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25152
July 27th, 2008 19:00
Inspirion E1705 GPU and CPU Upgradability
Ok, so I have the Inspirion E1705 that is about a year or two old(not sure when I got it as a gift). Anyways, I have looked into upgrading the CPU and GPU for awhile now and the options look to be limited. Mine came with the ATi Radeon x1400 256mb GPU and Intel Core Duo T2300 1.66GHz CPU.
What I want to do is max out both the CPU and GPU to the highest possible. I don't want to buy a new laptop right now because I do not have 3,000-4,000 dollars for a brand new laptop and if I'm buying a new laptop I'm going alienware and nothing less.
I already upgraded the RAM to 2GB from the measly 512MB that came with it. I was also thinking about going from 2GB to 4GB now, but will the OS recognize the 4GB if I buy 2x 2GB sticks?
As for GPU, I found a write-up on upgrading to the Nvidia Geforce Go 7900 GTX, but I wanted to know if this is the best I could get or if there was an even better video card out there thatss is possible to put into the E1705?
As for the CPU, I was looking into the Intel Core 2 Duo T7400 2.16GHz processor because it has the same Socket M that the E1705 has within it. I spoke to a Dell representative and he was saying I can't upgrade to a Core 2 Duo, but I don't see why not since the Socket is the same. I also know that wqith changing the CPU I would have to reflash the BIOS and thats where my knowledge ends on that.
So basically I want to upgrade the RAM, CPU, and GPU to the absolute maximum that the computer will be able to handle without having to change the mobo, but changing the mobo is not out of the question I would just like to avoid doing that.
FYI: My warranty is already expired so there is no need to worry about that and even if it wasn't I already spray painted it black cause I hated the silver so it would have been voided anyway.
EDIT: I just saw that there was an Upgrade Hardware Forum I could have put this in so if any mods can move this there than that would be great. I put it here because I was only going to ask about the GPU part but while I was at it I thought I should just make it a three-part question since I want to upgrade all three areas of my laptop.
ejn63
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87.5K Posts
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July 27th, 2008 19:00
Even with a 64-bit OS, no, you won't see 4G. The chipset on the mainboard is too old and does not support memory remapping - the limit is a hardware one, not an operating system limit.
Bear in mind that to use that video card, you must also upgrade to the larger XPS M1710 battery and the 130W power supply from that model - you cannot run it on the power supply and battery from the 9400/E1705.
ejn63
9 Legend
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87.5K Posts
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July 27th, 2008 19:00
Video max without chassis surgery: nVidia 7900GS; these are expensive and seem to fail readily, so I'd seriously consider not bothering.
CPU: Socket M Core 2 Duo -- max T7600. The T7400 and T7200 will also work. NOT SUPPORTED: Socket P CPUs - all those T7x00 with x greater than 6, or an odd number - i.e., T7100, T7300, T7700, etc., plus the T8x00, T9x00 and X9x00 CPUs. Some Core 2 CPUs below the T7xxx range are also socket P and WILL NOT work.
RAM max officially 2G; some say 4G works - but it's not guaranteed. A 32-bit OS will see about 3.25 G.
Rukushin
3 Posts
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July 27th, 2008 19:00
Ok, yeah I've seen the 7900GS but it's worthless in my opinion cause they seem to be going for an average price of $350 and I've already found a 512MB 7900GTX for $325. I know about the chassis surgery cause of the dual heatpipes and honestly it doesn't look like a difficult job at all.
T7600 is also worthless imo especially with a ~$600 pricetag when the T7400 is ~$320. You answered my question on this one though so now I know I can go ahead and upgrade to a Core 2 Duo even though my system only came with a Core Duo.
As for the RAM I'm just going to go for it anyway since I found a deal of 2x 2GB sticks for ~$75 which seems like more of a steal than a deal to me. You also mention that a 32-bit OS will see 3.25GB, so if I upgrade to 64-bit OS it will see the entire 4GB?
Rukushin
3 Posts
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July 27th, 2008 19:00
mwitters
37 Posts
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July 28th, 2008 22:00
Whoever told you 7900gs was the max for your laptop that's false, if you got a 17 inch you can put in a 7900gtx 512mb, 7950 gtx 512mb, quadro fx2500, quadro fx3500 (essentiall the same as a 7900 and 7950 gtx 512mb. some come in 256mb varieties but you def want to go with 512.) You can find these better cards on ebay. Any of the 4 cards listed above are MUCH faster than the 7900gs 256. They are apples and oranges. For instance I could barely run COD4 with the 7900gs 256 but with the Quadro FX2500 512mb (7900GTX 512mb) I can run it smooth as silk no problem. And almost any other game.
I put a quadro FX2500 in my e1705 after my 7900gs 256 failed right after my warranty due to dell's improper design. They refused to replace the card even thought with normal use the cards run at redicuilous temps hence shortening the life of the cards by a HUGE amount, bu hey... we only paid $2000 for the laptop... why would we expect our laptops to work for more than a year right? I should have bought a warranty if I wanted to be protected from factory defects...
Dell does not care about their customers. Period. Money is all that matters to them.
Anways, you can make a tiny notch in a small interior tab of plastic inside the laptop and you can fit the better video cards in there. You can't see it from the outside its just a small peice of plastic in the inside. It's beyond easy, a money could do it. 2 tiny snips with some scissors and it's done. There's a fantastic guide to upgrading your GPU (also shows all the steps to getting to your CPU) at this link, it's the best guide, very very good.
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Case-Study-Replacing-the-Video-Card-of-a-Dell-Inspiron-E1705-9400.4187.0.html
Also, you can use the e1705/9400 battery and power adapter. I would recommend getting one of the better ones though. Up[grade both your battery and power adapter. The old ones work but there may be issues.
BanditKoval
1 Message
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April 14th, 2014 20:00
i have a e1705... with a 2.0hz, 4gb ram and quadro fx1600m (like ageforce 8700m) so yeah... these laptops run fine had it for a while