Dell power supplies

[DrugCzarOfPortu]

Hi all, TechSpot newbie requesting assitance.

I searched for an answer to my problems, but found none. See, I bought a Radeon X800 Pro. Now that's all dandy, but it needs a 300 watt power supply. I see you shaking your heads, you know where this is going.

Anyway, I do understand, thanks to your forum, that Dell does not use teh standard power supply setup, and that i could fry my motherboard with an upgrade.

I also know their is an adaptor available to fix the problem. The issue is that, everywhere i go to purchase an adaptor it states that Dimension 8200 systems (the kind I have) do not need the adaptor. One site claimed the 8200 doesn't even use the proprietary power supply, and a run of teh mill purchase will suffice.

So, I need to know If the Dimension 8200 uses the proprietary power supply and if I nedd the adaptor OR if this has all been a great big waste of time and i can just go and buy any old power supply.

(Oh, and if you could direct me to a specific power supply, that would be great.)

-Thanks-

 

[Astro]

Since this is an issue that could void your warranty I would really suggest you contact Dell or also ask this on the Dell Support site message boards. Frying a motherboard is never a pleasant experience. I am sure that you are hearing good information, but if I were you, I would want a Dell employee to tell me everything would be fine, and also get their name so just in case something goes wrong, you have a way of getting reimbursement from Dell.

If you get a new psu, just make sure it isn't a Raidmax brand (cough, cough, yuck).

 

[DrugCzarOfPortu]

How do I contact them? They seem to be a very shadowy group.

 

[Astro]

Their forums are at http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums and if you go to support.dell.com they have an online chat support thing also. All I am saying is that you really need to be absolutely positively sure before you replace it.

Edit: Also try http://support.dell.com/support/top...re/en/contact_us?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn . That seems to be a pretty good link there.

Edit #2: Looks like you aren't the only one with an 8200 that wants to upgrade their psu. Apparently a standard psu won't physically fit inside the Dell case unless you specifically order one that says "fits Dell cases" or something like that. Wattage wise it appears you are ok with >250. http://forums.us.dell.com/supportfo...her&message.id=207346&query.id=321833#M207346

 

[DrugCzarOfPortu]

I posted on their forums, but I breezed through other topics that ask what I am asking. No one is told what FORMAT or TYPE of power supply to get (ATX standard or not). The big posters just grunt, tell them to search topics next time, and then tell them to go to PC Power and Cooling. But I looked at teh prices for the power supply.

$150! While I have got the money, I'd rather not spend it on something that I could possibly get cheaper elsewhere. I asked a firend of mine to take a looks, and he agreed. $150 for a power supply is asking a lot, especially when I don't even know if I need to buy it form them.

ADDED: I checked the PC Power and Cooling site. If my Dimension 8200, does run an ATX standard, there are far cheaper ones I could buy from them, but their selector automatically sends me to the pricey one. I don't get it.

 

[RealBlackStuff]

Do a bit of homework first.
Beg, steal or borrow a regular ATX PSU (any brand will do). Compare the wire colors and positions of the 20-pin connector that goes from PSU to mobo. If both are the same, than you can buy any other PSU you like.
If they are NOT the same, then the only difference would be in the position of some of the colored wires, and you can still buy any old ATX PSU. Just swap the wires to meet the Dell-configuration.