I have a Dell Precision t7400. I found it at a computer store. They were going to recycle it. The only thing it needed was a psu and hard drive. The power supply that originally came with this unit is 70 dollars. My question is this: Is the power supply proprietary? I would rather get something that is at least 80 plus silver.
The power supply is probably not proprietary, but in the 2 minutes of research that I did, I found this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldex2COjx-I
Is that the one that you have? Looking at that power supply, it is not a proprietary model, but I'd have to do some research to figure out what form factor it is. The guy in the video said that it was a 1000W PSU. If you can get one for $70 and you know that it is the right model, I doubt that you'll find a much better deal anywhere else.
I've seen pictures of the psu. It's tall. I'm not sure of the dimensions, though. I'm sure I could just mod the case a little if the new psu won't fit. The money really doesn't matter. I'm sure that the stock psu is good quality. I just don't want to buy it used or refurbished. I need something that will last a little while and will work in my next workstation build.
I've seen websites selling upgrades for this pc. The upgraded psu looks like a regular atx psu. I have an old 300w psu laying around. As soon as I get the workstation I'll see if it fits. I don't get the pc for another week, though. It's in Florida and I'm about 1100 miles away,
Does yours have the dual processors? Even if it doesn't, I wouldn't trust the 300W power supply. The best thing will probably be to wait until you get the computer before you make any decisions. Once you can actually get eyes on it and see what exactly is going on, you'll be much better equipped to make a decision. You'll be able to measure out dimensions, plan out ideas, see what connectors you'll need, etc. Everything will come together easily after that.
I'm not actually going to use the 300w psu. I'm just going to put it into the chassis to see if it will fit. It's a standard atx psu so if it fits, I can buy a standard xfx or seasonic power supply.
Oooohhhhh, I see what you meant now. A lot of lower wattage power supplies are shorter than the standard ATX power supplies. It seems like most 500-1000W units are around 160mm in length. You may need to consider that in your test fit and other measurements.