I was talking about this link, which happens not to be an 8300. I can't see
anywhere to put in a hdd. I presume by the fact that you singled out the top
of the range model that you agree the others don't have a second HDD slot.
http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/pro...=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn&~page=2&~tab=viewstab#tabtop
Looks like there are two HDD mounts, vertically attached to the front wall
of the case. The inner HDD cannot be cooled very well with that
arrangement, but then Dell is concerned with what THEY put in the system,
not what is added later.
That's odd because they sure look non standard to me.
??? Looks like any other except no label facing out on the PSU.
Can I put that floppy
drive in a standard case or is it missing the front like most name brands?
I'll concede that the CD looks standard except that they are black but that
is a pita.
Floppy does look like it's missing the front bezel, but it's not a big
deal, it could still be used in many other OEM cases, but then a floppy
drive is only $10 if you catch them on sale... most people already have
one with a bezel anyway unless they throw out all of their old gear, which
IMHO isn't a great idea since it's always good to have a backup system
even if it happened to be old and (relatively) slow.
As for the power supply, are you sure I can put any power supply in this
one? What if it has a power outlet as well, should I cut a hole in the case?
There are no decent ATX power supplies that incorporate a power outlet. A
similar issue might be if the Dell unit has no on/off switch, but it's not
that big of a deal either, these days many decent PSU have pictures on the
'net, you can see the back, whether it'd fit in a Dell case. Primarily,
if you want it (case) most compatible, stay away from their smaller cases
and stick with the mATX to full ATX versions. Check the back of the case
to see if it uses standard PSU, where it's mounted, and for the standard
I/O port shield that pops out.
That picture shows a completely standard PSU mounted, what did you mean by
"slightly raised"?
That's definately wrong, there is no question the 4600 has it too. That only
leaves the 8300 without it.
Remembering our previous posts about integrated video, some people won't
mind it, likely a larger percentage of those buying a Dell wouldn't mind
compared to home builders, but it is an important issue, to know/seek info
on what video card is installed.
That's also definately wrong, you can clearly see from the picture that
they've invented their own "dell" ATX standard.
How so? The rear ports are different, but if the I/O shield pops out that
isn't a problem. It looks a bit odd to see 5 rear bay slots, but there
may be an explaination for that, that it is mATX and simply has more slots
than needed for most mATX setups.
Sounds dodgy. Does this fit in a standard case? Can I get one from any
computer shop?
Does what fit, the motherboard? It should mount in a standard case fine.
The main thing is that the manual would need specific the pinout of the
front panel, USB, audio, etc, else a user with the ability to figure it
out themselves... not hard, just extra work, and maybe necessary to
acquire some wire plugs if the originals don't have the right pin
configuration or number of pins to fit the Dell board or vice-versa, if
putting a non "Dell" board in a Dell case. There may easily be little
issues with any OEM case but for the most part they can be solved, it just
takes a bit more time... like anything else you can put some time into it
or spend more $ buying replacement parts.
The case is probably ok if you like that sort of thing but it is a complete
pain in the butt if you work on a range of computers. Every time you have to
work on a name brand you've got to work out their wacky design of case. Why
can't they just use the standard design where both the sides come off like a
normal computer? It's like VHS, it's good because everyone uses it.
I kinda like their swing-open cases, except for one thing... if you were
to overclock, or swap in higher performance, higher heat parts later, you
have limited options for increasing airflow unless you do a LOT of
modifications, potentially disfiguring the case. Certainly most OEM
systems these days are not meant for a complete overhaul, only swapping a
part or two or adding a drive... it's not so bad though, often someone
buying such a system will be wanting to replace the whole thing anyway,
when the time comes.
Most of the stuff they do, such as the case, is passable but the real killer
is inventing their own brand of ATX and having their own custom mobos made.
I'd be very interested in you providing me a link to the site of the
motherboard manufactures where I can download drives for the motherboards of
each of their 4 ranges of computers. I tried to do this for an asus board
that was in a HP but found it wasn't listed.
Drivers?
That is the easiest part, you do not need to fool around with special
drivers, all the pros know that a Driver is not based on who made the
board/system except in very limited, very special features, otherwise the
standard chipset drivers from the respective chip manufacturer are even
better than an OEM driver, as they are updated more often. The bios on
the other hand is another matter, often it's more difficult to use due to
settings omitted, limited ability to flash a non-OEM bios unless you have
advanced knowledge about how to do it, or if the bios is soldered onto the
board you could end up scrapping the board if an emergency flash won't
recover any failure.
Even worse though is that the OEM-bundled software, if a restoration
image, depends on identifying the system, or at least that's has it's been
for many years. So, if the motherboard were to die, you might be choosing
between buying another board from (whichever OEM) else lose the ability to
reinstall the OS and apps. Also instead of being able to buy a newer
board with backwards support for memory and CPU, but also forwards support
for a better CPU upgrade, you're stuck with same technology you started
with, even after it's depreciated tech it still carries a premium price
from that OEM. Such are a few of the reasons so many people roll their
own instead of letting the OEMs do it, even when the total build cost
isn't any lower, maybe even higher initially, offset with lower upgrade
costs later.
The fact that I can find so many faults without even having a dell in front
me speaks volumes. I'm certain if I did I could find plenty of other dodgy
stuff that they do. What are you not telling me?
Is the CPU fan
standard? Do you need sliders to install a second CDRom (which the customer
can never find so you have to order them from dell)?
It would seem safe to say a Dell is not for you, but then some people
don't even want to know what's inside one, they just want someone else
they rely on to tell them if it's "good" or not... LOL, they dont' want to
think about it at all.
You didn't mention the poor resale value. Generally the second hand market
has greater knowledge and they know to avoid the name brands.
I love that they have poor resale value. I have OEM boxes that were free
or nearly so because of it, only needing a leaf blower and some TLC before
redeployed.
