I made the mistake of not actually checking the width of the card I bought, because I assumed it was a 2 slot card (36mm). Turns out it was a 2.2 slot card (43mm.) Well I jammed it in there, between the RAM dimms and the plug for the front panel. Seems like it's fitting, if not a little stubborn going in, until I hear a *snap!* I pull it back out, and see that the front panel plug has broken off the plastic bit that the plug locks into. Turns out pushing the gpu in was pushing the front panel wire to the side, until it broke. I took a knife and shaved off the excess plastic at the top of the plug as much as I could, and it fits. So, to anyone wondering, what the widest card you can put in your Optiplex 9020 mt is, it's a 2.2 slot card (Sapphire Nitro+ Rx 570 8Gb in my case), if you're willing to shave off the front panel plug a few mm. Of course there were other fit issues too, but this is an absolute limiting factor. RAM clearance: SATA and front panel plug clearance (front panel is behind the SATA):
Great update for your 9020, and what a challenge to embed it ! but I am wondering if the stock fan is not the next update to consider, is it efficient to cool an I7 4770 ?
I did consider it awhile ago, but the stock dell setup is actually pretty good (compared to stock Intel), and quiet, and so is the stock system exhaust fan. It idles at around 32C in my ~20C room (not true idle, like 5-15% background tasks.) Under gaming loads it goes up to mid to high 60s. Prime95 torture test had it maxed out at 85C but it never gets that hot during daily use (gaming /internet /graphic design.) It was a challenge, and I thought I was absolutely boned when I heard the plastic break. You can be sure I'll measure twice, insert once next time.
