Replacing the PSU on a Dell XPS 8100

[Ramadonis]

Hello again! This is my on going struggle to find the right PSU / GPU combo for this thing. After stumbling into a youtube video of someone will the same PC with an upgraded PSU, he also had the GPU I had been interesting in purchasing in his system so that solved the issue on if it would fit in the case or not.

Now all that is left is the PSU. I've only done minor PC upgrades; RAM, video cards. >_> Hotswapped a Xbox HDD to fix a broken Dashboard... nothing as crazy as replacing a PSU. Anyone have any pointers? Maybe a site with a tutorial on what goes where and what not?

Also, I heard that upgrading the PSU would void my warranty... any truth behind that? I spoke to DELL customer support and the rep said doing so would not void it. However, beforehand I spoke with two separate service reps on the issue with the GPU. One rep said that the GTX 260 would run no problems on the stock 350W PSU. I could get a HD 5770 and it would run no sweat.

An hour later I decided that sounded fishy so I spoke with another rep. He said that I would NEED to upgrade my PSU and could not answer when I asked why would I if DELL sells the XPS 8100 with a GTX 260 GPU option...

Derailing my own topic, my apologies. So my questions this time are, how does one go about removing / installing a PSU?

Would this be a good PSu to invest in??

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015

Or this one??

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

Thanks for the input!

 

[o1die]

The corsair should work fine. But remove your old dell ps first and inspect the connectors. Most newer dells don't have any special proprietary connections, but it's better to check it before ordering. Only 4 screws hold the ps in place. Unplug it before removing any connectors. The main atx 24 pin you sqeeze before pulling it off. Same for the 4 or 8 pin 12v connector.

 

[Lmeow]

^+1, I'd pick the Corsair.

 

[delluser1]

^+1, I'd pick the Corsair.

I prefer the Corsair, but would take the Antec in this situation.
It's going into a Dell, the cable sleeving and longer wire lengths on the Corsair make it more difficult to route and hide the wires.


OP
The warranty wouldn't be voided, it just won't cover the psu.
If you needed to call Dell support for a hardware issue they would request that you put the original psu back in so that the upgraded unit could be ruled out as being part of the problem.

 

[Ramadonis]

Thank you for the info! There are alot of posts saying that removing the PSU would void warranty around. I even had a Dell rep saying so last night but this morning another rep said exactly what Delluser1 reported. They seriously need to work on their customer service.

 

[Ramadonis]

Best answer selected by ramadonis.