Dell XPS 8500

[B7Tech]

Hello, I would like to know if a Dell XPS 8500 would be able to run a very high-performance graphics card? Maybe not this, but will it run the $1000 GTX Titan? Maybe it's ridiculous, maybe its not xD.

 

[chucko]

I have an XPS 8500 with a MSI 4GB GTX 680 Twin Frozr installed. We're running it on the stock Dell power supply. I's been running this way for about a year. It is my son's primary gaming rig and it gets hammered constantly. Not a single problem. The hardware is solid. Dell is very conservative with their power supplies. It may not be able to run a TITAN but it handles the GTX 680 very comfortably.

However, previous to the GTX 680, we were running an older HD 5870 GPU, which has a TDP of 228 W, not too far from the TITAN TDP of 250 W. The HD 5870 ran without a hitch, so I'd venture that the TITAN would also run fine on the stock power supply.

 

[B7Tech]

I have an XPS 8500 with a MSI 4GB GTX 680 Twin Frozr installed. We're running it on the stock Dell power supply. I's been running this way for about a year. It is my son's primary gaming rig and it gets hammered constantly. Not a single problem. The hardware is solid. Dell is very conservative with their power supplies. It may not be able to run a TITAN but it handles the GTX 680 very comfortably.

However, previous to the GTX 680, we were running an older HD 5870 GPU, which has a TDP of 228 W, not too far from the TITAN TDP of 250 W. The HD 5870 ran without a hitch, so I'd venture that the TITAN would also run fine on the stock power supply.

Well, now I'm confused. You're telling me Titan will fit in the XPS 8500 and work in it? But I know I have to replace the PSU obviously.

 

[coastie65]

The GTX 680 is a 10" card. the Titan is 10.5' That extra half inch can be a lot depending on the case. The Power Supply is 460w and that regards probably enough ( you normally don't need much over 550w unless you really have a power house and ae running sli or Crossfire. The one thing I pay closer attention to, is how much is on the +12v Rail The PSU I linked you to, has enough with some good headroom, which you want.

 

[B7Tech]

Any standard ATX PSU will fit, but they are all not created equal. I linked you to a good quality PSU. Corsair is fine as long as you stay away from the CX series. The One I Linked to is also a Modular, which is nice as you have a lot of unused cables to deal with in there.

Wait, one more thing. I know its not necessary, but I want to buy if you think this is good. Do you think the AX1200i Digital ATX Power Supply — 1200 Watt 80 PLUS® Platinum Certified Fully-Modular PSU would fit well in the XPS??

 

[chucko]

Physically the TITAN will fit. The reference design is 10.5" long, and takes up two slots.

The GTX 680 that I run is 10.6" long and also takes up two slots. The HD 5870 is even longer at 11.25". and it fit just fine.

You're probably going to be close to the acceptable limit on the stock power supply. It's rated at 450W and seems to have good current capacity on the 12V rail. Here is a link to a review of the TITAN showing real world power utilization figures for the whole system. The TITAN shows about 430 W on BF3 and slightly less on Furmark.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6774/nvidias-geforce-gtx-titan-part-2-titans-performance-unveiled/15

So I'd not be afraid to try a TITAN on the stock PS. If you experience problems then you can upgrade the PS to something a bit larger. If you need to do so then something in the 600 W area should be fine.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088

Based on my real world experiences, I think the probability is pretty high that you'll be OK with the stock PS.

 

[coastie65]

Any standard ATX PSU will fit, but they are all not created equal. I linked you to a good quality PSU. Corsair is fine as long as you stay away from the CX series. The One I Linked to is also a Modular, which is nice as you have a lot of unused cables to deal with in there.

Wait, one more thing. I know its not necessary, but I want to buy if you think this is good. Do you think the AX1200i Digital ATX Power Supply — 1200 Watt 80 PLUS® Platinum Certified Fully-Modular PSU would fit well in the XPS??

Will it mount? Yes as far as the Height and Width go. It appears to be a bit longer than most, but is the room is there, then fine. Having said that, I have a reputation elsewhere for PSU over kill in my stuff, but that thing would put my over kill to shame. I have seen a 1600w PSU used and it was barely enough. but then again, the rig was using 4 Titans.

 

[B7Tech]

Physically the TITAN will fit. The reference design is 10.5" long, and takes up two slots.

The GTX 680 that I run is 10.6" long and also takes up two slots. The HD 5870 is even longer at 11.25". and it fit just fine.

You're probably going to be close to the acceptable limit on the stock power supply. It's rated at 450W and seems to have good current capacity on the 12V rail. Here is a link to a review of the TITAN showing real world power utilization figures for the whole system. The TITAN shows about 430 W on BF3 and slightly less on Furmark.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6774/nvidias-geforce-gtx-titan-part-2-titans-performance-unveiled/15

So I'd not be afraid to try a TITAN on the stock PS. If you experience problems then you can upgrade the PS to something a bit larger. If you need to do so then something in the 600 W area should be fine.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088

Based on my real world experiences, I think the probability is pretty high that you'll be OK with the stock PS.

Here's one thing I don't understand. What does that mean by the capacity on the 12V rail, I don't really understand that.

 

[B7Tech]

Any standard ATX PSU will fit, but they are all not created equal. I linked you to a good quality PSU. Corsair is fine as long as you stay away from the CX series. The One I Linked to is also a Modular, which is nice as you have a lot of unused cables to deal with in there.

Wait, one more thing. I know its not necessary, but I want to buy if you think this is good. Do you think the AX1200i Digital ATX Power Supply — 1200 Watt 80 PLUS® Platinum Certified Fully-Modular PSU would fit well in the XPS??

Will it mount? Yes as far as the Height and Width go. It appears to be a bit longer than most, but is the room is there, then fine. Having said that, I have a reputation elsewhere for PSU over kill in my stuff, but that thing would put my over kill to shame. I have seen a 1600w PSU used and it was barely enough. but then again, the rig was using 4 Titans.

Oh ok. I meant to ask you, not chucko, about what does the capacity on the 12v rail mean? Like how would I know a good capacity for the card or something? Like would the 12v rail on the 1200w psu be enough??

 

[chucko]

Physically the TITAN will fit. The reference design is 10.5" long, and takes up two slots.

The GTX 680 that I run is 10.6" long and also takes up two slots. The HD 5870 is even longer at 11.25". and it fit just fine.

You're probably going to be close to the acceptable limit on the stock power supply. It's rated at 450W and seems to have good current capacity on the 12V rail. Here is a link to a review of the TITAN showing real world power utilization figures for the whole system. The TITAN shows about 430 W on BF3 and slightly less on Furmark.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6774/nvidias-geforce-gtx-titan-part-2-titans-performance-unveiled/15

So I'd not be afraid to try a TITAN on the stock PS. If you experience problems then you can upgrade the PS to something a bit larger. If you need to do so then something in the 600 W area should be fine.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088

Based on my real world experiences, I think the probability is pretty high that you'll be OK with the stock PS.

Here's one thing I don't understand. What does that mean by the capacity on the 12V rail, I don't really understand that.

It's simply another part of the power supply rating. Besides total capacity, power supplies are rated in current (amps) available on the 12 volt side. They also put out 5 v and 3.3 v.

More info can be found in this link:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3264

 

[coastie65]

This is from a personal experience. I had a card that required 400w and at least 18a on the +12v rail. I had an Antec Basiq 500w installed that had 18a on the rail. All fine and dandy until I was in a game that got graphically intense and it messed up. I had the minimum requirements, but not enough to drive the card when the extra horsepower was needed. I went to another PSU ( Corsair 650w TX ) that was over kill as far as the wattage goes, but had, I think, 32a on the rail. That was plenty plus some headroom and never had another issue. The PSU I linked you too, is 550w, but has 49a on the rail which is enough for the Titan with some headroom.

 

[chucko]

This is from a personal experience. I had a card that required 400w and at least 18a on the +12v rail. I had an Antec Basiq 500w installed that had 18a on the rail. All fine and dandy until I was in a game that got graphically intense and it messed up. I had the minimum requirements, but not enough to drive the card when the extra horsepower was needed. I went to another PSU ( Corsair 650w TX ) that was over kill as far as the wattage goes, but had, I think, 32a on the rail. That was plenty plus some headroom and never had another issue. The PSU I linked you too, is 550w, but has 49a on the rail which is enough for the Titan with some headroom.

Yes, having a bit of headroom is always a good idea. The questions that the OP asked initially are good ones, and there is a lot of good information being presented in this thread. Keep it coming.

 

[B7Tech]

The 8500 has the 3rd gen. i7 3770 which is a good processor. The 8700 has a 4th gen. i5, which probably fine as well. I know you can fit the GTX 760 in there as it already has a 9.5 inch card installed.

This is from a personal experience. I had a card that required 400w and at least 18a on the +12v rail. I had an Antec Basiq 500w installed that had 18a on the rail. All fine and dandy until I was in a game that got graphically intense and it messed up. I had the minimum requirements, but not enough to drive the card when the extra horsepower was needed. I went to another PSU ( Corsair 650w TX ) that was over kill as far as the wattage goes, but had, I think, 32a on the rail. That was plenty plus some headroom and never had another issue. The PSU I linked you too, is 550w, but has 49a on the rail which is enough for the Titan with some headroom.

Wait, I'm getting excited, lol, so you're saying I'm going to be able to get the Titan to work and fit in the XPS 8500?? I was thinking about getting the GTX 690 though, which is 1 inch thinner. What do you guys think??

 

[coastie65]

The 690 has two GPUs onboard and will probably be a bit hotter. With that case size, I would advise against it as the Titan is probably as good. With a prebuilt computer, cooling solutions are few and the cases normally have no provisions for extra fans, such as an intake fan. usually you hope the CFM rating on the exhaust fan is enough to pull in fresh air through the vents. That was the reason I linked to the Modular PSU. When you open up a prebuilt computer, there are wires every where and it restricts whatever airflow you maybe able to get through there and elevated temps. With the Modular PSU, you just use the cables you need and store the rest until such time as they be needed. less clutter and better airflow. This is mine and I tried to move the Cables out of the way as much as possible. You will not be able to do that with a prebuilt as the cases just don't allow for doing what I was able to do.

 

[B7Tech]

The 690 has two GPUs onboard and will probably be a bit hotter. With that case size, I would advise against it as the Titan is probably as good. With a prebuilt computer, cooling solutions are few and the cases normally have no provisions for extra fans, such as an intake fan. usually you hope the CFM rating on the exhaust fan is enough to pull in fresh air through the vents. That was the reason I linked to the Modular PSU. When you open up a prebuilt computer, there are wires every where and it restricts whatever airflow you maybe able to get through there and elevated temps. With the Modular PSU, you just use the cables you need and store the rest until such time as they be needed. less clutter and better airflow. This is mine and I tried to move the Cables out of the way as much as possible. You will not be able to do that with a prebuilt as the cases just don't allow for doing what I was able to do.

Alright, so the 8500 won't be able to take the 690, check. But it will be able to handle the Titan? Let me know if you're positive about it. Here's the dimensions of the 8500; 22.50 x 20.94 x 15.38 inches

 

[coastie65]

That size is wrong. It is primarily a mini Tower. I have a Mid Tower that comes in at 19.5" x 18.9" x 9.1 ". The size is listed near the top of this article. Incidently I moderate on their forums. http://www.pcworld.com/article/258329/dell_xps_8500_review_small_size_big_performance.html

 

[B7Tech]

That size is wrong. It is primarily a mini Tower. I have a Mid Tower that comes in at 19.5" x 18.9" x 9.1 ". The size is listed near the top of this article. Incidently I moderate on their forums. http://www.pcworld.com/article/258329/dell_xps_8500_review_small_size_big_performance.html

Ok, so will it or will it not fit the Titan? If not, I will stick with the 670 or 680.

 

[coastie65]

Ok. The motherboard in that thing is a Micro ATX. it is about 9" x 9" in size. They Titan is 10.5 " This a pic of the XPS 8500 opend up. It will not fit.

 

[B7Tech]

Ok. The motherboard in that thing is a Micro ATX. it is about 9" x 9" in size. They Titan is 10.5 " This a pic of the XPS 8500 opend up. It will not fit.

Alright, so I should stick to the GTX 670?? Or can I get a EVGA GTX 780? And should I get the 1200W PSU, because I really want to get it since you said it will fit.

 

[coastie65]

That PSU will go a little further back than the one in the picture from what I've seen. I don't know what is up top behing that PSU, but it may prevent using a longer PSU. I don't know what that black plastic thing is benid the Video card is either, but the Black & yellow wires are for the extra power to the card ( PCIe connector(s)

 

[B7Tech]

That PSU will go a little further back than the one in the picture from what I've seen. I don't know what is up top behing that PSU, but it may prevent using a longer PSU. I don't know what that black plastic thing is benid the Video card is either, but the Black & yellow wires are for the extra power to the card ( PCIe connector(s)

If I'm not mistaken, those are the cables for the front panel for the USB/ headphone ports. The black thing I believe can be removed. So from what I just said, what do you think about the 1200W psu & the GPU I want to get?

 

[coastie65]

The mATX Motherboards are 9.6" x 9.6" . The Standard ATX board is 12.0" X 9.6" . I have a 10" Card installed and I have seen have far that goes and you should be able to run a 10" card. THis card would do fine and it is only 9.5".
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130932
This PSU is more than enough: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139056

 

[B7Tech]

The mATX Motherboards are 9.6" x 9.6" . The Standard ATX board is 12.0" X 9.6" . I have a 10" Card installed and I have seen have far that goes and you should be able to run a 10" card. THis card would do fine and it is only 9.5".
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130932
This PSU is more than enough: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139056

Alright, well It's settled. That card looks terrific for gaming, and the psu, terrific aswell. And I will get the Dell XPS 8500. Thanks for all your help, you were great, now I have secured everything I need to know, and will have a great gaming PC =)

 

[chucko]

Ok. The motherboard in that thing is a Micro ATX. it is about 9" x 9" in size. They Titan is 10.5 " This a pic of the XPS 8500 opend up. It will not fit.

This is simply an incorrect assumption, but the picture is correct. The TITAN will fit in this system. I don't know why you would say otherwise. You must not own one of these systems.

As I stated earlier in this thread, I currently have an XPS 8500 with a 10.6" card in it, and previous to that, I had a card that was over 11.2" long in it (HD 5870 reference design). You can't tell from the picture, but the card can extend substantially inside and below the lower metal and the black plastic video card retainer at the lower center/right of the picture.

The size of the motherboard really has nothing to do with the max size of the video card that this case can hold.

The card that I currently have in my XPS 8500 system is this one:

http://us.msi.com/product/vga/N680GTX-Twin-Frozr-4GD5-OC.html

It is 270 mm (10.6") long.

FWIW, Dell has been using this same basic case design for quite a while, as I currently own three different Dell models that share the same basic case layout, dimensions and the ability to mount large video cards. The Studio XPS 7100, XPS 8500, and XPS 8700 all can handle video cards of at least 11.5" in length.

I just pulled the cover off of my XPS 8700 and stuck a tape measure in the video card space, and it's at least 14.5" from the vertical back of the card where the DVI connectors are to the forward bulkhead of the case. It's a huge open area that nothing occupies other than the video card. The lower perforated metal area in the picture does not contain drive cages or other equipment, it is a large open area where the video card lives.

Look on page 39 of this document:

ftp://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-products/esuprt_desktop/esuprt_xps_desktop/xps-8500_Owner%27s%20Manual_en-us.pdf

for a much better picture of how the video card fits into the system

 

[coastie65]

I was using the Motherboard size primarily to get an idea in relation to case size. The case is a Mini tower judging from what I've seen. I know what the size of a mATX motherboard is, so was trying to estimate the distance from the inside edge of the motherboard to the Hdd cage. hard to do with what pics i could find. You have one sitting there so obviously would have a better handle on it. I had an eMachines Mini Tower, That I had a 9800GT mounted in and was thinking I had a bit more room, but not much and that card was 9" I think. Fortunately, although the cards are getting more powerful the size seems to br down a bit. Seems that I remember some 12" cards back when. I was just looking at the pic I posted and it looks to be at least an inch of space from the edge of the motherboard to the cage like thing at the front. With the Motherboard coming in at 9.6 inches and probably a little more that an inch of space beyond that, then you should be able to fit at least a 10.5 inch card. Anyway, you own Dells and have them to look at, so would know. My apologies for seeming to be argumentative. I should have taken the fact that it was an XPS which is Dell's top shelf model into consideration. I had a friend on another board that had both an XPS desktop and Laptop and really loved them both. I'm thinking the case may be a Dell Propritary thing and not really a Mini Tower, but not a Mid tower either. Probably somewhere between. Sounds like the upgrade path is a little better than the eMachines I had, course, those things were never intended to be more than entry level machines to start with.

 

[B7Tech]

Ok. The motherboard in that thing is a Micro ATX. it is about 9" x 9" in size. They Titan is 10.5 " This a pic of the XPS 8500 opend up. It will not fit.

This is simply an incorrect assumption, but the picture is correct. The TITAN will fit in this system. I don't know why you would say otherwise. You must not own one of these systems.

As I stated earlier in this thread, I currently have an XPS 8500 with a 10.6" card in it, and previous to that, I had a card that was over 11.2" long in it (HD 5870 reference design). You can't tell from the picture, but the card can extend substantially inside and below the lower metal and the black plastic video card retainer at the lower center/right of the picture.

The size of the motherboard really has nothing to do with the max size of the video card that this case can hold.

The card that I currently have in my XPS 8500 system is this one:

http://us.msi.com/product/vga/N680GTX-Twin-Frozr-4GD5-OC.html

It is 270 mm (10.6") long.

FWIW, Dell has been using this same basic case design for quite a while, as I currently own three different Dell models that share the same basic case layout, dimensions and the ability to mount large video cards. The Studio XPS 7100, XPS 8500, and XPS 8700 all can handle video cards of at least 11.5" in length.

I just pulled the cover off of my XPS 8700 and stuck a tape measure in the video card space, and it's at least 14.5" from the vertical back of the card where the DVI connectors are to the forward bulkhead of the case. It's a huge open area that nothing occupies other than the video card. The lower perforated metal area in the picture does not contain drive cages or other equipment, it is a large open area where the video card lives.

Look on page 39 of this document:

ftp://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-products/esuprt_desktop/esuprt_xps_desktop/xps-8500_Owner%27s%20Manual_en-us.pdf

for a much better picture of how the video card fits into the system

I was using the Motherboard size primarily to get an idea in relation to case size. The case is a Mini tower judging from what I've seen. I know what the size of a mATX motherboard is, so was trying to estimate the distance from the inside edge of the motherboard to the Hdd cage. hard to do with what pics i could find. You have one sitting there so obviously would have a better handle on it. I had an eMachines Mini Tower, That I had a 9800GT mounted in and was thinking I had a bit more room, but not much and that card was 9" I think. Fortunately, although the cards are getting more powerful the size seems to br down a bit. Seems that I remember some 12" cards back when. I was just looking at the pic I posted and it looks to be at least an inch of space from the edge of the motherboard to the cage like thing at the front. With the Motherboard coming in at 9.6 inches and probably a little more that an inch of space beyond that, then you should be able to fit at least a 10.5 inch card. Anyway, you own Dells and have them to look at, so would know. My apologies for seeming to be argumentative. I should have taken the fact that it was an XPS which is Dell's top shelf model into consideration. I had a friend on another board that had both an XPS desktop and Laptop and really loved them both. I'm thinking the case may be a Dell Propritary thing and not really a Mini Tower, but not a Mid tower either. Probably somewhere between. Sounds like the upgrade path is a little better than the eMachines I had, course, those things were never intended to be more than entry level machines to start with.

Ok, thank you very much. And that is great news!! 😀 but I've heard the GTX 690 is better, and its the same price. Should I get the XPS 8500, or the XPS 8700? And in your opinion, should I get a Titan, or the GTX 690??