Will an antec earthwatts 500 power a radeon 5870?

It will not work.

I think the 5850 has a 500w minimum. the 5870 i think is like 650. Even if your are right, since your doubling up on HDDS and DVD drives, you getter go for something better. I would recommend a at least 700w. Just to be safe.

http://educations.newegg.com/tool/psucalc/index.html

i would use this. Find a "replacement" for the 5870 that has the same wattage.

That's all a little too much for that PSU. It would be capable in the same way you can run your car at top RPM's for a while.


Corsair CMPSU-650TX 650W - $79.99 after rebate ($99.99 before rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Thanks for the responses. Though I have heard that Corsair PSUs aren't compatible with Dell MBs

First I heard of that. I was under the impression that all consumer PSUs and Mobos conform to standard connections and operations.

I suppose I shouldn't generalize all Dell MB's, but I read a thread that Corsair PSUs arent compatible with the 435mt.

http://en.community.dell.com/forums/p/19299423/19570074...

Can't go wrong with Antec, either, heh.

If true, that's a Dell issue, not a Corsair issue and would likely be an issue with dozens of PSU makers.

Corsair PSU's are made by Seasonic. Whom also make their own brand and also PC Power & Cooling PSU's.

And, JofoMang, Seasonic also makes some Antec's...so according to this, you can go wrong with an antec.


But as I said, ATX PSU's are wired to a certain spec regardless of wattage. So if this is an issue with 360+ watt ATX PSU's, DELL needs to make it known.


Just found this on Wiki:

"Issues with Dell power supplies

Older Dell computers, particularly those from the Pentium II and III times, are notable for using proprietary power wiring on their power supplies and motherboards. While the motherboard connectors appear to be standard ATX, and will actually fit a standard power supply, they are not compatible. Not only have wires been switched from one location to another, but the number of wires for a given voltage has been changed. Thus, the pins cannot simply be rearranged.[2]

The change affects not only 20-pin ATX connectors, but also auxiliary 6-pin connectors. Modern Dell systems may use standard ATX connectors.[3] Dell PC owners should be careful when attempting to mix non-Dell motherboards and power supplies, as it can cause damage to the power supply or other components. If the power supply color coding on the wiring does not match ATX standards, then it is probably proprietary. Wiring diagrams for Dell systems are usually available on Dell's support page."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATX

Hmm, from the short amount of sleuthing I did (i read the link he provided), it didnt work with a Corsair 650TX, but did work with an Antec 650w earthpower. I don't know enough about the PSUs to say whether or not they are from the same seasonic part, but if that link is to be trusted at all, the Antec worked when the corsair wouldn't.

Not applicable for this Dell motherboard. Seems this was an issue back in the 90's.

I actually tried an Ultra 750 watt PSU a few months ago and it killed the MB. Yikes, dell replaced it but still... I read a thread where someone had actually successfully installed a Thermaltake 850W TR2 RX PSU in this Dell 435mt and had no problems.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/266614-33-upgrade-del...

I'm more than likely going to get this power supply, because at this point, it seems to be my only viable option. But if the wiring issue is true, which I don't doubt that it is for some Dell computers, I wouldn't even know what to look for, i.e. wire arrangement, order, etc.

Is there a sure fire way to know if a certain PSU is going to fit this proprietary MB just by checking out the wires?

You don't have that motherboard. That motherboard was for old Pentium 2 and 3's.

You couldn't put an i7 on that board anyway.

Download and run CPU-Z and check the motherboard tab to see which model you have.