Hi JJSooner1,

Just a comment about the fan. Dell case fans have a proprietary connector so I would replace the Dell fan with another Dell fan. Yes, the fan in the Dim 3000 was notorious for being noisy (I had one).

The CPU bracket is not compatible with a standard Intel heatsink, as I recall. My vote would be to try the new CPU with the Dell heatsink and see how the temps run. We had a 3.0GHz, 800MHz CPU in our Dim 3000 and never had any problem with heat.

Thanks for the reply! So am I to understand that no one makes a fan/heat sink to fit that will run more efficiently and quietly? Is there an adapter one can use? I hate buying a bad product twice:-) What about a fan/sink from an XPS?

Can you please provide motherboard model or picture, given that I think it is possible to find the way for aftermarket cooler. By the way, I also have XPS GEN3, which is still working (typing this) and do it good considering it is circa 2004!

Thanks for the reply! So am I to understand that no one makes a fan/heat sink to fit that will run more efficiently and quietly? Is there an adapter one can use? I hate buying a bad product twice:-) What about a fan/sink from an XPS?

How about this from newegg  Socket 478 coolers for example. Your motherboard or it may look like this,  has holes, so make sure that your cooler has pins, not screws. Dell CPU fans have 4 pin connections, any 3 pin should do fine, most of the time - you will have fan running at 100% RPM, so choose quieter one.

The 3000 has a proprietary passive heatsink with proprietary connector, so standard 478 heatsinks will not work without modification.

@rdunnill: are you taliking about this - Dell proprietary cooling connectors as mention in WIKI (look for the paragraph with the same title - Dell proprietary), is this what are you talking about? White wire? Actually this what it says, to save time from opening link.

Dell proprietary

This connector is an expansion of a simple 3-pin female IC connector by adding two tabs to the middle of the connector on one side and a lock-tab on the other side. The size and spacing of the pin sockets is identical to a standard 3-pin female IC connector and 3-pin Molex connector. Some models have the wiring of the white wire (speed sensor) in the middle, whereas the standard 3-pin Molex requires the white wire as pin #3, thus compatibility issues may exist."

So what sort of mod would it require? I'm not leaning that way but I never close myself off to a good idea. I still need to remove the PSU and clean that area and the fan. Is it possible to install a case fan to pull outside air in for the internal case? I could also ventilate the side cover with strategically placed holes. This isn't hard to do and if done right will not detract from cosmetics. Whether its a computer or a motor, its always going to perform better if it can breathe. Any thoughts?

I need to find detailed pictures of inside the case, the more the better, especially all openings. Does CPU has special shroud leading air outside? Strong exhaust fan can make a difference, also need space for at least 1 intake fan, or something similar. Do you have any used PC fans, any size?

Well let's see if this works.Does this

help any?

The "Antec" would be an extra fan? What about a power supply for that?

The CPU heatsink is under the green shroud; the 92mm chassis fan is immediately to the left of the shroud, and doubles as the CPU cooler.

In the "mainboard"? What would that require? Is the pin pattern the same for that sink as is in the board now?

In the "mainboard"? What would that require? Is the pin pattern the same for that sink as is in the board now?

In that event, you'll need a 92mm chassis fan, and I'd recommend the Antec Tricool.