looking for a power supply to power a new vid card

[reporebuilder]

:) I am looking to install a new video card into my Dell DIM 4550 which has only a 250 watt power supply. The card I'm going with requires a 300 watt minimum.
Where could I look for compatible power supplies for my Dell dim 4550?
thanx in advance

[reporebuilder]

I found the Ultra / x connect / 500 watt/ATX dual 80mm fan/titanium color/modular power supply.
I found this interesting because it comes with many different power cables for making the right connections and it says its compatible w/ AMD and INTEL BOARDS which mine is an AMD

[jlreich]

it says its compatible w/ AMD and INTEL BOARDS which mine is an AMD
Pay no attention to that, it's just marketing crap. ;)

Stick with brands like Antec, Thermaltake, and Seasonic. The Ultra brand is not yet proven to be quality. ;)

The thing you have to look out for when replacing PSU's in OEM machines like Dell is the size of the new PSU. You need to get inside your computer and measure the current PSU, and measure how much space you have between the back of your computer and your CD/DVD drives. The height and width should be no problem but the depth will often be in the small cases you get with Dell and other OEM's.

Make sure whatever PSU you get will fit and leave enough room for the cables going into your CD/DVD drives and any other obstacles you may have.

[reporebuilder]

okay, thanks for the reply.
Now are power supplies pretty standard as far as their wattages and voltages at each plug, or do I need to verify with the vendor that a given psu will match my board?

[jlreich]

I would recommend a 400W for your system. But it also depends on what video card you are going to get?? If your are getting something like a 7600 or X1600 you should get a 450W.

You need a power supply with either a 20pin main connector, or a 20+4pin connector (the extra 4 pins can be disconnected). Something with 17-20A on the +12v rail.

Stick with the brands I mentioned above. And don't forget to measure how much room you have in your case.

Just for reference here is one that would power your system just fine as far the specs go. But it is most likely too big to fit in your case, so this is only for reference. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817153023