Upgrading Dell Dimention Power Supply

There are millions of Dell computers out there and although early systems were built well sooner or later components will break or have to be upgraded. The big problem is that many major components such as the power supply and motherboard are proprietary in design and cannot or easily be substituted with current industry standard components. Users are generally forced to buy parts which are obsolete from Dell at premium plus prices making replacements or upgrading uneconomical.

Replacing the power supply can be tricky. The units that come in Dell computers are proprietary in form and with connectors that look standard but are not with different voltages. Power supply units with Industry standard connectors may fit and plug right into Dell motherboards but will likely be damaged or destroyed along with the motherboard when the system is turned on.

There are special adapters that can be used to solve this problem. Here's one example.

The standard power supply unit of a Dell Dimension 4400 is rated at 250 watts, inadequate for today's video cards and memory of even middling power and speed.

The power supply units below are good replacement upgrades at a reasonable price, compared to a Dell unit and brings enough power for better components and are specifically designed to safely work in Dell systems.

Startech.com 400 Watt ATX12V 2.01 Dell PC Replacement Power Supply
Boosting the power supply enables upgrading to faster video cards and memory or installing more drives. Fits right in and works like a charm. Compatible with Dell Models (partial list): 1100 / 2200 / 2300 / 2350 / 2400 / 4300 / 4400 / 4500 / 4550 / 4600 / 8200 / 8250 / 8300 / 8400 / B100.

Startech ATX12V Dell 400 Watt Replacement Power Supply

PC Power and Cooling S41D2 Silencer 410W Dell-2 compatible power supply
Part of the acclaimed computer hardware manufacturer OCZ, PC Power and Cooling is renowned for their power supply. Partial list of compatible Dells. 1100, 2200, 2300, 2350, 2400, 4300, 4400, 4500, 4550, 4600, 8200, 8200, 8250, 8300, B100. I don't know if this will fit the Dimension 4400, the power cord plug is on the wrong side or is pictured upside down. It should look like the one above.

PC Power and Cooling S41D2 Silencer 410 Watt Dell compatible Power Supply

Kingston 512 MB 333 MHZ DDR-PC2700 DIMM CL2.5 PC Memory
Quality 184 pin PC2700 512 MB memory stick that'll work in older Dell systems that use DDR memory.

Kingston 64MX64 DDR400 CL333 UNB V RAM ( KVR400X64C3A/512 )
184 pin PC 3200 512 MB memory stick. A little faster than the PC2700 model. DDR are backwards compatible.so a PC3200 will work in PC2100 systems etc. but they should all be the same if more than one.

This is a good site that discuss many aspects of upgrading a Dell computer: Dell Dimension Processor Upgrade FAQ

When hardware becomes "old" and after close out sales by major retailers they tend to become expensive being available only in specialized niche stores. When that happens buying major replacement components may become cost ineffective and must be weighed against projected viability of the system, immediate needs and cost of a new comparable system. As you know technology depreciates quickly and faster machines become cheaper every year.

A good place to look for hardware, as I found, is the Craigslist of your locale. I was able to purchase a matched pair of quality memory sticks, 2 Geil DDR PC3200 512 MB for $20.00. I was also tempted to buy a XFX GeForce 6800 AGP 128 MB video card for $25.00. I didn't because although the card would fit in the motherboard, it was too long for the Dell Dimension 4400 case.

You can look on Ebay but that's generally a last resort unless you are feeling lucky and find a private seller that has what you are looking for. Commercial venders there know that if you are looking you must be desperate and their prices reflect their upper hand.

Upgrading Dell Power Supply