Compaq Elite 8300 SFF Case Swap

[mrnice818]

Hopefully this is the right place. Sorry if its not - first post.

So here's the rundown. I have a Compaq Elite 8300 SFF (Small Form Factor) tower with a third gen i7, 32 gb of ram, two geforce nvs 310 graphics cards.

I am thinking about switching the case to a Deep Slience 3 and would like to get some opinions about whether I have thought this through correctly.

From what I understand my processor is an LGA 1155 socket. I am looking at the ASROCK Z77 Extreme4 motherboard, antec EA-450 450w ATX12v/EPS12v PSU, and using the Rosewill RCX-x300 92 mm ball cpu cooler as the cpu fan since I believe the current fan will be incompatible with a different configuration.

Does this sound like I can just take the cpu, memory and graphics cards and use them with the new motherboard, psu, cpu fan, and case? Is everything going to be compatible? My primary concerns were with the cpu/fan configuration and motherboard in the new case.

I am trying to think it through so I dont have headaches later. Thanks for all opinions.

 

[C12Friedman]

The Compaq Elite 8300 SFF uses a BTX form factor which is "bass-ackward" and rare enough outside of OEM's that finding a case for it can be a daunting task. The case you're looking at is ATX which has the PCI slots on the opposite side of BTX so they wouldn't line up at all, in fact almost all cases will be ATX form factor which is what'll hinder your endeavor here

 

[mrnice818]

Thanks for the input. I knew it was going to be an issue with regard to the motherboard and had been searching for an answer about the form factor so that is very helpful info. I knew I was going to have to switch it but had no idea why - other than it wasnt going to work.

I am actually considering pulling the processor and using the ATX form factor motherboard listed above (Asrock Z77 Extreme4) with a new fan so that it works in the new case. Given I will be ditching the BTX motherboard, do you see any other issues with the proposed swap? Thanks

 

[mrnice818]

The Compaq Elite 8300 SFF uses a BTX form factor which is "bass-ackward" and rare enough outside of OEM's that finding a case for it can be a daunting task. The case you're looking at is ATX which has the PCI slots on the opposite side of BTX so they wouldn't line up at all, in fact almost all cases will be ATX form factor which is what'll hinder your endeavor here

Please see my other reply. Thanks

 

[C12Friedman]

The biggest issue with swapping the motherboard will be that the Operating System will need to be replaced since it is tied to the motherboard so you'll need to budget in an OS (~$80-$140). Outside of that, it should be a rather straight forward swap.

 

[mrnice818]

The biggest issue with swapping the motherboard will be that the Operating System will need to be replaced since it is tied to the motherboard so you'll need to budget in an OS (~$80-$140). Outside of that, it should be a rather straight forward swap.

No biggie there. I have more licenses for windows 7 and 8 than I care to admit. I am glad to hear that the switch should be straightforward.

One last question though, is the fan I picked decent or should I go with another? I have seen both 92 mm and 120 mm cpu fans and am curious as I havent built a tower in a while. Thanks again.

 

[mrnice818]

The biggest issue with swapping the motherboard will be that the Operating System will need to be replaced since it is tied to the motherboard so you'll need to budget in an OS (~$80-$140). Outside of that, it should be a rather straight forward swap.

No biggie there. I have more licenses for windows 7 and 8 than I care to admit. I am glad to hear that the switch should be straightforward.

One last question though, is the fan I picked decent or should I go with another? I have seen both 92 mm and 120 mm cpu fans and am curious as I havent built a tower in a while. Thanks again.

 

[C12Friedman]

92mm coolers have the advantage of fitting in more cases but the Nanoxia Deep Silence 3 shows the ability to handle coolers up to 162mm tall so you could fit a 120mm cooler such as the (popular and effective) CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO which is 159mm tall but would be much more effective and quieter than the Rosewill RCX-Z300

 

[mrnice818]

92mm coolers have the advantage of fitting in more cases but the Nanoxia Deep Silence 3 shows the ability to handle coolers up to 162mm tall so you could fit a 120mm cooler such as the (popular and effective) CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO which is 159mm tall but would be much more effective and quieter than the Rosewill RCX-Z300

Fantastic. Thanks so much for your help. I really appreciate it.