Zondasc12

OK Well I had a dell xps m-170 laptop witha nice rig. But About 1 week ago it died I took it to my local pc repair shop and they said that the only way its gonna get fixed is sending it into dell. (Which I dont want to pay $150 for them to look) and then cost of a new mobo and or graphics card because it had a 6800 Ultra in it but anyways.

Now Back to the real problem I figured I could build a better Gaming Pc then i could get out of my laptop so I stole my mothers computer its a dell 4600i its stock with nothing but 1 gb of ram THis is the basic info in the dxdiag. Anyways I wanted to get a 8800gts from newegg but that seems to cause alot of problems. For one I have never messed with computers other then popping in some ram. I really have no idea on what 8800 i should get and what fits my mobo. I do know that Im going to need a new Power Supply considering this only has a 250 watt powersupply and the 8800 needs at least 400 watt. Can you guys help me out. I am willing to give you guys all the information you need to help me and im willing to learn. I read on another spot on the forums (I searched) and A guy had a 4600i and you guys hooked him up with a power supply.

Basically I am wondering if i could accidently over do it on my mobo or I should just buy a new one. I read that the dell parts are made for dells and sometimes people have a difficult time upgrading and i should replace the motherboard and the power supply at the same time. I just don't wanna get stuck in a spot were im gonna have to buy a entire pc again i figure i can slvage what ever I can on this computer. So I thought I'd Ask. Thanks in advance

=/ Jonathan

1 g0t 0wn3d

The 8800 is going to take a quality 700+ watt psu

tre54321

A full system with a 8800GTS will require a recommended of 26A on the 12v (combined) rail to work properly. (of course, really depends on what sort of system you would be using as well) If you can however, don't go stingy on the PSU of course. A better PSU enables you to choose not to change your PSU AGAIN when you're doing upgrades in the future. So let us know what specs you're gonna end up using ya. ;)

Anything with 550w or higher will do for the 8800GTS. Just remember to READ the spec list for a comprehensive layout of the 12v rail rating which is more than important especially when you're powering up your 8800GTS.

Further reading.
http://forums.slizone.com/index.php?showtopic=405
This is for a SLi 8800GTS. Proves that you shouldn't be that worried about wattage, but rail ratings and stability.

ADD: Just for those who are skeptical about what I say, the PCIe x16 interface provides a maximum of 75w, and an external 6pin connector supplies a maximum of another 75w according to Nvidia's specification sheet. So common sense would say a maximum of 150w would be taken out, though this is not that case cause the worse TDP recorded on a 8800GTS was 115w.

1 g0t 0wn3d

I am not skeptical in the least i am positive that running a 8800 short of a antec trio 650 watt... is not the best advice i have heard. My friends 8800 took so much power that it nearly killed his psu (and did kill his card thankfully evga is very good about returns) Sure a 550 watt will run it we are looking at the long run (more then a week) because a psu loses the power it can output over time.

Also you must take into consideration that not even the BEST psu is putting out 100% of the label, more along the lines of 85%. But if you get a psu mid-range that is 80% out put and 700 watts your getting 560 watts of pure power, thats why when you say it would run with a 550 watt you would be correct if it was putting out 100% power, so you were right about the power needed you simply forgot about power inefficiency.

tre54321

I'm sorry but inefficiency is counted this way. =)
Wattage delivered from PSU/Total wattage taken from wall outlet x100%

A very usual statement would be people believing that efficiency should be something which you take off from the stated wattage of the PSU (no worries, I was thought the same, until my senior bashed me to my senses).

But actually, efficiency is truly measured with how much EXTRA the PSU takes out from the outlet. That's why people closely relate efficiency to how much you'll save from your electricity bill. =)

For example, I have a PSU delivering 450w to my computer. (assume some mad sli computer which sucks that wattage)
It takes out 500w from the power outlet.

450/500 x100% = 90%

that is the rated efficiency. =) Some googling might help if, well, you don't quite believe me. *bitter laugh* No worries though, here to help and learn. Went through learning phase myself, did tons of mistakes as well. =)

1 g0t 0wn3d

Sorry about that, i simple forgot about that part =), ohh.....ok i remember the heat on the psu causes it to lose power? My memoreys is alittle hazzy its late but somthing like 12watts lost for every 1c over the tested temp (normally an unrealistic 25c, high quallity 50c)

I have to sleep lolill be back in the morning to see if i remembered the full thing, also the psus effecency is also a general hint at the quallity of the unit

tre54321

No worries. =) I don't wanna bash up others like how my senior bashed me up. lol... That was really something which gave me inferior complexity. We're all here to learn and improve, no?

And yea, efficiency do go down when heat increases. Rather simple stuff due to the fact resistance increases I believe.

Well, efficiency is of course important. No good PSU manufacturer will want to slap low efficiency on their PSU. =) Better parts = lesser heat lost = lesser energy being wasted, which also = more expensive PSU.

As for your friend's case, the Antec is definitely a good choice, I've saw an Antec 430w going 4 years of modding and torture without giving any hints of problems. However, if you want we can continue this in PM as I don't wanna be considered as spamming here. =) I am kinda interested in your friend's comp specs and previous PSU actually. =) Glad to know your friend's PC is alright now though.

A note to Threadstarter. Of course, if you can, do not be skimpy on the PSU, that's what I would tell and preach to everyone in this world. However, it makes common sense not to overspend as well, since you don't want a 200USD component to just be working at a 100USD component range, right? =) Therefore budget statement is important in working out what you should be buying. =)

speedster123

http://www.techsupportforum.com/hard...selection.html

Buy the 650 trio, the cost difference between the 650 and the 550 are negligible, as of last week.

tre54321

However though, how much does the Antec 650 Trio cost as of now? I can easily that this PSU is originally made by Seasonic from the interior. Pretty good stuff if it is retailing at $119 from newegg and if Threadstarter doesn't have problems buying em.

PS: Antec in my country is pretty jacked up overpriced. Nearly about 50~100% of the price of newegg, however our shipping Customs is another pain.

Zondasc12

Alrighty, thanks guys but how do you guys know what one to get is there a specific like size plug. Or model number I need or somthing that i can learn so i dont always have to ask for more help i read that the color / order of the wires could tell but im not sure if im getting this correctly. Oh and do you guys know if my motherboard can handle a psu like that and graphics card I eventually plan to basically build my own computer but im learning as I go Im pretty sure I could just get a new motherboard now but im just trying to get a computer working for quake wars =p

1 g0t 0wn3d

The psu is simply high quallity units will work with just about any system because they have adapters built into it.

linderman

whooooowwwwww the 8800 sereis of cards is ONLY PCIExpress

pentium 4 / 3.0 motherboards are mostly AGP unless you have a socket 775 board which I doubt in as much as it came with only a 250 watt PSU = YUCK


as for which power supply the best way is to give us the rough measurements of your existing PSU then we can tell if you need an ATX or micro atx power supply >>>> from there are wiring follows a standard spec

linderman

does this look like your system ??????



http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/del...-30529709.html



dont be relucant to ask a heap of questions, as you learn all the answers from asking, you will avoid all the buying of parts you cant use

thats not fun !


ask away and we can get you on the right path, there are some darn good quality AGP cards available but we need to know your budget and your expectations

linderman

TRE54321


your senior was half right and half wrong


power / wattage efficiency is a very good "indirect" way to determine PSU quality

if a PSU has low efficiency (say 70% minimum standard) then its not capable of nearly even delivering its "sticker" wattage

the less than 80% efficient power supply units tend to always use a bogus 25C environmental temperature rating to test their PSU unit output, as soon as that unit is placed into a case in REAL 40C temps >>>> that purchased 500 watt JUNK psu drops down to real delivery of about 250 / 300 watts of power

so in essence; even though the "purist" will argue that efficiency is ONLY related to a factor of inefficient power usuage.
The indirect result is more in line with what Got0wned was saying and accurately so. Power supplies that have an efficiency rating of less than 80% will not deliver the power on their sticker! that is a fact, unless you can maintain your internal PSU box @ 25 degrees C LOL

thanks for sharing a misconception that works in BOTH directions

Zondasc12

Well I did some looking and it is a agp slot I just saw it on the motherboard in tiny letters. I measured it its about 6in by 5.5in by 3.75in. My sister accually burn up a powersupply about last year and our computer repair shop got her a 400w Colorsit powersupply http://www.colors-it.com.cn/03_produ...n_id_search=21 its the same size and everything, not sure if that helps =p almost the same dell just a year earlier. But about my budget I am really up for anything less then like a thousand dollars I really want a nice rig to brag about but of course i want to spend the least amount for the greatest bang anything that will hold me over for a while.

1 g0t 0wn3d

Yes for $1000 you should just open a building thread, upgrading would be a waste of money compared to the speed money value of a new system

Zondasc12

I should look into that i might start a thread and ask around someone is bound to know somthing and help me out. You guys are extremly helpful and i really appreciate it.

1 g0t 0wn3d

K the building section is open for that sort of thing =)

Just post this and your answers as the first pot if you are going to make a build

Budget: How much money are you willing to spend on the new build?


Brands: Are there any brands of components you want or don't want?


Multitasking: Will you be multitasking with this computer and if so, how much?


Gaming: Will you be gaming and if so, how much and how new are the games?


Calculations: Will you be doing any intense calculations or media encoding?


Overclocking: Do you plan on overclocking and if so, how much?


Storage: How much storage will you need and what will you be storing?


Operating System: Do you want Windows XP or Vista, or Linux compatibility?


Case: Do you want help selecting a case and if so, how big do you want it?


Accessories: Do you want a keyboard, mouse, or other items included?


Recycled Components: Will you be reusing any components you already have?


Monitor: If you want a monitor, what size do you want and should it be widescreen?


Stores: Do you have any online stores that you prefer to purchase from?


Location: What country do you live in?

Drunkship

Yikes, does this mean I made a mistake with only getting an OCZ 600W GameXStream PSU with my 8800GTS? Ran BioShock on full settings perfectly... =/

linderman

Time will tell if the 600 watt OCZ was a mistake >>>>>>>


I hope you have plenty of case fans and they better be at full RPM