Changing PSU in dell xps 435?

[professorheady]

Hey guys! I've found a lot of useful information on here but not exactly pertaining to my particular situation.

I ordered a dell xps 435. i7 920 processor, 6GB tri-channel RAM, 500 GB HD, and it comes with a 475 Watt PSU.

Now I also want to put in an ATI 4890 1024MB PCI-E which I've read needs minimum 600 watts.
Also I am putting in two 1TB HDD set up as a RAID because I am a photographer and need good backup for my pictures, but I am also a dedicated gamer.

The Dell system seemed great, it's got everything I need except for the PSU is to small to handle my needs. Do you think it's safe to purchase a new courseair 750W or perhaps even a 1200W PSU and swap out for the factory one that came in my system?

Is this even possible to do?


I've heard the connectors can be different but that was on an dell optiplex system. I also have a Dell xps 630i with a 750W PSU I could possibly swap out the PSU's because the 630i isn't used with as high end of a video card... Any idea's? Much thanks in advance!

 

[aford10]

If it's a standard ATX PSU, then you can swap it out. I've heard rumblings of Dell doing some dirty things as you've mentioned, but not recently.

What kind of RAID array are you going to run? Keep in mind that not all array's provide a mirrored or parity drive to back up data.

Though, even if you put a 4890 in your system, the peak power consumption is around 300W(depends on the system).
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-4890,2262-13.html
http://www.legitreviews.com/article/944/12/
http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-4890-review-test/5

You may have seen the requiremnets for the 4890 in xfire. The PSU in your system could probably run the 4890.

 

[professorheady]

Thanks so much for responding!

The guy at dell said the mobo is standard atx x58. He also said that the only real reason I might not be able to upgrade the PSU would be because the 750W or bigger might not fit in the case. In that case I might need to go with an external PSU? is that common?

The raid I set up is a two 1 TB as I said before and it's set-up mirrored. The cool thing about the Dell XPS systems is that it's a feature available in the bios setup and it's extremely easy to set up a mirrored RAID within these systems. I've done this with two Dell xps 630i's before and also had one HDD fail on me within the raid and was able to get everything off of the remaining working raid drive.

NOTE: Also I plan on overclocking my i7 920 2.66Ghz to around 4Ghz ...

 

[aford10]

No, that's not really a normal. If it's a standard ATX case, it should fit any standard ATX PSU. You can check the dimensions of your current PSU and any replacement to compare before you buy.

With that kind of aggressive OC, I trust you also have a nice CPU cooler?

 

[professorheady]

I haven't gotten a cooler yet for the OC, I'll probably wait a couple of weeks before I do that, my friend who does computer work for a company where I live said I should go water cooled, but I don't trust putting 'water' inside a computer case.

Also I think I read somewhere else on these forums yesterday that a guy found a 800W PSU that he replaced his stock XPS 435's PSU with. Maybe it won't be as difficult as I anticipated!

 

[aford10]

Just make sure you check out the dimensions of your current PSU and the one you're looking to get. For example, this one is 5.9"(W) x 3.4"(H) x 5.9"(L)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009

 

[rockyjohn]

600w is all you need to power your system with the planned upgrades including OC, since you only have a single video card. My guess is 500w might even work, but I like to error on the side of caution with PSUs.

But don't take my word for it - use the PSU calculator:

http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

Here is a good 600w PSU for only $50AR - sale ends tomorrow - but you need to verify the size will fit in your system (it should but better safe than sorry):

OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7 - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017

 

[cps1974]

I haven't gotten a cooler yet for the OC, I'll probably wait a couple of weeks before I do that, my friend who does computer work for a company where I live said I should go water cooled, but I don't trust putting 'water' inside a computer case.

Also I think I read somewhere else on these forums yesterday that a guy found a 800W PSU that he replaced his stock XPS 435's PSU with. Maybe it won't be as difficult as I anticipated!

I've just installed Antec Earthwatts 650W in my Dell XPS 420, seems OK and I was too worried about upgrading as I think earlier Dells used proprietary parts for PSu, RAm and other components

new PSU is rocking with my new HD 4870 card

OLD 375W PSU

NEW 650W PSU

 

[cps1974]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371015