Well, still working on upgrading my alternate system. Since discovering that Dell make their PSUs proprietary, making it so you'd have to upgrade both mobo and PS before upping the wattage I began to look for alternatives and discovered this http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/dellconverter.html

It sounds all fine and rosy but I wanted to see if anyone has ever done or heard of this method before going ahead and buying both the adapter and a new power supply. Would the new PSU simply fit in where the old one was or would it be external? The description itself isn't exactly user-friendly for newcomers so I'm a little confused as to how it works. Anyway guys, any help appreciated as always.

[ 02-27-2005, 05:44 PM: Message edited by: SpiritWarrior ]

Take the final period off that link, will you?

Anywaym, the problem with dell power supplies is simply that the plugs have the wrong layout, so that if you plug a regular power supply into a motherboard built for a dell one, it will get the wrong voltages in the wrong place and blow up.

This adapter just sits in between the powersupply and the mobo and reroutes the wires appropriately.

The new PSU will sit where the old one did.

Just make sure that your dell is compatable with this, look for that plug mentioned at the bottom of the page and make sure its not in the incompatability list.

Done, sorry. Thanks for the heads up. So simply get the adapter connect it up and I'm done with no need to mess around with the mobo? I'm looking at this PSU atm, http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/nx-3500.html is it worth anything do you think?

350W is a little low for a modern PC, and 16A on the +12V rail is definately low, but if its low decibels your after, it might be a good buy.

Personaly, I wouldnt pay for a PSU other an an Antec, or an Enermax, or some other reputable brand. Nexus don't appear in any lists of good PSUs I found, but they also dont appear in any lists of bad PSUs.

This site:
http://shsc.info/PowerSupplyGuide

Gives some basic advice on choosing a new PSU.

Enermax do have some good Power Supplies on the go right now, and Antec also have a nice 480W one. I would also advice you to take a look at the 480W Tagan however. It has a massive 12V rating (something like 30W IIRC) and is one of the best modern day PSU's. This would last you a long time and stand you in good stead for future upgrades. I own one and it hasn't let me down.