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Thanks for the reply Ron that's what i wanted to hear, that i could fit a PCI USB card after all .many thanks

Glad to help...

After having a great deal of difficulty communicating with tech support in India; the first two agents appeared not to know what PCIe boards are, I spoke with a third who asked others and finally asked if my OLD USB port PCIe card is SATA.  When I answered YES (btw, I was amazed that I knew the answer), she told me it is NOT compatible.  I HAVE an SATA to Molex powe5r cord so I tried it anyway.  The old PCIe card DOES fit the slot but is shorter where it should be flush with the rear of the PC.  This makes it VERY DIFFICULT to plug a UBS plug into it.  I tried it with my bar code scanner.  The PC did NOT recognize the input!

Ron,

This is my second reply after 4 attempts to gets answers from Dell tech support in India that is USELESS.  There IS a Molex power outlet in my new XPS8950.  It was sitting tucked into the spare drive bay!  What I am desperately trying to ask Dell's absolutely WORTHLESS tech support is whether an older PCIe card will work!

@aky13  Are you sure it's a Molex power adapter, and not a 6- or 8-pin PCI-e power adapter that's used for a video card?

Molex:

6-pin PCI-e:

Exactly what kind of slot does this "older PCI-e card" need? And how old is "older"? Could it be a PCI card, which pre-dates PCI-e? The XPS 8950 doesn't have any PCI slots, only PCI-e slots, and PCI cards aren't compatible with PCI-e slots.

I wouldn't be plugging in incompatible components and connecting power cables from the PSU to them. You could seriously damage this XPS 8950. Time to get a new x4 PCI-e card, that doesn't need an extra power cable?

@dsmithy20 Why not use a 15 pin SATA power splitter cable like this: https://www.amazon.com/Benfei-Power-Y-Splitter-Cable-Inches/dp/B07ML447FG

You may have to look for a longer splitter cable if 8 inches is not long enough.

Oops, sorry everyone.  NOT MOLEX but 15 pin SATA as referenced by Vic384 5 Tungsten.

I am NOT a computer expert, but I am aware of the difference between PCI and PCIe.  It IS a PCIe board, but the shape is slightly physically different from newer PCIe boards.  I did as suggested.  I ordered an up-to-date board.

THANK YOU for the responses.  I greatly appreciate it ESPECIALLY in view of the horrendous tech support from Dell!

Hello @aky13 , from what I gathered, it sounds like you are trying to install additional USB ports/hub via PCIe slot to use with your USB scanner.  But your old adapter has a low profile bracket, so it won't fit properly.  You are getting a full height adapter and needing a SATA power in your installation which might need a power splitter cable suggested by Vic.

Most PC should have plenty of USB ports already, unless you are adding a RS232 adapter card for a serial scanner?  Some clear information may help others to guide you better.

Sorry, I missed a point, the problem installing the old board, which is USB 2.0 (I think),  is not of height.  Somehow, the PORTS end up recessed by 2mm or so making it difficult to plug USB devices into it.  I actually think it would work, if I wanted to push, but I spent the $35 or so for a new board.

Hi Chino de Oro,

My new XPS has 4 USB ports in the rear and 3 in the front, not counting USB C ports.  That's a lot, BUT i need ports for:

Scanner

Printer (wifi is problematic)

Webcam 

Bar code scanner

External hard drive

Keyboard

Mouse

I use the front ports for other external drives, updating my old TomTom GPS device, etc.  I don't want to attach anything more or less permanent to the front ports.

I heeded the advice of early respondents and bought a 5 x USB 3.0 ports plus 2 USB C ports (for the future).  Installation was a bit challenging because of fit, but ... in the end, it appears to be working well!

THANK YOU for wanting to help!  I thank EVERYONE for this.

I needed extra USB ports on my 8950 as well. However, for low speed devices like printers, scanners, keyboards, mice, etc. a simple external USB hub is more than sufficient. I had an old 1-in 5-ou USB 3 hub lying around. Plugged it into one of the USB 3 ports on the back of 8950 and boom, now I have a net increase of 4 USB 3 ports.

@IJB42  - Just to add to your solution, it's a good idea to use a USB3 hub that has its own power adapter, especially when connecting power-hungry devices like printers and scanners to the hub. That takes some of the power load off the motherboard and PSU.

And being lazy, I have the powered USB hub right on my desk so it's easy to plug/unplug devices, as needed, without having to crawl under the desk and/or move the PC...