More powerful Power Supply for Dell Optiplex 780?

November 23, 2011 6:11 PM

Short version: I need to find a larger power supply that fits in a Dell Optiplex 780 Small Form Factor (the third from the left here) so I can power a larger video card (and presumably the fans for it).

Longer version isn't much longer, but I have an Optiplex I use for media centering, and some light gaming, and would like to upgrade the video card to something with a bit more heft for moderate gaming, but the built in power supply is insanely weak. So, you know, replace it, but the problem is that it seems to have a custom nonstandard design to fit in the form factor.

I'm hoping someone third party makes a drop in that can output a whole lot more than the insanely low standard, but I can't find one and neither can my resources at PC Connection, etc.

Anyone know of anyone I don't?

posted by John Kenneth Fisher to Computers & Internet (6 answers total)

It's been years since I worked at Dell, but back in the day, the Optis all had custom power supplies. You could certainly call Dell directly and see if they have a beefier one that fits in that form factor, but if they don't, you're likely out of luck.
posted by restless_nomad at 6:35 PM on November 23, 2011

Best answer: In my experience, it's harder to source non-OEM replacements for Dell stuff than for any other brand. Best of luck, but your path of least resistance might actually be to shift all the Dell guts into a standard case.
posted by flabdablet at 6:57 PM on November 23, 2011

You may want to download the Optiplex 780 Tech Guide for future reference. According to page 17 you have a 235W power supply. I have had a lot of troubles with finding a higher powered MicroATX power supply. At my office we have just switched over to an Antec case which looks to be a similar size to yours. They have Antec MT-352 350W power supplies which our hardware vendor recommended. So far we have had no problems with them. They are a little longer than some of the supplies I have tried, so check the measurements and verify it will physically fit and that you will have enough connectors for what you need.
posted by Yorrick at 7:54 PM on November 23, 2011

I had a slightly different small-factor computer (very likely the one for which the above Antec MT-352 is designed for) and ended up getting a this TFX one which worked well after a little prodding. The size wasn't quite right, but I was able to get it to stay in place; the trick is to check dimensions before you order :)

If the one I linked isn't exactly right but looks to be the correct shape, TFX is the magic word that you should search Newegg for.
posted by bsdfish at 12:02 AM on November 26, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks everyone! :-)

I actually think flabdablet's idea is the way for me to go, esp. as getting a case, power supply, and gpu puts me a decent way along to save money when it comes time to upgrade the remainder down the line.

I'm not home to crack the case and see the connectors, but I'm thinking I can mostly safer assume that any standard PSU will power this Dell (let me know if that's a horrible assumption), and then I can get something nice and hefty. :-)
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 5:31 AM on November 26, 2011

To the best of my knowledge, the only reason standard PSU's won't work is the wacky form factor, so if you move everything into a normal case, there's no reason it won't. That said, my knowledge is old and I haven't built a PC in years, so it's worth making sure there aren't any weird connectors or anything.
posted by restless_nomad at 8:07 AM on November 26, 2011