Compaq 4400US Power problem

[blackrain]

3-part question:

I have a compaq 4400US.

Presario 4400US Mini-Tower Computer with 1.3GHz Intel Celeron processor, 128MB RAM, 40GB hard drive, 24X CD-RW, 56Kbps modem, Windows XP Home

http://www.electronicaccessory.com/mall/470031839.asp

The other day I tried to turn it on and nothing was coming up on the screen. It looked like the power was on but the HD's weren't powering up...nothing seemed to be happening. Now the power doesn't even come on.

So, I am guessing there is now a power supply problem in addition to whatever other problems there may be.

1) If the power isn't coming on at all now, do I need to start by changing the power supply? Or is there something else that could be preventing powerup in the first place. I have already checked the surge protector and it is fine. All connections are fine.

2) My old power supply is a compaq 250W. Using the wattage calculator, I only need about a 200W power supply but the power supply that came with the PC is a 250W psu. Is 300W okay to use? It's a lot easier to find a good 300W than to find a 250W. Lots of OEM products for 250W.


3) Finally, here are the psu's I am looking at so far....any suggestions?


A. PC Power And Cooling 250W PSU $29+shipping (~$6)

http://www.directron.com/silencer275.html

B. Sparkle 250W

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=PS-SP250P4&src=fr

C. Fortron 300W
Fortron/Source 300W Power Supply w/ 120 MM Fan Model 'FSP300-60PN-R' -Retail

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductde...TC-pr1c3watch&ATT=Power+Supply+for+Cas

D. Fortron 250W
http://store.yahoo.com/logicalplus/aofs25swatxp.html

Does compaq require a compaq psu?



Any help would be very appreciated.

 

[Feep]

anything greater than the required ammount will be fine, no a compaq psu is no needed.

 

[quakefiend420]

300w will be fine...when it comes to psu's you should try to get more than you need to allow for future expansion...although i would recommend getting at least a 400w so you can use it for future upgrades...and always stick with brand name psu's...the brands you have chosen are all good ones to use...also enermax and antec make good psu's

so far as what type of psu you need...some manufacturers used proprietary psus, older dells come to mind, for one...just because the connector will fit doesnt neccessarily mean that the wires are in the right spots...i heard of a few people frying older dell boards with regular atx power supplies...the best advice i can offer there is to look at the placement of the wires in both connectors...ensure the same colors are going to the same pins...although some wires may be different colors...you should find out from someone who knows for sure before you connect a different power supply

hope that helps

 

[blackrain]

I have seen a lot of complaints on this forum about people buying power supplies with too many watts. Isn't there a downside to getting a 400W psu for a pc that only needs 200W? I thought 400W psus and higher were for modded P4 pc's with lots of fans etc. I'm just wondering if 400W is overkill for a celeron pc.

Also, I am wondering if there is a downside or incompatibilty with regular ATX psus due to the pentium 4 compatibility of the 300W+ psus

This is a celeron mainboard.

 

[blackrain]

Here's info on compaq's replacement part but it looks way overpriced

http://partsurfer.hp.com/cgi-bin/spi/ma...trsrch=&keysel=Power+Supply&catsel=%3F
http://partsurfer.hp.com/cgi-bin/spi/showphoto?partnumber=278645-001

 

[blackrain]

I talked to Compaq and they gave me some shady response about their psu...something to the effect of "the psu is optimally engineered and therefore you could have problems with another ATX power supply"

I'm not sure what that means. I asked for specs and they sent me to the parts dept. The parts dept said that only tech support can give me the specs. Guess i'll have to try and call back.

Does anybody know what specs I should specifically ask about to compare to other ATX power supplies?