No I havent seen those post maybe I'll look around to find those, but i might still be looking for the upgrade as they are some nice piece of equip

If you replace the mother board for reasons other than repair, your Windows OEM license will not be valid.

i know for a matter of fact that the 650 ti works perfectly in my xps8300 without any psu upgrades.

I"m going to replace my mobo with a

Gigabyte GA-Z87-DS3H LGA 1150 Intel Z87 ATX Intel  (link below)

Will that work?  My xps keeps crashing so it is for repair purposes

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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128677

jb99a

Budget for a new copy of windows, as Dell's OEM copies will not work with a non-Dell motherboard, they are tied to Dell's BIOS.

To use the GIGABYTE GA-Z87-DS3H LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard a different PSU is needed, the GA-Z87-DS3H requires an 8-pin ATX 12V power connector, the Dell default 460w power supply has a P2 4-pin ATX power connector.

Bev.

I"m going to replace my mobo with a Gigabyte GA-Z87-DS3H LGA 1150 Intel Z87 ATX Intel  (link below) Will that work?  My xps keeps crashing so it is for repair purposes

You can replace the motherboard for reasons of repair with a similar motherboard, and reuse the existing Dell license. However, upgrading to a different CPU socket is outside those limits, so you should buy a new copy of Windows.

The new board will not fit, because it is ATX and the case is mATX.

"upgrading to a different cpu socket"  - is that another way of saying upgrading the mobo?  Not sure what you mean.  Please explain.  Thanks.

The XPS 8300 accommodates standard ATX mobos and PSUs.

Umm, the XPS 8300 is mATX, not ATX. :emotion-5:

"upgrading to a different cpu socket"  - is that another way of saying upgrading the mobo?  Not sure what you mean.  Please explain.  Thanks.

It means that you can replace the motherboard for reasons of repair with a similar unit. You can't replace the motherboard with one of completely different architecture, and still remain within the terms of the OEM license; in Microsoft's eyes, that is building a new computer, which requires a new Windows license.

And, if you're wondering, I installed a mATX board in an XPS 7100 chassis, which is identical to that of your XPS 8300, apart from coloring.

getting full size mobo was a no-brainer on my part.  Fortunately I have an atx case that I can install the new mobo in.  My plan is to abandon the xps case and just salvage the processor/ram.  hopefully that will work. 

In that case, you will certainly be in violation of the OEM license if you reactivate.

Yeah.  If I understand it correctly then I"m going to have to buy a Dell Mobo to not be in violation.  I found a replacement at ebay for $100.  I'm not even sure I want to buy it because I'm concerned that there is something wrong with my current mobo that may be intrinsic to the board itself.  Probably not, I should probably just buy it, but this board has a bad history -- flaws 

other forums I've read have said it is a money pit when trying to fix one of these.. I'd agree.  you end up trying to isolate it and that costs $.  Is it the ram? no.  Is it the video card? no, Is it the blue tooth?  Is it the mobo? is it the processor?  You throw good money after bad.

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Thanks for the tip. I'm going to get this one.  Sound good to you?