What to do?

K, so I have a crappy Dell Dimension 4500, yeah, it's been upgraded and whatnot, but still.

Yesterday, I purchased a 7800GS, and a 19" Widescreen monitor.

Here's the problem, the video card needs a 400W power supply. My Dell only has a 250W. Some people are saying if I bought a new power supply, it won't fit the Dell's case. I don't have much money...and...yeah.

I hope the video card fits as well. ?

What am I supposed to do now?

You can buy aftermarket Dell PSU's, but a 400w model for your PC won't be cheap -- and cheap isn't exactly something you should be thinking of when you shop for PSU's. The PSU is one of the most critical yet overlooked components people put in their PC's. They'll spend $2000+ on system components to build a rig, but skimp on a $40 PSU (there ARE a few quality $40 PSU's out there if you research, but most people just buy the first cheapest one they find). Then they wonder why the PSU blows and takes out half their system. In the old days it was much less crucial than now, because now high-power CPU's and videocards demand so much power that the PSU bar has risen dramatically. "Death by PSU" is becoming increasingly common nowadays.

PSU's are not all rated the same -- a 300W quality PSU will outperform a 500W cheap import. Therefore don't be fooled by the listed wattage.

The best PSU's are made by PC Power & Cooling, and they just so happen to make a 410W replacement model for your 4500. However retail price is $120 and I don't seem any retailers at the moment who sell it (PriceGrabber and Newegg came up empty).

http//www.pcpower.com/products/viewproduct.php?show=S41D2

After a brief search, this was the only 400+ watt PSU for your Dell I found. If you don't want to put that much money into an old system, then I recommend you spring for a new case & PSU -- the motherboard will probably fit unless it's a proprietary formfactor too.

Thank you.

Do you think buying a case with a PSU at Best Buy would work. I'm not looking to spend much money.

Or do you think that my 250W is fine. I heard somewhere that Dell shows the mean of the wattage, so the actual wattage of the PSU is 345 Watts.

Hmm.

Thanks though,
Craig

It's true that Dell PSU's are normally underrated, so that 250W is probably closer to a 300W or maybe a 350W (as other PSU makers would rate it). So you can try. If your system boots and runs stable, you should be alright. Try running 3DMark06 or some other heavy duty video workout overnight. If it's still running in the morning, then your PSU will probably hold up.

I don't recommend buying from B&M stores -- especially Best Buy -- unless you're either in a huge rush, or they have a sale. You can always beat their prices online. However if you do buy there, and intend to use the PSU that comes with the case, then buy an Antec. Their PSU's are decent, especially when you move above their cheapest cases. But if you go for something like a Sonata II, you'll be paying $120+ for the case & PSU at Best Buy. It looks like BB does sell a cheap $82 Antec case with a 380W PSU that would probably be sufficient. Be aware however that higher end cases, like the Antec Stainless Steel looking case that BB also sells, do NOT come with a PSU at all.

Virtually all PSU's that come with off-brand cases (and even some branded cases) are total crap and should be replaced. So you're better off buying an Antec case with an Antec PSU if you're not willing to buy separate components.

Ditto.

Beware Aspire cases with included PSUs too. They often sell with rebranded Deer PSUs. (Awful)

Heh. I'll have to check it out either today or tomorrow, depending when my packages get delivered.

Thanks for the help so far guys. Much appreciated. +KMA for David and +KMA for Tholek. I'll get to you tomorrow Tholek. ;)

Thanks again,
Craig

[quotef6cdb4b7b1="TFOAF"]Heh. I'll have to check it out either today or tomorrow, depending when my packages get delivered.

Thanks for the help so far guys. Much appreciated. +KMA for David and +KMA for Tholek. I'll get to you tomorrow Tholek. ;)

Thanks again,
Craig[/quotef6cdb4b7b1]

I get no karma for helping you (

[quoteba2c036c85="ffactoryxx"]I get no karma for helping you ([/quoteba2c036c85]

You didn't help him.

[quoteeffdc7b54d="KeithA"][quoteeffdc7b54d="ffactoryxx"]I get no karma for helping you ([/quoteeffdc7b54d]

You didn't help him.[/quoteeffdc7b54d]

I talked to him on aim and offered suggestions on cases, power supplies and what to do including different computing forums to psot on for help )

[quote0f2df3d85e="ffactoryxx"][quote0f2df3d85e="KeithA"][quote0f2df3d85e="ffactoryxx"]I get no karma for helping you ([/quote0f2df3d85e]

You didn't help him.[/quote0f2df3d85e]

I talked to him on aim and offered suggestions on cases, power supplies and what to do including different computing forums to psot on for help )[/quote0f2df3d85e]
Oh shit! That was you. P

I had no idea who you were when you posted. P

Alright, my bad, you get karma tomorrow. ;)

ffactoryxx, you gots your karmas. ;)

Thanks.

You get yours tomorrow, Tholek.

I hate sloppy seconds... ;)

For the Record, I'm not sure if Dell changed this, but the ATX Connector on their motherboards and on their PSU's were always altered in the past, so when doing PSU replacements on Dell's We could only ever use DELL PSU's, never generic or other name-brand PSUs as it was said to possibly "fry" the motherboard...

again this was some time ago, not sure if this was ever changed tho?

[quote1182c79046="shaggz"]For the Record, I'm not sure if Dell changed this, but the ATX Connector on their motherboards and on their PSU's were always altered in the past, so when doing PSU replacements on Dell's We could only ever use DELL PSU's, never generic or other name-brand PSUs as it was said to possibly "fry" the motherboard...

again this was some time ago, not sure if this was ever changed tho?[/quote1182c79046]
Correct, some Dell systems use custom power connectors. But other manufacturers -- like PCP&C that I mentioned -- make compatible replacement PSU's for those Dells.

What TFOAF has to be careful of, is if his mobo requires that special power connector. If it does, then he'll need a new mobo as well, because a standard ATX PSU won't have the connection he needs. I don't think he'll fry the mobo without it, it just wouldn't boot up.

TFOAF, you might want to check into that. I don't know what mobo your 4500 has, so I don't know if it's proprietary or not. If so, you'd probably spend less overall buying that $120 PSU from PCP&C, than a new case+PSU+mobo. Of course you'd be on your way to building a better PC if you bought the right mobo, but it's going to cost a bit more.

Sorry if Im intruding but quick question dmorris, would a 300w PSU work for a 7600GT?

[quote18e9b0f9c1="Lightliquid"]Sorry if Im intruding but quick question dmorris, would a 300w PSU work for a 7600GT?[/quote18e9b0f9c1]

It should

http//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814122245

Look at the system req.

Yeah a 300W would probably work, especially if it's a quality PSU, but I'd consider it a bare minimum.

K, Tholek, you have your KMA now. Everyone has their KMA. I'm going to see if I can install the stuff today. )

Hey, grab some thumbscrews if the case has none too. ;)

Alrighty. Well, I'm running my computer right now with my 7800GS and my monitor. All is well. D

And my monitor is currently @ 4ms response time, 75 Hz, DVI mode (supports both DVI & VGA), and a res of 1440x900. D

I love it. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! D

Also, F.E.A.R. was beautiful and played as smooth as ever. And I left my computer on for a good half of the day, and it stayed fine. My video card's temperature was at 58 C, and when my computer is idle, it's at 42 C. So I think my computer's gunna be fine. D

Thanks for the help guys.