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Installing a new Video card on my Dell Dimension 5100 need confirmation

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  #21  
Old 07-16-2006
TechSpot Enthusiast
 
Location: Harrisburg, PA USA
Member since: Jan 2006, 544 posts
System specs
Quote:
Originally Posted by chas0039
Dell is notorious for PSU/MBs that are non-standard. The worst will accept a standard plug and then fry. So check with Dell before you plug anything into your motherboard.
His Dell has the standard Hipro PSU but it was good of you to mension this for people with older dells. The 305W PSU made by hipro that is currently shipping with systems and a few of the older P4 (I believe the demension 4700 and newer for mid-end and the 8400 and newer on the high end) have standard PSUs but all P2,P3 Dells and some of the older P4s snd celerond have a pin configuration that looks like and fits a standard ATX connector but the voltages are different. A good PSU will not allow you to fry the system because the protection will kick in(before I knew about dell's non standard PSUs I tried to install an Antec PSU but it refused to start and the alarm in the PSU went off) but cheaper PSUs usually dont have this protection and will fry a dell board with nonstandard connections.

Last edited by dmill89; 07-16-2006 at 12:51 AM..
  #22  
Old 09-06-2007
cubecompMTDX's Avatar
TechSpot Member
 
Location: Huntersville, NC
Member since: Jun 2007, 88 posts
System specs
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rage_3K_Moiz
Try this video card instead.
Video Card
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...648387&CatId=0
PSU
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...621514&CatId=0
It's a good card and hopefully, paired with the above PSU will be within ur budget.
Instead of buying the Coolmax V-400 from tigerdirect, save $20+ by buying it from the better trusted newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817159045
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  #23  
Old 09-07-2007
kpo6969's Avatar
TechSpot Booster
 
Location: Eastern Pennsylvania, USA
Member since: Jun 2007, 863 posts
System specs
You do NOT need a new psu to run that card. Your 305w psu has 22amps. I have the same psu in a Dimension E521 and run a 8600GT. Your stock psu is good for up to a 8600GTS or 7900GT. The 7600GT uses 36w, the 7900GT uses 48w, and the 8600GTS uses 47w. Mine uses 43w.
  #24  
Old 09-07-2007
Rage_3K_Moiz's Avatar
TechSpot Evangelist
 
Location: Sharjah, UAE
Member since: Sep 2005, 6,582 posts
System specs
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubecompMTDX
Instead of buying the Coolmax V-400 from tigerdirect, save $20+ by buying it from the better trusted newegg.
Batmaniac lives in Ontario, Canada. So there's no chance of him using Newegg.
  #25  
Old 09-08-2007
cubecompMTDX's Avatar
TechSpot Member
 
Location: Huntersville, NC
Member since: Jun 2007, 88 posts
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oh, but there's other sites that sell that thing for way less than tigerdirect. I have seen them. Google search coolmax v-400.