PSU Upgrade

[dobrien]

Hey guys, I'm planning on upgrading to a Geforce 8600 GTS for my Dell Dimension E520. I would go for an 8800 GT but frankly I don't think it would fit in my case lol. So now I need some advice with PSU upgrading, I'm pretty lost.

As far as I know I have a 305W unit, but I really have no idea as to what the other specs are, which makes it even more confusing when trying to pick out a new one. The only things I know are the model number (H305N-00) and the fact that it's a 24-pin connection to the motherboard.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, I'm really psyched about this new card, I just need to make sure I have the proper PSU, and I'm lost at this point. Thanks so much!


Dan

 

[mikew]

Depending on if you've overclocked etc... that may work fine if it's efficient... i'd say no more than a 400/450 for your system is really needed - if you plan on getting a much better machine or upgrading more parts then you may want a slightly bigger one for the future again, so completely up to you.

 

[dobrien]

So will a 20+4 Pin connection work? How about rails? As far as I know these are the specs for my current PSU, although I don't really know what they mean...

+5V = 22A
+3.3V = 17A
+12VA = 18A
+12VB = 18A
-12V = 1A
+5Vfp = 2A

Given that information, can you give me advice as to what specs to look for in a new PSU?

 

[mikew]

It says in the front of the (Gigabyte) 8800GT manual under "minimum system requirements" that "a power supply with 450-watt is recommended".

Whilst the card comes with a power adapter, to convert a 4 pin molex into a 6 pin PCI-e connector, the limiting factor on the supply will not be the overall power output, but the maximum current available on the 12 volt rail. - you'll be likely to need at least 20A available on the 12v rail.

*^*^*^*IF you follow the advice above don't blame me if your computer blows up or something tho.*^*^*^*

Edit: for the 8600GTS- It requires a 6-pin PCI-e connector for extra power. Some of the 8600GTS models also use a 4-pin molex connector instead of a 6-pin PCI-e connector.If your power supply doesn't have a 6-pin PCI-e connector, you can use the adapter that the card will come with. The adapter will take two of your 4-pin molex connectors.

I'd stick with the minimum requirements or go to 500... (not sure on exact watts for 8600 like i said)

 

[chessgeek]

8800GT should fit in the case of E520. I have an E521, which has the same case as E520 except that it uses an AMD CPU. You will need a 500W PSU (ATX v2.2), though. I myself use this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182044.

If you have not bought your 8600GTS, consider 8800GT or even HD4850.

 

[dobrien]

chessgeek: I'll def hold out for an 8800 GT, I just thought it would be too long. Does it come close to your heatsink at all? It seems like the black casing covering mine would be in the way, but thats awesome to hear regardless.

Would you mind linking the exact card you're using? Just so I can compare, thanks!

 

[chessgeek]

It will not touch the black heat sink case, but it is close. The 8800GT I got is this one

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133232

With the new PSU, the side panel will be harder to close (I still don't know why), but it will close if you try a few more times and harder. I actually have 2 almost identical E521's. The other one uses a slightly different PSU:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182076

Both PSU's work fine with 8800GT, but both side panels become harder to close after the PSU upgrade.

You will need a 4pin to SATA adapter because Dell uses SATA CD/DVD burner. The new PSU's I got have only two SATA for the hard drives. I heard that you will need to use ATX V2.2 PSU on the Dell's. The ones I got work fine, but you could try other ATX V2.2 PSU's.

 

[dobrien]

Nice, how is that card on temperature? I've heard it get's pretty hot, so I may invest in some aftermarket cooling. Thanks again!

 

[chessgeek]

Temp has been between 60-74 deg C. That is OK to me. I personally don't see a need to invest any extra cooling device on it. 8800GT is a mid-range $120 card now. You don't want to add too much extra money on it. Plus, a huge heat sink may touch something else in the case.