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XPS 8930, aftermarket graphic card support
Hello,
I am looking to upgrade my GPU in my Dell XPS 8930. I have read in this forum and other places across the internet that some aftermarket graphic cards are not supported. Can you please tell me what brands are supported or not supported by Dell? Specifically what brand of RX-580 graphic cards are supported? I am looking at an ASUS, MSI, Sapphire, ETC.
Thank you!
speedstep
9 Legend
9 Legend
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47K Posts
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July 8th, 2018 12:00
If the 8930 has Class 3 BIOS then there is NO CSM meaning ONLY Dell Cards will work. The only other issue would be POWER Supply being too small for GTX 1080 TI or Titan XP.
If there is a CLASS 2 Bios then there will be a SECURE BOOT DISABLED
LEGACY BOOT ENABLED
CSM ENABLED
LEGACY OPTION ROMS ENABLED.
The link below is nvidia but the issue is the same for AMD with CLASS 3 bios vs CLASS 2 BIOS.
http://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3156/
DELL-Chris M
Community Manager
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54.7K Posts
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July 9th, 2018 09:00
Officially, Dell only supports the Dell OEM AMD Radeon RX 580 video card, part number JTPTC. You should look for it via part number on the web or call Dell Spare Parts, 1-800-357-3355. If you add the retail video card, Dell would still support all of the hardware we shipped, but not the retail video card.
Darthestvader
53 Posts
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July 18th, 2018 07:00
I just got an XPS 8930 with no graphics card (besides intel integrated) and bought a GTX 1080 Founders Edition via NVIDIA’s employee discount. Does this mean I am in trouble? Is there no workaround for Class 3 BIOS, or does this Secureboot disable method also work for class 3 bios?
walterwhite3324
6 Posts
0
January 15th, 2019 14:00
Has anyone figured this out yet? My model came with the gtx 1060 3gb and I want to upgrade to the rtx 2060. Will my system recognize a new nvidia card, or will I have problems? Also, I can't seem to find any information on people successfully upgrading their GPU with an aftermarket one. Are there any known brands that are compatible with a dell 8000 series? I have only seen one other post of someone successfully using a different card, and it was an evga 1070 ti.
whidbey
1 Message
0
February 6th, 2019 11:00
Want to sell the 1060?
bell47g5a
36 Posts
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February 7th, 2019 09:00
There are quite a few posts here with people upgrading the GPU in their 8000 series and many other XPS systems, even an RTX 2060 you asked about:
"I just put in an RTX 2060 and it worked fine."
https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8930-GPU-upgrade-GTX-1080-Ti/m-p/7195187/highlight/true#M21844
I recently put a Gigabyte GTX 1060 mini itx in my 8900 and it works fine. Just because Dell doesn't support it doesn't mean it won't work. I think it means Dell might not help if there are problems?
HanoverB
798 Posts
7
February 7th, 2019 18:00
Old thread that surfaces every now and then.
There should be no problem with putting an aftermarket card in the XPS 8930 machines.
1) Max height of the GPU is limited by the piece of sheet metal on the PSU swinging bracket towards the rear of the case that is shown below.
Height of this GTX 1080 in this XPS 8930 is 4.37” and length is 10.6” for comparison sake. There is room for up to ~11" (280mm) length card with the front fan bracket installed.
Users have reported that 5.0" (128mm) high cards will fit fine. A 5.5" (140mm) high GPU will not fit under the sheet metal on the bracket..
Some have cut/pried off that triangular piece of metal if they had an existing card that didn’t fit. That PSU bracket does come out of the chassis easily if you need to work on removing that piece of metal or just swing the bracket out away from the rest of the chassis.
Typically Founder's Edition / Reference type cards that use Nvidia or AMD PCB and fan designs are less likely to have compatibility problems vs GPU’s that use manufacturer PCB and fan designs built around the Nvidia or AMD chip. Fortunately, there are few reports of newer GPU's not working in this machine.
2) Try to stay with a rear blower type card as it does exhaust heat out of the back of the case.
It is getting harder to find the reference-type rear blower card, and other designs do work fine but the heat from those types of cards that blow the heat back into the case can be a problem in this machine.
With a rear blower card, the cool air is pulled into the single intake fan on the GPU and the hot air exhausts out the rear by design. This typically leads to lower overall case temps. So makes sense why Dell uses OEM GPU’s with this type of design. There is some heat that comes off the back of the GPU that does add to the temperature in the upper half of the case, but the heated airlfow is directed out of the rear of the case.
With an open air design GPU there still has to be cool air coming into the lower compartment to cool the GPU. The cooler air is pulled into the axial type fans on the GPU. But the fan design dumps the heated air out of the sides of the GPU back into the case. Problem here is obvious as that hot air increases overall case temps in an already restricted airflow case.
Testing done with multi card machines with open air design cards showed heat and performance related issues. Initially at release, the RTX 2080/2080ti Founders Edition was an axial fan open air design. Testing with the newer RTX series cards and heat related issues in multi card builds has led to the reference Founders Edition GPU models with rear blower cooling being released as well. The downside of the blower design is they aren't as efficient at cooling the GPU as the axial fan design. So the thermal limits of the single fan rear blower design are being tested by faster and faster GPU chips like the RTX 2080tI.
Here is a screenshot from a video where CPU temps were monitored with an AIO liquid cooler in place in the upper exhaust position. This is similar to the setup in an Alienware Aurora R6/R7. Testing was done where a rear blower type card vs open air card was installed. Even with a liquid cooled CPU the temps were 9 degrees higher with the open card because of the heat generated by the open air card dumping heat back into the case. Keep in mind that this was with a more efficient liquid cooled CPU in a case with good airflow. Same issue is showing up with those Aurora models as well. So the air cooled CPU in the XPS 8930 chassis should fare even worse.
3) Additional fans: These cards do have one thing in common: In both of these designs, the more cooler air that the card can intake, the cooler it will run and the better it will perform. So adding a lower front intake fan in the XPS 8930 helps both of these types of cards.
Adding a front intake fan using the Alienware R5/R6/R7 fan bracket that snaps into the XPS 8930 and removing the bottom HD cages and the rear PCI tabs can help with the airflow in the bottom half of the case.
https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8930-CPU-Liquid-Cooler-GTX-1080-Hybrid-GPU-Upgrades/m-p/6138060/highlight/true#M16396
https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8930-possible-to-install-a-front-case-fan/m-p/6210573/highlight/true#M19839
You should also check to see if you have a 120mm fan in the upper exhaust position. It was mentioned that recent machines have a 92mm fan installed there. The upper exhaust fan is the most important fan in this case. Upgrading to a 120mm fan would require a new bracket.
Adding a fan in the upper intake position at the hard drive location is recommended as well to provide cooler air to the upper half of the case.
4) Dell OEM 460W PSU is fine up to GTX 1060 / GTX 1660Ti / RTX 2060 GPU's. If you install any GPU above those levels, upgrade your PSU.
PSU upgrades:
https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8930-GPU-and-CPU-Liquid-Cooler-PSU-Case-Swap-Upgrade/m-p/6137734/highlight/true#M16377
5) Shorter 7" GPU's like this GTX 1060, also will work, but they will be a little noisier and run a little hotter vs a similar spec GPU with longer PCB, better cooling design and heatsinks. Though they look like a rear blower card, they are actually a single axial fan design and vent heated air back into the case. Not the best design to use in the XPS 8930 case despite the shorter card. The shorter cards are meant to be used in ITX and small form factor cases. Some models are thought to be better than others. From this thread avoid the EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING single fan 06G-P4-6161-KR or 03G-P4-6160-KR (3GB)
There are also shorter 8" high performance cards like this GTX 1660ti. These units will also work fine. They are axial fan open air designed cards that typically run 10-15 degrees cooler than some of the other cards mentioned. These cards are 35% faster than the GTX 1060 GPU at the same price point.
The new gen of RTX 2060/2070 MSI Aero ITX small form factor GPU's looks to be a good choice to put in this machine. Updated thermal design will run as cool as the longer dual fan FE editions. Might be slightly nosier but the trade off is better airflow in this case.
6) Bios settings for aftermarket card are these
Hit F2 as you boot into your machine using your existing Dell GPU or the onboard HDMI connected to your display.. Change to these BIOS settings to be able to recognize the non-Dell GPU. Shut the machine down, once you restart the machine with the new GPU installed and connected to your display, you can load the new drivers from Nvidia or AMD.
7) Performance and general guidelines:
-GTX 1060 6GB cards are fine for 1080p gaming at 60 fps. If your display is a vanilla 60Hz 1080p display, this GPU is fine and is a better choice than the GTX 1050ti.
Above this level, there is a big 35% jump in performance when moving up to the GTX 1070 and is a worthwhile upgrade if you see yourself getting a higher resolution display or one with a higher refresh rate,.
-RTX 2060 = GTX 1660ti = GTX 1070 up to 60 fps 1440p or moderate refresh rate 100 fps+ 1080p
At 1080p, these cards should be fine. Listed as equal but are slightly less powerful going from left to right. You will need to adjust settings at 1440p to reach 60fps and on certain games at 1080p to get 100 fps+. The GTX 1070 used to be the 1080p king, but there are games out like Ghost Recon Wildlands that have insane ultra presets that will restrict frame rates that test even the higher end GPU's. THe RTX 2060 is a better card.
-For higher frame rate 1080p, 1440p or 4K, get a GTX 1080 and above.
GTX 1080 / RTX 2070 will generally get you a 15% bump in performance to 120fps at 1080p , and 60fps at 1440p and 40fps at 4K.on ultra settings.. Again these are dependent on the games that you are playing. If you want anything more than that without tweaking game settings, get a better card.
-For 4K, the RTX 2080 is the minimum card you should buy to get 60 fps. RTX 2080ti will do a better job at 4K at 60fps+.
HIgh frame rate 4K resolutiions require these current top of the line GPU's.
Notes:
-The GTX 1660 / GTX 1660Ti are the best bang for the buck cards at the moment but the problem is they don’t come in a rear blower Founders type setup. They typically run 10-15 degrees cooler than the other GPU's mentioned but rely on cases that have good airflow by design. If you have your case and CPU temps under control they will be fine. Otherwise, even though some of these GPU's are a compact 8" long and therefore should restrict airflow less inside the case, the heat they vent back into the case will contribute to the temperature issues in this case.
-Pascal cards like the GTX 1070 are getting harder to find so the better performing RTX line in a rear blower type card is a better GPU for this system
Liquid cooling the GPU It is possible to do this in the XPS 8930. However, liquid cooling the GPU takes a little work. At that point you have to make the decision to prepare for some case modding or a case swap.
Case swap? If you have a i7 8700 or above, don't even consider using a GTX 1080 / RTX 2080 or higher in your machine unless you have a liquid cooled CPU. You will have fan noise, case temp and CPU temp issues at high loads unless you find a way to liquid cool the CPU. Adding heat to the case from a GPU with a open air dual axial fan design will just add to the mess using the stock or SE turbo design CPU cooler. You will likely encounter the same issues with less powerful GPU's as well under gaming loads.
With the thermal limits of the rear blower type GPU design being tested by faster and faster chips like the RTX 2080Ti, the airflow in the case becomes even more important. With liquid cooling the CPU in this case already being challenging, at that point you should consider a swap to a case which won't restrict the type of GPU you have to buy and have better cooling options.
*06/05/2019 Edited with pics and current information
mr_archer
70 Posts
0
February 8th, 2019 06:00
Thanks Hanover. We've seen scores of posts here of successful installs of aftermarket cards of all sorts.
GetRichieOrDie
1 Message
0
February 25th, 2019 12:00
I was thinking of maybe doing a 2060 soon in my 8930. This thread helps a lot. I was looking at the Asus blower style. think this would be a good option? my only worry is that it may not fit well in terms of the length but I see that the dimensions of this card are the same length as the one you have in yours. any other input on what I should do?
mr_archer
70 Posts
0
February 25th, 2019 13:00
I'm actually wondering how these new GTX1660 Ti's will work. Sounds like great bargain cards at under $300. And with a size factor that should work well for these compact cases. Obviously, for those only looking for high end 1080 and mid-range 1440.
walterwhite3324
6 Posts
0
March 10th, 2019 11:00
Thank you guys for quickly getting back to me on that. I was able to quickly slap in the 2060 and update my BIOS settings, and had no problems using the card. I did notice that the card would run very hot at full load and start throttling at about 83 degrees even with both of my case fans mounted on the front. I decided to mount my old cpu cooler fan directly on top of the gpu to blow the hot air directly out through the side of the case and now temps are just below 80 degrees with no throttling. These cases have extremely poor air flow and I highly recommend adding a case fan directly on top of the gpu, especially if you buy an EVGA rtx 2060 like the one I have.
HanoverB
798 Posts
0
March 10th, 2019 17:00
Glad you got the GPU installed and working. Can you link the card or the model number so others know which card worked? Pics are helpful.
Part of the problem might be that card looks like an open air fan design where the GPU draws air in and exhausts it out of the sides back into the case. The GPU (and CPU) starts choking on that hot air and has to work harder. Try moving that hard drive cage to the rear position and remove the rear pci-e tabs as well so the front intake is more efficient.
How do you have your upper exhaust fan set up? PWM on the TOP FAN header or fixed speed? What kind of RPM'S are you getting on that top fan at load. Asking that to see if that fan is pulling the heated air out fast enough so its isn't building up in the case.
walterwhite3324
6 Posts
0
March 10th, 2019 22:00
I am not sure what RPM's I'm getting on my case fans, but they are all connected to my case header with a PWM fan splitter, and hot air seems to be expelled through the top and sides pretty well. I generally use msi afterburner to monitor my temps while gaming.
This was the card i got: https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Gaming-Graphics-06G-P4-2061-KR/dp/B07MJDBTD6/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3JEBPAKUP25I2&keywords=rtx+2060&qid=1552282839&s=gateway&sprefix=rtx+%2Caps%2C243&sr=8-2
This is the splitter I used to connect my case fans: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GNPAO0W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
HanoverB
798 Posts
1
March 10th, 2019 23:00
Thanks for those links.
Take a look at this fan summary if you already haven't:
https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8930-GPU-and-CPU-Liquid-Cooler-PSU-Case-Swap-Upgrade/m-p/6138060/highlight/true#M16396
If you are still have issues with your current setup, you might want to change that upper exhaust fan to a fixed speed fan so it is pulling air out of the case at a constant rate rather than waiting for the motherboard fan curves to kick in.
HanoverB
798 Posts
0
March 14th, 2019 16:00
From that summmary
For one upgraded fan at upper exhaust:
Use fixed speed Noctua FLX 3 pin fan at the top exhaust. That fan is really important to have airflow at a constant rate with a fan that is reasonably quiet. Connect it to the TOP FAN header and it will run at 1200 RPM. You can use the Low Noise Adapter to decrease speed to 900 RPM if your case temps are okay
===
When you plug in a 3 pin fan to the 4 pin TOP FAN header it will run at fixed speed of your choosing and you will not get a fan error at startup.
The only issue that could complicate things is if you have the SE model CPU cooler with the pipes and blower fan. The fan headers are under the cooler and you would have to remove it ti get to them.