XPS-8930 Tower Special Edition versus XPS-8930 Desktop Special Edition

@TheRoots   I appreciate your thoughts and comments.

When the XPS 8930 was first introduced there were more options for CPU and graphics card available for the Special Edition, which also included the silver front plastic shroud. There was no option for a 850 watt PSU in November 2019 when I ordered mine. Based on your experience, the component options appear to be the same now.

What component options were you considering?

@TheRoots 

Ok, just went to the Dell web site to scope the situation.

The top CPU for the "Desktop" is i9-9900; for the "SE" you can get i9-9900K.

The top graphics card for the "Desktop" is RTX 2060; for the "SE" you can get RTX 2080.

I am not even seeing the 850 watt PSU option.

@Anonymous , thank you for checking into this.

The XPS Desktop is listed under "For Home" from the main XPS Page.  While the XPS Tower is listed under "For Work" from the main XPS Page.

On the "For Work" page there are two options XPS 8930 Tower and XPS 8930 Tower SE.  The Tower 8930 has a 850 watt PSU option.

What I am wanting to know is are there other differences between the two versions of XPS 8930 SE (Desktop versus Tower).  (Yes, the two names are very confusing, Dell!)

I have priced both the Desktop SE (home) and the Tower SE (work) exactly the same and the base price is different.  I wish Dell would clearly identify the differences, so I could tell if the additional cost is worth it.

 

Hi, @TheRoots 

"I chatted with a Dell Customer Service person and they said the Tower version has a larger power supply (850w) and a better GPU."

 

I would strongly recommend that you opt for the 850W!!

 

The XPS 8930 is normally defined as a "Mid-Tower" Case (a very tight/small Case, even for a Mid-Tower), hence I'm wondering if your "Tower" version is a different size of Case! If there is a different Case, then I would suggest that you opt for the larger Case.

 

NOTE:- Throughout out this Forum you will find lots of discussions where Members have replaced the XPS Case (usually because of the poor air-flow in the existing Case and/or heating problems), also there have been lots of discussions about the inadequacy of the 460W PSU!

 

 

@TheRoots   On the "For Work" page there are two options XPS 8930 Tower and XPS 8930 Tower SE. The Tower 8930 has a 850 watt PSU option.

That would be particularly whack for the 'lower performance' Tower to have the option for the higher wattage PSU. It may be a function of some confusing Dell platform programing.

What will you be using the computer for, and what components are you considering?

@Anonymous 

I noticed if you put a RTX 2070 or above GPU, it will give you the larger PSU.

I use my system mainly for photo, video, and music editing.  As well as the basic finance (Quicken), MS-Office Pro, etc.  Most not too much of a resource hog, but one of my Photo Editing (Luminar) is a resource hog.

I am thinking of 2TB M.2 SSD, Nvidia RTX-2060, BDRE drive, I9-9900, 32GB RAM, and Windows 10 Pro.  Then I plan to add my two 2TB HDD from my (4-year old dead) XPS 8900.  My thought is one HDD will be the data drive the second HDD will be the Windows 10 File History drive.  I also have cloud backup for my photos, videos, music projects.

Thanks again, I appreciate your comments.

@GKDesigns 

Thanks for the information.  Having been a Dell customer for many, many years, I have found them to be problematic to deal with and get a straight honest answer from.  There seems to be 4 builds:

1)  XPS Desktop standard (under "For Home" from the main XPS page)
2)  XPS Desktop Special Edition (under "For Home" from the main XPS page)
3)  XPS Tower standard (under "For Work" from the main XPS page)
4)  XPS Tower Special Edition (under "For Work" from the main XPS page)

I use my system mainly for photo, video, and music editing.  As well as the basic finance (Quicken), MS-Office Pro stuff, etc.  Most of it isn't too much of a resource hog, but one of my Photo Editing (Luminar) is a big resource hog.

The system I have configured is almost identical to yours;
I am thinking of 2TB M.2 SSD, Nvidia RTX-2060, BDRE drive, I9-9900, 32GB RAM, and Windows 10 Pro.  Then I plan to add my two 2TB HDD from my (4-year old dead) XPS 8900.  My thought is one HDD will be the data drive the second HDD will be the Windows 10 File History drive.  I also have cloud backup for my photos, videos, music projects.

Did you upgrade the case fans because you were having problems or just to be cautious?

I am not that hardware techy to be able to do that myself.  Also, I try to keep my system as factory built, so I don't encounter problems with Dell support and their warranty service.  I have had problems with them just for adding non-Dell memory (even though that wasn't the problem) and a secondary non-Dell HDD.  I rely on my PC and need the immediate service.

Again, thank you very much!

@TheRoots 

Just some comments for consideration.

If you have read any part of this forum you know that the XPS 8930 nano-case has issues with adequate air flow and heat (as pointed out by @GKDesigns )

If you get a non-K processor, you will also get the lessor CPU cooler and no heatsinks for your VRM. Photos below for comparison. Additionally, if you add HDD spinners to this Easy Bake Oven, you are just exacerbating the heat problems. Consider SSD or external storage. Regarding the fan modification; Dell uses industrial grade server fans with ball bearing technology, which can be loud. Changing the top exhaust fan to 120mm better quality, more quiet fan, and adding a quiet 120mm lower front intake fan will improve your user experience. This is my fan modification, which is very simple;   XPS 8930 Fan Upgrade   Of course you will not need to change the PSU if you order the 850 watt model, or you could order the 460 watt PSU and upgrade to a fully modular 850 watt PSU when you upgrade your fans.

(click photos to embiggen)

CPU cooler for non-K processor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

blower style CPU cooler for a 'K' processor

@Anonymous 

Thanks.

Would you say it is worth the extra $100 to get the i9-9900K versus i9-9900, to get the better CPU cooler and heatsinks?

I don't really need the over-clocking and have heard it can decrease the life.  Is that true?

@TheRoots   Would you say it is worth the extra $100 to get the i9-9900K versus i9-9900, to get the better CPU cooler and heatsinks?

My opinion: yes

I don't really need the over-clocking and have heard it can decrease the life. Is that true?

Disclaimer: I am not an expert.

Just because the CPU is 'overclockable' does not mean it has to be overclocked. The chips designated as "K" are selected from the highest yield wafers at the manufacturing labs. This would mean, statistically, they would have greater reliability and function more efficiently . . . statistically.

@TheRoots 

There seems to be 4 builds:
1)  XPS Desktop standard (under "For Home" from the main XPS page)
2)  XPS Desktop Special Edition (under "For Home" from the main XPS page)
3)  XPS Tower standard (under "For Work" from the main XPS page)
4)  XPS Tower Special Edition (under "For Work" from the main XPS page)

But like you asked, what's the difference?  They are all Dell XPS 8930 Towers with common parts.

I use my system mainly for photo, video, and music editing.  As well as the basic finance (Quicken), MS-Office Pro stuff, etc.  Most of it isn't too much of a resource hog, but one of my Photo Editing (Luminar) is a big resource hog.

Any process that revs up the CPU and/or GPU will rev up the heat and then the temps and then the fans.

The system I have configured is almost identical to yours;
I am thinking of 2TB M.2 SSD, Nvidia RTX-2060, BDRE drive, I9-9900, 32GB RAM, and Windows 10 Pro.  Then I plan to add my two 2TB HDD from my (4-year old dead) XPS 8900.

That will work.  Some think the 460W PSU is too small but I would not be concerned unless you jump up to the next GPU that consumes more power.  You can always fix it later (new/better PSU), if necessary.

Did you upgrade the case fans because you were having problems or just to be cautious?

It was in my purchase plan before I got the system... I anticipated the issue based on the specs and case design and comments online... heat management is a consideration for every box... this box had the writing on the wall, IF you want quiet and we all do.  The one 92mm ball-bearing top case fan is not quiet and would rev up at idle due to any process that happens to warm up the CPU, so I proceeded with the fan upgrade as planned.  Next upgrade was going to be a CPU cooler of my choosing... but the stock CPU cooler has been good and quiet enough.

Also, I try to keep my system as factory built, so I don't encounter problems with Dell support and their warranty service.

Something to consider.  I can return my build to 'as-shipped' plus four little holes in the chassis that I added for the lower front case fan.

I rely on my PC and need the immediate service.

You can extend the 1-year on-site to 3-year onsite to give you more break-in time.  And you can renew later, if worth the peace of mind.  I do the included 1-year on desktops and 3-years on laptops.

Note that the K-version blower-style CPU cooler blocks the top case fan removal, so it complicates the fan upgrade.  You gotta wanna do it to take it on.

The fan upgrade is not for everyone, so decide if you want to mess with it for a quieter, cooler system.  It's an unfortunate consideration to have to make just to buy this system.  I've been doing PCs since the IBM XT so I could take it in stride, but that's not for everyone.  I wanted to recommend this system to my daughter, but I can't help her with it so I can't recommend it.

GK