Dell Dimension E521 power supply?

[markothegreat]

I have a Dell Dimension E521 running an AMD 4200+ processor in it. I just purchased a ATI Radeon HD4850 graphics card I am going to install in it this week. I have a few questions related to this...


1. The current Dell power supply is 305W, will that handle the extra power the video card will be pulling, or do I need to upgrade the power supply?

2. If I need to upgrade the power supply, can someone recommend a power supply that will work with the Dell Dimension E521 and power the extra power from the video card? (I would prefer to purchase a new power supply from NewEgg is they carry one that will work.)

3. If the current power supply MIGHT handle the extra power being pulled by the video card, is there a danger in 'testing' it to see if it will work? In other words, what actually happens if the power supply isn't able to provide enough power to the computer? (Hoping for it just doesn't work, rather than burning up in flames.

Thanks!

[#43 fan]

The Power Supply probably won't handle the new card.
So, I would get a new Power Supply, such as an OCZ 600 watt, which sells for around $80.
Let me make sure the Power Supply will fit the Dell.
Edit- While I'm not totally positive, I'm reasonably sure the OCZ will fit in the Dell.
If someone could confirm this, it would be appreciated.
Here's the OCZ line-
Newegg.com - OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS 600W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply 100 - 240 V CB, CE, CSA, UL, FCC - Power Supplies

[markothegreat]

And is there an danger to try it on my current power supply? Assuming it has all the right power connectors.

[Steve R Jones]

Shouldn't be any danger....If you don't have enought power - it won't boot up.

[markothegreat]

Okay, so now I got the power supply recommended above and have installed it. However, it is not booting. The power is working as the power light, motherboard light, etc, all come on, but no CPU, harddrive, fan on the power supply etc. Any thoughts on what this might be? Is it something specific to the Dell motherboards?

[#43 fan]

Are sure it is plugged in properly in the motherboard and all the peripherals?

[KarmaKiller]

Double check that the new GPU is plugged in too.
(Had to mention it, sorry)

[wujiafu]

I installed Diamond 4850 in my Dell E521(HD4850, X2 4200+, 4x1G 667MHz DDR2, 2 SATA drives, no DVD/CD drive, stock 305W PSU)

Everything looks good so far, and I also ran 3DMark2006 without any issue.

BTW, I made the 4pin molex to PCIe power adapter myself.

The stock PSU may be not powerful enough for 4850, so do this at my/your own risk

Jeff

[trwagner1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markothegreat

Okay, so now I got the power supply recommended above and have installed it. However, it is not booting. The power is working as the power light, motherboard light, etc, all come on, but no CPU, harddrive, fan on the power supply etc. Any thoughts on what this might be? Is it something specific to the Dell motherboards?

I'm interested to find out if you got your PSU to work last year. I'm thinking of a similar upgrade to do in my E521.

Thank you

[Big_Daddy]

Try a 4670. It doesn't pull much power