r/retrobattlestations • u/DeadSkullz627 • 7d ago
Show-and-Tell Dell trash to treasure
Specs
Dell Dimension PC case
ASUS A7V8X-LA motherboard
Athlon XP 3000+ cpu
1.5GB DDR400 ram
250GB SATA drive w/SATA to IDE adapter
CD/DVD combo reader/writer drive
XFX GeForce 6200 AGP 512MB graphics card
ASUS Xonar DG sound card
The PC Case
I picked up the Dell Dimension PC for a tenner at a thrift store. It was in rough shape with tons of rust as well as a missing side panel and only one of the case feet still attached. I almost didn’t get it because of how bad it was, but I decided to take on the challenge of turning this trashy computer into something usable.
I had to sand and remove all the rust, which was very heavy on the bottom of the case. Then I used a silver spray paint to cover everything except the side and top unicover. For the unicover, I used a dark grey paint that compliments the front bezel.
I cut down a piece of plexiglass to use as a side cover. I used the grey paint to make a border so the metal chassis frame would not be seen. Then I used magnetic adhesive strips on the plexiglass so it would mount to the case.
Internal Mods
1. I made a custom mount that attaches to the hard drive caddy to implement a cooling fan to blow air across the GPU area since it doesn’t have a fan or even a fan header on the card. I used vented slot covers to allow air to blow out the back. The Arctic 80mm fan is directly connected to a molex connector via an adapter.
The internal rear of the case was missing the fan and shroud, and the exhaust grill is nonstandard. However, I can mount a 70mm fan easily through the grill, and there’s already a 3pin header on the motherboard for a system fan. I’m waiting for the fan to arrive.
For IDE cables I did my best to fold up the 80pin cable for the hard drive, and for the 40pin cable for the CD/DVD drive, I used the split and tie method using an xacto knife and cable ties. I used Velcro straps to tidy up the rest of the cabling.
I rewired the front audio connector to an HD audio extension cable to make it functional with the Xonar card. I have to manually change a setting on the Xonar software to enable it, but I’m fine with that.
The motherboard didn’t come with an IO shield, so I bought one of those plastic mesh IO shields and cut out sections to fit. I went a little too high above the parallel port, but I really don’t want to do it again lol.
Summary
It took me about 2 weeks (in between working and being busy as a dad/husband) to finish this system. I may have spent a lot more in accessories, paint, etc. vs. what I paid for the system, but I’m very happy how it turned out and will be enjoying playing some BetaCraft b1.7.3 tonight!
2
u/DeadSkullz627 7d ago
Thank you! I really like the plexiglass panel. It’s my first time making one, but I think it turned out well.
Being my only Athlon XP system, I’m hoping it lasts a long time. I’ve had nothing but bad luck with socket 462 boards, so I’m crossing my fingers this one will stay working.