Modding a Dell Case

[nasyesta36]

I know this sounds far fetched but after seeing so many PC Mods I was wondering if any case can be modded especially the Dell Inspiron 530.  First off is it possible using a dremel to cut out the I/O shield so I can be able to use existing shields on motherboards.  Also could I be able to cut the metal wall on the inside because it looks like it would block large video cards.  Please dont tell me to throw the case away I am trying to practice modding because I have never done it before nor I have never seen anyone attempt to mod a Dell Case either.

[Chasem121]

Yes you can remove the IO shield, might be sloppy but if you take your time it should be usable.

 

You can cut any of the metal on the inside out, but it might be harder than you think.

 

Measure twice and cut once

[LeakingSink251]

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[nasyesta36]

Awesome Thank you I did not think it would be possible to mod a dell 530 case and I will do my best once completed I will take photos of my progress I've made to the case

[nasyesta36]

Alright I was very successful at cutting out the embedded I/O Shield on the Dell Case and now I can fit any Micro ATX motherboard with Shield into the case with no issues thank you everyone for the vote of confidence 

[iHardware Shelden]

Alright I was very successful at cutting out the embedded I/O Shield on the Dell Case and now I can fit any Micro ATX motherboard with Shield into the case with no issues thank you everyone for the vote of confidence

Make sure to post some pictures

[uchenskoya]

I'm doing the same thing 2 years later, and it looks pretty good so far. I have a Core I5 7600k, GA-B250M-DS3H and Cheap Arctic GT 11 Cooler. I bought the unlocked processor so I could overclock later if I so choose. I'm adding EVGA 750 N1 PSU. It's not the best, but for 40 bucks I cannot beat it. I am also going to add 2 2x4 2400 Team Elite Black/Gold Ram and a Samsung 970 M.2 SSD. This build will cost a total of 490.87. All new part except for the Dell Inspiron Case. But it has a lot of potential for upgrades. Inspired by the sleeper builds Linus has built in the past.

 

Update 10/18/2018:

Got rid of the junk Arctic Cooler and re-used the LGA 775 Cooler instead. The plastic frame has to be expanded slightly using a hot air gun. Waiting for the Nvidia Geforce GTX 1070 so my build will be complete. I also went to Home Depot and bought 2 3.5 inch handles and painted & cleared them. Now it's very easy to carry. Added a Noctua NF-A9 92mm PWM fan from Amazon. Will add another Noctua 80mm fan for the old CPU cooler. Added 2 3.5 to 5.25 adapters for my storage drives to occupy the 2 5.25 bays. Added a 3.5 tray at the bottom for an additional 3.5 storage. The Samsung 970 m.2 is incredibly 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 18, 2018 by uchenskoya
Update

[PeaceWalker93]

Completely doable, I did something similar to a couple of old HP cases, check them out if you like:

 

[Ross Siggers]

A build thread for this 'sleeper' would be great!

Remember where possible, you can drill/dremel away the rivets to remove drive cages etc. Saves the time and effort of cutting through the sheet metal

[extra8]

I have a Vostro 400 mini tower case (Same case as Inspiron 530 and Vostro 200).  Here are my attempts to make a hole for a new IO shield.

 

 

Determining the exact position of the rectangular hole for the new IO shield is tricky but not impossible.  Do not cut around existing coloured IO shield label attached to rear of the case because it is in the wrong size and position !

 

If you don't plan to repaint the case, strip the computer down and remove the left and right side panels, and put masking tape over the painted top panel and its edges so the paint doesn't get scratched when working on it.

 

There is a key starting dimension. In diagram below, the distance between a centre line drawn down the middle of the PCIe slot to the edge of  the IO shield is 12.7mm.

 

You  may discover the right side edge of the IO shield label is more or less 12.7mm as shown below.  Similarly the width of the IO shield label is the same width as required for the cutout.   ie. you have both the left and right alignment for the new IO shield hole.

 

Use a sharp pencil and draw around the IO shield label as shown above.  Then you may want to use a hair dryer to apply heat to the label and carefully peel it off.

 

Determining the position of the top and bottom edges of the IO shield is a bit more tricky.  In picture below, the bottom edge of the hole is exactly 1mm above the pencil line I drew around the original IO shield label.   (If I had cut a hole starting at the pencil line, the new IO shield would be significantly out of alignment)

 

 

The distance between the edge of the hole and the edge of the case (without the side panel), it is exactly 12mm. 

 

If your case has a tendency to rattle, check whether the other side panel is coming into contact with the 5 points shown below which I've covered with electrical insulation tape.

 

I hope the above info helps next reader who chooses to mod their case.

 

Other threads:

Custom Inspiron 530

Vostro 400 case mod at Overclockersclub

[UntrueHunter]

Hmmm