Dell motherboards

I plan on buying a new case today and I was just wondering without stripping the screws how to take the motherboard out? Now what I mean is the screws are seriously tight as all hell. (Ones with Dells or any manuf. brand PC try this.) What would be the safest way of getting it out? Long hours of clawing away at each screw? or go all out with an electric drill?

 

better check your Dell manual and make sure that the motherboard is ATX (or BTX). I believe Dell motherboards are proprietary.
If it is the proper form factor, you will just have to put some muscle into removing those screws. make sure that you use the right size screw driver, and be careful not to slip. if you can't get it that way, you could try hitting the back of the screws with a dremel or low power drill. this has worked for me in the past.

 

The boards ARE proprietary, but more importantly, so are the power supplies. You can't plug in a standard power supply to a Dell motherboard, it won't work. I work at a University and we're an all Dell shop, and I see it every day. When we get motherboard replacements, the board has a tray already screwed onto it, and they swap the whole shebang.

So, first and foremost, make sure that either the power supply will fit in your new case, or that the new power supply will work with the Dell board (trust me--it won't). Otherwise, don't bother, just start with a new board.

 

Some Dell motherboards have locking clamps that hold the motherboard to the tray. Most of those I've seen are on the Socket 478 mobos...the board slides into the tray, and has a clamp on the top end.

As far as Dell's proprietary PSU's...yeah, some have it...some now include the standard ATX-12v 2.0 plug. Hard to tell unless you do some testing on it with a voltmeter.

 

while i agree with Morph, i have heard (though have no personal experience with) that the new Dells from this past year or so ar only proprietary in the PSU, that the board is ATX, but I don't know if the PSUs will fit in non-Dell cases.
If you have this much trouble getting the screws off though, yours is probably no-go.

 

Proprietary boards are also now showing up in BTX form factor, which isn't that functional in cases that don't support it.

 

@Morph416 - alot of the more expensive cases offer BTX compatibility.
not sure why, BTX never took off. its shame.
i never knew that BTX has become the new "proprietary" format. what companies use it?

 

I think the main reason BTX didn't take off is because Intel was pushing it primarily to deal with the tremendous thermal load that the Prescott chips were pumping out. With the new CPU designs, using far less power/heat, it's not really critical.

 

good call.
those new chips, the core 2, right? they are frickin sweet!

 

thank you soo much for your help guys. i'm gonna be trying it tonight

 

Well, I got all the screws off besides from the ones under the processor. All 10 besides from two and they're a pain. I'll take an electric drill to it if all else fails. The power supply from my Dell will fit in the new case. So all I need are to get the screws out and i'm done.