Does Dell use ATX cases???

timjj22 · Rated PG-13 Joined: 19 Apr 2009 Posts: 38

i am thinking about upgrading my PC i have:
Dell dimension E521
AMD athlon 64 X2 4200+
3 gigs RAM
ASUS EAH4670 1GB
320 GB HDD

I was thinking about getting some new hardware... some of it is getting old

i was wondering if Dell used ATX cases, or if i have to get a new one... Confused

burnin8r · Rated R Joined: 15 Apr 2009 Posts: 54

The e521 is mATX :

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timjj22 · Rated PG-13 Joined: 19 Apr 2009 Posts: 38

mATX?

is that micro ATX???

srry, but this is a new thing for me

burnin8r · Rated R Joined: 15 Apr 2009 Posts: 54

yes, mATX = micro ATX.

the easiest way to tell is to count the expansion slots, ATX has seven while mATX has four.

timjj22 · Rated PG-13 Joined: 19 Apr 2009 Posts: 38

the E521 looks backwards compared to all the other mATX motherboards...

is that true?

burnin8r · Rated R Joined: 15 Apr 2009 Posts: 54

any mATX board will fit in the case...

your options for power supplies might be limited though as I believe you said you wanted an HD 4870 in another thread.

timjj22 · Rated PG-13 Joined: 19 Apr 2009 Posts: 38

i kno, but the motherboard is on the other side of the case than normal...

its kinda odd

burnin8r · Rated R Joined: 15 Apr 2009 Posts: 54

I know Dell was using BTX (and micro BTX) which is like ATX reversed but I thought that was an intel only form factor. I take back what I said before, I think if you re planning a new build, you may want to get a new case while you're at it. This is why I would never recommend a Dell to anyone, too many proprietary parts.

**Doctor Feelgood** · Posted: Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:50:07 Post Subject:

I just looked at this thread and agree, the picture shown here is not mATX. If BTX wasn't dead, and Intel only, I'd agree that this is what it is. Where did the picture come from?

I agree with burnin8r - don't try to upgrade in that case - move in to a new one.

I'd probably be the only person on the planet interested in BTX coming back... Hasn't been much going on over here - http://www.btxformfactor.com/ Laughing

burnin8r · Rated R Joined: 15 Apr 2009 Posts: 54

the pic is from a Dell replacement part reseller, and upon closer inspection, the layout is totally reversed. your e521 is going to be more of a headache than its worth to upgrade... if you have the urge to build, I would start from the ground up.