4 ms·

I second this. The level of integration in a custom case is not even comparable to an enterprise business desktop. I finally bought a Dell Precision 5810 and i

I second this. The level of integration in a custom case is not even comparable to an enterprise business desktop. I finally bought a Dell Precision 5810 and it blew my mind how professional the entire case was. Every single little thing had a dust guard, or a clip, or a wire holder or its own little cooling fan. The graphics cards had support brackets. The hard drive bays had these fantastic multi-fit caddies, and the SATA cables were all the perfect length. Windows registered itself from the e-mark on the BIOS each time I reinstalled it, which was really handy, and each time I installed Windows from scratch everything automagically seemed to work and I didn't have to go digging around for drivers. The onboard RAID controller seemed to 'just work' and took like 3 seconds to setup. I bought my Dell Precision 5810 second-hand, and it would have been cheaper than building the same computer with a custom case from individually sourced second hand parts.

rhinoceraptor 6y ago
The downside of that integration is it makes upgrading much more fraught. For example, if you want to add or upgrade a video card, you might need to replace the PSU. But you might find that the PSU is a non-standard size, or that it has non-standard connectors.
- aetherspawn 6y ago
  I have actually by now upgraded nearly every single component and not had any issues, for example I changed the Quadro K2000 to a FirePro W7100 which required external power, added a WiFi card, added 116GB more RAM, etc. Sure, the PSU is a proprietary form factor, but that has its own advantages in the packaging i.e. this one interlocks into the case in such a way that there isn't any cable management to be done and it has a push-to-release mechanism that allows it to be switched out in around 5 seconds without unplugging anything. Yes, if I needed to source a replacement I'd have to do some digging and find a DELL one specifically, but it's a trade-off to be aware of. At the moment there are 20+ DELL precision workstations on Gumtree in just my local suburb.
- auxym 6y ago
  Ha, reminds me. I don't know how it is nowadays, but back 15 years ago or so, Dell used non standard sized PSUs, in in regular form factor cases. I had one go, and had to Dremel out the case to fit an ATX supply in it. Fun times.

rhinoceraptor 6y ago

The downside of that integration is it makes upgrading much more fraught. For example, if you want to add or upgrade a video card, you might need to replace the PSU. But you might find that the PSU is a non-standard size, or that it has non-standard connectors.

aetherspawn 6y ago
I have actually by now upgraded nearly every single component and not had any issues, for example I changed the Quadro K2000 to a FirePro W7100 which required external power, added a WiFi card, added 116GB more RAM, etc. Sure, the PSU is a proprietary form factor, but that has its own advantages in the packaging i.e. this one interlocks into the case in such a way that there isn't any cable management to be done and it has a push-to-release mechanism that allows it to be switched out in around 5 seconds without unplugging anything. Yes, if I needed to source a replacement I'd have to do some digging and find a DELL one specifically, but it's a trade-off to be aware of. At the moment there are 20+ DELL precision workstations on Gumtree in just my local suburb.
auxym 6y ago
Ha, reminds me. I don't know how it is nowadays, but back 15 years ago or so, Dell used non standard sized PSUs, in in regular form factor cases. I had one go, and had to Dremel out the case to fit an ATX supply in it. Fun times.