the great thing about TH-cam is that even 3 years later, I can watch this video, do the same thing, and now my son has a GTX 1070 in his 9020MT and is a happy boy. Thanks for this video.
Interesting take on this. I'll only caution with one thing. That back plate that secures the HDD cage to the back of the chassis isn't always slotted like that. There are two versions. That one, where it's slotted and you can lift the cage right out once you get the rivets removed. However, the other style is actually pinched to that back plate and you'll only get it out by drilling. It also seems to be more common... at least in my limited experience. Really enjoyed the video. Also, another tip. The tabs you bent up under the 5.25" bays, if you keep bending them back and forth... they're eventually snap off since the metal is so soft.
Insane video, as you said building a new pc with components off the shelf IS boring since everyone has done it, this kind of mod to an old pc case is definitely fun to watch. I hope you make more videos like this
I have to say, that I agree with everyone's comments. I really enjoyed your video. Lovely lounge ambient tunes on a sunday morning, its just after 9am here in Spain. I did feel a bit sorry for the screwdriver, but you were gentle fair play. Good tip that. I picked up an old Antec 900 case which I'm modding currently. I have cut out rectangles next to the mobo for cable management and will be using a bicycle inner tube for rubber gromits. I have dremelled out the full length drive case and replacing the front facia with a wooden panel on peg mounts with 8mm x 8mm aluminum tubing for airflow. The next job is to get either a custom cut tempered glass or perspex side panel on 2 hinges and spray the case white. Stay safe everyone.
Thanks a ton. My old PC died. MOBO just went dead (Can't blame it too much. I bought that thing in 2011). But I needed a new PC fast and as cheap as I could manage. Picked up an Optiplex 7010 for $40.00, but my old Geforce 980 wouldn't fit. I was seriously considering drilling the case to get the cage out. Your video saved me a ton of hassle. Worked like a charm.
The way I did this was with a narrow metal file, using it like a manual drill -- took quite a while but its really easy and there is no danger of scratching or otherwise damaging the case.
@@nils2736 I would if I could remember! I think I used narrow round file and simply stuck it in so that when i kept turning and turning it it would remove metal from the rivet or whatever it is called and eventually it would pop out.
Ty man you really helped me. My hard drive case push the cables of power supply and my pc turned off.... With your help I removed the useless hard drive case and everything work fine!
The latest bios without Spectre, and Meltdown patches is A24 for those wondering. However more than A21 has very little patches. However, it is not recommend to upgrade past A24 becasue of the peformance loss.
jury rigging at its finest, and just because someone else has a better idea doesn't mean your efforts were in vain cause what you done is still a valid idea
I like your idea of keeping and relocated the cage far better. My Optiplex has the the card reader in the 2nd cd-rom slot and having a working cd-rom drive in the first slot allows me to load cd media.
I almost did the same thing as you, I removed the bottom HD trey but I left the 3.5 bay alone under the cdrom bays and that is where my SSD is mounted to. I was able to find a 5.25 blank at the local PC shop. So I have 2 3.5 7200rpm drives in it with a small 80mm fan in front of them that pushes air across them. and I was able to add a 120mm fan at the bottom. I'm planning to do a custom paint job on the case and the front as well soon to a flat black.
Thanks, I always enjoy more dell optiplex mod ideas. Im currently doing the Game Bench dell opti mod and i used a drill to get rid of the hard drive cage. Ive got at opti 7020 with i7 4790 16gb ram.
Going to build in an MT Optiplex shortly. Bought someone's SDD holder that goes into the HD cage. Will try that and see if I think airflow should win out. It very well may. I appreciate that there's a different method. I'll use a drill. :) Also very nice seeing you put a different power supply in there. You pretty much verified a CX750 (I think it is) will work in the build. The PS won't have to overwork itself. Should stall happy. Subscribed.
high quality video, this helped me remove the drive cage out of my 3020, with a i5 4570, and i got it for £60!! anyways just planning to buy a new psu and maybe a 1660 super
Just did the exact thing with my hard drive cage on my optiplex in order to make space for my very big 1080ti and the issue I now face is that the back panel has some sort of hook to support any mounted gpu and its really in the way of the new gpu making it a very tight fit to the motherboard and I think I may end up bashing the case a bit more at this point.
Wow, wicked mod! On the fly brute force cabinet updates! I have a Dell Optiplex 3010 that I want to mod also but its gonna take some time. Very low on cash due to Covid-19, company cut my pay. Sucks! 😷 Stay safe.
This video was fun, maybe you should try and do a case transfer as a continuation of the series and more content in general as there haven't been that many videos on TH-cam that I've seen about it.
I see you have a Sapphire GPU installed. Im planning to install a Sapphire RX580 tomorrow and was wondering if thats what you have and if the clearance would work without having to remove the cage. Or if it can be bent out of the way enough if needed.
5:49 - 6:02 That is a REALLY bad idea, there is almost never proper airflow in that area for the drives to stay at a proper operating temperature (this includes SSDs too).
Lmao. I am like laughing when im watching the removing the cage part and the removing the front of the optical drive reader. I like just did the same thing like last month with my old acer veriton case. But unlike him I failed. I used a hammer and a nail to get rid the center the screw thingy while he used flat head and hammer... I failed to remove mine, but i know the hard work and the noise it creates tho when hammering the case. I also tried to like remove the front of my floppy reader cuz I don't need it but same prob, it's the only cover for the 3" bay for my case, i also failed lmao. But this guy did it now i will try to do it like him next time
Whatever 3rd gen Core i5 (i5-3xxx) you can get used. Make sure it's a quad core variant by checking ark.intel.com. You can get plenty of them cheap on eBay, like $30 or less. I wouldn't recommend getting an i7 since they are ridiculously overpriced used for what you're getting.
Wow, so disappointing. I followed your previous videos on the optiplex with so much joy, you acted as a model for me and inspired me to buy me an optiplex myself to upgrade it and use as my main system, as previous comments stated building components off the shelf is boring as everyone could do it (it's basically just like Lego), but watching you bending and hammering on that poor little case to do unnecessary modifications to "increase" the airflow was just terrible! BTW: If you complain about the interior of your pc is "powdered in dust" the airflow isn't your problem, it's the dust in the air around your pc. To avoid dust IN your pc you simply should avoid dust in the place where your pc is placed. Easy as that. Glad you couldn't reach for your rotary tool! It send shivers down my spine when I just start to imaging what you would possibly have done to that pc with a rotary tool! I am hoping for less violent content in future upgrades!
the great thing about TH-cam is that even 3 years later, I can watch this video, do the same thing, and now my son has a GTX 1070 in his 9020MT and is a happy boy. Thanks for this video.
Interesting take on this. I'll only caution with one thing. That back plate that secures the HDD cage to the back of the chassis isn't always slotted like that. There are two versions. That one, where it's slotted and you can lift the cage right out once you get the rivets removed. However, the other style is actually pinched to that back plate and you'll only get it out by drilling. It also seems to be more common... at least in my limited experience. Really enjoyed the video.
Also, another tip. The tabs you bent up under the 5.25" bays, if you keep bending them back and forth... they're eventually snap off since the metal is so soft.
Good job dude! Nothing like taking something boring and modding it into something cool! Nice job on the cable management as well.
Insane video, as you said building a new pc with components off the shelf IS boring since everyone has done it, this kind of mod to an old pc case is definitely fun to watch. I hope you make more videos like this
I have to say, that I agree with everyone's comments. I really enjoyed your video.
Lovely lounge ambient tunes on a sunday morning, its just after 9am here in Spain.
I did feel a bit sorry for the screwdriver, but you were gentle fair play. Good tip that.
I picked up an old Antec 900 case which I'm modding currently.
I have cut out rectangles next to the mobo for cable management and will be using a bicycle inner tube for rubber gromits.
I have dremelled out the full length drive case and replacing the front facia with a wooden panel on peg mounts with 8mm x 8mm aluminum tubing for airflow.
The next job is to get either a custom cut tempered glass or perspex side panel on 2 hinges and spray the case white.
Stay safe everyone.
Thanks a ton. My old PC died. MOBO just went dead (Can't blame it too much. I bought that thing in 2011). But I needed a new PC fast and as cheap as I could manage. Picked up an Optiplex 7010 for $40.00, but my old Geforce 980 wouldn't fit. I was seriously considering drilling the case to get the cage out. Your video saved me a ton of hassle. Worked like a charm.
The amount of disrespect the optical drive get is wild 💔
It was the backbone of the PC
Nice one. I came here via the search of optiplex 9020 rivet removal. Thanks for creating. Keep up the great work.
The way I did this was with a narrow metal file, using it like a manual drill -- took quite a while but its really easy and there is no danger of scratching or otherwise damaging the case.
Could you explain a bit more please?
@@nils2736 I would if I could remember! I think I used narrow round file and simply stuck it in so that when i kept turning and turning it it would remove metal from the rivet or whatever it is called and eventually it would pop out.
@@kaukomieli Thanks for your answer! I ended up just absoulutely demolishing the whole thing with a metal plier, worked like a charm!
Finally a new video! I have really been enjoying the series!
Ty man you really helped me.
My hard drive case push the cables of power supply and my pc turned off....
With your help I removed the useless hard drive case and everything work fine!
The latest bios without Spectre, and Meltdown patches is A24 for those wondering. However more than A21 has very little patches. However, it is not recommend to upgrade past A24 becasue of the peformance loss.
perfect timing that i found this video coz i was planning on removing the metal where my hdd is located too
Taking the optical drive cover off was really smart, gonna do that for mine now.
I love the tension build videos and your presentation. Keep up the good work
jury rigging at its finest, and just because someone else has a better idea doesn't mean your efforts were in vain cause what you done is still a valid idea
Hammer and screw driver is how I did mine. lol everyone else struggled cut drilled all this extra stuff haha!
Very creative way to hold onto hdd cage
I like your idea of keeping and relocated the cage far better. My Optiplex has the the card reader in the 2nd cd-rom slot and having a working cd-rom drive in the first slot allows me to load cd media.
I almost did the same thing as you, I removed the bottom HD trey but I left the 3.5 bay alone under the cdrom bays and that is where my SSD is mounted to. I was able to find a 5.25 blank at the local PC shop. So I have 2 3.5 7200rpm drives in it with a small 80mm fan in front of them that pushes air across them. and I was able to add a 120mm fan at the bottom. I'm planning to do a custom paint job on the case and the front as well soon to a flat black.
Thanks, I always enjoy more dell optiplex mod ideas. Im currently doing the Game Bench dell opti mod and i used a drill to get rid of the hard drive cage. Ive got at opti 7020 with i7 4790 16gb ram.
Dude this is what i've been searching for!
It’s so amazing to see how much your video quality has improved over the years :D also you made modding and managing those cables look like lightwork!
Great vid bro! You have given me a great idea for a possible mod I may have to do to accomodate a front mounted AIO. Thank you.
Going to build in an MT Optiplex shortly. Bought someone's SDD holder that goes into the HD cage. Will try that and see if I think airflow should win out. It very well may. I appreciate that there's a different method. I'll use a drill. :) Also very nice seeing you put a different power supply in there. You pretty much verified a CX750 (I think it is) will work in the build. The PS won't have to overwork itself. Should stall happy. Subscribed.
finally I found this video! I appreciate this MOD
Great video dude. Needed a HDD cage for my casing, but couldn't finde one. Gonna take apart one from the thrown away 10 year old case now xD
high quality video, this helped me remove the drive cage out of my 3020, with a i5 4570, and i got it for £60!! anyways just planning to buy a new psu and maybe a 1660 super
Im doing something simalar. Im trying to get the same computer acctualy but with a rx 570
Upgrade the CPU, then buy a GTX 1660 or an R9 390x
@@agsechogd6406 i’ve had the 1660 super running for over nearly a year and it’s amazing
@@texits2242 ohh noicee
I have the tools, already took off all the rivets, and yet can't still remove the cage, that's why I'm watching this right now.
One of the most important tools to have in hand is a paperclip you could have used to open the DVD ROM
Just did the exact thing with my hard drive cage on my optiplex in order to make space for my very big 1080ti and the issue I now face is that the back panel has some sort of hook to support any mounted gpu and its really in the way of the new gpu making it a very tight fit to the motherboard and I think I may end up bashing the case a bit more at this point.
You’re a godsend.
dud your gpu covered your sata ports which is same as mine.,any tips?
Wow, wicked mod! On the fly brute force cabinet updates! I have a Dell Optiplex 3010 that I want to mod also but its gonna take some time. Very low on cash due to Covid-19, company cut my pay. Sucks! 😷
Stay safe.
How the heck do you make everything work out in the end I want to do the Thing you did with the optical drive can u give us the unedited version
This video was fun, maybe you should try and do a case transfer as a continuation of the series and more content in general as there haven't been that many videos on TH-cam that I've seen about it.
I see you have a Sapphire GPU installed. Im planning to install a Sapphire RX580 tomorrow and was wondering if thats what you have and if the clearance would work without having to remove the cage. Or if it can be bent out of the way enough if needed.
I was looking for how to remove cage because my GPU don't fit in the casing. Thnx a lot will try this soon
This awesome.wish i had found this vid along time ago
You should have included in your video how you made that cool looking fan shroud for your intake fan. But awsome video over all.
Nothing special. I just used some gaffer tape.
So vinyl rap sheet and a piece of card board would work for covering the cd part?
Thanks for your video mate.... cant figuyre out how i put my gtx 1070 into this case, whack it 4 times and DONE !.
Can't you fit two 120mm fans on the front (underneath the hdd's) or just one?
a custom paintjob it would be great
Great video man
5:49 - 6:02 That is a REALLY bad idea, there is almost never proper airflow in that area for the drives to stay at a proper operating temperature (this includes SSDs too).
Lmao. I am like laughing when im watching the removing the cage part and the removing the front of the optical drive reader. I like just did the same thing like last month with my old acer veriton case. But unlike him I failed. I used a hammer and a nail to get rid the center the screw thingy while he used flat head and hammer... I failed to remove mine, but i know the hard work and the noise it creates tho when hammering the case. I also tried to like remove the front of my floppy reader cuz I don't need it but same prob, it's the only cover for the 3" bay for my case, i also failed lmao. But this guy did it now i will try to do it like him next time
how did you do the front fan
can i just cut the drive cage off
how did you put the intake fan with two big dent on it.
He made a shroud so that the fan sits further back.
Is he using linux or chrome os?
Any chance you could build a sleeper PC using the same chassis? A Ryzen sleeper build would be great content.
You could.. but you'd need to buy a few adapters because Dell really loves to make everything proprietary
Yes.
i have your same pc! but my cpu is i3 3220 what better cpu should i get that would support the motherboard?
Whatever 3rd gen Core i5 (i5-3xxx) you can get used. Make sure it's a quad core variant by checking ark.intel.com. You can get plenty of them cheap on eBay, like $30 or less.
I wouldn't recommend getting an i7 since they are ridiculously overpriced used for what you're getting.
@@ej_tech oh okay
Mine is stuck to the back...
Why did you quit TH-cam?
I wish I’d found this video before buying a drill online 🤦♂️
Looks like possible water cooling in the future🤷♂️
Thank you!
... impressive!👍👍👍!!
Gonna stick with the drill lol but thanks!
You know you suppose to release the tray so the face plate can pop out? :P
With a paper clip lol
nice one
hahahahahaha bro your the best man :D you took a hammer and screw driver genius :D
upgrade RGB
I was with you until you glued the face plate on 🤦🏼♂️...
Wow, so disappointing. I followed your previous videos on the optiplex with so much joy, you acted as a model for me and inspired me to buy me an optiplex myself to upgrade it and use as my main system, as previous comments stated building components off the shelf is boring as everyone could do it (it's basically just like Lego), but watching you bending and hammering on that poor little case to do unnecessary modifications to "increase" the airflow was just terrible!
BTW: If you complain about the interior of your pc is "powdered in dust" the airflow isn't your problem, it's the dust in the air around your pc. To avoid dust IN your pc you simply should avoid dust in the place where your pc is placed. Easy as that.
Glad you couldn't reach for your rotary tool! It send shivers down my spine when I just start to imaging what you would possibly have done to that pc with a rotary tool!
I am hoping for less violent content in future upgrades!
zorro315754442 it’s not just for airflow. The location of the drive bay limits how big of a GPU you can put in the case.