I bought a new Dell Dimension E521, and it came with a weak 305 watt psu. I added a video card (pci), an extra hard drive, an extra dvd burner. I think I need a more powerfull psu. Everything is sata so I need a psu that supports at least 4 sata connections. Is it worth it to buy one that supports sata natively or just convert the standard molex connection to sata. Any thoughts? Thanks much.

"Is it worth it to buy one that supports sata natively or just convert the standard molex connection to sata." Most new PSUs support SATA. If not, converting a molex to SATA power connector works fine. I think that this is a good deal: http://shop1.outpost.com/product/49...

I'm almost certain that if you change the PSU, you'll void the Dell warranty. Are you willing to do that on a brand new system? You're practically rebuilding it as it is....why didn't you just build your own right from the start? I can understand the need for a 2nd HDD, but I'm guessing it already had a burner, so I question the need for two. The video card that you added was probably PCI-E rather than standard PCI. If it is a standard PCI card, you wasted your money. If the Dell PSU has adequate amperage, especially on the +12v rail(s), I wouldn't be concerned by the fact that it's only 305W.

Here's a link to the Ultra 600W PSU mentioned by Doctor1954. The specs look very good: http://www.ultraproducts.com/produc...

Well, yes I wanted a 2nd hdd. It came with just a dvd-rom, I added the dvd-rw. It came with pci-e video card, I added a pci video card so I could have dual monitors. I've added a pci usb card to give me more usb ports. I've got no problem with voiding the warranty, but I'm surprised that that would actually void it. Do they not expect you to add anything to it? Don't you agree I need more than 305?

Jam, if that's the same psu, your link was $50 more than the Dr.'s. Any reason?

It's your money. Why didn't you just build your own system since it seems you're capable? Or at least customize the Dell so that you don't have to worry about voiding the warranty? http://www.dell.com/content/product... As for the need for a PSU...you haven't listed the specs on the one you have. Just because it's "only" 305W doesn't necessarily means it's underpowered. There are plenty of good 300W PSUs that are better than 400, 500, or even 600W generic units. Regardless, you've already sunk quite a few bucks into this system so it might be worth your while to protect your investment. The Ultra 600W PSU is a good unit & you can't beat it for $20 (I bought two of the 500W units when they were free after rebate...lol). If the Ultra's not to your liking, plan on spending at least $50-75 for something decent.