Can I put aftermarket PSU in my Dell system?

[masshass81]

My friend got his Dell about a year ago and now the PSU is dead.. Here are the system specs.

P4 2.4B 533mhz fsb
2x256 PC-2700
Radeon 9800Pro
SB Live! Sound Card
Ethernet Card
80Gb HD
CD-RW Drive
DVD-Rom Drive
*one dead PSU =(

I was wondering if I could just slap in an aftermarket PSU. I heard that the Dell PSUs and motherboard connectors are proprietary, but I look inside the case and I see the standard 20-pin and 4-pin connector. Are Dell's 20 and 4 pin connectors different from standard ATX PSU power connectors? His warranty is over so I told him it would be cheaper to get an aftermarket PSU instead of shipping it to Dell and having them repair it. But not 100% sure if this can be done w/o screwing up the system.

 

[XeonTux]

Sounds like you will be okay with the 20-pin + 4-pin but you can always be safe and verify the pinouts are standard. I'm willing to bet the 20-pin one will be for sure, and it shouldn't take long to compare the 4-pin. Offhand I know PC Power and Cooling has pinout specs on their site

BTW just saw a thread in Hot Deals forums for enermax psu

 

[Woofmeister]

The MOBO connections are not the problem--those are standard. The problem is that the Dell case and PSU designs and sizes are non-standard, thus, a standard ATX PSU will likely not fit into a Dell case without some major mods (also Dell PSUs don't have a power switch). Fear not though, PC Power and Cooling makes Dell compatible PSUs.

I'm using one right now in my upgraded Dell Dimension 8200. A little loud, but plenty of juice to power my upgraded CPU and Graphics Card.

Good luck.

 

[FreshFish]

Forgot to actually *read* the post

 

[masshass81]

Originally posted by: Woofmeister
The MOBO connections are not the problem--those are standard. The problem is that the Dell case and PSU designs and sizes are non-standard, thus, a standard ATX PSU will likely not fit into a Dell case without some major mods (also Dell PSUs don't have a power switch). Fear not though, PC Power and Cooling makes Dell compatible PSUs.

I'm using one right now in my upgraded Dell Dimension 8200. A little loud, but plenty of juice to power my upgraded CPU and Graphics Card.

Good luck.

Thanks. Which PSU are you using? I want to get the 410 Dell De-3 ($100), but not sure if it will be compatible with my Dimension 4600 since on PC Power & Cooling website's PSU selector says that I should get the 425 Dell Deluxe, but its $150!! Just wanted to know if the power connectors to the mobo are the same with the 410W and the 425W.

 

[JBT]

Seasonic also has some OEM compatible PSU's. They don't cost as much as PC Power and Cooling but they are still high quality.

 

[Woofmeister]

Thanks. Which PSU are you using? I want to get the 410 Dell De-3 ($100), but not sure if it will be compatible with my Dimension 4600 since on PC Power & Cooling website's PSU selector says that I should get the 425 Dell Deluxe, but its $150!! Just wanted to know if the power connectors to the mobo are the same with the 410W and the 425W.

As a matter of fact, I'm using the PC Power & Cooling Turbo-Cool 425 but I know at least one person who's successfully used a 300 Watt model. I was concerned about having adequate power to run my ATI Radeon 9800 Pro, but I was probably over-cautious.