Solved Modifing old desktop machine in new case

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
I've been pondering the idea to put this old desktop in a newer case for quite a while,
Acer aspire AX3810-U3802A which is a good system great 7 64 bit install I do all graphic's work on it.... it has very poor cooling but I did upgrade the ram to Crucial 8gb pack 4x2gb

Has a meager ASUS GT 640 in it now and no I did not pay that much for it I believe it was 85.us
Amazon.com: ASUS Graphics Card GT640-1GD3-L: Computers & Accessories

I happen to have a EVGA 980 hybrid hanging around,
Amazon.com: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Hybrid 4GB GDDR5 256bit, PCI-E 3.0, DVI-I, 3 x DP, HDMI, SLI, HDCP, Air-Water Hybrid Graphics Cards 04G-P4-1989-KR: Computers & Accessories
After replacing it in my new build for a ASUS 980-P 20th anniversary gold

The pins are identical in length :/ wondering if it will work on my older
desktop if a new case and of course psu is used

Costs,
Case 120.us
Psu 160.us
Fans 80.us
EZ Swap EVO dual sdd hot swap 40.us
Fan controller and pci slot rpm twisters and cpu cooler Noctua NH-D14 =145.us
GPU 980 hybrid 600.us
Total 1060.00

Just ordered a Q9550 cpu 88.us
Amazon.com: Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q9550 2.83GHz 1333MHz 12MB LGA775 CPU, OEM: Computers & Accessories
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3
1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7Q-8GBXH - Newegg.com

adding another 140.us
G-Skill not compatible sticking with Crucial ram.
Total 1140.us

 

[countzero]

i've done that twice with HP workstations to get more disk slots for raid.
bit of a hassle to make it fit & stuff, needed new PSU.
then it was good.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Yea I'm kind of stuck now,
The case is a$$ backwards compared to newer cases meaning the opening door is on the right side instead of the left :/
So I don't see this happening ?

 

[countzero]

i'd be suprised if that made a difference.
just had a look at the mobo of your acer, looks like standard µATX.
the door is on the right side, but the audio ports are on top. ergo a straight 180° tilt.
even power switch, leds are standard. looks like a very easy mod.

 

[ThrashZone]

Thanks I just need to find a case I can use for it,
If you run into one please post where
I have not seen one yet

 

[countzero]

any atx case

 

[ThrashZone]

As long as the door is on the right side and not the left
Like I sais this board is ass backwards so everything has to mirrored
I believe the actual board is a mini or micro 10.5 tall x 14 deep x 4 thick is the case size now.

 

[countzero]

nope, the board is normal. google images -> the name of your board.
it's currently mounted on the wrong side, so the audo ports point up instead down. if i flipped my computer on it's head it'd be the same.
normal atx case.

 

[ThrashZone]

Okay thanks
I was wondering if Acer simply flipped the board upside down to get it that way
It's always been so weird to me lol
Cheers.

 

[ThrashZone]

Looks like the board is 1-1/2" shorter than a typical micro atx
9-1/2" w X 8" T
So at least 4 mounting holes I imagine will not line up with a new case I'll assume

Also there is only 2 fan ports 1 being used for the cpu cooler now
Being I could use a liquid cooler which would run off of a usb2 port which there are at least 4 and possibly 5 of them 4 being used now

gpu is already a liquid cooled all it needs is additional power from the new psu
Problem might come up here all of the usb2 connections would be under the gpu :/
1 already is so it should have clearance over the other 3-4 usb2 connections

A lot of modifying just to mount the old board
Trying to decide if it's worth the hassle
There's plenty of cheap cases around... but then again if it all fails why have a cheap case around so I might just get another Corsair 450D or similar so at least I can move forward if all does not work.

 

[ThrashZone]

I did end up getting another Corsair 450D case
Missed an opportunity last night to get a evga 850 P2 for 119.99 darn it I though I had until today to get it
Oh well I'm not in a hurry

The cases seemed to be disappearing = Newegg and Corsair = out of stock
Had 4 at Micro Center locally and got a Amazon price match for 119.99+Tax though :/

 

[rvcjew]

Nice case for that rig and yeah your board is DTX so your good as its ATX compatible for standoffs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DTX_(form_factor) Also for future reference your board is the Dig43l/agreyhound and your pci-e x16 slot is 2.0.

 

[ThrashZone]

Thanks so the you think the evga 980 hybrid will have no issues with the pci-e on the Acer board
Would be really nice to use it it's a nice cool running gpu

I haven't really confirmed the mounting holes yet on the case compared to the board

Yea I looked and looked for another case and the 450D is perfect for future upgrades if the Acer board dies

I also intend on adding a Corsair liquid cpu cooler too
Probably a 120mm version possibly a 240mm H105 gtx but definitely a 120mm I believe H80i ?

 

[rvcjew]

If the gpu supports pci-2.0 backwards compatibility your good and I imagine it would, i'v only ever had one card that had an issue with this when 2.1 came out and it was a 8800GT. You will run into issues with AIO compatibility because your socket appears to be LGA 775 and the H80i supports: AMD: AM2, AM3, FM1, FM2, Intel LGA: 1150, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2011, 2011-3. What cpu is in the board atm?

 

[ThrashZone]

CPUID says Intel Pentium E5200

 

[rvcjew]

CPUID says Intel Pentium E5200

Yeah that's LGA 775 so you need to look for some older AIO designs if you go that route, you could also email the companies and ask like say corsair if they will send you a 775 bracket if they have one that they just don't supply anymore in box.

 

[ThrashZone]

Here's the screen shots,
View attachment 369719View attachment 369720
View attachment 369721View attachment 369722

 

[ThrashZone]

Thanks for the heads up
The board it's self I only noticed 2 fan ports lol
1 unused

 

[rvcjew]

Yeah welcome to OEM lol, did it even have a stock heatsink for the cpu or used some kinda shroud design?

 

[ThrashZone]

Vented aluminum block with 1 fan on it
This is a very small case I suppose any cpu cooler will be better than this thing
I was hoping to use the 2 fan ports for 1 intake and 1 exhaust fan
Not sure if anyone makes them but this thing does have a lot of usb2 ports on the board
Possibly a usb2 fan bridge ?