Dell 375psu under rated?

[afdband]

from what i have gathered, Dell's 375 watt psu that comes standard in their comps such as the xps 420 is actually better than 375 watt. dells 375watt psu is rated to peak out to 450-500 watts. i read that most most power supplies advertise 500 watts and such are its max output, when the constant out put is really around 300.

Anyways, i ask because i have this PSU, and i want to run a card like the 9800gtx or 4850.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[delluser1]

The 4850 wouldn't be a problem at all, the 9800 GTX may work but you would need to use a power adapter in order to have the 2 pcie power connections that are neccessary.

 

[4745454b]

Sort of. First, they are rated sustained, not peak like some manufacturers. In addition, they are modern PSUs, with most of the power set to come from the 12v rails and not the 3.3 or 5v rails like PSUs from the past. The 305W Dell has 22A on the 12V rail, while the 375 has 30. (might be 28/29, but I think its 30.) You should have no issues running the 9800GTX with that PSU as long as it has two PCIe 6pin plugs. If it only has one, you should look at the 4850. (its more powerful then the 9800GTX anyways.)

 

[delluser1]

the 375 has 30. (might be 28/29, but I think its 30.)

The label claims 30 amps but, like any other unit that can place most of it's wattage on the +12v, it depends on the 3.3 and 5 volt load.

 

[Nik_I]

dell has historically under-rated their power supplies. i managed to run a 7600GT in my old dell pentium 4 with a 250W psu, with only 17A on the +12V rail, when the card needed 20A for smooth operation.

 

[4745454b]

Sure, why not?

 

[cjl]

Which graphics card, and how many amps on the 12v rail?

 

[4745454b]

Come on CJ, he didn't provide any details, don't help him to much.

[/sarcasm]