A couple of reviews I've read about my new video card have people saying they had to upgrade their stock power supplies. Tell me it's not true ;)

Mine has a 250 watt supply, what are you guys running?

Depends on the rest of your hardware. I'm running a 4600ti with a 420W PS. I think you'll find the 250W will cause you problems, blue screens, random reboots, and other general errors. I would suggest at least 350W, but get the biggest you can afford so you'll have room for expansion. Hope this helps.

Animal that is NOT what I wanted to here...lol.

But exactly what I was afraid of....

If you're REALLY strapped for cash, your 250W will probably hold out for a while, but not long especially if you're running a newer processor, big hard drive and lots of fans. I learned this lesson the hard way, constantly encountering blue screens, corrupt files and registry entries, random lock ups and reboots. I finally swapped out the PS, and voila! I haven't had so much as a hiccup since I did it. Check out this link. http://www.pcpowerandcooling.com/pro...lies/index.htm

I running a p4 2 gig processor with a 40gig hard drive and just a stock fan.

250W with a P4! I'm surprised it's lasted as long as it has. Well, I've given you my thoughts. Not to make matters worse, but the GF4ti generate a lot of heat, so watch the interior case temperatures especially if running a mid tower or smaller. You may notice a slight jump in CPU temps with the new card. If you're going to pop in a new power supply, it might be a good time to look at an extra case fan, to help keep things cool. Good luck!

Thanks Animal. I think I'll grab a new fan now, and on payday, a new PS.

P4s are power hungry and run hot.

G4s are power hungry and runs hot.

HDDs are power hungry and can run very hot.

While a 250W can probably put out enough current to keep things running (While running very hot itself, natch) it probably cant make that current stable, hence the blue screens etcetera.

Get a new PSU, get a couple fans in there, and do it before something decides that its gotten too hot.

And you cant just pick up a cheap second hand PSU either, cos of that extra power connecter the P4 needs. And whats a new P4 PSU cost? £45, dont know in dollars.

And you want to look into some extra cooling a well. Its not just about fans - using round IDE cables instead of ribbon cables, keeping stuff tied out of the way, all that can improve airflow and thus cooling.

A lot of hassle to be sure, but what worth doing isnt?

I'm surprised you haven't burned out the mobo...a lot of the newer stuff needs a 300W or better p/s. A p/s upgrade is highly recommended.

This is really the first I've heard about the PS issue, and I wouldn't have figured this out if not for ordering the new video card.

I surprised Dell puts a less than adequate PS in a new system. I bought this Dimension 8200 about 4 months ago and haven't changed anything until now.

All this talk got me curious and I cracked the case this afternoon. I have a huge cooling grid(heat sink or whatever) on the processor, but a nearly silent low volume .8 amp fan. I don't see anywhere for an additional fan, but I'm going to upgrade the fan for sure.

Keep the tips coming! :D