Power requirements?

[itemyar]

I have an old Dell Dimension PIII 750MHz computer that I just brought back
to life (several problems resolved, upgraded to XP, Etc.) The power supply
is only 200 watts and I've already added a second hard drive and a wireless
PCI network card! I need to replace the video card with one that has more
memory and better performance and I'm wondering just how far I can go with
upgrades (I still have a couple of PCI slots available), before I need to
worry about getting a bigger power supply?

Thanks all!

 

[Marc Hulsebosch]

For this system, 200 wat might be enough. You could check how much power
you are using here: http://www.extreme.outervision.com/index.jsp

Marc

 

[kony]

I have an old Dell Dimension PIII 750MHz computer that I just brought back
to life (several problems resolved, upgraded to XP, Etc.) The power supply
is only 200 watts and I've already added a second hard drive and a wireless
PCI network card! I need to replace the video card with one that has more
memory and better performance and I'm wondering just how far I can go with
upgrades (I still have a couple of PCI slots available), before I need to
worry about getting a bigger power supply?

Does it use a standard power supply?

It's not only load but age that begins to play a part in PSU
adequacy. Ideally you would use a good 300W name-brand,
even 350W with a high-end video card (which would be a bit
of a waste of a high-end video card on a system that old,
but regardless...) . 200W PSU with only the HDD and wifi
card should be sufficient when new but higher % of capacity
wears out a PSU faster, so at this point it's not a good
long-term strategy. A new 250W would be suitable for system
as-is but with vague plans about the video card upgrade it
would be good to have more margin in a >250W PSU.

 

[Pen]

Be aware that your Dell uses a non standard power supply.
It has what looks like a ATX connector, but it isn't.
Dell docs to be found here;
http://support.dell.com/support/systemsinfo/documentation.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~cat=12

 

[Derek Baker]

Be aware that your Dell uses a non standard power supply.
It has what looks like a ATX connector, but it isn't.
Dell docs to be found here;
http://support.dell.com/support/systemsinfo/documentation.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~cat=12

You can get third-party replacements, here for example:
http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/power_supplies/dell/

 

[itemyar]

Thanks Derek, this is good to know in case I have to replace it!

Ray