Question Can I transplant guts from a "flat" desktop into a mid tower?

[mike the car guy]

I understand there is likely no definitive answer, but I'm noping for a usually, or generally not. My old old computer (as opposed to just my old) died not long ago, seems the PS died and took out the rest, it won't even post even with a new PS. I didn't use it a ton, but some, and would like something in it's place. I'm seeing some used "flat" (5X16X16?) desktops, common in the office and wondering if I could take the MOBO etc out and use them in the old tower? I'm always swapping drives, this and that and a mid tower really works better for me. And to the best of my knowledge, the flat ones (and yes, I know you can stand them on end, but for sake of ID) don't have much room for added drives etc.

 

[TerryLaze]

Yeah, towers usually have several sets of holes to accommodate all sorts of size mobos, the flat ones usually have smaller mobos.
The PSU from a flat one is going to be hard to secure into a tower because of the size difference.

Also external HDD docks are a thing, or just a usb to sata converter, or even simpler just thread a sata and power cable out of a pci slot and connect drives to that.
There are also "cards" that do that more pretty. Shop around for one if you want to go that way.

 

[mike the car guy]

Excellent, I was hoping that would be the answer. Yeah, I've used external enclosures before, will again, but my stuff is enough of a mess already even if I'm trying to keep everything in the box. PSU isn't a problem since I now have the one I just bought, hoping it would be the only problem for my old old machine. By old old I mean it was built by my cousin, now long gone, back around '04. He was a 60 year old really into building computers, especially gaming ones back then, although mine was more pedestrian.

 

[DSzymborski]

I understand there is likely no definitive answer, but I'm noping for a usually, or generally not. My old old computer (as opposed to just my old) died not long ago, seems the PS died and took out the rest, it won't even post even with a new PS. I didn't use it a ton, but some, and would like something in it's place. I'm seeing some used "flat" (5X16X16?) desktops, common in the office and wondering if I could take the MOBO etc out and use them in the old tower? I'm always swapping drives, this and that and a mid tower really works better for me. And to the best of my knowledge, the flat ones (and yes, I know you can stand them on end, but for sake of ID) don't have much room for added drives etc.

Depends on the components, honestly. If it's an OEM-built one from a company like hp or Dell, the motherboard may very well either be a BTX for which its next to impossible to find an aftermarket case or a completely proprietary ones.

In other words, maybe. Specifics are needed for a more definitive answer.