[SOLVED] Potential cases for a Dell Optiplex 3010 sff

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GioSs

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Feb 15, 2019
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I have a Dell Optiplex 3010 sff and I’m wondering if I can replace the case for better airflow. I’m pretty sure I’m getting frame drops due to the temperatures. The GPU runs at 85-90 degrees when gaming because of the lack of airflow and it’s right next to the psu. If I get a better case I could also get a better psu. Are there any cases that can fit my motherboard (Dell T10XW). I can link some images if interested.
 
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i7 3770 I don’t know if it’s worth going to the trouble it’s just if I wanted to upgrade I wanted to save most of the parts.

A 3770 still has life left on it for productivity and light gaming tasks. I would not go to any significant expense or trouble trying to convert that system.

Personally would consider trying to find a local "gaming rig" sale outfitted with a 3rd gen i3 or i5 and some fair to middling components which are standard sizes/factor.
Check BIOS, move your 3770 in, swap in your GPU....
Take your SFF, put in the i3 or i5 that you found (hopefully of a compatible type) and either sell cheap or give to someone that needs an internet portal type machine.
you would have to compare the standoff mounting points on the current board vs those offered by any new case you choose.
Dell has been known to use proprietary sizes, seemingly to dissuade people from doing custom upgrades rather than buying a more expensive system from them.

you may even be better off just getting a nice motherboard to go with the new case.
those OEM boards are usually pretty low tiered with minimal features.
The GPU runs at 85-90 degrees when gaming because of the lack of airflow
that's a good way to shorten the lifespan of the GPU pretty quickly.
you may want to consider removing the side panel and maybe getting a static desk fan to blow into it for now.
 

GioSs

Commendable
Feb 15, 2019
20
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1,510
you would have to compare the standoff mounting points on the current board vs those offered by any new case you choose.
Dell has been known to use proprietary sizes, seemingly to dissuade people from doing custom upgrades rather than buying a more expensive system from them.

you may even be better off just getting a nice motherboard to go with the new case.
those OEM boards are usually pretty low tiered with minimal features.
that's a good way to shorten the lifespan of the GPU pretty quickly.
you may want to consider removing the side panel and maybe getting a static desk fan to blow into it for now.
I see if I can’t find any case replacements I’ll try to get an extension cable for the psu and put it outside the case, View: https://imgur.com/a/8iXDz8f
. That’s how the inside currently looks so if I do that will that decrease temps? Would a fan really help with temps?
 
I’ll try to get an extension cable for the psu and put it outside the case
unless the PSU gets very hot to the touch, i doubt it's a problem for the GPU.
there's no hot air being vented towards the GPU so it shouldn't raise the temperature much unless the metal is very hot and dissipating up into the GPU.
Would a fan really help with temps?
absolutely.
cool air from outside being pulled directly into the GPU should lower it's temps drastically.
That’s how the inside currently looks
i would definitely just ditch this old thing and start from the ground up.
 
I see if I can’t find any case replacements I’ll try to get an extension cable for the psu and put it outside the case, View: https://imgur.com/a/8iXDz8f
. That’s how the inside currently looks so if I do that will that decrease temps? Would a fan really help with temps?
That's a proprietary motherboard and will not fit a standard case. In addition the Optiplex is intended as a general purpose (read office use) PC and is not designed with gaming in mind, hence the heating problems when a high end GPU is fitted.
 

GioSs

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Feb 15, 2019
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unless the PSU gets very hot to the touch, i doubt it's a problem for the GPU.
there's no hot air being vented towards the GPU so it shouldn't raise the temperature much unless the metal is very hot and dissipating up into the GPU.

absolutely.
cool air from outside being pulled directly into the GPU should lower it's temps drastically.

i would definitely just ditch this old thing and start from the ground up.
I see I’ll try to look into a fan because I don’t wanna salvage just yet and look for new parts as I just bought a new cpu and ram a couple of weeks ago.
 

GioSs

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Feb 15, 2019
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Honestly, if you're looking at upgrades, you'd need a case, power supply, motherboard and CPU Cooler. You'd be better off just starting from scratch. If you do that, salvage the graphics card and storage units.

-Wolf sends
Yea I’ll plan to do this in the future because I just upgraded some parts in it.
 

punkncat

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As far as I can recall that is a m-ITX motherboard. Looking at it, it seems a little 'deeper' front to IO shield...

The front panel connector is proprietary, but they make/made a typically easy to find adapter for that aspect.

The PSU isn't going to fit in a standard size case without some manner of adapter, if they exist.

Before going to all this trouble...what CPU is on that rig?
 

GioSs

Commendable
Feb 15, 2019
20
0
1,510
As far as I can recall that is a m-ITX motherboard. Looking at it, it seems a little 'deeper' front to IO shield...

The front panel connector is proprietary, but they make/made a typically easy to find adapter for that aspect.

The PSU isn't going to fit in a standard size case without some manner of adapter, if they exist.

Before going to all this trouble...what CPU is on that rig?
i7 3770 I don’t know if it’s worth going to the trouble it’s just if I wanted to upgrade I wanted to save most of the parts.
 

punkncat

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i7 3770 I don’t know if it’s worth going to the trouble it’s just if I wanted to upgrade I wanted to save most of the parts.

A 3770 still has life left on it for productivity and light gaming tasks. I would not go to any significant expense or trouble trying to convert that system.

Personally would consider trying to find a local "gaming rig" sale outfitted with a 3rd gen i3 or i5 and some fair to middling components which are standard sizes/factor.
Check BIOS, move your 3770 in, swap in your GPU....
Take your SFF, put in the i3 or i5 that you found (hopefully of a compatible type) and either sell cheap or give to someone that needs an internet portal type machine.
 
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GioSs

Commendable
Feb 15, 2019
20
0
1,510
A 3770 still has life left on it for productivity and light gaming tasks. I would not go to any significant expense or trouble trying to convert that system.

Personally would consider trying to find a local "gaming rig" sale outfitted with a 3rd gen i3 or i5 and some fair to middling components which are standard sizes/factor.
Check BIOS, move your 3770 in, swap in your GPU....
Take your SFF, put in the i3 or i5 that you found (hopefully of a compatible type) and either sell cheap or give to someone that needs an internet portal type machine.
I’ll look into doing that it sounds good until I upgrade to another a PC. I just thought it a bigger case would give better airflow and then giving better temps to the gpu which I was wondering.
 

punkncat

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I’ll look into doing that it sounds good until I upgrade to another a PC. I just thought it a bigger case would give better airflow and then giving better temps to the gpu which I was wondering.

The above advice to just drop the side panel and point a fan at it is solid and cost way less, lol.
In my own experience attempting to convert a Dell SFF into a gaming rig just chases headaches.
I feel like you should readily be able to locate a cheap ATX based system with a third gen to swap into and would cause far less headache in the long run.
 
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