DELL upgrade

Sir Random

A friend had his Dell XPS T500 mobo fried by the recent lightning

Is it possible to shove a new mobo/cpu in that case? The drives and stuff are all in mint condition (little used) so I'd like to just upgrade it with an Epox EP-P4X400D and a Celeron 2.4 if possible. I've heard all the horror stories about Dell's proprietary cr@p but surely a new mobo/cpu would work ok? I don't see any physical obstruction to a different mobo being fitted, but any stories or advice from experienced Dell owners is much appreciated.

Dempsey

The Case isnt ATX standard size. Even if replaced the PSU, ya still wouldnt fit the mobo into the case. Im pretting sure of that. Wait for someone else to respond, but I think its doubtful.

Creamy Goodness

sir random the mobo may fit but the psu will fry to epox mobo,

so your best bet is to buy new case and new psu aswell as the mobo and cpu to ensure that nothing gets refried.

the drives will work no problems

i have two dell drives and dell floppy in my p4 3ghz machine

Venom

Dempsey is correct. The case's, PSU's and mobo's that Dell use are to there own spec and will not fit in or take other mobo's. A new case and psu will be needed for you mate.

Sir Random

Thanks guys,
I see some cases from Komplett with 300w psu for around the same price as a psu on it's own, so it's a no-brainer what to go for there.

I'm fairly sure I could have rigged a new mobo into that Dell case since it has 32x26cm of space, which is loads of room for ATX mobos. It's only the mounting points I'd be worried about, Dell have weird unfriendly mounting clips . Anyway, it's not worth the effort since new cases with PSU are so cheap.

This is the Dell case:

Creamy Goodness

that's exactly like my old dell. as i said above a new mobo might fit in it but it won't work with their psu's so you're better off getting your mate a cheiftec dragon case that's about 130 euros of komplett which comes with a psu of 360w which should power a celeron

Capt'n Midnight

If it was fried by lightning - you can take it for granted that most other components were electrically stressed, ie. they will possibly/probably fail soon...

You'll probably have to change the RAM too.
If the modem was plugged - well lets say there is a good chance it was the source of the problem

Really all you will have left are the Drives..

Actually a Dell of that age - check the HDD - if it is a Quantum Fireball LCT with a philips chip TDA5247HT near the jumpers, the next time you power it up pull all the data off it - PDQ.

Sir Random

The PC was off during the lightning. The owner found it 'on' a day or two later and had to disconnect the power cord to shut it down. When I connect the power lead, the fans start and HD is accessed but there's no video output or beeps from mobo. I tried a PCI gfx card but no change. The CPU gets warm after a few mins so it's getting power but all the status lights stay off (there are 4 status lights on this mobo for error checking).

For the case I'm thinking of this one for €30
Q-Tec Midi tower ATX 6021CMD Silver Value Line, w/300W AMD/P4
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?action=info&sku=113040&p=&t=589&l=2&AvdID=1&CatID=13&GrpID=6&cks=PRL

Budget is minimal as he just wants it fixed and I suggested upgrading since he needs a new mobo anyway. I'd better test the drives seperately before ordering anything.

unkel

Originally posted by Sir Random
Q-Tec B]

Have no experience with them myself - but their reputation is absolutely awful

Sir Random

Originally posted by unkel
Have no experience with them myself - but their reputation is absolutely awful

Well that explains the prices

btw, will any modem work in a Dell PC? (for another Dell lightning victim)

henbane

Originally posted by Sir Random
btw, will any modem work in a Dell PC? (for another Dell lightning victim)

Any modem will work. Just make sure to clean their poxy drivers off before you install the new one. Get an external unless money is really tight.

Dempsey

With Upgrading Dell's ya only have to watch out for case size, psu and the mobo, everything else is grand

Sir Random

One last question, will the Dell OEM TNT2 gfx card work with a non-Dell mobo?
The reason I ask is because the card has an extra cable connected to the mobo. The modem has one too, both wires can be seen in the pic I posted earlier. Anyone know what these are for?

Stephen

The cable from the modem is probably just an audio cable connecting it to the (onboard i assume) soundcard. Dunno about a cable from the graphics card though.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

rob1891

if money is tight: an atx motherboard will definitly fit in that case, all you need to do then is to rewire the main power connector to the atx standard.

I fried a similar style dell motherboard a few years ago and bough a cheap replacement board, did the rewire and it's still running perfectly, +/- a few bits of sticky tape!!

All you need is a multimeter, google and a little confidence.

Rob

(If you upgrade, make sure the old psu has enough watts to power the new chip)