Most definitely PCI slots. Also $60 is a crapload...

EdmondDantes,
Those slots on the item's photo are definely PCI (at least 3 of them).
It seems so you've either downloaded manual from another system layout (SFF - small form factor) either you've read a part that describes that SFF system.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_OptiPlex - There's GX260 SFF, SD (small desktop) and SMT (small minitower)
Look for manual part that describes minitower GX260. (https://www.manualslib.com/manual/681191/Dell … ?page=28#manual)
But anyway try to avoid brandname system's mainboards when they're sold as parts - you can encounter some their props so those components are hard to use outside their "home" environment.

Matter of fact this is from the clamshell error your going to have to customize the case wiring and drill cutom holes into your case to make it fit

I think modifying my case is doable, in fact my dad (who has a lot of old nonworking comps) might have a Dell Optiplex case I could gut.

Cbb, is there a way to download that manual as PDF? I have a need to have access to this info while offline.

But if I understand correctly, it seems yes I can just slot a Geforce ti4200 and a Soundblaster Audigy in there and have a mid-2000s gaming comp, so hopefully this'll work.

Should work just fine. I modded a standard ATX case to take a Dell Precision 360 motherboard. That board sits on a tray like this one. Problem is getting it lined in properly so that there isn't much gap for the PCI card brackets. Best I could do was get them to within a mm off. These foxconn boards are pretty solid though. Your cards should work just fine.

I was talking with someone about this just now, but I figure I'll ask here:

Technically, do I need a case at all? I've seen videos where people run comps with just the motherboard, power supply and stuff hooked up to it, all bare and naked.

I'm also supposing that if I was okay with it, I could just take a saw and cut out the parts of the case that get in my way? This came up because I thought of putting this in a horizontal case rather than a tower (because it would actually be easier for me to find space for a horizontal case right now).

The motherboard arrived today. IT looks like a thing of beauty but I noticed it didn't have the standard places to plug in things like the case's power button... I assume this is one of those "Designed specifically for a Dell case" instances, but I've also seen things on ebay which seem like they're meant to circumvent this? Anyone have experience with this?

I have another question, I remember one manual saying the original included power supply was 250watts. Well, the PSU I have laying around is 500 watts, and I'm not sure if that will damage the board if I try to use it. Will it, or is it fine as long as it fits in the jacks?

You may be able to use some googling to find a diagram of the non standard pinout so that you can hook up normal case plugs. As for the power supply it is fine. The higher the wattage the more peripherals like cards, drives and power hungry GPU you can add. Just make sure it is a good to high quality unit. Better a "real" 300watt than a Chinese special 500. If you could post the model number and brand someone here can steer you in the right direction. /End long text

I have one of those GX260s in my shed at the moment as part of a job lot I picked up... haven’t tested it yet but I can have a look at the wiring inside and see if that reveals anything if that helps at all?

A higher wattage power supply is fine but as pointed out above... a 500w el cheapo special won’t be putting out that much and are likely to blow up. Also make sure the connector on the board is actually a standard ATX and not a Dell proprietary one as they had a nasty habit of doing that.

britain4 wrote:

Also make sure the connector on the board is actually a standard ATX and not a Dell proprietary one as they had a nasty habit of doing that.

The Dell Optiplex GX260 (as well as any other clamshell/P4-era Dell desktop) uses the standard ATX pinout so he should be able to use any regular power supply with his motherboard.

As for a downloadable PDF copy of the service manual: Dell still provides both user and service manuals on their support page.

One important thing to keep in mind is the only supported CPUs for that model are Willamette and Northwood Celerons/Pentium 4s with either a 400 or 533 MHz front side bus, Socket 478 Prescotts and HT CPUs (with an 800 MHz FSB) are not supported (believe me, I've tried to use a 2.6 GHz CPU with HT/an 800 MHz FSB speed in my GX260 and it didn't POST).

This one came with a CPU so I'm not worried about that. Also my power supply is a... Starlite? Starbrite? One of those. I was using it with my Win98 machine (the one that developed bad capacitors) so I know its a good one, and its a brand I've seen spoken okayish-of on these forums.

My only concern right now is getting an on-off switch hooked up to this motherboard so I can install some Windows and play some Unreal Tournament. That is literally the only reason I haven't fired this baby up yet.... waiting on a friend of mine who thinks he has a spare Dell case to dig it out so we can test it. Otherwise I'll resort to looking up stuff online.

https://www.dell.com/community/Desktops-Gener … ut/td-p/1007057

You can find a pinout pretty easily. I have an old build thread with a picture of what I did for the power button. Scroll down a ways and you'll see it. Not pretty, but it works.
nekurahoka's DirectX9 s478 Build WIP

Okay, so.

My dad had a gadget which plugged into that port and now I can activate the comp.

Right now I've got just the skeleton, an out-in-the-open motherboard connected to a power supply, monitor, hard drive and DVD-ROM drive. I've installed Windows XP on it, got my Geforce 4 ti 4200 going...

The only hitch is the Soundblaster Audigy 2 (which may or may not be a ZS, I'm not sure how you can tell).

For some reason there is NO SOUND coming through my speakers.

BEFORE YOU ASK:

Yes, I disabled the onboard audio in the BIOS.
Yes, I tried different PCI slots.
Yes, I tried plugging the speakers into different jacks on the card itself (its not really clear which one is the speaker jack)
Yes, I made sure the speakers themselves worked.
Yes, I installed drivers.

That last part was a bit strange actually. See my first thought was to use the Audigy 2 ZS driver CD iso you can find here on Vogons, but when I ran that thing's program it said it didn't detect the cards (I have two audigies of the same model). I found another driver installation however which *did* detect the card (I forget where I found this second one) and intalled just fine but... absolutely no sound is coming through the speakers.

And yes, I tested BOTH the audigies I have. Same thing.

Right now I'm just grabbing drivers for the onboard audio, just to test to see if this motherboard can produce sound *at all*. I'm suspecting that my Audigy 2 cards (both of which had also failed to work in my Windows 98se rig) were probably just DOA when I bought them, and I'm honestly hoping that's the case... I'd hate a potential gaming comp to not be capable of sound.

If ya'll can suggest anything else I may want to try or if there's some weird aspect of the Audigy 2s I should know about (I'm honestly thinking of just getting an Audigy 1 since in my mind older = simpler), let me know. I might even be willing to send the Audigy 2s off to a member here for testing.

Is it okay to doublepost? I've been wondering something and all the sound card musings are in their own topic anyway.

What I've been wondering is, why is one of the PCI slots longer than the others? What uses this length? Is it safe to put a normal-sized PCI card in it?

Thanks in advance.

I think it was used for certain network cards... IBM NetVistas had similar slightly longer PCI ports for a network card. Should be able to use regular PCI cards in there anyways.

I have a dell 270 desktop and the caps where going bad So I was able to get a NEW mobo for it for cheap. $35
https://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-OPTIPLEX-GX270- … 8wAAOSw3z5Z1Q2h

EdmondDantes wrote:

What I've been wondering is, why is one of the PCI slots longer than the others? What uses this length? Is it safe to put a normal-sized PCI card in it?

Thanks in advance.

The longer PCI slot is intended to be used with a PCI riser for the small form factor/small desktop models, it can be used as a regular PCI slot.

Intel486dx33 wrote:

I have a dell 270 desktop and the caps where going bad So I was able to get a NEW mobo for it for cheap. $35
https://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-OPTIPLEX-GX270- … 8wAAOSw3z5Z1Q2h

Actually half the reason I bought the topic board was because the seller had specifically mentioned that they recapped it and put in a new CMOS watch battery, considering my Win98 machine might be acting up specifically because of caps I didn't want to go through that again for the next 20-50 years (and preferably never), so being recapped straight from the seller was a huge plus to me.

Now that I've got everything including the sound card working, it truly is a mighty grand machine. The only thing left is to get a case for it. One of my friends might actually have a compatible Dell case, but I'm also imagining I could use drills or glue to customize a standard case to fit my needs.