Gateway's 1999 PC

[The_YongGrand]

Hey guys and girls,

I got a Gateway CPU from my aunt who got from an office that is discarding old computers - so could (or by any chances) an mATX motherboard fits inside the case?

However, the back plate is fixed to the casing - is there a way to cut it with any special cutting tool? Thinking of making a square out of it for the back plate of the board by using a blowtorch or anything else...

[EzyStvy]

Not sure why you'd want to throw good money at an old pc....

Can get a ruler out and measure the inside of the case that you'll probably end up replacing...

[Cricket]

If you're going to be messing around with more old computers and computer cases you should invest in a Dremel Tool. Makes case modding a lot easier...besides, you can't cut sheet metal with a blow torch.

Cricket

[MaxRat]

If you want to mod the case anything will work within reason....

The dremel tool with a small cut-off wheel can be used to cut out the I/O plate so you can pop in a new one....

just draw it out and make sure the opening is the same size as a case with a removable plate...

I have done this for customers who dont want a new case...easy to do...

[tigstah]

i just an ad for dremels, its was 30 bucks, i cant remember which store it was.
if you go the dremel route, make sure you have safety glasses.

[The_YongGrand]

Originally Posted by EzyStvy Not sure why you'd want to throw good money at an old pc.... Can get a ruler out and measure the inside of the case that you'll probably end up replacing...

Oh don't worry - I won't be spending even one cent of the old pc - it is given by my aunt from her another company which is moved already.

I liked the case because it's sturdy, and even sturdier than the 3 rigs of mine (all of the 3 rigs have generic casings) but I'm not pretty sure whether any ATX boards will properly fit into it.

Guess I need to go and borrow some cutting tool to cut this I/O plate out. However, I read from another case mod forum that the 'back-place' along with the other holder are detachable, but the screws are not the ordinary screws.

[Panama Red]

I used my old '99 GW case for my first P4 build and ran into the fixed I/O plate problem. I believe that part is pop riveted to the case. I drilled out the rivets and used a jig saw to rough cut the opening. I then used an air grider (like a Dremel) and a file to finish sizing the opening to match the snap-in type I/O plates. It served me well for a couple years until I sold the P4 innards. It then found new life when I painted it flat black and used it for my daughter's AMD/Socket A build. When those parts got tranferred to a more stylin' Antec Sonata, the GW was recycled once again to it's present state - Beta testing Windows Home Server. One other trouble spot with this tower is the power supply attachment holes. I had to mount my psu upside down to match the screw holes in the case and cut away some case material in that area to fully expose the fan grill and the power connector. It's still running that way!

[The_YongGrand]

Originally Posted by Panama Red I used my old '99 GW case for my first P4 build and ran into the fixed I/O plate problem. I believe that part is pop riveted to the case. I drilled out the rivets and used a jig saw to rough cut the opening. I then used an air grider (like a Dremel) and a file to finish sizing the opening to match the snap-in type I/O plates. It served me well for a couple years until I sold the P4 innards. It then found new life when I painted it flat black and used it for my daughter's AMD/Socket A build. When those parts got tranferred to a more stylin' Antec Sonata, the GW was recycled once again to it's present state - Beta testing Windows Home Server. One other trouble spot with this tower is the power supply attachment holes. I had to mount my psu upside down to match the screw holes in the case and cut away some case material in that area to fully expose the fan grill and the power connector. It's still running that way!

How am I suppose to take out the back case plate (it's strange - the back I/O plate is 'integrated' into the another plate) ? It's supported by rivets and how am I going to unscrew them? I have a Bosch drill there... not sure it'll work or not. If I can get that plate out, I can always bring it to a workshop and grind it out afterwards!

Also, my Gateway casing is E-4200 - a Pentium II 350MHz with a 64MB RAM.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by The_YongGrand How am I suppose to take out the back case plate (it's strange - the back I/O plate is 'integrated' into the another plate) ? It's supported by rivets and how am I going to unscrew them? I have a Bosch drill there... not sure it'll work or not.

Use the drill with the appropriate bit and drill out the rivets. Once you do that the plate should come out.

Cricket

[Panama Red]

Originally Posted by Cricket Use the drill with the appropriate bit and drill out the rivets. Once you do that the plate should come out. Cricket

Yup, that's how to take apart pop riveted items - at least that's how I did it. Oh, and fwiw, mine was a PIII 500