Dell XPS Studio, upgrade to GTX 980

[Caleb Fagundes]

Check picture from PSU specs.

I won't do overclock NEVER, everything on factory default.
Wanna know if my current PSU will be enough for a reference model GTX 980.

PSU info:
Switching power supply DELL AC460AM
Part number: 01XMMV

System config (XPS 8900 Skylake):

I7 6700 3.4 Ghz
16 GB DDR4 2133 Mhz
2 x 2 terabyte hdd
1 240gb (Kingston V300)SSD
M2 wireless card
Stock CPU fan (box)
120mm fan on chassi
2 usb 2.0 devices will be used
3 usb 3.0 devices will be used
Bluray optical drive
Front card reader

Average use of 4 hours per day, sometimes 6.

According to Outervision PSU calculator my PSU is enough, should i trust it?.

Outervision results with GTX 980 :

Load Wattage:371 W
Recommended UPS rating:750 VA
Recommended PSU Wattage:421 W

Amperage (combined)
+3.3V +5V +12V
7.9 A 14.0 A 22.9 A


Outervision results with GTX 970:

Load Wattage:364 W
Recommended UPS rating:700 VA
Recommended PSU Wattage:414 W

Amperage (combined)
+3.3V +5V +12V
7.9 A 14.0 A

 

[MxPhenom 216]

You will want a new power supply for sure. I would not run a high end GPU on a crappy OEM PSU. Get a quality 500w and you'll be good.

I wouldn't even think that that PSU has 2 6 pin power connector, and don't even think about using the Molex adapter some cards come with. Also that is an interesting 12v rail setup on that PSU. God know why the last rail only has 8 amps. And why those 8 and could just have been put into the other rails, but I'm no electrical engineer yet.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DGHKK7M/?tag=tec06d-20

That EVGA unit can put out more on its single 12v rail than that PSU in your system's total output, while only having a total output of 40w more than what's in your system now. And the rail is 40 amps.

 

[Caleb Fagundes]

And a GTX 970 instead? Will it work?

 

[95Viper]

Just my opinion of reading about Acbel Polytech's PSUs... I would replace it.
As, a large amount of tests on that series, is they don't always meet the rated output.

The heart of your build is the PSU... would you want to have an inferior heart in your system?

And a GTX 970 instead? Will it work?

To answer your question... yes; but, how long, and, if, that PSU goes poof! Will it take out that nice graphics card you just got?

Roll the dice.

 

[rtwjunkie]

And a GTX 970 instead? Will it work?

Not even a 970. The most I would put on their would be a 960, and not even very long at that. @MxPhenom 216 made a great suggestion, although my comfort level would suggest a 600w quality PSU.

 

[tabascosauz]

Make an easy replacement with a quality XFX TS 550W or even a CX600M. It's not hard. Unplug cables, unscrew PSU, replace PSU, put screws in and connect cables. It's that easy.

Dell's PSUs are not so great nowadays; they used to have some Delta PSUs in their lineup but not anymore. One thing you have to keep in mind, however, is that Dell is not going to choose some cheap, underperforming product for its desktops. If it says that the PSU can deliver up to 460W, you can bet that it's probably going to be able to deliver up to at least 450W for you. Dell will not be risking catastrophic hardware failures in its top-of-the-line desktops; its top config for the XPS 8700 is a 91W 6700K and 120W GTX 960 and the PSU will safely provide for that. It's just that the PSU may be lacking in PCIe connectors for example and the cables won't be sleeved, but it isn't going to be a $20 eBay PSU. That said, you should still replace the unit with a retail one because you never want to be cutting it close when it comes to PSU wattage, ever.

There is a thread on Dell forums with users who have replaced their PSUs and GPUs in the XPS 8100/8300/8500/8700. It's just a conventional tower and virtually any reasonably-sized PSU will work. A relatively small (150mm-160mm length) modular PSU may make your life a whole lot easier since the case has no provisions for cable management.

Also, you may find it hard to fit any card that extends beyond 10" due to the non-removable HDD bays. I know this because I own an XPS 8500. A good idea would be to get something like the CX600M or CS550M and a compact GTX 970 or R9 380 or GTX 960. The Asus DC Mini would save you the effort of jamming PCIe power cables into the confined bay area.

 

[GhostRyder]

Yea I would not trust that PSU with anything above a 960. Your specs show an OEM R9 370 it seems on the system so it might be fine to handle a GTX 970 but I would not trust it for very long when PSU's that can handle any card can be had for $50 which in turn will protect your system from possible problems.

Here are a couple of deals this week to look at in getting a pretty inexpensive PSU that will handle anything you throw at it.
Rosewill ARC 750watt (Overkill, but dirt cheap currently at $39.99 after rebate or $54.99 before rebate)
EVGA B600watt (Great value, great brand, $39.99 after rebate or $49.99 before rebate)

 

[cdawall]

Dell setup up one of those machines to run the 5K dell monitor display. They took the OEM tower with NO additional hardrives (just a single 1TB) and threw the OEM PSU away. It currently runs 5K video 24/7 with a GTX 980 and an EVGA 500B.

Dell the company that made the computer threw their PSU in the trash to run the 980. Take the hint.

 

[AlienIsGOD]

buy a real psu i had a budget Tt TR2 500 and it ran a i5 2400 and 7700 fine, upgraded to a R9 270 and POP, there goes the psu. Dont even consider a new gfx card unless you also plan on upgrading the psu.

 

[zithe]

You will want a new power supply for sure. I would not run a high end GPU on a crappy OEM PSU. Get a quality 500w and you'll be good.

I wouldn't even think that that PSU has 2 6 pin power connector, and don't even think about using the Molex adapter some cards come with. Also that is an interesting 12v rail setup on that PSU. God know why the last rail only has 8 amps. And why those 8 and could just have been put into the other rails, but I'm no electrical engineer yet.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DGHKK7M/?tag=tec06d-20

That EVGA unit can put out more on its single 12v rail than that PSU in your system's total output, while only having a total output of 40w more than what's in your system now. And the rail is 40 amps.

+1 for EVGA. Awesome PSUs!

 

[Jetster]

The EVGA 500B is crap. I had two go out. The RMA process was good though. Get a G2

Cracks me up when someone will pay $500 for a GPU and complains about a $60 PSU

I think I paid $25 for a 500B after rebate

 

[Caleb Fagundes]

I live in Brazil
A good PSU costs 150 dollars here

 

[rtwjunkie]

I live in Brazil
A good PSU costs 150 dollars here

Maybe give us a link for some places you might buy from and perhaps a good model more affordable can be found. Really though, a "good" PSU is the most important part of your PC. Hopefully a good one can be found online at one of the retailers you provide that is a little more affordable.

 

[AlienIsGOD]

I live in Brazil
A good PSU costs 150 dollars here

the coolermaster 750w cost me $100 in my country. Have to be willing to buy a quality psu, cause as others have said, you dont pair a $500 video card with a cheap $60 psu.

 

[Jetster]

That PSU cost Dell $15

Maybe get a used one off e bay. I bought a few. I got a TX650 for $40

 

[BarbaricSoul]

I live in Brazil
A good PSU costs 150 dollars here

equal to $68 USD-

http://www.shoptime.com.br/produto/...-w1-0500-kr-500w-real-500white-80-plus-branco

 

[tabascosauz]

IMHO OW gave that PSU a score above 8 because of its value at its very low price point and its actually-not-abysmal build quality, not because of performance. I wouldn't hesitate to buy it for a G3220 office PC, but a GTX 980? I'm sure that if the 500W 80+ costs $68 then some other good budget Bronze PSU can't be over 100.

At that shop, the EVGA 600B is priced at 302.01 real. That's just over $80 USD, and is of pretty good value and quite a step above the 80+ 500W. The bare 80+ PSUs from EVGA are intended to power a low wattage PC, not handle a GTX 980.

 

[cdawall]

The EVGA 500B is crap. I had two go out. The RMA process was good though. Get a G2

Cracks me up when someone will pay $500 for a GPU and complains about a $60 PSU

I think I paid $25 for a 500B after rebate

We sell hundreds if not thousands of them a week. Not only was it just a random 500b off of the shelf it was a customer return lol. The gtx980 doesn't pull much wattage, but it'll be more than that Dell can push

 

[Constantine Yevseyev]

Unpopular opinion in 3, 2, 1...
Assuming that you haven't done any custom builds before and don't have too much interest in practicing...

1. Keep the PSU. Replacing it in a OEM case will leave you with Hanging Gardens of cables, unless your eye perception is really good and you can manage to tie each and every single one to the one-and-only acceptable hook thingy carved in the back wall.

This process can be really painful when there are no proper cable management options available, and once you're done with replacing the unit, you'll feel like you have done something terrible to your (no more) new, shiny, and premium XPS. Compare it to just unplugging (literally) a couple cables and putting them back in after a minute.

Not to mention the "void 0" type of thing that you're doing to your warranty.

I swear I'm not possessed with any kind of retail demon right now. It's just my vision of pre-built systems: if you buy one, you want to upgrade it, not tear the whole thing apart. Having tens of zip ties shooting around in the process doesn't help.

2. Get a GTX 970. Just don't pick anything with a custom power components layout (ZOTAC Omega, ASUS STRIX) that would require extra watts (see reviews to check which ones do that). Get a card that has a reference PCB and a custom cooler and you'll be fine.

P. S.: Please don't ban me for this.

 

[Bansaku]

This process can be really painful when there are no proper cable management options available, and once you're done with replacing the unit, you'll feel like you have done something terrible to your (no more) new, shiny, and premium XPS. Compare it to just unplugging (literally) a couple cables and putting them back in after a minute.

I swear I'm not possessed with any kind of retail demon right now. It's just my vision of pre-built systems: if you buy one, you want to upgrade it, not tear the whole thing apart. Having tens of zip ties shooting around in the process doesn't help.

Have you not heard of a modular PSU?

 

[Constantine Yevseyev]

Have you not heard of a modular PSU?

I'm talking exactly about modular PSUs. Let's count: two power cables for HDD/ODD, one 24-pin, one 4+4 pin, one 6-pin, two 4-pin Molex. That's basically as many as you'd have with a non-modular design, excluding the extra HDD, FDD and Molex plugs.

 

[cdawall]

The OEM case actually is pretty easy to do cable management in...

 

[tabascosauz]

I'm talking exactly about modular PSUs. Let's count: two power cables for HDD/ODD, one 24-pin, one 4+4 pin, one 6-pin, two 4-pin Molex. That's basically as many as you'd have with a non-modular design, excluding the extra HDD, FDD and Molex plugs.

Do you actually have experience with the XPS 8xxx series?

The stock PSU's cable management, kudos to Dell, is horrendous to begin with. Many people have done PSU replacements with semi-modular PSUs and nonmodular PSUs and it's not the end of the world.

 

[rtwjunkie]

I helped a friend out with his XPS upgrading a little, including slapping a decent Seasonic in there for him

It wasn't straoghtforward, considering we had to do a little cutting, but once in we found some space to store cables that didn't interfere with airflow. I will say it was one of the most creative cable managemnt jobs I've done!

 

[Constantine Yevseyev]

The OEM case actually is pretty easy to do cable management in...

If, and only if, you have some experience with any kind of cable management prior to that. Now give your PC to your teenager niece and ask her to replace PSU. "Come on, sweetheart, it can't be that hard!" Pro tip: just because someone's using a PC daily doesn't make them an expert in it, just like taking drugs doesn't make you a pharmacist. You think a non-expert should replace a PSU on their own? Then remind yourself of that distinct smell of burning plastic and think again.

Do you actually have experience with the XPS 8xxx series?

Wha... Why would it matter?! I've only calculated the total amount of cables he'll have on his new, modular PSU. Verdict: it's almost as many as he has right now. What's there you disagree with?

The stock PSU's cable management, kudos to Dell, is horrendous to begin with. Many people have done PSU replacements with semi-modular PSUs and nonmodular PSUs and it's not the end of the world.

Again, if he's fine with affecting his $1600+ XPS Studio in this way, so be it. Why buy it in the first place if you're planning on making it your playground, when literally the only advantage is that you get a finished product with a bunch of warranty seals slapped on it?..

It wasn't straoghtforward, considering we had to do a little cutting, but once in we found some space to store cables that didn't interfere with airflow. I will say it was one of the most creative cable managemnt jobs I've done!

True. But I believe that creativity should always come last and the skill first.

So far, we know no-thing about OP (skill-wise). Maybe he just wants to play some games already and be done with modifying this machine in any way, even on the software side. That is, no risks, and no warranty voiding.