FIX IT: Dell Optiplex GX260 (Freebie Computer)

A little while ago while taking rubbish down to the communal bins I noticed 2 computers by the side of one of the bins. One was a Compaq Presario (I forget the model number) and the other was a Dell Optiplex GX260. The Compaq was not to much use to me as most of it's insides had been stripped and the remains were rusting away... However the Dell was in pretty good shape.

The front of the computer is a little beat up, with a missing USB panel door.

The rear of the computer shows good health with minimal signs of weather damage.

The side of the computer is ruined by scratches, but it's all superficial. 

 Moving on to actually opening the computer there is a difference to modern dells in which there is no spring loaded tab, you have to press on two recessed indents on the top and bottom of the case. My computer though I didn't even need to do this, it's permanently open as the case won't sit flush. Once the case is unlocked all you need to do is tilt the lid towards the front of the computer to gain access.

Once the two buttons have been pressed the lid will become loose, ready to be lifted open upon its hinge. 

The lid should lift right up until its perpendicular to the rest of the case. 

The Dell Optiplex GX260 is by no means a tidy computer on the inside (not at least in the state that previous owner has left it) but the compact form factor does mean cramming a lot into a small space. The whole computer is modular and tool-less which for the time is a remarkable thing. Lets get stuck into pulling this computer apart:

From left to right: CPU Heatsink, Chipset Heatsink, AGP Port, PCI Port

Top of image: RAM ports with 2x RAM sticks in.

Top of image: Power supply exhaust

Bottom of image: PCI Riser board

Left to right: 24Pin ATX connector, 2x RAM cards and CPU Heatsink

12V CPU Heatsink fan with side blower

The mother board is pretty crowded and I'm not going to remove the heatsink for this review as I don't have enough thermal compound in my toolbox to replace what is lost when removing the heatsink. Moving on from the motherboard we can now draw our attention to the media devices attached to the lid of the computer:

This is the bay where the hard drive should be, but the previous owner was savvy enough to remove it before putting it out for rubbish collection! Check out the DIY wire splicing, doesn't seem at all dangerous...

This mess of cables is covering up our view so we can remove them by simply pulling them out. The IDE cables (Ribbon cable) can be pulled out with the use of the orange tab and the 12V molex (4 pin power) can be removed by giving it a hard pull.

To remove the optical disk drive, simply squeeze the green tabs and pull the whole drive assembly upwards, sliding it out of its hole. 

The same is applied to the floppy disk drive (what are floppy disks again?). One of my tabs has unfortunately snapped off meaning I had to poke the remainder of the tab with a screwdriver to free the floppy drive from it's hole. 

Turning out attention back to the motherboard, I pull out the RAM sticks using the white catches (pushing on them automatically ejects the RAM, as with on any motherboard) and inspect them more closely. This computer has 2x 256MB sticks of Samsung DDR RAM. 

The riser card has 2 PCI slots in it, turning the one slot into two. This is handy in particular if you want a PCI (non express) graphics card in the computer or have large profile PCI cards to install as they wont fit into the low profile case normally.

To remove the riser board simply lift the large green handle and pull.

The case looks empty without the riser. Underneath the riser is the Power Supply.

The riser board as you can see has two PCI slots to accommodate large profile cards in a low profile case

And there we have it, one stripped down Dell Optiplex GX260 Computer. To install all the parts just retrace your steps, but for the RAM make sure the notches are lined up and for the riser card ensure that the contacts are aligned properly before pushing back in.

If you have any questions please email me at: scotechnology.official@gmail.com or comment on this post

Thank you for reading:

Joseph Wright - SCOTECH