Power Supply Orientation Question

gamergirl_61

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Feb 10, 2011
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Hello,
I have a Dell Vostro 400. In anticipation of adding a more powerful graphics card, I will also need a larger power supply. The Dell installed power supply has a fan which can be seen at the back of the case. There are no other openings at the top of the case. Most recommended power supply units have a fan, which I assume, can be place up or down depending on the case, but not with fan in back. Do I need to use a "fan in back" power supply unit only? Don't want to fry my computer or new graphics card. :)

Thanks for any assistance!
 
No you do not need a power supply with a fan in the back in fact the fan in the back usually means a cheap power supply, but there are a few exceptions to that. The fan that is located on the inner part of the power supply is due to the fact they can use bigger fans to get more airflow without making more noise. All power supplies suck air out of the case and vent it out the back.
 

abully

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Sep 7, 2010
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comes with a 350w psu with the fan at the back... at the max you would require around 500W for a powerful graphic card support... buy any standard psu; the fan will usually be placed on the side which you need to point to the inside of the case... the psu will exhaust the air inside to the outside through the back of the case...
 

gamergirl_61

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Feb 10, 2011
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Thank you so much for the quick response. I have been driving myself crazy with planning and researching this upgrade. I plan on upgrading to at least a 550W power supply unit as most of the cards I am looking at list the required psu at 500W.

Again thank you for your quick response.