Why does my geforce 550 pci card not work in my dell 3100

[kellyeld85]

Hello,
I Have bought a geforce 5500 for my dell dimension 3100 but when I put it in no signal is received from either my onboard VGA or the graphic card

 

[rolli59]

You plugged the monitor cable into the 550? Your PSU is big enough and power cable is plugged into the card?

 

[yeungl]

DO you have the extra power provided to the card?

 

[k1114]

The dimension 3100 comes with a 230w psu, the 550ti is recommended 400w. Assuming you did not upgrade the psu, the pc isn't getting enough power so it isn't turning on. (the fans may spin up but it doesn't post)

 

[cps1974]

based on answers above I thought you might struggle to find a decent mATX power supply @ 400w or above.

seems not, according to these folks a standard ATX psu would be fine.

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/p/19361125/19806917.aspx

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim3100/en/sm/parts0.htm#wp1354645


I myself have replaced stock Dell XPS 420 PSU (400/500w ish) and that was mATX system. I replaced with a nice new ATX 750w or 850w PSU - went fine even in the limited space I had to work with in the mATX case. be warned that your cable tidying after the PSU swap might not be as good as Dells and if you struggle with temperatures you will want as cable tidy box as possible - just take your time figuring the best method to stop the cables blocking the airflows - youll be fine, check the space requirements for the PSU vs the actual dimensions of a new psu.

something like should be ok for you, please do some more checking yourself...

http://www.ebuyer.com/268696-coolermaster-450w-gx-psu-rs450-acaad3-uk



- if I still have the stock Dell XPS 420 psu you are welcome to it - let me know, it worked fine but was not enough for my system with ATI HD 4870 - I live in the UK btw

chaz