Lost $80 on a sleeper case that didn't fit my parts

I grabbed a vintage Dell Optiplex case from a flea market for $20 thinking it'd be perfect for my build. After spending hours cutting out drive cages and drilling new holes, my 3060 Ti just wouldn't fit without the side panel bulging. I ended up having to buy a whole new case for $60 just to get something that worked. The old Dell case is in my garage now collecting dust. Don't buy a sleeper case unless you've measured everything twice and checked GPU clearance. Has anyone else gotten burned by a case that looked way roomier than it was?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_ryan14d ago

Honestly I used to think "measure twice, cut once" was just something people said to sound smart, but your post really changed my mind. I remember seeing those sleeper builds on YouTube and thinking how cool they looked without realizing all the hidden work. Ngl, I almost bought a similar Dell Optiplex case off Facebook Marketplace last month. The pictures made it look like there was tons of space inside but I guess that's just camera angles fooling you. Tbh I'll be measuring everything obsessively now before I even think about another build.

torres.drew14d ago

Honestly I feel like people hype up the whole "measure twice" thing way too much lmao. Like yeah you don't wanna mess up your parts but I've thrown together builds in cases with like zero planning and they turned out fine. That Optiplex you almost grabbed probably would have worked with some patience and maybe a dremel lol.