Need a New Power Supply For My Dell E510

T

thefewtheproud

Gawd
Joined
Oct 23, 2006
Messages
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Hey Guys,
So my power supply went out in my E510. The E510 requires a BTX PSU. Right now I am looking at a refurbished OCZ Modstream. Is there any reason I shouldn't go with it? Can I trust a refurb PSU? Is there anything that would be better for under $75?

Also, I've never swapped out a power supply on a computer that I didn't build myself. Is there anything I need to do or buy? Thanks!
 
I wouldn't get a OCZ Modxstream for $75, especially a refurbished one. There's much better deals, like a Corsair TX 650 V2 for ~$70-80. Much better than any modxstream. Based on the computer in your signature, a Corsair CX430 V2 for ~$20-25 AR is good enough for your needs. The only thing to make sure if is that your motherboard uses standard ATX connections vs Dell proprietary connections. If it uses proprietary connections, you'll either need to figure out how to wire your own connections, or get a replacement from Dell.
 
$75 for a Refurb OCZ Modstream is a tad high. I'd go with a Corsair, Antec, or Seasonic for that much money.

Swapping PSUs is fairly easy, you just have to connect everything back together. Make sure every component is connected and getting power before turning on and freaking out.
 
Tsumi said:
I wouldn't get a OCZ Modxstream for $75, especially a refurbished one. There's much better deals, like a Corsair TX 650 V2 for ~$70-80. Much better than any modxstream. Based on the computer in your signature, a Corsair CX430 V2 for ~$20-25 AR is good enough for your needs. The only thing to make sure if is that your motherboard uses standard ATX connections vs Dell proprietary connections. If it uses proprietary connections, you'll either need to figure out how to wire your own connections, or get a replacement from Dell.
Click to expand...

The Dell is a BTX system which is why I'm having trouble finding one.
 
thefewtheproud said:
The Dell is a BTX system which is why I'm having trouble finding one.
Click to expand...

BTX doesn't mean a thing, it's just a specific type of case orientation and airflow design (inverted with CPU below the expansion slots and a wind tunnel from front to back above the CPU). In all likelihood, your motherboard uses standard ATX connections. But that's something you need to check for yourself; that it has a 24 or 20 pin plug and a 8 or 4 pin plug. Then you can print out a key diagram of ATX connections and see if it matches up with your connections. If it does, you can use any modern power supply. If it doesn't, you have to get a Dell proprietary replacement.
 
BTX is a motherboard form factor and does not apply to PSUs. The ATX specification you hear about in relation to PSUs is not the same as the ATX form factor for motherboards. All computer PSUs, including those that are used in BTX cases, are required to follow the ATX electrical specification, and there are various PSU form factors that generally do not correlate to case form factors (though the most popular PSU form factor is the ATX form factor, which goes with ATX cases; yes, it can get confusing).

Basically, you need an ATX PSU, and there is no such thing as a BTX PSU. What you need to worry about is whether or not your motherboard requires a specialized connector configuration, since Dell has been known to use their own configurations in the past which are not compatible with the standard ATX pinouts. The easiest way to do that is probably to look at the PSU that came with this PC and see if the motherboard power connector is laid out in this way (the wires are colour-coded, which will help you check): http://pinouts.ru/Power/atx_v2_pinout.shtml
 
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