XPS 8900, CPU upgrade help

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@FulciLives wrote:

 

It came with a 6th Gen Skylake Intel i5-6400 CPU

 

Last but not least, does this seem like a decent upgrade? I think it would be but I'm open to suggestions on this idea (it being good or dumb ... as in "not enough of an upgrade to be worth it").

 

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Is this machine not performing high enough? What do you normally use it for and what is its most demanding occasional use?

For me, upgrades to older machines are in this order of priority ... bootable-SSD, nice video card, enough memory, then CPU (as long as it's already a quad-core or better).

The Intel i5-6400 is a true quad-core (running 4 threads). For most consumer use-cases, that is considered good. 

These do not support anything other than the Skylake platform.  The systems were replaced with the 8910 when the next generation of CPUs arrived.

The XPS 8910 also used Skylake processors and Z170 chipset.

That would then make the 8900 two generations removed -- the 8920 is Kaby Lake.  The 8910 has 4-lane PCIe (vs. the slower 8900).  The 8900 will not take anything other than Skylake CPUs.

OK then if I am stuck with Skylake then I might as well get a Skylake i7 and due to my (lack of) a budget it would probably be the i7-6700 although the i7-6700k seems like the better option but it's also more money. Either way, I am assuming that would work A-OK ... yes?

The only other option I see would be to buy a new motherboard that can handle an 8th Gen Intel CPU and I don't know how well that would work for me. For example, it would be expensive as I would have to buy a motherboard and then a new CPU. Also I would have to take out the old motherboard and put in the new one and I don't know if the old power supply has all the connectors needed to work with a new motherboard or would I need a new power supply as well?

If I do that then I would probably be getting a B360 motherboard (most of which seem to be a Mini-ITX type) and either the 8th Gen Intel i5-8400 or i5-8600k

So, any ideas on how that would work (noting my concerns of fitting it in the same case and using the existing power supply)?

- John

You have not said why you need the extra CPU speed. In my opinion upgrading an older system especially with a new motherboard and CPU is never worth the cost. Also, remember that to take advantage of the new motherboard and CPU will require new memory. If you are thinking of doing that then you should think about buying a completely new system.

My current system has DDR4 2133 RAM and my understanding is that such RAM is compatible with the new motherboards that support 8th Gen Intel CPU's so I was planning on cannibalizing the RAM as opposed to buying new RAM.

I want more CPU horsepower because there are a couple of games that I play where my GPU is not near maxed out (I have an Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB model) but my CPU is close to maxing out and I'm seeing less than 60fps when my CPU hits around 85%-90% (meanwhile the GPU doesn't seem to go past 70% or so). 

It seems to me that I just need a tiny bit more CPU power to maintain that 60fps all-the-time whereas now it's most-of-the-time but not all-the-time.

So yeah, that's the main reason.

I'm thinking, for simplicity, that I might just go with a 6th Gen Skylake i7 since all I will need to do is change out the CPU but then it dawned on me that for roughly the same price I can get an 8th Gen i5 and motherboard ... but that will only work for me (financially speaking) if I can use the same case and RAM and power supply. I'm pretty sure the RAM and case will be fine but not so sure about the power supply.

I see this as being much cheaper than buying a whole new computer and although it's been years now ... I have built computers from scratch before so I'm sure that I can handle it once I iron out the questions I've asked here.

Thanks,

John

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@FulciLives wrote:

 

I want more CPU horsepower because there are a couple of games that I play where my GPU is not near maxed out (I have an Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB model) but my CPU is close to maxing out and I'm seeing less than 60fps when my CPU hits around 85%-90% (meanwhile the GPU doesn't seem to go past 70% or so). 

It seems to me that I just need a tiny bit more CPU power to maintain that 60fps all-the-time whereas now it's most-of-the-time but not all-the-time.

 

 

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That's not really how it works.

GTX-1060 is good, but it's not a 1070 or 1080. I think it's a good match for Intel i5-6400 (both mid-level).

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@FulciLives wrote:

 

1. The only other option I see would be to buy a new motherboard that can handle an 8th Gen Intel CPU and I don't know how well that would work for me. For example, it would be expensive as I would have to buy a motherboard and then a new CPU.

2. Also I would have to take out the old motherboard and put in the new one and I don't know if the old power supply has all the connectors needed to work with a new motherboard or would I need a new power supply as well?

 

 

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Just build a new computer and put the GTX-1060 and old drives into it. Be sure it has a bootable SSD.

The 8900 case and power-supply are not worth keeping or trying to re-use. However, as a whole PC, the old 8900 would make a nice secondary computer for the kids or Kodi. Pop an old drive in it and use the on-board video.

Please stop steering me into what you guys want. Yes I asked for opinions on if the stuff I said was making sense or not but it seems like my real question isn't getting answered.

Simple Question #1:

Can I use a 6th Gen Intel Skylake i7 CPU with the XPS 8900 (this is MOST LIKELY what I will do)

Simple Question #2:  

In case I decide to upgrade the motherboard then ... Can I use a B360 motherboard along with the power supply from the XPS 8900 that I have?

If nobody is sure then is there a place here on the DELL website that gives the exact specs of my power supply so I can figure out myself if it has the connectors needed for a B360 motherboard? A link would be very handy.

If someone can definitely answer these two questions then I would consider this thread to be closed (as far as I am concerned).

Thank you,

- John

P.S.

I don't know if this link is allowed or not but here's the B360 motherboard that I am considering:

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B360I-GAMING-PRO-AC/Specification

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@FulciLives wrote:

0. Please stop steering me into what you guys want. 

1. Can I use a 6th Gen Intel Skylake i7 CPU with the XPS 8900 (this is MOST LIKELY what I will do)

2. In case I decide to upgrade the motherboard then ... Can I use a B360 motherboard along with the power supply from the XPS 8900 that I have?

 

 

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0. We get no benefit. We are just trying to help you.

1. Due to Intel CPU micro-code (in Dell BIOS) the only Intel CPUs that will work in that old board are the ones that originally shipped in that machine during it's production run.

2. Any stock Dell XPS-8900 Power-Supply is minimal at best. Design is strange sometimes and it's cables won't reach. With the GTX-1060, it's likely been running near 80% utilization for years (which is bad). That abuse usually leads to them blowing-up. Sometimes they also take-out the MB and.or GPU.

You always over-size your Power-Supply. If you know how to "custom build" you know that. And having any computer (old or new) without a bootable SSD these days is a bit of a travesty (if you like fast). The computer will be over-all snappier and game-assets will load faster. 

Reasons you don't fit an after-market retail motherboard into a proprietary Dell case.

- Hard to install
- Some case parts (like fans) are proprietary.
- The Interface to front ports is proprietary. You will have problems getting your USB and audio working.
- A new case (like Cooler-Master) is only $50. It will hold whatever retail MB and PS you decide to install.
- If building a gaming computer with an Intel-i7 these days, it should have a Liquid-Cooler

This whole time I've been mentioning that one of my options was to simply upgrade the CPU and stay within the Skylake family (since my motherboard came with a Skylake CPU) and now you are telling me I can't even do that ???

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@FulciLives wrote:

This whole time I've been mentioning that one of my options was to simply upgrade the CPU and stay within the Skylake family (since my motherboard came with a Skylake CPU) and now you are telling me I can't even do that ???

 

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Well, your first post was only yesterday, but YES ... that sounds about right. At this point, I'm not looking-up chip families, chipset and sockets for you (but I suggest you read closely what others have posted about it). I said it the way I did on purpose. I can't say it any clearer than that.

Now you know why we have been answering the way we have.

And if you would have read and answered the questions is my first post, I would have mentioned it sooner.

Well, just fyi. My XPS 8900 came with a i7 6700 . So yes, you can indeed just swap out the 6400 i5 for the 6700 i7 since it is built to handle one just the way it is. Assuming everything else is the same, which on my other dell xps that DID come with the i5 6400 is identical (sounds like the one you have) outside of the cpu, same gtx730 gpu, same 460watt psu, same 8gigs of ram. Easy way to upgrade your current machine without worrying about motherboards and ram, psu, cases, etc... which if that were the case id go ahead and get new i5-8400k or something and start over from scratch.