Dell Studio XPS 8000 SSD, memory and graphics card upgrade

Dell Studio XPS 8000 SSD, memory and graphics card upgrade option

Can you do Dell Studio XPS 8000 SSD, memory and graphics card upgrade? Future ready, this desktop can handle whatever you throw at it, because it is known you will continually improve your desktop, the XPS Tower was designed to be easily expandable with a tool less chassis. The XPS Tower is engineered for premium high fidelity sound quality and tested to ensure crackles and pops are eliminated, GRAMMY Award-winning Waves MaxxAudio technology with MaxxSense adapts to the environment. Find details in Dell XPS 8000 gaming desktop PC review.

shop gadgets is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Raed more
Dell Studio XPS 8000 SSD, memory and graphics card upgrade review
Dell Studio XPS 8000 SSD, memory and graphics card upgrade and review

Pros & Cons – Dell XPS 8000 gaming desktop PC

Pros

  • Compact design with interesting internal design
  • Easy-access case providing scope for expansion
  • Numerous port options
  • Fast performance
  • Perfect gaming desktop
  • Speedy quad core performance.
  • Large hard drive.
  • No Bloatware.
  • Small items tray with USB ports.
  • eSATA port.
  • HDMI port.

Cons

  • Has an entry-level configurations
  • Locked processor
  • Its fan produces a lot of noise
  • Short Internet Security subscription.
  • Graphics card is video rather than gaming oriented.
  • Retail gets the “older model.”

Dell XPS 8000 gaming desktop PC specs

BrandDell
Product Dimensions35.6 x 18 x 38.9 cm; 10 Kilograms
Item model numberCWV9C
ManufacturerDell Computers
SeriesXPS DT 8931
ColorBlack
Form FactorTower
Processor BrandIntel
Processor TypeCore i7-9700K
Processor Speed3.6 GHz
Processor Count1
RAM Size16 GB (Dell Studio XPS 8000 memory upgrade option)
Memory TechnologyDDR4
Computer Memory TypeDDR4 SDRAM
Maximum Memory Supported64 GB
Hard Drive Size512 GB (Dell Studio XPS 8000 SSD upgrade option available)
Hard Disk DescriptionMechanical Hard Drive
Hard Drive InterfaceSerial ATA
Hard Disk Rotational Speed7200 RPM
Graphics CoprocessorNVIDIA GeForce (Dell Studio XPS 8000 graphics card upgrade option)
Graphics Chipset BrandNVIDIA
Graphics Card DescriptionDedicated
Graphics RAM TypeGDDR6
Graphics Card Ram Size6 GB
Graphics Card InterfaceIntegrated
Connectivity TypeBluetooth
Wireless TypeBluetooth, 802.11ac
Number of USB 2.0 Ports2
Number of USB 3.0 Ports9
Number of HDMI Ports1
Optical Drive TypeDVD-ROM
Hardware PlatformPC
Operating SystemWindows 10 Home
Supported SoftwareMicrosoft Office 2013 Preload
Item Weight10 kg

Dell XPS 8000 gaming desktop PC comparison

Dell XPS 8000 Gaming Desktop PC (Black)Dell Optiplex 7010 MT Intel Core i7-3770Dell OptiPlex 7010 SFF Core i3
Computer Memory Size16 GB16 GB8 GB
Processor (CPU) ModelCore i7-9700KCore i7Core i3
Processor (CPU) ManufacturerIntelIntelIntel
Processor (CPU) Speed3.6 GHz3.4 GHz3.3 GHz
Graphics DescriptionDedicatedIntel Integrated GraphicsIntel HD Graphics 2500
Hard Disk Size512 GB2000 GB1 TB
Operating SystemWindows 10 HomeWindows 7 ProfessionalWindows 10 Pro
Processor Count11
Memory (RAM) Size16 GB16 GB8 GB
System RAM TypeDDR4 SDRAMDDR3 SDRAMDDR3 SDRAM

Dell Studio XPS 8000 desktop PC review

Design

One of the best things about this particular Tower Special Edition of Dell XPS desktop series is its small size. Weighing only around 22lbs, this model has a dimension of 7.09 in x 14.02 in x 15.22 in (W x D x H). The all-new version of this XPS Tower is so small that it can easily fit in even in the tiniest apartments.

Chassis

The front of the semi-glossy black metal chassis of the desktop is covered with a solid aluminum sheet, and its look is enhanced with the Dell and XPS logo embedded on it. The diamond-cut edges pep up the look of the gaming desktop. 

Dell XPS desktop port
Dell Studio XPS 8000 gaming desktop PC review

The Dell XPS desktop features a decent number of ports and the rare optical drive. It includes two USB-C ports amongst the USB-A, Gigabit Ethernet, Display Port, an HDMI, an SD card reader and Mic-in. Here, you will come across a good number of USB ports to plug in almost any device and accessories you want. USB-C allows you to plug in anything that requires the latest type of port. So, now plugging in your smartphone, flash drive or any other peripheral would be a cakewalk, and you will never fall short of ports.

Memory and storage

This latest 9th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-9700K 8-Core Processor of the Dell XPS desktop has a Cache memory of 12M which is expandable up to 4.1 GHz. It offers a lot of power potential along with a BIOS preference for overclocking. It provides you with high power and lightning speed for gaming, virtual reality, video editing, and playback. More cores indicate better performance when you run multiple applications, thus making multitasking easier.

The Windows 10 Home 64-bit English operating system allows you to easily access the files of your personal computer and protects them too. It has a 32GB DDR4 RAM with a memory speed of 2666MHz. Now you can enjoy blazing fast speed with the 256GB M.2 PCIeNVMe SSD (Boot) and abundance of storage space with the 2TB 7200RPM 3.5″ SATA HDD. The NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 with 8GB GDDR5 Graphics Memory card improves your accuracy and visual clarity while you enjoy your movies or video games. Keep up a backup of all your important data with its Tray Load DVD-RW Drive. It can read both CDs and DVDs.

Connectivity

The Dual Band of 2.4 & 5 GHz along with the 802.11ac + Bluetooth 4.2 offers seamless connectivity. The in-built wireless network cards of this Dell XPS desktop model give you easy access to wireless router and hotspot devices. The Ethernet Killer E2400 connection inevitably detects and selects network traffic. It ensures better streaming of video, uninterrupted browsing of the web, quicker downloads and smooth gameplay.

Dell XPS 8000 gaming desktop PC performance review

The Studio XPS 8000 is a very nice multimedia performer. It’s able to complete our Windows Media Encoder test in 34 seconds and the PhotoShop CS4 test in 1 minute 29 seconds. That means the 8000 is faster than last year’s Studio XPS 435 on the WME test (0:36), even though it’s one third the price. Likewise, the 8000’s CS4 score beats all recent systems in its price range. The Studio XPS 8000 also beats the competition at the PCMark Vantage test (7,197 points). PCMark measures the system’s performance at everyday tasks.

Though the system is an excellent everyday performer, it’s not too good at 3D games. This is to be expected since the system’s ATI Radeon HD 4350 graphics card is better suited to playing back video rather than playing hardcore 3D games. Its Crysis and World in Conflict frame rates were unplayable (14-15 frames per second) at the medium setting, and abysmal (2 fps) at the very high setting. You can of course replace the Radeon card with something more powerful in the future, like an Nvidia GeForce GT230 or GTS240. It’s best to think of this system as a multimedia performer rather than a gamer’s PC.

Compared with the competition, it’s evenly matched to systems like the HP Pavilion p6310f feature wise, but the Dell is a slightly better performer. The HP is quite a bit cheaper at $600, but it also comes with a lot of bloatware, fewer ports, and lower powered graphics, but they’re not deal breakers at this price point. Therefore, overall the HP has a slightly better bang for the buck.

Ultimately, the Studio XPS 8000 is too much of an in-between choice. It is a lot more expensive than the HP Pavilion p6310f and Dell Inspiron i570-6939PBK. And the HP Pavilion Elite HPE-140f, our midrange desktop EC at just over $1,000, has so much more going for it with a better graphics card, more memory, more A/V inputs, and Wi-Fi. That is why our entry-level Editor’s Choice award stays with a another Dell model: the Dell Inspiron i570-6939PBK, ($600). It’s a dual-core system, so the performance is a bit less, but it makes up for it by including a 20-inch LCD monitor.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS: Check out the test scores for the Dell Studio XPS 8000 (SX8000-1479UWH)

Dell XPS 8000 gaming desktop PC customer review

Style Name: i7-9700, 16 GB RAM, Nvidia RTX 2060 6 GB

I had over £500 of Amazon vouchers, saved up over three years of birthday and Christmas gifts from family, decided to treat myself to my first gaming PC. I bought Dell as it was a brand I thought I could trust with technical support, I bought from Amazon because I had vouchers, I bought from Box Online as they were giving a delivery date and Amazon were not. What a mistake on all fronts.

Alarm bells were ringing when I opened the box. Dell quick start guide said that PCs with discrete graphics cards will have the original monitor inputs blanked off, which they were not.

12 hours in to use, Dell Tools run scans and updates. Killer Internet App not updated, click here to see why: spinning cursor for half an hour. Open Killer App, not working. Run Dell Tools scans, 100% up to date, 100% but Killer App still not working.

Had issues with a Bluetooth device, went to uninstall the device to try again. There’s no “yes” button to confirm I want to remove the device. I assume the device is at fault because the last thing I was expecting is my brand new Dell XPS with RTX2060 graphics card is incapable of rendering the button as visible.

With three different games, I was suddenly on the desktop with game sound running. Fan noise during gaming is considerably louder than I would expect from Dell’s advertising, we’re talking at least twice my projector, probably three times louder.

When Windows Defender failed to update, I had had enough and started a factory reset to remove my personal data and return the obviously faulty PC.

I will cut the details of my Dell Support session straight to the part where I complain to Dell, calling their assistant lazy and incompetent and for Dell to review the recorded live help session and phone call. Dell telephoned me within 2.5 hours of receiving my email to sincerely apologise and to inform me their assistant would be under going disciplinary action. Dell have fallen over themselves trying to retain my business but it’s far too little too late, I’m never buying Dell again.

Nor will I be doing business with Box Online again, had to resort to Amazon’s A to Z guarantee for my refund and again to Amazon Customer services to recover my return shipping costs.

Can you do Dell Studio XPS 8000 SSD, memory and graphics card upgrade?

The optimised size of the tower required an innovative approach to maintaining tool-less access to the internal components. A swing-out power supply unit gives you easy access to the chassis, so you can expand and upgrade things like graphics and memory to meet your specific needs.

Can you do Dell Studio XPS 8000 SSD, memory and graphics card upgrade? Endlessly expandable: Your tower can support up to 225W full size graphics cards and up to four storage devices. Enjoy plenty of storage with capacity for three 3.5″ HDD bays or 2.5″ NB drives plus one internal optical drive. Four tool-less PCle slots let you add in sound cards, graphics cards and more.

Dell Studio XPS 8000 Graphics card upgrade

Dell Community replied

“The graphic card I am looking for is the GeForce GTX 4XX or the Radeon 58XX series. Will any of these cards work for my system if I upgrade my PSU?  Yes, as long as you determine that the card you want will fit.  If I upgrade my PSU with a 650W+, will it damage my PC? I think my PC only have 1 PCIe x16, does it mean that I can have no more than 1 GPU and so SLI or Crossfire is useless?  Yes.  You can have only one GPU.  It takes two PCIe x16 slots to run SLI or Crossfire.  If a GPU requires a PCIe 2.0 x16 or PCIe 2.0 or PCIe 2.1, will the card work on my PCIe x16?  Yes.  The video cards are backwards compatible with earlier versions.The only other thing to consider is that the XPS 8000 is a relatively small case with little ventilation and air flow.  Therefore, putting in a high-end graphics card that generates a lot of heat could cause some problems.  Look for ones that exhaust heat out the back versus keeping it inside.  The GTX 460s run much cooler than the GTX 465s, 470s and 480s for example.   The prices on the GTX 460s have been coming down and based on their performance for the cost, they are a good buy.  They are also small and will fit in your case.   If none of those cards work, what is your recommend for a GPU that has a similar performance like those cards and ofcourse fits inside my XPS?
  • Dell Dimension 4600, P4 2.66 GHZ, 320GB SATA HD, Nvidia 6200, Vista Home Premium 32-bit
  • Dell Optiplex GX280, P4 3.2 GHZ, 80GB SATA HD, Windows XP 32-bit
  • Dell Inspiron 530, Q6600 Quad, 500GB HD, Vista Home Premium 32-bit
  • Custom Build, Q6600 Quad, (2) 500GB SATA HDs, 4GB Ram, EVGA GTX 260 Core 216 SC, Corsair 650TX PSU, DVD RW, DVD Blu-ray, Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit”

How to do Dell Studio XPS 8000 SSD or memory upgrade? 

According to Dell Community –

“buy  used 3020 OptiPlex , for a fraction of that. used..  (seems you forgot memory for the new mobo?)

upgrade it with SSD and it runs very well.

Got mine for $50 no hdd (perfect) and added  new SSD,

I guess you are asking , how to just recycle the old case and all new mobo?

the used market in USA is GLUT status. huge numbers for sale, and many are prime grade.

or a Dell  Dell Optiplex 7050 MT used? 

here are some other good used dells , my list.

buy 4 digit dell.  (intel gen)

3040 is gen 6 CPU and very expensive, Gen 4 are vastly more affordable

But the 3030 with Gen 6 CPU and w10 loaded can be had for $250 rebuilt.
7020  gen 4 or far better the 7050

9020 gen 4
9030 gen 4.
XE2 and 3 (gen4)
or any series 5 Optiplex on up, is even better)  year 2014 made or newer.

Editor’s recommendations