Q: I need to replace the PSU in a Dell Dimension 1550. I have looked on the casing & it says its a 350w PSU. Do they come in a regular size or do they vary. Is there any thing else I should know, after all, I want it to fit OK Sorry, Its a 5150 Dimension
A: hi mate allthough replacing a power supply should be a straightforward task you need to read your dells manual to ensure you dont need to use any specific "dell registered" psu however as long as the motherboard uses either a 20pin or 24pin power connector then there shouldnt be any problem before you choose any new power supply why not visit http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp and use the "eXtreme Power Supply Calculator Lite v2.5",this is a excellent utility which you enter your p.c,s hardware and specifications and the calculator gives you a rough idea of how much power your pc uses( in watts) as a rough guide i have a pentium 4 3.2ghz,2 x sata drives,2 x optical drives,geforce 7600gt,4 x fans and 2 x cold cathod tubes (and a bit more) and my power usage is just 229watts,however i have a 550watt psu so theres plenty of juice left in my p.c for future upgrades another tip is using a cd marker pen,colour code your molex connectors,so for cdroms use a blue mark,then for hard drives use a red mark and so on,this ensure that after the change over you will use the same connectors for each specific component cable ties are also another excellent idea,your p.c can become rather cluttered when theres cables and wires hanging around however by securing them with some cable ties you keep thing neater aswell as aiding the cooling of your pc case final thought: allways go for a branded psu,dont buy a generic psu for a bargain price,for example you can get a 500watt psu for less than a tenner however its rated power is very rarely correct however when you buy a named brand such as enermax or ocz you know you are going to get quality,and the power thats rated on the unit is what you are going to get any problems let me know good luck mate !