Dell XPS 8500 will the EVGA GTX 970 work and what PSU should I get?

I wouldn't get anything less than a corsair  CS750 or TX750

There is absolutely a secure boot issue so it must be done via CSM Legacy mode.

Hey thanks for the reply speedstep. when you say anything less are you suggesting I should have more than 750  W? 

Also is the secure boot issue a problem with the graphics card? I saw a tread talking about problems with the GTX 970 on the XPS 8700, but it seemed like they were saying after a few hoops it works? 

I guess more pointedly will the GTX 970 card work perfectly after this issue, or should I be looking for a different card?

Thanks a bunch for any suggestions and help!

I just did this without any issues.  Worked on the first try.

These were the parts:

• Updated my XPS 8500 Motherboard Bios to version "A12" while waiting for my parts to arrive
• EVGA NVIDIA GTX 970 Superclocked Graphics Card (EVGA 04G-1972-KR)
• EVGA SuperNOVA 750B1 750W Power Supply (PSU) (110-B1-0750-VR)

Putting a new Powersupply into a Dell XPS 8500 is a bit of a trick.   All ATX Power Supplies have about the same Height and width  (150mm or 5.09" wide)  and (86mm or 3.38" high).    The problem is the Depth.   How deep into your PC can it reach  (extending towards the back side of your CD/DVD).   Don't forget, you have that tiny sunken  USB/Headphone jack thing midway.

I did some measurements, and realized that the MAX PSU depth that would work would be about 165mm or about 6.5".     That's tricky because I wanted a 750w plus power supply, and its REALLY, REALLY hard to find a good power supply under with less than (180mm / 7.09").   And, that wouldn't fit.

I scoured the internet and looked at the specs of every decent brand of 80+ certified PSU's for something with 750w that could be crammed into my case.  I looked at Antec, Cool Master, and every model on Newegg with 750w+ and at least a bronze rating.

Almost ALL EVGA PSU's are long, but there is one  (and only one) that is about 165mm.    The Supernova 750B1 (110-B1-0750-VR) is the only one.  I suspect that it's "BRONZE" rating (slightly less than gold) means that it can be more innefficient and doesn't need quite the heatsink that a GOld or Platinum PSU needs.   It's a perfectly good PSU, so who cares?   It can fit.

I won't say it was EASY to get in there.  I had to disconnect all my SATA power and cables.  I had to bend the cables on the ATX Case Top a little bit, and I had to be very patient reconnecting.   Long story short, though... it fit.   And , it booted on the first try with no drivers. 

I'd downloaded the GeForce drivers before switching out my hard ware, so I uninstalled the Radeon and put in the Geforce stuff. 

All in all -- it worked.  The card extends about 2-4" further into the case, but it fits.  The PSU sits about 4" away from the back of the CD, but it fits.   And, it boots.

Anyway... if anyone else is thinking of trying... it can be done.   Look for a PSU that is 165mm or less.   150mm would be ideal.   If you are patient and have done a few builds before  (say intermediate level), it will fit in there. 

Hope that helps!

Hello Andrew.

I want to get the same model of evga gtx970 that you installed.

So, could you tell me please what is the date ot the BIOS A12 that you got?

And, can you upload a picture of your system (inside of course)?

Thank you ver y much for your comments.

Oh.  If you are wondering about that weird brace to the right of the  PSU...   I added a 3rd hard drive below the CD Drive.  There are only the "Front mounting holes"  so I got a little creative and straightened out one of the "Empty PCI Slot Plates" from an old ATX Case.   I straightened out the "L" and it as the perfect length to attach as a cross brace to hold the hard drive in place.

I also want to reiterate why you MUST only get a PSU that is 165mm or less in depth.   There is a TIGHT fit between the PSU and the cords from the top port of the XPS 8500.      Only THIS ONE VERSION of the EVGA ports is 165mm.  All the rest are 180mm and would not fit.

I sifted though the specs of over 200 PSU's to find something 700w with less than a 165mm depth.

I only came up with 5, and I went the EVGA because it was the cheapest (and the same brand as the video card). 

Here is the short list (if you are curious):

• EVGA SuperNOVA 750B1 $69.99
• RAIDMAX RX-1000AE 1000W $119.99
• SeaSonic SS-750KM3 750W $139.99
• CORSAIR AX series AX760 $159.99
• Coolmax 1200W ZPG-1200B $282.35

Thank you very much for your availability and your comments. The information you provide to us is very useful.

As I make my adjustments, I will comment on the matter.

Oh.  If you are wondering about that weird brace to the right of the  PSU...   I added a 3rd hard drive below the CD Drive.  There are only the "Front mounting holes"  so I got a little creative and straightened out one of the "Empty PCI Slot Plates" from an old ATX Case.   I straightened out the "L" and it as the perfect length to attach as a cross brace to hold the hard drive in place. I also want to reiterate why you MUST only get a PSU that is 165mm or less in depth.   There is a TIGHT fit between the PSU and the cords from the top port of the XPS 8500.      Only THIS ONE VERSION of the EVGA ports is 165mm.  All the rest are 180mm and would not fit. I sifted though the specs of over 200 PSU's to find something 700w with less than a 165mm depth. I only came up with 5, and I went the EVGA because it was the cheapest (and the same brand as the video card).  Here is the short list (if you are curious): EVGA SuperNOVA 750B1 $69.99 RAIDMAX RX-1000AE 1000W $119.99 SeaSonic SS-750KM3 750W $139.99 CORSAIR AX series AX760 $159.99 Coolmax 1200W ZPG-1200B $282.35

Great info Andrew....can you please post all this info and awesome pictures about your install on the XPS 8500 Graphics cards thread to help others so this doesn't get shuffled back into the forum?

Thanks

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3515/t/19474677?pi21953=16

I moved a consolidated copy of the post over to that side.   I also added a bunch of tags so folks might find it.

I posted my information here because it was the top search result on Google for the keywords I kept trying to use myself. 

I hope the info helps some folks.   I tried to include everything I needed  to know (or had to find out) before I started. 

Kindest Regards,

Andrew

Mr. Russell,

Thank you very much for posting your incredibly detailed instructions and suggestions. I was bummed for a while now because I thought I couldn't upgrade my XPS 8500's GPU.

You sir, have shown me the light.

I bought the same parts you installed and upgraded the BIOS whilst waiting for the items to arrive.

Again, thank you.

Cheers,

Fernando

FYI Seasonic has a S12G series of power supplies, which include 450w - 550w - 650w - 750w versions.  All are about 5.5" long (same as the stock Dell power supply).

Bad news is these are not modular, but they easily fit in the space of the stock supply without hitting the USB / headphone ports on the top.  I put the 550w into a XPS 8700 with a GTX 960, so far so good.

165MM is 6.5 inches

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139061

 CORSAIR CSM Series CS750M 750W

ATX12V v2.4 and EPS 2.92 80 PLUS GOLD

Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

5.9" x 3.39" x 5.51"

Which specific evga gtx 970 is that?  Is it the superclicked acx 2.0 (04G-P4-2974-KR), or is it the the 04G-P4-1972-KR? They have 9 different 970s...

I want to do the exact same setup as you with no problems. Many thanks

Whoops!   You were right!     I named the wrong one in my initial post.   I really used Model numbe(04G-P4-1972-KR) -- which only has one fan.

• EVGA NVIDIA GTX 970 Superclocked Graphics Card (EVGA 04G-1972-KR)
• EVGA SuperNOVA 750B1 750W Power Supply (PSU) (110-B1-0750-VR)

Given the pace of innovation, there is probably a slightly newer version of that card.

For sizing it was:

• Height: 4.376in - 111.15mm
• Length: 9.5in - 241.3mm
• Width: Dual Slot

And it is the style that uses  a single fan to pull air in from the case and  vent out the back of the card to increase case airflow.

Good catch!

The Short Looks like a 960 02G-P4-2962-KR

http://www.evga.com/Products/ProductList.aspx?type=0

http://www.evga.com/Products/Product.aspx?pn=04G-P4-1972-KR

http://www.evga.com/Products/Product.aspx?pn=02G-P4-2962-KR