Unsolved
This post is more than 5 years old
4 Posts
1
9130
Dell XPS 8500 - Question RE: Upgrade of Graphics Card
Hi everyone,
Firstly, I'd like to thank you for your time.
My question is whether I could upgrade my PC from a Nvidia GeForce 640 GT to a Nvidia GeForce 960 GTX in my current setup without making any other changes (mainly power supply concerns).
My current specifications:
Dell XPS 8500 Mini-tower
Evo 500 GB SSHD (upgrade from stock 2 TB Seagate HD 7200 RPM)
3rd Gen Intel Core i7-3770 processor 3.40 GHz w/ Turbo Boost 2.0 to 3.90 GHz
12GB DDR3 SDRAM @ 1600MHZ (2 x 2 GB + 2 x 4 GB)
Nvidia GeForce 640 GT 1GB GDDR5 (Windows 8)
Windows 8 64 Bit
- I have not checked which power supply my system has as I have been told (hopefully true even on the older versions) that it is a 470 W Power Supply
I would prefer not to change too many things in my system as it has worked very well for me.
I am wondering whether I would be able to run a Nvidia GeForce 960 GTX that only carries a recommended wattage of 400 W or would any of the other parts in my computer conflict.
Sorry if I provided too much information but wanted to be sure. Thank you so much for any replies.
- Brandon C
Dan-H
1.2K Posts
1
November 21st, 2017 11:00
A GTX 960 will work with the stock power supply.
Some of the 960 cards need a single 8 pin PCIe connector.
You might need a reverse Y connector that takes two six pin PCIe power and adapt to a single 8 pin PCIe. They run about $7 on eBay or newegg of amazon. Some of the cards include the power adapter.
But, ...
I would replace the power supply. The one in there is probably 4+ years old and it may be time. I recently replaced/upgraded a family member's and it also cleaned up some intermittent reboot issues.
There are some solid deals right now that run cooler, quieter and are more efficient.
Brandon C
4 Posts
0
November 21st, 2017 12:00
Dan-H,
Thank you so much for your time, much appreciated. I see your point as to an aged power supply, my computer is ~4 years old (sorry i never get to use the tilde key).
Any suggestions on a power supply that would work well (I'd also be willing to get a different graphics card at that point) I'm a bit intimidated as to computer tech, not really my ballpark.
Thanks again for everything,
Brandon C
Dan-H
1.2K Posts
0
November 21st, 2017 14:00
I put an EVGA Gold G3 550W in a family members 8500 a few weeks ago and it worked great. note there are several models of EVGA power supplies, but the G3 and G2 are the better product line.
I have Seasonic X-650 in three 8700s and they work great for higher power gaming cards. One has a GTX 970, one a GTX 770 and the other has a GTX 1070. Seasonic seems to be phasing out the X-650 and has a "focus line" that looks pretty solid.
Since the XPS case design isn't that great for air flow, I like a higher end power supply that is rated at 50C. The PSU at the top of the case and the inlet for the PSU is right by the CPU cooler.
I don't have a good suggestion today. I tend to watch the sales and pick one up when the price is around $60 or less, often with a rebate.
Anyway,
This thread is a little old, but there are lots of pics of different PSUs and graphics cards that people put into 8700s. Nearly identical to the 8500.
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3515/t/19611037?pi21953=1
Back to your setup... why do you want to upgrade? if it is for gaming? If not why do you want to upgrade?
What monitor do you have? exact model helps.
What inputs does the monitor have? What resolution is it?
What is your budget?
I know, lots of questions.
If you are gaming, and have a 1920x1080 monitor, then a GTX 1060 is probably the best bet right now. You could get by with your current PSU and watch for a sale.
Brandon C
4 Posts
0
November 21st, 2017 18:00
I will definitely look into the EVGA power supply. My only concern is that 550 W may be low for the top of the line graphics cards like the GTX 1060, I have heard to try and overshoot the recommended power watts (i.e. 500 for the GTX 1070) to make the computer last longer (not sure how much truth to this).
Honestly, I'm just upgrading my computer because I saw that it couldn't run new games like battlefield one or battlefront 2 (which I won't be buying anymore :) ) because of the graphics card constraint.
Also, my budget isn't too much of a constraint. The real reason I looked at the older graphics card models was more because I work 60 hours a week and just don't play too much games or care what they look like too much. I was really looking just to make sure my PC wasn't too outdated. However, your suggestions are much appreciated and while budget isn't really tight my priority towards gaming isn't too high so advice on whether the latest graphics card is worth it would also be appreciated.
As for monitor, I believe I have a Dell 24 Gaming 23.6" LED Monitor, Dual HDMI SE2417HG (sorry copypasta from website).
Thanks again so much for your time!!!
Dan-H
1.2K Posts
0
November 21st, 2017 21:00
My opinion ( just one ). I would not upgrade the graphics card or PSU
If you are not gaming, then a GT 640 is fine for day-to-day workloads.
If the system is stable, then I would not upgrade the PSU either.
If you are looking for an upgrade, put in a SSD.. a 500GB Samsung Evo 850 or even a 1TB. Clone it from your current system and enjoy a much snappier system.
as far as the PSU, the 550W EVGA G3 is plenty for your system plus a GTX 1060, even a GTX 1070, but again for the usage you have a graphics card upgrade is not really needed.
Brandon C
4 Posts
0
November 22nd, 2017 08:00
Yeah I might just upgrade to a GTX 1050ti if anything, as you said my PC works well but I would like the ability to play a game like Battlefield 1 or Battlefront 2. As long as there are no power issues, as I am over the recommended wattage hopefully it should be okay.
I only play games occasionally, like once every few weeks, and have an Xbox but its just feels nice to be able to play on PC as thats my preference so I figured it might be worth the time/money investment.
I actually just upgraded my SSD to a 500 GB Samsung Evo 850 about 2 weeks ago after having hard drive issues with the old 2 TB Seagate. Definitely the best upgrade in a computer I've ever have the SSD is night and day compared to the HDD.
Dan-H
1.2K Posts
0
November 22nd, 2017 23:00
For those games, at 1080p, I'd go with a GTX 1060. The driver support is better, the card uses less power than a 960 and it performs better.
The GTX 1060 out performs a GTX 970 which is what I have and it does fine on the rare occasion I do any gaming.
I would keep my eyes open for a PSU, sooner or later you'll need one.