Gonna get a new power supply - installation tips?

[The poster formerly known as Colleyville Alan]

I have a Dell Dimension XPS B-series that is 6 years old and to which I have
added a second hard drive. It was acting flaky earlier this year and the
power supply was mentioned to me as a possible source of the problem.
Anyhow, I have decided on a PC Power & Cooling Silencer 360 replacement ps.
But I have never swapped out a ps before.

I built a shortwave radio receiver from a kit once and I installed the
additional hard drive I mentioned and I once replaced a cd drive on my own
and did all without incident, so it is not as though I am mechanically
inept. But whenever I think a project will take "10 minutes", 2 1/2 days
later I am usually just finishing it.

So, is there anything "tricky" about changing out the ps (yes I know to
unplug it first!)? Are there any surprises that newbies to this process
commonly experience?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Paul]

I have a Dell Dimension XPS B-series that is 6 years old and to which I have
added a second hard drive. It was acting flaky earlier this year and the
power supply was mentioned to me as a possible source of the problem.
Anyhow, I have decided on a PC Power & Cooling Silencer 360 replacement ps.
But I have never swapped out a ps before.

I built a shortwave radio receiver from a kit once and I installed the
additional hard drive I mentioned and I once replaced a cd drive on my own
and did all without incident, so it is not as though I am mechanically
inept. But whenever I think a project will take "10 minutes", 2 1/2 days
later I am usually just finishing it.

So, is there anything "tricky" about changing out the ps (yes I know to
unplug it first!)? Are there any surprises that newbies to this process
commonly experience?

Thanks in advance.

Make note of where all the wires go. In fact, you should do that before
you
start disassembly. If you have a digital camera, take pictures of the
insides and how it is wired. Maybe someday you'll need a reference,
and the pictures might be the only thing you have to go on. For example,
say for some reason, a person other than yourself is fiddling around
inside, then with pictures or some notes you've made, you may be able
to set things right again.

One reason for all this care, is maybe there is a front panel header,
and
separate wiring for switches, LEDs and the like. Sometimes, you can be
inside a computer, working on something else, and pull some of those
loose.
If you've made good notes about the inside of the computer, before you
start unplugging stuff, the notes will pay off later.

There is nothing particularly tricky about changing a PSU. Now, Dell may
do
things different, but there are probably four screws holding the PSU.
Other
than that, it is all wiring.

You can likely eyeball the mechanical details of the PSU and conclude if
the
new one is a good substitute for the job, before disassembling. If hole
position is wrong, or there don't seem to be enough wires, figure out
why
before tearing it all apart.

Paul

 

[CBFalconer]

I have a Dell Dimension XPS B-series that is 6 years old and to
which I have added a second hard drive. It was acting flaky
earlier this year and the power supply was mentioned to me as a
possible source of the problem. Anyhow, I have decided on a PC
Power & Cooling Silencer 360 replacement ps. But I have never
swapped out a ps before.

I built a shortwave radio receiver from a kit once and I
installed the additional hard drive I mentioned and I once
replaced a cd drive on my own and did all without incident, so it
is not as though I am mechanically inept. But whenever I think a
project will take "10 minutes", 2 1/2 days later I am usually
just finishing it.

So, is there anything "tricky" about changing out the ps (yes I
know to unplug it first!)? Are there any surprises that newbies
to this process commonly experience?

Be warned, Dells of that vintage often used non-standard power
supplies. The replacement may not fit, both mechanically and
electrically.

--
Some informative links:
<<http://www.geocities.com/nnqweb/>
<http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html>
<http://www.caliburn.nl/topposting.html>
<http://www.netmeister.org/news/learn2quote.html>
<http://cfaj.freeshell.org/google/>

 

[UCLAN]

Be warned, Dells of that vintage often used non-standard power
supplies. The replacement may not fit, both mechanically and
electrically.

PCP&C, which the OP mentioned as the manufacturer he had chosen,
has and recommends a Silencer 360 Dell replacement for the XPS B
series Dell the OP has.

http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/power_supplies/selector/dell.htm

 

[The poster formerly known as Colleyville Alan]

PCP&C, which the OP mentioned as the manufacturer he had chosen,
has and recommends a Silencer 360 Dell replacement for the XPS B
series Dell the OP has.

http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/power_supplies/selector/dell.htm

Yep - I chose Silencer 360 because it was specifically designed for this
particular Dell and because PCP&C was given high marks on this forum.

 

[UCLAN]

Yep - I chose Silencer 360 because it was specifically designed for this
particular Dell and because PCP&C was given high marks on this forum.

Well, the Dell S360 is actually a modified standard S360, but it was
modified specifically for Dell applications.