Question New PSU for Dell Inspiron

johnr283

Distinguished
Aug 5, 2013
172
6
18,615
I have an Inspiron 3670. I want to add a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 and I need a PSU with a six pin plug to power the new GPU. What the cheapest PSU that will work? Or is there any way to add six pin plug? I'm already using the 2 SATA Power slots on the motherboard to power my HDD/Blu-ray drive and a PCI-E USB Expansion Card.
 
None. Because that, and the majority of Dell prebuilt systems, use proprietary power supplies with proprietary connectors.

Yes, there are ways to "mod" them, and there are adapters out there, but often you will still run into problems with them not fitting because the form factors are different and there just isn't room in those cases. And if you think to move the system into a different case, forget it, because the motherboards are proprietary too and without serious modification, won't work in a standard form factor case.

If you check the Dell forums, you'll find threads like this one, but honestly, most of them are simply BS methods that end up in frustration and angst, and users usually just ditch it and start over due to the overwhelming PITA that is involved in trying to make them work. It can be done, but it's usually painful.

https://www.dell.com/community/Inspiron-Desktops/Inspiron-3670-PSU-upgrade/td-p/6117898

Again, it can work in some cases, but in others, they end up with unsatisfactory solutions like an adapter and the PSU outside the case.
 

johnr283

Distinguished
Aug 5, 2013
172
6
18,615
None. Because that, and the majority of Dell prebuilt systems, use proprietary power supplies with proprietary connectors.

Yes, there are ways to "mod" them, and there are adapters out there, but often you will still run into problems with them not fitting because the form factors are different and there just isn't room in those cases. And if you think to move the system into a different case, forget it, because the motherboards are proprietary too and without serious modification, won't work in a standard form factor case.

If you check the Dell forums, you'll find threads like this one, but honestly, most of them are simply BS methods that end up in frustration and angst, and users usually just ditch it and start over due to the overwhelming PITA that is involved in trying to make them work. It can be done, but it's usually painful.

https://www.dell.com/community/Inspiron-Desktops/Inspiron-3670-PSU-upgrade/td-p/6117898

Again, it can work in some cases, but in others, they end up with unsatisfactory solutions like an adapter and the PSU outside the case.
So, what is my best bet? I want to add to the GeForce GTX 1650. I don't really want new PC, but I could. Is there anyone who makes a prebuilt using normal parts or would I build one?

About how much will it cost me to build something similar to mine?
Inspiron 3670
Intel i5-8400
12.0 GB RAM
Window 10 64Bit
 
Nothing different with any other prebuilt nowadays. Upgradability is nearly zero.
Exactly right.

And this is by intent. They don't WANT you upgrading, because then they don't sell new units every few years. Customers would just upgrade with aftermarket parts and they'd be losing a large percentage of their customer base.

As to how much it will cost, this is also where prebuilt manufacturers can get you in a catch 22, especially right now, because a lot of computer hardware including CPUs and graphics cards are at an all time high in terms of being hard to find, and expensive. Many reasons for it. Partly Covid related stuff, partly problems with fabs, partly problems with bots and scalpers, partly, probably, some gouging by chip manufacturers as well.

In order to convert that Dell into something usable with aftermarket parts, you'd likely need a new motherboard that is compatible with your current CPU, a new case, a different power supply and probably also an additional case fan or two. Just to upgrade a 4 year old system enough to make it PSU compatible, seems like an expense that's hard to justify. Might be a good idea to simply sell that system and build something entirely new that you can periodically upgrade without any worries about compatibility. Of course, you can do that with your current one as well, just seems like money spent on a motherboard would be better spent towards a new platform, rather than one that's already fast becoming obsolete.

If you wanted to do so, you could do something like this, but I'm not saying it's a satisfying recommendation. Money is money though, and a full platform upgrade would definitely cost a bit more because you'd also need a different CPU and depending on what you went with, maybe new memory as well.

This, or something like it, would get you there.

PCPartPicker Part List

Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty B360 Gaming K4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($52.50 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: ARCTIC F12 74 CFM 120 mm Fan ($10.60 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: ARCTIC F12 74 CFM 120 mm Fan ($10.60 @ Amazon)
Total: $251.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-01-02 12:57 EST-0500
 
It uses a Dell standard 8 pin PSU, adapters to 24 pin are cheap. You'd have to measure your current PSU to see what will fit. No reason to buy a whole new PC to run a 1650.
That's the least of the problems. If you haven't read the FULL thread I linked to, and the myriad problems presented with trying to install a suitable aftermarket power supply in this Dell machine, especially depending on the card model/length and form factor restrictions on the power supply, that's something you ought to do before you assure somebody that the adapter is the fix to the problem. If it was that easy, everybody would be doing it, and they are not.
 

Remeca

Reputable
That's the least of the problems. If you haven't read the FULL thread I linked to, and the myriad problems presented with trying to install a suitable aftermarket power supply in this Dell machine, especially depending on the card model/length and form factor restrictions on the power supply, that's something you ought to do before you assure somebody that the adapter is the fix to the problem. If it was that easy, everybody would be doing it, and they are not.
I'm aware of the issues and limitations inherent in Dell systems. See my signature. The solution isn't always calling it e-waste and buying all new stuff like so many like to suggest. There are solutions.
 
I'm aware of the issues and limitations inherent in Dell systems. See my signature. The solution isn't always calling it e-waste and buying all new stuff like so many like to suggest. There are solutions.
Yes, but they are generally not solutions that most of us would recommend as responsible modifications, and probably more importantly, some of them are both dangerous AND don't resolve anything when it comes to other, future upgrades. There is ONE way to ensure that hardware upgrades in the future will be possible and that is by ditching anything that is proprietary.

If you think that spending $250-ish dollars is "buying a whole new PC", then you must live somewhere that the rest of us do not.
 

Remeca

Reputable
Yes, but they are generally not solutions that most of us would recommend as responsible modifications, and probably more importantly, some of them are both dangerous AND don't resolve anything when it comes to other, future upgrades. There is ONE way to ensure that hardware upgrades in the future will be possible and that is by ditching anything that is proprietary.

If you think that spending $250-ish dollars is "buying a whole new PC", then you must live somewhere that the rest of us do not.
If you think everyone has $250ish to drop on a PC when much less will be sufficient to continue current use, you must live somewhere the rest of us do not.
 

King_V

Illustrious
Ambassador
I think the Inspiron 3670 has a standard ATX-sized PSU, though, as mentioned, it uses a proprietary, 12V only 8-pin connector to the motherboard.

If the measurements are exactly the same as a standard ATX PSU, then you can get a normal ATX PSU, and get one of the 8-pin-to-24-pin adapters that are available (moddiy is the source I see mentioned often).

I have done this successfully on an old Precision T1700 that I acquired for free. It's a Haswell era system, though, and, that I got it for free means that there's no big loss if something does fail.

BUT... I haven't found a clear enough picture at a good angle, or anything that gives measurements, for me to be 100% certain that the PSU in it is in fact standard-ATX sized. There are sometimes strange bumps, stops, etc., built in the case that limit you to PSUs that are no more than the length of what came with it, etc.
 
A poor quality "OEM Huntkey built" unit, that probably, almost certainly, can't handle more than about 350w, at best.

Now, 350w is "probably" enough for most GTX 1650's, except that if you have one that requires an auxiliary power connection, then it's either a Super model, or another more greedy model of the base card, because most of them don't require any auxiliary power at all. So, the ones that do, call for a minimum of a decent 400w PSU and that PSU I could just about guarantee isn't going to reliably provide more than about 300w sustained, consistently, and reliably.

So, this was not the PSU that you were looking for, even though it fit the bill. Certainly there might be some other factors involved, I won't dispute that and it's totally "possible" that the PSU isn't the problem, but I really doubt it.