# Solved: Does Packard Bell use prorpietary PSUs in new PCs



## zeddy (May 3, 2003)

Hi,

I have purchased a PB Imedia 1569 for my daughter. I wish to upgrade the PSU from the existing FSP250-60HEN one. Can I use any PSU or does PB wire theirs/motherboard differently.


----------



## zeddy (May 3, 2003)

bump


----------



## erick295 (Mar 27, 2005)

Packard Bell is back? When did that happen?

If their new ones are anything at all like their old ones, then _nothing_ is going to be standard.


----------



## zeddy (May 3, 2003)

Yes I know it has been 10 years since I bought a prebuilt Box, and it is a Packard Bell! However I am not sure they are proprietary PSUs now, but just ant to make sure before frying the motherboard!!!!


----------



## CarlssonMB (Oct 30, 2004)

I thought Packard Bell went out of business years ago?!

Apparently they're back? http://www.packardbell.co.uk/products/imedia/productsheet-PB34331901-46.html

They never used standard stuff before, so I'd assume you can't easily swap out the psu's


----------



## brite750 (Mar 16, 2002)

zeddy said:


> Yes I know it has been 10 years since I bought a prebuilt Box, and it is a Packard Bell! However I am not sure they are proprietary PSUs now, but just ant to make sure before frying the motherboard!!!!


YOU REALLY HAVE TO GOOGLE ATX POWER PLUG OR SIMILAR TO GET A WIRING DIAGRAM TO CHECK AGAINST THE PB ONE


----------



## Alex Ethridge (Apr 10, 2000)

I can't address your power supply compatibility problem specifically; but, I can second what others have already written. Just about everything in past Packard Bell systems was proprietary--and reliability and performance was abysmal. That's why they went out of business.

In all performance tests done by third parties, Packard Bell always came in dead last--every time.

The only sure way to know is to find a third-party supplier who will guarantee their PSU will work. And that might be difficult, seeing they have been out of business for many years.


----------



## zeddy (May 3, 2003)

Packard Bell is the 3rd Largest PC maker in Europe, if now defunct in the US............not saying they are much good but what can you do! I know that up to 2000sih Dell and PB an Gateway had proprietary parts (reversed wiring on the PSUs being one), I thought that had stopped????


----------



## Alex Ethridge (Apr 10, 2000)

Dell did stop after they got caught and public awareness rose to a level that their reputation was taking a hit. It's always the same; they 'do the right thing' only when it hits their pocketbook.

Wish I could help you answer your question; but, I'm in the US and am just now finding out PB is still in business when I _thought_ they had been defunct worldwide for about 15 years.


----------



## zeddy (May 3, 2003)

Well I got an answer thanks

_from Packard Bell_


> Although ATX power supplies conform to various specification guidelines, there is not, unfortunately, a standard ATX power supply. To find a suitable replacement power supply for your machine, we would recommend that you have the following information to hand when making your purchase:
> 
> - You will require a PSU with a 24-pin ATX connector, SATA power connectors, and a 4-pin 12V motherboard connector
> - Make a note of the wattage of your existing PSU
> ...


So its not proprietary.:up:

So Solved


----------



## Alex Ethridge (Apr 10, 2000)

Glad you solved it. Also glad you came back and told us your result. That information may help someone else.

Frankly, I'm surprised Packard Bell told you anything other than to buy a PB part.


----------



## zeddy (May 3, 2003)

Maybe they are at last learning something about customer care..........who knows time will tell!!!
Thanks


----------



## mikeozit (Mar 25, 2007)

Ok...
So looking at the official response from PB re the PSU replacement options it would seem to be pretty standard aside from an additional power line for speakers!!! (As we all know that any half decent set of non-PB speakers would have their own power supply - this ought not be an issue)

So I bought a discounted E6400 based PB computer for only £400 and I'm going to try a bit of fun!

Already ordered my new PSU, ThermalTake W0093 PSU 500W http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....&item=280094510933&rd=1&rd=1#ebayphotohosting ... haven't even had the new system delivered yet, but know the original PSU is a lame 250W offering!

The graphics card supplied is... an ATI X1600SE http://support.packardbell.com/uk/i...video_radeonx1600se256_128bits&ppn=PB34338801

I'm going to try to squeeze at least a 7950 inside this case! (Hence the immediate PSU upgrade)... Might need to start cutting a few more holes in case... we'll see how the overall cooling goes...

Anyhow, the point of this thread was to see whether an alternative PSU will work.

I will let you all know in approximately 1 week - assuming I haven't gone up in a puff of black smoke by then!


----------



## mozolim (May 8, 2007)

Any news how the new PSU works?


----------



## mikeozit (Mar 25, 2007)

PSU and Graphics Card working like a dream... very very quiet... superb performance!!!


----------



## mikeozit (Mar 25, 2007)

I finally decided on the GTS 8800 320Mb... just squeezes in... absolutely no issues re cooling... all working well!


----------

