New Graphics Card/Power Problems

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Hey guys,
after many lost hours of scouring the net, I thought i'd best come to the experts themselves!

Own a 4yr old Dell Dimension 8200
Pentium4, 64MB Nvidia Geforce3 Ti500, 384MB RAM, 110GB, AGP interface.
Believe the power rating to be 250/300W? No idea how to check that out.

Would happily chose the decent Geforce FX6600 256MB. However it states 300/350W required to run.

1. Would my Dell be capable to run this?
2. If not, I know additional power supplies are difficult to find, & for the proper fit (esp. when you don't know what you're doing).

3. So, if not the 6600, what would be the best card down, available on the market for my Dell.

Many thanks
 
what is the PSU wattaqge on your dell? I know they used to use 200 watt power supplies but with the intro of the P4's stepped up to 300 watt PSU's.

open the side of the case on your dell and read the label on the side of the PSU it will tell you if it si a 300 watt PSU. if it is then you shouldnt have a problem since dell used good quality power supplies.
 
from the looks of the case it could house a larger psu most psu's have a standara bolt layout the only thing needed to worry bout is the case size in which case ( as from the picturtes ) it looks like it be big enough , one question to make sure is it a mid tower ? also look at where the psu is located at top rear of case should be bout 3 or so inches high by bout 5.25 inches in width bout 5.5 inches in length . if so yes then u can purchase a psu to fit that case if you want to run with the 6600 series card i suggest a 400 watt minmum for that card .
 
It looks like the Dell 8200 motherboard has a standard ATX connector. Every site I see says the 8100 needs a special adapter, but the 8200 is fine and will work with a standard ATX PSU connector.

What's left is the physical unit itself. I believe the PSU on the 8200 is on some sort of swing/hinge piece that may be difficult to find one that will mount properly inside. You may have to get custom, which will of course void any warranty.

Lastly.. be careful with FX6600... there are FX 5600's and 6600GT. Be sure to keep the "FX" out of the name as the FX series are drastically older/slower and not recommended. The 6600GT is a great budget 3d card and will really breathe some new life into your gaming on that system.
 
You should have a 250w psu, which may be able to run the 6600.
It depends on how much else the power supply is running. How many hard drives do you have, opticals, etc? If you have a fairly basic system you should still have enough power. A 6600 would use about 28w more power than your gf3ti.

If you do need a psu(your pc might crash, or not boot ), and have an atx psu(most modern dells do), then this is pretty decent for $30.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104901
Or this for $40.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104953
 
sound advice, i like it.
i'd missed it the first time around.

Sadly it's a lousy 250W. So that limits things.

Does a 128MB require more power than a 256MB?
Such as in the FX6600, or the next best card down

Basically i'm trying to get the best card i can for what i've got
 
It's those dimensions stated, on the swing/hinge door.
It's a basic system. Just the the two CD drives, C drive & Floppy.

I think i'll go for the 6600, then if i encounter any problems, purchase a 400W psu.

thanks guys, great help
 
be mindfull them cards do require a lil bit of power and may cause system reboots or possible fring of the psu which could in fact cause damage to components as u stated it is 3-4 yrs old 250 watt psu a 6600 gt requires a 350 watt recomended psu and eats up loads of power . i would upgrade the psu as well . just a recomendation ....
 
Thanks,

I'd best go for the new psu first. I'd be kicking myself if i fried the comp.
Sound advice!
 
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