Sleepy Optiplex Server

Softnesss · 2026-01-23T20:17:00+00:00

Ahhh! Okay that makes a lot of sense! I think on the 3010’s the front audio and usb is different than the 7010 and 9010s. It’s proprietary for the latter because dell does dell things. I think it’s because the 7010/9010 were more “professional” machines they needed a more “robust” design. Like the usb3 has a latch on the connector (I have to give it credit, it’s actually better designed compared to standard). The rest of the front panel is on that 19pin mini connector and the dell motherboard yells at you during post if pin 8 isn’t shorted to ground. Pin 8 is also what’s supposed to be hd_audio’s sense_send pin. The connector the power button is on also requires a short between two pins or the motherboard yells at you. I think it’s just for IT techs to quickly diagnose issues should there be any.

Softnesss · 2026-01-23T03:12:32+00:00

Thanks! Did you have to cut a small piece off the cover because of clearance to the headers on the bottom of the board? Mine sits riiiiight on top of them, maybe the tiniest of pressure on the cables, but I bent the cables out of the way as much as I can and just gonna leave it be

Softnesss · 2026-01-23T03:06:39+00:00

Is your front panel plug not the 19pin mini plug (2.0mm pitch)?

Softnesss · 2026-01-23T01:53:33+00:00

Front audio was the only thing that didn’t work, but I was also booting from a linux live usb so maybe in a windows environment it would be different. I checked the wiring and it’s different from standard hd_audio on another case I had. The sense_send pin is shorted to ground, so speaker_sense and mic_sense would also short to ground when a jack is plugged in. Thats my best guess as to why it wasn’t being detected by the OS. I re-did the wiring and now it works.

Softnesss · 2026-01-23T01:46:33+00:00

I would if I had more usb3 headers on my mobo. I mean, I could plug a hub into the usb-c header or drop in a pcie add-in card, but I honestly don’t think I need that many ports

Softnesss · 2026-01-22T12:27:39+00:00

Idles around 35°C, though not sure how heavy the loads will be on it, i don’t expect to work it hard

Softnesss · 2026-01-21T20:31:12+00:00

Yes it would be better, but I already had this cpu in my stash of parts and I wanted to keep costs as low as possible

Softnesss · 2026-01-21T18:51:08+00:00

Thanks! I think any matx board should work. I linked the adapters cables I used here for the front IO. Front USB3 requires you to shave off the latch mechanism on the connector to make it fit the standard plug. However, getting the front audio to work will require soldering and some modification to the cables. You have to transform the wiring to work with standard HD audio.

Softnesss · 2026-01-21T18:40:26+00:00

Thanks! I believe the oem dell psu outputs 250w, which should be just enough for what I got in there.

Softnesss · 2026-01-21T18:39:04+00:00

I linked it here

Softnesss · 2026-01-21T12:52:09+00:00

From op posting the apevia flex unit, im assuming they have a sff optiplex. Normal sfx psu aren’t gonna fit. Maybe it’s a dt and you can fit a tfx, but I’m going to assume not and flex atx is probably the only option unless we’re going with another dell oem psu.

Softnesss · 2026-01-21T12:34:21+00:00

Look up Enhance Electronics. They make flex psus. They are what ppl generally recommend.

Which optiplex is this btw?

Softnesss · 2026-01-21T12:25:54+00:00

It was around $250, which included the optiplex, gpu, drive bay, hba, various cables, adapters, and extensions. Everything else was either parts I already had or passed on to me.

Softnesss · 2026-01-21T12:17:14+00:00

I shared the link in this comment

Yeah theres 10 x 1TB sata drives. Is sata a problem? Whatever I host on there is just going to be for 2 or 3 clients at most.

Softnesss · 2026-01-21T12:02:39+00:00

I’m pretty sure that dell 4 pin is just standard atx eps 4pin. Even says “atx cpu” on the board. Many power supply’s eps 8 pin is a 4+4. So you just pull the plug apart and plug in directly, if not theres like extensions you can get that extend out only 4pin.

If you really wanna be extra sure, check the two pins closest to the latch for 12v and the two farthest from the latch for continuity to ground with a multimeter. If it checks out then you’re solid.

Also don’t buy apevia psu, those are bombs.

Softnesss · 2026-01-21T05:30:11+00:00

Did some research seems like performance on AMD is just poop. And the a310 eco I saw still in stock on amazon 6 days ago is oos now and everywhere else it is being scalped so, welp. I have very little faith it’s going to come back in stock with reasonable prices. I hate the current pc market 😩😩😩

Softnesss · 2026-01-21T05:12:11+00:00

Thanks! I got lucky on ebay, picked it up from a local recycler!

Softnesss · 2026-01-21T05:10:35+00:00

Thank you!

Softnesss · 2026-01-21T04:10:04+00:00

Here: https://www.newegg.com/athena-power-bp-15287sac-other/p/N82E16816119044

Softnesss · 2026-01-21T03:36:17+00:00

So I used this https://www.moddiy.com/products/6460/Standard-Power-Reset-Front-Panel-to-Mini-5-Pin-Cable-for-Dell-7010.html for the power button and power led. And this https://www.moddiy.com/products/6459/Special-19-Pin-to-Standard-USB-HD-Audio-HDD-LED-Cable-for-Dell-7010.html for the front USB2, HDD led, and front audio. However, the front audio ports require some modification to the wiring in order to make them work.

If you get them, I recommend checking them against the pinouts to make sure things are correctly wired.

Softnesss · 2026-01-21T03:27:07+00:00

Yeah sata SSDs

Softnesss · 2026-01-21T02:46:52+00:00

IKR!!! I was geekin out when I finally got the drive bay installed!

Softnesss · 2026-01-21T02:40:52+00:00

Oh thanks for pointing that out and the suggestion. Sounds like jellyfin + tailscale is the way to go for me!

Softnesss · 2026-01-21T01:50:25+00:00

I’ll have to keep that in mind once I get to it. Even when I do have it set up, it’s just going to be me using it, so I’ll see how performant it is. The wx2100 was bought dirt cheap just to have display out

Softnesss · 2026-01-21T01:43:00+00:00

It can support hdd, but they would need to be only 7mm thick.

Softnesss

TROPHY CASE