Does the XPS 8500 support dual-gpu's?

[JasonCoates]

Hello, I recently ordered an XPS 8500 with an AMD 7770 graphics card. It's due to arrive tomorrow. Now I realize that this desktop's power supply (460w) only has enough wattage to support one of these graphics cards at a time, but I was wondering if I ended up wanting extra performance in the future, if I could upgrade my power supply to something more suitable then add in another AMD 7770. Does the XPS 8500 support me hooking up multiple gpus? I'm not sure because I've been told the case is fairly small, and I haven't heard of people using more than one gpu with it.

Thanks for your time

Jason Coates

 

[PP Mguire]

It doesn't because you only have one PCI-E slot. For similar money you could get a 660 which is faster than a 7770. Or whatever the 200 dollar midrange best is when you need more power.

 

[JasonCoates]

I don't understand. The XPS 8500 doesn't have only one pci-e slot. Are you talking about the 7770? I'm sorry, I'm not the most educated when it comes to computer hardware.

 

[PP Mguire]

The motherboard inside your computer only has one PCI-E slot that is occupied by your 7770. You need a second PCI-E slot on your motherboard in order to use a second 7770 for Crossfire.
My recommendation was if you wanted to buy a better card sometime soon then a single 660 would be better for the money than buying a second card and PSU.

 

[JasonCoates]

So if I were to take apart the pc, and get a new motherboard with more PCI-E ports, I'd be able to do crossfire?

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

Don't bother gutting a machine you just ordered...

Honestly, if you need more performance than a 7770 in the future, you would be better off to buy a newer more powerful GPU in the future with a PSU upgrade that is compatible with your system.

 

[PP Mguire]

So if I were to take apart the pc, and get a new motherboard with more PCI-E ports, I'd be able to do crossfire?

Don't bother gutting a machine you just ordered...

Honestly, if you need more performance than a 7770 in the future, you would be better off to buy a newer more powerful GPU in the future with a PSU upgrade that is compatible with your system.

I'm with this. If you just got this machine and are willing to do all this, then why buy a pre-built to begin with?

 

[JasonCoates]

I wasn't planning on doing this for quite awhile. Though, what you say does make sense. When I upgrade in around 2 years time, I'll probably just end up buying one high performance gpu to replace the 7770. I really do appreciate your help. Thanks for that.