what now for ageing Dell 8000

[Andybenham]

I've got a Dell Studio XPS 8000, with an i7 860. I would really like to add USB3 to speed up backing up MKV files to a spare hard drive. The problem is that is has a weird power supply that can't easily be upgraded and adding a USB3 card takes me over the power available - its already had a 750ti and an Evo 840 added - and things get very unsteady. So, the question is, do I stick with the 860, which is absolutely fine for what I need, but swap the motherboard for a P55 which supports USB3, which looks to cost around £100 for a decent board, or do I just bite the bullet and change both processor and motherboard to something more modern, with 6Gb sata to get the best out of the SSD? If I do get a new (old) p55, how difficult would it be to swap the processor over?
Any thoughts much appreciated, I can talk myself into either course of action and would really appreciate some help!

 

[norsestar]

The power draw of the 750ti will fluctuate more than the USB3 card will ever need: I'd just give it a try. You could get a powered USB3 hub if you really want to minimize the draw on the PSU.

I see a mix of opinions about whether the Studio XPS 8000 uses a standard ATX12V PSU or not. Which model and wattage do you have in there now?

 

[Andybenham]

The power draw of the 750ti will fluctuate more than the USB3 card will ever need: I'd just give it a try. You could get a powered USB3 hub if you really want to minimize the draw on the PSU.

I see a mix of opinions about whether the Studio XPS 8000 uses a standard ATX12V PSU or not. Which model and wattage do you have in there now?

 

[Andybenham]

Definitely not standard, I've tried a couple of Corsair PSUs, most recently an RM650M, it powers up, the cpu fan spins for around 5 seconds or so, then it turns itself off. The same with other power supplies. The fitted supply is a 350w LiteOn unit, which uses standard ATX plugs.
The problem at the moment is that if I fit the USB3 card, then once the graphics card starts working reasonably hard it's BSOD time.

 

[norsestar]

Is it stable under graphics load without the USB3 card in? What are the temperatures? I'm wondering if additional cooling would buy you enough margin to run the USB3 card.

Another option might be eSATA if you've got a port open on the motherboard. eSATA has slightly different specs than regular SATA (technically you should use an eSATA adapter card) but lots of people get by with just a passive adapter bracket. This should allow you to run at a spin drive's full speed.

If you want to go the upgrade route, Amazon US lists a compatible 475W PSU for US$76: http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Dell-Supply-Studio-Systems/dp/B003YM0S80 . That should buy you more than enough power to run both the 750ti and USB3.

I'd be inclined to just replace the system. I'm willing to throw some money into an older machine, especially if I can reuse the new parts going forwards. In this case, you're looking at spending nearly what the system's worth on a proprietary PSU that can only be used with that system. A new system would cost more up front but should last you longer. I'd avoid buying a prebuilt system as the components are often proprietary and of variable quality. Building your own is pretty easy, you can get better specs at a given price point, and you can choose quality components. FWIW...

 

[Andybenham]

It is stable without the USB3 card, I'll refit the card and check the temperatures to see if a fan is an option, the case doesn't have any!
Thanks for your help, I think you've helped me steer in the right direction, ie stop patching up the old Dell and build something more interesting, off to order a 4790k.

 

[norsestar]

Glad I could help. I tend to keep old systems on life support longer than I should...