VOGONS


First post, by eric1992

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I can't seem to find any online and the ones I do find are for about 100-120$. I'd like to get an older ATX case from around the late 90s but I'm having trouble.

Anyone know of any good sites to look at? And did Gateway use proprietary motherboards?

Reply 1 of 8, by squiggly

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Local classifieds. Are you really going to ship something from eBay? Also, put up some "Item Wanted" ads on a local classifieds and see what happens.

Be very careful with OEM cases, Dell, Gateway. Even though the cases are large, they often only support low profile PCI/AGP cards and have weird layouts. And they often use proprietary motherboards as well.

Of course late 90s cases are going to be hard to find - any they exist are likely to already be owned by collectors.

Reply 2 of 8, by KCompRoom2000

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Being patient with eBay to snag a cheap listing once it comes up, searching local online classifieds (like Craigslist) occasionally, visiting recycling centers (depends on the area), and thrift store hunting are some of my secrets for finding stuff like this. You might not see one for sale right away too easily, but being patient and searching thoroughly whenever you have the chance to can help you find something useful.

eric1992 wrote:

And did Gateway use proprietary motherboards?

To my knowledge, Gateway computers from BITD used standard MicroATX motherboards without the catches other brands were known for pulling off (so you won't have to deal with proprietary PSUs and connectors). However, most Gateway computers (including the Essential 433 tower that I had) do have the I/O plate integrated onto the case so my suggestion for that hurdle is to either look for a motherboard with the matching connectors or cut out an opening for an I/O shield plate on the back of the case.

Reply 3 of 8, by eric1992

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A move I was going to make in the future was to swap the motherboard, probably after a case, not sure yet.

But as a whole are most I/O shields compatible with most motherboards?

Reply 4 of 8, by cyclone3d

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eric1992 wrote:

A move I was going to make in the future was to swap the motherboard, probably after a case, not sure yet.

But as a whole are most I/O shields compatible with most motherboards?

Way back in the day most ATX motherboards had a standard I/O panel layout so you really didn't have to worry too much about not having the I/O shield that came with the motherboard.

For anything newer than socket A and Socket 370 it is a huge tossup as motherboard makers started using more proprietary layouts as more/different stuff started being included on the I/O panel.

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Yamaha XG repository
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Aopen AW744L II SB-LINK

Reply 6 of 8, by cyclone3d

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If you make a cutout for the motherboard I/O panel AND if the ATX motherboard will actually fit in the case AND if the expansion slots will line up on the case AND if there are ATX motherboard mount holes in the case.

Yamaha modified setupds and drivers
Yamaha XG repository
YMF7x4 Guide
Aopen AW744L II SB-LINK

Reply 7 of 8, by zstandig

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eric1992 wrote:

One more thing I just thought of - can ATX power supplies and motherboards be used in an AT case?

Motherboards, no, power supplies yes, with an adapter