Dell mod..

[rabidbunny]

Hi, I want to change the psu in my old dell 4550 and was wondering what psu in particular would work the best.. I will definately have to cut out some of the back of the case but was wondering if this psu would work fine.

PSU

I have used psu calculator and figured out that my old dell is using about 263 watts max. The psu i believe is rated at 250. Big problem....
this is what is in there..
-p4@2.4ghz
-1280 mb ram
-60gb hard drive
-x800gto agp
-sb live 5.1 sound card
-2 disc drives
-intel 845 PE motherboard
and some usb stuff..


Will that psu work fine? It is a 20 pin motherboard and the psu has a 20+4 pin. yeah it may be overkill as far as power but I like that psu....

Thanks for your responses..

 

[JonathanDeane]

It should work fine, if you want when I get to work in the morning I will look into your machines specs exactly and I can tell you if you need to mod anything to get it to fit (sometimes the Dell PS's are upside down and mounted a little funny)

BTW nice computer (yeah its not the fastest thing out but its no slouch either thats for sure !)

Also the PS might be more then you need for your current system but if you upgrade in the future you could keep your PS ! So it may be worth looking into getting something even a little bigger ? Unless you know its just for this build and you want to build a whole new machine.

 

[jsc]

Many (most?) Dell mobos and ps's use proprietary connectors. You need to carefully double check.

Here is a link with moer information:
http://www.quepublishing.com/articles/article.asp?p=339053&rl=1

Be really carefull. You can fry a motherboard.

 

[apt403]

that psu is enough, but antecs smart power line ist the best quality, i think that you would be better off with a 450w truepower spu instead.

 

[doolittle]

Many (most?) Dell mobos and ps's use proprietary connectors. You need to carefully double check.

Here is a link with moer information:
http://www.quepublishing.com/articles/article.asp?p=339053&rl=1

Be really carefull. You can fry a motherboard.

That's a bit dated, was written in March 2001... Here is a more recent one dated Feb 2003 with more details. The info is sourced from the same publisher

Informit.com[/url]"]Fortunately, starting in 2000, Dell switched to using industry-standard ATX power connections in its Dimension 4300, 4400, 8200, and newer systems. That means barring any other unforeseen glitches, these systems should be more easily upgradable by just replacing either the power supply or the motherboard alone.

 

[rabidbunny]

Ok.

First of all:
Thank you all of you for posting what you did.
In response to JonathanDeane and doolittle:
I am pretty sure that an average psu can fit physically in the case and the motherboard connector 20 pin will work.
I do know of a company (pc power and cooling) makes psu's for my case but they are too expensive for me.

I have to agree with apt403 that somethign with less power would do the job. I just want a psu that has a minimum of 350 watts. preferrably 400+ just to be safe. I do not think that i will be upgrading the dell system any more but since I had added in a powerful graphics card I think the system is anemic for power.

I do like the psu that i picked out as the dual fans seem perfect for the system since the 'green hood of doom' looms over the cpu right below teh psu. So that rules out a psu with a bottom fan (as in my current system).

So unless anyone has a suggestion on a psu that has 400+ watts power, is reliable, does not have a bottom fan, and will fit a 20 pin motherboard connector, I would like to go with what I've found. Any suggestions are greatful..

god I love messing with dell pcs.. Custom built is alot better though.. I will definately have to cut some of the dell case out to get any psu to fit but that doesn;'t bother me at all...

Thanks

 

[pumptin]

IMHO, your PSU is not enough to handle the x800GTO efficiently...

I, just today, had my PSU out of my GX270 go up in flames, because of the load on it... Same PSU and similar stats to yours, but a bit more ram, and a 3.0ghz P4.

Good luck M8..

 

[rabidbunny]

IMHO, your PSU is not enough to handle the x800GTO efficiently...

Yes, i'm aware of that one... Somehow I managed to make it this far, about half a year, without it going out on me... Maybe that is something good for dell's crappy psus...

I think i've found a 450 watt true power that should be the exact same as the 500 watt one. I think I will end up getting that one..

Thanks for all of your help and suggestions!

 

[Jake_Barnes]

Many (most?) Dell mobos and ps's use proprietary connectors. You need to carefully double check.

Here is a link with moer information:
http://www.quepublishing.com/articles/article.asp?p=339053&rl=1

Be really carefull. You can fry a motherboard.

True - Look here for a compatible PSU that was designed to fit the proprietary components (parts) of your Dell unit:

http://www.pcpower.com/products/power_supplies/selector/dell.htm

 

[rabidbunny]

.. I think I just may take the chance and buy a psu off of newegg. I do not want to buy an expensive psu from pcpower and cooling.

I can test my current antec psu in my dell to see if it will even power up. If it does without problems, then I will just buy a psu off of newegg.
If the system fries,,, well then my parents will have to get one of their own since the dell is mine.. I think it will be fine.
I may just wait and end up buying a new case, psu, and motherboard

 

[rabidbunny]

Update:
I have found that the dell's motherboard is OK for a new psu... there is the same connectors and colored cables as my custom's psu, just 20 pins..

I don't know exactly which psu to buy yet..

I was thinking about either one of these:

thermaltake

smartpower

truepower

Which would be the best??

If anyone has any suggestions on 20 pin or 20+4 psu units, I would be grateful.

 

[triggerhappy]

before you swap that psu you better check the voltages on EVERY wire. it is old news that dell uses the same atx plug but a different pin layout for there power supplys.

 

[rabidbunny]

Well, if I fry the motherboard, then I fry the motherboard and my parents are out a pc for 3 or 4 days...

When I install the psu, I should run it with my old mx420 and minimum ram so if the system fries, then I will have the most expensive parts of my system saved. I will probably backup the hard drive too onto my custom rig..

Maybe I will just boot up without any drives and make sure I can run something based on a floppy,..... any ideas as to what programs I can use to run the system? Memtest?? any bootable things?

Oh, and if I were to test every plug's voltage , how would I go about doing that?? I think my dad has a volt reading meter downstairs....Would that work? and what plugs would be what voltage/Amps?

Edit: I checked out the link above that gives the corresponding volts to each plug piece thing....

 

[rabidbunny]

anyone?

 

[doolittle]

Of the three you picked, the TruePower is the best of the bunch, I probably wouldn't get the TT or the smartpower, instead look at these:

XClio 450BL ATX 450W $49 shipped, a killer deal

Sunbeam NUUO SUNNU450-US-BK 450W $59 shipped, A lot of features like modular cable, bay controller / temp monitor, dual fans for that price

Both are well made I have used them both in recent months.

 

[rabidbunny]

well..... I already went and ordered the Thermaltake unit i picked out...
I don't know exactly how well it will perform... if it blows, then I willl have to send it back and will order something else...

Again, I will NOT be upgrading this system any more (maybe one more hard drive) so anything more powerful than my current 250 watt psu should be more than enough...

doolittle, thanks for the suggestions.

If the psu doesn't work for long, then I'm out my $47. Not much, but yet a fair amount of $$. I went a bought it because no one had responded. So, I picked... Maybe I should've stayed with Antec as that is what I have right now in my custom.. oh well....

Is there a big reason why that Thermaltake psu won't be good in dell system? I went to psucalc and it said that it was needing 263 watts....
over 400 should be fine i should think...no Sli...only 1 hd...

This should be interesting...
If i go to install it and it blows, should I take a movie????it may be interesting.....

Stay tuned....

 

[rabidbunny]

Ok. I just finished with the cutting of the case.. I never want to do that again. there was sooooo many issues in a dell case. It wasn't that I cut the holes wrong, the case itself has little riser pieced that have to be pounded to make the newer psu fit. See, the dell psu is a bit smaller by maybe a millimeter. those risers help keep it in place. Finally,I had pounded my anger into those bumps and made just enough room to screw in the psu.

NEVER AGAIN!!!

I would've rather bought a new case and mobo or bought one of those pcpower&cooling psu's. Yeah they are more expensive, but I wouldn't have had to almost destroy the case.

On the other hand, the Dell case didn't get out of its shape.......Very durable steel..

Would anyone like any pictures at all of my hackjob?

 

[triggerhappy]

did you turn it on and everything is fine? sorry to hear about the trouble but i think a few people did point that out.

 

[Zorg]

did you turn it on and everything is fine? sorry to hear about the trouble but i think a few people did point that out.

Just like a 2 part cliffhanger on TV. HEY RABIDBUNNY DID IT WORK?

 

[Zorg]

I hope you're not replying because you're busy and not because something bad happened.

 

[rabidbunny]

Right, here it is:

IT BLEW MY SYSTEM TO PIECES!!!!










No, just kidding.. The psu powered on the system fine. I noticed that a few things did load a bit faster.

Getting it into the case was a b**ch....I will never NEVER do that again...

So far, so good...
i have a few questions: Do you guys think that I should remove the green hood of death and just leave the fan there??? I am thinking this because the psu has two fans. One in back and one on the bottom...

I now feel bad that the case has TOO many cables in it from the psu and there isn't much room...I will have to use some cable ties to get them in order when I have time..

It was funny, the sparks from the dremel melted some of the plastic on the back of the case...not much though...

DO YOU GUYS WANT PICS?? cuz i can get some posted here in a day or two (busy schedule)???
I am more than glad to show my hackjob on the i-net


Next time:
1) i will buy a pcpower&cooling psu for a dell in order for it to fit
2) older dells suck for expandability.
3)dell's cases are ROCK SOLID. Never warped and took a heck of a beating
4) The next pc I get will definately be custom.
5) If I decide to use a dremel again, I should learn how to use it first.


A SPECIAL THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO POSTED AND HELPED ME THROUGH THIS...


Edit: going to bed now, will check tomarrow (thursday)

 

[Zorg]

Happy to see you are still breathing. I was starting to get worried.

 

[georgelawton]

your psu is fine dell list their psu at min's and not peak like other manufac's.

You have a 350 and a gto will work wonders. lol Hell i run a 1950pro agp in my "250" (aka 350 peak).

Dont listen to these monkey kiddies with there mommy and daddies credit card computers. I know its hard to upgrade, grap the gto, youll be fine. 100%.

 

[Datman]

DO YOU GUYS WANT PICS?? cuz i can get some posted here in a day or two (busy schedule)???
I am more than glad to show my hackjob on the i-net

Yeah, why not, sounds interesting.

 

[Zorg]

your psu is fine dell list their psu at min's and not peak like other manufac's.

You have a 350 and a gto will work wonders. lol Hell i run a 1950pro agp in my "250" (aka 350 peak).

Dont listen to these monkey kiddies with there mommy and daddies credit card computers. I know its hard to upgrade, grap the gto, youll be fine. 100%.

That's hilarious, your Dell must rock the house.