Is there any disadvantages to using a dell mobo rather than a commercial one?

[MattLY]

I have a dell optiplex 390 mobo and Im wondering if its worth to upgrade to a commercial mobo like an msi one for $40 even though they have basically the same connections. I believ its a standerd micro atx. Thanks for reading!

[DrM]

the only thing different from this and an entry mobo would be the cpu cooler. at least on my old dell, the cpu mounting had a proprietary backplate that cant mount aftermarket coolers

[2FA]

There is no reason to upgrade a motherboard in 99% of cases unless you need a specific feature that requires buying a new board.

[MattLY]

2 minutes ago, DrM said:

the only thing different from this and an entry mobo would be the cpu cooler. at least on my old dell, the cpu mounting had a proprietary backplate that cant mount aftermarket coolers

Do you think maybe the bios will discremenate againt the new polaris gpus?

[ELSknutson]

pore quality, no real way to upgrade properly, no overclocking or aftermarket cooling,and in some cases they only fit in dell cases 

[Jacktastic-Mofo]

Eh, it's fine, looks like it supports a pretty decent amount of expansion as well. Keep it.

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, MattLY said:

I have a dell optiplex 390 mobo and Im wondering if its worth to upgrade to a commercial mobo like an msi one for $40 even though they have basically the same connections. I believ its a standerd micro atx. Thanks for reading!

If memory serves me correctly, Dell typically makes their boards for only their cases - if you buy a board from MSI and try to install it in a Dell case, it might not fit. But even so, as @DeadEyePsycho mentioned, your board shouldn't need to be swapped out unless there's a defect or a specific feature is needed.

[MattLY]

1 minute ago, ELSknutson said:

pore quality, no real way to upgrade properly, no overclocking or aftermarket cooling,and in some cases they only fit in dell cases 

My cpu cant overclock anyways- what do you mean you cant upgrade properly?

 

[vanished]

I can't quite tell from that picture, but it almost looks like that x16 slot only has pins up to the 8x mark

[MattLY]

2 minutes ago, Jacktastic-Mofo said:

Eh, it's fine, looks like it supports a pretty decent amount of expansion as well. Keep it.

Hey youre pretty active, you've helped me before, once again thank you! 

[ELSknutson]

1 minute ago, MattLY said:

My cpu cant overclock anyways- what do you mean you cant upgrade properly?

 

well if you want more then 2 sticks of ram you only have 4 connectors for drives. Im not saying it wont work what im saying is its a pore quality board. But if its what you have roll with it.

[Jacktastic-Mofo]

2 minutes ago, MattLY said:

Hey youre pretty active, you've helped me before, once again thank you! 

Why thank you kind sir.

[MattLY]

4 minutes ago, Stylized_Violence said:

If memory serves me correctly, Dell typically makes their boards for only their cases - if you buy a board from MSI and try to install it in a Dell case, it might not fit. But even so, as @DeadEyePsycho mentioned, your board shouldn't need to be swapped out unless there's a defect or a specific feature is needed.

Okay, what Im mainly concerned about is the bios I heard some dell boards dont boot certain parts- if I upgrade components on this thing and it doesnt boot do I run risk of ruining a part?

 

[MattLY]

9 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

I can't quite tell from that picture, but it almost looks like that x16 slot only has pins up to the 8x mark

What does that mean in terms of gpu upgrade- i've seen a video if a person putting a 750 ti in the same build

[Jacktastic-Mofo]

1 minute ago, MattLY said:

What does that mean in terms of gpu upgrade- i've seen a video if a person putting a 750 ti in the same build

I've currently got a GTX 750ti in an x8 slot and I've seen no real performance difference vs a full x16 slot. It quite honestly doesn't matter much as the GTX 750ti is NO WHERE close to saturating the PCI-E bus, nor is any other GPU on the market.

[MattLY]

3 minutes ago, Jacktastic-Mofo said:

I've currently got a GTX 750ti in an x8 slot and I've seen no real performance difference vs a full x16 slot. It quite honestly doesn't matter much as the GTX 750ti is NO WHERE close to saturating the PCI-E bus, nor is any other GPU on the market.

On the spec sheet of the unit it says that its a "1 (total) / 1 (free) x PCIe x16 - low-profile" slot- will this be a problem upgrading to a gpu or is it compatible with all of them? I really want to get my hands on one of the new polaris gpu or a 960

[Jacktastic-Mofo]

1 minute ago, MattLY said:

On the spec sheet of the unit it says that its a "1 (total) / 1 (free) x PCIe x16 - low-profile" slot- will this be a problem upgrading to a gpu or is it compatible with all of them? I really want to get my hands on one of the new polaris gpu or a 960

Ah, it appears it is x16 in which case you'll be fine, I believe the low-profile refers to the actual slot on the back of the case, meaning it might not be a full height (~4in) expansion slot which would limit your choice of GPU, unless you swapped cases.

[MattLY]

1 minute ago, Jacktastic-Mofo said:

Ah, it appears it is x16 in which case you'll be fine, I believe the low-profile refers to the actual slot on the back of the case, meaning it might not be a full height (~4in) expansion slot which would limit your choice of GPU, unless you swapped cases.

I have seen 2 videos where people put in a 750 ti in the same case which is a full hight card, worse case scenario Ill mod the case a little with a dremel. Thanks for youre help I appreciate it. This is my first build and Im really nervous as im waiting for the parts to arrive

[Jacktastic-Mofo]

1 minute ago, MattLY said:

I have seen 2 videos where people put in a 750 ti in the same case which is a full hight card, worse case scenario Ill mod the case a little with a dremel. Thanks for youre help I appreciate it. This is my first build and Im really nervous as im waiting for the parts to arrive

It's alright, if you ever need any help just feel free to PM me. I was the same way when I was building my first system

[vanished]

48 minutes ago, MattLY said:

What does that mean in terms of gpu upgrade- i've seen a video if a person putting a 750 ti in the same build

Probably nothing.  If you're adding a 750 ti, it's not likely to need much bandwidth anyway.  Even if it was a high end card, as long as it's PCIe 3.0 an 8x slot would be fine.  In fact even if it's PCIe 2.0 you might not have any problems.  Regardless it's unlikely that it's actually electrically 8x, and frankly I still haven't seen proof that it isn't, but like I said, it's unlikely.

[iHardware Shelden]

5 hours ago, Stylized_Violence said:

If memory serves me correctly, Dell typically makes their boards for only their cases - if you buy a board from MSI and try to install it in a Dell case, it might not fit. But even so, as @DeadEyePsycho mentioned, your board shouldn't need to be swapped out unless there's a defect or a specific feature is needed.

They (Dell) use standard Micro ATX on most of there current desktop systems. Along with standard ATX power supplys.

[NumLock21]

A cheap msi board will not be better than this Dell one. No need to change, it should handle Polaris just fine.

[GrayFox1991]

7 hours ago, iHardware Shelden said:

They (Dell) use standard Micro ATX on most of there current desktop systems. Along with standard ATX power supplys.

What I have come across in a fair amount of Dell PCs is a custom connector on the case (for the power/reset buttons, HDD light etc) with a dell specific header on the mobo. In cases where they have done this, they do not supply details for the pin-out for you to be able to terminate the connectors yourself for a new mobo with standard headers.

 

Also as previously stated, it is not worth changing it out, unless you fill out the current mobo, and need additional features/connectors etc. 

[iHardware Shelden]

11 minutes ago, GrayFox1991 said:

What I have come across in a fair amount of Dell PCs is a custom connector on the case (for the power/reset buttons, HDD light etc) with a dell specific header on the mobo. In cases where they have done this, they do not supply details for the pin-out for you to be able to terminate the connectors yourself for a new mobo with standard headers.

 

Also as previously stated, it is not worth changing it out, unless you fill out the current mobo, and need additional features/connectors etc. 

Interesting, they must be playing around again Just did a re-build in a customers old Inspiron 530 and the front panel connector was standard but I wouldn't be surprised if they changed it again like on the BTX systems.