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65855
January 2nd, 2015 04:00
Dell N5030 Bios Support for VT-X
Dear friends,
I've been given a Dell N5030 (T4500, 2x2GB RAM) which suffered a hard fall and broke its screen.
I am trying to decide what to do with it based on the upgrade posibilities:
1. To repair it ordering a compatible third party screen. I would never consider owning a laptop with 1366x768 resolution and from what I can see this laptop was only available in this resolution. If anyone is aware of a compatible LCD screen with better resolution than 1366x768 which can be retrofitted in N5030, I would be grateful to know.
2.If no screenof better resolution can be installed, I plan to make from it a small headless server. Here I have another question:There are reports that better CPUs can be installed than the T4500, such as T9500 or T9300. I'm looking forward to use Virtualization software (KVM) on it and this requires VT-x which is not available on T4500. So:
- Can a T9300 be installed and work on N5030 ? If not, maybe another CPU with VT-x support ?
- If a CPU with VT-x support can be installed, will the BIOS support VT-x ? Normally VT-x needs to be enabled in Bios too but I could not see any such option in the N5030 Bios, though I have not yet installed the latest available. I am concerned that the Bios has the VT-x support disabled and installing a CPU with VT-x support (if the CPU will work at all) will not bring me virtualization support.
-How much RAM can be installed. Certain datasheets I saw mention 6GB (an odd amount, but it matches my Wife's Inspiron 1720, also with max. 6GB). But there are people reporting to have installed 8GB and working.
ejn63
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87.5K Posts
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January 2nd, 2015 05:00
You are limited to screens Dell shipped - don't just buy on resolution. If you choose a higher resolution screen, you will also need to change the display (LVDS) cable.
You must leave a screen attached or the system won't pass POST (even if it's the faulty one) when you turn it on).
As for VT-X, the option shows up in BIOS setup (yes the system supports it) only when a VT-x capable CPU is installed (the T4500 does not support VT-x so you won't see the option now). The T9300 should work in this system.
The system supports up to 8G of RAM.
zita212
9 Posts
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January 2nd, 2015 05:00
Thanks a lot ejn63 for your comprehensive answer. Not often I'm getting such clear and complete answers.
It will become a server then.
It's a bit of a bummer that it will not pass POST with the (broken) screen detached since I was hoping to do just that, but you can't check the mouth of a gift horse...
zita212
9 Posts
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January 4th, 2015 16:00
One more question: Would a P series CPU also work in N5030 (such as P9600?) It seems to have performance close to T9500 but with considerable less power consumption.