[SOLVED] Inspiron 3650 PSU Wattage

[JoeBost67]

Hello all
I have a Dell Inspiron 3650 with Intel Graphics. I want to upgrade to a dedicated GPU but I can't find any information on the wattage of my power supply. I opened the tower to look but the PSU seems to be enclosed and I don't see a label. The system specs on the Dell support page do not have it listed either.
Does anyone know what these machines had as stock PSU's?
Other specs if it helps
i5-6400 CPU / 8 GB RAM / 1 TB Hard Drive / Win10 64bit

 

[jonnyguru]

Dell Inspiron 3650

240W and as proprietary as can be.

Pretty much you don't upgrade that PC. You give it to your grandmother so she can get on AOL.

 

[JoeBost67]

I just found the sticker. 240 watts it is.
I knew I wasn't putting a 3090 in this machine but was hoping to do better than the on board graphics.
When I bought it I was working 60 hrs a week and had no time for gaming.
Now, not so much, since I work in the conferences and events industry, which there are none of.
Thanks

 

[Archaic59]

I just found the sticker. 240 watts it is.
I knew I wasn't putting a 3090 in this machine but was hoping to do better than the on board graphics.
When I bought it I was working 60 hrs a week and had no time for gaming.
Now, not so much, since I work in the conferences and events industry, which there are none of.
Thanks

I feel your pain. I work worked in the tradeshow industry and we were shutdown in March. Anyways, it can be a real headache upgrading these home office systems. Even if you get a video card in there, you still have single channel memory limiting performance and an old clunker hard drive also slowing things down. That being said, you may be able to squeeze a small GPU in there that uses PCIe slot power only (75 watts max), assuming the motherboard slot can deliver the required power and the PSU doesn't choke. Look for a GTX 1050 ti or GTX 1650 with a single fan (shorter length) that does not require external power. I make no guarantees.

 

[JoeBost67]

I feel your pain. I work worked in the tradeshow industry and we were shutdown in March. Anyways, it can be a real headache upgrading these home office systems. Even if you get a video card in there, you still have single channel memory limiting performance and an old clunker hard drive also slowing things down. That being said, you may be able to squeeze a small GPU in there that uses PCIe slot power only (75 watts max), assuming the motherboard slot can deliver the required power and the PSU doesn't choke. Look for a GTX 1050 ti or GTX 1650 with a single fan (shorter length) that does not require external power. I make no guarantees.

Thanks for the information. The 1650 is exactly the one I was looking at. The specs say 300w power supply recommended. So is that recommended or required?
Let me know if this should be moved to the GPU forum instead.

 

[Archaic59]

Thanks for the information. The 1650 is exactly the one I was looking at. The specs say 300w power supply recommended. So is that recommended or required?
Let me know if this should be moved to the GPU forum instead.

It's a recommendation that adds a safety margin. The thing about OEM power supplies is that rated capacity as compared to the actual amount delivered is not always accurate. Your Dell PSU is likely Delta made and has a pair of +12 volt rails rated at 16 amps each but since the max output is 240 watts they are actually delivering 10 amps at the most. The PSU and motherboard are proprietary, so if Dell has a higher output model you'd have to ask them. You can give a GTX 1650 a try but like I said, no guarantees.