Refurbished Cards and Power question.

[Powermoloch]

Get a new case, transfer all the peripheral components(from the old) in the new case. And grab a better psu and your done.

 

[kumarshah]

...And that costs?

 

[Powermoloch]

Originally posted by: kumarshah

...And that costs?

depend on the quality of the cases that you might choose from and also the psu. Just being in a conservative, around 70-80 is the most minimal, heck you can dumb it down to $ 30 if you'd like.

 

[kumarshah]

I just found that Dell grades its PSU's differently and its peak is 345 Watt. Do I still need to upgrade?

Also, why change cases?

 

[PingSpike]

Before you try to change cases, figure out if your Dell even has a standard ATX motherboard and PSU.

As for the PSU...I have a feeling it will *probably* work. I've read 6800 manuals saying it required a 300w PSU, which is probably a conservative estimate given that most PSUs out there are junk. Still, I'd look into getting a new PSU because 250w just isn't up to snuff for new machines...if you've got an older cpu so its not getting hit hard from that end as well it might still run alright.

But new video cards and new processors both suck a lot of juice these days.

 

[kumarshah]

Well, my processor is 3 years old.

I have got 2 HDDs, 160GB and 80GB.

And 768 RAM right now.

With the fact that Dell PSU has a peak of 345 W, the 6800 should be fine right?

Apparetnly Dell PSUs are properiotary, custom ones cost like 150$ and shifting its stuff to a new case is a pain in the ass.

 

[jevans64]

Originally posted by: kumarshah
How do I check that?

The documentation has the following info:
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim8200/specs.htm#1101572


Can I just buy an external PSU and be done with all this?

The Amp ratings?

You'll have to open up your case and look for a little sticker on the PSU. Most reputable PSU makers include this information on the PSU.

Look for "DC Input +12v" on the sticker. There should be a number, like 20A, below it. That number would be the MAXIMUM current supplied to that "rail." You'll be OK with anything above 16 or 17 Amps. The +5volts should be in the neighborhood of 16 amps as well.

 

[kumarshah]

I just talked to 3-4 people in Dell forums who are running the 6800 on their stock PSU dell 8200 systems.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: kumarshah

I just talked to 3-4 people in Dell forums who are running the 6800 on their stock PSU dell 8200 systems.

Not a big surprise, I believe I remember some of those SFF PCs had 250w PSUs and ran higher end video cards alright. Most people around here seem to go a little overboard on PSU recommendations IMO. Its important you get a quality component, yes...but so many people just seem to pull crazy PSU wattage requirements out of thin air it can be confusing. But, the other end of the equation is that there is no consistency between manufactorers ratings, so for many people they may need to buy a 400w PSU because a cheap one might not be up to snuff.

 

[kumarshah]

Yeah, Dell apparently grades its PSU differently, its peak W is 345.

Card ordered yesterday, should arrive today.

 

[impemonk]

you can't really find a good quality PSU to run your system at 20-25$. For 40-50 you can get a good deal at newegg.com