For $deity's sake, please choose a subject line that has something to do with the topic you wish to discuss.

Munwele wrote:

Correct me if I am wrong but, does the PSU have a single +12V rail with a max load of 18 Amps, because if so, I'm apparently very screwed.
Can somebody explain? 😵

Perhaps you should go into more detail as to why you think that is a problem.

Jorpho wrote:

For $deity's sake, please choose a subject line that has something to do with the topic you wish to discuss.

Munwele wrote:

Correct me if I am wrong but, does the PSU have a single +12V rail with a max load of 18 Amps, because if so, I'm apparently very screwed.
Can somebody explain? 😵

Perhaps you should go into more detail as to why you think that is a problem.

Sorry, I've just changed the topic title.

I've read on a particular forum, that if your PSU has a single +12V rail with just 18A of max load, it's a bad PSU. Now, I have either misread it or I don't know what I'm talking about, or both...

The PSU you selected is an old design, when they give more power in the 3.3v and 5v lines and less in the 12v one, so it depends on what you want the PSU for: If you want it to power a hungry graphic card and a 12v hungry procesor then yes, the PSU you bought is a bad decision; if you want it to power a mid-power 754 system, for example, it's a pretty good one.
If you're not using one of the hottest p4 and a x800 this PSU should be enough, but don't plan on overclocking or use half a dozen of HDs.

shiva2004 wrote:

The PSU you selected is an old design, when they give more power in the 3.3v and 5v lines and less in the 12v one, so it depends on what you want the PSU for: If you want it to power a hungry graphic card and a 12v hungry procesor then yes, the PSU you bought is a bad decision; if you want it to power a mid-power 754 system, for example, it's a pretty good one.
If you're not using one of the hottest p4 and a x800 this PSU should be enough, but don't plan on overclocking or use half a dozen of HDs.

Thanks for your reply. You can see my exact configuration by pressing the second link (the PSU calculator one). What do you think, will the PSU self-destruct? The calcuIator shows that the PSU will not be overloaded. I am not planning to add more HDDs and/or CD drives. I am also not planning to overclock anything (CPU, RAM, GPU).

Specs after the "upgrade" will be:

CPU: Pentium 4 2.8GHz with HyperThreading,
RAM: 2 x 256MB, 1 x 1GB,
Motherboard: Optiplex GX270 motherboard (with replaced capacitors),
HDD: 130GB SATA 7.2K RPM HDD,
CD Drive: Combo drive (the one that came with it),
GPU: ATI Radeon X800 Pro
PSU: FSP 300-60ATV

I would like to ask another question. Does the Geforce 7800GS (AGP Version) consume more power than the Radeon X800 Pro?

Thanks.

The 9800XT likes a nice beefy ampy power supply, i had issues under load with a jeantech 480w psu but it seems fine with a FSP 300w 80+ psu. maybe going with something nice modern and beefy would be best.

As a bit of a sidenote, moving to ATX from AT opened the door for a lot of power supply manufacturers to skimp on many things - be it protection components, amperage ratings, capacitor quality, etc. If you look up your specific Sparkle example, you'll see some unsavory results of what happened with that power supply in other people's setups.

A power supply is one component that you really don't want to skimp on in any system. Wattage claims from some off-brand companies can be way off if you open the PSU and look at the components.

Something like this SeaSonic, perhaps - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?It … N82E16817151124

450 watts
20+4 power connector (I think your mobo is 20 pin ATX, so this is helpful)
Modular (good for reducing cable clutter)
+3.3V@20A, +5V@20A, +12V@37A, -12V@0.3A, +5VSB@2.5A

You may want to check:
1: What the dimensions of your old power supply are and what new PSU can fit that (I think your mini tower should be a normal ATX)
2: If the amperage ratings of the +5 and +3.3 are to your liking. Just doing a quick Google search, it seems the max rating difference of my example and the built-in Dell is +5V@22A vs +5V@20A. I am quite certain that you don't really need to worry about pulling high amps on +5V on a computer of that era or newer - I just wanted to point out the difference. Today's PSUs are much more geared toward 12V-based stuff.

When did Dell move from their ATX PSUs with the proprietary pinout to the industry-standard PSUs for the Optiplex line? The OP's model looks like it might be new enough to use a standard ATX PSU.

Good point, boxpressed. The OP's system is listed here - http://www.pchardwarehelp.com/Power-Supply.php under Dell systems known to use standard ATX PSUs, but nothing wrong with double/triple-checking your connection/mobo pinout to be certain.

Hello again, thanks to all for your replies.

So I did buy the wrong PSU 😢.
It's not like I don't want to listen to you, but Newegg is out of the question. My location makes it VERY hard to buy anything from the US, shipping will be VERY expensive.

The problem with this Dell machine is not the motherboard pin-outs. The problem is its back, which is why the SeaSonic won't fit: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f76XQTMPLG0/Ud6vmKH … zk/s1600/gx.jpg

This is why I'm aiming towards buying an OEM PSU, because OEMs seem to be the only ones which PHYSICALLY fit. They also are of good quality, most of the time.

I managed to find this one for very cheap: http://www.fsp-group.com.tw/pro/7/FSP350-60APN85.pdf
What do you guys think?

Munwele wrote:

The problem is its back, which is why the SeaSonic won't fit

Oh. I thought you were the same person who started this thread the other day, but clearly you aren't.

But anyway, if you're feeling adventurous, you can always start trying to cut away at the back of the case with a "nibbler tool".

CkRtech wrote:

As a bit of a sidenote, moving to ATX from AT opened the door for a lot of power supply manufacturers to skimp on many things - be it protection components, amperage ratings, capacitor quality, etc. If you look up your specific Sparkle example, you'll see some unsavory results of what happened with that power supply in other people's setups.

Generally, a PSU with 18A on the 12W line is sufficient to run a P4-HT system with a contemporary not-over-the-top video card. The OP's system shows 15W at full load, so at least spec-wise, the PSU is fine.

There is of course the matter of how good the PSU is, whether it actually delivers what promised, and whether they skimped on something as you say. Sparkle/FSP is actually known as a good and reliable brand (more over, one that actually manufacturers its own PSUs), so I don't see impending doom and gloom here. Can you point me to some of these unsavory results you mentioned in regards to this particular model?

You know, I did a bit more Googling...and it seems like the revisions somewhat varied in quality of caps inside. One thread on badcaps made mention of the BTV revision and mentioned some of those caps - http://atwww.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=2413.

I also saw one instance of some burned out parts of a board after the VSB circuit went. It was listed under Fortron, but I think perhaps they made power supplies for the Sparkle brand (and Sparkle used the same model number)? http://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=8781 Sorry if there is a bit more apples to oranges on Fortron vs Sparkle and I was examining the wrong thing.

It sounds like you know a bit more about Sparkle than I do - I had only seen a few things here and there. I apologize if I jumped to a conclusion I shouldn't have - my research was rather brief. I went down the road of a newer PSU recommendation with slightly higher posted wattage for flexibility of desired graphics cards upgrades (perhaps beyond the Radeon 9800 XT or X800 Pro in the OP's initial post). In addition, the power efficiency should be better. There was another SeaSonic with perhaps 350 watts also on newegg's site.

Munwele - I am sorry newegg doesn't really work for you - I mostly used it as a link for an example power supply rather than an online store you should use.

Munwele, thanks for the link to PSU calculator, looks like it's pretty detailed and I like it.

Off topic: I always find Sparkle branded PSUs funny. Come on, only "Magic smoke" would be less appropriate.

Hello again, and thanks for your replies.

I see what you mean CkRtech, appreciated 😀

I honestly don't know what to do now. What do you guys think about this one?
http://www.fsp-group.com.tw/pro/7/FSP350-60APN85.pdf