Power supply help please

[notverysmart]

Hello, I just bought an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro and now I read on the box that I need a 300+ Watt power supply. My PC is a Dell dimension 4600 series desktop with a 250 Watt power supply. I don't replace my video card often so I was stupid and didn't even think of the power. I called Dell and asked them if they sell a power supply for my computer, the only one they have has 250 Watts. I don't know anything about power supplies except that I need a new one. Could someone please tell me if my computer could handle a bigger power supply and what spects I would have to look at when looking for one to buy? I don't know if the motherboard could handle it or what is really affected by the power supply.

This is what my owners manual says about my PC's power supply

DC power supply:

Wattage: 250 W
Heat dissapation: 853 BTU (fully loaded computer without monitor)
Voltage: 100 to 120 V at 60 Hz; 200 to 240 V at 50 Hz
Backup battery 3-V CR2032 coin cell

I'm not sure what most of that means, hehe, any help would be appreciated!

[Overclocked Doc]

Assuming the Dell that you have has the standard "ATX" formatt PSU, then changing it out for something bigger is a "non issue". Increasing the size (wattage) will not affect your board. Does your 9800 have the "Molex" connector on it (power inlet) on the far right side? If so "even better" as this means that the card will not draw excess power through the board. I would however suggest buying a qality 350 or even a 400 watt PSU. It will be worth the investment.

[notverysmart]

I recently found out that my Dell does have a standard ATX power supply, I'm happy about that hehe. I didn't know what a Molex connector was but, according to one website my card does have it. I do plan on getting a power supply that has at least 350 Watts or more to make sure I have enough from now on. Thanks so much.

It's pretty easy to replace a power supply? I'm afraid I'm going to put the new one in, reconnect something wrong and start a fire or something

[hombardo]

I have the same exact problem here. How do I figure out whether my power supply is ATX or not?

[Kerry King]

Hi, I am thinking about buying a new video card for my computer. The one i am going to buy is either the GeForce 7600 GT KO or a GeForce 7600 GT CO. My mother board does not have a pci-e slot so i am going to get a new one . As alot of people i didn't really pay attention to power supply. So i don't know what companies make good cards or what is best to choose.The beforementioned video card requires at least 350 watts of power and my power supply is only 300 Watts. What would be a good 400 Watt power supply for this. My cpu is a celron so it must be compatible with celron.I have a limited budget so it should be under 40 $.any help would be much obliged. keep in mind i use my computer mostly for gaming.