Rebuilding a Dell Computer.

[midnightlaundry]

The only 1 I ever bought new was a Studio XPS 435 MT in 2009.. It was the new hot shit Quad Core at the time. It's been a good piece, and I have a sentimental attachment to it.. But the Windows 10 gate is coming down, and this thing is to old to update to Win 11.. I really like the Micro ATX Case size. I have a Mid Tower ATX, and it's a PIG!..

Dell kinda make their stuff so that you need to buy new, but fuck that. I have tools!

I bought some parts. So far I have a i5-12600K, 32g of Corsair 6000MT DDR5 Memory..
I have a Gigabyte B760 DS3H AX.
I'll run my EVGA 1650 GPU.
I have a 450 watt PS in this case right now.
I had some ATX Coolers, but they are way to big, so I have a Noctua Low Profile coming tomorrow..
This Case only has an 80mm Fan in the back, but it really huffs. I managed to fit a 120mm in the front. to help anyways.

Cutting out the IO was not really a big deal. I used a Dremel with the little Cutoff Wheels and a small Hand File to finish it out. Did not take long at all. All screws were present in the Dell so the MB bolted right in. The Dell Audio connections were in the same spot as the Gigabyte so I used them as a reference point and lined up the IO Shield that way for my cuts..

I'm not looking to set records with this thing, but 10 Cores should be good for a long time for what I use it for and it's a total sleeper.. It's just looks like an old Computer..

 

[NowYou'rePlayingWithPower]

The K series 12th gen put off some heat. If you find yourself throttling, you may want to flip the rear exhaust fan to create a more positive pressure scenario, and let the PSU draw out the heat. I think the top down cooler is a better way to go in most case anyways, as it helps to keep the vrms and memory (not as important) cool, in turn helping keep reliable juice flowing to the CPU. The tim that comes with Noctuas is pretty good stuff, too. The DS3H has always been one of the best models for the $ from Gigabyte. Seems counterintuitive, but when running only two sticks of memory, you'll want to have them in the A2 and B2 slots. This is generally better to run dual channel memory for maximum bandwidth. You should double check you manual for the mobo, but it's generally true 99% of the time. Congrats on your upgrades!

 

[midnightlaundry]

Yeah, I didn't want to spend a ton on this, which part of the reason I wanted to make this Case work. I have 2 other old ass Dell's that I need to convert or replace because I use them on my TV's in the house.. I bought them from a small business guy that would get them from Schools when they upgraded. I've had them for years and they've been great and I didn't spend much for them. I don't pay for Cable TV, just internet.

That Gigabyte MB was priced right and I wanted to go DDR5.. I'm glad you approve because it was in my budget!

My Pig Mid Tower is my main rig with my recording stuff and every stupid file I ever thought was worth saving.. LOL It has a 12700K but it's DDR4.. I messed around with huge Air Coolers and good Fans.. I have a bunch of BioniX F120's that are great. But they didn't come close to the Arctic Freezer 2, 360 AIO I have in there now.. I don't even use this Chip to it's fullest, but I went down that Rabbit Hole to see how good I could get it to perform..

I could get a 240 AIO in that Dell I think, but I would need to cut out the framing for the HDD Drives and rig it in there. I'll need to check the Memory spots! I couldn't remember if you run 2 sticks closest to or 1 slot away from the CPU!

Hopefully that Cooler will come tomorrow. I'll get into the Bios and mess around with some Fan Curves.. Really all I need it to do is allow me to talk shit on Message Boards and stream good Video!

I'll report back! ?

 

[midnightlaundry]

So I got the Cooler in. Turns out the Mounts for LGA 1700 between manufacturers are not the same, so I had to pull the MB and put the new Noctua Mount on. But no big deal..

I hit the power and it posted to Bios right away! But it would not Boot. I guess because the OG Quad Core Hardware was so old it wouldn't recognize a Boot Device.. I ended up putting a M.2 Clone of my Pig ATX System and it fired right up but Windows seem that it was a new Configuration and I had to verify it was me by signing into Windows and jumping a few Ropes, but it was quick.

The Memory defaulted to like (I forgot) 4200MT, but I turned on XMP and it went right to 6000MT which is what my Sticks are rated at. Messing around with the Gigabyte Control Center, they let you adjust to overall Wattage to the CPU with a drop down menu. Intel says max Turbo Power is 150W, but the best Cinebench Score I got was on 125W. I didn't mess with any Voltages because I know an Air Cooler would not be able to handle the extra heat. 16000+ is pretty good for talking shit on Message Boards..

I'm putting this on the Living Room TV. I took a pick of the Slim MicroATX it's replacing.. I guess I'll try and work on this one next..

 

[NowYou'rePlayingWithPower]

Did you have to mess with the chassis headers at all (power button, etc...)? Seems to be common enough to be a pain in the ass with oem cases.

 

[midnightlaundry]

I forgot to mess with it, but the Power Button works fine. It also turns white when it comes on, but it's only yellow and also stays on yellow when turned off. Also, the HDD Light is not working. The stock harness is a solid 7-Pin connector. I should be able to pull the crimps out with a fine pick and rewire them to the Board.. But in short, YES that was the 1 thing that was a bit off.. You are spot on!

 

[NowYou'rePlayingWithPower]

I forgot to mess with it, but the Power Button works fine. It also turns white when it comes on, but it's only yellow and also stays on yellow when turned off. Also, the HDD Light is not working. The stock harness is a solid 7-Pin connector. I should be able to pull the crimps out with a fine pick and rewire them to the Board.. But in short, YES that was the 1 thing that was a bit off.. You are spot on!

I may have built a PC or two ...hundred.
I also used to moderate a hacker nerd forum way back in the HCAF days (good guy/gal stuff, though).
Just don't tell anyone here. ?

Glad to see you went with a ssd, probably all the difference in the world for... well, real world "speed." My main desktop is down itself right now while I ponder putting in a new mobo that's been sitting in it's box for a minute. Just been lazy, but this kind of motivates me to spend the whopping half hour to get it done. So, thanks! ???

 

[midnightlaundry]

An SSD will wake up an old Computer.. It's really what kept these old things going,

I've acquired a gang of SATA SSD's over the years. But now I'm leaning towards the M.2's. They are fast! I bought a 1T WD Black for my pig and put the 500G M.2 in this one.. I'm still using the SATA SSD's for Backup right now. I even have a 2T HDD in my Pig as another Backup. Gotta have a Backup..

I really don't know a lot about this stuff. Just enough to get in trouble.

 

[midnightlaundry]

So I messed with that Power Button Connector... It seems that the Power LED is a Dual LED with the Yellow and the White wired in Parallel but reverse polarity. So no matter which leg you put on the +, the one light will be powered by ghost voltage I think.

If I got a single LED in there, it would be turned off when the Computer is off.. I can live with it on.. LOL But I got the HDD Light to work.