Tom's Hardware > Forum > CPU & Components > Power Supplies, PC Cases & Case Mods > Dell and a new Power Supply
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prodystopian   10-02-2007 at 08:04:15 PM

I have a Dell Dimension, which I bought about 3 years ago. I am planning to build a new PC soon, but have been upgrading individual components. I want to upgrade the video card soon but will likely need a new power supply to do so. I have heard that Dell's require a special power supply. My question is, if I get the Dell power supply, will it fight in another normal ATX case? Or should I wait and pick up a normal size PSU?

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kpo6969   10-02-2007 at 11:56:23 PM
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The Dell 350w psu has 28amps FYI, you may not need an upgrade depending on the card and or age of psu.

------------------------------ P35-DS3L Rev 2 bios F9C l E8400 @ 3.6Ghz @ 1.232v l OCZ Vendetta 2 /LGA775 Bolt-Thru l 4GB G.Skill 8800PI@1000mhz 4:5 @ 1.87v l WD3200AAKS 320GB l Evga 8800GTS 512 l X-Fi Xtreme Music l Corsair HX520 l Antec Sonata III 500 l Vista32 SP2 l Win7 X64 7600
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Wolfshadw   10-03-2007 at 12:33:23 AM
- 0 +

I believe Dell stopped using proprietary components some time ago, but given your system is 3 years old, it may be one of those that did. PC Power and Cooling does make power supplies that are compliant with Dell systems. Take a look at the linked page and see if your system is listed there and what power supplies are available to you.

-Wolf sends

------------------------------ System Specs:
Gigabyte EP43-UD3L Intel Core2Quad Q8400 8 Gig RAM
NVidia Geforce 8800GTS-640/Creative X-FI Extreme Music/Dual-Boot XP-64&Server2008
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Delluser1   10-03-2007 at 04:27:27 AM
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Dell stopped using non standard power supplies on most of it's consumer machines several years ago, if the Dell in question is an 8400 or 4700 the psu is standard size and has a standard ATX pinout, so would be able to be used in a non Dell box.
I hope I've answered this right, you're question goes in a couple of directions.

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by Delluser1 on 10-03-2007 at 04:36:48 AM
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lostandwandering   10-03-2007 at 04:33:01 AM
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Delluser1 wrote :

Dell stopped using non standard power supplies on most of it's consumer machines several years ago, we would need to know the model in order to give a good reccomendation.
A couple of machines from that long ago require a psu without a switch or a little bit of cutting on the back panel to allow for one.



Yeah, it's kinda strange. My high(er) end Dimension 8400 needs one without a switch and my mid-end Dimension 4700 can take any standard unit. Strange how Dell works.

------------------------------ LAPTOP: Sager NP5760|T7200|2gb DDR2-667| 100gb 7200rpm HDD| 512mb 7950GTX|17'' WUXGA

Desktop: Core2 E7200 | Corsair 2gb DDR2-800 | Gigabyte EP35-DS3L | 250gb Seagate Barracuda | MSI GTX260 (192 SP) | Corsair VX550 | Antec 300 case
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Delluser1   10-03-2007 at 04:41:13 AM
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After rereading the OP, I editted my post, it seems as though he wants to use the Dell psu in his next rig.
I also have an 8400 and a 4700 along with a 9200. On the 9200 they change things up a bit and made the psu taller than normal, so it's pretty much useless in anything other than the box it's in.

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prodystopian   10-03-2007 at 02:36:49 PM
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I meant to state this in the OP, but I see I forgot. The computer is an Dimension 8400 with a P4 3ghz. Yes my main concern is that if I buy a new PSU for the dell, will it fit in oth it and the new build I am making?

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Delluser1   10-03-2007 at 10:17:16 PM
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If you want a new psu to use for a future build you should plan on cutting the case back of the 8400 to accept a switch.
The PCP&C unit that was mentioned is a quality unit, but only provides 26 amps on the +12v rail, the stock Dell unit, as mentioned, can provide 28amps. I would think you might want to go for even more if you're going to spend the money.

Reply to Delluser1
prodystopian   10-04-2007 at 12:25:28 AM
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Eidt, I just looked at the power supplies for Dell and an ATX form factor PSU. You are right, they are the exact same except for the power switch on the ATX version.

However, I also saw this while searching,

http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/ [...] lconverter

Will I need something like this to make my PSU work with my Dell? Thank you for the help.


Message edited by prodystopian on 10-04-2007 at 12:31:46 AM
Reply to prodystopian
Delluser1   10-04-2007 at 01:25:58 PM
- 0 +

No adaptor needed, there's a standard 24 pin connection on the D8400 motherboard.

Reply to Delluser1
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