Building/Upgrading a PC for TS2
Hegelian:
Currently the best AGP option (in the U.S., anyway) is the X800 GTO from Sapphire, PowerColor, etc. The 250W power supply probably is not sufficient for this (although if you don't have problems with the Radeon 9800, which also requires its own power connection, perhaps you can get by with it).
If you want to replace the power supply (PSU), you need to make sure the new PSU is pin-compatible with the Dell PSU and motherboard; Dell has been known to use proprietary PSUs in some PCs that do not have standard pin assignments, so it is possible that an after-market PSU could burn out the motherboard. You can use the pin diagram in the document you linked to verify that the replacement PSU has the same pin assignments as the Dell PSU—you are mostly concerned with the DC Power Connector P1. If possible, it would be a good idea to contact the PSU manufacturer's tech support to find out if their products are compatible with your particular Dell.
The other possible problem is that the PSU slot in Dell cases does not always accept a standard PSU; Dell's PSUs often have non-standard dimensions. Basically, Dell does not want you to upgrade your PC, they want you to buy a new one.
PC Power & Cooling makes Dell-compatible PSUs in addition to their high-quality standard PSUs:
http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/power_supplies/dell/
The site includes a Dell PSU selector:
http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/power_supplies/selector/dell.htm
The PSU for the Dimension 8300 is the Silencer 410 Dell-2 @ US$119.
http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/viewproduct.php?show=S41D2
If you're concerned about heat, you can add case fans if the case has any unused fan locations. In particular, a fan in front drawing air in from outside is recommended.
KittKitt:
I'd have to say Hegelian is dead on with that info, but one small addition that may be of help:
If your Dell PSU is in fact the "Dell pinout" type (which most are), but is at least as large as a standard PSU, there's a converter available to allow you to use any standard ATX PSU you wish.
Shiney Clickey.
The page above shows what to look for on the motherboard to know whether or not this is the case, and from there all you really need to do is measure the physical size of the housing for the PSU in there now to see if a standard one will fit.
Just thought I'd toss it out there in case it's helpful, because honestly, no computer that does anything beyond surfing the web these days should really be using a 250w PSU -particularly with today's video cards. They're hungry, and not feeding your system sufficient power can result in anything from it refusing to power your video card (thus running in a crippled VGA-only mode) to actually frying components because one draws too much power and the other then gets irregular wattage.
I always use Antec PSU's, which are very good at voltage and watt regulation, and I don't ever go below a 480 watt model. Once you toss in a few hard drives, a cluster of fans, a couple optical drives, some USB devices, etc etc.. it never hurts to have "too much" power available, and again, my Antec's are very stable, so nothing ever gets any surges. It can mean a lot in terms of system life and stability.
-Kitt
Indiasong:
Thank you for your replies. On the page you linked to, the 8300 is stated as not needing a converter. If the European model is equivalent to the US one.
The Dell compatibles are expensive, specially if you add the $35 for delivery.
Just a graphic card would not be possible, would it?
Or a new central unit with just the cpu motherboard and graphic card.
KittKitt:
If in fact you don't need a converter, then you don't need to replace your motherboard unless you decide you really want to do some upgrading. Be advised though that doing so means you'll have to be very picky about a new board to be certain it will still use the RAM and processor you have now, so really unless you're looking to significantly upgrade things rather than just getting your video up to the best you can do in your current rig, you probably don't want to go swapping your MOBO out just yet.
Obviously, if you go with a near-full upgrade, you'll get much more noticable results, but it's also going to end up costing a lot more, because you'll be adding several components to the shopping cart.
Assuming you aren't really looking for a complete upgrade, Newegg has the Powercooler X800 GTO in stock for $155.63 (Including 3-day shipping). I'm not sure about their policy about shipping to Europe however, but if it's not terribly attractive (or available) I'm sure you can find something comprable at either a local shop or somewhere on the web that specifically handles orders in your area.
Then I'd personally reccomend you see about ordering (or buying locally) an Antec TruePower II-480. They're a great PSU, and will provide plenty of power to ensure your system (and new vid card) have plenty of juice. I've seen them selling from about $75 to $100 US plus usually about $5 - $10 US shipping, so I would think you can find a vendor with comprable prices for that as well with a little digging.
I'd be happy to help you track some things down or field additional questions if you need. Just ask. ;)
-Kitt
Indiasong:
Thank you. Right now the only x800 card I found was out of stock. And one customer advice stated it ran very hot.
Any other quality card?
Someone on a board said that nvidia needed less power, my eyes are getting tired. Maybe the same as mine with 256 instead of 128? But they seem to be difficult to find too.
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