Transferring towers - good idea or bad?

[jakobkraft]

I have a Sony VAIO desktop and am thinking about transfering all the hardware into an Antec case - I like the size, the cooling unit and the lock on the front panel, and also that it looks pretty cool. But I wanted to know are custom cases intended just for self-built PCs? Has anyone transferred the hardware of a retail PC into another case? If so, is there anything I should be warned about, or is it not a good idea at all? Thanks.

 

[KevinMU1]

The two components that are most likely to give you trouble are the motherboard, and the power supply, as these can sometimes be custom-made for retail PCs. The exposed drives (DVD, CD-RW, etc) could also cause problems if their faces were somehow built into your original tower. I would check on all these things before proceeding.

 

[MichaelD]

<< The two components that are most likely to give you trouble are the motherboard, and the power supply, as these can sometimes be custom-made for retail PCs. The exposed drives (DVD, CD-RW, etc) could also cause problems if their faces were somehow built into your original tower. I would check on all these things before proceeding. >>



Couldn't have said it better myself. I tried to do the same thing w/my first PC, a Dell PIII 550e. Motherboard-->proprietary. PS-->proprietary. Floppy-->proprietary. So, the only thing I got was the CPU/HSF, DVD-rom, soundcard and modem. Boooooooo.

Check it all out first.

 

[gdawson6]

Why transfer? Vaios look decent, better than all the other systems like dell and gateway. I have a vaio downstairs and i know that it wouldnt like being transfered because all of its parts are custom made to fit just right, and those cd drives with the custom faceplates would look funny in any other computer.

 

[Bovinicus]

I KNOW my PSU from my old IBM Aptiva system is proprietary. It doesn't even use screws to go into place. It uses metal tabs that are places in little slots in the chasis. It's pretty bizzare. It was a bitch to remove than thing to pull out the other hardware and play around with it.

 

[jakobkraft]

I figured. Will definitely hold off until I know for sure. The VAIO is not an ugly tower at all so I could live with it if all the hardware turns out to be proprietary.

Thanks guys!

 

[Mustanggt]

you could allways just use your retail PS and you shoudnt have any trouble.

 

[KevinMU1]

This is true, a new power supply wouldn't set you back too much, and at least then you'd know that you had a decent power supply

 

[MasterHoss]

If you have a fairly new computer, your mobo should be able to fit inside a standard case...I got a Compaq 5700T series mobo to fit inside an Enlight case before...but your powersupply will definately have to go.

 

[microAmp]

Don't forget to check around about the connectors for the LED lights, power switch and so forth. The mobo might not have it listed on the board, manual and/or worse internet.

 

[KevinMU1]

Or those connectors may be completely proprietary too... I forgot that in my original list, although it would kinda be implicitly included.

 

[dpopiz]

I just recently did just what you want to do:
I transfered my friend's vaio desktop to an antec case because he was having random probs and THE VAIO ONLY HAD 100W!!!!!!!!
anyway...it was perfectly easy, the vaio does have some sort of proprietary crap, but it was all removeable. the only two very slight "problems" are that the floppy doesn't have a front (because the front is the vaio case front) and the bios gives a system monitor warning on each bootup because the old 100w psu had a fan controlled by the mb.

anyway GO FOR IT. get outta that stinkin' vaio case and you'll feel much better.