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XPS 8500, video card, power supply, upgrades
I see several threads looking for XPS 8500 video card upgrades that can be used with the stock 460w PSU or upgraded PSU. However, in upgrading the GPU for this machine, there are some cards that will not be compatible and will result in a black screen. Even with a proper video card install, an adequate and/or upgraded power supply , the video card fans will be working, but there will be no video. The problem lies in the BIOS for the XPS 8500 motherboard not recognizing the video card and this is a known issue that has carried over from the XPS 8300 to the current XPS 8500.
There have been video BIOS upgrades from some card makers to correct this problem for certain cards, but there are a lot of legacy cards that won't work. Safest bet would be to use a newer card with the PCI 3.0 spec.
In the sticky in this forum a link to the current Dell drivers shows the following video cards that are supported with drivers for Windows 8:
Video
GeForce GT 545 | GTX660 | GTX555 | GeForce GTS450 | GeForce GTX 590 | GeForce GTX 460 | GTX680 | GeForce GTX 580 | GeForce GTX 560 Ti | GTX 480 | GTX690 http://downloads-us.dell.com/FOLDER00753042M/3
Geforce GT 620 | Geforce GT640 | nVidia GT640 http://downloads-us.dell.com/FOLDER00736734M/3
AMD HD7570 http://downloads-us.dell.com/FOLDER00746666M/6/
Radeon HD 6990 | Radeon HD7870 | Radeon HD 6950 | Radeon HD 5870 | Radeon HD 6770 | Radeon HD 5970 | Radeon HD7770 | Radeon HD 5770 | Radeon HD 6870 | Radeon HD7950 http://downloads-us.dell.com/FOLDER00749652M/3
Since these are Dell OEM cards that are being supported, there are also manufacturer specific issues where a given video card model may or may not work depending on its configuration. Whereas a XFX HD 6870 will work in the XPS 8500, the same card made by another manufacturer may not work.
Please keep this in mind when doing GPU and PSU upgrades and hopefully BIOS upgrades in the future will address these issues.
It would be helpful if you have a SPECIFIC card that does or doesn't work, to post the manufacturer and complete model number in this thread.
OS and Bios information also would be helpful, and if you are using the Dell PSU or an upgrade power supply. Specific model please!
Edit:
Please include following and any other helpful information
Graphic card manufacturer and model number:
Bios:
Operating System:
Power supply manufacturer if not Dell 460w PSU :
Compatible: Yes or No
Original card with system that worked:
HanoverB
798 Posts
0
June 30th, 2016 05:00
Here are some reference temps I'm getting (using HWinfo) running 1920 x 1080 on a 28" monitor
The 660 ti is really pushed to the limit on Witcher 3, (FAIR settings, 30-40 fps). but still stays in the mid 70's C.
CPU Package temps
at idle: 39 deg C
Witcher 3 @10 minutes: 53 deg C
GTX 660ti reference card temps
at idle: 38 deg C / fan speed 1170 rpm / 4% GPU core load
Witcher 3 @10 min: 76 deg C / fan speed 2130 rpm / 98% CPU core load
HanoverB
798 Posts
0
June 30th, 2016 23:00
Received the Samsung 34" Curved Widescreen Display today.
With the 660ti ( 2GB of VRAM), it has no problems displaying 3440 x 1440 on the 34" screen using the Displayport connector. Looks real nice.
Framerates on Witcher 3 decreased by 50%, That's pretty much what I've been reading when you go from 1920 x 1080 to 3440 x 1440. Game is still playable at 26-30 fps on low settings. Medium setting is18-22 fps.
Surprisingly temps steady on the CPU and GPU at idle and with Witcher 3, pretty much the same as the 1920 x 1080 settings. Just get the drop in framerate, but this machine and the 660ti does a good job cooling. I tried logging onto an old WOW account and in Stormwind I was at 40 fps on high settings.
If i weren't gaming I could certainly live using this card and the monitor for everyday use.
onoturtle
4 Posts
0
July 1st, 2016 17:00
I'm thinking of upgrading my GPU in the near future since I've recently upgraded my monitor to an LG 34UC87C, curved 3440 x 1440 monitor and would like to take advantage of it more in gaming. With the GTX 680 I get around ~40 fps on medium at 2560 x 1080. Around the same with low settings at 3440 x 1440, but I experience an issue where the frame is off sync between the left and right hand side of the screen. Did you experience that?
Good to hear a GTX 1080 works. But I'm thinking for the RX 480 for cost. I don't know if I'll take the gamble to see if it works for the team though... Item probably not returnable and then I'd be compelled to upgrade my rig, which would probably cost as much as if I get a 1080 in the first place. But it'll probably be some time before either of these are easily available, so I got the time to mull it over.
HanoverB
798 Posts
0
July 1st, 2016 21:00
I forgot to ask, you are using displayport as the connector correct? If so, make you have the latest drivers for the GTX 680 as well and check the Nvidia forums as well about that card. Some of the Nvidia models like the GTX 970 had some displayport driver issues that were later fixed with updated drivers.
HanoverB
798 Posts
0
July 1st, 2016 21:00
Nice display. The ultrawide has made a big difference for me....it's a winner.
Does the tearing take place whether you have it in full screen or windowed mode of the game?
I helped troubleshoot a problem similar to that with a XPS 8300 and Samsung 27" monitor when playing in DOTA in full screen mode. It would disappear when they had the game in windowed mode. Was really odd. It didn't show up on his 22" wide display, only after he upgraded to the 27" and 1920 x 1080.
It turned out to be some kind of driver conflict from an older version of Nvidia's software that was hidden on that computer. I used DDU (Display Driver Uninstall) to remove all the Nvidia files (I think there was some AMD files as well on that machine that were also removed). Then did a clean install of the Nvidia software.
That fixed the problem.
Seems like everyone recommends using software to remove the old drivers to avoid problems with a fresh GPU install. There is something to this when you are changing to newer resolutions as well.
The DDU software is safe to use and did the trick. Guru3d has a version that you can download, so does Wagnardmobile.
1) Once you download the software, boot to safe mode (Tap F8 on startup)
2) Run DDU and it will identify any display drivers on your machine.
3) Choose AMD or Nvidia to remove them on the right menu, leave the Intel there.
4) Choose the last option of Clean install and Shutdown, the program does the rest. Be patient.
5) Reboot and reinstall the Nvidia software.
Hope this helps.
Andrew.A.Rusell
28 Posts
0
July 2nd, 2016 09:00
There is a similar pitfall for UHD folks who use HDMI 3.0.
Every time the NVidia drivers are updated they always revert to YbCr RGB. If you have a picky monitor that requires YbCr 444 (or in my case... YCbCr420 at 12 bpc color)... you can't see anything on the screen to fix it. Every time I upgrade the drivers, I have to switch to a display port monitor to reset the color space on the HDMI connection.
If you were to try to use HDMI straight out of the gate on a GForce 970 GTX, you might be troubleshooting to hours with no video.
Display Port is so much easier! I wish the NVidia updates wouldn't reset the Output Color Format and Color Depth to values that my 42" LG UHD Super IPS screen can't support!
I do a lot of Picture in picutre Side-by-Side 1080x2560 and such, and have both a work and home machine connected to this. WIth only 1 display port, it's easier to use it on my work machine because of driver limitations.
onoturtle
4 Posts
0
July 5th, 2016 13:00
Thanks for the advice. I didn't see issues with other games. The issue was probably the TW3 itself since I did go back and change it to 3440 x 1440 and it looked fine.
I am using HDMI and my system runs at 50Hz despite the monitor being 60Hz. I'm guessing either my graphics card HDMI port or maybe even the cable doesn't support it? I don't have a DisplayPort cable to test results with.
Dan-H
1.2K Posts
0
July 5th, 2016 14:00
Are you on a GTX 660 ? I would see how it works with a display port cable.HDMI has limitations.
HanoverB
798 Posts
0
July 14th, 2016 01:00
Graphic card manufacturer and model number: MSI GeForce GTX 1080 SEA HAWK X 8GB 256-Bit GDDR5X PCI Express 3.0 x16 ATX Video Card
Bios: A09
Operating System: W7 Ultimate x64
Power supply manufacturer if not Dell 460w PSU : Corsair CMPSU -850TX (4 years old and still going strong)
Compatible: Yes, does work
Original card with system that worked: Radeon HD 7570, EVGA 660Ti SC
Monitor: Samsung S34E790C - 34-Inch Curved WQHD Cinema Wide (3440 x 1440) Professional LED Monitor using Displayport.
To prevent any issues, I had removed any older AMD and Nvidia drivers and software with Device Driver Uninstall (DDU).
The DDU software is safe to use. Guru3d has a version that you can download, so does Wagnardmobile
1) Once you download the software, boot to safe mode (Let DDU software do this or Tap F8 on startup)
2) Run DDU and it will identify any display drivers on your machine.
3) Choose AMD or Nvidia to remove them on the right menu, leave the Intel there.
4) Choose the last option of Clean install and Shutdown, the program does the rest. Be patient.
5) Install the video card
6) Reboot and reinstall the Nvidia software.
7) Install drivers for your specific monitor if Windows does not recognize it.
Install went smoothly and runs great! As this thread is closed, the installation, temps and other details are here:
http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3515/t/19985691?rfsh=1468478751645