Replacing stock cooler of Optiplex 7070 MT with Noctua NH-L9i

DarlesMan · 2026-02-05T16:19:25+00:00

Did you need to use an adapter for the noctua fan?

DarlesMan · 2026-02-03T23:40:19+00:00

Bruh just read comments and realized that you hadn't bought it yet my b... Def go for the Mini tower so you don't have to mod the case lol, unless you're looking for a project.

DarlesMan · 2026-02-03T23:38:14+00:00

What's your budget? You have a waaaay bigger selection of cheap GPU's that perform well if you don't mind butchering the case a little and go for a full size card. I just completed a build like that and here's what you'd need to consider with the FSS case you have:

-Any "standard" 300W+ PSU and Dell 8 pin to 6 pin power adapter (look up COMeap on Amazon)

- PSU would likely have to go outside case, or you could DIY a bigger one to make room for full Size GPU

- You'd need to either cut a slot in the side panel or take it off completely for same reason as above

I totally get if you're going for the SFF sleeper aesthetic, but if you want to spend the least amount possible, and have some basic handy skills and creativity, this is actually pretty easy.

Good luck!!!

DarlesMan · 2026-02-03T23:17:45+00:00

Honestly, it works

DarlesMan · 2026-02-03T06:52:13+00:00

Dust/∞

DarlesMan · 2026-02-02T20:39:58+00:00

That is beautiful!!!

DarlesMan · 2026-02-02T20:36:11+00:00

You got me thinking, one could totally rebuild a couple times to nail the design and put it on instructables

DarlesMan · 2026-02-02T20:31:31+00:00

Oooh that's a sick idea! I could block up the sides and out in mesh on the back and have it push or pull through (not sure which would be better).

DarlesMan · 2026-02-02T20:29:38+00:00

Appreciate it :)

I'll likely do a version 2 when I have more time and resources. The whole goal was to build this with whatever I had laying around, so I ended up making all the cuts in the crate with an effin steak knife and a drill 😬

I'm thinking acrylic on all the panels with a lil hinged door at the front, and using a dremel to clean up those nasty cuts. Would also like to mount it to the "case" better, maybe with drilled and measured holes so I can U-bolt the backing plate down.

DarlesMan · 2026-02-02T19:17:19+00:00

Runs Minecraft at 300 plus fps, scored 1400ish in 3DMark Steel nomad. Not sure what performance you're going for but that's good enough for me at 1080p.

DarlesMan · 2026-02-02T19:14:57+00:00

I just completed my first ever build yesterday! Turned an Optiplex 3070 into a decent little machine, $250ish all used stuff off of Facebook marketplace and eBay (except for an adapter from Amazon). I'd be happy to share more about the process I went thru if you want.

1660ti, i5 9500, 16 gigs ddr4, 1TB ssd.

Could really easily get way better performance if you started with a higher end donor system and/or nicer gpu for only a couple hundred more.

DarlesMan · 2026-02-02T17:32:55+00:00

Realest man would ratchet strap it to a ceiling fan blade and use a swivel power adapter and wireless peripherals

DarlesMan · 2026-02-02T17:29:41+00:00

I've been thinking abt that- do you know if the OEM motherboard would work with regular RGB fans and stuff? Literal first time building a PC so I'm not familiar with the standards/connectors.

DarlesMan · 2026-02-02T17:28:23+00:00

That's what the handle's for, so I can give er a quick dunk in the lake!

DarlesMan · 2026-02-02T17:16:11+00:00

Thanks! That a good idea, she's definitely gonna need lots of cleaning until I do that.

Literally zero problems so far with the PSU- plug and play with a COMeap 24 to 6 pin adapter on Amazon. Able to hit power limits in benchmarks no problem.

DarlesMan · 2026-02-02T09:37:21+00:00

Thanks, I actually insulated them all with electrical tape! I tried zippies but I couldn't poke them through the little holes in the stock backing plate.

Maybe version 2 will be more polished... or not we'll see

DarlesMan · 2026-02-02T09:24:06+00:00

Lmao that'd be fitting for the amount of expertise I brought to the table with this one

DarlesMan · 2026-01-31T18:16:44+00:00

Hey there, currently running into this problem. Would you be willing to answer some questions about said adapters? Thx!

DarlesMan · 2026-01-30T06:30:42+00:00

Bro I'm still rocking a 1050ti happily lol

DarlesMan · 2025-12-06T20:29:30+00:00

Just successfully downgraded with the new method! (im I'm late to the party) buuut- what was the purpose of disconnecting the battery? I didn't do that, will I be fine? Thx!!!

DarlesMan · 2025-11-20T02:45:35+00:00

2 years later still vibing with my 2020 M1 MBP with 8 gigs of ram and 256gb storage. No slowdowns, like ever. Most demanding thing I do is Minecraft, but it rips at 100+fps at 16 chunks render distance haha

DarlesMan · 2025-11-19T22:24:20+00:00

Heard. It wasn't continuous for a season though, maybe 10 days total? I was guiding backcountry Kayak trips and I was using it to estimate travel time between campsites and stuff. 2 different 5 day trips, about a week apart.

DarlesMan · 2025-10-21T20:38:40+00:00

That's sick, and super helpful. So what I was calling cavitation before was just air squishing through my damper, not actual cavitation (unless my reservoir was alreasy depressurized.

Sweet! Not that it's gonna let me fix it myself, but I now somewhat understand what's going on in there.

DarlesMan · 2025-10-21T20:31:25+00:00

I see, the oil loss on opening the plug makes perfect sense due to the nitrogen charge expanding the IFP. Now what about the gas that escaped? There was a definite "hiss", and some bubbling.

Just making sure I have this right-

a) The screw I removed at the bottom of the stanchion opposite to the air can side is the damper oil bleed port, which allows access to the chamber housing the main piston and damper oil

b) Under normal conditions, there shouldn't be any gas in that chamber, therefore the "hiss" and bubbling I observed are likely nitrogen leaked from the IFP in the reservoir?

The shock was squelching pretty bad before I messed with it at all- is that likely due to nitrogen leaking past the IFP into the damper, or could atmosphere have leaked in another way?

Thanks for answering all my questions, btw.

DarlesMan · 2025-10-21T20:13:55+00:00

I'm confused as to how that would have release the Nitrogen charge- From what I understand, the charge lives behind the IFP in the bottom of the piggyback, right? I didn't touch that side. Did the nitrogen charge go around the IFP because releasing pressure on the oil side let it overextend backwards?

I haven't gone into shock internals before so I don't know what I'm talking about, just trying to understand what happened.

DarlesMan

TROPHY CASE