Upgrading XPS 8700

[herothic]

Hey guys, I was just wondering if I could get some advice on upgrading my desktop.

Current Specs
- Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4460 CPU @ 3.20GHz, 3201 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
- Baseboard/Motherboard Model Not Available
- GTX 720

My video card is on its last legs, and the motherboard wont show up in system specs (assumed to be base model mother card) and I cant move it to find out. I was wondering if I upgraded to a gtx1060, and then a i7 6700k (to stop bottleneck), would I also need to buy a new motherboard (z170) as well?

Addition: If anyone knows, would this all fit in a XPS8700 case?

 

[krzyimprt]

You have a 4th gen CPU so upgrading to a 6700K won't be doable. Your GPU is the issue if you're trying to game. Maybe look into getting a 1050Ti?

 

[dudeman509]

GPU could be replaced with a 1050ti/1060 and you'd definitely have more performance. On up to a 1070 if you'd like.

CPU could just be switched out for a Haswell i7 like the 4790/4790k and you'll be within 10% of the same performance as you would with a 6700-7700. Should be able to pick up a used one for a decent price.

 

[spdragoo]

Yes, you would need a brand-new motherboard. Upgrading is always problematic with OEM systems, because you never know what you've got with the OEM power supplies. I had to dig a little -- the Dell support page (http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/product-support/product/xps-8700/manuals) had a link to the specifications (http://downloads.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_desktop/esuprt_xps_desktop/xps-8700_reference%20guide_en-us.pdf), but they didn't show the PSU; the Regulatory datasheet, however, listed the model # for the OEM power supply (http://downloads.dell.com/rdoc/dell%20xps%208700,d14m,d14m001,dell%20regulatory%20and%20environmental%20datasheet.pdf)...& I found that one on another site (https://www.serversupply.com/POWER%20SUPPLY/DESKTOP%20POWER%20SUPPLY/460%20WATT/DELL/AC460EM-00.htm).
-- Says it's a 460W PSU. That's the official rating, but not sure how much it's really rated for that.
-- The Regulatory datasheet says its efficiency ratings are 86% @ 20% load, 87% @ 50% load, & 85% @ 100% load. Technically, that puts it on the high end of Bronze & just under Silver for the 80 Plus rating system (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80_Plus)...but I'd take that with a grain of salt. In any case, however, you're lucky in that most OEMs are content to only use a 300W PSU, so having a 460W unit gives you some breathing room.

If you're having some issues, you can always upgrade to a Haswell Core i7. This guy here (http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/desktop/f/3514/t/19648355) apparently had a Core i7-4790 in his stock XPS 8700, then replaced it with the i7-4790K & a liquid cooling solution. Note he confirms the 460W PSU, & actually put a GTX 980 in his system. I don't know if I'd go for the 980, as that might be pushing it...but a 1060 might be doable after all. A GTX 1060 would be a very, very nice upgrade from your GT 720, & with that you probably wouldn't need a CPU upgrade. If you do need one, though, go for the i7-4790 (not the "K" model) for faster speeds & more threads.

 

[herothic]

Would the following then work?
Processor
Intel Core i7 7700 Quad Core LGA 1151 3.6 GHz CPU Processor
Graphics Card
MSI GeForce GTX 1060 OC V2 6GB Video Card
Motheboard
Gigabyte Z270M-D3H LGA 1151 mATX Motherboard
RAM
G.Skill 16G (2x8G) F4-2133C15D-16GFT DDR4 2133 MHZ 1.2V
PCU
Corsair VS550 550W ATX Power Supply, 120mm fan, 2x (6+2)pin PCIE, 4x SATA, 4x Molex, Single R

Site used:
https://www.umart.com.au/

Any additional information such as BIOS upgrading etc. would also be a massive help, as this is a first time. Thanks so much for your help so far.

 

[spdragoo]

The problem is fitting it into the case. Since it's an OEM prebuilt system, chances are good that the OEM motherboard's offset holes & mounting screws won't match up with the holes on that motherboard. Also, for only another $11 AUD you could get DDR4-2600 RAM instead of DDR4-2133 RMA.

Aside from that, you'll also have to a) make sure you have a Skylake CPU to use to update the BIOS (100-series motherboards require a BIOS update to work with Kaby Lake CPUs), or b) get the Z270M-Plus version of the motherboard instead (200-series motherboards work out-of-the-box with Kaby Lake CPUs).

Ultimately, though, it comes down to your available budget.
-- i7-4790K currently shows as $519 AUD (https://au.pcpartpicker.com/products/cpu/#f=34,40,41,42&k=24&sort=price&page=1); didn't see the non-K version listed. Since you'd have to also buy a cooler (adding another $30-50 AUD to the cost), however, the Xeon E3-1241 V3 would be a better choice at $405 AUD.
-- GTX 1060 by itself looks like it's around $435 AUD (https://au.pcpartpicker.com/products/video-card/#m=27&c=373&sort=price&page=1) -- didn't see the V2 version, just the V1.
-- Getting both the CPU & GPU will cost you $840 AUD for the Xeon option, $975-1000 AUD with the i7-4790K & cooler.
-- For the new build you're looking at, assuming the motherboard will fit in the case, you may not need a PSU replacement...provided that the PSU doesn't have some sort of proprietary connector, & that it has PCIe power cords for the GPU. Not sure what that site is charging, but I'm guessing it's in the vicinity of $1295 AUD without a new case (https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/3ctQXH). You're talking about spending 25-50% more for the all-brand-new components, when I don't know how well they'll work. And I don't really think you're going to get 25-50% more performance than if you went with the simpler upgrade.

 

[herothic]

Well I'm having to get a new desktop anyway with the way this video card is going, and I'm not for buying a replacement, I'd rather just upgrade. So I've come to the fact that I either build a new one, or a buy a new pre-built that still has some undesired stock items. With what I've read, would the following work? I had the wrong motheboard and forgot to update it. These are the parts with links to the site:

PCU
Corsair VS550 550W ATX Power Supply, 120mm fan, 2x (6+2)pin PCIE, 4x SATA, 4x Molex, Single R
https://www.umart.com.au/Corsair--VS550-550W--ATX-Power-Supply--120mm-fan--2x--6+2-pin-PCIE--4x-SATA--4x-Molex--Single-R_22909G.html

CPU
Intel Core i7 7700 Quad Core LGA 1151 3.6 GHz CPU Processor
https://www.umart.com.au/Intel-Core-i7-7700-Quad-Core-LGA-1151-3-6-GHz-CPU-Processor_37771G.html

Motheboard
Gigabyte Z270M-D3H LGA 1151 mATX Motherboard
https://www.umart.com.au/Gigabyte-Z270M-D3H-LGA-1151-mATX-Motherboard_37785G.html

GPU
Gigabyte Z270M-D3H LGA 1151 mATX Motherboard
https://www.umart.com.au/MSI-GeForce-GTX-1060-OC-V2-6GB-Video-Card_39359G.html

RAM
G.Skill 16G(2x8G) F4-2400C15D-16GFT DDR4 2400 MHZ 1.2V
https://www.umart.com.au/G-Skill-16G-2x8G--F4-2400C15D-16GFT-DDR4-2400-MHZ-1-2V_38476G.html

Case (If Needed)
Corsair Carbide SPEC-04 Mid-Tower Gaming Case Grey
https://www.umart.com.au/Corsair-Carbide-SPEC-04-Mid-Tower-Gaming-Case-Grey_38950G.html

SSD (If Desired)
Not sure?

Total cost would be 1350$ w/o SSD, with a new dell being 1400$?

 

[dudeman509]

The last XPS I took apart (admittedly it was a 1st-gen Core i7) had a 500W PSU with normal motherboard and GPU connectors.

If you can keep the stock motherboard and just shell out money for a CPU and GPU only, why NOT go that route...? Not sure on the insistence to upgrade the entire thing (CPU, RAM, Mobo) for a 10% gain in performance over what a 4th-gen i7 is capable of.

If you were going for an 8th gen i5/i7 with 6 cores, I might understand the willingness to upgrade completely.

 

[herothic]

The last XPS I took apart (admittedly it was a 1st-gen Core i7) had a 500W PSU with normal motherboard and GPU connectors.

If you can keep the stock motherboard and just shell out money for a CPU and GPU only, why NOT go that route...? Not sure on the insistence to upgrade the entire thing (CPU, RAM, Mobo) for a 10% gain in performance over what a 4th-gen i7 is capable of.

If you were going for an 8th gen i5/i7 with 6 cores, I might understand the willingness to upgrade completely.

I was under the impression that my stock motherboard wouldnt be able to cope with the gtx 1060/i7 4th gen?

Also, considering I have 8gb ram, wouldnt I also need to up my ram for the new processor?

 

[dudeman509]

The last XPS I took apart (admittedly it was a 1st-gen Core i7) had a 500W PSU with normal motherboard and GPU connectors.

If you can keep the stock motherboard and just shell out money for a CPU and GPU only, why NOT go that route...? Not sure on the insistence to upgrade the entire thing (CPU, RAM, Mobo) for a 10% gain in performance over what a 4th-gen i7 is capable of.

If you were going for an 8th gen i5/i7 with 6 cores, I might understand the willingness to upgrade completely.

I was under the impression that my stock motherboard wouldnt be able to cope with the gtx 1060/i7 4th gen?

Also, considering I have 8gb ram, wouldnt I also need to up my ram for the new processor?

8 is fine; 16 is recommended for a lot of newer games.

Motherboard should handle the i7-4770/4790 and 1060 just fine. Update to the latest BIOS available from Dell just to be sure.

The questionable thing would be the PSU