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5.0 out of 5 starsHow I Modified the GT 1030 to Fit My Dell 980 Optiplex MT (Mid-sized Tower Case)
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2020
If you don't need a top of the line video card for gaming, this is an excellent choice. It's a quality card and is far superior to the two prior cards I had previously mounted in my old Dell 980 (EVGA Nvidia GT 610 and GT 630).
I purchased the GT 1030 card because I wanted to eliminate the digital breakup I was experiencing whenever I streamed movies. But once it arrived I ran into a big problem. It would not fit into the mounting slot on my PC. Why? Because the heat sink for the CPU and the PS2 connection box were getting in the way. However, after studying the problem for a while I realized that if I modified the plastic casing on the card I could get it to fit.
Luckily, this card was a return that I purchased from Amazon at a great price. So, I decided it was worth the gamble, knowing full well that if something went wrong I wasn't going to be able to return it.
(Please note, this modification will void the warranty for the EVGA Nvidia GT 1030 — do it at your own risk.)
HOW I MODIFIED THIS CARD TO FIT MY DELL OPTIPLEX 980 MT
I knew this video card would work in my Dell 980 Optiplex MT, but I had a problem, the plastic case covering for the card kept it from fitting in the mounting slot.
The head of the card would not fit because of the PS2 connection box on the motherboard. On the other end, I had a similar problem where it was striking the heat sink for the PC's CPU. My solution? Modify the plastic casing on the video card by cutting it and the card's heat sink aluminum blades.
How do you do the modification?
First, you need to remove the four screws that hold the plastic casing to the GT 1030. They are located on the backside of the card (see pictures). Once you remove them, the case will come loose except for the power connector for the fan. Be careful with the fan's power plug, it's hard to disconnect from the card but can be done if you use a jeweler's slotted screw driver to release it from the mount by pushing on the plastic spring holding it in place. Once it's disconnected, you are free to work on the case.
You now need to remove the seven screws that hold the fan and the heat sink to the casing. With the plastic case released from the fan and heat sink, you can cut the case in two places removing about two inches of the plastic on each end (see pictures). I used a fine toothed hacksaw to cut the plastic case. I then used a Dremel (rotary tool) with a cutting disc to shorten the heat sink's aluminum blades on the back end by about 1 1/2 inches. Cosmetically, the card won't look so hot, but the important thing once reassembled it will fit.
Reassemble everything in reverse order and then mount the modified case and heat sink back to the card. Once everything is back together mount it in your PC, boot up your computer and update the drivers. Windows automatically updated the drivers to version: 23.21.13.9135 dated: 3/23/2018. I also downloaded and tried the latest drivers from Nvidia, but they caused problems so I just stayed with the ones I had.
Important Note:
1. The bottom of the aluminum heat sink has "thermal heat sink compound." You'll need to have some just in case you accidentally remove it as you do the modification. It's available here on Amazon. It's cheap. When I did this modification, I decided the easiest think to do was to remove the compound and replace it afterwards during the reassembly process. Thermal heat sink compound is used to transfer heat from video card's CPU to the aluminum heat sink where the heat is dissipated and cooled by the internal fan.
2. The 7 screws you remove from the fan and plastic casing are tiny. You will need a jeweler's set of screw drivers in order to remove them. Also, be careful not to lose them as they will easily roll off your work surface.
3. The power plug for the fan is difficult to disconnect from the card — be careful when you pry on the tiny plastic spring. If you exert too much force on the connection point you can damage the mounting slot on the card.
The GT 1030 has been in my PC for almost a week now and it's working flawlessly. I'll try update this review in six months.