to aerobahn or siber, please respond to this help thread

[Doppelganger]

im thinking of either getting a 9600xt or a 9800/9800pro, but i don't know if my dell can support the 9800 on it's 250watt PSU. since new 8300 models have the same PSU and support the 9800xt and pro, i believe that mine should be able to handle it as well. i have 4 pci cards, 1 hdd, 1 reader drive, one writer drive, think that i won't fry my PSU? (getting new PSU would be too much of a hassle, since the non-standard case+mobo may not fit a good PSU)

[The Heretic]

Well this wasnt directed to me, but Ill try and answer it anyway.

A 9600 Pro / XT Requires a 300psu according to the place I reguarly shop from.

That said, why dont you just buy it, try it, and if it crashes and burns buy a new PSU.

[Siber]

Heretic does bring up a good point, I too suggest having around a 300+ PSU for the higher end video cards, usually atleast 350. I know my GF4 Ti 4200 required it when i got that awhile ago. But do make sure your mobo does have an AGP slot, many pre-built comps don't come with one. I am unable to find a recommended PSU size on the ATI site or in my 9600XT manual (sorry), but you should be able to find one that fits. Just check to see if the case is ATX or mini-ATX. Obviously, an ATX won't fit into a mini-ATX. Most places will allow 3-7 days to return a power supply if it doesn't work or for any reason really, so just dont' destory the box. Also, go to your local store and ask what they think. If Dell does allow the use of a 9800 on the 250, then it will probably work, but taking chances can be unfun when tinkering with electronics. I'll look for a recomendation some more and get back to you on it as soon as I find one or the lack there of.

[Doppelganger]

ive had a ti 4200 in my comp for over a year and psu is within safe paramiters (by far)... just got the 9600xt, and no problems, i can use everything (owns my ti 4200 by so much i want to bomb nvidia for letting me down), and overdrive works fine (though my system has poor circulation and jumping the clock by only 25mh makes the card climb to 43 degrees over a period of about 6 hours), dx9 works fine, divx is a lot better, new catalyst drivers work like a charm, 3d studio max can actually run in realtime w/ perspective window showing detail, not just placeholders and frames.... overall, if you have a dell and don't want to replace your psu in a week, get the 9600xt (you also get a coupon for a free version on HL2 when it's out )




heratic, the 9700 and 9800 (outdated 9500 too) require an internal connection to a 300-watt connection, not the 9600 line. that is teh reason i asked, card w/o a 300 watt requirement, or a less effective one without 300 watt requirement