Questions on building a PC.

[elguineo]

I currently have a DELL XPS B800r (p3-800mhz/rdram) - minitower.

I am going to upgrade to a AMD 760-chipset-type mobo with DDR support, PC2100, and Socket-A (Athlon 1.33ghz).

Can I keep my DELL-brand minitower or will I have to change it? Any other notes I should keep in mind? Is my Maxtor hard drive ATA100 compliant?

Do I have to buy ATA100 cables for my DVD/CDR drives as well? Thanks,

el_guineo

 

[Pollux101]

hey,
you can keep the mini if you buy a mobo that matches the form factor(www.av.com and type it in) but enven then what your buying isn't cheap and you probably could buy a nice case for $40...

 

[MasterHoss]

I would definately recommend the Antec SX830 case--it's beautiful--with room for 5 case fans, my motherboard NEVER goes over 29 degrees.

I built my girlfriend a very similar system to what I have--I used the Inwin P4 case (very similar in size to that Dell box you have) and her mobo temp is a worry-some 35ish.

As far as your Maxtor HD--call Dell or look at your invoice to see what the specs. are on that thing. You should be able to download and install a utility from Maxtor to push an ATA66 to ATA100. Don't worry about cables--those will come with the motherboard you get or just use the ones from your Dell box.

Oh yeah, have fun building your system.

 

[Shide1]

The Dell case is like the palo alto actx case, though it does have a low rated power supply. You will need a new one. The case should work fine though.

 

[rumble07]

Unless things have changed, which I doubt, you won't be able to use your Dell case to house a third party motherboard. I know this because I asked Dell about it. Their systems are proprietary and are not built strictly on the ATX form factor, and the design of the I/O panel will prevent you from mounting a mobo that wasn't designed specifically for a Dell case. As you might imagine, Dell isn't too interested in having their name appear on a computer that you built so they make arrangements to prevent that.

 

[Nitemare]

The TBird will put off significantly more heat than the Intel. I wouldn't recommend putting it in a micro case because there isn't usually enough ventilation in them. I'd recommend a midtower..Antec and Inwin are a couple of good ones

 

[Generalen]

I personally recommend a Maxitower because they looks very beutiful whit their 25 inc hight and there is a loot of room for fans/and various devices. Sure they are more expensive but I think it's worth it.

 

[MSNY]

You will be better off buying a new case. As mentioned DELL uses propriety parts that may or may not support after market upgrades especially a motherboard. Even if it did fit an AMD processor with heatsink/fan may still not fit into the case. To be on the safe side I'd also get an approved AMD power supply of at least 300w. As far the hard drive goes, go the DELL web site and enter your tag number from the back of your system. Your system config will tell you all your system components. Print the list out for reference. As for DVD/CD devices a normal ATA/33 connection cable is all you need, but double check DELL or the manufacturer. Look inside your case closely at your drives and look for the product name and serial number.

Then move all your other components to the new box once you know what will or will not work. Any leftover parts you can sell on e*ay, or on the sell/trade forum here.

This is a great step in the long run you will save $$$, have the system you really want, not depend on DELL tech support and be able to tackle any new upgrade or new system build. You will NEVER want to buy a retail system again once you see how simple it is to do your own.