Dell 4600 -- Power Supply fail

[bussaca]

I am helping a friend with her computer... when you push the power button -- nothing happens. Went through all of the trouble shooting with Dell, and they said that i need a new power supply unit. According to them, her PC has Part # M0148, 250 Watt, Non PFC, SATA ready.

I would not want to buy the part from Dell, as they appear to have issues with Power Supply units. But, I also read that you have to buy Dell because they have some proprietary stuff going on.

So -- couple of questions, can I (should I) buy more thean 250 Watts. Can anyone reccomend a PSU that will work in her computer that I could buy at a typical computer store???

Thank You so much, the folks at Dell were of no help and I trust the people here!!!

Chris

 

[Racktracker]

If you have a little bit of skill with a dremel and a drill, then you can use a standard atx psu rather than paying $100+ for the PC Power & Cooling unit.

I replaced a dell psu last week for $30 (including shipping). The only things that needed to be changed were a hole cut in the back of the case to allow for the on/off switch and a couple of holes drilled to put the mounting screws.

I also replaced the psu in my dell 8250 a few years back with an enermax psu. Had to do the same simple case mods that I mentioned abouve. Not much to it really.

Some of the older dells used proprietary plug configurations, but the all newer ones that I have seen use standard atx plugs.

 

[I]

Compare the motherboard connectors. First the 20 or 24 pin to a diagram for standard ATX. Does it match? If colors are different but consistent mapping to same pin positions, it may still be standard but being an OEM supply they just substituted one color. For example, often blue was used for 12V on some OEM supplies that were standard ATX.

Compare any other connectors to the Dell mobo. What are they? Colors, pin config, etc. Does a standard ATX have them?

Compare the casing shape of the PSU. Some Dell have VERY proprietary shapes, and no substitute is available except from Dell, or through grey market surplus that was (still made for) Dell.

These standard pin positions, voltages (can be checked with multimeter if necessary), and casing dimensions are easily found via Google search.

The original Dell label will also give indication of anything unique electrically, like if there were an additional rail for 3.3VSB (which IS rarely used by some OEMs/models).

IF the case can accept a std ATX (or can be made to fit by dremeling or whatever as other poster mentioned), yes you might do well to consider higher than 250W, but don't think watts alone, think about which rail voltage is most taxed and buy a PSU with more current output on that rail - from a manufacturer you trust to rate accurately, buying a $25 "600W" PSU isn't such a smart move, for example.

You write "Dell 4600". That is not a system, it is a brand and model # but not family #. Did you know there is a 4600 server? We might assume it's a Dimension PC instead, but if we were to keep playing odds making assumptions, it is bound to be wrong a certain % of the time, especially when someone is asking about trying substitutions of std parts, as if there might be a reason they couldn't.

Anyway, from what I vaguely recall of a similar system, which looked the same but may or may not be a 4600, it had a std. ATX PSU. Don't rely on this, compare to std. specs as mentioned above.

You might also check HERE, not only for a 4600 supply but other Dell supplies as when an OEM does something proprietary, they tend to try to use the form factor and pinout on multiple models to whatever extent is prudent at the time, it saves costs and parts some. Compare to pics and substitute part numbers, glen all data and do cross-references to other sources of info to compare if you do end up needing something proprietary.

If the only limitation were that it was an odd shape only available from Dell, it could end up costing no more and you could end up with a better PSU by buying a whole new case that accepts a std shape/dimension PSU, as some of Dell's cost quite a lot for what they are.

 

[joefriday]

I am helping a friend with her computer... when you push the power button -- nothing happens. Went through all of the trouble shooting with Dell, and they said that i need a new power supply unit. According to them, her PC has Part # M0148, 250 Watt, Non PFC, SATA ready.

I would not want to buy the part from Dell, as they appear to have issues with Power Supply units. But, I also read that you have to buy Dell because they have some proprietary stuff going on.

So -- couple of questions, can I (should I) buy more thean 250 Watts. Can anyone reccomend a PSU that will work in her computer that I could buy at a typical computer store???

Thank You so much, the folks at Dell were of no help and I trust the people here!!!

Chris

Your 4600 uses a regular old ATX PSU. Any aftermarket one will work. There will be no modification needed of the case b/c it is the non-clamshell design. Buy any PSU you want. Dell stopped installing PSUs with proprietary connectors sometime at the end of the 20th century.

 

[bussaca]

Thanks everyone for your replies... (and yes, it was a Dimension 4600) -- I did buy the PC Power Supply Unit -- The Dimension 4600 powered up just fine but now it appears that her hard drive is not working... It does not recognize that there is even a hard drive.

I guess that it wasn't my day to be a good samaritan!

Chris

 

[XoLore]

Bummer on the trouble with the HDD. I suppose if I saw this earlier I could have chimed in. I have a Dimension 4600 (I'm using it right now) and had the power supply die on me. I replaced it with a standard ATX PSU with no trouble at all. Seems you've got that figured out now anyway.
The only thing I'd think with the hard drive would be to hook it to another computer and see if it'll work that way. It could help try to figure out whether it really is the HDD or if it's something else.