i7-930 and GTX 1060 or GTX 970 - Dell XPS 9100

[psychedelic_Ed]

Hi All,

My computer:
Dell XPS 9100
i7-930 running at stock 2.8ghz.
Radeon HD 5800
24gbs Gkill Rip Jaws (Recent upgrade through help on this forum, thanks!)
525W Power (dell brand?)

I'm want to get a new GPU. It will be the last upgrade to this computer and then in another year or two I will buy or build a new computer. I was originally looking at the GTX 970 and then the GTX 1060 was released. It looks like the 1060 runs on less power (a plus) , but the CUDA cores are less. I do want to take advantage of that in Nvidia cards when I do renderings with VRAY. I usually do the renderings at work, but from time to time I need to do them at home.

My concern is that these newer GPUs will bottleneck on this computer. I have a hunch that I probably wont notice any slow down difference since I've been on this old Radeon for so long and any upgrade will probably be awesome to me (relatively) . haha I've seen people saying that a i7-930 should be overclocked, but I'm not so sure I can since its a Dell. Plus I don't know how to do it, so that will be another investigation I need to get into.

Also, these Asus Strix editions: Should I consider them? Or should I just get a normal version. The only reason I was thinking about them is basically because they have the heat sink which looks to work very well, are quiet and I notice when I game or do renderings my computer gets really hot. Probably more because of the processor working its tail off.


1060 or 970? Stock or Strix?
Overclocking ideas? Heat?

Any thoughts would be appreciated and thanks in advance.

 

[clutchc]

Since you plan on upgrading to a newer platform, there's no reason NOT to get the GTX 1060. It will still be a beast even with the 1st gen Core processor. I believe that is the same CPU as my Xeon X3670. It handles my GTX 980 well. (not as well as my i7-4790K, but well).

Asus strix are great cards. I don't have that model, but the Asus cards I've had were all well designed cards.

If you are considering OC'ing the i7-970 check to see if that Dell motherboard allows for doing that. Some OEM boards do not have the necessary options. And if the board doesn't have heat sinks on the VRMs, I'd scratch the idea.

 

[psychedelic_Ed]

From what I've read, Dells are locked so there goes that idea. Good to know for next time. No more Dell, going to have to just make my own machine once and for all! hehe.

 

[psychedelic_Ed]

What do you think of upgrading the processor to a i7-975x or even a i7-970 (6 core). I believe it would be a 3.3ghz cpu. Cheap on ebay, 100 bucks or so. Would a 400mhz +/- upgrade make a noticeable difference?

Just trying to extend this computer for a little longer...

 

[clutchc]

What do you think of upgrading the processor to a i7-975x or even a i7-970 (6 core). I believe it would be a 3.3ghz cpu. Cheap on ebay, 100 bucks or so. Would a 400mhz +/- upgrade make a noticeable difference?

Just trying to extend this computer for a little longer...

I thought that was the processor you had. I just scrolled back up and saw it was actually the 4 core/8 thread CPU. I was thinking it was the same as my 6 core/12 thread. Yes, the i7-970 will help as far as the bump in clock speed. The extra threads won't help much in gaming.
Btw, if you find a i7-975X for $100, grab it. That is the lowest I've seen for the old CPU. And be sure that CPU is on your board's CPU support list. It may not recognize it w/o a BIOS update. And there may not be one.

 

[psychedelic_Ed]

I was looking at the 6 core because from time to time I have to do renderings at home and that's when that comes into play. I was searching for the BIOS and what was updated in it but having a hard time finding if a particular processor is supported. I did update it not to long ago to the latest from Dell. This is the description:

Systems: Dell Studio XPS 9100
Version: A04
Build Date: 10/21/2010

Fixes/Enhancements:
1.Support Intel new CPUs.
Version
Version A04, A04
Category
BIOS
Release date
31 Oct 2011
Last Updated
03 Jul 2014

What's confusing is that it here it says last updated 03 jul 2014 but when I look at in system info it asay A04, 10/21/2010.
Shouldn't it say 03 jul 2014 as well? Eh?


I then found this site that shows what will fit the Mobo. http://www.game-debate.com/motherboard/index.php?mot_id=3419&cpuList=Dell%2005DN3X but that doesn't necessarily mean it will support the CPU right?

Any other ideas on how I can find out if a certain CPU is supported? I mean, I would think it works because Dell was selling all these back when I bought it. I think I picked this one because the others were just waaaay too expensive at the time. I remember telling my self I could upgrade later down the line but haven't thought about it til now ( 6 years later) haha. I suppose I can try contacting Dell and see if they have any answers/respond.

Say the CPU doesn't work when I put it in... it won't damage my Mobo right? It just simply won't register and then I could put the old one back in right?

Thank for the feedback. Much appreciated!

 

[clutchc]

I suspect you are OK with the i7-970/975X if those were offered at the time you bought yours. As far as the BIOS date confusion, one date may be the BIOS version date and the other when it was actually updated on your machine.

Even if the CPU wasn't recognized, it wouldn't hurt anything. As long as it fits the socket, you are OK.

My Dell workstation from that era has a manual that specs out what processors (am0ng other components) it works with. But I couldn't find anything like that for yours. Maybe I just didn't dig deep enough.

 

[psychedelic_Ed]

Hey Clutchc, so I scored myself an i7-980x. Yeehaw. Can you recommend a heatsink/cooler? I don't plan on doing any overclocking (since Dell wont let me), but I would still like it to run fairly cool.

I was doing some research, and from what I gather cooler masters work fairly well. What do you think of something like: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120 mm PWM Fan? Another?

I'm not sure how many RPMs, CFM I may need. Maybe this is overkill?

I got to do some measurements to make sure it fits, but my case is fairly big so I think I'm okay.

Keep in mind, all of this is my first time doing it so its good practice before I make a new rig I think.

Exciting! Thanks!

 

[clutchc]

That's one place I'm not sure about... the Dell motherboard might use a proprietary cooler mounting that won't fit the retail design of the 1366 socket. The hole pattern is sometimes different on Dell boards. If you have some research that says otherwise, then go with that.

 

[psychedelic_Ed]

I found some posts saying the 212 EVO is too tall. Someone used an Artic Freezer that came with clips (to avoid installing a mounting bracket and having to remove mobo), but then it fell off. Afterwhich, he used screws to keep it in place.

So if I can find a heatsink that uses the clips that would probably be easiest...

 

[psychedelic_Ed]

That's one place I'm not sure about... the Dell motherboard might use a proprietary cooler mounting that won't fit the retail design of the 1366 socket. The hole pattern is sometimes different on Dell boards. If you have some research that says otherwise, then go with that.

I ended up with a Arctic Freezer 13 after much discussion in another Thread here.

The screw holes for this 05DN3X by Dell were in the correct location. Mine even had some kind of backing plate already installed which forced me to use machine screws to secure the mounting plate instead of using the included push pins. By forcing me to use it, I mean that I didn't need to remove the motherboard. I feel more secure with the screws anyway.

Now to find this graphics card in the next month or so.... updates to follow.

 

[clutchc]

Sounds like you have everything under control. The Arctic cooler is a 200W cooler, so you should be OK. What processor did you finally end up with? And which GTX 1060 did you get?

 

[psychedelic_Ed]

I found a i7-980x, which has done wonders to my rendering times. Nearly half the time! It's almost like a new computer to me. haha

I think I'll get the strix ROG 1060 gtx, but haven't done it yet. The only real reason is because it seems to keep really cool and the whole thing about the fans not starting up until 60*C will be nice in terms of noise, heat, etc.

I was looking at the MSI version, Frozr, but its a bit too tall I think.

I am a little worried about it sagging though as it is rather long and this motherboard definitely doesn't have any metal reinforcement at the PCI slot. In fact, there is a support bar right now for the Radeon 5800 card it came with. Something to think about I guess. I could zip tie it to something or fishing line? Or, I could buy shorter version of the 1060 and still use the support bar (maybe). Hmmm...

 

[psychedelic_Ed]

Just to close this thread off, here is the last update:
I bought myself a GTX 1060 (ASUS Strix/ROG) for about $240 after rebates on newegg and its been running in my machine now for about a month. Seems to be working well, but I haven't really push it to the limit yet as I got a really busy with work. However, there is a noticeable difference in just running websites (flash based stuff), you tube, etc. when compared with my last card so I'm just happy with that, haha. It runs super cool, installed no problem.

However, I did notice that once I installed it, my core temp program listed my processor as i7-980 and no longer i7-980x as it was pre GTX1060. I'm not really worried about it, CPU-Z shows it as 980x. Should I be worried?

The card is huge, as most people have said, but it does fit no problem in this Dell XPS Studio 9100 case. It does sag a little toward the end so I may have to rig something up to help support it. Maybe a zip tie or two.

Some issues that I have encountered since installing this are: Today I had to do a chk disk scan. It found some errors and so I had to reinstall my wifi adapter drivers. Maybe its not related since the HDs are getting old now.

Computer didn't boot a couple of times (black/ blank screen) but then I just restarted and it went away. *Knock on wood*
Other various hiccups that I can't remember now, but if I do I'll update this again.
Speccy doesn't list my gtx1060 properly, it only shows that it has 2gbs of ram and 2gbs of virtual ram. I read some where, I think on Nvidia forums, that some programs do this and when I check in the nvidia console all 6gbs are there. Total available = 18gbs (with system ram)! So I'm not too worried about that.

I'll do a format / reinstall of w7 soon enough and start fresh.

The Arctic Freezer 13 cooler works fantastic great! It BARELY fit with the stock PSU in the case. Temps are now at 60*C MAX on 100% load across all 6 cores. Average is about 33*C doing normal stuff. Plus, its super quiet when compared to the crappy stock cooler DELL put it. Low hum to it instead of a jet engine. Why I didn't change this out years ago I don't know, but I'm glad I did. I guess I just hadn't discovered this site yet.

CPU ugprade to i7-980x was successful with the latest bios update from the Dell site. (A04 10/21/2010 on 05DN3X motherboard).

Lastly, thank you to clutch and everyone out here on Tom's hardware for their help and guidance!

Updated specs:
Dell XPS 9100
i7-980x running at stock 3.33ghz.
Arctic freezer 13 cooler
Nvidia GTX 1060 6gbs
24gbs Gkill Rip Jaws
525W Power (dell brand?)
Motherboard: 05DN3X with revision A04 , 10/21/2010 from Dell site.

 

[clutchc]

Congrats. That i7-980X was a premier processor when it was introduced. Intel had a $1059 price tag on it back then. And it has an unlocked multiplier. (I don't know if your Dell XPS allows for OC'ing or not). Do you mind my asking how much you paid for it?

I don't have any answer for your odd-ball glitches that seemed to pop up after installation of the new processor and card. Maybe run CCleaner and have it Clean and do a Registry clean-up too. I've had it solve many an issue for me. https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download

Any BIOS updates available from Dell for that XPS? That might help too.

Did you have to use a 6-pin to 8-pin PCIe adapter for that gxf card? My Dell 525W only had a pair if 6-pin cables. Lastly, that PC originally came with a gfx card support bracket, didn't it? https://mans.io/images/1004070/1014714.jpg

 

[psychedelic_Ed]

Congrats. That i7-980X was a premier processor when it was introduced. Intel had a $1059 price tag on it back then. And it has an unlocked multiplier. (I don't know if your Dell XPS allows for OC'ing or not). Do you mind my asking how much you paid for it?

I don't have any answer for your odd-ball glitches that seemed to pop up after installation of the new processor and card. Maybe run CCleaner and have it Clean and do a Registry clean-up too. I've had it solve many an issue for me. https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download

Any BIOS updates available from Dell for that XPS? That might help too.

Did you have to use a 6-pin to 8-pin PCIe adapter for that gxf card? My Dell 525W only had a pair if 6-pin cables. Lastly, that PC originally came with a gfx card support bracket, didn't it? https://mans.io/images/1004070/1014714.jpg

Not at all, I got the 980x for $200 on ebay and yeah, when it first came out I thought to my self, daaaaam. $1000 for a processor, no way! haha. I'll just stick with the 930 for an extra 50 bucks. I can't overclock as the bios is locked, however, I did stumble upon a thread somewhere were you can override bios settings via software. I haven't delved too much into it because the 3.33ghz seems to be just fine for me.

There are no more BIOS updates after the one I have listed and installed. It just added support for the rest of the i7-9XX processors. I did install w10 at one point (while it was free), but then I rolled back to w7 so maybe that's why its acting up. W10 was just not working well with all my hardware and software. Like I said, I will just format the entire thing in the next week or two. I just wanted to install the processor and GTX first to make sure it all worked correctly and give it a few weeks to settle in. Everything seems fairly fine.

Power for the Asus Strix 1060 GTX is one 8 pin. My dell has two 6 pins, where both were being used with the old Radeon HD 5800 that originally came with my system. Next to one of the 6 pins is a 2 pin connection, so now I just use one 6pin and the 2 pin to make the 8 pin. Still uses less power than the old Radeon.

I do have the support bracket, but that seems to be made for the radeon. The Asus GTX is taller so the bracket won't fit with the GTX installed. I think its about another 1" or 1.5" taller.

 

[AsH_x_AsH]

That's one place I'm not sure about... the Dell motherboard might use a proprietary cooler mounting that won't fit the retail design of the 1366 socket. The hole pattern is sometimes different on Dell boards. If you have some research that says otherwise, then go with that.

I ended up with a Arctic Freezer 13 after much discussion in another Thread here.

The screw holes for this 05DN3X by Dell were in the correct location. Mine even had some kind of backing plate already installed which forced me to use machine screws to secure the mounting plate instead of using the included push pins. By forcing me to use it, I mean that I didn't need to remove the motherboard. I feel more secure with the screws anyway.

Now to find this graphics card in the next month or so.... updates to follow.

What screws size and thread did you use? I have the same xps9100 that I would love to replace its heat sink without removing the mb

 

[AsH_x_AsH]

That's one place I'm not sure about... the Dell motherboard might use a proprietary cooler mounting that won't fit the retail design of the 1366 socket. The hole pattern is sometimes different on Dell boards. If you have some research that says otherwise, then go with that.

I ended up with a Arctic Freezer 13 after much discussion in another Thread here.

The screw holes for this 05DN3X by Dell were in the correct location. Mine even had some kind of backing plate already installed which forced me to use machine screws to secure the mounting plate instead of using the included push pins. By forcing me to use it, I mean that I didn't need to remove the motherboard. I feel more secure with the screws anyway.

Now to find this graphics card in the next month or so.... updates to follow.

What screws size and thread did you use? I have the same xps9100 that I would love to replace its heat sink without removing the mb

 

[AsH_x_AsH]

That's one place I'm not sure about... the Dell motherboard might use a proprietary cooler mounting that won't fit the retail design of the 1366 socket. The hole pattern is sometimes different on Dell boards. If you have some research that says otherwise, then go with that.

I ended up with a Arctic Freezer 13 after much discussion in another Thread here.

The screw holes for this 05DN3X by Dell were in the correct location. Mine even had some kind of backing plate already installed which forced me to use machine screws to secure the mounting plate instead of using the included push pins. By forcing me to use it, I mean that I didn't need to remove the motherboard. I feel more secure with the screws anyway.

Now to find this graphics card in the next month or so.... updates to follow.

What screws size and thread did you use? I have the same xps9100 that I would love to replace its heat sink without removing the mb

 

[psychedelic_Ed]

That's one place I'm not sure about... the Dell motherboard might use a proprietary cooler mounting that won't fit the retail design of the 1366 socket. The hole pattern is sometimes different on Dell boards. If you have some research that says otherwise, then go with that.

I ended up with a Arctic Freezer 13 after much discussion in another Thread here.

The screw holes for this 05DN3X by Dell were in the correct location. Mine even had some kind of backing plate already installed which forced me to use machine screws to secure the mounting plate instead of using the included push pins. By forcing me to use it, I mean that I didn't need to remove the motherboard. I feel more secure with the screws anyway.

Now to find this graphics card in the next month or so.... updates to follow.

What screws size and thread did you use? I have the same xps9100 that I would love to replace its heat sink without removing the mb

I just used the smallest one I could find. I took the old, stock cooler with me to the hardware store and compared. The threads on machine screws are tighter than the ones in the mounting bracket so its not 100% perfect, but it holds on mine. I used (as shown on the label) Machine Screw 6-32 x 1/2 . Good luck!