Dell SFF transformation to Gaming PC help requested

[Rock04]

I have several SFF Dells with I-5-3470 that I want to convert to gaming PC's, I know I will need new case, what is good 1080 level GPU should I use? Is 8 gigs of DDR3 ram enough, only 2 dim slots sadly.  I have 3 budgets. $150,$250 and $350.  This is for PSU, case, GPU and more ram if 8 gigs wont work

[boey]

10 minutes ago, Rock04 said:

I have several SFF Dells with I-5-3470 that I want to convert to gaming PC's, I know I will need new case, what is good 1080 level GPU should I use? Is 8 gigs of DDR3 ram enough, only 2 dim slots sadly.  I have 3 budgets. $150,$250 and $350.  This is for PSU, case, GPU and more ram if 8 gigs wont work

What resolution? Below 1440p a 1080 would probably bottleneck a 3470 in gaming. Better option is probably GTX 1660/1660Ti at most. Also 2x4GB RAM should suffice in most games.

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
Video Card	EVGA - GeForce GTX 1660 6 GB XC GAMING Video Card	$199.00 @ B&H
Case	Cooler Master - MasterBox Lite 3.1 MicroATX Mid Tower Case	$43.42 @ Amazon
Power Supply	Corsair - CXM 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply	$59.89 @ OutletPC
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$337.31
	Mail-in rebates	-$35.00
	Total	$302.31
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-05-30 09:15 EDT-0400

 

 

[Rock04]

great idea, thank you, I never thought to look at B&H for PC parts

[guyman70718]

Hey, I recently did this same thing with a Dell Inspiron 3647 (i3 4170, 8gb ram). If you are OK with getting used parts, I can help you get a nice upgrade. I upgraded mine to a i7-4790 and a GTX 1070 for about $500, but that was during the mining craze last year so you could probably get similar parts for about $400, maybe 350 if you are OK with being patient for a good deal.

Just a tip, DON'T GET RID OF THE OLD CASE!

Dell motherboards have a "DRM" sorta thing in the power button. If two pins (I forget which) aren't bridged at boot, the system will not post. You will just get a white LED, spinning fans, and nothing else. You could splice your new power button to bridge this pin, but my solution was cutting a hole in the front of my case and putting the power button/led assembly from the OEM case in the new case.

Another tip is that the mobo mostly complies to MATX but there is like 1 or 2 standoffs that don't. My case didn't have removable standoffs, so I covered them with electrical tape before placing my mobo in.

[Rock04]

ok, but may need help as this are low profile PCI slots sadly.  I didnt think of special connections for power

[guyman70718]

1 minute ago, Rock04 said:

ok, but may need help as this are low profile PCI slots sadly.  I didnt think of special connections for power

Low profile PCI slots? you mean PCIe 1x? All three of my SFF dells have a PCIe 1x and a 16x.

[Rock04]

yes the PCIe 16x can only use half height cards in this case.  I do have a GT1030 for one of the builds for playing Civilization 6, I am sure it will be fine for that game.

Others need like RX-480 or 570 like GPU

[guyman70718]

So, why can't you put it in a new case? I put mine in a shitty case I got from a trash picked custom build from 2008.

[adman29]

I'd probably try putting it in a case. Dell boards are weird though, but you can probably secure it some way.

[guyman70718]

19 hours ago, adman29 said:

I'd probably try putting it in a case. Dell boards are weird though, but you can probably secure it some way.

Like I said, I have a similar board and its microATX with 2 screw posts missing. I bet its the same for you. Send me a pic of the dell case and I can confirm if its the same case as mine.

[mkU1tra762]

8 GB or DDR3 should be fine. And I agree that with the rest of you setup, an 1660 or 1660ti would be the best fit.

[guyman70718]

20 minutes ago, mkU1tra762 said:

8 GB or DDR3 should be fine. And I agree that with the rest of you setup, an 1660 or 1660ti would be the best fit.

Tbh I think a 1660ti will be bottlenecked by a 3rd gen i5. My i7 4790 bottlenecks my 1070 a bit in 1080p

[mkU1tra762]

17 minutes ago, guyman70718 said:

Tbh I think a 1660ti will be bottlenecked by a 3rd gen i5. My i7 4790 bottlenecks my 1070 a bit in 1080p

That's interesting. You think a 1660 would work? What about finding a 1050ti. Pretty big downgrade in GPU performance there though. 

[guyman70718]

49 minutes ago, mkU1tra762 said:

That's interesting. You think a 1660 would work? What about finding a 1050ti. Pretty big downgrade in GPU performance there though. 

No clue, I've never used a 1660 or a 1660ti. But from what I've heard, the TI can almost match a 1070. But yeah, I think the 1050ti may be cutting it too short, i'd say get a 1060 6gb used or try out the 1660.