Dell XPS 8930: At First Glance
The Dell XPS lineup is prominent not just as laptops but also as desktops. They are built with performance delivery as their core value hence the acronym XPS which stands for extreme performance system.
The XPS model I’m reviewing here is the 2017 release of the XPS desktop line ups – the Dell XPS 8930. At the time we published this review in September 2021, the Dell XPS 8930 cost $968.00.
Having dug a bit into the Dell XPS background and an insight into what to expect from this desktop. Let’s proceed to check if the Dell XPS 8930 truly delivers an extreme performance as the family name suggests.
Dell XPS 8930: Design, Dimension & Weight
The Dell XPS 8930 is a subtle-looking desktop made from an all-black plastic chassis. The chassis is made from a solid plastic that doesn’t flex and it looks sophisticated with a matte and glossy finish.
The glossy front chassis is simple and chic, featuring some ports and logos. Specifically, the top row of the front chassis has the power button, an SDcard slot, and a headphone jack.
That isn’t all, there is also a USB 3.1 Type-C port and three USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports. Meanwhile, below the row of ports, there is an optical drive useful for playing CD and DVD media.
Another notable feature of the front chassis is the round white Dell logo placed somewhere close to the center of the case. At the bottom left edge too, there is an XPS insignia.
Moving on to the back of the box, it is characterized by more ports and a lot of ventilation openings. Dell has sectioned the entire back chassis into four.
The first section occupies the top-left region of the entire back panel. This section houses most ports found on this computer as well as a few ventilation openings.
Speaking of the ports, firstly there’s a row that’s made of two USB 2.0 ports and a Gigabit Ethernet port. Below these ports, there is a column that comprises a Displayport, HDMI connector, and a USB 3.1 Type-C port.
Further below, you will find a row of USB ports that comprises 3 USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports and a USB 3.1 Gen 2 port. The last thing in this section is the chassis lock used for preventing unauthorized access to the internal component of the computer.
Moving on to the second section occupying the top-right region, this section is mostly occupied by ventilation openings. However, there’s a slide door latch by its top and an AC adapter by the bottom of the section.
The third section occupies the bottom left region of the entire back chassis. It is also dominated by ventilation openings but not just that, there are four expansion slots by the side.
Finally, the fourth section occupies the bottom right of the back chassis. Aside from few ventilation openings on this section, there is also another chassis lock.
From what you can see from the above description, the Dell XPS 8930 has a respectable selection of ports. This implies that you are most likely never going to run out of ports.
Overall, there are 11 USB ports in total on the Dell XPS 8930.
Moving on to the size and weight, the Dell XPS 8930 is made of a full-sized desktop form factor. It is not as portable as small form factors however, it is not overly large either.
Specifically, the Dell XPS 8930 measures 180 x 356 x 389 mm and weighs 10,000 g.
Comparatively, the Velocity Micro Raptor has a larger form factor but it is lighter. Specifically, the Velocity Micro Raptor measures 184 x 521 x 446 mm and weighs 8164g
Also, the Maingear Vybe has a larger footprint than the Dell XPS 8930, it is also heavier. Specifically, the Maingear Vybe measures 210 x 506 x 439 mm and weighs 1,0251 g.
In summary, the Dell XPS 8930 is a subtle-looking desktop but it still manages to look nice and compact. Also, there are plenty of ports to plug your peripherals.
In terms of the essential components, the Dell XPS ships with a mouse and a keyboard but you need to purchase a monitor separately.
Finally, I’ll rate the Dell XPS 8930 a nine out of ten in this aspect.
Dell XPS 8930: Processor (CPU) Performance
The most significant update of the Dell XPS 8930 is its Intel coffee lake 8th Gen processor. Specifically, the Dell XPS 8930 is powered by a 6 cores Intel core i7-8700K processor with a cache memory of 12 MB.
Also, this processor has a base frequency of 3.70 GHz and an overclocking frequency of 4.70 GHz. To check how this processor performed under extensive load, I carried out a Cinebench 11.5 benchmark.
Cinebench 11.5 is a cross-platform benchmark tool by MAXON, it is used to evaluate a PC’s processor performance.
From the test result, the Dell XPS 8930 recorded a single-thread score of 2.08 points and a multi-thread score of 15.03 points. Comparing its performance with its competitors in the performance chart, the Dell XPS 8930 bagged a second position.
Specifically, the Dell 8930 came second just behind the Maingear Rush Superstock X99. The Maingear Rush scored 1.99 points and 19.33 points in the single and multi-thread test respectively.
The Maingear was running on a Core i7-5960X processor which can be overclocked at 4.5 GHz. It has a lower overclocking speed compared to the Dell XPS 8930 but surprisingly delivered better juice.
On the other hand, the Dell 8930’s performance was higher up in the chart than that of the Xotic PC Executioner Stage 4. The Xotic PC also runs a 5th Gen Core i7-5960X processor and it scored 1.56 and 14.9 points respectively.
In summary, the Dell XPS 8930 performed well in the benchmark test by easily securing a second position for itself. However, I expected that the 8th Gen processor of the Dell XPS 8930 will significantly outperform its older Gen counterparts.
Surprisingly, the 5th Gen processor of the Maingear Rush proved to be a strong competitor to the 8th Gen of the Dell XPS 8930.
All things considered, I will rate the processor performance of the Dell XPS 8930 an eight.
Dell XPS 8930: Memory (RAM) Performance
In terms of RAM, the Dell 8930 has four UDIMM slots. Occupying the four slots are 2400 MHz or 2666 MHz DDR4 RAM with a maximum total capacity of up to 64 GB.
My review unit shipped with 16 GB of memory, just two slots occupied by 8 GB each. If there was a need to upgrade my review unit, I can add more RAM to the empty slots to make a total of 64 GB or simply increase the capacity on the current slot.
However, the 16 GB on my review unit was sufficient hence there was no compelling reason to upgrade it. With 16 GB of RAM, the Dell XPS 8930 unit I reviewed was quite the multitasker.
As evidence of this, the computer underwent some series of rigorous multitasking and seemed unbothered to a notable point. Aside from the multitasking test, I used the PCMark 8 benchmark as well.
PCMark 8 is a benchmark tool for evaluating the overall system performance of a computer.
Consequently, the Dell XPS 8930 scored 5378 points, maintaining the third position in the performance chart. The Dell XPS 8930 comes immediately after the Maingear Rush which scored 5700 points.
On the other hand, the Dell XPS 8930 sits above the Lenovo Ideacentre Y710 Cube in the performance chart. Specifically, the Lenovo Ideacentre scored 5,183 points in the same test.
In summary, the Dell XPS 8930 is among the top performers in the performance chart. Specifically, it sits pretty at the third position.
In light of this, I will rate the RAM performance of the Dell XPS 8930 an eight.
Dell XPS 8930: Storage Options & Performance
The Dell XPS 8930 has enough options for storage expansion. It has two storage drives, a SATA drive and an M.2 PCIe NVMe slot.
The SATA drive uses a 7200 RPM HDD up to a capacity of 4 TB. On the other hand, the M.2 PCIe slot is occupied by an SSD up to 1 TB.
Both storage options will do their job well. The SSD will deliver a fast storage option particularly for loading the OS. Meanwhile, the HDD will deliver a slower but more generous storage space for storing files, music, videos, and photos.
My review unit shipped with the base storage configuration with a 256 GB SSD and a 1 TB HDD. If the base storage configuration is insufficient for you, feel free to buy a higher storage configuration which of course attracts a higher price.
The good news is that if further down the line, you decide you need more storage space, you can easily upgrade it. However, the storage space on my review unit was sufficient and it served its purpose.
As a basis for evaluating the storage drive’s performance, I used the CrystalDiskMark benchmark test. CrystalDiskMark is a benchmark test for determining how fast a storage drive can read and write data.
Based on the result of the benchmark test, the Dell XPS 8930 recorded a sequential read speed of 3341.8 MBps and a sequential write speed of 1925.2 MBps. The Dell XPS 8930 recorded a faster read and write speed than the Lenovo Y710 Cube.
The Lenovo Y710 Cube recorded a sequential read speed of 2,571 MBps and a sequential write speed of 2,465 MBps.
Furthermore, the Dell XPS 8930 also has a 3-in-1 card for easy storage expansion. This is useful if you need to add additional storage without upgrading the internal storage of the computer.
In conclusion, due to the fast read and write speeds recorded by the Dell XPS 8930 in the benchmark test, I will rate it a seven in this aspect.
Dell XPS 8930: Graphics Card Performance
Like its storage, the Dell XPS 8930 has a broad choice of graphics options. There is an integrated Intel UHD Graphics,
There are also dedicated graphics options like the AMD Radeon RX 580 or NVIDIA GTX 1060 up to NVIDIA GTX 1080. The model I reviewed shipped with an NVIDIA GTX 1070 GPU.
As a basis for benchmarking the graphics performance, I used the 3DMark test. A 3DMark benchmark test is used to evaluate the 3D rendering capabilities of graphic cards.
Based on the test result, the Dell XPS 8830 scored 7,935 points.
Comparatively, the Dell XPS 8930 performed below the likes of Lenovo Ideacentre Y710 Cube and the CyberPower Trinity Extreme. Specifically, the Lenovo Ideacentre runs on an NVIDIA GTX 1070 GPU as well, while the CyberPower runs on an NVIDIA GTX Titan X GPU.
Consequently, the Lenovo Ideacentre Y710 Cube scored 7,941 points. Meanwhile, the CyberPower Trinity Extreme scored 8,308 points in the same test.
In contrast, the Dell XPS 8930 performed better than the likes of the Digital Storm Bolt 3 and the iBuypower Revolt 2. The Digital Storm Bolt and the iBuypower Revolt both run on an NVIDIA GTX 980 Ti GPU.
Consequently, the Digital Storm Bolt 3 scored 7,727 in the 3DMark test. Likewise, the iBuypower Revolt 2 scored 7,613 points.
Moving on to the gaming expectations and performance, the Dell XPS 8930 is not marketed as a core gaming desktop. It is targeted towards entry-level gaming and it delivered just that.
Practically, the Dell XPS 8930 I tested played Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor. At high quality preset and resolution of 1080p, the game ran at an average frame rate of 146.93 fps.
Also, at a resolution of 1440p, the game played at an average frame rate of 97.69 fps. Finally, at a resolution of 2160p the game played at an average frame rate of 55.13 fps.
In conclusion, the Dell XPS has proven to play games and deliver acceptable results even at maximum settings. The performance of the desktop from the benchmark is not the best but it is good enough.
Hence, I will rate the graphics performance of the Dell XPS 8930 a seven.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Dell XPS 8930 is a virtual-reality-capable computer. It meets the basic requirements for VR support. Speaking of which, Its processor is powerful enough to support VR so does its graphics. Also, The minimum RAM requirement is 8 GB and once again the Dell XPS 8930 meets that. Finally, there have to be enough USB ports for connecting the VR glasses as well and a DisplayPort for video output – this Dell desktop meets these as well.
The Dell XPS 8930 was not specifically marketed as a gaming laptop but as a general-purpose computer that can play games and perform other tasks satisfactorily. In the gaming test I performed, the Dell XPS 8930 played Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor at resolutions 1080p, 1440p, and 2160p. Consequently, the Dell XPS 8930 recorded 146.93, 97.69, and 55.13 fps respectively at those resolutions.
The Dell XPS 8930 is a future-proof computer because it can be easily upgraded when there is a need for that now or in the future. For instance, the Dell XPS 8930 has four UDIMM slots that can be used to upgrade the RAM capacity up to 64 GB. Additionally, for storage, there is a SATA drive for HDDs up to 4 TB. There is also an M.2 PCIe NVMe slot for SSDs up to 1 TB. Finally, you can also upgrade the GPU up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080.
The Dell XPS 8930 is a good general-purpose computer. It has a powerful 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8700K processor that is capable of sufficiently performing every task you throw at it. Additionally, the Dell XPS 8930 supports up to 64 GB of RAM for heavy multitasking. There is also a generous amount of storage space for storing your files, photos, and videos. Finally, there are different graphics configurations you can choose from based on your graphical needs.
There is numerous amount of USB ports on the Dell XPS 8930. Specifically, there are two USB 2.0 ports, six USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, and one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port. Additionally, there is one USB 3.1 Gen 2 port, and one USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port. Altogether, there are 11 USB ports on the Dell XPS 8930.
Conclusion
The Dell XPS 8930 is a good general-purpose computer for productivity, gaming, editing tasks. It might not deliver exceptional results in these areas as well but it delivers a satisfactory overall performance.
Moreover, you can easily customize your Dell XPS 8930 with the right amount of specs you need even before you buy it. There’s also plenty of room to buff up your specs down the road.
Additionally, it has enough selection of ports and it is quite compact for a desktop computer. However, its loud fans can get really distracting but that shouldn’t be a deal-breaker.
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