Looking for Power Supply Advice - Dell Inspiron 5680

Warehouse on 06/07/2020 - 13:41
Last edited 06/07/2020 - 17:25 by 1 other user

Hi All, I would appreciate some advice on upgrading my PSU

I bought the Dell 5680 a few years back, and it was a great deal at the time compared to building:
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/373291

Though I've not had any real issues, its still worrying that this has a stock 450w PSU. I've had random bluescreens and freezes/hangs but I can't pinpoint the issue. I don't believe there are any hardware faults so I'm looking to upgrade the PSU just to be safe.

Specs:

  • Intel® Core™ i7 8700 (6-Core/12-Thread, 12MB Cache, up to 4.6GHz Boost)
  • 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 at 2400MHz
  • 256GB M.2 SATA SSD (Boot) + 1TB 7200RPM SATA HDD 6Gb/s (Storage)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 with 8GB GDDR5

Few minor additions since purchase:

  • 2TB SATA drive + 500gb Samsung 840 SSD (totalling 3/3 sata slots used)
  • swapped the m.2 for Intel Optane 16gb (due to only 1 onboard m.2 slot on motherboard)
  • swapped stock cooler with Cryorig H7

I feel I would only ever upgrade the GFX card in the future so I would want enough headroom for that - maybe to a 2070super or 3xxx series.

As I don't really know what I should be looking for here, I thought I'd ask you all with my specs in particular. Any advice would be much appreciated.

What would you recommend?

Edit: photos of internals here:
https://1drv.ms/f/s!Au5hgqLzh6sw0hSCLN41GFwMX5JE

Computing Computer Computer Component Dell Desktop Computer Power Supply Unit

Comments

  • Ezekiel2320 on 06/07/2020 - 13:48
    +2

    Your system uses approximately 400W with those components, so I would wager your PSU is causing issues. Not sure if you'll be able to swap it out. These prebuilts often have custom power supplies that don't use regular ATX standards.

    • Warehouse on 06/07/2020 - 22:21

      I think you are right. My biggest challenge is that there is no fan punch out at the bottom of the case, and the cable "hole" for the psu is on the right side - needing a very specific PSU design to comply. So that if there is a fan it would have to be facing up and being able to control the direction so that it is not blowing hot air into the case.

  • psyren89 on 06/07/2020 - 14:12
    +1

    What would you recommend?

    This or this. Would recommend going the 650W for longevity (and since no one knows what the power requirements of the 3xxx series will be).

    Going by the pictures I found of your PC, I would hazard a guess that it uses a standard sized PSU.

    • Warehouse on 06/07/2020 - 15:01

      Thank you. I'll look to get a 650w then.

    • Warehouse on 06/07/2020 - 18:06

      Would this be a good option?

      https://www.mwave.com.au/product/silverstone-essential-et650…

      Non-modular isn't a deal breaker for me.

      • psyren89 on 06/07/2020 - 19:06
        +1

        I'd have to look into more detailed reviews of that. I recommended the Corsair RM models since they have excellent reviews and reliability, not primarily for the modular aspect.

        If I were to build a PC with a 2070 or beyond (even a 1070, which is what I have), I'd go with one of those Corsair PSUs.

        • Warehouse on 06/07/2020 - 22:24

          Appreciate the insight. I will look into reviews. I just figured out that there is no fan punch out at the bottom of the case, and the cable "hole" for the psu is on the right side - needing an uncommon PSU design to comply. Makes things a little more challenging…

          • psyren89 on 06/07/2020 - 23:14
            +2

            @Warehouse: You might be able to mount the PSU upside down, but I'm not sure.

            • Warehouse on 07/07/2020 - 16:34

              @psyren89: I think I can run it face down. It appears I've got a perforated metal base at the bottom of the case with a few mm gap to the plastic shell. It will be able to draw in air. Looking at another implementation online I found someone that's done it that way with no issue. So should be fine.

      • psyren89 on 07/07/2020 - 10:56
        +1

        Following up on this, according to the PSU tier list, the Corsair ones I linked in the "A" tier and the Silverstone one you linked is "B+".

        • Warehouse on 07/07/2020 - 16:34

          Thanks for that. Good list. Helps me find something within my budget. Cheers

  • Austrian Oak on 06/07/2020 - 14:29
    +3

    Be careful, dell use proprietry connectors on their PSU. Do some research. My sff has an 8pin instead of a 24 pin MB connector.

    You should find out what's causing your bluescreen errors first.

    • Warehouse on 06/07/2020 - 15:02

      Thank you. I'll open it up after work this afternoon and check. I'll get a photo for reference too.

      Any suggestions for how I go about finding the cause of the bluescreen?

      • greyeye on 07/07/2020 - 08:47
        +1

        enable crash dump.
        open crash dump with bluescreen view (or similar)
        https://thegeekpage.com/how-to-read-memory-dump-files-in-win…

        one of the major cause of a crash is the kernel level drivers accessing bad memory block.
        minidump can display which drivers may be involved.

        if crashes are identical/consistent then you know the fault.
        if not, you may have hardware fault but I don't know if PSU is the culprit. (usually it's RAM or bad over clock)

        • smashman42 on 07/07/2020 - 12:25
          +1

          greyeye has some good advice there.

          To add onto that, I'll put in my 2.2c (inc GST) - PC/laptop/server tech from the 90s till 2009 when I was medically retired.

          The PSU is very unlikely to cause blue screens - it is the sort of component that if it is overloaded it'd shut down the system to protect stuff, not blue screen. The photos indicate it is an 80+ Bronze model, so while it is borderline for the GPU/CPU combo you have wattage wise, it is still not total trash tier component wise to get that certification.

          What testing have you done to verify your hardware?

          RAM is likely the biggest culprit, I like HCI memtest for a more thorough job than the built into Windows version, though there are other good memory tester options, but this one can run within Windows which might be easier for you than the bootable USB options (though they are more thorough)

          Regardless you want at least 4 full loops of the whole of the RAM being tested, possibly 10, so this is a run overnight thing to be sure it isn't at fault.

          Edit: I note in another thread you got a crashdump already - the error seems graphic driver related so I would try using DDU in safe mode to clear all traces of the drivers, then manually install the latest drivers for your card after that (best to download the installer before running DDU)

          • Warehouse on 07/07/2020 - 16:27

            @smashman42: Thanks mate. Appreciate the insight. A lot of "back of pocket" information for future issues. I'll do as you suggest and reinstall the graphics drivers. Thanks for your help.

        • Warehouse on 07/07/2020 - 16:28

          Thank you.

    • Warehouse on 06/07/2020 - 17:24

      Here's a heap of photos.

      Looks like a 24-pin.

      Approx dimensions: 150x140x90mm

      https://1drv.ms/f/s!Au5hgqLzh6sw0hSCLN41GFwMX5JE

  • MagicMushroom on 06/07/2020 - 14:45
    +1

    Photo of PSU?

  • hoey888 on 06/07/2020 - 15:38
    +1

    Before getting a new PSU, maybe consider disconnecting your unnecessary hard disk drives 1TB and 2TB to see if that helps with stability. Also unplug unnecessary USB and alike plugs too.

    Generally the branded pcs would have undergone stress testing to remove such issues.

    If you are considering upgrading PSU, don't just check physical connections; also check dimensions. HP Z series workstation pcs have non standard PSU sizes. They for some reason use slightly larger PSU that don't fit into standard ITX PSU locations. I'll show you a photo after work.

    • Warehouse on 06/07/2020 - 17:57

      Thank you for the tips. I usually don't keep things plugged in unless I'm using them. If the issues persist I'll look at detaching some of the internals too.

      I've linked some photos above and dimensions are about 150x140x90mm.

  • psyren89 on 06/07/2020 - 17:47
    +1

    Based on the pictures provided, you should be able to use any regular PSU in that space. I would still remove it and measure your existing one to double check before pulling the trigger on a new one, though.

    • Warehouse on 06/07/2020 - 17:58

      Will do. Thank you.

  • Austrian Oak on 06/07/2020 - 19:09
    +1

    Looks like a standard PSU, so should be good to update to any one but before you do, i would download a program called whocrashed which will be able to tell you your bluescreen errors. I would do that before spending any money on a new psu as you might end up with the the same issue if it's driver related etc.

    https://download.cnet.com/WhoCrashed/3000-2094_4-75205821.ht…

    • Warehouse on 06/07/2020 - 22:36

      Thanks mate. Appreciate the tool. Coincidentally after a month or so I just had another crash. This is what came out.

      Interesting it looks like a graphics driver issue. The last 3 before it were all the same… Hmmmm… This gives me something new to focus on but I think I will still go ahead with a PSU swap, once I find one that fits this case that is (I noted some newly found restrictions in some of the replies above).

      On Mon 6/07/2020 10:14:37 PM your computer crashed or a problem was reported
      crash dump file: C:\WINDOWS\Minidump\070620-15468-01.dmp
      This was probably caused by the following module: dxgmms2.sys (0xFFFFF804403001F0)
      Bugcheck code: 0x1000007E (0xFFFFFFFFC0000005, 0xFFFFF804403001F0, 0xFFFFF40AF90874D8, 0xFFFFF40AF9086D20)
      Error: SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED_M
      file path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\dxgmms2.sys
      product: Microsoft® Windows® Operating System
      company: Microsoft Corporation
      description: DirectX Graphics MMS
      Bug check description: This indicates that a system thread generated an exception which the error handler did not catch.
      This appears to be a typical software driver bug and is not likely to be caused by a hardware problem.
      The crash took place in a Microsoft module. Your system configuration may be incorrect. Possibly this problem is caused by another driver on your system that cannot be identified at this time.

  • kaleidoscope on 07/07/2020 - 06:43
    +1

    Don’t you still have warranty for a 2018 pc though?

    if you have idea for upgrade then definitely upgrade the psu. Prebuilt systems from manufacturers usually come optimised for the system they ship with and not really keeping open path for upgrading.

    Recently saw a deal for be quiet psu model from umart. That or perhaps corsair series. Do bit of research into their line of psu and pick what fits your budget. Differences are quiet operation / modularity / monitoring features and essentials

    • Warehouse on 07/07/2020 - 16:30

      I didn't think so? Bought in April last year so probably out. I suppose I could have acted earlier on it too. Oh well.. You're right. Options are quite limited, especially with this case design. But I think it will be fine for me personally for the only 2 upgrades I'll likely make over the coming years: PSU & GPU. Cheers

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