This post is more than 5 years old
13 Posts
0
5212
Video card upgrade for XPS 8700 i3
Hello people.
I'm not tech savvy.
So I can't really know about that PCI 2.0 or 3.0 stuff, or what PSU W my computer has.
All I know, is that even though I love it, and it's never failed me, it's falling a little short now for some stuff, for instance: gaming.
So, I was thinking a video card upgrade was in order, before I actually get to the point where I have to just get a new CPU. Right now, I can't afford it, so video upgrade sounds like the best option.
Anyway, everything in the box is factory original. I know it's an i5 and it has 8GB of ram. A 1 TB drive. And it's still running win 8.1 64bits (I'm not convinced yet about Win 10).
If I go to a place like amazon, I get overwhelmed with video card options, and it's just impossible to know what will actually work.
I have read stuff about PSU, and PCI, that's why I mentioned it, but honestly, I wouldn't know what actually works.
I'm hoping to find something under $200, with (hopefully) 4GB of ram?
I edit video and do 3d from time to time, and as mentioned above, game.
Most of my work is in Photoshop and other design apps.
I run dual monitors, so a dual display card would be awesome, hopefully in the same type of analog or digital connection (for balanced color display purposes).
So... any ideas? I'm being very specific, but I think that's a good thing, right?
Anyway, thanks for any help! I'm hoping I can get at least one more year out of this GREAT computer!
I found this one, which looks awesome, but I think it requires more power than what the CPU has?
www.amazon.com/.../ref=ox_sc_act_title_1
Dan-H
1.2K Posts
1
November 16th, 2016 22:00
GT 740 is a lackluster card. two major generations back ( there was no 8xx series for desktop cards)
I suggest a GTX 1060, or possibly a GTX 1050 ti
The 1060 comes in 3GB and 6GB versions.
www.bhphotovideo DOT com/c/product/1275083-REG/msi_geforce_gtx_1060_gaming.html
www.bhphotovideo DOT com/c/product/1292076-REG/msi_gtx_1050_ti_gaming_x_4g_geforce_gtx_1050_ti.html
Both will work with the OEM power supply in the 8500.
DELL-Akshatha M
1.2K Posts
1
November 15th, 2016 02:00
Hi OscarBlanco,
Thank you for reaching out to Dell Community Forum.
Depending on the type of motherboard below is the video cards supported and tested with the XPS 8500:
Integrated - Intel HD 2500 and HD 4000
Discrete (PCI Express x16 card) - NVIDIA GT 620/ GT 640
AMD Radeon HD 7570/ HD 7770/ HD 7870
please click my DELL-username and send me a Private Message with the Dell Service Tag number and your email address, so that we can check on the configuration.
Note: please don't mention the service tag or email id on the public forum as it contains your personal information
rdunnill
6 Professor
6 Professor
•
8.8K Posts
1
November 16th, 2016 20:00
It might need a power supply upgrade, but it looks like a good budget choice.
The XPS 8500 has plenty of life in it. CPUs are not increasing in power by quantum leaps anymore.
Dan-H
1.2K Posts
0
November 16th, 2016 22:00
One more thing. You did not mention what monitors you have.
the GTX 10x0 series does not have VGA. They dropped the analog.
Hopefully you have DVI or display port otherwise you should look at a GTX 9x0 series graphics card.
OscarBlanco
13 Posts
0
November 17th, 2016 09:00
Thanks.
I have two monitors, both have capacity for dvi.
OscarBlanco
13 Posts
0
November 17th, 2016 09:00
I actually just noticed my mistake.
The CPU is not a 8500 but a 8700!
Sorry about this.
Dan-H
1.2K Posts
2
November 19th, 2016 10:00
The 8700 requires BIOS A10 for GTX 9x0 or 10x0 cards to work, and A11 if you are on Windoze 10.
The BIOS update must be done before you install the new card, otherwise, the same suggestions for the xps 8500 still apply.
The GTX 1060 is perhaps the best bang for buck upgrade because you don't need a power supply upgrade.
Note that some graphics cards have a single 6 pin PCIe connector, and some have a single 8 pin. The Dell PSU has two six pin, so if the card has an 8 pin, you need a power cable adapter that takes two 6 pin PCIe connectors and combines it to one 8 pin. Some of the cards include this adapter, some do not. If it is not included you can find them on eBay or new egg or maybe amazon for under $10 shipped.
If you want to see lots of examples of what others are doing, you can checkout this thread. I would start at the end and work back because much of this is 970 and 980 cards before the 1060/1070/1080 cards were released.
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3515/t/19611037
good luck !
OscarBlanco
13 Posts
0
November 19th, 2016 13:00
Thank you so much!
I looked up the card on amazon, what version would be the one you're talking about?
www.amazon.com/.../B01KIJ7XQG
I assume I would get the BIOS upgrade somewhere on the Dell website right?
Dan-H
1.2K Posts
0
November 19th, 2016 14:00
MSI sells fourteen models of the GTX 1060. Here is my opinion to narrow it down.
I like MSI graphics cards, and (we family) have owned four recently (GTX 760/770 and two GTX 970).
I like the "Twin Frozr" cooler and have the MSI GTX 970 gaming 4G in an xps 8700 and it runs cool and quiet.
Which GTX 1060 is a price per sub-feature.
The first choice is 3GB vs 6GB. I would spend a little more for the 6GB.
The next choice is the "Gaming 3G vs the "Gaming X 3G
The difference is subtle. basically the X has slightly more overclock in Gaming and OC mode, and a slight memory overclock in OC mode. The bold lines are the differences.
GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING 6G
1746 MHz / 1531 MHz (OC Mode)
1733 MHz / 1518 MHz (Gaming Mode)
1708 MHz / 1506 MHz (Silent Mode)
GDDR5 192bit
8000 MHz (OC Mode)
8000 MHz (Gaming Mode)
8000 MHz (Silent Mode)
GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING X 6G
1809 MHz / 1594 MHz (OC Mode)
1784 MHz / 1569 MHz (Gaming Mode)
1708 MHz / 1506 MHz (Silent Mode)
GDDR5 192bit
8100 MHz (OC Mode)
8000 MHz (Gaming Mode)
8000 MHz (Silent Mode)
if it were me, I'd spend a little more for the Gaming X 6 GB, and run it in Gaming or OC mode.
BH Photo has it on sale for $239 after rebate.
www DOT bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1264797-REG/msi_geforce_gtx_1060_gaming.html
I've bought from BH Photo before without any concerns. The've been in business for decades. They are closed for taking orders on Saturday's. Also looks like they are out of stock so shipping is delayed. Same on Amazon I think.
Good luck.
ps: I am thinking of buying this card to upgrade the GTX 760 in one of our 8700s. Waiting for a killer price. This isn't bad but I was looking for $199.
And yes, hit the support page for your system and you'll find drivers and downloads there.
Dan-H
1.2K Posts
0
November 19th, 2016 15:00
www.dell.com/.../SLN295215 bios link is on this page.
OscarBlanco
13 Posts
0
November 20th, 2016 09:00
Thanks for taking all this time to help me Dan-H!
I'll take a look at all of this then!
I'm still unsure about spending over $200 for a video upgrade on this old (in computer years) cpu.
But is sure is tempting!
Dan-H
1.2K Posts
0
November 20th, 2016 10:00
@OscarBlanco which processor do you have?
Core i5 4440
or
Core i7 4770
or
Core i7 4790
If you have the 4770 or 4790 you are good for many years.
I would add an SSD, upgrade to 16GB of memory and put as much graphics card as you can afford up to the GTX 1060 I listed above.
if you have the i5, you might consider upgrading the processor to a 4770 or a 4790. You can get these new or on eBay and sell your 4440 for at least $100 on eBay.
re-reading your first post, " with most of your workload in photoshop and other design applications" you may get more benefit from a core i7, an SSD and 16GB of RAM, and then going with less of a graphics card (edit) if you are on a tight budget (/edit)
Please let us know which cpu you have.
OscarBlanco
13 Posts
0
November 20th, 2016 10:00
Sadly the first.
Like I mentioned before, it gets to a point where maybe getting a new cpu might be cheaper than upgrading so much stuff...
That's why I just wanted a cheap video card upgrade, which to me is the weakest part in my current configuration.
But maybe even that is wasting money...
Dan-H
1.2K Posts
0
November 20th, 2016 11:00
Hard to say.
The i5 is not a bad CPU.
The "cheapest" way to buy an i7 might be buy another 8700 with an i7 on eBay, and sell yours.
I've seen core i7 8700s selling around $300. If you could flip it and sell it with a core i5 for $200?
hard to say. Not sure what I would do, but I'd put the price options into a spreadsheet and see.
I think the first thing I would do is buy a 500GB SSD, clone the HDD to it and see how much better it is.
I like the samsung 850 evo. That alone will speed the system up tremendously.
Even if you decide to get a new system, the SSD can go to that system.
Good luck !
OscarBlanco
13 Posts
0
November 20th, 2016 16:00
Thank you for all the advice Dan-H. it's very valuable.
About SSD's I still like Hybrids (of course I own several external HD's for file storage, but I can't work from them much), I have used systems with SSD and they are definitely faster, but the amount of disk space vs price is still a problem, when you work with so many large files as i do as a graphic artist.