XPS 8930, upgrades for everything

Question

Hi All,

I have an XPS 8930 bought in March of 2019 and it currently has an i7 8700, GTX 1050ti, 16GB ram, 2TB HDD + Intel Optane 16 GB. I have quite a few upgrades planned for the future.

First of all: RAM

I plan to upgrade my RAM to 32GB. I plan to buy this RAM. Is this a good choice? If not, please give some other suggestions no more than $125.

Secondly: Power Supply

Since my power supply is currently around 450 watts, I want to upgrade to a fully modular 750 or 850 watt power supply. I plan to buy this power supply. Will this fit in the default XPS 8930 case? Also, is this a good choice? If not, please give some other suggestions no more than $150.

Next: Case

I plan to upgrade to a better case that has better airflow compared to the default case. This is the case I want to upgrade to. Is this a good choice? If not, please give some other suggestions for $100 or less.

Next: Graphics Card

I plan to upgrade to an RTX 3070; most likely the founders edition. First of all, will this card even work with the default XPS 8930 motherboard (Dell 0DF42J)? Additionally, can I get a suggestion for a good 3070 with good cooling preferably under $550?

Next: SSD

I want to keep my Intel Optane so my hard drive is still fast. However, I want an SSD so that my system can boot quicker as well as get better gaming performance. I am thinking of getting the Samsung 970 Evo plus and then putting it in this RIITOP NVMe Adapter M.2 PCIe SSD to PCI-e x4/x8/x16 Converter Card with Heat Sink for M.2 (M Key) NVMe SSD 2280/2260/2242/2230 since my motherboard only has one m.2 slot. However, looking through other discussions, I would have to switch from RAID to AHCI mode which would not allow my Optane to work. Is there an SSD that I can use without having to switch to AHCI and thus allowing me to have an SSD as well as the Optane?

Finally: CPU and CPU Cooler

I want to upgrade from my 8700 to a 9900k. First of all, is this possible on the default XPS 8930 motherboard (Dell 0DF42J)? I think that the stock CPU cooler won't be sufficient to cool this CPU so I am thinking of buying this CPU cooler Will upgrading the CPU and CPU cooler be worth it here or would it be better to just build a new PC?

Thank you very much for reading this far! Please leave me suggestions on each upgrade and the best way to go about each one.

Vic384 · Answer

@zekebeast In my opinion, given all the upgrades you are planning, it does not make a lot of economic sense to upgrade your XPS 8930. The only thing you are saving is the motherboard, but the Dell motherboard is an issue because of its propriety interfaces and lack of overclocking capabilities if you are considering a K processor. With a motherboard upgrade, you may not be able to use your existing memory and you will probably need a new copy of Windows 10.

zekebeast · Answer

@Vic384 So are you suggesting that I should just build a new PC?

zekebeast · Answer

@Anonymous So first of all, I should buy components directly from the companies and not Amazon correct? Thank you for all your research but after reading @Vic384 and your response I think I might just build a new computer. However, if I just upgrade the RAM, PSU, and GPU, do you think there would be enough cooling in the default XPS 8930 case?

Vic384 · Answer

@zekebeast If you need all the upgrades that you listed, then yes it would make more sense to combine them all in a new PC. You are upgrading all the high-cost items except the motherboard which is problematic given its proprietary nature and major lack of overclocking capability.

zekebeast · Answer

@Vic384 I see. Thank you!

Saeedi786 · Answer

I have the same problem

XPS Desktops

XPS 8930, upgrades for everything

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