Need advice on power supply

Hi, I have a dell dimension 8400, with a Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.20Ghz and nvidia 8600Gt and i want to increase from a 350 watt power supply to possibly a 400 but i dont know if my computer and etc can handle it. Sorry if i didnt add all the neccesary specs.

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Your computer can handle it just fine, you'll need to cut the back panel to allow for the switch on a standard ATX psu, or buy a "Dell compatible " psu that has no switch like this Silencer from PCP&C

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817703011

Reply to Delluser1

Why do you need a bigger psu? Are you planning on upgrading another component as well?

Reply to pepperman

I had been having some issues with certain games and chalked it up to not having enough power running to the graphics card. I was told that the graphics card that i have requires atleast 350 so i was thinking that it was not reciving enough power to run it to its fullest. Otherwise if the pc is receving enough power to run then i wouldnt upgrade.

Reply to joer171

what are your full system specs and psu specs (rails and amps)?

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Reply to pepperman

An 8600GTS 512mb uses little over 60w under load whilst an 8600GT uses less than 50w and Dell PSU's have historically always been slightly more 'fruity' than the label would suggest, so what kind of issues have you been experiencing?

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http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/5041/vr2009champ.jpg

Reply to mousemonkey

mousemonkey wrote :

Dell PSU's have historically always been slightly more 'fruity' than the label would suggest

Never heard them described like that before :lol:
But , yes, the 350w is more than capable of powering an 8600GT

Reply to Delluser1

pepperman wrote :

what are your full system specs and psu specs (rails and amps)?

iam not the most computer savy guy but hopefully this is enough
Mainboard : Dell 0U7077
Chipset : Intel i925X
Processor : Intel Pentium 4 540J @ 3200 MHz
Physical Memory : 2048 MB
Video Card : NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT
Hard Disk : ST3160023AS (160 GB)
CD-Rom Drive : HL-DT-ST CD-RW GCE-8483B
DVD-Rom Drive : _NEC DVD+-RW ND-3450A
Monitor Type : Dell Computer DELL SE177FP - 17 inches
Network Card : BCM5750A1 NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet PCIe
Network Card : RT2760 802.11n Wireless LAN Card
Operating System : Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition 5.01.2600 Service Pack 3
DirectX : Version 9.0c (May 2007)
Ram: 2.00 Gb
PSU: 350 Watt with input voltages of 115 and 230

Reply to joer171

mousemonkey wrote :

An 8600GTS 512mb uses little over 60w under load whilst an 8600GT uses less than 50w and Dell PSU's have historically always been slightly more 'fruity' than the label would suggest, so what kind of issues have you been experiencing?

Just random frezzes that last a split second. I at first thought it was my wireless but iam getting a constant 65 mbps. I was also told from other gamers with the same graphics card that in cod4 i should get more than around a steady 40 fps with the 8600, but maybe my proccesor is whats slowing me down, its was the only thing that failed on SystemRequirmentslab.com. Oh almost forgot i was starting up my pc and recivied a error that said pci bus slot 1 running in x1 mode dont know if that has anything to do with my issue.

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Message edited by joer171 on 10-29-2009 at 01:26:04 AM

Reply to joer171

joer171 wrote :

Just random frezzes that last a split second. I at first thought it was my wireless but iam getting a constant 65 mbps. I was also told from other gamers with the same graphics card that in cod4 i should get more than around a steady 40 fps with the 8600, but maybe my proccesor is whats slowing me down, its was the only thing that failed on SystemRequirmentslab.com. Oh almost forgot i was starting up my pc and recivied a error that said pci bus slot 1 running in x1 mode dont know if that has anything to do with my issue.

If you are playing online then the split second freezes are more likely ISP/network related than PSU related and the FPS rate in COD4 is likely to be being stifled by your CPU which is getting on a bit by today's standards.

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Reply to mousemonkey

mousemonkey wrote :

If you are playing online then the split second freezes are more likely ISP/network related than PSU related and the FPS rate in COD4 is likely to be being stifled by your CPU which is getting on a bit by today's standards.

So the frezzes are something that may be solved by a direct connection instead of wireless possibly? And just one last one sorry for so many lol, but the message i got during start up talking about pci slot 1 operation in x1 mode does that have anything to do with my graphics card?

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Message edited by joer171 on 10-29-2009 at 02:07:08 AM

Reply to joer171

joer171 wrote :

So the frezzes are something that may be solved by a direct connection instead of wireless possibly?

More than likely.

joer171 wrote :

And just one last one sorry for so many lol, but the message i got during start up talking about pci slot 1 operation in x1 mode does that have anything to do with my graphics card?

Probably but I'm not sure what, have you checked in BIOS to make sure it's on PCIe 16? or reseated the card to see if that causes the pc to see it as x16?

------------------------------ [:mousemonkey:1]

Reply to mousemonkey

Try downloading gpuz and see what it says the link is operating at.

http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/SysInfo/GPU-Z/

Reply to pepperman

I checked it and it says Bus interface : PCI-E x16@x1
I just recleaned my pc and iam pretty sure that its been seated correctly

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Message edited by joer171 on 10-29-2009 at 02:31:49 PM

Reply to joer171

joer171 wrote :

I checked it and it says Bus interface : PCI-E x16@x1

There's your problem.
Try a clean driver install ( use a driver cleaner )

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Reply to Delluser1

Delluser1 wrote :

There's your problem.
Try a clean driver install ( use a driver cleaner )

Okay, gonna try that now

Reply to joer171

I gave it a clean install and used driver sweeper, also I opend the case and checked the card again and its in there. Iam still getting the PCI Express operation x1 mode.

Reply to joer171

OK, maybe a cmos reset will do it.
Shut the system down, remove the power cable, remove the battery from the board and switch the jumper from pins 1-2 to 2-3, leave it like that for a couple minute's then reverse these directions.
The jumper is located on the lower right hand corner of the board.
You'll need to reset the time and date after rebooting.

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Reply to Delluser1

Delluser1 wrote :

OK, maybe a cmos reset will do it.
Shut the system down, remove the power cable, remove the battery from the board and switch the jumper from pins 1-2 to 2-3, leave it like that for a couple minute's then reverse these directions.
The jumper is located on the lower right hand corner of the board.
You'll need to reset the time and date after rebooting.

Okay ill give it a try xD.

Reply to joer171

No luck

Reply to joer171

Have you tried looking in the bios for pci-e options? I'm not sure it will have any as you have a dell board, but its worth a try. Also, are there multiple pci-e slots on the board, and if so, which one is your card in?

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Reply to pepperman

pepperman wrote :

Have you tried looking in the bios for pci-e options? I'm not sure it will have any as you have a dell board, but its worth a try. Also, are there multiple pci-e slots on the board, and if so, which one is your card in?

I looked through the bios and i have a option about an option about pci and pec enabling. I have it in the black slot for lack of a better term its really the only one it fits in, I have had it in there for a while and recently cleaned the pc and now its doing this is it possible that something is physically blocking the slot and the card from connecting ?

Message edited by joer171 on 10-29-2009 at 07:06:28 PM

Reply to joer171

There's only 1 PCIE x16 slot on your board, so nothing to worry about as far as having the card in the wrong slot.
Have you recently done a bios or chipset update ?
Which driver version are you using ?

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Reply to Delluser1

Delluser1 wrote :

There's only 1 PCIE x16 slot on your board, so nothing to worry about as far as having the card in the wrong slot.
Have you recently done a bios or chipset update ?
Which driver version are you using ?

This is all the updates i have done so far:
Visual Studio 2005 Security Update for Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Service Pack 1 Redistributable Package (KB973923) Thursday, October 29, 2009 Automatic Updates
Windows XP Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 and .NET Framework 3.5 Family Update for .NET versions 2.0 through 3.5 (KB951847) x86 Thursday, October 29, 2009 Microsoft Update
Windows XP Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1 Security Update for Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2 (KB953297) Thursday, October 29, 2009 Windows Update
Windows XP Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Service Pack 1 Thursday, October 29, 2009 Automatic Updates
Windows Windows Update Agent 7.4.7600.226 Tuesday, October 27, 2009
(Before and during the problem)
As for the bios its DELL - 7
Phoenix ROM BIOS PLUS Version 1.10 A03,and the date for it is 10/11/04
And iam on the 191.07 for the graphics card.
I have never updated the bios or the chipset myself.

Reply to joer171

I'm not sure this will work, but it might, so I recommend you try this if you haven't; reseat the card, as in pull it out, if you have a can of compressed air, blow out the slot with it (otherwise you can try a vacuum, but be very careful not to actually touch it to the mobo itself), then put the card back in.

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Reply to pepperman

pepperman wrote :

I'm not sure this will work, but it might, so I recommend you try this if you haven't; reseat the card, as in pull it out, if you have a can of compressed air, blow out the slot with it (otherwise you can try a vacuum, but be very careful not to actually touch it to the mobo itself), then put the card back in.

Unfourtanetly I have tried it already with compressed air. I cant even see anything in it.

Reply to joer171

191.07, is this the same driver you were using when you started the thread ? Or did you download it when you did the clean install ?

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Reply to Delluser1

Is your computer still under warranty by dell? If it is, you may want to consider taking it in to be looked at. Honestly I've never seen anything like this before (a PCI-e gpu only operating at 1x while in a x16 slot). I'm sorry to say I'm at a loss for whats wrong. I will research this a little more tonight after work, and I'll tell you if I find anything.

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Reply to pepperman

Delluser1 wrote :

191.07, is this the same driver you were using when you started the thread ? Or did you download it when you did the clean install ?

Same driver version diffrent download. Should i try starting the pc without the card and will that possibly give me an idea if its the card or something else.

Message edited by joer171 on 10-29-2009 at 07:27:57 PM

Reply to joer171

pepperman wrote :

I've never seen anything like this before (a PCI-e gpu only operating at 1x while in a x16 slot). I will research this a little more tonight after work, and I'll tell you if I find anything.

You'll find quite a bit.

Reply to Delluser1

pepperman wrote :

Is your computer still under warranty by dell? If it is, you may want to consider taking it in to be looked at. Honestly I've never seen anything like this before (a PCI-e gpu only operating at 1x while in a x16 slot). I'm sorry to say I'm at a loss for whats wrong. I will research this a little more tonight after work, and I'll tell you if I find anything.

Pretty sure its not my pcs about 5 years old. Thanks for trying though. Iam thinking about calling nvidia and possibly maybe dell i dont know seeing as how dell loves to suck money out of you some times. Maybe compusa will be able to offer some insight.

Reply to joer171

If you start the machine with no card it'll probably scream at you.

Best thing would be to try the card in another system, I know not everyone has multiple systems, but maybe you have a buddy with a computer who would let you test it.

One other thing, do you have the original card from the system ?

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Message edited by Delluser1 on 10-29-2009 at 07:33:49 PM

Reply to Delluser1

^ Agreed on that. If it checks out ok on the other system, its probably your board, and from the five minutes of research I just did, this seems to be common for dell mobos; most were fixed by reseating the card, but in some cases, only x1 operation was supported.

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Reply to pepperman

Delluser1 wrote :

If you start the machine with no card it'll probably scream at you.

Best thing would be to try the card in another system, I know not everyone has multiple systems, but maybe you have a buddy with a computer who would let you test it.

Lol my luck turns around huh. I actually have a outdated dell laying around so ill test in there.

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Reply to joer171

Just a quick question; is this the same gpu that came with the dell, or did you add it later?

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Reply to pepperman

pepperman wrote :

^ Agreed on that. If it checks out ok on the other system, its probably your board, and from the five minutes of research I just did, this seems to be common for dell mobos; most were fixed by reseating the card, but in some cases, only x1 operation was supported.

I never experienced it on a Dell board and I've had many.
Several months ago I upgraded an 8800GTS ( on an Asus board ) to a GTX260 and had it happened, can't for the life of me remember how I got it working correctly.

Reply to Delluser1

pepperman wrote :

Just a quick question; is this the same gpu that came with the dell, or did you add it later?

Same one i have only added a graphic card and some memory(long time ago).

Reply to joer171

joer171 wrote :

Lol my luck turns around huh. I actually have a outdated dell laying around so ill test in there.

Thatll work, as long as it's not to outdated.

Reply to Delluser1

Delluser1 wrote :

If you start the machine with no card it'll probably scream at you.

Best thing would be to try the card in another system, I know not everyone has multiple systems, but maybe you have a buddy with a computer who would let you test it.

One other thing, do you have the original card from the system ?

That i may but i just moved so its all packed lol. And i just found out the old system i have has no pci slot

Reply to joer171

Do you know anyone who might let you borrow their comp to test your gpu? That would be your best bet right now, just to determine if its the card or the mobo (I'm guessing it's something wrong with the mobo, though, but it could be both).

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Reply to pepperman

pepperman wrote :

Do you know anyone who might let you borrow their comp to test your gpu? That would be your best bet right now, just to determine if its the card or the mobo (I'm guessing it's something wrong with the mobo, though, but it could be both).

Not atm unforutanetly. I mean would it help if i gave you a pic of the graphic card's edge connectors?

Message edited by joer171 on 10-29-2009 at 07:43:30 PM

Reply to joer171

Isn't it the same as a standard pci-e?
http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggI [...] 089-03.jpg

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Reply to pepperman

pepperman wrote :

Isn't it the same as a standard pci-e?
http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggI [...] 089-03.jpg

Ya i was just thinking maybe one of the connectors got messed up maybe. Honestly iam still hoping i didnt seat it right(lol).

Reply to joer171

You could try it again; provided you don't discharge static, it won't hurt anything.

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Reply to pepperman

pepperman wrote :

You could try it again; provided you don't discharge static, it won't hurt anything.

I mean it worked up untill couple of days ago,I have proablly had the card for a year.

Reply to joer171

I mean is it possible that it operating in x1 mode is normal? And am I going to experince a decrease in performance?

Reply to joer171

Unless you have a pci-e x1 card then no. So have you only been getting glitches in your games for a few days now, or has it always been like that?
btw; the x1 mode operation will reduce performance in comparison to a full x16 link.

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Reply to pepperman

pepperman wrote :

Unless you have a pci-e x1 card then no. So have you only been getting glitches in your games for a few days now, or has it always been like that?
btw; the x1 mode operation will reduce performance in comparison to a full x16 link.

I used to be able to get around 60 fps steady on lowest settings in cod4 and now iam fighting for a constant 35-40 on lowest settings including the smallest resolution. Its only been like this for a few days. Its happen once before a long time ago and i didnt even recognize it and then it went away and now its back. Even the temp is nice its running 50-51 c

Message edited by joer171 on 10-29-2009 at 08:23:09 PM

Reply to joer171

In cpu-z it says link width x1 and max supported x16 dont know if this helps

Reply to joer171

Besides cleaning the pc, did anything else happen to it (ie. driver updates, any new hardware at all, etc.)?

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Reply to pepperman

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