Power supply for 9800pro

Mr. Poopypants

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Joined
14 Jan 2004
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I just ordered an ATI 9800pro 128mb vid card (still waiting for it to arrive) and was reading on another site that this card requires a 300 watt power supply for its power connection. Problem is, I dont have a 300 watt power supply, mine is only 250 watts. Site where I ordered from did not say anything about this. Will I be able to use this card or not. Gonna be kinda pissed if I now have to upgrade my power supply just to install a video card.
 
you should be able to... its recommended @ 300w... not required.. many SFF cases have 200W psu's and use the gfx card...

what else is running in your system and what make psu is it?
 
Not sure of the make, it is part of a Dell (I know) system.
Have a cd-rom, cd-rw, 160gb HD, and a 30gb HD installed also sound card and network card.
 
if its a dell psu.. it should be enough... they have a different power rating system..

btw whats the cpu?
 
You are pushing your luck with a 250W power supply. How many sticks of RAM and are they DDR or RAMBUS? Do you have any USB peripherals attached? How many case fans?

At worst you can disconnect the 40 gig HD and the CDrom drives until you are ready to upgrade the power supply.

Check the voltages using a tool like sisoft sandra with your current load out and again after you add the Radeon. If the voltages are at or above their nominal rating you are probably ok for a while.

Now the ugly question. Can you upgrade the power supply or did Dell put something proprietary in (special connectors or an unusual size/shape)?

And don't trust that site linked above. Their arithmetic isn't even right. I added parts it said were 10 watts and it changed the total by 15w. They also tend to over size the power supply.
 
If I were you, I would check pricewatch for AT LEAST a 350watt Antec Truepower power supply. The Truepower series guaranties that each voltage rail (3.3v, 5v, 12v) gets a min. of XX watts (don't know the exact details) - this is important because if your video card draws too much off the (say, 12v rail) then the others get 'robbed' of watts - READ: You can get weird problems if you are playing a game.

Get a good power supply ONCE... not each time you upgrade parts on your comp.
 
Dude why even take the chance of having a lack luster power supply. Never starve your parts. Get a good power supply from antec or power cooler. Doesnt have to be from these guys though.
 
true trust me i learnt the hard way fought with my dad and didnt talk to him for 2 months cuz i needed a better power supply which they dont have in saudi ( they have generic ones now that are over 350 watts.
 
Don't panic yet.

Dell reversed course on some of their proprietary stuff (like the OEM Windows OS compatibility) and even if their power supplies are still special you can:

check with Dell about an upgrade
look for after market "Dell Compatible" power supplies

When I was in the local computer super center (Fry's aka www.outpost.com) I noticed they were stocking many different size and form factor power supplies.

Check the Dell manual and see if it shows the power supply pin outs and compare them to the ATX standard ones. If you can't find the ATX pin outs PM me and I'll dig it out. I saw it in one of my manuals. Also look at the label on the PS or in the manual and see what the output ratings are. +5V (25-30A), +3.3V(12-14A) and +12V(8-10A) are the critical ones. If they are in (or above) the current range I showed you might be ok.

In the mean time just pull out the extra drives until you get the power supply sorted and make sure the case is well ventillated so the power supply intake air is cool.

PS Ask SAZAR about the supplies. His brother works for Dell.
 
my bro works in the server department :) not in d'tops...
 
LeeJend said:
Don't panic yet.

Dell reversed course on some of their proprietary stuff (like the OEM Windows OS compatibility) and even if their power supplies are still special you can:

check with Dell about an upgrade
look for after market "Dell Compatible" power supplies

When I was in the local computer super center (Fry's aka www.outpost.com) I noticed they were stocking many different size and form factor power supplies.

Check the Dell manual and see if it shows the power supply pin outs and compare them to the ATX standard ones. If you can't find the ATX pin outs PM me and I'll dig it out. I saw it in one of my manuals. Also look at the label on the PS or in the manual and see what the output ratings are. +5V (25-30A), +3.3V(12-14A) and +12V(8-10A) are the critical ones. If they are in (or above) the current range I showed you might be ok.

In the mean time just pull out the extra drives until you get the power supply sorted and make sure the case is well ventillated so the power supply intake air is cool.

PS Ask SAZAR about the supplies. His brother works for Dell.


Did some searching and found that Dell switched over to traditional ATX power supply pins/connecters in 2002 or so. Standard ATX power supplies can be used in my Dimm 8200 series comp., with some minor case modifications.
Also found this information for the 250w power supply,
Output Voltage
Minimum Current (A)
Maximum Current (A)1
Peak Current (A)2

+12 VDC
1.0
10.04
12.0

+5 VDC
4.0
22.04
12.0

+3.3 VDC
1.0/0.03
14.04
12.0

–12 VDC
0.0
1.0
12.0

+5 VFP
0.0
2.0
12.0

not sure if good or bad
Also noticed you can purchase a new Dell system with all the bells and whistles including a 9800XT vid card and it still uses the 250w power supply.
 
imo very dumb, u wont get all the ringing from the bells and all whistling from the whistles if u do use a 250w, more like a croaking lol
 
like I said many posts ago... dell uses a different system wrt wattage... instead of listing the max they can achieve they list the max CONSTANT it can achieve... which is generally the same as most psu's with a higher rated wattage...
 
I looked at the current ratings and the 5 amps is kinda low. I'm trying to find out how much +5V the 9800 PRO uses.

+12 VDC 10-12 amps max same as my antec 300W supply
1.0
10.04
12.0

+5 VDC This one is confusing 12-22 amps?
My antec 300W is 30A, my raidmax 350W is 25amps (el cheapo unit).
Need to know what the 1) and 2) notes say on the power supply case. RE:

Maximum Current (A)1
Peak Current (A)2
4.0
22.04
12.0

+3.3 VDC 12-14 amps max close to the 15 on my 300W antec.
1.0/0.03
14.04
12.0

I'll be back.
 
Ok, I ran the numbers based on the power supply specs you posted.

The 12V and 3.3V are fine.

The 5V is probably ok:

Assuming no firewire. I'd disconnect the extra CD drive and the floppy and any USB devices until I got a chance to pick up a 300W power supply.

That puts you at about 12A on the +5V which appears to have a 12 amp continuous rating. You can surge up to 22 amps which gives you plenty of margin for drive spin up etc.
 

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