power supply for a Dell XPS 8500

[Chiropteran]

I bought a Dell, it being for sale at a rather generous price, thinking I could upgrade the power supply myself so it can handle a better video card.

Long story short, the power supply I had would not physically fit into the Dell case. The Dell case limits the length of the power supply somewhat severely, and I've noticed since then that most gold or silver rated power supplies are too long to fit in (that's what she said!).

The power supply I bought has the following dimensions- 5.9"(W) x 3.4"(H) x 7.09"(L) <- this won't fit

I'm thinking about getting http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...Tpk=17-171-053 to replace it, as it's smaller size *should* fit okay in the Dell case.
It is 5.9" x 5.5" x 3.4" , this should fit as it is similar to the measured size of the current power supply

I'm reluctant to buy it though, as it seems a bit expensive for what it is, it's only bronze certified, it isn't modular, and I prefer to buy seasonic brand power supplies. My problem is that there isn't any easy way to search on newegg by power supply size, so I can't tell if there is a better unit for my needs without looking at each and every power supply's specs and reading the size.

Anyway, to the point, has anyone done this before? Any thoughts on a good replacement power supply for an XPS 8500, preferably 80+ gold or better and 2 8pin PCIE power connectors?

 

[dma0991]

Do you really need 750W? A 500W would've almost be capable of supporting a single GTX680. Even if you need that much power, I wouldn't go for a CM GX series. I recommend Seasonic M12II 620W but I doubt you'll be needing that much.

You could go for 80+ Gold PSUs but I don't think its absolutely necessary as the extra paid should have ROI from the savings in power. May take years to achieve that.

PSU dimension is stated in the manufacturer's website.

 

[Chiropteran]

PSU dimension is stated in the manufacturer's website.

It is, but without a simple searchable database I'm finding it to me a major hassle to find power supply of a given size.

However, I think I have found one I like.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103084

With the current 25% off promo, it's incredibly cheap for a plat certified power supply, and seems have have enough wattage and specs to fit my needs.

Do you really need 750W? A 500W would've almost be capable of supporting a single GTX680. Even if you need that much power, I wouldn't go for a CM GX series. I recommend Seasonic M12II 620W but I doubt you'll be needing that much.

You could go for 80+ Gold PSUs but I don't think its absolutely necessary as the extra paid should have ROI from the savings in power. May take years to achieve that.

I don't need 750W, I think this 500W is sufficient. Manufacturer's specs say the 12V lines can handle up to 456W which should be safely under the max for a Radeon 7970 & the 3770 CPU as far as I can tell.

I wanted gold or platinum 80+ because I bitcoin mine, it's going to be loaded and running 24X7 mining, so every bit of efficiency helps.

 

[dma0991]

However, I think I have found one I like.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103084

With the current 25% off promo, it's incredibly cheap for a plat certified power supply, and seems have have enough wattage and specs to fit my needs.

Looks decent for a Platinum given its price. It lacks reviews to support whether its good but FSP/Sparkle makes very good OEM PSUs. A cheap 500W FSP unit is still going strong for about 3 years in my secondary PC.

 

[Chiropteran]

I'll add the first review

 

[Chiropteran]

Got it and installed it today.

Size: perfect, very small compared to most modern power supplies, fit perfectly into the Dell case with no struggling or bending.

Weight: It's very heavy, I know this is a very unscientific measure of a power supply but I feel it contains a lot of "stuff".

Using it to feed the stock i7-3770 CPU and a 7970 GHhz Edition Sapphire Vapor-X which I added, it's running great. I have the 7970 underclocked to 900/900 and undervolted to keep temperature below 65C while mining, and actual power usage measured from the UPS is 215W while bitcoin mining. Small bit of gaming I have done so far in Path of Exile shows peak usage around 250W.

I underclock the card purely to keep temp down while mining, it was running fine at full speed without any underclocking but power usage was near 300W and temperature pushed 80C. For 24/7 usage I prefer to keep the temperature a little lower so the card doesn't suffer an early death, thus the undervolt/underclock.

I don't hear it, although it may not actually be completely silent- my computer room has a lot of background noise from uncovered bitcoin mining rigs, but it seems to be quiet enough that I can't hear it.

All in all, very pleased with the purchase as it was only $65 after the discount code. Hoping it runs reliably for many years.

 

[ssn01]

Noob at hardware installation, but not stupid when it comes to the technical terms and such here.

I am interested in upgrading my graphics card as well and want to install a new psu to make everything last longer, you know? So:

Is the metal casing in the top left of the xps 8500 the you see when you open the main access removable panel thing the power source unit, or the casing for it?

 

[jaedaliu]

Don't have an xps8500, so I don't know the answer to your question, but in general power supplies are held in by 4 screws through the back of the case.

In general, you won't need to upgrade the power supply for a new video card.

A picture with a circle on it will help us know what you're talking about next time.

 

[TechGeek43]

This is an old thread but I was curious if that power supply worked out well for your Dell XPS 8500, which I have. I'm trying to see if that PSU could work for me, too. Mine is

Dell Model: AC460AD-01;
API P/N: PCB030;
DP/N: 0RH8P5.

When I click on your link, newegg redirects me to this page. Is this the one you bought?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817103084

If so, I might buy that also since my XPS 8500 like you say has very small space (it won't seem to fit my PSU from my Dell Studio XPS 8000) and I'm not so sure if ATX would work. One ATX I was considering was

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

Not sure if it will work, however.

Got it and installed it today.

 

[Chiropteran]

This is the one I bought:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817103084

It's still working great, highly recommended if you need a high power high efficiency power supply for a dell case that doesn't have room for larger power supplies.