Upgrading an old Dell box?

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt (More info?)

I've got a Dell Dimension XPS-450 for my second computer, and
every so often I consider upgrading it with a new motherboard and CPU.

I know the Dell power supplies are non-standard, but is there
anything that would prevent me from installing a new power supply,
new motherboard, and new CPU in this Dell case?

Is the Dell Dimension XPS-450 case a standard ATX case? Would the
backplate for the new motherboard fit properly? Would there be
room for the heatsink and fan on the CPU? Would the motherboard
screw holes line up?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt (More info?)

I suggest checking out Dell's online documentation. For example:

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dkub/techovu.htm

(This is for a Dimension XPS T model. You could have an XPS R.)

Dells were not quite standard ATX machines. Besides the nonstandard power,
they also used a ribbon connector for the front panel controls. I believe
that the back plane is a little unusual as well. (Only 6 standard slots, and
a single serial port, as examples.) The cooling fan for the CPU is also
nonstandard. I believe that making it difficult to swap in a new mainboard
was a deliberate choice by Dell: cynicism aside, they do not want to be
getting service calls on machines that are no longer Dells on the inside.

It might be possible to fit a third-party mainboard and PS into the case,
but I doubt that you'd find it worth the trouble. You might do better to get
a small Antec case and PS (www.antec.com), although there are serviceable
cases that can be had for less.

Address scrambled. Replace nkbob with bobkn.

"Al Smith" <invalid@address.com> wrote in message
news:rSJWd.15059$oh4.553749@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
> I've got a Dell Dimension XPS-450 for my second computer, and every so
> often I consider upgrading it with a new motherboard and CPU.
>
> I know the Dell power supplies are non-standard, but is there anything
> that would prevent me from installing a new power supply, new motherboard,
> and new CPU in this Dell case?
>
> Is the Dell Dimension XPS-450 case a standard ATX case? Would the
> backplate for the new motherboard fit properly? Would there be room for
> the heatsink and fan on the CPU? Would the motherboard screw holes line
> up?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt (More info?)

Hi.
I have a dell xps 450 also that I wanted to upgrade.I called dell about it
They said that I could not upgrade the motherboard or processor.If I
wanted to have a faster processor I would have to buy a new pc.
J.H.

Al Smith wrote:
> I've got a Dell Dimension XPS-450 for my second computer, and every so
> often I consider upgrading it with a new motherboard and CPU.
>
> I know the Dell power supplies are non-standard, but is there anything
> that would prevent me from installing a new power supply, new
> motherboard, and new CPU in this Dell case?
>
> Is the Dell Dimension XPS-450 case a standard ATX case? Would the
> backplate for the new motherboard fit properly? Would there be room for
> the heatsink and fan on the CPU? Would the motherboard screw holes line up?

--







* Magic Is Believing In Yourself*

*if you can do that*

* You Can Make Anything Happen *

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt (More info?)

IMHO, Dell is doing you a favor. You'd be better off and cheaper off buying
a new pc.or at least a bare bones system
"John H." <jhensleys@att.net> wrote in message
news:O1KWd.108178$Th1.55543@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> Hi.
> I have a dell xps 450 also that I wanted to upgrade.I called dell about it
> They said that I could not upgrade the motherboard or processor.If I
> wanted to have a faster processor I would have to buy a new pc.
> J.H.
>
> Al Smith wrote:
>> I've got a Dell Dimension XPS-450 for my second computer, and every so
>> often I consider upgrading it with a new motherboard and CPU.
>>
>> I know the Dell power supplies are non-standard, but is there anything
>> that would prevent me from installing a new power supply, new
>> motherboard, and new CPU in this Dell case?
>>
>> Is the Dell Dimension XPS-450 case a standard ATX case? Would the
>> backplate for the new motherboard fit properly? Would there be room for
>> the heatsink and fan on the CPU? Would the motherboard screw holes line
>> up?
>
> --
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> * Magic Is Believing In Yourself*
>
> *if you can do that*
>
> * You Can Make Anything Happen *
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt (More info?)

I did better than that I built my own.

RBM wrote:
> IMHO, Dell is doing you a favor. You'd be better off and cheaper off buying
> a new pc.or at least a bare bones system
> "John H." <jhensleys@att.net> wrote in message
> news:O1KWd.108178$Th1.55543@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
>
>>Hi.
>>I have a dell xps 450 also that I wanted to upgrade.I called dell about it
>>They said that I could not upgrade the motherboard or processor.If I
>>wanted to have a faster processor I would have to buy a new pc.
>>J.H.
>>
>>Al Smith wrote:
>>
>>>I've got a Dell Dimension XPS-450 for my second computer, and every so
>>>often I consider upgrading it with a new motherboard and CPU.
>>>
>>>I know the Dell power supplies are non-standard, but is there anything
>>>that would prevent me from installing a new power supply, new
>>>motherboard, and new CPU in this Dell case?
>>>
>>>Is the Dell Dimension XPS-450 case a standard ATX case? Would the
>>>backplate for the new motherboard fit properly? Would there be room for
>>>the heatsink and fan on the CPU? Would the motherboard screw holes line
>>>up?
>>
>>--
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> * Magic Is Believing In Yourself*
>>
>> *if you can do that*
>>
>> * You Can Make Anything Happen *
>>
>
>
>

--







* Magic Is Believing In Yourself*

*if you can do that*

* You Can Make Anything Happen *

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt (More info?)

> Hi.
> I have a dell xps 450 also that I wanted to upgrade.I called dell about it
> They said that I could not upgrade the motherboard or processor.If I wanted to have a faster processor I would have to buy a new pc.
> J.H.

That doesn't sound promising. The Dell case (as you know) is
thinner than the usual case and has the "drive cage" for housing
the drives, as well as no CPU fan on the 450 P2, so it's
definitely a bit odd.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt (More info?)

> I suggest checking out Dell's online documentation. For example:
>
> http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dkub/techovu.htm
>
> (This is for a Dimension XPS T model. You could have an XPS R.)
>
> Dells were not quite standard ATX machines. Besides the nonstandard power,
> they also used a ribbon connector for the front panel controls. I believe
> that the back plane is a little unusual as well. (Only 6 standard slots, and
> a single serial port, as examples.) The cooling fan for the CPU is also
> nonstandard. I believe that making it difficult to swap in a new mainboard
> was a deliberate choice by Dell: cynicism aside, they do not want to be
> getting service calls on machines that are no longer Dells on the inside.
>
> It might be possible to fit a third-party mainboard and PS into the case,
> but I doubt that you'd find it worth the trouble. You might do better to get
> a small Antec case and PS (www.antec.com), although there are serviceable
> cases that can be had for less.

If I could drop a motherboard into the Dell case and line the
backplate up with no problem, I'd probably keep the case, only
because it is a very heavy case, with plastic panels over sheet
steel, hence a pretty good case for sound deadening. I never liked
the drive cage much, which is a beast when you have to shift
drives around. I do have another excellent case that presently
holds a P2 400 CPU and motherboard, but that case is straight
sheet steel -- no plastic overlay to help deaden sound. That's the
case I will probably use when I build again.