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I myself have no clue about hardware , but I know that the 250 Watt PSu in my system isnt going to work with the newer better V-cards ...but Dell told me that I could only have a 250 Watt power supply.....is this true, and why???

The reason I ask is because when I asked them why they were just like, You cant...dont work ...

Hi Nimblesloth,

Sorry to hear you got such a rotten response from the Dell techs. Unfortunately, it may be the only information that they have.

I am not sure, but perhaps our Hardware Gurus, can at least give you a better answer as to why your PC cannot handle any higher PCU. Can you please post your Model information so that they have as much info as possible to answer your question?

Looking forward to your reply,

TTFN

LGW

Just post your Dell service tag number and we'll do the rest for you

Hi Nimblesloth,

Welcome to The PCHF,
I think maybe that they might mean that they will only supply a 250W PSU. Strange but I guess that's their policy.
You should be able to put a more powerful psu into a system quite easily.
There is a handy calculator here that will tell you what the bare minimum psu required to run a system.
http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/
If you do decide to install an upgraded PSU yu will more than likely void any warranty that you have.
Let us know how you get on

Also, depending on your Dell PC model, you may have to buy a Dell PSU as they do use specifically sized units in their desktop PC's

Hey Hardware Gurus,

I have a question regarding Nimblesloth's original question;

Is there such a thing as too much power for a motherboard and/or CPU?

If so, how is the maximum determined?

Looking forward to you answers,

TTFN

LGW

Here's the service manual for my system

Microprocessor
Microprocessor type
Intel® Pentium® 4 that runs at 2.8, GHz internally and 800 MHz externally; Level 1 (L1) cache
8 KB first-level
Level 2 (L2) cache
512-KB (displayed in the system setup program) pipelined-burst, eight-way set associative, write-back SRAM

System Information
System chip set
Intel 865PE
DMA channels
eight
Interrupt levels
24 APIC mode
System BIOS chip
4 Mb (512 KB)
System clock
533- or 800-MHz data rate

Expansion Bus
Bus type
PCI
Bus speed
PCI: 33 MHz
PCI connectors
three
PCI connector size
120 pins
PCI connector data width (maximum)
32 bits
AGP
AGP 1X, 2X, 4X, 8X

Memory
Architecture
1.57 GB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM
Memory connectors
four
Memory capacities
128-, 256-, 512-MB or 1-GB
Minimum memory
128 MB DDR SDRAM
Maximum memory
4 GB
Memory type
PC3200 (400-MHz) DDR SDRAM (non-ECC)

Drives
Externally accessible
two 5.25-inch bays
one 3.5-inch bay
Internally accessible
two bays for 1-inch–high IDE hard drive

Ports and Connectors
Externally accessible:
Serial
9-pin connector; 16550C-compatible
Parallel
25-hole connector (bidirectional)
Keyboard
6-pin mini-DIN connector
Mouse
6-pin mini-DIN connector
USB
two front-panel and six back-panel USB 2.0–compliant connectors
Network
RJ-45 connector
Audio
Five back miniature connectors for line-in, line-out, microphone, surround and center/Low-Frequency Effects (LFE) channel
Headphone
one front miniature connector for line-out
Internally accessible:
Primary IDE channel
40-pin connector on PCI local bus
Secondary IDE channel
40-pin connector on PCI local bus
Floppy drive
34-pin connector
Serial ATA
two 7-pin connectors

Video
Video controller
AGP8X

Audio
Audio controller
ADI 1980

Network
Network controller
Integrated Intel® PRO 10/100 Ethernet

Controls and Lights
Power control
push button
Front-panel power light
solid green for power-on state; blinking green for standby state
Hard-drive access light
green
Diagnostic code lights
four bicolor (amber and green) located on back panel

Power
DC power supply:
Wattage
250 W
Heat dissipation
853 BTU (fully-loaded computer without monitor)
Voltage
(see the safety instructions in your Owner's Manual for important voltage setting information)
100 to 120 V at 60 Hz; 200 to 240 V at 50 Hz
Backup battery
3-V CR2032 coin cell

Physical
Height x Width x Depth
36.8 x 18.4 x 42.6 cm
(14.5 x 7.25 x 16.75 inches)
Weight
10.4 kg (23 lb)

Environmental
Temperature:
Operating
10º to 35ºC (50º to 95ºF)
NOTE: At 35°C (95°F), the maximum operating altitude is 914 m (3000 ft).
Storage
–40º to 65ºC (–40º to 149ºF)
Relative humidity
20% to 80% (noncondensing)
Maximum vibration:
Operating
0.25 G at 3 to 200 Hz
Storage
2.20 Grms at 10 to 500 Hz
Maximum shock:
Nonoperating (half-sine pulse)
105 G, 2 ms
Nonoperating (faired-square
wave)
32 G with a velocity change of 596.9 cm/sec (235 inches/sec)
Altitude:
Operating
–15.2 to 3048 m (–50 to 10,000 ft)
NOTE: At 35°C (95°F), the maximum operating altitude is 914 m (3000 ft).
Storage
–15.2 to 10,670 m (–50 to 35,000 ft)



And id love to hear an answer about Max PSU also....