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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:
WaNkElEnGiNeEr
3 Posts
0
January 31st, 2013 15:00
I know its not the solution to change everything, thats why i am asking and waiting for an answer if i can customise xps 8500 even more. I want something between the last and the second last model that are presented in the site.
tabascosauz
31 Posts
0
January 31st, 2013 20:00
I suppose you can.
The manual details procedures for replacing the CPU, CPU fan, case fan, RAM, graphics card and other PCI x1 cards. So pretty much everything except for the motherboard.
Here it is http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/xps8500/en/om/om_en.pdf
XpsDrvr
2 Posts
0
February 9th, 2013 19:00
XPS 8500, Win 7 Enterprise x64 & Ultimate x64, Bios A9, PSW Thunderbolt 650w
Original GPU: ATI 7750 (or 7770 - not sure)
Brand new Asus GTX 670 2GB. Works great so long as you dont enable the Nvidia drivers. If I do, the screen flickers like the monitor can't handle the signal but the OS runs just fine. Problem is, its mostly a black screen your looking at. If I launch a game it runs like a champ. Thought that maybe there were some residual ATI drivers in my Win7 Enterprise x64 so formatted a disk, threw 7 Ultimate x64, driver'd up and got the exact same issue. :(
Will try Win8 x64 next but not sure if the drivers are conflicting w/ something or the card is bad. Bios flashed the vid card too and disabled the HDMI audio. Nothing seems to work. Any ideas?
tabascosauz
31 Posts
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February 10th, 2013 21:00
How does it work size wise? Does it fit well?
XpsDrvr
2 Posts
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February 16th, 2013 04:00
No issues with fit, case is large enough to handle with ease.
Update to above, after getting a new card (this time the 4gb version) everything works 100%
So the GTA 670 DOES work in an XPS 8500. :)
JEsp78
8 Posts
0
March 15th, 2013 12:00
Installed a PNY GTX 680 (2gb GDDR5) in my Dell XPS 8500! Original card was GT640. Everything is running great. Played games for several hours already no issues. I did install a 650w PSU as well. Also had to buy longer SATA cables for the Hard Drive and DVD drive. The cables that come with the PC are not long enough. Installation was easy. No BIOS issues (I had already downloaded Dell's BIOS A09).
Dell XPS 8500
Intel Core i7-3770 - 3.40 ghz (up to 3.90 Turbo Boost)
Windows 8
16GB DDR3 SDRAM
1TB Hard Drive
PNY GRX 680 - 2GB GDDR5
archangelo
6 Posts
0
March 19th, 2013 12:00
Based on this recommendation and hours of trying to find the right upgrade without upgrading the PSU, I'm going to pull the trigger on the HIS 7850. The only difference in my setup will be that I'm running Win8 x64. I just can't take the lackluster drivers in Win8 for the 7570. Will post my results here after I get it up and running.
Tesla1856
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March 19th, 2013 13:00
Tesla1856
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March 19th, 2013 13:00
Tesla1856
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17K Posts
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March 19th, 2013 15:00
Dell-OEM Desktop AMD GPU based cards are a basic "AMD Reference Design" card. You can use drivers from AMD.com . I suggest you "clean install" Catalyst v13.1.
What kind of problems are you having that you perceive to be caused by video card and/or drivers?
If the Dell-OEM card doesn't work with AMD Catalyst v13.1, get it replaced under warranty.
archangelo
6 Posts
0
March 19th, 2013 15:00
The difference is that the 7570 doesn't work with the latest Catalyst drivers, only the OEM ones from Dell. They are outdated and not working 100% in Win8 for me. That's why I'm grabbing a non-OEM card and planning on using the AMD drivers as you would normally. So they use the same Catalyst drivers, but only the OEM ones from Dell work properly for me when using 7570.
tabascosauz
31 Posts
0
March 19th, 2013 16:00
I'm pretty sure that most 7870's will work with the 460w power supply... as long as you don't go with some SUPER-OC'ed card then you shouldn't be limited to a 7850.
HanoverB
798 Posts
0
March 19th, 2013 17:00
Agree with others here on upgrade path with stock Dell 460w
Thinking best performance without changing the PSU
GTX 660ti > AMD 7870 > GTX 660
If taking pricing into account then best bang for the buck would be
AMD 7870 > GTX 660ti
archangelo
6 Posts
0
March 19th, 2013 18:00
It was more about price on that point. I only paid $180 for the card, which is $40-$50 less than the 7870. Should be plenty for my needs.
archangelo
6 Posts
0
March 19th, 2013 18:00