Dell Optiplex 760 mini-tower power supply replacement

CAUTION: If you make a mistake while working on your PC, you might burn up your PC, your house, or yourself.

DISCLAIMER

These photos and descriptions are provided for information only.
This Web page is NOT created by, sponsored by, endorsed by, affiliated with, or otherwise connected to Dell Inc., Antec, Inc., or Flextronics International Ltd.
The creator of this Web page, other than owning a Dell PC and Antec and Flextronics power supplies, has NO CONNECTION with Dell Inc., Antec, Inc., or Flextronics International Ltd.
The information shown here is for a Dell Optiplex 760 mini-tower sold in the US market. The parts for other sizes of the Optiplex 760, and other Dell models, will vary.

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Introduction

I have a Dell Optiplex 760 "mini-tower" PC. The original power supply in it started to fail. I tried to replace it with a standard ATX supply that I already had, but the opening in the Dell case will not fit many standard supplies. I had to buy a different supply, with the AC line connector and switch in a certain position, to get it to fit.

Multiple case sizes

I have what Dell calls the "mini-tower" case. It has a full-size ATX power supply, two external 5.25" bays, one external 3.5" bay, and two internal 3.5" bays. This case is approximately 16.25" high by 7.5" wide by 17" deep (41.2 cm x 19.1 cm x 43.2 cm).

The Optiplex 760 was also sold in other, smaller case sizes. As far as I can tell, these sizes do not take a standard ATX supply - they take a special one that is apparently hard to find. I don't know where you can get a power supply for the smaller case sizes.

The original supply

The original supply, installed by Dell, is a Flextronics 305 W unit. The Flextronics numbers on the label are Model F305P-00 , and another number VP-09500050-000 REV:A01 . The Dell numbers on the label are DP/N WU133, and another number CN-0WU133-73245-8A8-0267-A01 .

The original supply is slightly taller than a standard ATX supply; the two mounting screw holes that are normally right in the corners on a standard supply are about 0.5"/13 mm up from the corners on the original supply. It also has some stamped slots in the case, which mate with tabs inside the Dell PC chassis. There is a cable management clip on the bottom. The output connectors are standard: one 24-pin ATX, one 4-pin ATX12V, four SATA, and one floppy.

Initial replacement attempt

I first tried to install an Antec Basiq 350 power supply, but it didn't fit right. The mounting ear on the AC line connector interfered with the edge of the hole on the Optiplex case. In other words, the mostly rectangular hole in the back of the Optiplex case is smaller than is standard.

The screw holes on the Basiq supply matched the holes in the Optiplex case. The internal tabs on the Optiplex case didn't seem to interfere with the Basiq supply. The only problem was at the back panel.

Successful replacement attempt

I looked at a lot of power supply pictures. The AC line connector with mounting ears on the outside of the case is popular on many power supplies. Other supplies have a connector that doesn't have mounting ears, but some of these were also too close to the edge of the power supply case to fit.

I bought an Antec VP450 power supply at the local computer store. Its AC line connector is located far enough away from the edge of the power supply case (by a millimeter or two in one dimension) to not interfere with the Optiplex case. The screw holes on the VP450 power supply matched the screw holes in the Optiplex case. The internal tabs on the Optiplex case didn't seem to interfere with the VP450 power supply.

The output connectors on the VP450 include one 20+4 pin ATX, two 4-pin ATX12V, one 6-pin PCI-E, 4 SATA, 4 Molex, and one floppy. The VP450 cable lengths are long enough to reach everything inside the Optiplex case. The original supply had right-angle SATA connectors. The straight SATA connectors on the VP450 are a tight fit between the internal hard drives and the side of the case, but they do fit.

Photos of the power supplies

	The original Flextronics power supply, removed from the Optiplex case. Note the pencil lines I drew on it while it was still installed, to show the shape of the hole in the Optiplex case.
	The Antec Basiq 350 power supply I originally tried (picture from Antec's website). The mounting ear on the right side of the AC line connector is too close to the edge of the power supply case for it to fit in the Optiplex case.
	The replacement Antec VP450 power supply, installed in the Optiplex case.
	The replacement Antec VP450 power supply, installed in the Optiplex case. Detail showing how close the AC line connector is to a metal lip that is part of the Optiplex case.

Last updated Sat Jan 3 23:03:38 CST 2015