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22327
October 9th, 2009 23:00
Studio XPS 16 Motherboard and CPU
Hello,
I purchased my Studio XPS 1640 when the laptop first became available. It has the highest processor that was available at the time, the Core 2 Duo P8700, and has DDR3 1066 RAM with the 512MB RADEON HD 3670 graphics card.
I notice that the model now can be configured with up to the Core i7 820QM processor and DDR3 1333 RAM. Will both of these work in my machine or would they require a new motherboard?
If they do require a new motherboard, what is the Dell P/N of the newer motherboard? AND is it interchangeable with the one that I currently have (i.e. the case is the same, etc)? Also, if the motherboard was upgraded (to also include the X-Fi sound and RADEON HD 4670 1GB), could the current Core 2 Duo processor and 1066 DDR3 RAM be used and then the CPU and RAM be upgraded later?
Thanks in advance for the help.
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ejn63
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October 10th, 2009 04:00
The newer i7 CPUs require a totally different mainboard, chipset and use a new socket type with 988 pins. You can't use them on any older boards.
I doubt anyone - not even Dell - will sell you a board and CPU - but given the cost of the CPUs (in single units, well over $500US, plus the cost of a board ($500+) you'd be better off selling your current system and buying a new one. Even if you could retrofit the board, you'd lose your system warranty and get a 90-day parts-only CPU and board warranty.
Because there are large inventories of unsold systems with the older chips still out there, Intel is slowly rolling out the i7 - at the request of the system manufacturers, they've not yet fully ramped production of the new CPUs.
chapmanjw
106 Posts
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October 14th, 2009 08:00
Even so, I would still like to know if the new motherboard will fit in the older case. Also, I would like the part numbers for both the motherboard (i7, RADEON 1GB, X-Fi) and the 820QM CPU.
My 1 year warranty will probably be nearly over once I were to actually order these parts anyway.
chapmanjw
106 Posts
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October 14th, 2009 09:00
Also, with the current motherboard with the Core 2 Duo socket, what is the highest processor that will work with the machine? And can it utilize DDR3 1333?
Thanks
chapmanjw
106 Posts
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October 14th, 2009 09:00
Ok, so I think I have answered my own questions on these ones:
1. The PM45 chipset only supports 1066 FSB, so RAM at 1333 would be running at 1066
2. On the Dell configuration for a new system, the highest processor available is the T9900 (3.06 GHz).
3. According to the Intel website, the chipset will also support the X9100 (3.06 GHz Extreme Edition).
So, at this point the only question I have is will the motherboard have any issues with the X9100 processor?
Thanks
jn3al
4 Posts
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May 15th, 2010 15:00
I am wondering the same thing too, I don't want to spend $300+ for a processor that will not work. Someone must know the answer to this.