Help upgrading my Dell XPS 8300

[2NE1]

Hey. I need some help upgrading my pre-built Dell XPS 8300. I would like to upgrade my GPU and PSU but I am not sure exactly what to get or if it will even fit. Or if these are compatible with my motherboard. I'm trying not to go TOO far over $300.00.

I was thinking about a EVGA GTX 560 ti. What the heck is the difference between these though??

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130604
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...471&CatId=3669
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...450&CatId=3669

And for a PSU I was looking at possibly this one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139020

Here's what I have right now. Let me know if you guys need more info.
Intel core i7 2600 3.40GHz
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 665MHz
Dell Inc. 0Y2MRG Mobo
AMD Radeon HD 5770
1TB Seagate SATA HDD

Don't know what all this means but I copy/pasted my Mobo spec from "Speccy":
Manufacturer Dell Inc.
Model 0Y2MRG (CPU 1)
Chipset Vendor Intel
Chipset Model Sandy Bridge
Chipset Revision 09
Southbridge Vendor Intel
Southbridge Model H67
Southbridge Revision B3
System Temperature 26 °C
BIOS
Brand Dell Inc.
Version A06
Date 10/17/2011
Voltage
CPU CORE 0.996 V
MEMORY CONTROLLER 1.500 V
+3.3V 2.820 V
+5V 2.782 V
+12V 11.040 V
-12V -8.880 V
-5V -8.880 V
+5V HIGH THRESHOLD 2.742 V
CMOS BATTERY 1.596 V
PCI Data
Slot PCI-E
Slot Type PCI-E
Slot Usage In Use
Bus Width Unknown
Slot Designation PCIE1
Slot Number 0
Slot PCI-E
Slot Type PCI-E
Slot Usage Available
Bus Width Unknown
Slot Designation PCIE2
Slot Number 1
Slot PCI-E
Slot Type PCI-E
Slot Usage Available
Bus Width Unknown
Slot Designation PCIE3
Slot Number 2
Slot PCI-E
Slot Type PCI-E
Slot Usage Available
Bus Width Unknown
Slot Designation PCIE4
Slot Number 3

[chazus]

First and Third video card are the same thing. Like, literally the same product from different stores. All three cards themselves hardware wise are identical.

AR = Lifetime Warranty
KR = 3 Year Warranty

[Eroginous]

The above poster is semi correct. When it comes to video cards, you have the main manufacturer (Nvidia/Ati) who make what's called a reference card. This card is the base specs that should come in all standard cards of that model. Then 3rd party manufacturers come along produce their versions of those reference models, adding better cooling, bumping up the clock speeds, adding more ram, other after market features, ect.

These cards tend to be better than the reference model, depending on which ones you go with.

EVGA is a 3rd party manufacturer. They are alright, though I am betting you can find a better quality version of that model for cheaper:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...560+ti&x=0&y=0

I'd pick http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121425 myself.

Now, concerning your machine, you need a minimum of 550w to run a 560 ti, and I'd probably go with a 650w PSU or higher. Now, the one in your machine is 460w (according to Dell website) and the shitty part is that Dell computers come with really odd PSUs. You might not be able to get a 3rd party PSU that works in your machine, and you might have to call Dell and see if they supply one.

Anyway, good luck, have fun!

[chazus]

The above poster is semi correct

Er, just curious. How am I 'semi-correct'?
1st Card: 01G-P3-1561-AR
2nd Card: 01G-P3-1561-KR
3rd Card: 01G-P3-1561-AR

The first and third are literally the same thing. Like, two were made, one got shipped to Newegg, one got shipped to Tigerdirect.
The second card is the same card as the 1st and 3rd, however it has a different warranty per EVGA. Hardware wise, they are literally identical hardware.

Am I missing something?

[Kev2Tall]

Er, just curious. How am I 'semi-correct'?

Am I missing something?

I was on your side but still double checked just for my own satisfaction, but the second card listed by the OP is actually an OC card, while the other two are not, they all have a lifetime warranty if you read the details.

[2NE1]

Thanks guys. But what makes a Dell PSU odd? I won't be able to use a 3rd party one?

[Kev2Tall]

Thanks guys. But what makes a Dell PSU odd? I won't be able to use a 3rd party one?

It is very likely to not have the standard screw holes like all aftermarket/build your own PSUs have. Also sometimes they are physically smaller than normal and something may be mounted in that space next to them.

You can always just open your case and measure the PSU inside and make sure the screw holes on the case for it are at the four corners of the PSU.

[chazus]

but the second card listed by the OP is actually an OC card, while the other two are not, they all have a lifetime warranty if you read the details.

Double incorrect, actually.

ALL of the cards are overclocked. The KR one simply says it in the title. Notably, the Tigerdirect AR says it's not overclocked, however thats a mistake. I guess that could be misleading. It's still 850mhz (regular is 822)

The KR one is 3 years. Straight from the listing.

Limited warranty 36 months for parts and 36 months for labor.

[Kev2Tall]

Double incorrect, actually.

ALL of the cards are overclocked. The KR one simply says it in the title. Notably, the Tigerdirect AR says it's not overclocked, however thats a mistake. I guess that could be misleading. It's still 850mhz (regular is 822)

The KR one is 3 years. Straight from the listing.

Well I will be damn, I missed that, guess I was on the wrong page to look up the warranty for the second card. Still gotta be one of the dumbest things I ever seen though, lets offer it for $15-25 less and give it a 3yr warranty vs the lifetime.

I stand corrected.

[2NE1]

Well I just found this post on Tom's Hardware:

Yesterday I just installed an XFX Proseries XXX edition 850w psu and evga Geforce gtx 570 in my Dell XPS 8300. The width and height is fine. The length is 6.7" which just ends right were the usb hub on the top of the case. It takes a little effort to get this in but not much. It will sit on the little metal shelf inside to support it. This psu is semi modular so it helps. I shoved any excess cabling into the some empty optical drive bays next to the psu since it's top mounted. I just connected the 24 pin connector for the mb, the 4 pin for the cpu, and one sata cable with 2 connectors inline to my optical drive and hard drive. As for the 570 I just had to replace one data cable to clear the card and move a usb 3.0 card to the bottom slot. I just had to add two 6+2 pin connectors as required by the 570 for power requirements.

I guess I can spend some extra dollars and go with this and that 570. But what does he mean by "this PSU is semi modular so it helps" and he says he had to add two 6+2 pin connectors for the 570. Would I have to buy that separate? Sorry but I'm still kind of new to upgrading pc parts as you can tell.

Here's his psu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817207017

And if possible could someone give me a few suggestions on which 570 to get? Seeing as how there's like 700 different ones on newegg lol.

Edit: I might as well just link to that guys post
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/32...0-power-supply

---------- Post added 2012-07-06 at 09:16 PM ----------

Also, Is installing a new PSU and GPU as simple as taking the old ones out and putting the new ones in? I don't have to mess with anything else like the BIOS or something? (I know I need the drivers for the GPU)

[Kev2Tall]

I guess I can spend some extra dollars and go with this and that 570. But what does he mean by "this PSU is semi modular so it helps" and he says he had to add two 6+2 pin connectors for the 570. Would I have to buy that separate? Sorry but I'm still kind of new to upgrading pc parts as you can tell.

And if possible could someone give me a few suggestions on which 570 to get? Seeing as how there's like 700 different ones on newegg lol.

Also, Is installing a new PSU and GPU as simple as taking the old ones out and putting the new ones in? I don't have to mess with anything else like the BIOS or something? (I know I need the drivers for the GPU)

Answered in order.

No, those cables come with that PSU. Semi Modular means that only a few of the power hookups cannot be removed from the PSU. Most common are the ones that go your motherboard and sometimes one or two SATA powers. The rest of the cables (which come with the PSU) are optional, so if you don't need them you do not have to plug them in. It eliminates unused wire clutter in your case promoting airflow and cooling.

MSI's Twin Frozr line is solid http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127682

Yes and no. Yes in they are as simple as it sounds, no in that you just have to be careful don't go all Hulk smash trying to put things in.

Be careful with your wires around bare metal, cuts in the insulation can lead to shorts. When installing anything into a PCI-E slot, you will hear two clicks, and make sure to use even and gentle pressure.

Edit: To fully answer your final question, No you do not need to do anything else unless you replacing an onboard video card, then yes you may have to change one setting in your BIOS so it uses the new video card, but if your card is in a slot your good to go.

[DarkBlade6]

After reading the post you have quoted from Tom's Hardware forum, I can assume your case support standard ATX PSU.

So here are my suggestion for both the PSU and Video card.

Heres a solid semi-modular power supply:
Seasonic M12II 520W - 60$

Im not really sure why you want a 560 Ti or GTX570, they are last generation video card, run hot and need load of power. Dont get me wrong they are still very good and can deliver some really decent FPS in any modern game. But heres my suggestion, get a 7850, its the new generation of video card, they run cooler, need less power, cost less and are they are pretty much on par with a GTX570... they just do it so much more efficiently.

Personally id go with this one:
MSI TwinFrozr III HD7850 - 260$

Heres another solid one:
Gigabyte HD7850 - 260$

The cooler on this one is not as good as the other two, but definatly cheaper, as long as you run it at stock clock, I really dont think it will overheat.
XFX Core Edition HD7850 - 230$ - 20$MiR

[2NE1]

I think I might go with the MSI 7850.
I noticed that card uses PCI Express 3.0 and I think my mine has 2.0. Is it still compatible with 2.0?
Man these 3rd party brands are a little confusing... If I get this MSI card do I need to download that ATI graphics driver off the MSI website or can I just continue using my AMD Catalyst Drivers?

[Eroginous]

Thanks guys. But what makes a Dell PSU odd? I won't be able to use a 3rd party one?

It's not the size or the shape that makes them odd, it's the way that they are made custom for a custom motherboard for the computers Dell sells. So while you can definitely replace an old one, there's always the question of whether or not a standard PSU will be compatible, and here's why: a standard PSU connector is made to fit most standard boards, in that they are given either a 20 pin connector or a 24 pin connector with a few other specialty connectors that are used for various motherboard functions.

A Dell computer likely wouldn't have the same type of connectors that a standard motherboard has, and they do that so you literally have to call them to modify your computer. This was something I learned a long time ago when I had a 1st generation Dell Optiplex with a p4 in it, and I wanted to upgrade the PSU. Things might have changed in recent years, but I wouldn't assume that's the case unless you've popped the PC open and had yourself a look.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/32...0-power-supply

Er, just curious. How am I 'semi-correct'?

You're correct in that those three cards are similar, but the OP's question was a question that would be answered differently if he were comparing GPUs from 3 different companies, so I provided additional info to help him understand the differences.

[2NE1]

Ok so really my question now is do I need the MSI ATI Graphics driver from their website? Or do I use the catalyst drivers from the AMD website which is what I have now. :/

Edit: After some looking around I learned that I don't need MSI's drivers and that its better to use AMD's. Thanks for all the help guys!