Question Precision 3430 small form factor

[HALIFAX3]

So question is that I’m thinking of picking one up for cheap to convert into a gaming rig for step son. I want to upgrade the gpu to a 580, I know the current psu is underpowered. Would it be better to transplant to a larger case and upgrade the psu without much fuss. Or are these machines too proprietary?

 

[tennis2]

The board isn't "standard" _ATX form factor (IIRC)

Always with SFF prebuilts, check the manufacturer spec for the PCIe x16 slot power. Some will straight-up tell you what the slot power limits are, other times you have to deduce the limits based on the dGPU options on that family. Many of the SFF boards cannot supply the "standard" 75W of power through the x16 slot (many times SFX boards will be limited to ~30W), which could cause issues even if you get it hooked to a GPU with aux power.

 

[HALIFAX3]

Hmmm, disconcerting. The one I found comes with an i5-8600, 16GB ddr4 2666 ram 256GB SSD and windows 10 installed. Maybe I will need to look for an optiplex with those components to make it a little easier.

 

[tennis2]

The non-SFX offerings generally will offer the full 75W through the x16 slot, and have a better chance at being ATX form factor motherboards.

When looking for a pre-built to convert:

• Does the x16 slot supply the full 75W?
• Is the mobo ATX standard, or proprietary? At the very least (if transferring cases) do the mounting stud holes appear to be in the ATX locations
• Does the mobo have a standard 24-pin mobo power connector, or some proprietary connector with less pins? You can order adapters, but do your homework to their safety.
• What is the PSU form factor? ATX (standard), TFX (harder to come by and generally tops out around 300W with limited GPU connectors), or something proprietary? Is it possible to shoehorn an ATX/SFX PSU in the case?