# dell power supply...



## mrdrummerboy

hi,

my dell power supply has died on me and dell want to take my computer away to replace the power unit. this would be great but they have also said that they will probably replace the harddrive aswell just incase, even though there is quite clearly nothing wrong with it. but i don't want to the harddrive replacing as it contains data that i would rather not loose if possible. 

anyway, to get to my question i want to know what power supplies will be suitable for my Dimension 8400 with little, or even better no modifications needed to any of the casing so i can fit it myself. anyone got any suggestions? i know dell use propietery parts but i've heard of people fitting none dell power supplies in dell pcs before. 

any help will be much appreciated.

thanks.
sam.


----------



## oldmn

From the looks of the replacement HERE It looks to be a standard powersupply. You would want to compare the two side byside.


----------



## dai

dell are supposed to be using standard supplies form the p4 onwards


----------



## twajetmech

If by chance you do need a Dell proprietary psu...pc power & cooling has them !


----------



## jflan

You need to check with Dell first, as to whether or not you have a "mainstream" PS or a Dell proprietory PS.

Regards,
JF


----------



## mrdrummerboy

thanks for the help everybody. to update you all...

after speaking to dell i arranged to have a replacement power supply sent to me. this arrived this morning but i have now fitted it and the computer has no signs of life atall, whereas before the motherboard had the green led on and the amber light on the front panel flashed amber. i have tried putting the original PS back in and once again i get the green led and amber light. this leads me to think that the replacement ps dell have sent me is even more faulty than the one it is replacing! 

out of interest...if when the power supply failed it had taken out the motherboard, would the green led on the mobo still light up?


----------



## dai

the green light indicates power to the m/b,can you slave the drive in another computer and save what you need from it
if the supply went it could have taken just about any other component with it
is it under warranty


----------



## Mullet Man

You can use a standard ATX power supply in that Dell. 
If Dell is willing to fix it, the get the HD out, hook it to another PC to get your info saved, and let Dell fix it for free while it is under warranty. They may just get you a new PC altogether.


----------



## ksteiger

Is the rocker switch on the back of the new power supply turned on?


----------



## dawheels

I too have a Dell Dimension 8400 and have choosen to upgrade my video card to a GeForce 7900 GT. However, once I got the card, I realized my orginal power supply wasn't sufficent. So I contacted Dell and they told me that my psu is a standard atx connection.

I guess #1 is there anyway I can verify this (not that I don't trust Dell... and not that I do  ) 

#2, this is a PCI-Express board and graphic card, I guess I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on what kind of psu to get. I was thinking min of 500 watts since its recommended to have atleast 400+ watts and suggested 500+ watts for this graphic card. I really don't want to have to modify my case if I don't have to. I do realize that this card also takes 2 connectors to it from the psu instead of one. So I guess I am wondering if there's PCI ready standard atx connection psu and that would have 2 connectors.

Thanks


----------



## ebackhus

The important thing here is that the +12v line have at LEAST 24a for that card. A good PSU won't lie about what it puts out and it's worth the extra money.


----------



## dai

dell went to standard atx from the P4 onwards
go for a 550w+


----------



## UrbanSurvival

Hi all, first post here and cant wait to get an answer to this one as game play has all but stopped. 

I have a Dell 8400 with the original X300 graphics card. Wanting to upgrade to the ATI 1800XT but the Power supply wont cope by a long way. The PSU fitted seems to be a non standard layout from the back. Image attached below. Can you recommend a PSU that will fit this chasis layout? Also is the heatsink on the CPU standard? This looks like it could hinder the fan I've seen on many Power Supplies.

Any help, much appreciated.

Thanks,


----------



## dai

the bottom fan draws heat from the cpu through the power supply and out the rear
from the P4 on a standard atx supply should fit
when you look at the specs of an advertised supply,you usually see the mesurements of it listed


----------



## UrbanSurvival

Hi,

Thanks for the quick reply! The measurements are all fine, the issue is that the chasis is fixed and only has a smallish recess for the power lead. Most cases have a larger openening to accomodate a range of placement options for the power lead. From one of the links above I saw the Silencer 470 would work (not sure on voltage as I'm in the UK) but would cost over $200 delivered.

The other issue is that the standard 350W Dell PSU only delivers 13A on the 12V rail which seems very low.

thanks again.


----------



## dai

agp min 18a
pcie min 24a
so you will be looking around the 550w min
http://www.microdirect.co.uk/ProductInfo.aspx?ProductID=9435&GroupID=635
http://www.advancetec.co.uk/acatalog/info_258.html


----------



## UrbanSurvival

Thanks dai, 

I'm probably missing something as I'm new to this game, cant see how to modify the case to fit the power supply though. the 2nd image I attached shows the fixed chasis with cut outs for the fan and power lead. Would I need to take the case apart and expand the existing cut outs / cut new ones? 

Cheers,


----------



## dai

i am not familiar with dell cases,if they are using standard supplies one should slide out and the new one in
usually the back of the case is an open slot and you slide the unit back and put in the 4 screws to secure it
if you have to cut a hole in the back,you will have to be very careful that no fine specs of metal drop into the case if you do not strip it down first


----------



## Jenksy

Ye the dell box isn't standard.
I'm currently in the same predicament, buying from the US or trying to adapt a standard ATX unit. I also have an 8300 system and to get an ATX unit fitted you would have cut out a large chunk of the top part of the backplate in order for the fan, on/off switch and power adapter to fit in. Although with the order from the states costing almost 90 pounds it might be worth the hassle !


----------

