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XPS 8500, video card, power supply, upgrades
I see several threads looking for XPS 8500 video card upgrades that can be used with the stock 460w PSU or upgraded PSU. However, in upgrading the GPU for this machine, there are some cards that will not be compatible and will result in a black screen. Even with a proper video card install, an adequate and/or upgraded power supply , the video card fans will be working, but there will be no video. The problem lies in the BIOS for the XPS 8500 motherboard not recognizing the video card and this is a known issue that has carried over from the XPS 8300 to the current XPS 8500.
There have been video BIOS upgrades from some card makers to correct this problem for certain cards, but there are a lot of legacy cards that won't work. Safest bet would be to use a newer card with the PCI 3.0 spec.
In the sticky in this forum a link to the current Dell drivers shows the following video cards that are supported with drivers for Windows 8:
Video
GeForce GT 545 | GTX660 | GTX555 | GeForce GTS450 | GeForce GTX 590 | GeForce GTX 460 | GTX680 | GeForce GTX 580 | GeForce GTX 560 Ti | GTX 480 | GTX690 http://downloads-us.dell.com/FOLDER00753042M/3
Geforce GT 620 | Geforce GT640 | nVidia GT640 http://downloads-us.dell.com/FOLDER00736734M/3
AMD HD7570 http://downloads-us.dell.com/FOLDER00746666M/6/
Radeon HD 6990 | Radeon HD7870 | Radeon HD 6950 | Radeon HD 5870 | Radeon HD 6770 | Radeon HD 5970 | Radeon HD7770 | Radeon HD 5770 | Radeon HD 6870 | Radeon HD7950 http://downloads-us.dell.com/FOLDER00749652M/3
Since these are Dell OEM cards that are being supported, there are also manufacturer specific issues where a given video card model may or may not work depending on its configuration. Whereas a XFX HD 6870 will work in the XPS 8500, the same card made by another manufacturer may not work.
Please keep this in mind when doing GPU and PSU upgrades and hopefully BIOS upgrades in the future will address these issues.
It would be helpful if you have a SPECIFIC card that does or doesn't work, to post the manufacturer and complete model number in this thread.
OS and Bios information also would be helpful, and if you are using the Dell PSU or an upgrade power supply. Specific model please!
Edit:
Please include following and any other helpful information
Graphic card manufacturer and model number:
Bios:
Operating System:
Power supply manufacturer if not Dell 460w PSU :
Compatible: Yes or No
Original card with system that worked:
HanoverB
798 Posts
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December 4th, 2014 20:00
Awesome post!
Thanks Andrew
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
8 Wizard
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17K Posts
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December 4th, 2014 22:00
Nicely done. Thanks for all the pics and details.
HanoverB
798 Posts
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December 6th, 2014 18:00
When I did the install, I used a lot of zip ties and did put all excess cable into the available drive bays and used a zip strip attached to the case to manage the other cables that are the area in front of the case....to try to keep the airflow maximized.....believe me, this PSU came with so many cables.
Overall, it turned out pretty clean install, but modular is way to go these days. Haven't had any heat issues at all.
Andrew.A.Rusell
28 Posts
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December 6th, 2014 18:00
RE: PSU Cable Managment...
You can accomplish quite a bit of de-cluttering by coiling and shoving the excess cable length into the space between the optical drives and the Hard Drives.
I think that's an "Optional" space intended for a floppy or something. If you think about air-flow, though... that area is a complete "Dead Space" because it it has a solid plate in front of it. The other spaces are more important to keep free.
Effective cable managment requires a combination of "Luck", "Ingenuity", and "Trial-n-Error".
My primary goal is to keep cords away from fans blades so they can't possibly touch or rub.
I connected and removed most of the cables a few times --- being "Mindful" of how I could coil the cords to keep all the excess length shoved (almost knotted) into that area. The goal was to keep air flowing though the bottom intake as it was sucked up and out by the card and PSU.
Just a thought.
HanoverB
798 Posts
1
December 6th, 2014 18:00
Your modular PSU
My 3 year old non-modular PSU on its third GPU GTX-560->GTX 660ti soon to be ->GTX 980
Modular is so much less clutter! Going that way next time....
Have this card shipping: EVGA 04G-2983-KR GeForce GTX 980 Superclocked 4GB 256-Bit GDDR5 ACX 2.0 PCI Express 3.0.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487079
Don't expect to have any problems with install. Will report once received.
HanoverB
798 Posts
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December 7th, 2014 16:00
Nice EVGA GTX 970 FTW and GTX 980 overclocked reviews here. Some amazing numbers.
Of interest was that from the testing, a decent 500W-550W+ (GTX 970) or 550W+ (GTX 980) power supply should be enough to power the card and that keeping in mind that the reviewer had a water cooled system, that case temperatures with the ACX type of fan was very manageable considering the amazing performance of these cards.
From Andrew's post above where he used a $70 modular 750W PSU, it's an inexpensive upgrade that's recommended if you move up to a GTX 970/GTX 980.
http://www.overclockers.com/evga-gtx970-ftw-graphics-card-review
http://www.overclockers.com/evga-gtx980-superclocked-acx2.0-graphics-card-review
rvcondo
1 Message
0
December 8th, 2014 22:00
Graphic card manufacturer and model number: Powercolor 3GB AMD RADEON R9 280x
Bios: A06 on Vostro 460 (xps 8300)
Operating System: W7 Home x64
Power supply manufacturer if not Dell 460w PSU : 520W insigna
Compatible: no, black screen no signal
Original card with system that worked: Radeon HD 5770
wvorderb585
7 Posts
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December 10th, 2014 14:00
Andrew,
I really liked your detailed review of your upgrading. I am literally going through the same process. The only difference is I using the Dell XPS 8300 instead of the 8500. I am currently scoping out parts to upgrade the graphics card and power supply just like you did. Interestingly enough, I am also looking at the GeForce GTX 970 series.
I am assuming the cases are similar in size and room for upgrades. Since I am only upgrading the GPU, would a 750W be overkill? Would a 600W or 650W do?
What GPU's did you consider? Just the EVGA GTX 970? The reason I ask is that I am reviewing that card as well as the MSI GTX 970 and the ASUS Strix GTX 970. The only issue that seems to be coming up the most is if those last two cards will physically fit into the case. I believe the EVGA GTX 970 is about 9.4" long and maybe 4.5" tall? Based on how much room you have left, would you be able to fit a larger card in there? The MSI is about 10.5" long and 5.5" tall and the ASUS is 11" long and 5.5" tall.
Let me know when you get the chance. I appreciate any help or recommendations that you can provide.
Thanks,
Weston V.
wvorderb585
7 Posts
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December 10th, 2014 18:00
ADAMMSK,
Thanks for the help! Did it fit tightly up next to the metal panel on the right side of the inside? There seems to be just about 5 to maybe 6 inches of space up from the MLB while staying under that panel. If so, would you recommend the Gigabyte over EVGA, MSI, an ASUS?
Appreciating the help!
adammsk
3 Posts
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December 10th, 2014 18:00
Hi Weston V
I installed Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 G1 (12.6" long and 5.5" tall - longest 970 on the market) into XPS 8500 with no issues whatsoever. Extremely easy thing to do. Worked perfectly even with old A08 BIOS (Updated to A12 after a while).
Hope it will help you!
Wreks
63 Posts
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December 11th, 2014 16:00
@KOEVEN. Is that OEM psu single rail?
viniciusquaresma
2 Posts
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December 11th, 2014 17:00
Hi ADAMMSK!
Did you need a new psu or the 460w worked?
If with the 460w psu, it worked with the 2 x 6 pin pci express conectors?
adammsk
3 Posts
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December 11th, 2014 19:00
My previous post was for wvorderb585
The Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 requires minimum 550W PSU with One 6-Pin and One 8-pin External Power Connectors so for this card you have to change OEM PSU.
adammsk
3 Posts
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December 11th, 2014 19:00
Actual there was enough room left, but to be sure I'll make few pics tomorrow! I would not give any recommendation, don't want to start holywar over here but I did kind of deep research reading dozens of reviews and not only US based. I had no bias towards any particular brand whatsoever. Simply put - numbers don't lie :emotion-2:
Andrew.A.Rusell
28 Posts
1
December 11th, 2014 19:00
I did some homework PSU's before I upgraded. In my professional life, I do a lot of research and analysis, and I'm a learning enthusiast. I had the same questions you are asking, and I dug deep enough to satisfy my curiosity. I'm not an expert, but I'll share what I learned.
First. What does the wattage on a PSU mean? Does a 750w PSU use more power than a 460w PSU? Short Answer.... no. (Can't remember where I saw that... think it was Tom's Hardware and Yahoo Answers).
The wattage cited on PSU's is "Max Wattage" but most PSU's use scalable power levels. A 750w power supply is capable of a Peek Output of 750w, but it doesn't run at 750w every second of every day... and the PSU should scale to the demands of the system.
Which 80+ rating do I need? Does it really make much difference Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum? To most users... not really. If money is no object, sure. It's largely about efficiency and heat. Folks will argue both ways, but I was inclined to trust several experts who said that Gold vs Platinum is not much of an issue unless you are building elite Ultimate PC's with 3 video cards. For them... they said that a $100 difference wasn't really worth the price. Remember that we are upgrading our 8300/8500/8700 Dells.... so we aren't "Elite Builders" . I like anything with any color of an 80+ certification that fits my case. ;-)
How big a PSU wattage to do I need? There are tons of calculators out there. I think (I saw somewhere) that most of the EVGA 970 cards truly need a reliable 175w to themselves. They are amazingly efficent, non-power hungry cards for what you get.
Is there even a "One definitive right answer"? No. There are just choices. Some configurations will absolutely not work. Many configurations, though, can work. Some may have more risks than each other, but those risks might be the difference between a PSU/Card running 2 years or 5 years. (And, will you really still want the same Mother Board, CPU or Video card in another 2 years?)
So, in the absence of a "perfect answer", how about a better question? Here were my thoughts:
Is it better/cooler/safer to run a 750w PSU at 425w usage (about 60%) or run a 470w at 425w (89.4% capacity) for extended gaming?
Bigger PSU's have bigger heat sinks (typically). Bigger PSU's often have better cooling and bigger fans (typically). Bigger PSU's have the option of modular cabling (so you only need install the cords that are necessary). Some modular PSU's won't even enable the rails for bare terminals (those without cords in them).
I'm kind'a passed my Over Clocking, Constant Tinkering, frequent upgrading "period" of my life. In my mind, I made a compelling argument to run a higher wattage PSU at a lower threshold.
So.... in what I read... the stock PSU will work. A 600w will work. A 750w will work.
None of them will really pull much more power (such that you'd notice a jump on your electric bill with 24/7 uptime). BUT.... if your PC needed 495w for a few seconds..... you can do that with a 600w or a 750w. Not so much with a 475w max PSU.
Another point. Every time you touch your hardware, you risk accidental damage. If it ain't broke, do you want to fix it? I used to build PC's, so I'm comfortable with that stuff. You'll have to ask yourself.
Ultimately, I think it's largely preference. Now, when I play video games.... I can go on for 12-18 hours. I'm not sure I want to run my PSU at 90% of max that long.
From a practical standpoint, it is probably more important to use"Canned Air" to blow dust out of your PSU about once every three month than to upgrade. Heat kills components. Dust reduces heat dissipation.
I need my PC, and I do preventative maintenance on it like I do my car. My money situation isn't tight. I decided I didn't want to get an XBox One, so I was willing to invest the $399 equivalent. That's why the $69 swap out of the PSU made sense to me.
Is it right? Is it best? Would any two people agree? (Who knows. It doesn't hurt. It was a choice. Seemed to make sense as someone who just wanted to play my games on "Ultimate" and as someone who wasn't trying to impress anyone with a "Cool Build". ).
Hope that helps (though I'm not sure it does?)
-Andrew