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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.
546insp
732 Posts
0
January 28th, 2019 20:00
Pulling way too much inside air around the sides.
HanoverB
798 Posts
0
February 3rd, 2019 11:00
How to easily add just a front intake in the upper position in an XPS 8930.
From Jimbob55 post Is it possible to install a front case fan into the XPS
Use the existing hard drive bracket that is mounted in the upper position
Get a decent 92mm PWM fan
The Noctua fan would be good. Comes with Y adapter, mounting pins, Low noise adapters
https://noctua.at/en/products/fan/nf-a9-pwm
Mount the 92mm fan into the hard disc drive bracket. Mounting holes are already there.
Reinstall the bracket into the upper front intake position with 92mm intake fan.
Use the Y adapter that comes with the Noctua fan and connect it to the CPU Fan Header
Pics shown with standard 92mm fan I took out of another computer. 92mm x 92mm x 25mm
There is approx 75mm of space between the back of the PSU swinging bracket and the motherboard. The 92mm fan won't move as much air as a 120mm fan but will certainly help create the desired airflow in the upper compartment.
You can certainly use the FLX 3 pin version of that fan and connect it to your PSU and run it at fixed speed 1250 RPM with Low noise adapter.
https://noctua.at/en/products/fan/nf-a9-flx
Adding the lower intake fan with the Alienware R5/R6 bracket is easy and works great for the lower intake position and adding an upper intake fan using the upper HDD bracket is just as easy. Do both and you should be okay. Change the top exhaust fan to a quieter fan and that's pretty much all you can do other than liquid cool the CPU.
Upper 92mm intake fan use
https://noctua.at/en/products/fan/nf-a9-flx
https://noctua.at/en/products/fan/nf-a9-pwm
Lower 120mm intake fan in the Alienware bracket use
https://noctua.at/en/products/fan/nf-s12a-flx
Upper 120mm exhaust fan in the Dell bracket use
https://noctua.at/en/products/fan/nf-s12a-flx
By adding the front intake fans and changing to fixed speed fans you will create a balanced constant airflow in this case and better manage the heat build up and noise issues which result from the case design and conservative fan curves of the motherboard.
Full summary of fan upgrades is back here
546insp
732 Posts
0
February 3rd, 2019 14:00
But why would you want to? You know these PC's need all the air they can get...………………...ALL 120mm or nothing.
HanoverB
798 Posts
1
February 4th, 2019 03:00
It’s usually always been a trade off between airflow and noise when it comes to a computer case fan.
With the XPS 8930 case it’s also the limited mounting positions.
Anytime one drills holes in a chassis it requires selectively sealing off the main compartment to avoid metal shavings from getting into components. Casual PC users won’t want to go through the trouble of doing so. It’s the last thing I would want to do, much less cut portions of the case out.
If I approach adding a fan into any build I would rather utilize existing mount options as long as I can get the desired result.
With my previous Dell XPS 8300 and XPS 8500 mods, I never had to drill or cut out an opening. Options were available without doing so to add CPU and GPU liquid cooling and a front intake fan.
I was forced to cut away grill work on the XPS 8930 to get my GPU temps where they should be, but it was only as a last resort. I would avoid do so for anyone else. Drilling holes as well, if possible.
Both the upper intake fan using the HDD bracket and lower intake fan using the Alienware R5/R6 bracket will achieve the desired result of directing airflow without cutting or drilling. Should be fine for most users.
92mm fans are fine to use as case fans if the situation dictates. The XPS line prior to the XPS 8910 used a 92 mm fan as the primary exhaust fan. I have always read a large slow moving fan that moves a lot of air is the ideal intake fan as it does so without creating a lot of noise. There are situations where a 92mm fan is necessary such as in small form factor mini-ITX and DAN case builds and they perform fine with the i7 8700K as both case fans and radiator fans for liquid cooling. I have used the Asetek 545LC with a 92mm radiator and it worked great.
With the XPS 8930 mounting options available, the right 92mm fan in the upper position is a viable option to create airflow in the upper half of the case. I would not hesitate to do so if I wasn’t interested in liquid cooling the CPU and just wanted to manage temps better.
546insp
732 Posts
0
February 4th, 2019 13:00
Not buying any of that; these PC's need all the air they can get.
rwgordon
25 Posts
0
February 6th, 2019 07:00
Looks like an easy painless addition. The 92mm fan that came out of my top fan position was rated 59 cubic ft a minute so size isn't the only thing that matters. And actually the front upper position the 92mm fits the existing opening better than a 120mm hence why on my AIO cooler addition I widened the opening so the 120mm cooler could breath a little better. Like HanoverB said cutting and drilling is closer to a last resort so this looks like a good option. Not sure how much of a gap between fan and front grill there would be that 546insp was referring to but sealing between cage and grill would enhance the fans performance.
HanoverB
798 Posts
0
February 12th, 2019 12:00
The stock configuration of the XPS 8930 with the single top exhaust fan and no intake fan creates a negative pressure case. This was Dell’s intent in setting up the chassis.
The way the case is set up, cool air is supposed to come into the case from every opening in the case: front, back and bottom. The heated air then exits out the single 120mm top exhaust fan.
With the case negative pressure, the top exhaust fan is pulling cool air in from every opening in the case: the front chassis openings, the small rectangular grill opening next to the rear IO panel, any crack or crevice in the case. Dell puts the HDD in the front upper position to attempt to cool the drive as well using the negative pressure to pull air in from the front of the chassis across the HDD.
The way the GPU is set up with no lower intake fan, if you have a full length rear blower GPU, cooler air is pulled in from both the lower front chassis and rear IO tab openings, from under the chassis, into the GPU fan intake and out the rear of the GPU.
Air intake through the rear of the case:
------
So from the stock setup, aside from the cramped space in the case from the PSU location, you can see why the it has so many issues with heat.
The heat from the back of the GPU rises up to the upper half of the case and adds to the heat from the CPU.
The heat exhausted from the rear of the blower style card is pulled in from the rear chassis openings back into the case. (Worse if you have the machine in an enclosed space with poor ventilation)
The HDD location hinders the airflow from the upper front intake positions.
------
Adding the lower front intake fan will help balance the pressure in the case overall, and it helps the GPU pull cool air at a faster rate which it then exhausts out the rear as it is heated. By balancing the pressure into the case, it should help the airflow into the upper compartment as well. The problem is the length of the GPU and the mass of the PSU does hinder some of the airflow from the lower part of the case to the upper part of the case.
Adding an upper front intake fan isn’t just about pulling a larger volume of air into the upper compartment to help cool the CPU. It’s also about helping the airflow in the upper half of the case to a balanced or positive pressure state..
With the balanced pressure at least you are directing the airflow in the case and trying to decrease any heated air from entering from the back of the case that results from a negative pressure situation.
At the very least, moving the HDD to the rear bottom part of the case and adding a lower front intake fan should help with the airflow in general.
546insp
732 Posts
0
February 13th, 2019 15:00
But not everyone has the same setup you do. You totally eliminated any chance of using an upper HDD and probably have a longer GPU than most. I merely added a 120mm fan in the front bottom which draws ALL the air from the outside due to totally sealing around it and now the PC is totally quiet and there is no fanjet noise.
546insp
732 Posts
0
February 13th, 2019 15:00
What did you say that was so bad after 59?...…...too many bleeps on this forum
rwgordon
25 Posts
0
February 13th, 2019 16:00
Apparently there is something about the abbreviation for "cubic" ft the web sites software doesn't like and changes it. So it was suppose to be 59 cubic ft per minute. Teach me not to read my post after submitting, sorry!
546insp
732 Posts
1
February 13th, 2019 17:00
I was just curious as to why they bleep everything, I see cubicc went through this time. I said I skruud something in and they bleeped that too.
HanoverB
798 Posts
0
February 13th, 2019 18:00
Did you even read the post......it's a negative pressure case and it is meant to draw air in from the front of the chassis. That's how a negative pressure case works.
But somehow in your great wisdom you chose to block the air from entering through that upper front area.
The only heat being exhausted in this case is from the back where the rear blower exhausts heated air from the GPU. There should be no heated air in the front of the case because the airflow is directed into the case by the top exhaust fan pulling air from all the openings.......
HanoverB
798 Posts
0
February 13th, 2019 20:00
Just a follow up on the re-case issues.
Waiting for a detailed post from Zeusmastah about his case swap to the NZXT H500 case. Will link it when It’s up.
Seems like a nice case and if I didn’t have this machine working well I would have probably swapped it out by now to either the NZXT H500 Case or the Fractal Design Meshify (slightly smaller cases with tighter fit, more cooling options)
The NZXT H500 case ($69) is a nice case for the money and would be fine for a case swap as there is USB 3.1 and the connectors all seem to fit the Dell XPS 8930 motherboard.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C3DWCDC/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
It is a negative pressure case with only two exhaust fans, does a decent job with GPU cooling and seems to work fine with the Cryorg H7 or Evo 212 air cooled CPU coolers.
I would still liquid cool the CPU and use a 240mm/280mm dual radiator liquid cooled unit in the front intake position.
So my swap would look something like this H500i ($99) build from a Amazon reviewer Sneaky Potato with a dual radiator as intake and a liquid cooled AIO GPU as exhaust.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R3QZ41QQ5LPTN?ref=pf_vv_at_pdctrvw_srp
The Corsair H60 2018 AIO 120mm cooler would probably be fine for non-K CPU case swaps but if you have a -K CPU and want to overclock there are users on the Alienware side having i7 8700K CPU temp problems with the single radiator cooler. You should go to the 240mm/280mm cooler for any OC.
Note that with the XPS 8930 case swap
1) You will need to take the upper IO panel with the card reader and bring it into the case. The lower compartment in the NZXT and Fractal Design cases house the PSU and the 3.5" HDD's, and has room for cabling and the IO panel should fit there hidden. There is also a lot of room behind the back side panel with a large slot with velcro for cable management that should accommodate that IO panel as well.
2) You will lose the OEM optical drive as most cases these days don’t have a drive bay. Might bother some who still burn DVD’s or load legacy programs still on DVD. You can certainly use a USB stick for OS installations. The workaround for this would be to buy an inexpensive USB 3.0 slim optical external enclosure for the OEM optical drive.
3) You will need to find a solution for the rear IO shield that is part of the case. Either live with it or the solution with the DIY mesh IO shield on the case swap connectors post could be promising.
https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8930-CPU-Liquid-Cooler-GTX-1080-Hybrid-GPU-Upgrades/m-p/7189904/highlight/true#M21680
4) You will lose the front USB Type C 3.1 Port as well unless the new case you use has one onboard. Don't think this is much of an issue as that port is only Gen.1, so it is only as fast as USB 3.0/3.1.
Otherwise looks straight forward as a case swap if you are not happy with CPU and GPU temps and want to avoid all the necessary cutting and drilling to get the desired results.
546insp
732 Posts
0
February 13th, 2019 21:00
No I don't read anything, I just babble aimlessly. My great wisdom says you can call it any kind of case you want but I gave mine a shot of cool air from an added 120mm fan that only draws from the front vents, it all works QUITE WELL, and blocking the top vented area etc was part of the plan so you do it your way and I will do it mine. Also, if all it needs is to draw air from all over the case why is it that my addition completely fixed my noise problem? Why is that? Huh?
HanoverB
798 Posts
0
February 14th, 2019 00:00
Case swap update
XPS 8930 motherboard has 2 USB headers.
I wanted to see what happened when the motherboard had only 1 USB header used and the other open. This would be the scenario with a typical case swap with only 1 USB header cable available.
With either one of the USB header cables disconnected I got this message on startup:
ALERT! Front I/O Cable Failure
However, the machine will continue to startup, once you hit a continue button.
The workaround for a case swap would still involve bringing the upper IO panel with the USB, Audio, and Card Reader into the new case and connecting one of the USB headers into the motherboard as well as the Card Reader cable.
Will edit some previous posts to reflect this as well.