Things Fall Apart - Dell PC

[dr_spock]

My Dell 8400 PC suddenly stopped working. The screen went blank in the middle of playing a game. I turned it off and on and it wouldn't boot up. I smelled a burning aroma from the power supply. I removed the power supply and opened it up. Lo and behold...

[JimC]

Well... That model was released in 2004. So, you probably can't complain too much to get that much life out if it's PSU. :-)

FWIW, I've got a Dimension 8300 that still works (the model that preceded the 8400), although it doesn't get used much anymore. But, the 8400 has a newer chipset with a PCIe slot for graphics (whereas the 8300 only has AGP).

Note that you can get a replacement PSU for $29.99 delivered if you shop around. It's only 350 Watts. But, if the original lasted for that long, I wouldn't spend a lot of money on a higher end PSU unless you plan on upgrading the graphics card (and note that you may need to cut out part of the case back to get some aftermarket PSUs to fit in your model so the power switches can fit, since the Dell PSU in that box doesn't have an external switch on it and the Dimension 8400 cases don't have a cutoff for one). Here's a listing for a replacement I found with a quick search ($29.99 with free shipping):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=380150318612

[mtngal]

LOL! Looks like a new computer to me. What's amazing is that when you say "new in 2004" it sounds like an ancient computer. But it really isn't that long ago when you think about it.

[SharpShotGal]

Computers age so fast now days its amazing .... its as if the faster they go the older they get!

[dr_spock]

JimC -> The original 350W went last year, then I got a 450W non-Dell power supply. That's the 450W in the fried pic. Thanks for the link. I bought a new 500W power supply the other day instead since I have a power sucking ATI HD4850 graphics card. Yup, I had to cut a bigger opening in the case for those non-Dell power supplies. The 8400 is not bad computer. It still runs all my apps nicely.



mtngal -> good observation. The fried PS was only 9 months old, practically new. They don't make them like they used to.

SharpshootGal -> Cameras age fast too. I feel obsolete shooting with my DSLR from 2005.

[JimC]

Some of the newer cases work without needing to cut the case (if you're got room enough to fit the PSU you want to use inside).

For example, I bought a little Inspiron 530 with a Q6600 CPU in it a couple of years back for very little from Dell Outlet (under $500 after coupon codes) and upgraded it's PSU using a more powerful standard ATX type PSU that I found on sale at newegg.com.

It was a tight fit (since it was longer than the original PSU and that case doesn't have a lot of room in it), and I had to bend down some wire guide tabs that were directly behind the original PSU. But, installing it was no big deal (no case cutting required). About the only thing that I had to do was buy a 20 to 24 pin adapter (since the Foxcon MB Dell used in it required a 24 pin connection and the PSU I bought didn't have one).