Question Will my PCIe slot line up?

[IALock]

So I'm looking to move my HP prebuilt PC into a new case, in order to upgrade both the GPU and PSU, and I think I've sorted out most of the issues, but I have a couple of concerns. I imported images of the motherboard into Fusion 360 to measure dimensions in an attempt to check compatibility, and I've attached screenshots (with the grey highlighted square being MY motehrboard PCIe slot). My first concern is: only 3 of the 4 holes seem to line up with standard mATX boards. Is this sufficient to secure the Motherboard? My second (and main) concern is: The PCIe slots don't quite seem to line up. They are very close, but is this amount small enough to still work? Thank you so much for any help that you may offer.

Resources:
Fusion 360 screenshots
HP Computer Model
Motherboard Picture
Motherboard model

 

[Darkbreeze]

Your HP motherboard is proprietary and is not going to line up with the motherboard tray standoffs on any standard ATX, mATX or mini-ITX case. Your I/O panel likely won't line up either and it's very likely that the PCI slots will also not align. Unless you are willing to do some rather involved case modifications or buy another motherboard, you are probably out of luck.

It says right there in the motherboard description on the HP product page "Customized motherboard", which means, it's proprietary. You can't install it in any standard case without in depth modifications.

 

[IALock]

Your HP motherboard is proprietary and is not going to line up with the motherboard tray standoffs on any standard ATX, mATX or mini-ITX case. Your I/O panel likely won't line up either and it's very likely that the PCI slots will also not align. Unless you are willing to do some rather involved case modifications or buy another motherboard, you are probably out of luck.

It says right there in the motherboard description on the HP product page "Customized motherboard", which means, it's proprietary. You can't install it in any standard case without in depth modifications.

I thought that at first too, but when I actually imported the photo into Fusion 360, and calibrated the dimensions with a known length (The PCIe slot), 3 of the 4 mounting holes lined up perfectly, and I was wondering if those 3 would be sufficient to hold the motherboard, and if the slight difference in PCIe slot location (5-8mm) would be close enough to still slot in the GPU.

 

[Darkbreeze]

It's not, and it won't. The motherboard needs to not only be supported in all of the standoff positions to avoid damaging the motherboard through flexion from the weight of attached components like graphics cards and CPU coolers among other things.

Even .5mm off on a PCI slot will cause a problem. It is not going to work without modification or a new board. You can try, but the result is going to be either you make the case fit the board or you lose to frustration.

 

[IALock]

It's not, and it won't. The motherboard needs to not only be supported in all of the standoff positions to avoid damaging the motherboard through flexion from the weight of attached components like graphics cards and CPU coolers among other things.

Even .5mm off on a PCI slot will cause a problem. It is not going to work without modification or a new board. You can try, but the result is going to be either you make the case fit the board or you lose to frustration.

OK, so if I buy a new case, what are options to modify? I had read somewhere that you can simply drill new holes, and use a nut on the backside to have custom standoff positions. Would this work for this scenario?

 

[Darkbreeze]

That won't resolve the problem with the I/O panel (USB, audio, onboard video, etc.) not lining up nor does it solve the issue of the PCI slots. You would LITERALLY need to create a whole new back panel, or cut the one out of the old case and somehow mod it up to the new case by cutting out the one on that, in order to make it work.

It would be far less hassle to simply replace the motherboard as well.

This would be a good budget choice if your new case supports ATX motherboards and doesn't require a smaller microATX board.

PCPartPicker Part List

Motherboard: ASRock - B250 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($91.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $91.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-05-27 16:06 EDT-0400

 

[USAFRet]

OK, so if I buy a new case, what are options to modify? I had read somewhere that you can simply drill new holes, and use a nut on the backside to have custom standoff positions. Would this work for this scenario?

Absolutely not.
The electrical traces in a motherboard are in multiple layers. Most not visible from the surface, on either side.

Drilling new holes might go through one or more of those.

 

[IALock]

Absolutely not.
The electrical traces in a motherboard are in multiple layers. Most not visible from the surface, on either side.

Drilling new holes might go through one or more of those.

Sorry for the confusion, that's not at all what I'm referring to. What I was saying was drill holes IN THE CASE, attach a standoff with a nut on the other side of the metal sheet. I do not intend to drill into the motherboard.

 

[USAFRet]

Sorry for the confusion, that's not at all what I'm referring to. What I was saying was drill holes IN THE CASE, attach a standoff with a nut on the other side of the metal sheet. I do not intend to drill into the motherboard.

OK.
You'd be surprised at some of the "can I do this?" things we've seen here.

Drilling holes in the case to match this proprietary motherboard?
As above, I'd just get a new ATX spec board.

Will your new PSU also match this proprietary HP board?
And the case front panel connections?

 

[IALock]

OK.
You'd be surprised at some of the "can I do this?" things we've seen here.

Drilling holes in the case to match this proprietary motherboard?
As above, I'd just get a new ATX spec board.

Will your new PSU also match this proprietary HP board?
And the case front panel connections?

Yes, I already verified the PSU compatibility, as well as front panel connectors, front audio, etc. almost everything on this board is pretty standard, EXCEPT the mounting holes (Which appear very close to standard), and presumably the PCIe slot location. That's the reason I was hoping a change of case would be relatively simple. Already with the PSU, GPU, and case, this has reached the top of my budget, and a new motherboard seems out of my price range.

 

[IALock]

That won't resolve the problem with the I/O panel (USB, audio, onboard video, etc.) not lining up nor does it solve the issue of the PCI slots. You would LITERALLY need to create a whole new back panel, or cut the one out of the old case and somehow mod it up to the new case by cutting out the one on that, in order to make it work.

It would be far less hassle to simply replace the motherboard as well.

This would be a good budget choice if your new case supports ATX motherboards and doesn't require a smaller microATX board.

PCPartPicker Part List

Motherboard: ASRock - B250 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($91.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $91.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-05-27 16:06 EDT-0400

I was already planning on designing a new IO shield and 3D printing it, and I was pretty certain that the IO would line up, just need a custom shield, as the new holes would only have to be maybe 1--1.5cm above where standard holes are, still well within most case's IO cutouts.

 

[USAFRet]

I was already planning on designing a new IO shield and 3D printing it, and I was pretty certain that the IO would line up, just need a custom shield, as the new holes would only have to be maybe 1--1.5cm above where standard holes are, still well within most case's IO cutouts.

With enough DIY skills and tools, and realistic expectations, many things are possible.

 

[IALock]

With enough DIY skills and tools, and realistic expectations, many things are possible.

I was hoping to avoid too much hassle, but if this would WORK, I think I might be willing to do it, even if it involves extra work, and may not be the BEST solution. I'm simply looking to see if this is A solution.

 

[USAFRet]

Can you massage that HP motherboard into a standard ATX case?
Yes, probably, assuming power from the PSU connects, and the case front panel works.

Is that work worth ~$90, to you?
Only you can tell.

 

[IALock]

Can you massage that HP motherboard into a standard ATX case?
Yes, probably, assuming power from the PSU connects, and the case front panel works.

Is that work worth ~$90, to you?
Only you can tell.

As is life. Thank you very much for your help!

 

[Darkbreeze]

Power supply should be fine. That HP board has a standard 24 pin ATX power connector and a 4 pin EPS connector. So THAT part shouldn't be a problem.

What IS a problem, is the entire back panel. Looking closely at that I don't see much of any way that can work unless you custom fit the motherboard tray with new standoffs, to match the board, and then cut the whole back panel off and use it without a back panel OR cut the panel of the old case and mod it onto the new one to line up with the motherboard. That's a lot of work, either way.

In the even that for some universally crazy reason things do line up closer than expected with the I/O panel, and just the PCI slot I/O cutouts are misaligned, then you could probably get away with simply cutting out the upright sections of the PCI I/O panel, leaving the cross piece where the graphics card or other PCI devices screw down at, so that lining up isn't really much of an issue. Or, just removing whichever of the uprights blocks the I/O connections on your graphics card or whatever you have plugged in, and leave the rest.

If you weren't planning to use ANY PCI devices, the fact that those don't line up wouldn't even matter.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I was already planning on designing a new IO shield and 3D printing it, and I was pretty certain that the IO would line up, just need a custom shield, as the new holes would only have to be maybe 1--1.5cm above where standard holes are, still well within most case's IO cutouts.

If you are capable of doing this, then you shouldn't have too much trouble modding the case to fit the board. I still think it's a waste though, because whenever that board eventually dies, you are going to have a case that NOW won't fit a standard board, and you won't ever find another board that exactly matches the modifications or 3D printed rear panel you've created.

The proprietary board is a one off. The system you are building now should not be. Spend the extra 100 bucks so that you DON'T have any further hassles in the future when you periodically upgrade hardware. Everything will already be standard, so you won't face this scenario again so long as you stay away from prebuilt systems.