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The Real Dell Optiplex 790 SFF Sleeper Build

Mechex
By Mechex
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Hello, I'm new here, altough I built my pc earlier this year and I loved it, but everything went so smooth, it was really easy, so I'd like to try something I have never seen done before. Anyway, I have this Dell Optiplex 790 SFF which I think looks really awesome, how about I fit a relatively powerful (I'd like to go with Ryzen 7 3700X and RTX2070 Super) gaming machine inside? There is enough space inside. What do you people think? Anyone as  excited to see it happen as I am? So this is what I am starting with: 

IMG_20190914_131646.jpg

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I'm excited to see the result! one problem I can see you having is not enough room for an ATX power supply so you'll have to buy an ITX one and even then you may have to make some modifications to get it in.

 

You'll also probably have to use a PCIE riser cable to get a 2070S inside, and it'll have to be sideways because I don't see how it could stand upright in that case.

Specs: CPU: AMD Ryzen R7 3700X @4.4Ghz, GPU: Gigabyte RX 5700 XT, RAM: 32 GB (2x 8GB Trident Z Royal + 2x 8GB TForce Vulkan Z) @3000Mhz, Motherboard: ASRock B550m Steel Legend, Storage: 1x WD Black 1Tb NVMe (boot) + 1x Samsung 860 QVO 1Tb SSD (storage), Case: Thermaltake Core V21, Cooler: Noctua NH-D15

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Hello! You're right, there is no way to fit an ATX psu in there, so I just got EVGA 650GM, it fits, even though I will have to ditch 3.5" bay, which I didn't want to originally, but it will have an M.2 drive anyway. What might be bigger problem are cables, which need to be really short. I would like to keep as many of the original features as possible, like optical drive, which definitely stays. Also I will try to make most of the required mechanical parts myself, I have access to machines and skills to do it as well, so why not. 

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Yeah, graphics card will also be tricky, only way it really fits is vertically, and I will route extensions from connectors to the back of the case. This project has a lot of little problems, it will probably take some time, but I think it will be worth it!

 

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Now that all the bling was taken off, I will cut out a hole for I/O shield and some small, but restrictive features that are not needed anymore. Those will allow to fit the psu and cooling fan(s) inside. I will still remember to keep as much stuff as possible, but space is  really limited. 

 

 

IMG_20190914_164212.jpg

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My family computer is an optiplex 790 sff just like that one. The dell motherboard is a proprietary form factor, but I think you'll be able to put a mini itx mobo in there!

CPU: Ryzen 5 5600x  | GPU: GTX 1070 FE | RAM: TridentZ 16GB 3200MHz | Motherboard: Gigabyte B450 Aorus M | PSU: EVGA 650 B3 | STORAGE: Boot drive: Crucial MX500 1TB, Secondary drive: WD Blue 1TB hdd | CASE: Phanteks P350x | OS: Windows 10 | Monitor: Main: ASUS VP249QGR 144Hz, Secondary: Dell E2014h 1600x900

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Yup, it has the same hole layout, which helps quite a lot.

 

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A short graphics card on a riser at the bottom of the case would work, ITX board, small PSU or external brick(s) even but the hardest part will be getting enough air into and out of the case to keep things cool enough to not drop clocks.

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Airflow might be tight, and you may need to cut a hole and put mesh, for better airflow.

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Watching this very closely, I have an SFF optiplex waiting for a purpose...

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No holes will be cut in the case (it's a sleeper after all) and big part of the front panel is perforated, which helps a lot. Cooling will be tricky, but I have trick that will (hopefully) work. I am fitting the I/O shield right now, should be done later today. Btw, anyone knows when Zotac 2070 Super mini will be available? That is what I am planning to use in here, but it seems nowhere to be bought. 

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So I cut out the original I/O, and damn, I didn't expect that steel to be that hard. I'll fit the I/O shield tomorrow (hopefully). Motherboard still doesn't quite fit, original I/O panel was shorter than standard. 

IMG_20190915_150405.jpg

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I added 5x 2cm wide holes to my (9010 SFFPlex) side panel to get my 1050Ti to breath better and it worked a treat. (quickly climbing to 82*c now down to slowly climbing to 76*c)

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On 9/15/2019 at 9:12 PM, Mechex said:

So I cut out the original I/O, and damn, I didn't expect that steel to be that hard. I'll fit the I/O shield tomorrow (hopefully). Motherboard still doesn't quite fit, original I/O panel was shorter than standard. 

IMG_20190915_150405.jpg

Nicely done!

 

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I am sorry, I know I'm late. Machining sheet metal just suuucks. Fortunately this is the only big modification to the case. 

 

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Okay, motherboard is in! Even though the fit isn't the best and the I/O shield intersects the mesh part, it holds rock solid. Of course, no one will ever notice the ROG logo on the back of an old Dell sff :D

IMG_20190917_212527.jpg

IMG_20190917_212449.jpg

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Next step will be cutting out the bottom of 3.5" bay to fit in the power supply. That will be faster, because it's a much smaller piece, much more manageable on the bench and it fits in my vice. The bay will still be able to hold a 3.5" hard drive, but not with the psu in there at the same time. 

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The power supply fits in too!  IMG_20190919_201145.thumb.jpg.c447b08c728443784209ee8836719b80.jpg Wait, oh sh!t... 

IMG_20190919_201159.thumb.jpg.dd326fa872b239c9fd8782dac71c8746.jpgWell, I need to butcher that bay some more I guess...

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Curious how this will turn out seeing as you have the smaller of the two "larger" desktops. That extra 3 inches of height makes all the difference in the world. ?

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Thank You, this one is second to smallest out of four sizes I believe. Space is really tight, but I kinda have it layed out in my mind, I'll just wait for all the problems to arrive :D Like the fact that the graphics card I want to use (Zotac RTX2070Super Mini) is nowhere to be found, just Zotac official website... ?

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4 minutes ago, Mechex said:

Thank You, this one is second to smallest out of four sizes I believe. Space is really tight, but I kinda have it layed out in my mind, I'll just wait for all the problems to arrive :D Like the fact that the graphics card I want to use (Zotac RTX2070Super Mini) is nowhere to be found, just Zotac official website... ?

Yep, second smallest, though still quite a bit more roomy than the USFF.

 

Also I sure know that feeling, I was wanting Zotac's low-profile 1050Ti myself but absolutely nobody had one so I had to settle for the MSI model which was a bit unfortunate since the fans used on it aren't that great (Zotac's seemed to be a bit better in that regard). Oh well, nothing an old Sempron 145 stock cooler fan and twist ties couldn't fix. Same temps for far less noise? Sign me up.

 

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Nicely done! I really hope I will be able to get that card, it's the smallest 2070S I know of, and even that is pretty much the biggest card I can fit in there. I could still go with Galax 2070, but I'd really like a Super card in there. 

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Here's next update. Not much has happened, I'm still working on the drive bay, which will have to be cut out even more. IMG_20190922_111253.thumb.jpg.2ac1f9475da2167c2020ecb8868a51c2.jpg Here is the current state of the bay, the near side from this perspective will have to be cut down to allow moving the psu closer to the front of the case in order to clear psu connectors. This is how the psu will be positioned: IMG_20190922_111356.thumb.jpg.0e8cf19e0ab1de94e9cad87a65db52d9.jpg IMG_20190922_111422.thumb.jpg.5afad898334a293ec581d903bf5aa6e9.jpg The power connector is really close to the front, but I think I'll be able to get connectors which will lay flat and won't stick out too much. Bigger problem will be the front I/O, (I want it to be functional too) which is not just bulky, but also has proprietary connector and I have no clue on how to solve that. I thought about ripping it out and using new front I/O assembly, but It's impossible to find something that fits 100%. I might have to get just the usbs and make something up, but I'm not super psyched about all the soldering. Feel free to propose any ideas. 

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Also I have ordered some more parts for this build, so the progress might slow down until they arrive. 

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