I can imagine an unintended consequence of this video is some engineers/designers/technicians/executives at Dell responsible for so much e-waste feeling vindicated watching this and going "Proprietary parts!? What proprietary parts!? Look at how perfectly our Inspiron 3880 motherboard fits in this chonker ATX case; see this is FULLY STANDARDIZED BABY!!!"
Seems like the best course of action is to harvest the processor ram etc and sell the dell board which should give you enough money to buy a new standard board. I think that would work out just fine for someone on a budget and no compromises would have to be made.
I couldn't agree more. That is the exact advice I've given hundreds of people starting at the point of wanting an aftermarket PSU. From that point forward, they'd be better off to harvest their Dell for parts, IMO. FWIW, I've seen no evidence that anyone but me has actually done the case swap. It's also one of the least viewed videos in the series. So, this seems to be the point of ridiculousness where people get off of the crazy train. 😆
@@TheBrokenLife I can definitely see someone doing it in the coming years as the price on these drops in the used market especially if they just need a more powerful gpu and already have all the parts for a quick and dirty setup
@@JBTYpr I'm not entirely clear which position you're advocating for, but the motherboard is the last thing of the Dell I would make any effort to keep. All the same, I've shown it _can_ be done if someone really wanted to. 😆
@@TheBrokenLife I’m saying we will probably see both approaches, those who may have spare psu gpu and case might not want to bother with selling the motherboard and just do what you did for a quick and dirty setup especially as these get cheaper over time.
Is it possible to just buy a new mother board and case, and just add all the components like the processor, ram,, harddrive, etc, and it still be the samecomputer? like same backround, same files, same workings, or does something special after that need to be done?
@@johnqwaser74 I think so... That's the next, and probably final, video in the series. The only unknown is whether or not I'll be forced to buy another Windows license. I also admit I hadn't thought much about retaining the exact same "everything". It's likely to be a better idea to commit to a fresh Windows installation, but, I suppose I can try it and see what happens. For me, I plan to have 2 computers at the end of the series: the Dell more-or-less as it shipped and a full custom build, so those questions have different answers in that circumstance.
I was trying to fit a gtx 970 on a similar dell and the damn case rivets and lower drive bays stopped me from trying it out easily. I wish they were screws as well
Don't see the point of upgrading the case without getting a new motherboard due to the performance limitations of the dell motherboard. Is it a good idea to get a new cpu cooler/fan if you were to transition to a new case and motherboard because the dell cpu cooler is low quality and cheap in addition to not being compatible with a standard intel motherboard?
@@bud1239 For me, the point in doing it was simply to see if I could. But... I do know a lot of my audience is very young with very limited resources and simply want to play video games. What I did here is enough to be able to plug any GPU being built today into the Dell board without spending any more money than necessary to do it. I honestly didn't expect it to go well enough for that to even be a risk, but... mission accomplished? Frustratingly, I think drilling for the Dell CPU cooler may actually be standard, it's just the attachment method that isn't. I think you actually _could_ use it on a different board. We'll find out in the next video. ...and I do indeed have the Intel cooler to use if I want, but I may (ahem... DO) have another trick up my sleeve. :)
Or, unless you already have an i7, give yourself an upgrade along the way. That's exactly the upgrade path I'm taking. i7 in the custom built machine and the i3 back in the 3880. On a longer timeline, my custom build will end up with an i9 and the Dell will get the i7 back again. Just waiting on prices to come down...
Probably not. Since the board doesn't have any USB pin headers you'd have to install a USB PCI card and then figure out how to add the USB C port itself. I do know the 3891 comes with a front panel USB C. If you haven't ordered a machine already, you could always go that way. Personally, I don't find USB A to C cords that inconvenient and just go that way. There are also adapters that aren't on cords, which would get you pretty close to the same result.
The optical drive slot is kinda useless for me. Since 99.9999% of my data are living in the clouds, however many phones are shifting to C ports, so I have to future proof a little.
@@yflou3525 For a phone, I would (and do) just use a USB A to C cord. You should still get full USB 3.2 speeds. I'm not sure what other advantages there might be to having a USB C to C cord connection, but every video you've watch on this channel came down an A to C cord before it did anything else. ;)
As for the bolt pattern, there could be a million reasons ranging from ignorance to malice, but we'll probably never know the real answer. The integrated front I/O and CPU fan mounting are cost reductions, so at least that makes some sense. The _twelve_ locations they bolted the board down makes no sense at all, and is a cost increase, so... go figure.
@@MandoMTL We'll never really know, but here's my take on it... I honestly believe that 99% of people would never concern themselves with attempting to upgrade a PC motherboard even if it was bolt-in. I can't imagine major manufacturers sitting around and intentionally plotting against the 1% of the rest of us. There's no money in it. I'll double down on that by pointing out the playlist of videos that showcase how Dell has actively refused to harvest more money from their customers by selling them the optical drives, drive caddies, and larger PSUs they'd happily pay for _and they already make._ Oddly, Dell will happily sell you the _wrong_ optical drive all day. It's infuriating... From the time I've spent in other industries, the answer really is just regular old stupidity, or ignorance, the vast majority of the time. Any organization of sufficient size can succeed on failures for decades, and all in all, if Dell can stay in business selling _any_ computer for $329, they're smarter than I am.
@@daud3851 The front I/O is unlikely to work out, but you may find a case that it will fit. I really do think it's worth the extra $100-ish to just replace the motherboard though.
@@TheBrokenLife Yeah i know but my country sells it for like 400+ for a b560 i need that mobo for my i7 10th gen from my dell 7080. Why couldn’t i just get a i7 pc that is not from dell? Well it was a gift from my parents for my good grades.
I didn't how bad Dell was until I shelled out some moola for some e-waste that I thought I would recycle. They design everything with malicious intent. Every single thing is designed so you can only use Dell cases with Dell power supplies with Dell graphics cards with Dell memory, etc... I didn't know that... I just thought they where regular computer cases, had no idea how hostile their eco-system had become.
Ehhhh... Some of that is more true than others of that. Every Dell I've seen for the last 20 years would accept standard RAM, CPU, GPU, drives, etc (except for their new XPS laptops... they developed their own new "standard" of RAM for them). Their cases, PSUs, and motherboards are proprietary, but that's been true of most box store PCs since the '90s. What I always tell people is that buying the cheapest new Dell is a good way to to go. I can't buy the parts for as little as they sell their ~$400 specials for, never mind a Windows license and all of that. From there, you can gut them into another case or do whatever you want. Where people make a mistake is when they buy an _expensive_ Dell. That's usually where they could do better elsewhere for the same money.
@@TheBrokenLife What I meant by that was that their BIOS seems to refuse to read the JEDEC profiles in the memory. Nor unlocked CPU multipliers. So you have to be very picky when picking up an old used system. My Dell case said hello to my tin snips :) (new aftermarket PSU). But yeah, its mixed bag, you got a 50/50 chance of a Dell branded MB accepting new parts even if the chip-set does support according to Intel.
@@BobHenderson-dr2wy The Dell BOIS is for sure restrictive. I don't at all care for their CPU power management or lack of other features. But...People buying them probably don't know what to do with those features. I can't particularly blame them for not allowing people who can barely operate windows to overclock their CPU. 😅
Hopefully anyone who thinks about doing this will watch this video first and understand why it is such a bad idea to start off with a low-cost Dell with plans on a later case swap. I think you would end up with heat problems. All that flow is not how these are designed. All that open space just means there is controlled flow of air through the case. It's too much of a bodge. That's just the nature of dealing with non-standard parts.
It is for sure not a good idea to set out with this as your intention. Where this makes sense is when you harvest the pre-built for components to add to a standard motherboard, which will be what happens in the next episode. I've demonstrated that you _can_ upgrade slowly through this progression if that's what you can afford, but you really shouldn't. At minimum, the case and motherboard should be paired. I disagree with you on cooling. I've demonstrated that configuration only draws about 120w at peak, which seems just about impossible to overheat in either case, and I don't see anything in the re-cased setup that is a step backward. The additional 120mm fan right at the CPU and the wide open top are huge upgrades. There are also plenty more places to put fans in that case if needed.
@@TheBrokenLife If the system does not need a ton of cooling and can get away with basically passive (meaning doesn't need a fan) cooling, then you are probably right. But if you need good air flow, this would be a cooling nightmare. The G5 Macs had a somewhat similar case, but it was loaded up with high volume fans and was loud. (BTW, I agree with you on water cooling. It's crazy) Personally, if I had this dell and wanted to upgrade, I would save my pennies and do upgrades easily transferred when the time comes to get a new motherboard and case. I'm glad you did the video because it shows the types of problems you run into and just how ridiculous it can get like losing your on/off button. OTOH, I GET IT. Last month was terrible for me with two major repairs in my house. I had a sewage pipe burst and a roof leak.
@@tarstarkusz I do wonder whether or not it could be passively cooled with a big enough heatsink. I think you might be able to get away with it. Oof... Sorry to hear about the problems with your house. I don't miss that part of home ownership.
I can imagine an unintended consequence of this video is some engineers/designers/technicians/executives at Dell responsible for so much e-waste feeling vindicated watching this and going "Proprietary parts!? What proprietary parts!? Look at how perfectly our Inspiron 3880 motherboard fits in this chonker ATX case; see this is FULLY STANDARDIZED BABY!!!"
Heh... If they think that highly of my hackery, I'm available for consulting work. lol
thanks for the video i was desperate to find aa new case for my inspiron 3880
You're welcome. I hope you found it helpful!
Seems like the best course of action is to harvest the processor ram etc and sell the dell board which should give you enough money to buy a new standard board. I think that would work out just fine for someone on a budget and no compromises would have to be made.
I couldn't agree more. That is the exact advice I've given hundreds of people starting at the point of wanting an aftermarket PSU. From that point forward, they'd be better off to harvest their Dell for parts, IMO.
FWIW, I've seen no evidence that anyone but me has actually done the case swap. It's also one of the least viewed videos in the series. So, this seems to be the point of ridiculousness where people get off of the crazy train. 😆
@@TheBrokenLife I can definitely see someone doing it in the coming years as the price on these drops in the used market especially if they just need a more powerful gpu and already have all the parts for a quick and dirty setup
@@JBTYpr I'm not entirely clear which position you're advocating for, but the motherboard is the last thing of the Dell I would make any effort to keep. All the same, I've shown it _can_ be done if someone really wanted to. 😆
@@TheBrokenLife I’m saying we will probably see both approaches, those who may have spare psu gpu and case might not want to bother with selling the motherboard and just do what you did for a quick and dirty setup especially as these get cheaper over time.
@@JBTYpr I gotcha. For the sake of those future peoples, I hope they find that aftermarket motherboards are cheaper too. 😆
Enjoyed the video, keep going!
Thanks! I appreciate it!
When will the new motherboard video be out?
Hopefully before too much longer. I've been on a bit of a winter break.
yes
I’m doing the same with a 7th gen dell optiplex mobo
Cool! Good luck with it!
Yea it’s gonna get error codes Ik that but it definitely should boot fine after the error codes
Is it possible to just buy a new mother board and case, and just add all the components like the processor, ram,, harddrive, etc, and it still be the samecomputer? like same backround, same files, same workings, or does something special after that need to be done?
Looking forward to seeing the motherboard swap. planning to do this myself. Your the best.
@@johnqwaser74 I think so... That's the next, and probably final, video in the series. The only unknown is whether or not I'll be forced to buy another Windows license. I also admit I hadn't thought much about retaining the exact same "everything". It's likely to be a better idea to commit to a fresh Windows installation, but, I suppose I can try it and see what happens.
For me, I plan to have 2 computers at the end of the series: the Dell more-or-less as it shipped and a full custom build, so those questions have different answers in that circumstance.
8:27 The key for bios is F2 for bios setup and F12 for boot menu.
Handy to know! Thanks.
I will doing this at the same time that the psu replacement
I really suggest you also upgrade the motherboard at the same time too.
I was trying to fit a gtx 970 on a similar dell and the damn case rivets and lower drive bays stopped me from trying it out easily. I wish they were screws as well
You can always drill them out and replace them with sheet metal screws.
Don't see the point of upgrading the case without getting a new motherboard due to the performance limitations of the dell motherboard. Is it a good idea to get a new cpu cooler/fan if you were to transition to a new case and motherboard because the dell cpu cooler is low quality and cheap in addition to not being compatible with a standard intel motherboard?
I know in your case you have an intel cooler that came with your i7 so you would not have to get a new fan for your motherboard upgrade
@@bud1239 For me, the point in doing it was simply to see if I could. But... I do know a lot of my audience is very young with very limited resources and simply want to play video games. What I did here is enough to be able to plug any GPU being built today into the Dell board without spending any more money than necessary to do it. I honestly didn't expect it to go well enough for that to even be a risk, but... mission accomplished?
Frustratingly, I think drilling for the Dell CPU cooler may actually be standard, it's just the attachment method that isn't. I think you actually _could_ use it on a different board. We'll find out in the next video.
...and I do indeed have the Intel cooler to use if I want, but I may (ahem... DO) have another trick up my sleeve. :)
yk i was thinking of doing the case and mobo swap, to avoid e-waste i could buy another i3-10100 and give it to a family member
Or, unless you already have an i7, give yourself an upgrade along the way. That's exactly the upgrade path I'm taking. i7 in the custom built machine and the i3 back in the 3880. On a longer timeline, my custom build will end up with an i9 and the Dell will get the i7 back again. Just waiting on prices to come down...
Great jop keep going 👌🏻
Thanks! I will, but we're coming near the end of the series!
@@TheBrokenLife That hits deep!
@@faisal8049 I just order the HP for next year's series a few hours ago. Be sure you're subscribed to The Broken Tech if you want more!
@@TheBrokenLife for sure im subscribed i hope the HP goes well as the legend dell!
@@faisal8049 Me too. I'm pretty surprised how well the Dell turned out.
If you switch to non-Dell motherboard, do you think the Windows license would still work?
I've heard it does, but my instinct is that it shouldn't. In my case, I'll end up with 2 machines so I'll need to buy another license anyhow.
Hey, look into USB-C ports. Any chance they make a USB-C for 3880 case drive slot?
Probably not. Since the board doesn't have any USB pin headers you'd have to install a USB PCI card and then figure out how to add the USB C port itself. I do know the 3891 comes with a front panel USB C. If you haven't ordered a machine already, you could always go that way.
Personally, I don't find USB A to C cords that inconvenient and just go that way. There are also adapters that aren't on cords, which would get you pretty close to the same result.
The optical drive slot is kinda useless for me. Since 99.9999% of my data are living in the clouds, however many phones are shifting to C ports, so I have to future proof a little.
@@yflou3525 For a phone, I would (and do) just use a USB A to C cord. You should still get full USB 3.2 speeds. I'm not sure what other advantages there might be to having a USB C to C cord connection, but every video you've watch on this channel came down an A to C cord before it did anything else. ;)
Why don't Dell and HP use normal motherboards be a lot easier
As for the bolt pattern, there could be a million reasons ranging from ignorance to malice, but we'll probably never know the real answer. The integrated front I/O and CPU fan mounting are cost reductions, so at least that makes some sense.
The _twelve_ locations they bolted the board down makes no sense at all, and is a cost increase, so... go figure.
The good old Optiplex 990s were a joy because of that. Answer is to sabotage longevity.
@@TheBrokenLife Thank you for making your Dell videos they have helped me a lot Mate
@@MandoMTL We'll never really know, but here's my take on it...
I honestly believe that 99% of people would never concern themselves with attempting to upgrade a PC motherboard even if it was bolt-in. I can't imagine major manufacturers sitting around and intentionally plotting against the 1% of the rest of us. There's no money in it.
I'll double down on that by pointing out the playlist of videos that showcase how Dell has actively refused to harvest more money from their customers by selling them the optical drives, drive caddies, and larger PSUs they'd happily pay for _and they already make._ Oddly, Dell will happily sell you the _wrong_ optical drive all day. It's infuriating...
From the time I've spent in other industries, the answer really is just regular old stupidity, or ignorance, the vast majority of the time. Any organization of sufficient size can succeed on failures for decades, and all in all, if Dell can stay in business selling _any_ computer for $329, they're smarter than I am.
@@95winston I'm glad to hear it!
Is this possible for a 7080mt?
I don't know anything about that model, but where there's a will there's probably a way.
@@TheBrokenLife The motherboard of the dell 3880 and my 7080 mt also has its front IO on the motherboard. And thanks for replying.
@@daud3851 The front I/O is unlikely to work out, but you may find a case that it will fit. I really do think it's worth the extra $100-ish to just replace the motherboard though.
@@TheBrokenLife Yeah i know but my country sells it for like 400+ for a b560 i need that mobo for my i7 10th gen from my dell 7080.
Why couldn’t i just get a i7 pc that is not from dell?
Well it was a gift from my parents for my good grades.
@@daud3851 I'm pretty sure your 10th gen processor only requires a B460 chipset if that should help you out...
How did u setup the power switch
I didn't. I set it to automatically boot under a power-on circumstance and then used an outlet strip to control it.
I didn't how bad Dell was until I shelled out some moola for some e-waste that I thought I would recycle. They design everything with malicious intent. Every single thing is designed so you can only use Dell cases with Dell power supplies with Dell graphics cards with Dell memory, etc... I didn't know that... I just thought they where regular computer cases, had no idea how hostile their eco-system had become.
Ehhhh... Some of that is more true than others of that. Every Dell I've seen for the last 20 years would accept standard RAM, CPU, GPU, drives, etc (except for their new XPS laptops... they developed their own new "standard" of RAM for them). Their cases, PSUs, and motherboards are proprietary, but that's been true of most box store PCs since the '90s.
What I always tell people is that buying the cheapest new Dell is a good way to to go. I can't buy the parts for as little as they sell their ~$400 specials for, never mind a Windows license and all of that. From there, you can gut them into another case or do whatever you want. Where people make a mistake is when they buy an _expensive_ Dell. That's usually where they could do better elsewhere for the same money.
@@TheBrokenLife What I meant by that was that their BIOS seems to refuse to read the JEDEC profiles in the memory. Nor unlocked CPU multipliers. So you have to be very picky when picking up an old used system. My Dell case said hello to my tin snips :) (new aftermarket PSU).
But yeah, its mixed bag, you got a 50/50 chance of a Dell branded MB accepting new parts even if the chip-set does support according to Intel.
@@BobHenderson-dr2wy The Dell BOIS is for sure restrictive. I don't at all care for their CPU power management or lack of other features. But...People buying them probably don't know what to do with those features. I can't particularly blame them for not allowing people who can barely operate windows to overclock their CPU. 😅
Dell motherboards are manufactured to specs by Intel to fit THEIR cases.
...which is why it was a miracle how nicely it fit into an ATX case.
Hopefully anyone who thinks about doing this will watch this video first and understand why it is such a bad idea to start off with a low-cost Dell with plans on a later case swap. I think you would end up with heat problems. All that flow is not how these are designed. All that open space just means there is controlled flow of air through the case.
It's too much of a bodge. That's just the nature of dealing with non-standard parts.
It is for sure not a good idea to set out with this as your intention. Where this makes sense is when you harvest the pre-built for components to add to a standard motherboard, which will be what happens in the next episode. I've demonstrated that you _can_ upgrade slowly through this progression if that's what you can afford, but you really shouldn't. At minimum, the case and motherboard should be paired.
I disagree with you on cooling. I've demonstrated that configuration only draws about 120w at peak, which seems just about impossible to overheat in either case, and I don't see anything in the re-cased setup that is a step backward. The additional 120mm fan right at the CPU and the wide open top are huge upgrades. There are also plenty more places to put fans in that case if needed.
@@TheBrokenLife If the system does not need a ton of cooling and can get away with basically passive (meaning doesn't need a fan) cooling, then you are probably right. But if you need good air flow, this would be a cooling nightmare. The G5 Macs had a somewhat similar case, but it was loaded up with high volume fans and was loud. (BTW, I agree with you on water cooling. It's crazy)
Personally, if I had this dell and wanted to upgrade, I would save my pennies and do upgrades easily transferred when the time comes to get a new motherboard and case. I'm glad you did the video because it shows the types of problems you run into and just how ridiculous it can get like losing your on/off button.
OTOH, I GET IT. Last month was terrible for me with two major repairs in my house. I had a sewage pipe burst and a roof leak.
@@tarstarkusz I do wonder whether or not it could be passively cooled with a big enough heatsink. I think you might be able to get away with it.
Oof... Sorry to hear about the problems with your house. I don't miss that part of home ownership.
can i play valorant with you pls
The only times I've actually played the game are for these videos. 😆
talkative guys. very annoying
Thanks for watching...