Upgrading a 1996 Dell

[Guest]

I'm helping my girlfriend upgrade her old Dell Dimension computer. It's a 266 MHz and just doesn't cut it for her graphics work. We're keeping her RAM, hard drive, sound card, video card, and trying to keep the case.

We ordered a AOpen AK73 Pro, an AMD 1 GHz Thunderbird, a new hard drive, and a CD-RM.

The problem rests with the case. Dell seems to have streamlined its manufacturing, the front panel connectors is a blocked 8 pin plug vs. the typical 2-pin connectors for the power, hard drive light, reset button, etc... The AOpen motherboard has 10 pins for the front panel! I told her to buy a new case, but she's trying to be eco-friendly and is starting to question my argument to buy parts vs. an entirely new computer.

Is it likely to find a new component for the power/reset and lights that will match up with the front panel, or should I consider a new case or another motherboard similar to the current Dell production models? Dells is very coy about giving up any specs on the computers internals. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by BeauJest on 03/26/01 11:17 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Guest]

New case. To be eco-friendly try to give it to a computer store, so it can use it or recycle it.

"Bit, Byte, Kilobyte, Megabyte, Gigabyte, Terrabyte, Petabyte, Exabyte, Zettabyte, Yottabyte..."

 

[JOJO]

a bit of an aside, nice change on the petabyte

I wish I had a signature.

 

[Guest]

hehe...

"Bit, Byte, Kilobyte, Megabyte, Gigabyte, Terrabyte, Petabyte, Exabyte, Zettabyte, Yottabyte..."

 

[ejsmith2]

I upgraded my old Dell case with one of those nifty ball-pin hammers and an acetylene torch. Managed to salvage the fan out of the power supply, the aluminium heatsinks and some of the sheet metal to make grills with. With all that cannibalizing, I figured it was just about as eco-friendly as could be expected. Dell sure does make good 'proprietary' parts to go along with their systems, which by the way are outstandingly incompatible with every other electronic device not made by Dell.

Anyway, those old parts fit well with my Inwin Q500.

 

[Guest]

Thanks, I was hoping to get a born-again Dell owner. I am afraid of the terror in my girlfriend's eyes when I fire up a torch to "work" on her computer, so I think new case is the way to go.

 

[camieabz]

Well as for eco friendly, think of all the useless stuff you get with a new computer.

Building your own means that every hardware part and every bit of software is there doing something you want it to.

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Heatsinks, fans & whisky...Everythings Cool!
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