Okay, more advice needed

[valis2]

So. I've looked over my system. Turns out the power supply is strangely situated at the base of the unit (check it out) and it's a pain to get out and it's thin. So I can't replace it easily.

I've purchased an ATI Radeo HD2600 Pro 512 MB DDR2, which says it needs 400 watts to operate. It'll be delivered tomorrow.

ETA: Looks like it's a VisionTek model, and it needs 300 watts.

The system's power supply is rated at 460 watts.

I've seen someone on the forums who apparently is running a similar card, with no worries. Most people, though, seem to be suggesting that a separate power supply is necessary.


Dell Dimension XPS Series (Gen 2)
Pentium 4 Processor at 3 GHz w/ 800MHz front side bus
3 gigs ram
Hard drive
DVD drive
CD drive
Floppy drive (I actually forgot about it, lol)

It's hooked to these peripherals:
Scanner
Two printers (only one is turned on, generally)
Camera (only sporadically)
Speakers
Broadband wireless device

So what do you think? Should I hazard putting in the card and hooking it in to the main power supply? Or should I get the card its own separate power supply and just rig it out of the case? Thoughts would be incredibly appreciated.

Comments

[saruwatari.livejournal.com]

Also! I agree with tapedeck.

If you already have two ginormous fans, though, you should be fine. Some Radeon video cards actually come with their own little fans attached, too. =D

[valis2.livejournal.com]

It just arrived!! eee!

It has two huge fans, plus two fans in the base and a fan in the front. The power supply fans in the base are the ones I'm most worried about. *crosses fingers*

And yep, it needs two power connections. Here's hoping that once I crack the case open I have them both. I'm not holding my breath, though.

[saruwatari.livejournal.com]

*CROSSES FINGERS FOR YOU* I hope both are there. I've not had cause to crack open the cases of any of my Dells yet, so I'm not sure what's standard in there.