Move DELL guts to HTPC Case?

Dell MB's are proprietary. You would have to rework the CPU cooling, IO plate, case connections, mounting would be different...........I don't think I'd mess with it.


If you don't mind the Dell case you can occasionally get unbeatable deals.


As far as their servers, I use a 400SC for my desktop PC which I think I got for less than $300 delivered. (2.8 CPU, 80 gig HD, etc). I did have to add an AGP video card.


Dell 400SC Server


Regards,

John

Quote:
Often they have free shipping (like now for example). What gets the cost out of hand is clicking the little option choices. Get a base configuration and you're fine.


Getting a Dell would be fine--just make sure you get one with an AGP slot. The cheapest units don't have them. But I don't understand why you'd want to change cases. Dell makes some of the quietest systems out there. You'd be likely to spend a lot of money and get a system that makes more noise (and you'd obviously void your warranty).


Good place to find Dell deals:

http://techbargains.com/


Edit: It looks like they have a model (4700) with a flat panel monitor and free shipping for under $500. It has PCI-e for video. I think that would work as an alternative to AGP, right? (Although it probably would require you to buy a new card, raising the cost.)

http://www1.us.dell.com/content/prod...=04&l=en&s=bsd

Dell has switched all their desktops to PCI-E, so you won't find one with an AGP slot. If you go to support.dell.com you can find user manuals for all their systems that will give you the details on the mobo layout. That way you can find out out if the hole pattern in the mobo will match that of a standard ATX case.


Personally, I would caution against doing this. Dell motherboards and cases are designed symbiotically for cooling--everything is positioned on the mobo and in the case such that a single fan can cool the entire system without problems. If you move the mobo to another case you're going to have to carefully monitor the temps to make sure you're not cooking your CPU.


Also, keep in mind expandability requirements. I have a Dell Dimension 8400, which I've had for two months, and I'm already out of expansion slots. The firewire adapter takes one of the PCI slots, and my soundcard and HD tuner, took the remaining two. I had to remove the modem just to add the tuner. Good thing I don't ever need dialup. So If expandability is important, you'll need to stick to the Dimension XPS, which is definitely a non standard power supply and motherboard, so don't even consider moving that to another case.

Yes, the low end machines (2400 and 3000) only have integrated graphics, the 4700 and above have PCI-E slots.


I'm using a MyHD120 with a Radeon X300SE, which is PCI-E. When I first set up my system I was getting blue screens on a daily basis. I wanted to kick the system out the window. After uninstalling all the PCI cards, rearranging them so the MyHD card was in slot 1, the soundcard in slot 2, and the firewire in slot 3, then reinstalling all the devices with the latest drivers my problems have gone away. I did get one blue screen a few days ago after switching from file mode to antenna mode in MyHD. The bluescreen reported it was myhd100.sys that caused the error, but I don't know the root cause of the problem. It hasn't happened again so far and I record shows almost daily.


One thing that is worth keeping in mind is that the MyHD cards won't playback DVDs on HyperThreading processors. I use TheaterTek, so this isn't an issue, but if a person were trying to save money, or just wanted to use the MyHD's hardware for video scaling, you'll have to turn off HyperThreading in the BIOS on an Intel P4 system.

Dell entry level PCs are cheap for a reason, the architecture and components selected are selected to keep their costs as low as possible and your upgrade and tweaking options are severly limited. If you plan to grow with this hobby and add more advanced functions and upgrade components you can do better by selecting your own components.


Let's say you are selecting a Dell system for 500-600. I won't even discuss the sub $400 deals - they just arent a good value for HTPC use.


So for 500-600 I would select a good motherboard with lots of integrated functionality like the Asus pr800-v deluxe with the IGP9100 chipset on it or similar. For $120 street you can get built in gigabit lan, onboard soundmax audio with dual s/pdif out and an integrated Radeon 9200 graphics accellerator and hyperthreading support. Add a P4 Northwood CPU, 528mb of ram and a 120gb drive and your should stil have a few bucks left over for some software - assuming you have a copy of windows xp already.


If you have no OS available, then OEM systems become more attractive from an initial cost standpoint, but you will probably be replacing the whole system within a year or two ias you add new htpc functions.


Good luck with your decision!