Dell XPS 8950 upgrades
Released 2021 · on sale
No soldered memory (all RAM socketed) and the CPU is socketed/upgradable. The 3rd M.2 2230 slot is occupied by the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth card and cannot be used for storage. PSU varies by config (460 W or 750 W) — confirm on your service tag before GPU or CPU upgrades. Model is end-of-life, so buy used/refurbished and keep original parts for RMA.
Upgrade guide → What fits, step by step, and official documents.
- 4× DDR5 UDIMM (288-pin desktop DIMM): 4 × DDR5 DIMM · up to 128 GB total · 4400 MT/s
- 2× M.2 2230/2280 NVMe + 2× 3.5" SATA bays: 4 × SSD / HDD M.2 2230 / M.2 2280 / 3.5" (NVMe / SATA) · up to 8 TB
- LGA 1700 (Intel Z690) — 12th Gen Core: LGA1700 · Core 12th gen · max 125 W
Slot map
4× DDR5 UDIMM (288-pin desktop DIMM) 4 × DDR5 DIMM · up to 128 GB total · 4400 MT/s
DDR5 UDIMM only — DDR4 physically will not work. Speeds fall as slots fill: 2 DIMMs 4400 MT/s, 4×16 GB 4000, 4×32 GB 3600. 4800 MT/s appears in Dell's memory table and Costco's sheet but not in Dell's certified configs; BIOS has no XMP so faster modules run at JEDEC. Buy matched kits for the locked OEM BIOS. No ECC/registered support (consumer platform).
| $/GB | Price | Capacity | Product | Condition | Store | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $11.25 | $180.00 | 16 GB | Crucial 16 GB (1×16 GB) DDR5-4800 UDIMM (desktop) runs at 4400 MT/s DDR5-4800 CL40 DIMM | Used | eBay US +1 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $11.87 | $379.99 | 32 GB | Crucial 32 GB (1 x 32 GB) DDR5-4800 UDIMM runs at 4400 MT/s DDR5-4800 CL40 DIMM | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $12.19 | $389.99 | 2 × 16 GB | Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-4800 CL40 UDIMM Kit runs at 4400 MT/s DDR5-4800 CL40 DIMM | Used | eBay US +1 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $12.61 | $201.72 | 16 GB | Kingston ValueRAM 16 GB (1×16 GB) DDR5-4800 DIMM runs at 4400 MT/s DDR5-4800 CL40 DIMM | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $12.69 | $405.98 | 2 × 16 GB | Corsair Vengeance SODIMM 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-4800 CL40 Kit runs at 4400 MT/s DDR5-4800 CL40 DIMM | Used | eBay US | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $14.06 | $450.00 | 32 GB | Crucial 32 GB (1 x 32 GB) DDR5-4800 UDIMM runs at 4400 MT/s DDR5-4800 CL40 DIMM | New | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $15.16 | $485.00 | 2 × 16 GB | Crucial 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-4800 UDIMM Kit runs at 4400 MT/s DDR5-4800 CL40 DIMM | New | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $15.59 | $498.98 | 2 × 16 GB | Kingston FURY Beast 32GB Kit (2 × 16GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 runs at 4400 MT/s DDR5-6000 CL30 DIMM | New | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $17.83 | $570.64 | 2 × 16 GB | Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-4800 CL40 UDIMM Kit runs at 4400 MT/s DDR5-4800 CL40 DIMM | New | eBay US | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $18.37 | $293.99 | 16 GB | Kingston ValueRAM 16 GB (1×16 GB) DDR5-4800 DIMM runs at 4400 MT/s DDR5-4800 CL40 DIMM | New | eBay US | View deal Amazon Price alert |
All compatible memory with filters → · Compare prices: DDR5 desktop RAM (DIMM)
2× M.2 2230/2280 NVMe + 2× 3.5" SATA bays 4 × SSD / HDD M.2 2230 / M.2 2280 / 3.5" (NVMe / SATA) · up to 8 TB
Both M.2 slots are NVMe-only (no M.2 SATA, mSATA unsupported); a third 2230 slot is occupied by the Wi-Fi card. 2280 runs Gen4 x4, 2230 Gen3 or Gen4. 2.5" SSDs need a caddy — no 2.5" bay. One of 4 SATA ports is shared with the optical bay. Dell certifies 2 TB per drive, 8 TB total; larger third-party 3.5" drives generally work.
| $/TB | Price | Capacity | Product | Condition | Store | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $14.00 | $14.00 | 1 TB | WD Blue Desktop 1 TB 3.5" SATA HDD 3.5" HDD · SATA · 7200 rpm | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $18.00 | $18.00 | 1 TB | BarraCuda 1 TB 3.5" HDD · SATA · 7200 rpm | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $28.27 | $226.19 | 8 TB | Seagate IronWolf 8TB 3.5" NAS HDD 3.5" HDD · SATA · 7200 rpm | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $34.38 | $275.00 | 8 TB | WD Red Pro 8TB NAS HDD 3.5" HDD · SATA · 7200 rpm | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $35.00 | $279.99 | 8 TB | Seagate IronWolf 8TB 3.5" NAS HDD 3.5" HDD · SATA · 7200 rpm | New | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $38.00 | $151.99 | 4 TB | WD Black 4TB Performance Desktop SATA HDD 3.5" HDD · SATA | Used | eBay US | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $39.37 | $314.99 | 8 TB | WD Red Plus 8TB 3.5" NAS HDD 3.5" HDD · SATA · 5640 rpm | New | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $40.00 | $40.00 | 1 TB | WD Red NAS 1 TB 3.5" SATA HDD (CMR) 3.5" HDD · SATA | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $40.39 | $161.57 | 4 TB | Seagate IronWolf 4TB 3.5" NAS HDD 3.5" HDD · SATA · 5400 rpm | New | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $43.03 | $172.12 | 4 TB | Seagate IronWolf 4TB 3.5" NAS HDD 3.5" HDD · SATA · 5400 rpm | Used | eBay US +1 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
All compatible storage with filters → · Compare prices: NVMe M.2 2280 SSD, NVMe M.2 2230 SSD, 3.5" hard drive
LGA 1700 (Intel Z690) — 12th Gen Core LGA1700 · Core 12th gen · max 125 W
Dell validated 12th Gen Alder Lake only (i3-12100 to i9-12900KF): 13th/14th Gen Core physically fit LGA1700 but Dell never supported them — do not count on BIOS/microcode updates. 125 W K-series CPUs require the high-capacity heatsink or 120 mm liquid cooler and the 750 W PSU; 65 W non-K use the standard cooler.
| Price | Cores | Product | Condition | Store | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $97.88 | 4 cores / 8 threads | Intel Core i3-12100F LGA1700 · 3.3–4.3 GHz · 58 W · cooler included | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $103.99 | 4 cores / 8 threads | Intel Core i3-12100F LGA1700 · 3.3–4.3 GHz · 58 W · cooler included | New | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $119.89 | 6 cores / 12 threads | Intel Core i5-12400F LGA1700 · 2.5–4.4 GHz · 65 W · cooler included | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $129.97 | 4 cores / 8 threads | Intel Core i3-12100F LGA1700 · 3.3–4.3 GHz · 58 W · cooler included | Refurbished | eBay US | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $142.99 | 6 cores / 12 threads | Intel Core i5-12500 LGA1700 · 3.0–4.6 GHz · 65 W · iGPU · cooler included | Used | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
| $145.00 | 6 cores / 12 threads | Intel Core i5-12400F LGA1700 · 2.5–4.4 GHz · 65 W · cooler included | New | eBay US +2 | View deal Amazon Price alert |
All compatible storage with filters → · Compare prices: LGA1700 processors