Upgrading Processor in Dell Studio 1745 (Core 2 to i5)

"At $70 I could have had this build at an i7 and still only been at $453.00. Also, if the motherboard supports Raid 0 for the SATA ports, I'd like to add a mPCIe 256GB SSD for $150~ and use that for the OS and RAID 0 the 2x 1TB drives."

The system has no RAID support at all - nor will it take an mSATA drive (yes, mSATA drives are physically the same as mini-PCIe, but the electrical connection is very different, and your system pre-dates mSATA by quite some time.

I know mPCIe is not the same as mSATA, however I've spent a lot of time looking into this very issue.

I've heard of several SSD's that are supposed to work in WWAN slots that have their own built in SATA controllers.

OCZ, Samsung, Supertalent and I've heard others say they make drives that work in this manor.

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-256GB-mSATA-Internal-CT256M4SSD3/dp/B0085J17UA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369774068&sr=8-1&keywords=msata+SSD

Is one example I've read works.

Also, there are mPCIe PATA/IDE interface drives that have their own controller as well like those used in the Dell Mini 9.

Granted, I know it will take some testing however I believe there's a strong chance I can get one to work.

If I can, and can manage to get it to boot, striping the two SATA drives into a raid shouldn't be too hard even without native raid support.

Granted this is all stuff that takes a bit of work to accomplish but I'm always up for a challenge.

After all according to many my entire build is impossible but I've no doubt in a few weeks time I'll be posting soon on a Dell Studio 1945 (1949) with touch screen. I'm very persistent and if it means flashing into the bios or a little soldering then that's what I'll have to do.

Just FYI for those interested in upgrading their Dell Studio 17

I successfully upgraded all but one of my upgrades and the one I didn't was only due to a lack of knowing I needed one part (which I have now ordered).

My budget build pimped Dell Studio upgraded from 1745 to 1749 was a total success.

The motherboard w/ the new heat sinks worked flawlessly.

The only miscalculation I made was I needed to purchase a new "top" or back to the screen. It cost me $44 for a Dell Refurbished designer one which I must admit is a huge upgrade in appearance to the not so nice one that I got it with.

It seems not only is the screen slightly wider, but the new back has a screw hole to install the circuit board for the touch cable to plug into.

I'm confident in absolute success as testing the screen without the new back recognized right away.

My uber inexpensive super laptop is crazy fast and so far is having no issues at all.

After I install the touch screen I'll run some performance tests and 3DMark once the CPU and GPU have settled into their new thermal compound.

I video taped the install as I will with the touch screen.

The edited version along with the specs & 3DMark will be posted on youtube as soon as it's all done.

For those that have a dell Studio 174X and want to upgrade the video all I can tell you is DO IT! It's very worth it and not that expensive, especially compared to purchasing a new laptop.

As for parts interchangeability, I am using a case/accessories to a Studio 1745, Screen/Touch Panel, etc from 1747, and motherboard from 1749.

For those interested in my experiment.

It worked.

I did need a new screen back, but that's okay since I was going to purchase one anyway.

As for the rest all I can say is it was VERY worth it and I'm extremely impressed with the results.

I'll post a link to the youtube video when it's 100% complete.

Though I've tested it, I need to wait for the new screen back to put that part on.

Graphics card, new processor & motherboard all performing great.

Had to make a text file identifying where the parts came from though, the drivers disk will contain drivers from all 3 models of the 174X.

Hey any update or link to video? Im really interested in doing exactly what you did, as I love this laptop and getting it to a i series cpu would be amazing. Thanks!

Hello, pcphantom do you have an email where i can contact you im about to do the same upgrade as you i would need some tips for purchasing the right parts could you help me please.

Regards

So how did it go? What is video URL?

Hello studio1745upgrade,

I'm finally upgrading my 1745 now. I need to determine if I need the heatsink or not. I currently have the 1745 mobile intel 4 series express chipset. With a core 2 duo processor. I am assuming this isn't the 4650hd gpx and I will need the heatsink but was hoping you can confirm this. Thanks,

If you're replacing the processor with another Core 2, you will re-use the heatsink.

If what you're doing is replacing the mainboard with one from a later 1747 or 1749 model -- or replacing an Intel-video board with an AMD or nVidia board - you will need to replace the heatsink; the original won't fit the replacement board.  If you have a 65W adapter, you'll need to replace it with a 90W or higher adapter as well.

Thanks ejn63.

I will be replacing the 1745 mainboard with a 1749. I will add the heatsink to my list. Will i also need the fan for the heatsink? Also, thanks for the adapter info didn't know about that. ( i think i have a spare lying around somewhere.)

Thanks.

The fan should be the same.  That said, if you're buying parts, bear in mind that complete working used 1749 systems start at under $50.00 on EBay --  so keep that in mind if you're planning on buying a board, heatsink, etc. separately.  It  may be cheaper to simply buy a complete system (and have a set of spare parts on hand, or sell the existing system to offset the cost).

I thought about buying a the whole system for $50 but i am upgrading the CPU to Intel Core i7-640M 2.80GHz 4M Dual Core G1 (SLBTN), and I need to dissemble to do that anyway. All my parts came in and I was working on it today and realized the GPU needs its own heatsink. I read through the forum again and I must have missed that. Guess i need to wait another week.