how can i tell the type of PSU i have ?

305w DON'T INSTALL A NEW GRAPHICS CARD UNLESS YOU SWITCH THAT OUT.

And Dells have proprietary PSUs. You have to order from them.

305w DON'T INSTALL A NEW GRAPHICS CARD UNLESS YOU SWITCH THAT OUT.

And Dells have proprietary PSUs. You have to order from them.

graffspree

The one you selected will not. Dell power supplies are not standard sized. I hopped on their site and could not really find something quickly.

I had the same problem with a Compaq years ago. I bought a new case and standard PSU and transfered the guts. Got me started in building my own PCs.

It is probably cheaper to buy a case and power supply, assuming that the motherboard is standard sized.graffspree

Dell motherboards are typically, but not always, non-standard either in being BTX or using abnormal standoffs for the motherboard.

i have a dell e521 if that helps.That_MC_Jerome

That_MC_Jerom, your e521 is indeed one of the Dimension's that have a non-standard motherboard. You are pretty much stuck with a higher priced PSU at the $100 price range (there are some cheap no name knock off's but I promise you they would kill your system). I did manage to pick up a decent little 450w last year for another Dimension for about $50, but I havent seen that model since then. I thought about picking up one or two to keep on hand for some of my clients. For the most part, I have to say you have to real options. Either a new case, motherboard, PSU, and fansink, for about $250 to $300. You could shave off a good $100 to $150, but you would end up with such a limited parts that it would be rather pointless even bother. Or you could just spend the money on the PSU and 8800GT and use what you have.

Since your board cant support SLI or Crossfire, either of the two PSU as the site beefdog listed would carry that system through until you replace it. You simply dont need more than 500W on that box. So I would just recommend the PSU upgrade. The rebuild does not offer enough bang for the buck value based on your remaining componets. However, an 8800GT would give you a more than reasonable performance boost on that rig. My two cents on the matter.