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18888
Upgrading my Dell XPS 8300
Hi,
Right now I'm using my Dell XPS 8300 with the following set up:
- Intel core i7 - 2600 @ 3.4GHz
- 8GB RAM
- GPU: Radeon HD 5770
- PSU: 460W (AC460AD-00)
It has served me well but is showing it's age so I was looking to upgrade the graphics card and even the PSU if necessary. However this will be the first time I've done something like this so I'd love some advice/ warnings about potential pitfalls before I buy something.
After doing some background reading I've been considering getting a GTX 970 and upgrading the PSU but I'd like to know of any issues I might face doing this. I've heard there have been problems with the XPS 8300 bios not working well with graphics cards. I'm currently on AO3 but there's no problem upgrading if it's necessary.
My budget is around £400-£500 if anyone knows of any better ways to upgrade my PC.
Thanks.
Mary G
4 Operator
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20.1K Posts
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November 20th, 2014 11:00
Consider using it as is for now until you can buy new. Spending that much on unnecessary upgrades is not practical on a computer that's a few years old. You have a good setup now--8gb ram, big power supply, i7 cpu which is the best one for your motherboard-- as long as everything is working. New computers can easily be purchased for what your budget allows for upgrades. The only thing to consider is a slightly better video card that your psu will run as well as a better monitor that you can use when you get a new computer. Skip the cpu upgrade since that is not worth the expense or effort for minimal returns. You most likely cannot upgrade the cpu to a newer one without replacing the motherboard. I would make sure to have the latest and probably last bios--A06.
up8300
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November 20th, 2014 12:00
Thanks for the advice. The video card was the part I was most interested in upgrading since I'm perfectly happy with the CPU. I mentioned the NVIDIA GeForce gtx970 since that seems to be one of the more popular cards at the moment but I'm also aware my PSU would not be able to support it hence looking to upgrade that as well.
I was interested in finding out about any pitfalls with the XPS 8300 when it comes to upgrading the graphics card as I had read about some issues with the bios not recognising newer graphics cards.
As for the money I'm more than happy to spend less and get a few more years out of the PC but as I use the PC to play games I'd like to be able to play some of the newer stuff at a decent fps with good graphics and resolution. I'm doing this as an alternative to buying a new console.
Philip_Yip
7 Technologist
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16K Posts
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November 21st, 2014 18:00
My XPS 8300 is of a similar configuration, the first thing I upgraded was the hard drive. The system can fit 3 drives. I have 2 1 TB conventional drives and a 128 GB SSD which I have installed the OS on. You should be able to get a 256 GB SSD for pretty cheap now.