How much power required??

[hashirluv]

hi.. i own a dell studio xps..

core i7 920 @2.67ghz
6 gb ddr3
ati 3450 hd 256 mb
23" dell s2309w monitor

its bundled wit 400w power supply..is it enuf?? or more recommended??

i plan to upgrade my grafix card??so do i need to change the power supply too??
can a new power supply fit in ma cabinet??

does getting a new cabinet wit cooling options change performance???

 

[tecmo34]

Any future GPU upgrades will most likely require an update to the PSU. You could upgrade to a few ATI or Nvidia cards with the 400w PSU and be safe but the major upgrades will require a new PSU. I would look at getting at least a 550w PSU. Pretty much all graphics cards out side of a few (GTX295, 4870X2...etc.) will run on a 550w PSU in a one card setup.

I would think pretty much all standard ATX PSU will fit a Dell Case running a Core i7 setup. From my understanding, the days of Dell running "non-standard" setups are over, so the standard components will work in a Dell.

Getting a new cabinet will only benefit you in overclocking due to the increased cooling over a standard Dell case. In your case, you have a Dell MOBO, which doesn't for the most part allow OCing, so their will be no benefit to getting a new case. If get a new MOBO, than I would recommend getting a new case.

 

[geofelt]

What new vga card do you have in mind? It is the primary determinant of the psu.
If your upgrade is modest, and does not need a PCIE-6 pin connector, then you are probably ok.

If you want a strong card that needs one or two such pcie power connectors, then you might want to consider adding a second auxiliary psu that fits into a 5 1/2" dvd bay like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104019

 

[cjl]

Honestly, Dell uses fairly good PSUs, so you should be fine with up to a fairly decent, relatively low power card (you could probably get by just fine with a 4770, 9800GT, or similar)

 

[rubix_1011]

GTX 260 draws ~230w on load. I don't think that bay PSU will work if you run more than one...let alone SLI.

 

[cjl]

GTX 260 draws less than 230W load, I can pretty much guarantee it. I'd be surprised if it were over 150.

 

[photonboy]

I'm an electronics technician. I've even studied power supplies and built a few.

I find that a lot of companies like DELL put out quality power supplies for the stock components but they aren't recommended if using a graphics card that draw a LOT more power.

I agree, if you upgrade to an HD4770 there will be no problems.

Personally, if I went much higher than that I'd get a 600W Power and Cooling or another quality PSU.

 

[geofelt]

GTX 260 draws ~230w on load. I don't think that bay PSU will work if you run more than one...let alone SLI.

The unit is sli certified. I believe up to 8800gts.
It will run a gtx260 or a 8800GTX.

I doubt that the OP is interested in sli.