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Upgrade on Dell Inspiron 9400 laptop
Dear people,
The first time I tried to upgrade a dell machine has worked out great, therefor i would like to upgrade my dad's old laptop.
It is a Inspiron 9400 which currently runs a intel core solo t1300 with 512 megabytes of ram.
I'd like to upgrade the ram to 2 gigabytes (this would be the maximum) and the cpu to the best one that is possible for my machine but I'm not sure what the best cpu I could run is.
So what is the best cpu I could run on this machine?
If there is anything else I could do to speed up or get a better performance out of my machine, please tell me.
Regards,
MrTheFastFender
(Maybe this question about this particular machine has already been asked, but I'm not quite sure if there are any major differences in 9400's other than cpu. I found other 9400's that use 4 or 3 gigs of RAM which would be impossible (according to the internet) because of the chipset so that's why I'm asking it anyway)
MrTheFastFender
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January 15th, 2014 12:00
OS isn't a problem since i'm a linux user and parts are very cheap on the secondhand market here in Holland.
i can get a cpu and some ram for €20 which would be equal to $20 and i think it would be worth the upgrade.
ejn63
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January 15th, 2014 12:00
The Core 2 Duo T7200, T7400 and T7600 will all work. Nothing newer though.
If you really have to buy a CPU and the obsolete RAM this system uses, you may find it costs too much - the whole system is likely worth less than $150 on the used market. Unless you have a source of inexpensive parts, it's not worth it - you just won't see the return on what you spend (particularly if you factor in buying an OS upgrade, as it will need one if it's running XP - which goes dark in just under three months).
kirkd
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January 15th, 2014 19:00
Check the Dell Support site for the manuals for the 9400 (E1705 also) for what processors were used in these machines. Core Duos, like the 7200, were also used. Depending on the age of the 9400, you might be able to use 4 GB RAM. The later versions are able to use this much.
Philip_Yip
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January 15th, 2014 23:00
The Processor T7200:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Intel-Core-2-Duo-Mobile-T7200-SKT-M-2-00-4M-667-SL9SF-/290922996206?pt=UK_Computing_CPUs_Processors&hash=item43bc5ca1ee
The T7400 and T7600 are a bit more expensive.
You may install 4 GB of RAM however the Chipset limits the usable RAM to 3.25 GB. It is worth upgrading to 4 GB to get 3.25 GB if you get the parts for cheap on the second hand market.
Crucial RAM is preferred as it usually has better compatibility with Dell systems:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_odkw=DDR2+PC2-5300+crucial&_dcat=170083&_osacat=0&_from=R40&Form%2520Factor=DIMM%2520200%252Dpin&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.XDDR2+PC2-5300+crucial+4+gb&_nkw=DDR2+PC2-5300+crucial+4+gb&_sacat=0
ejn63
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June 5th, 2014 10:00
You'll never see the performance boost an SSD could provide because of the SATA controller in the system - yes, it will be faster, but you'll never see anything like what the SSD is capable of.
The RAM upgrade is a dead end -- and though the system may work with 4G, the official limit is 2.
Put the cost of the SSD + RAM + 8.1 license toward a new system. This one isn't worth much - certainly less than the cost of the upgrades together.
ski7fer
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June 5th, 2014 10:00
Hi
I have a Dell Inspiron 9400 Intel Core 2CPU T7200 @ 2GHz 998MHz, 2 GB of RAM. NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS and are running XP.
I’m considering replacing the HDD with a SSD and upgrade to 4 GB RAM and Windows 8.1.... if I get the RAM parts for cheap ....
The closest I can find is this one , http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-4GB-2X2GB-PC2-5300-DDR2-667MHz-PC5300-200pin-Laptop-Memory-Ram-NON-ECC-/360842328673?pt=UK_Computing_ComputerComponents_MemoryRAM_JN&hash=item5403e0fa61#ht_4086wt_1107
However it's not Crucial RAM ... so I don't know if it will work..... anybody got any suggestions / experience nout using Crucial ?
Philip_Yip
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June 5th, 2014 11:00