[SOLVED] I got it to fit! (GTX 1080 FE in Dell XPS 8940)

[Joseph_138]

I decided to try one more time to get my GTX 1080 FE to fit in my Dell XPS 8940, that I wasn't able to get to fit before, and after considering the geometry, and a bit of trial and error, I got it to fit without impacting any other parts inside the case. The GPU support bracket even works with it to prevent sagging. This is good news for anyone who might have a decent video card already, but wants a fairly inexpensive platform to upgrade to, to gain access to newer CPU's, and for Windows 11. Ebay is literally flooded with these systems, as well as the G5 5000, minus the graphics cards, of course. Be sure you find one with the 500W, 80+ Platinum PSU, though. I wouldn't recommend the Alienware systems. Steve, at Gamers Nexus, says that despite the cases being pretty cool looking, they actually aren't very cool inside. I still have to test the thermals, but as far as getting such a long card to fit such a small case, it is physically possible. The 3070 that Dell sells with these systems actually draws more power than a 1080, so if that runs cool enough, despite dumping the hot air into the case, the 1080 FE, that ducts the heat out the back of the case through a blower cooler, should be OK.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

Nice. I could see something like this.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/304021713983?hash=item46c91b343f:g:qhsAAOSw1QdgscCm&LH_BIN=1

Toss in a 16gb ram kit, a graphics card and you could be in business. The catch might be a power supply.

I've not used one of these, but I see someone is making connectors to adapt a 24 pin psu to the 6 pin dell connection. You might have to cut the case up a bit to fit a different power supply, but that might open options up.

https://www.moddiy.com/products/Del...Main-Power-24-Pin-to-6-Pin-Adapter-Cable.html

 

[Joseph_138]

Nice. I could see something like this.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/304021713983?hash=item46c91b343f:g:qhsAAOSw1QdgscCm&LH_BIN=1

Toss in a 16gb ram kit, a graphics card and you could be in business. The catch might be a power supply.

I've not used one of these, but I see someone is making connectors to adapt a 24 pin psu to the 6 pin dell connection. You might have to cut the case up a bit to fit a different power supply, but that might open options up.

https://www.moddiy.com/products/Del...Main-Power-24-Pin-to-6-Pin-Adapter-Cable.html

Yes. They are a good option for someone looking to get Windows 11 compatibility for a relatively low price. Just be sure to get one with 500W PSU. That is the most important thing. Everything else you can upgrade yourself, using easily obtainable parts. The one that I got has a i5-10400, 256mb NVME, 16gb dual channel RAM, 1tb HDD and WiFi card, so it's moderately optioned out. There are versions with lower and higher specs, of course, depending on what you want now, vs what you can wait to upgrade to later, and it cost me under $500 with tax and shipping. A BIOS update also opens up 11th gen processors as a future upgrade path. I'm now good to ride out the graphics card insanity for a while longer, and to use Windows 11. All those Dell 3060Ti and 3070 cards will end up back on the open market, for reasonable prices, eventually, and I'll be ready when they do. Even if I were to succumb to the madness, and buy one now, it will still be less than what Dell is currently charging for equivalent systems on their website. They are charging $2000 for what I have (11th gen i5 instead of 10th gen) with a 3070 installed. If I paid $1200 for a 3070 on ebay right now, my total investment in this system would still only be a little less than $1700. If I wait for normal pricing to return, it would be under $900. Take that, Dell!

 

[ohio_buckeye]

If you look at my post I linked an adapter that I’d like 15 bucks to where you should be able to use a normal power supply if you want.

Pretty cool though. How is cooling in that tower? While you wait, you might be able to update to an i7. My local Microcenter shows as having the 10700 for $219, I think the 11700k for$349. You could probably resell the i5 you have for 100 or so and once you get a 3070 or higher you should be maxed out for a while.

 

[Joseph_138]

If you look at my post I linked an adapter that I’d like 15 bucks to where you should be able to use a normal power supply if you want.

Pretty cool though. How is cooling in that tower? While you wait, you might be able to update to an i7. My local Microcenter shows as having the 10700 for $219, I think the 11700k for$349. You could probably resell the i5 you have for 100 or so and once you get a 3070 or higher you should be maxed out for a while.

If I use the Dell 3070, it will work with the Dell power supply, so no need to try to swap it out, even with a CPU upgrade. Dell uses the same power supply in the i7-10700 version of this computer, and the K CPU's. The K CPU's need a tower cooler and VRM heatsink, though. The Dell OEM card is designed to be lower power than retail cards so Dell can get away with a cheaper power supply. It only uses a single 8 pin connector. In contrast, the HP OEM card uses the nVidia 12 pin connector.