Question about Power Supply

I have a computer with an Nvidia 7600GT 512mb DDR2 gfx card, and the recommended watt for it is 350W or 400W.
However, my power supply only goes up to 305W so I want to upgrade it to one with 400W.

My question is, how do I know which one will function in my computer? Or do they all?

Nvidia keeps telling me that my card is running at a lower speed to let it keep on working. So that is what made me think I should get a new one.

My Specs:
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim8300/sm/specs.htm

These are the default specs, so keep in mind that I now have a 7600GT card.

Information about my current power supply:
[IMG]http://i40.tinypic.com/2e5joz6.jpg[/IMG]

I am probably going to a computer store tomorrow to ask for help there, but in the meantime, I thought you guys probably know much about these kind of things as well. So any advice/help is appreciated!

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Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/Nibgames

Dunno about ALL power supplies but this much I do know. All PC's use the same voltage. (converts AC to DC)
So, if the power supply will fit in the hole left by the other power supply AND the connectors are the same then you can use it.

I do suggest you go with a 500-750 watt supply however.

I replaced a 250 with a 500 and had no issues what so ever in an old pc I have. All you need do is make sure that the connectors will work.

I am quite sure someone else will come along with more info but these I already know.

Just because you put a 500 in doesn't mean you are using all 500. SO your electric bill ain't necessarily going to go up.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Thank you Orph, I went to the computer store today and bought a 550w power supply. It took us a while but finally we thought everything was done.

Until the moment when we found out that the slot for the power cable, was on a different position than on my previous power supply, so the cable didn't fit at the end of my computer. That, and when we tried to boot the computer nothing seemed to happen. Tomorrow we'll probably have them replace one in my computer.

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Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/Nibgames

According to another website, the Dell uses a standard ATX form factor power supply (that's good)

Don't worry about getting any beefy supply ... really just get what you need. If you build another computer down the line ... chances are you won't even be using that case, right. So, don't bother.

Something like this will work just fine: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151072 (or should) ... obviously you can't buy THAT one, because you're in the Netherlands (though I can hit up a friend who lives there to get a local deal)

Something you might want to check, though is the actual power usage of the system. It takes some time to add everything up through specs and reviews finding real power usage numbers ... something you might find is the peak load of your system could be only 300W even with the new GPU.

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

Thanks for your help Crono, but this evening we had it replaced by a professional in a computer store. The problem every time was that the on/off button was colliding against the back of my computer for each power supply we tried. So they made the hole a bit bigger (that doesn't sound wrong, right?) and we put one in there of 400W. (Which is OK as you said since I wouldn't need an extraordinary good one).

Everything is working fine again now.

Thanks for the help Orph & Crono!

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Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/Nibgames

Welcome bud.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Did you try them both ways? >_> Power supplies can (generally) be put in right side up or down for this reason.

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

Crono said:
Did you try them both ways? >_> Power supplies can (generally) be put in right side up or down for this reason.

Ya but then my power cable wouldn't fit in, because my pc case is made for power supplies where the power cable slot is as high as possible, and not the center of the power supply (If you know what I mean).

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Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/Nibgames

Not even a little!

Glad it works now, though.

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

I understood.
You modified the holes to accommodate the plugs.
Was prolly one of those stupid dell cases that resists upgrading by using a power supply that is not standard in design. I have had a couple.

I usually throw the case away and use another.

Glad it all worked out in the end.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Orpheus said:
Was prolly one of those stupid dell cases that resists upgrading by using a power supply that is not standard in design. I have had a couple.

Heh, it is indeed. Why do they have to be so selfish to make it different from the rest...

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Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/Nibgames

It's called capitalism-monopolization. They don't WANT you do alter the computer ... if you do, they want you to pay them to do it.

Primary reason for not using the significant majority of pre-built PC services ... they cost a lot more for what you get for very little extra convenience.

To be honest, you should probably invest in a new case, regardless. Their cases aren't exactly well designed and have very little proper airflow going on. Which would not bode well for one of the hottest running GF chipsets out there (7).

CRONO PRO-TIP: Make sure you download some software like EVGA Precision or MSI Afterburner, the GeForce 7 (and 9) line of cards are auto-locked at a fan speed of 30% That software will allow you to turn it up so the card doesn't idle in the 50-60C range. You can also use it to create a software profile to dynamically change the fan speed based on temperature. The software WILL work with non EVGA and MSI cards.

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

You know.. That brings up a good point for the next version of Snarkpit.

I am sure each of us has a bit of tweaking knowledge we could post like that fan bit.
Sure it may end up being a very small part of the pit usage but still a part that could be of use.

I have seen posts where people ask all kinds of hardware related inquiries.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

It wouldn't be hard to add a computer hardware\software related forum section at any time.

Like my problem I just ran into, just built my new machine. Couldn't find my Win 7 cd so I cloned my OS to the new SSD drive installed the new drivers for MB, video and such and it promptly gave me the dreaded BSOD.
Also blew the PSU somehow when moving the old machine to a new case to put in the garage. I got some work to ahead of me now.
So for the somewhat less enlightened about hardware\software, that's a great idea Orph.

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Light is faster than sound:That is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

Your riches in life are family and friends, everything else is just a distraction.

Nib, for future reference, you can check out prices and stuff online for your area here: http://tweakers.net/pricewatch/159192/seasonic-s12ii-380w.html

(The dude I knew took THAT long to get back to me!)

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.