Upgrade Gateway GT5252 PSU

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bradr69

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Feb 5, 2007
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I want to install a Nvidia Geforce 7950GT KO video card in my Gateway GT5252. This card requires a minimum of 400W PSU, but I'm not sure what unit to go with. Everything in the system is stock....

The Gateway case is a Mid-Tower uBTX case, Form Factor Micro BTX, Case Style Mini Tower.

The motherboard is a FIC K2BC51 LF, microBTX Form Factor, and it has an AMD Athalon 64 X2 4600 CPU.

The current power supply is 300-Watt uATX/BTX Non-PFC.

The whole uATX (micro ATX?)/BTX thing has got me really confused. I chatted with 2 different guys at gateway support, and got 2 different answers. First guy told me they sell a PSU for my system that will work (Startech 400W PRO ATX12V 2.01 PS w/PCI Express), but we got cut off during the course of our conversation. The 2nd guy I chatted with said that no, this PSU won't work, and that I need a microBTX PSU (which they don't sell, of course). The problem is, I can't seem to find a microBTX PSU for sell anywhere. The closes thing I can find on newegg is the Athena Power AP-MP4ATX40 MicroATX ver2.2 400W..

At this point, any advice is welcome. Thanks for the help.
 
ok bradr69,

hey man, im sure everyone is glad to help in theses types of need. there are few things i would do in this type of case where you have a factory built system.
one, i would take measurements of your current psu and take note of them, and type to see on newegg if they put the measurements for the different psu's on the spec tab for everyone to read and match it as close as you can to the one you currently have in your rig.

two, i would buy the best one for the money and dont try buying a cheap one, you will end up with problems either starting out or later on down the road with the cheap ones.

Antec, Thermaltake, BFG, PC Power & Cooling, and a few other names i cant name off hand are very good products and have pretty good warrenties. hope this helps you out man
 
Lunchbox,

Ok. Thanks for the advice. I pulled the current power supply out of my system last night. Here are the measurements:
3 3/8"H x 5 1/2"D x 5 7/8"W (86mm H x 140mm D x 149mm W)

So, it seems like the dimensions are the same as an ATX power supply. Also, the 4 mounting holes on the back of the unit are in the same location as an ATX PSU (even though my case only uses 3 of these holes). It has a 24 pin connector going to the motherboard (with ATX_PWR stamped onto the board next to the connector). Actually, even though the connector is 24 pin, there are only 23 wires attached to the connector. Is this normal?

The current power supply is made by Delta Electronics. Here are the specs listed on the sticker of the PSU:
Output: +12V1 / 18A, +12V2 / 18A, -12V / 0.3A, +3.3V / 17A, +5V / 22A, +5VSB / 2A
Max Power 300W
The combine power on +3.3V & +5V Total 150W Max, +3.3V & +5V 150W
The combine power on +3.3V, +5V, +12V1 & +12V2 Total 285W max, +3.3V, +5V, +12V1 & +12V2 285W

So, my best guess is I need to buy a ATX PSU. I will check out the brands you mentioned. Let me know if you think this is correct. Thanks
 
cool, bradr69, glad that your curret psu is a standard atx psu. as far as the mounting holes go, it will be ok that you only use 3 holes, after mounting the new psu in, just make sure it is well secure to the case.

for the atx power connector, the 23 wires is normal, as long as it is plugged in correctly, which there is only one way to plug it in, there should be no trouble with what ever psu you pick.

as for psu's if you go with a pc power and cooling, watch out on their sizes, if i remember correctly some of the higher wattages are a few measurements bigger than the standard psu's. for a decent psu's try out Antec. so far i have like over 5 psu's by antec and all are still running strong with no problems, never had to RMA them ever.

hope this helps out Bradr69 :D
 
Lunchbox,

Thanks for the reply. I went with a 500W ATX psu .It slid right in to my case and mounted with no problems. Thanks again for the help.
 
no problem brother, what brand did you get just curious. was it antec. glad i could be some help bro. good luck keep that gatway pumping along in games. :D
 
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