The 4K Dell OptiMac - 9020 MT - Core i7-4790 - Radeon RX 570 - LG 4K IPS Monitor

[bjay77]

I tried this and yes, it still required F1. My solution was to disconnect the LED + and - wires and then jumper the two middle pins permanently. You don't have to buy the 6 pin adapter from Harbin Repairs shown below for it to work either.

View attachment 487479

I keep mine connected and then there are no error messages.

Ok thanks, so if you disconnect the 19 pin front IO connector you get an error? Is it the same as the power switch error in that it is resolved by hitting F1 at boot?

I wonder what would happen if the blue and red wire were connected to the led- and the orange wire to led+. Connecting both blue and red wire to the led- would effectively jumper them together...anyone tried this?

With your Harbin repairs adapter do you still need to jumper the DIA led+ and - pins to avoid the error? If I got one of these, I assume I could connect the pwr and pwr led connectors and jumper the middle DIA pins if required

thanks again

 

[trs96]

With your Harbin repairs adapter do you still need to jumper the DIA led+ and - pins to avoid the error?

Yes, see: https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...g-4k-ips-monitor.277811/page-199#post-2165243

 

[trs96]

Is it the same as the power switch error in that it is resolved by hitting F1 at boot?

It's worded slightly different but yes, you resolve it the same, by pressing F1.

 

[bjay77]

It's worded slightly different but yes, you resolve it the same, by pressing F1.

Thanks Trs, I ordered the adapters from ebay, won't be here for a month but will setup with option 1 until they arrive.

 

[bibo159]

The main problem would likely be that the screws are threaded differently. The CM install depends on the four mounting holes to be open. So that would make the existing backplate removal mandatory. It's not what I would attempt to do. Even if you could put the CM metal backplate over the existing one, these four small "bumps" create a spacing problem.

View attachment 486643

As usual Dell does it's best to prevent use of any third party hardware as much as possible. Using the CM i70c makes the install as easy as putting the Dell OEM cooler on. Just need to adapt the 5 pin fan header to four pin.

If you want to try it, make sure the seller has a good return policy so you can get a full refund if needed.

Thank you for your in-depth guide and continued development on the Dell OptiMac

I had success mounting a Cooler Master Hyper H412R utilising the Dell OEM backplate, Both the OEM Dell CPU cooler and the CM H412R have M3 thread, however the H412R is designed to have taller posts protrude through the motherboard using its custom backplate. I resolved this by using 10mm M3 brass standoffs as can be seen in the photos attached below.

This shows the comparison between the CM H412R cold plate and thread depth compared to the OEM Dell CPU cooler.

Using a Cooler Master H412R, Four 10mm (6mm of M3 thread) and a Dell fan header to PWM adaptor you will be able to mount the cooler without removing the motherboard from the case. This was done in a Dell 9020MT, with adequate clearance to close the side panel.

 

[trs96]

I resolved this by using 10mm M3 brass standoffs as can be seen in the photos attached below.

Nice idea. Hadn't thought of doing that. I also like that you put a few fans in front and removed the HDD cage. You've upgraded the Dell MT to the max possible config and have good cooling too.

Did you watch the Game bench YT channel videos first before doing the case mods ?

 

[bibo159]

Nice idea. Hadn't thought of doing that. I also like that you put a few fans in front and removed the HDD cage. You've upgraded the Dell MT to the max possible config and have good cooling too.

Did you watch the Game bench YT channel videos first before doing the case mods ?

Yes Game Bench's guides absolutely laid the foundation to my case modifications, However I wasn't keen on how restrictive the front panel was so i opted to trace my fan's internal dimensions and grind that piece out. I also hacked away at the internal moulding of the plastic front bezel creating a big enough cavity to mount a Silverstone dust filter.

Although these modifications were invasive they have no impact on the cosmetic appearance of the PC, giving quite the Sleeper look.

I also got creative with adding a removable GPU support bracket as i found the RX580 sagged and one of the fans would contact the SATA cables. This was made entirely out of 25x25mm angle aluminium, fixed brackets were riveted in place to the case floor and to the 5.25 cage, M6 RivNuts in these brackets so the GPU support brace can be removed. The actual support piece is wrapped in Velcro (smooth half) to prevent scratching on the RX580, The 60mm fan was added for good measure.

I also decided to not compromise on ether having a dGPU and wifi/bluetooth or NVMe, so i have a M.2 to PCIe x4 in the bottom PCIe slot and my wifi card is connected to the x1 slot using a PCIe x1 extension adaptor, The Wifi card is mounted to the M.2 adaptor PCB using brass stand offs and in a upside down and back to front orientation as this was the only orientation i found to work and not contact the RX580's fans, I did have to drill the m.2 adaptor PCB to create my own mounting solution.

Because the dGPU covers the x1 slot and the adaptor i had stood quite tall, I did have to modify the RX580 plastic casing slightly, removing any impeding plastic.

My build consists of some very dodgy adaptations to overcome limitations in the Dell 9020MT design and has developed into quite the passion project as its long forgone the premise of using a prebuilt to easily hack into a cheap Mac.

 

[trs96]

My build consists of some very dodgy adaptations to overcome limitations in the Dell 9020MT design and has developed into quite the passion project as its long forgone the premise of using a prebuilt to easily hack into a cheap Mac.

This is true. You generally end up spending more time and money on these hacks than initially planned. What you can't get when buying a pre-built Mac from Apple is the satisfaction and enjoyment of doing these kinds of mods and making your own unique system. To me it's more of an interesting hobby rather than a purely cost saving attempt.

 

[craighazan]

To me it's more of an interesting hobby rather than a purely cost saving attempt.

Completely agree.

 

[trs96]

Completely agree.

If you look at the latest 2018 Mac mini unibody AL chassis what could you possibly do to increase the airflow ? Maybe drill some holes in the top with a drill ??? With a new Mac desktop or laptop you have to suffer with very high CPU temps when you do anything more than check email and surf the net.