Is Dell Power Supply Proprietary?

[rtrahan]

Is the power supply on Dell proprietary? Some places I read it is some places I read its not..I have a customer who said her Dell computer will not boot up, just blinking power button, then when I had it, it booted up just fine..she's being told by a "family friend" its the power supply and may well be, but I couldn't replace it in good consience while I'm staring at her log in page, and she was in such a hurry she needed an answer yesterday so I just gave it back to her..it powerd off, and powered back on fine..then of course soon as she gets back home she calls and says it won't start again..I was only able to talk to her in 2 minute conversations so I didn't do anything at the time, but since I'm getting it back tomorrow I'll give the power supply a good once over..reseat RAM, etc..

 

[14049752]

The answer: Sometimes.

 

[dhrandy]

Me and several others here have had the same problem. It just so happens that the one I had the problem with was also Dell.

Here's the story.

Got a call from a client that said he wanted me to look at his computer. It wasn't booting up. I get the computer and take a look at it and it needs a new hard drive. I replaced hard drive and everything else checks out.

I give the client the computer back and get a call 2 hours later. He is saying the PC won't power on. I go to the client's apartment (he had just moved in) and sure enough it won't power on. The green light on the power supply wasn't on either. I jump the PS just to make sure it's not the switch or something else and it still doesn't work. I even tried a different power outlet.

I take the computer back to my shop(house) and plug it in and it boots right away. I'm like wtf?? The client meets me at his job and I show him that the computer is booting fine. I know he said he was going to call maintenance to take a look at the apartment. I advised him that he could get a cheap outlet tester to check out the power outlets in the apartment.

I never heard from the client again. I then bought an outlet tester just in case it ever happens again.

 

[rtrahan]

Have you had her plug it into another power outlet somewhere else?

Well according to her she's plugged in several places including straight into the wall socket..I have not witnessed any of this as she lives a long way from here and was referred to me and she had her computer with her at her workplace..so who knows..

 

[rtrahan]

Me and several others here have had the same problem. It just so happens that the one I had the problem with was also Dell.

Here's the story.

Got a call from a client that said he wanted me to look at his computer. It wasn't booting up. I get the computer and take a look at it and it needs a new hard drive. I replaced hard drive and everything else checks out.

I give the client the computer back and get a call 2 hours later. He is saying the PC won't power on. I go to the client's apartment (he had just moved in) and sure enough it won't power on. The green light on the power supply wasn't on either. I jump the PS just to make sure it's not the switch or something else and it still doesn't work. I even tried a different power outlet.

I take the computer back to my shop(house) and plug it in and it boots right away. I'm like wtf?? The client meets me at his job and I show him that the computer is booting fine. I know he said he was going to call maintenance to take a look at the apartment. I advised him that he could get a cheap outlet tester to check out the power outlets in the apartment.

I never heard from the client again. I then bought an outlet tester just in case it ever happens again.

Yea, you know that gut feeling that something just ain't right..that's the jives I'm getting from her...depending on the outcome of tomorrow I may just have to make the trip over to her house and see it for myself.

 

[rtrahan]

The answer: Sometimes.

Thanks inmate #14049752..

 

[rosiesdad]

Dell has some desktops that have proprietary power supplies.
You might have to google to find a list.

 

[rtrahan]

This one is a proprietary power supply..so since I have not had a chance to go to their home or have their computer long enough to test it, and I am not planning on driving 50 miles to troubleshoot this correctly, and they wanted their computer fixed before the Memorial day weekend, I'm gonna refer them to someone else and let them deal with it..got caught in the middle on this one..but hey that's one reason I opened my own business, freedom of choice..

 

[Jory]

Most Dell's have standard power supplies, but you see a lot of non-standard ones popping up in their slimline cases, XPS systems, horizontal towers, etc. The worst part is they're not even consistent with their inconsistencies. They're pretty expensive too if you have to order them from Dell.

 

[Pc Fixed Right]

for the slimline desktops and obviously laptops they are proprietary. For most regular size desktops you can use whatever power supply you want that matches the specs. So as 14049752 said "sometimes"

 

[Fixedathome.com]

The other thing to watch out for especially on some older Dells is the non-standard pinout they use for some power connectors. Looks like a 20 pin ATX but plug a standard ATX PSU in and you have a good chance of frying the board! Likewise if you try and plug the dell PSU into a standard ATX board.

 

[Coolcom]

Many times they use standard ATX power supplies- they will work in other computers, but the screw configuration and placement of the power plug is different so other power supplies might not fit in. But if you're worried, just get an exact replacement from dell or ebay.