• Competitor rules

    Please remember that any mention of competitors, hinting at competitors or offering to provide details of competitors will result in an account suspension. The full rules can be found under the 'Terms and Rules' link in the bottom right corner of your screen. Just don't mention competitors in any way, shape or form and you'll be OK.

Is a 345w psu enough for a x1950pro?

spiki

spiki

spiki

Associate
Joined
18 Oct 2005
Posts
919
I am in a state on minor depression with all the cracking new games out (Bioshock, GoW, Crysis etc) and my ageing system struggling to play them even at lowest serttings.

I have a slightly customised Dell Dimension 8300 (July 2004!) XFX 6800GT AGP 256mb with NV5 silencer, P4 3ghz HT, 2 gigs RAM and a Dell standard psu which states 250w but according to their forums, actually peaks around 345w.

I just cannot afford to upgrade to core 2, new mobo, ram, 8xxx series etc and am trying to get some improvement in my gaming experience by maybe going for a x1950 pro.

Am I wasting my time going down this route? I had though of just getting a 360 but I still prefer m&kb and being able to tweak my PC games.

Thanks for any help and advice you may give me.
 
TBH, i wouldnt risk it, but it MIGHT cope.

Generaly a 345W PSU would be ok, but if its some generic POS re-branded by dell then it'll more than likely be trouble.

Dell PCs are really tough to upgrade, as you will be unlikely to fit a standard PSU in there to replace it, and the motherboard may not fit in a "normal" case. At least some other manufacturers use "of the shelf" bits rather than their own esoteric components.

Hopefully someone else has some experience with upgrading DELLs, but if it were mine i prob wouldn't do it.
 
Yeah, as above if it were a good branded PSU it might be ok, but probably not a with a generic. Trouble is generic 345W PSUs generally can't output anything like 345W and may not have enough amps on the 12V rail for a modern graphics card.

Any specs on the side of the PSU? It should say the +12V rail amp rating.
 
Thanks everyone. I was afraid you would say that. I have trying to source a replacement psu for about 18 months and can't find one in the UK. The most powerful from the states is 470w which is better but I would like a bit more head room. From the last time I opened the case I think it did say 12v but cannot be sure. As far as I know, Dell use a lot of proprietary parts like mobo, psu etc and thus, I think I restricted to buying a new system. If I am wrong and anyone knows how to swap out Dell stuff for good components I would be really grateful.
 
Sean_UK said:
Long answer short: no.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-006-CS&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=
or
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-005-CS&groupid=701&catid=123&subcat=

The latter will be enough to power any new pc you build even, but for budget the first ones fine imo. x1950 would give a boost but dont expect to have all the plush effects max and AA turned on.
Click to expand...


Thanks Sean_UK. However I am not sure these would work as the Dell case is kinda unique at the back where the power cable connects into the psu. I have seen examples of people actually modding the case with hack saw to fit a standard and branded psu . I know if I went to sell this system I would get very little for it and it has been extremely reliable for the last 3 years so I don't want to damage it and cannot use it any more. Suppose I could try a bit of case diy and stick in a new psu. Do you think this would be advisable. Are there any risks with electrical damage to parts if I added a very powerful psu. I know this is a gfx card forum but the two problems are connected. Thanks again
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom