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Dell GX150 SFF alternative vert riser?

M

m2h

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 23, 2004
Messages
281
I have a Dell GX150 SFF. I read everything I can find out about it. I know about the propriority PSU. I know that there is a dual riser card and cage that is used in the larger brother version of the system. I'm wondering if I can use something like a VIA dual riser instead, since I want to keep the low profile. I figure with a tiny bit of modding, I could cram two more low profile PCI cards into the system with the vertical riser, when the PSU is removed. So anyone know, or tried? Or know of an alternative to the solution, since I have trouble judging by pictures how high the Dell riser actually is. I've seen them for sale on Ebay.

So far my Dell is all stock parts, but have added a low profile passive Geforce4 MX, and 80GB HDD. :)
 
You might find this support page quite helpful. Diagrams and everything. It includes all three form factors that the GX 150 comes in, so make sure you're looking at the right one. I can't tell you whether or not you'll be able to put a dual riser card in and get an extra slot out of it--the PCI slot on the motherboard may or may not support what is, in effect, putting two cards into that one slot. Since it's Dell, my guess would be no(low cost over features). The VIA mini-itx motherboards are designed specifically so that you can use two PCI cards from that one slot with the riser.

I guess you could try it and find out. I don't think it'll break anything...

 
Yeah, can't hurt I figure. Gonna order the Dell riser can't hurt to have it for reference if nothing else since it's so cheap.

There's three models, SFF, Desktop, and Tower. They all use the same base motherboard. The SFF has no risers, but the slots are there, so 1 PCI, and 1 AGP 4X. The Desktop uses the dual vertical riser, giving the system by spec, 2 PCI and 1 AGP. The Tower uses the horizontal riser, giving uh.. I think 3 or 4 PCI and 1 AGP.

My only concern with the vertical riser is if it is a full height card, since the SFF only handles half height cards.

The BIOS shows support for the extra PCI slots, .. So I'm assuming all three systems probally use the same BIOS as well.

The PSU would be replaced with a re-wired (to conform to the Dell Propietory PSU), mini-ITX PSU, such as the picoPSU, or the PW-200-M.

ps. Actually, but looking at the diagram, it may be half-height, the vent space above the backplane of the motherboard sure looks about the same distanstant as the SFF case,

cage_rmv.gif
 
ok, a closer look at that Dell documentation made things a bit clearer. It looks like the minitower has all the PCI slots on the motherboard. The SFF and the small desktop have the same motherboard--an AGP slot, a PCI slot, and the slot for the riser which has two PCI slots. The small desktop uses the riser card with two PCI slots. The orientation of the riser card prevents the use of the AGP and PCI slots that are mounted directly on the motherboard. The SFF doesn't have the riser, and so the AGP and PCI slots are available.

I think you'll have a problem with the Dell riser--the PCI cards that fit into it will be directly over the AGP and PCI slots on the motherboard, and I would strongly advise against trying to plug it in backwards!
 
I don't see how you can see that the orientation prevents the use of the agp and pci slot, as the orientation of the riser shows in the pictures that the slots would be going away from the motherboard.

I don't mind loosing the existing PCI slot beside the AGP slot, since they are extremely close together with an AGP card in place now.

I've put in an order for the riser, might be a waste of $15, but thats ok.
Yeah, I'm not gonna try putting something in backwards, I know that much. LOL. *pffft ZAP BOOM* :D

This is the closest picture in the documentation that looks like my board. It just doesn't show the horizontal riser slot, but it does show the vertical riser (#10).

sysboard.gif


BTW thanks for joining in the discussion. :)
 
Looking over the diagram, and looking at my system. The diagram is incorrectly showing the orientation of the PCI and rise slots. Their upside down!
 
Heh. I just took a peek inside my computer, and sure enough, you're right--the PCI slot in the diagram is backwards.

I think you're right and I was under the wrong impression. The older optiplex GXes had a riser that put the PCI cards over the motherboard, instead of away from it. Looking at your earlier pic, it seems you're right--the PCI cards on a riser will be pointed away from the motherboard. That means you should be just fine, and everything should work ok.

Keep us posted with how it works!
 
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