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XPS 8930, GPU and CPU Liquid Cooler, PSU, Case Swap, Upgrade
Computer: Dell XPS 8930
CPU: i7 8700
CPU Cooler: UPGRADE: Corsair H60 (2018 Model) Hydro Series AIO Liquid CPU Cooler
Graphic card manufacturer / model number: UPGRADE: Liquid cooled MSI GeForce GTX 1080 SEA HAWK X 8GB 256-Bit GDDR5X PCI Express 3.0 x16 ATX Video Card
Bios: 1.0.12
Operating System: Windows 10 Home v.1803
Power supply: UPGRADE: Seasonic Focus Plus Gold, SSR-850FX, 850W Compact Modular Power Supply
Monitor: Samsung S34E790C - 34-Inch Curved WQHD (3440 x 1440) LED Monitor using Displayport.
Edit: 06/06/19
Case fan upgrades here
PSU upgrades here
Non-Dell GPU upgrades here
Phanteks case swap summary here
Case swap rather than case mod for more cooling options here and here and here
Motherboard connections for case swap here
Full liquid cooling with waterblock here
Tests slim 15mm fans with HWInfo.
Idle CPU Temps 32C.
Idle fan speeds intake 450-500 RPM
CPU FAN and TOP FAN = motherboard headers
***Prime 95 v2.66 CPU Torture Test, Small FFT, 12 cycles. 60 minutes:
CPU temps 66-70C. Max temp 75C (boost)
Clock speeds 3492 mHz (~10% overclock @ 65W TDP), max 4490 mHz
Voltage stable at 1.022, max was 1.3
Upper Intake Fan (CPU FAN) CPU cooler max RPM 1078
Lower Intake fan (TOP FAN) GPU cooler max RPM 1019
Upper exhaust fan fixed 1500 RPM.
Prime 95. initial boost of CPU 100% load at 4490 mHz at 110 W / 1.3v. Then tests at stable ~10% overclock 3492-3589 mHz at ~65W at 1.022 volts, temps 66-70C.
***3d Mark Fire Strike Test for system 1080P, ~ 7min.:
CPU Temps: Max 75C
Clock speeds max 4388 mHz
Voltage max was 1.31
Upper Intake Fan (CPU FAN) CPU cooler max RPM 906
Lower Intake fan (TOP FAN) GPU cooler max RPM 869
Upper exhaust fan fixed 1500 RPM.
GPU Temps: Max 79C
GPU Fan speed, 1100 RPM idle, max RPM 2822
GPU Clock max 1961 mHz
So far, CPU temps okay. But GPU temps high, will check bezel airflow.....
***3d Mark Fire Strike Test 1080P, ~ 7min
(front bezel off to test airflow restriction)
CPU Temps: Max 72C
Clock speeds max 4388 mHz.
Voltage max 1.31
Upper Intake Fan (CPU FAN) CPU cooler max RPM 853
Lower Intake fan (TOP FAN) GPU cooler max RPM 1183
Upper exhaust fan fixed 1500 RPM.
GPU Temps: Max 72C
GPU Fan speed, 1100 RPM idle, max RPM 2611
GPU Clock max at 1965 mHz
Changes with front bezel off:
CPU temps dropped by 3C
GPU temps dropped by 8-10C
CPU temps acceptable through bezel. GPU airflow through bezel needs tweaking!
==========
The install:
Tasks for upgrade in new XPS 8930:
1) Install Corsair H60 (2018 Model) Hydro Series AIO Liquid CPU Cooler
2) Install lower front intake fan/radiator with liquid cooled MSI Sea Hawk GTX 1080 HYBRID GPU
3) Upgrade PSU to Seasonic Focus Plus Gold, 850W Compact Power Supply
I need to accomplish this keeping in mind the following:
-Run the Corsair CPU cooler pump at constant 100% speed
-Requires fans connected to both 4 pin fan headers (CPU FAN) and (TOP FAN) to avoid startup error.
==========
Installing Corsair Liquid CPU Cooler:
New 2018 Corsair Hydro Series H60 has 157 x 120 x 27mm radiator and SP120 PWM fan. Pump has rotating barbs for hose placement to avoid the swinging PSU. Pump connects to a PSU SATA cable for 100% power and the radiator PWM fan to the CPU FAN motherboard 4 pin header. Optional tach cable to monitor pump speed and provide a signal to the fan header to prevent startup errors. Fan specs: SP120 PWM, 1700 RPM, 28.3 dBA, 57.2CFM.
Slim fan for tight location: Noctua NF-A12x15 PWM, 1850 RPM 23.9 dBA 55.44 CFM / 1400 RPM 16.8 dBA 41.67 CFM
The 3 pin version is a good option at fixed speed to noise tolerance for constant airflow.
Review below posted 60C temps with i7 8700K CPU 30 min stress test at stock clocks.
https://proclockers.com/reviews/cooling/corsair-hydro-series-h60-120mm-liquid-cooler-review
Nice installation guide here:
https://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/corsair-h60-review.html
The XPS 8930 chassis is similar to the Alienware R5/R6/R7, but the Alienware allows for CPU liquid cooling by having an opening to mount the fan/radiator through the top of the chassis, an installation bracket, and a top cover to house the unit.
With no such space in the XPS 8930, I saw two possible locations a liquid cooler could be installed: Upper exhaust and front intake.
1) Tried the upper exhaust position first without success with the radiator in the top exhaust fan location. The problem is that the rigid hose fittings protrude into the case 20mm. The PSU bracket is not able to close.
I also tried the radiator upside down with the hoses above the motherboard. But with the radiator lined up with the top exhaust opening, a CPU power connector, capacitor and fan header block the area at the hose fittings.
2) Next the front upper intake position at the hard drive location. With intake cooling, cool air enters the radiator but warm air exits into the case. Should not be a problem if CPU temps are ok.
I found that the radiator can install with hoses up or down. With the radiator upside down, the hoses can spread on either side of the motherboard ATX connector.
Picture bottom install location:
Flipping the radiator upright, the swinging PSU bracket negates any liquid cooling in that location with the hoses up as the bracket cross bar crushes the hoses when lowered.
However, I found that by removing the cross bar off the bracket and a small corner off the bracket support leg it would work.
So I chose having the hoses up as the installation path.
1) Flatten the wire holders in that location.
2) Remove the two support legs and the swinging PSU bracket by removing screws at the leg supports and a few at the rear.
3) Used dremel reinforced cutting wheel to do about 5 minutes worth of cutting, then deburring the cut edges.
Picture dremel cuts. (Additional recommended cut to use 25mm fan here)
4) Then placed the radiator up with the hoses at the front of the chassis. The bottom of the radiator fits between the two screws that hold down the supports of the PSU bracket.
5) Attach the 15mm fan with the model label showing for pull orientation and use 4 - 1” or 1 ¼” 6-32 machine screws to attach the radiator. NOTE: The 6-32 screws used for the radiator have a different thread than the 6-32 hex head screws being used in the case. Big box stores have these screws.
Pic of screws
6) Carefully mark the location of the holes in the radiator and drill four holes to mount the radiator to the front of the chassis.
How I did this was place the radiator, then use tape on the front of the chassis to mark the sides of the radiator position.
Then put another piece of blue tape across the front of the radiator at the middle of the top holes.
With the radiator in position inside the chassis and the sides lined up with the tape, look through the rear grill at the blue tape and mark the height of that tape on the front chassis. Marks represent the height of the radiator holes.
Mark the height of the holes with another piece of tape across the front of the chassis.
You now have the height of the top holes.
7) Place a fan on the chassis between the two pieces of tape at the sides and line the two top holes with the radiator mark. Mark all four holes . Again tape off the case well to make sure you don’t get metal filings anywhere.
Mount the radiator with fan to the chassis using ¾” 6-32 machine screws.
9) Installing the pump head:
Clean CPU with alcohol. You see the 4 mounting holes here
Using th 4 double sided pins, put the lower pins into the mounting holes. No modifications needed, the unit is set up for the Dell motherboard LGA1151 CPU socket. Mount the cooler pump by placing the corner attachment brackets on the upper pins and tighten the thumb screws. You can’t overtighten these, they just won’t turn any further when tight.
10) Connect radiator fan to the 4 pin CPU FAN header.
11) Attach pump SATA power to the PSU.
12) With no cross bracket on the PSU swinging bracket, there is room for the pump hoses to flex under the PSU. There is a smooth rounded edge where the bracket contacts the hoses when closed. As an additional precaution install braid wrap on the upper part of the hose for protection at that point.
Done!
Picture again from top, note no bar on the PSU bracket and the edge of the lower part of the PSU bracket that will contact the hoses when down.
==========
Installing MSI GTX 1080 Hybrid GPU: The 151mm high radiator is installed in a sideways position with the hoses in front. The GPU is 10.5” long leaving little room for both fan and radiator at the lower intake position.
With little space to put a fan on the radiator inside the case, the slim 15mm fan was mounted in front of the chassis and under the front bezel. The front bezel is over 20 mm deep so the fan is able to still pull air from the bezel front side vents.
Picture front bezel
1) The only problem encountered was a large raised hole in the middle of the front of the chassis which interfered with fan placement. Keep turning the fan to the position centered to the radiator where the fan frame doesn't hit that large bump.
2) Check that the side of the radiator is clear of the swinging arm of the PSU bracket. Important!.
3) Drill 4 holes, attach the fan to radiator using 4- 1 ¼” 6-32 machine screws.
I also used a10mm foam compressible Phoyba radiator gasket on the radiator due to the 1" wide flange at the rear of the front chassis.
It supports the Alienware R5/6/7 front intake fan bracket that snaps in at this location. That piece of metal prevents the radiator from sitting flush. The gasket took up that space. It has adhesive on one side to attach to the radiator.
Note: In the picture of the front bezel a large plastic hollow pin sticks up that would hit the fan in that location. Trim with the dremel cutting wheel.
Picture front install, note no bar on the PSU swinging bracket.
4) Connect the slim fan on the AIO radiator to the 4 pin header (TOP FAN). (Noctua NF-A12x15 FLX 1850 RPM 23.9 dBA 55.44 CFM / 1400 RPM 16.8 dBA 41.67 CFM)
Notes
Protect the radiator fins with a piece of cardboard taking the GPU in/out. They are bent easily by the corner of the GPU.
Edit 9/18/18 GPU temps resolved here: (must read prior to installing, grillwork is removed)
Edit 02/23/19 Recommended cuts to use 25mm fan on CPU radiator here and here
Edit 03/15/19 Fixed speed radiator fan CPU temps 55°C range here
**This thread edited for accuracy, add'l pics and current information.
rwgordon
25 Posts
0
January 16th, 2019 06:00
Got the H60 AIO yesterday and will be installing today . Hopefully results will be satifactory and I can let my cooling obsession rest. I have started looking at cases but so many choices, not sure where I would start on picking one.
HanoverB
798 Posts
0
January 16th, 2019 12:00
Aww man. I'm sorry Sparky if I discouraged you from doing the re-case. I think it is possible as most of the pinouts are industry standard and it's just figuring out how to wire the power/power led to the front panel pins on the motherboard.
Glad to see your machine is up and running and those liquid cooled temps are great!
rwgordon
25 Posts
0
January 16th, 2019 20:00
HanoverB, thanks for putting this thread together, lots of good information and photos. I installed a H60 today and results seem pretty good. Prime95v26.6 average low to mid 60s(C) and Handbrake slightly cooler. Installed the cooler in the upper intake , used the Corsair 120mmx 25 mm included fan and widened the intake area. Without your thread I wouldn't have tried this. Thanks again, Ray
XPS 8930 i7 8700 non K
HanoverB
798 Posts
0
January 17th, 2019 10:00
Good job! :Yes: Being able to use the 25mm thickness fan and opening up the front of the chassis.
How did you cut away the sheet metal in the front of the chassis? Surprised you left the grid.
Did you have to shave the pin on the backside of front bezel that fits into the hole on the grid?
Also noticed that you either cut or bent back the little lip on the side of the chassis to fit the radiator underneath it. That is how you were able to get the larger fan in there and clear the USB connectors on the motherboard.
HanoverB
798 Posts
0
January 17th, 2019 11:00
Good points. I had written down that there is 154mm under that metal lip that bends down The H75 radiator is 5mm shorter in height and probably would fit right under that lip where the H60 hits.. It's a little thinner than the H60 radiator but should work fine.
Pic of H60 radiator against the metal lip
rwgordon
25 Posts
0
January 17th, 2019 11:00
Used a dremel with a cutting wheel (probably used 5 or 6 as they are thin and break easy) Left the grid as I didn't want to remove the hole for the pin off the front bezel as I think they may add stability for the bezel. And yes I lightly shave the pin off on the bezel so it wouldn't poke the radiator.The case by the old harddrive location I trimmed with tin snips best I could get at it then used dremel with grinding wheel for the rest, probably removed about half the thickness. Wish I had removed more as bottom of radiator partially blocked a guide hole(closed side of case) for front bezel so had to shave it a bit. The H75 kit would have helped there with it's shorter radiator.
HanoverB
798 Posts
0
January 17th, 2019 11:00
Since the subject of a case swap with the XPS 8930 has come up a couple of times I did take a look at the motherboard a little closer and was able to figure out the pinouts for the front panel and motherboard connections. For the most part they are industry standard Intel configurations. There are a couple of possible issues with moving into a new case and I listed them below.
The PSU connects to the motherboard at the off white 24 pin ATX connector to the right of the RAM slots and the white 4 pin CPU power connector at the upper left.
1) Two USB 3.1 headers (blue and black) which are standard 19 pin connectors. On the XPS 8930, they are connected to the 2 USB 3.1 ports and the USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port on the top IO panel.
They are marked F USB1 and F USB 2 on the motherboard. The blue header is for the USB 3.1 Gen Type C port and the Left USB 3.1 port. The black header is for the right two USB 3.1 ports. So a new case with USB 3.1 ports will connect to one or both headers.
The front USB 3.1 Type C port is only 5 Gbps, the same speed as the other 3.1 USB ports. Just a different connector.
Edit: With a XPS 8930 case swap, both the USB connectors from the XPS 8930 IO panel from the top of the case need to be connected into the motherboard USB headers.
2) The front panel connector is a standard industry connector and Dell chose to use it only for their power button and LED. Dell used only pins 2 and 4 for the power button LED, 6 and 8 for the power button. There is a jumper between 5 and 9.
Edit: Jumper is necessary on the XPS 8930 model to prevent a startup error. The jumper is a female to female connector for a 0.1" / 2.54mm header.
With a new case you can use the pins on that header for the Power, Power LED, Reset, HD Power LED connections. There is a Front Panel diagram on the XPS 8930 motherboard that shows the configuration for the pins.
On the XPS 8930 motherboard the pins on the F Panel header are numbered like this.
2 4 6 8 10
1 3 5 7 9
Pic of Industry Standard Front Panel with the same pin numbering.
3) The Audio connector is a standard HD Audio 10 pin connector with a pin typically missing at 8. This header controls the headphone jack and mic jack on the upper IO panel. So a case with the same jacks should have the same connector.
Okay so far things look to be okay for the new case and motherboard. USB, Front Panel and Audio look to be straightforward.
But there are a couple of issues that might arise. One has to do with the Card Reader and the other the IO Shield.
4) Dell uses a 6 pin connector for the Multi-Card Reader on their upper IO panel. On the motherboard it is marked CARD READER.
The problem that might arise is that the BIOS is setup to recognize a card reader connected to that header and if it isn’t connected you might get a startup error. Just not sure how the BIOS would handle the issue of an open header. Will have to check this next time I open up my machine. One way around that might be to use the card reader from the XPS 8930 upper IO panel and somehow get that into the new case connected to the header.
Edit: Confirmed by RWGordon that you will get a startup error with this header open on the XPS 8930. Connect the card reader connector from the XPS 8930 IO panel to this header with a case swap.
5) With a case swap, one of the issues that is present is the IO shield on the XPS 8930 is built into the case so it is not removable to be transferred into the IO shield opening of a new case.
So when you install the motherboard you will be seeing the rear connectors and a hole in the back of the case. Might bother you but it will be on the back of the case and out of sight. Should not affect case pressure or have any other effects.
However there is a seller on the big auction site that has this item where you are able to create an IO Shield. Use the back of the case as a template and should be easy to create new IO shield.
6) Fan Headers
Fan headers: Left is TOP FAN header, right is CPU FAN header. Both are 4 pin PWM. 3 pin fans can be connected to them but they will run at full speeds.
Edit 2/21/19: Summary of XPS 8930 requirements as workaround for a successful case swap:
Sounds complicated? Not really, once you see how it's done on the case swap posts.
Edit 08/25/19
Preliminary case swap information for Alienware Aurora R7/R8 found here.
ZeusMastah
21 Posts
2
January 17th, 2019 19:00
I have a done a swap on a 8920 SE and can confirm that there is no issue with having an open header in the “card reader” slot. Thanks for your detailed post!
HanoverB
798 Posts
0
January 17th, 2019 22:00
Thanks a lot for that info. Good to hear of the successful case swap. :Yes:
How do you like the NZXT H500 case?
Were us able to get the front USB, audio and power buttons to work properly? Any issues with the swap?
chosmer
10 Posts
0
January 22nd, 2019 22:00
So, I am liking this thread. Looks like a lot of options. I will have to look into these for sure.
I picked up my 8930 on the outlet for a great price. Came with i7 9700K , 1070Ti, and 32 GB.
So first thing I did was change the PSU to a Corsair RM650X.
The CPU and GPU get VERY hot. Both Running over 90C on a load. I run a three screen setup as well, using the Nvidia surround feature. Here is a pic of the stock cooler that is came with. It does not do a good job. I notice that this case is basically the same as the Alienware case with different plastic on the outside.
I am not afraid of doing some drilling and cutting to get liquid cooling. I even like the idea of a case transplant, though I just got the box, so that would void any warranty.
I did order the fan bracket that goes right in on the front. Plus I also ordered the Deep Cool FH-10 for fan management. Thinking that should help with some airflow.
The 1070ti card has the blower style fan. Not sure if I can do anything to mod that.
I do not have any issues with noise, sure I don't want it to sound like a jet engine, but the PC (i7 4790, Dual GT 970, 32GB) this is replacing was noisy. I do love the CPU cooler I have on that PC (Noctua NH-U9S, Premium CPU Cooler with NF-A9 92mm Fan) , but WAY to big for this box. I would like to hear if anyone has had any luck with other 3rd party CPU coolers instead of going the liquid cooled route.
So any advice is most welcome.
546insp
732 Posts
0
January 23rd, 2019 09:00
You're almost the king of cool but you didn't block the mesh vents with tape from recirculating around those front fans.
HanoverB
798 Posts
0
January 25th, 2019 17:00
So is that another 92mm top fan that came with that system?
The GTX 1070ti is intended to run up to it's 83C throttle point in use so its not supposed to get that hot.....and since both the CPU and GPU are getting stressed, what resolution is the main monitor in your setup? Those are temps when gaming?
rwgordon
25 Posts
0
January 27th, 2019 11:00
These photos are of the finished look of project, very little open grill ,radiator is flush against case and have the Aurora 6 snap in fan(switched fan inside it to lower volume one) in lower position.Minimal gaps around Aurora fan. Very pleased with cooling, recoding right now with Handbrake, temps
57-62c use to be high 70's c
rwgordon
25 Posts
1
January 28th, 2019 15:00
Disconnected cable on my 8930 to sdcard header on MB and got start up error. If I go that route of recasing I may have to do what HanoverB suggested "to use the card reader from the XPS 8930 upper IO panel and somehow get that into the new case connected to the header. "
HanoverB
798 Posts
0
January 28th, 2019 16:00
Thanks for verifying that you will get a startup error with an empty header there.
I guess the BIOS on the XPS 8930 handles that header differently than on the XPS 8920 (no startup error reported after XPS 8920 case swap).
That upper IO panel is removable but there are a lot of wires attached there. Not sure if the card reader can be removed from the panel and just that device brought inside the case. Otherwise you will have to hide that entire IO panel somewhere.