thr0xx

hey, i recently ran the power supply calculator at http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp , it told me i need a 293w PSU. mine is a dell 250w. i have a dell dimension 4600i pc. it is a 2.66ghz, has 1.2gb of DDR ram, geforce 6200 256mb DDR. dell told me that the only psu that will fit in my computer is this one: http://www.pcpower.com/products/view...php?show=S41D2 . while it is 410w which would be plenty for me, it seems a tad expensive compared to other 410w power supplies i have seen. is this a good PSU for the money or what ???

twajetmech

Normally we advise to add 30% to whatever the psu calculator gives you.....thus your 293W requirement is actually 380W. PC Power & Cooling makes the best psu's in the business, and while they are a bit expensive, you do get what you're paying for. Most of the other "Dell" psu's I see advertised are from Bytec or some other very low quality psu mfg and are simply junk. For what its worth I'm running on a PC Power & Cooling's 510 ATX deluxe psu.

PanamaGal

Take a look at this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151022

thr0xx

will this one fit in my system? cause dell told me that the only one that would fit is the one i posted earlier.

PanamaGal

Looking at the size and specs of the one you listed, I don't see any reason why the Seasonic would not work. As far as what Dell said, I can only say that I would believe about half of whatever Dell told me.

mattlock

Appears to be a standard ATX power supply. Here's the best bang for your buck.
Antec Trio 550w $65+S&H.
http://shop1.outpost.com/product/499...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Kalim

The PCP&C Silencer 410 is low in efficiency and only rated 40C tops.
It's dimensions are 150 x 86 x 140 (W x H x D) in mm. They are usually over priced for the average customer.

The SeaSonic S12 380W is exactly the same dimensions but better all round, since it's also newer.

The Antec TP3 550W is 149 x 85 x 140 in mm.

Take your pick, although I'm with the Antec here due to the tremendous price and future proofing at no quality loss.

thr0xx

am i gonna have to worry about getting any adapters or anything to make it work? because i have heard some bad things about dell being compatible with other hardware.

twajetmech

The mobo is a custom Intel D865VP made spesifically for Dell by Intel

thr0xx

so your saying only go with what dell tells me or...?

twajetmech

Have a read of this....http://www.quepublishing.com/article...?p=339053&rl=1 ....then decide what you want to do.
While the ATX connectors on a Dell psu look the same they are wired differently than those on a std ATX psu, thus Dell directed you to a mfg that makes psu's that comply to Dell's wiring and in some cases custom size

linderman

TWA is 100% correct, I would not just "plunder" into trying another PSU without verification which is rather easy to verify which you have
standard or propriatary




remove your main plug from your motherboard connector that originates from the PSU (make sure you pull the plug from the wall first OF course!!)


then compare the color of the wires in YOUR psu connector to the standard wiring pattern here

http://pinouts.ru/Power/atxpower_pinout.shtml

this link has BOTH 20 pin and 24 pin standard pinouts

pay attention to the square pin on YOUR plug and on the atx plug in the link; that your orientation point for comparision

if they are NOT the same, there is still another solution but its too early to discuss that >>>>>

Kalim

Dell sold proprietary MB/PSUs before a certain time - I forget which, possibly '98 to end of '05. Usually only older desktops, mainly the Dimension except the 4500 and 4600. And with most desktops since then the PSUs have been standard ATX.

If it's proprietary in the case of P4s, then it'll have a 20-pin connector without orange 3.3V rails and an additional 6-pin Aux connector with the 3.3V and ground rails.

The Dimension 4600 I've seen never had proprietary PSUs. They were standard ATX.

PanamaGal

Kalim is correct. We have replaced power supplies on Dells for the last several years (since 2001) with standard ATXs and have had zero issues.

linderman

its a very good idea to compare pinouts; an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

thr0xx

ok ill open her up and take a look, ill post what i have shortly.

thr0xx

ugh, sorry guys im on my brothers laptop, my mom had surgery today and i wont be able to get home to check my comp, i will update with what i got as soon as i can.

twajetmech

Take care of your Mom, I wish her a speedy recovery, we'll be here when you return.

thr0xx

ok so i looked at my psu connector and it has 20 pins available but in one of them there isnt anything in it, so it really has 19. i checked the atx website provided earlier and it doesnt match the picture provided. the colors are:

1st row left to right
orange,blue,black,green,black,black,black,none,red,red

2nd row left to right
orange,orange,black,red,black,red,black,gray,purple,yellow

im not to familiar with psu's but i think it is atx compatible but if can anyone confirm this?

mattlock

Yes Thr0xx, that's a standard ATX PSU, and the Antec Trio 550w for around 70$ shipped is still about the best deal you can get without a rebate.

http://shop4.outpost.com/product/499...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG