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XPS 8700 Front Panel Compatible with XPS 8100?
I have a Studio XPS 8100 for which I need to replace the entire front face panel. Will I be able to swap in a front panel from an XPS 8700? The biggest concern are the USB ports. On the 8100 the ports are recessed and hidden behind a sliding door. On the 8700 the ports are extended out with no door to cover them. Can those ports be extended out on my 8100 to fit an 8700 panel? Thoughts?
insomniac99
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August 16th, 2015 09:00
Nope, I don't believe the 8100 has USB 3.0. Should that matter? Since the ports themselves are part of the metal cage as opposed to the front panel which only has the openings for the ports.
Dan-H
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August 16th, 2015 09:00
is the 8100 USB 3 ?
RoHe
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August 16th, 2015 12:00
The bigger question is if the connector between the front panel and motherboard is wired identically on these two systems.
Dell typically uses a custom connector for each model that makes it difficult to swap cases (or front panels) even for another Dell case (or panel)
Why not just get a new XPS 8100 front panel and save yourself the headaches?.
rdunnill
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August 16th, 2015 15:00
If the ports are USB 3.0, you can use a third-party USB 3.0 card with a USB 3.0 front panel connector to bridge.
Dell front USB and audio ports use standard wiring. I can attest to this through the personal experience of moving an XPS 8500 motherboard into a standard chassis, and standard motherboards into an XPS 7100 chassis. The only 'custom' wiring I encountered was the front panel (power switch, power LED and hard drive activity LED), which was easy enough to sort out.
insomniac99
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August 19th, 2015 06:00
Because 8700 panels seem to be significantly cheaper than 8100 panels!