XPS 8930, i7-8700, GPU upgrade options

Here is the list of discrete graphics cards Dell tested and validated for your XPS 8930:

• NVIDIA GT 1030

• NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti

• NVIDIA GTX 1060

• NVIDIA GTX 1070

• NVIDIA GTX 1080

• AMD Radeon RX 560

• AMD Radeon RX 570

• AMD Radeon RX 580

And here is the list of graphics cards users validated and tested with their systems on benchmark site  https://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Dell-XPS-8930/70003

Note that the power supply must be upgraded to meet the graphics card power requirements.

if you can afford might as well upgrade to latest RTX 4000 series gpu.  

for example RTX 4060 is 120% faster than 1060.  You can get similar speed upgrade from 1000-3000 series cards such as gtx 1080 Ti but that is outdated card.

That list of Dell's qualified GPUs isn't complete.

My XPS 8930 came with Dell OEM NVidia 1660 Ti.

I did exactly that today. Installed the Nvidia RTX4060

I had previously update RAM to 64Gb, updated the boot drive to a SSD. Then I started the video card odyssey

I first bought the AMD 580X for the low price point. I did the BIOS changes to disable secure boot and enabled legacy ROM. 8930 recognized the card and installed a driver from 2019 for the card.

It was fine for a few days and at the prompting of AMD, I downloaded the latest driver and software and all went to heck.  Lightroom and Photoshop didn't like that and neither did Dell OS. It crashed my 8930 multiple times.

Thinking it is the old card technology and incompatible drivers, I had best buy install and AMD 6650 XT card. When I got it home it was even worse.  The computer was like a sloth. The network slowed down, the SSD was slow and Lightroom and photoshop were slow. The fan ran all the time. Then the crashes started.  Eventually, I could not recover from BSOD hell.

I took out the AMD and put the original 1050Ti in and restarted the computer.  Several BSODs with hardware errors and a recommendation to reset the system. That took me 20 attempts and finally succeeded in reinstalling windows 10 by wiping out the C drive (new SSD). 

Things stabilized and I got everything working at peak efficiency.  I changed the BIOS settings to enable secure boot. I restarted several times to ensure system stability and all went well.

This afternoon, I installed the Gigabyte Nvidia RTX 4060.  First boot attempt was a black screen. I did the power cycle 3 times and got to system to boot.  Only one monitor worked, and the driver was a generic Microsoft driver, not Nvidia.  Then I had a few automatic reboots and some BSODs. Eventually, the system recognized the 4060 and updated the driver.  Since then, the computer is running well. Soooper quiet. Lightroom and photoshop ae running very fast and the network speed is back to 1400Mbps.

I wish I had gone this route with an Nvidia first instead of the AMD cards and frustration. 

@Hokie_Shankar​

You didn't mention it in your post, but did you upgrade your power supply when you installed the 4060?

I have an 8940 with a 1660 Ti that I want to upgrade. It seems from what I've read that I need to upgrade the PS before I upgrade to a newer GPU. 

@floydn​ : Yes. I upgraded the PSU based on the advice from here. I got the Evga 750W unit. It fit the case nicely

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/evga-750-bp-80-bronze-750w-100-bp-0750-k1-power-supply/6505301.p?skuId=6505301

Don't think we're talking about the same PC model.

@Hokie_Shankar is describing upgrades to the XPS 8930 but @floydn has an XPS 8940.  A PSU that fits/works with XPS 8930 may not fit/work with XPS 8940.

XPS 8930 PSU connector (#1) on motherboard is 4-pin. XPS 8940 PSU connector (#18) on  motherboard is 6-pin. Even if that suggested 750W PSU fits in the case, it's probably going to need an adapter cable and still might not be compatible.  Better to read the threads specifically about XPS 8940 PSU upgrades...

@RoHe​ Thanks for the clarification!

@RoHe​ Thanks for the feedback and link for my model. Upgrading/modifying my desktop is somewhat of a new frontier for me.

@floydn  - You're welcome.

Be sure only to follow threads and instructions that are specific for your XPS 8940.  Anything else can/will get you in trouble...