Question Upgrading a Dell XPS 8940 Desktop PC ?

[MasterYoda327]

I have decided to postpone building a new gaming PC due to the current high prices of components from inflation and/or tariffs. Instead I am looking at the possibility of upgrading a Dell XPS 8940 that one of my family members have for use as an interim solution for PC gaming and possibly some basic drone and YouTube video editing. The XPS that we have is similar to this unit: https://www.amazon.com/Dell-XPS-8940-Desktop-i7-11700/dp/B0DMC46GJB/ref=sr_1_3?crid=299V7CY45SHRD&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.QCNOVMxFN8J_mPScUFkXXfgfDtQay06hnNw_qMs6n0TYB8dZ1eAs921N_Ex2rTeWIQjVU94mQtCrqqfskOOWTErwvJKggUTj1vvfPWHWcGLUyWZqbo32WX-qxbbth7zAGndvv6nQY4BfFTFlFtewEeHhxXT_c_9oZFjRh4-V6jjM1unGBDSuU_YJSBWqTa8q6JHkBXmq_V1mmKxqMq_JolyGl2sEfJ7J9_CXKen2Z_CBlI_ZhYhcwQe8uykN5EGCJBZJoXgc9hjdAubOjLU0cNk-zReEZlAMrwMFG40J7iM.tRWNromPOJpXLq8CSH7X-vQc4cxowPPMwK2B_XmTk2E&dib_tag=se&keywords=dell+xps+8940&qid=1745175185&refinements=p_n_feature_twenty-three_browse-bin:13580790011,p_n_feature_four_browse-bin:2289792011,p_n_feature_forty-six_browse-bin:562241011&rnid=562215011&s=electronics&sprefix=Dell+XPS+8940,aps,197&sr=1-3 .

The differences between ours and the one in the web link are that it does not have an HDD or dedicated GPU. It has an Intel i7-11700 CPU rated at 2.50GHz instead of 4.90GHz and uses Windows 10 instead of Windows 11.

What the desktop PC does have as far as I can tell are four RAM slots (with 16 GB of RAM provided by two 8 GB RAM sticks), four SATA Ports, a 360 watt power supply, a slim optical disc drive, and a 512 GB NVME SSD (don't remember the model type but it is one of the small dime or penny sized versions). It also has two small and one large PCIE slots (could not find labels on the slots but I assume the smaller ones are PCIEx1 and PCIEx4 and the larger one is PCIEx16).

My PC upgrade questions are as followed:
- I am looking at upgrading to at least 32 GB of RAM. Can the motherboard handle 32 GB or more RAM with higher memory speeds and lower latencies and would they be DDR4 or DDR5?
- Can the Intel i7-11700 CPU be upgraded to a more powerful processor, if yes, which CPU would your recommend?
- Correct me if I am wrong, but were the 13th and 14th Gen Intel CPUs the ones having hardware problems? If so, have they been fixed or should I avoid them?
- If I can not upgrade the CPU, what GPU would you recommend that would provide a balanced setup for gaming and other processes like basic video editing? Would they be able to handle 1440p or 4K graphics or video?
- Can I add a higher capacity PSU if the included 360 watt PSU does not have sufficient power for the upgraded components? If yes, how much power would you recommend and could you recommend any products from either Dell or other reputable brands that could fit into the PC case?
-What is the type of the small form factor NVME SSD mentioned earlier in this posting?

Thanks.

 

[Lutfij]

- I am looking at upgrading to at least 32 GB of RAM. Can the motherboard handle 32 GB or more RAM with higher memory speeds and lower latencies and would they be DDR4 or DDR5?
https://www.dell.com/support/manual...d2ea83-38a4-431d-803c-96d63c1dbc34&lang=en-us
Since you're on a 10th 11th Gen i7, you should look into dual channel DDR4-2933MHz. You can drop in DDR4-3200MHz ram kits but due to the motherboard chipset and the memory controller on the processor, you won't be able to go beyond DDR4-2933MHz. My advice would be to get a ram kit with tight latencies at the aforementioned frequency.
Edit;
https://www.dell.com/community/en/c...z-ram-no-xmp-2133mhz/647f97aaf4ccf8a8deab3717
As you have an 11th Gen Intel processor, you should be able to work with DDR4-3200MHz dual channel tight latencied ram kits. On that note, please don't mix and match ran kits, instead look for the same sticks of ram that came bundled with your prebuilt.

- Can the Intel i7-11700 CPU be upgraded to a more powerful processor, if yes, which CPU would your recommend?
https://www.dell.com/support/manual...acb88f-e7e3-4702-8a22-92ec94f89dd4&lang=en-us
You do realize you're slowly encroaching into building a system from the ground up, right? If you do the math, you'll see that you're upgrading with both hands tied behind your back. You might as well continue saving up money and building a system from the ground up, one where you know what's going into the build, with room to upgrade.

- Correct me if I am wrong, but were the 13th and 14th Gen Intel CPUs the ones having hardware problems? If so, have they been fixed or should I avoid them?
Yes. You can't drop a 13th/14th Gen Intel processor onto your existing socket.

- If I can not upgrade the CPU, what GPU would you recommend that would provide a balanced setup for gaming and other processes like basic video editing? Would they be able to handle 1440p or 4K graphics or video?
You forgot to mention your budget for the GPU's purchase and the titles you want to tax the prebuilt with. Your location and preferred site for purchase would help us two fold.

- Can I add a higher capacity PSU if the included 360 watt PSU does not have sufficient power for the upgraded components? If yes, how much power would you recommend and could you recommend any products from either Dell or other reputable brands that could fit into the PC case?
https://www.dell.com/support/manual...a71595-e1bb-408f-86e0-f3e450812e4b&lang=en-us
The prebuilt came in two flavors for the PSU, you could drop in a 500W unit as a replacement. The motherboard on the prebuilt has proprietary power and front panel connectors, not to mention an odd shape that negates your ability to swap it into a new chassis. Read this;
https://www.dell.com/community/en/c...201b44f3d5?commentId=670839669a71b66e97dc64b8

I'll let someone else answer as well...

 

[ThereAndBackAgain]

It has an Intel i7-11700 CPU rated at 2.50GHz instead of 4.90GHz

This part's confusing to me. Do you mean the i7 is factory downclocked or something and that that cannot be adjusted? The 4.90 GHz is its maximum boost speed, which you would likely only witness during a heavy single-threaded workload. 2.50 GHz is its base frequency.

If you just want to increase the existing PC's gaming capability rather than building a whole new PC, I'd just add a GPU that has reasonable power draw while changing out the PSU for the 500W one @Lutfij mentioned (if the system is at risk of exceeding the existing PSU's capabilities after the addition of the GPU). I wouldn't bother upgrading the CPU; it's perfectly fine. And you shouldn't need 32 GB of RAM for gaming.