Dell power supply

[walterab]

I have a Dell 4600 which has only a 250 watt power supply. I want to upgrade my Ti-200 video card but most cards require more than the low 250 amp ps. My question is this..... should I buy a new Dell power supply, $150 for a quiet 425, or should I buy the adapter for $14 that allows me to purchase ANY ps for the Dell? It would seem the cheaper way is with the adapter but is it the BETTER way? The Dell PS is at http://www.pcpowercooling.com/prices/index.htm and the adapter is at http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/dellconverter.html Many thanks for your help.

 

[SneakyStuff]

My card reccomends a 300 watt PSU, but I overclocked it, and it ran fine on my previous Dell (Dimension 4500) As long as you only have one hard drive, you may want to just SEE if what you're looking into will work first.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Buy the adaptor and any quiet PSU you want.

- M4H

 

[walterab]

Thanks.... I appreciate the input

 

[gpgofast]

If you haven't tried to put in a higher perfomance card, you really should try before you spend the money on a possibly uneeded power supply. Newer Dell's have a VERY conservative rating on their power supply. I am running a 250w PS in my Dell 400sc, 2.8Ghz, 1GB RAM, 2 7200RPM PATA drives, DVD Burner, ATI 9700 Pro w/ Artic Cooler. Also, I beleive many of the recent Dell's do NOT require a power supply adapter. Head over to Aaltonen's website. Lots of good info on Dells(400SC especially).


http://www.aaltonen.us/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8

 

[gpgofast]

Clipped from another forum:

"Dell used non-standard motherboards and power supplies, apparently from September 1998 until April 2002. Although Dell power supplies and motherboards produced during that period use what appear to be standard ATX power connectors, the pinouts are different. (The Inquirer posted an article in April 2002 that contains Dell's official response to this issue.)

On Dell systems made during that period, replacing a Dell power supply with a standard ATX power supply destroys the motherboard and/or power supply as soon as you apply power to the system. Similarly, upgrading the motherboard in a Dell system with a standard ATX motherboard while continuing to use the standard Dell power supply destroys the motherboard and/or power supply as soon as you apply power to the system.

If you have a recent Dell desktop system, be very careful about upgrading it or replacing the motherboard or power supply. If you need a replacement power supply and are certain that your Dell system uses the hacked version of the ATX power connector, you can buy a replacement Dell-specific power supply from PC Power & Cooling. Rather than do that, though, we recommend you replace the power supply and motherboard together, using industry-standard components. "


If your 4600 was manufactured after April 2002, you can use a standard power supply.

 

[xboxist]

Hello - I'm trying to solve this riddle for myself as well. Is this a picture of a standard 20-pin ATX motherboard connector?

 

[kylebisme]

ya, that is an atx connector, it shouldn't be missing that one pin though.

 

[Accord99]

Originally posted by: gpgofast
If you haven't tried to put in a higher perfomance card, you really should try before you spend the money on a possibly uneeded power supply. Newer Dell's have a VERY conservative rating on their power supply.

I agree, I have a Dimension 4600 that can handle a 3GHz P4C (overclocked to 3.2), a 9800 Non-Pro overclocked to almost Pro speeds, 2x512MB PC3200 memory and 3 large HDs without having any problems with the stock 250W PSU.

 

[xboxist]

I ask because that's what the connector on my Dell PSU looks like. Does this mean that I cannot simply buy another ATX psu?

 

[Accord99]

Here's the pinout for the 250W Dell PSU:
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim4600/en/4600/sm/techov.htm#1105652

and the pinout for ATX:
http://xtronics.com/reference/atx_pinout.htm

The only difference is pin 18 where it's not connected on the Dell and I believe the latest ATX specs allow for this.

 

[Ralph W Dejesus]

Do the 400Sc and the 4600 have the same Power Supply. The 400 Sc has the same Pinout and plugs as a standard ATX but the Power Plug is located on the top left of the power supply instead of the botton left on a standard. So a Standard ATX will power the system but will not fit into the 400Sc case without cutting the case./ Not sure if the 4600 is the same way.

 

[phishschtick]

Originally posted by: gpgofast
Clipped from another forum:<BR><BR>"Dell used non-standard motherboards and power supplies, apparently from September 1998 until April 2002. Although Dell power supplies and motherboards produced during that period use what appear to be standard ATX power connectors, the pinouts are different. (The Inquirer posted an article in April 2002 that contains Dell's official response to this issue.)<BR><BR>On Dell systems made during that period, replacing a Dell power supply with a standard ATX power supply destroys the motherboard and/or power supply as soon as you apply power to the system. Similarly, upgrading the motherboard in a Dell system with a standard ATX motherboard while continuing to use the standard Dell power supply destroys the motherboard and/or power supply as soon as you apply power to the system.<BR><BR>If you have a recent Dell desktop system, be very careful about upgrading it or replacing the motherboard or power supply. If you need a replacement power supply and are certain that your Dell system uses the hacked version of the ATX power connector, you can buy a replacement Dell-specific power supply from PC Power &amp; Cooling. Rather than do that, though, we recommend you replace the power supply and motherboard together, using industry-standard components. "<BR><BR><BR>If your 4600 was manufactured after April 2002, you can use a standard power supply.

My 4600 was bought on Nov.2003, do I still need an adapter to use a standard power supply like antec, for example?