Which PSU for Dell 4400: want quieter and more power

mishad · Post by **mishad** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 5:15 pm

We have a Dell 4400 with P4 2.5GHz with stock heatsink and voltage, 2x512MB DDR-266, ATI 9600XT AGP 128MB, 1 PATA 7200rpm HD, DVD-ROM, DVD-RW.

The stock PSU is rather noisy, so I want to replace it with something quieter. I've already replaced the stock 92mm case fan with a Xilence Red Wing, which helped some, but the PSU is now the noisiest thing in the PC. The 9600XT is slightly overclocked; it reaches ~48-50 degC under load (furmark burn test), with the stock fan.

We are also intending to upgrade to X1650Pro AGP 512MB, which probably requires more power than the stock PSU can reliably provide (its a "3/5V-style" model and only has a claimed 14A on the 12V line). (According to behardware articles/670-4/pc-s-actual-power-consumption.html, a similar "mid-range" config requires 11A on the 12V line and 220W total, which is probably cutting it a bit fine for a 5? yr old 250W PSU intended for only light 12V load.)

So I'm looking to upgrade to a quiet efficient PSU with 25+A on the 12V line. Looking at SPCR's PSU guide, I found the following candidates available in the UK for < ~Â£50 delivered:

Enermax Pro82+ 430W
Seasonic S12II-380
Antec NeoHE 430W
Antec Earthwatts 430W

(I also found some others not on the SPCR recommended list e.g. Xilence XP480, OCX stealthXstream 400/500, but I assume these are lower quality/not as quiet)

But the stock PSU is an inline fan model, which draws air in from the DVD (5.25") bays. There is no CPU fan, instead the 92mm case fan has a cowl attached which causes it to draw across the CPU heatsink. The side of the cowl is very close to the bottom of the PSU enclosure.

My preference is for the Enermax or Seasonic. But, AFAICT, of the above models, only the Earthwatts and NeoHE have inline fans. The others have 120mm fans blowing from below, which would be almost completely completely obstructed by the cowl. (Also, the CPU heatsink fins are aligned front-to-back so the PSU fan draw will be in the "wrong direction" by 90deg.)

I'd prefer not to get a new case if I can avoid it -- although the Dell PSU->MB connectors are standard in this model, the MB->case connectors (USB, power switch, drive lights) are not.

So:

1) If I remove the cowl, will the CPU still be adequately cooled by the combination of the 92mm case fan and the 120mm PSU fan? Or would I need to add a CPU fan, or a side-of-case fan to keep it cool?

2) Will an X1650Pro run significantly hotter than the 9600XT? Currently the VGA is cooled by the stock fan and the drawing of air through the front and back bottom case vents (I had some extra holes front and back). Will that still be enough, or will it need more (e.g. a side-of-case fan).

3) Will the DVD & DVD-RW be OK with no inline PSU fan to draw air past them specifically?

4) Any other better-than-NeoHE/Earthwatts inline-fan PSUs I could get for <Â£50 delivered?

Any advice gratefully received!

Misha

Redzo · Post by **Redzo** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 8:05 pm

I could be misstaken but most of dells i had to deal with (some time ago though) had proprietary PSU and boards meaning that of the shelf stuff would not work with them.
Thats why I always recomended ppl tpo stay away from that brand.

AuraAllan · Post by **AuraAllan** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 6:17 am

Redzo wrote:I could be misstaken but most of dells i had to deal with (some time ago though) had proprietary PSU and boards meaning that of the shelf stuff would not work with them.
Thats why I always recomended ppl tpo stay away from that brand.

Thats the case with every Dell i've seen too.

mishad · Post by **mishad** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 3:23 pm

That's true for many Dell's, but some use standard connectors. According tohttp://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/std/sku=dellconverter the following models do not need an adapter:

Dell Dimension 4300, 4400, 4500, 4700, 8200, 8300, OptiPlex GX 400

I have a Dimension 4400 so I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. (I didn't buy this PC, I was given it as a hand-me-down.)

Does anyone have any advice about the inline vs bottom PSU fan issue in one of these Dell cases? Or does everyone just get a new mobo and case and fan at the same time?

Any suggestions of other PSUs to consider? Are the OCX stealthXstream or Xilence XP models worth considering in the same breath as the Corsair/Seasonic/Enermax/Silverstones?

Misha