 790 MT can use an aftermarket PSU and full size GPU and would be a better place to start. The SFF willl always have smaller fans and heatsinks, and GPUs.
 
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dontlistentome

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Sep 5, 2016
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With a SFF Dell you'd need to just install the 1030 and call it done. Use the Dell case and Dell power supply.

Dell Optiplex, of all models that I know of, use three proprietary items. The power switch, the front panel with the USB ports and such, and a thermal sensor that is usually placed by the front fan. If the bios does not detect these things then you'll get an error message. You can remove these things from the Dell case and connect them in your own case, but obviously it won't look good.

As far as connecting the new case's front panel wiring to the Dell motherboard, good luck with that.

So you see why it's best/easiest to just use the Dell stuff as is. If you really want to use your own case then you need to buy a standard 1155 motherboard. Pull the CPU/ram/etc from the Dell and install it on the standard motherboard in your case.
 
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william p

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Sep 22, 2010
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You forgot the Dell 4 LED front panel diagnostic warning light system. But yes it's really bad, and they change their secret front I/O pinouts often anyway. So it's really not worth the trouble. The Optiplex 790 is also the last of the BTX layout computers, and just about the only one that's not LGA775 socket. So there is no aftermarket case that will fit that anyway. You need to know when to quit while your behind.
 
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