compatability of Dell ATX case

I have a gutted Dell ATX case, bage from the PIII era, it was a dimention something-or-other. My question is jsut how standard is thier ATC, can i put pretym uc hany ATX component (motherboard PSU and drives) in there? my main worry is the motherboard posts everything else looks ok cept maybe the PSU mounting.

atc?

youd have to measure the mobo, because i thought dell used their own "special" mobos that they use only themselves



but dont use a dell PSU on anything but a dell mobo

lol my bad, I gotta work on my typing meant ATX. And when I said gutted I mean totaly, no PSU left thats for sure, it has been used for one of my many experiments . I will try measuring.

Anyone know where I can get the ATX specification from the web?

One time in a galaxy far far away, oops wrong story.....one time year back or so for fun I converted a P2 Dell (identical case as the P3's) from Intel over to AMD. To wit:

1) It will take a standard atx ps no problem (single fan unit anyway, all I tried). Ps mounting hole locations and cut out are standard.

2) It will take any standard atx mb (I threw in an Iwill xp333r)

Attn --> there is a ~3" long metal clip that's needed to secure the mb, is it still with the case? You need this clip in order to pull the mb up tight against the hook style mb mounts - the Palo Alto case made for Dell didn't use convential screw down type mb mounts. Rather a single screw secures the mb, screws into that clip from the back of the case. Always thought that was a neat solution - just one screw to mount an entire mb.

3) Depending on mb selection need to rewire the front buttons. Typically not req'd with Intel boards, and certain ECS or Tyan boards are OK. But pretty well anything else need to convert the ribbon connector to a more standard multi pin style format. Old CD mb audio cables are handy for this.

4) FYI - can download system manuals from the Dell site - extremely detailed, lots of illustrations. Case assembly described literally down to last nut and bolt. Enter the service # from the back of the case.

I did it because some rubes over at the DELL forum said it wasn't possible. Actually it was pretty easy, LOL. Ran it for about a year.

Only tricky bit is the front panel, helps a lot to have prior experience with building, modding computers.

Later Dell dude..............

Dell dude? I never used this system I jsut got the case and the vid card (which I put in my dad's Dell) the cxase I have is from my dad's former bosses son's fried dell P3 that I got to make the final decision on regarding the fate of it's components.

as for the clip yes I did save it knowing it would be needed to mount a new motherboard, good thinng too.

the front pannel, well literaly just before reading your post I was drawing up the pin setings on that little piece of PCB in ms paint for personal referance, I shoulld b able to get some old connectors fori t next time i go slinking around goodwill or a comp junkyard, i can pull em off of old PCs from the early 90s, i need some for my fanbus LEDs that need to get power from the motherboard.

and lastly about how everything will fit, though I know it will be small, YAY.

I am buiilding this case to give to a friend before I leave to collage next year.

Lol. I'm using a dell case currently. I didn't even rewire the ribbon connector; just randomly stuck it to the mobo connectors, and viola, a power button but nothing else. Mine is from a PII, and it had a messed sideways drive cage, which got in the way of my radiator but also held the power button and light panel. I tore it off anyways and duct taped the panel back on (some heavy skill usage there ). Its missing a couple of mobo mounts, which could potentially cause some issues, but I haven't had any yet. My case sounds different from yours though. I don't have any clip on mine. Btw, I'm not sure about this, but raidmax seems to be selling cases that look identical to some pII and pIII era dell cases.

hmmm. Thats interesting, could you provide some links?

New to forum and still learning overclocking

The Dell Palo Alto cases have the same pin assignments on the front ribbon as the Intel 815 motherboards. You can convert this to ATX by using the front wiring from an old case. I just crimp some pins on the wires that plug snuggly into the ribbon and cover all but the pin with heatshrink tubing. I've used this method on several Dell cases. I'm currently running a Tualatin Celeron 1.2 clocked at 1716 with a Soyo TISU motherboard in a Dell XPS P133s case. The CPU temp runs at 43C and the case temp is 30C. I'm still using the stock 92mm Dell fan and a Fortron 350W powersupply. These are sturdy, quiet cases with good airflow. They're probably a little small for heavy overclocking. I'm going to try a 1.4 Tbred overclock in this case soon.

I also forgot to mention that the bracket directly under the floppy drive is for the slave HDD. You can move the HDD to this bracket opening up the front of the case. I've also adapted an Evercase removable HDD bracket to mount 2HHDs (mount on bottom) without blocking the front of the case.

well I wont bee needing that much room for all this stuff. only need enough room for 2 CD drives 2 hard drives the board psu and some cards. what have people done about putting a fan in the front of the case? i have a feeling a top fan will be no problem.

I've never really needed a front fan. The case is designed to cool both the case and the CPU with the 92mm fan. With the shroud off the fan and a heatsink on the CPU, I've never had a problem with heat buildup in the case. If you want to cool the HDD that mounts in the plastic across the front, you should be able to mount a 70X15 fan between the front of the case and the plastic insert. Also you can mount one HHD in the slave bracket and one in a 3.5 bay, this should allow you to cut enough of the plastic to mount an 80mm fan to the front of the case.

A 120 mm in the side panel really helped cooling my AMD Dell running a Tbird 1.4 - a hot cpu model. The side panel is plastic with only a thin metal liner for emi so easy to cut to accommodate a side fan.

oh i already removed that metal layer and all for the window. i'll need to take a closer look at the body itself, currently sitting under a pile of stuff while i work on the side pannel. i will need some sort of edging material to make the platic look better around the edges.