What can I replace a Dell T5500 PSU with?

Question

Is the PSU included with the T5500 ATX compatible?

I am looking to make my recently purchased Dell T5500 more quiet. One of the loud annoying noises is coming from a PSU unit. Can I replace this PSU with more quieter ones?

UPDATE: It seems indeed the newer DELL T5500 does support standard ATX/AT PSU units as I bought one and it works perfectly. However, it terms of reducing the noise it seems the problem is with the case design of T5500 though the level of noise has been reduced a bit.

Answer 1

Power supplies are universal these days; all are ATX compatible. So you can replace it with pretty much any brand new PSU. Some older ones might be missing necessary cables that have been added over the years, but all new ones will have everything you need and are backwards compatible with older systems.

The only consideration is to make sure the wattage of your new one is equal to or greater than the existing one. If you're not sure what that is, it should be printed on the case of the power supply or you can find it by looking up your computer's specifications via your Dell service tag. You might consider going higher if you plan to upgrade power hungry components like your video card in the future.

Since you're looking to reduce noise, I suggest you look for PSUs that have ball-bearing fans, which are quieter than the cheaper sleeve fans many computer components use.

Answer 2

More than likely that power supply is NOT a standard ATX. Although I can't figure out exactly which type of power supply it is for sure (Dell doesn't like to tell you, cause they want you to buy 'Dell' power supplies only), it's a Xeon based workstation, and it's a Dell with detachable cables and hooks to mount it in the case - those things lend to it NOT being standard ATX.

From what I can tell by the pictures here, it looks to be an EPS power supply, which is usual for Xeon-based workstations and servers without redundant power.

Your best bet is to get one of the actual Dell-compatible power supplies listed for this system by Dell, or take it to someone who has a few different power supplies that you can check for fitment/compatibility before you spend any money on one.