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September 24th, 2012 01:00

Possible upgrades for Dell Inspiron SE 17r 7720?

A couple days ago, I placed an order for a Dell Inspiron SE 17r 7720, and I am wondering what kinds of upgrades I can put into this laptop, so I'll just run through what's on my mind.

1.  Can I install more than one HDD?  Can I use RAID?

2.  Can I install a SSD (probably a 256gb SSD) in the Sata III slot and still use the mSATA 32gb SSD as a cache drive?  Would this even be useful or make the computer faster if the main drive is already an SSD and not just a regular HDD? 

3.  Can I upgrade the processor in the future?  I am especially interested in the i7-3820qm.  Also, can I overclock these processors (both the i7-3610qm and the i7-3820qm) beyond their turbo speed are set at by default?  Please don't give me the answer "but the turbo speed is already overclocking the processor."

4.  Can I upgrade the graphics card in the future?  Even to other nvidia cards such as the GeForce GTX 680M?

5.  What is the maximum supportable RAM in this particular model?

The reason why I got this particular laptop and not just a laptop that already had these upgrades is because I really value this laptop for its 1080p 120hz 17.3" 3D screen while considering its price point, which is about half of what the Alienware one costs if I were to want the 3D screen in that model.  I figure I can upgrade my laptop myself, sell off the parts I don't need and come well under the $2499 it would cost me for that particular Alienware computer.  If not, I'll still gladly accept this laptop because it's really not worth the $1200 for the upgrades for the Alienware that wouldn't even get me everything I want anyway (i7-3820qm, 256gb SSD, etc.).

Thanks.

3 Posts

October 27th, 2013 09:00

So do you mean, I can put any msata >32 and it cannot be used as a cache. Instead I should go for the regular ssd?

11 Posts

October 27th, 2013 18:00

Before you spend about 250+ for an SSD you might want to go for a 500 or 1tb hybrid drive.

This is a marriage of an 8 gb ssd and a 500 or 1tb HD.  I have several of them and they seem almost as fast as my ssds, and the capacity is much more bang for the buck.  I have an ssd (500gb) in this dell, along with 16gb memory, and an msata 64.  I was able to use the msata as a drive, but not to accelerate the system.  So I opted for an 500gb ssd and a 1tb scorpio black.  I have been happy with the setup.  I also have several tablets with hybrids (500gb) which are also very quick to boot.  I almost wish I had a 1tb hybrid to put in this one.  500gb ssd seems almost too small now (I do video projects and need lots of storage).

2 Posts

January 22nd, 2015 13:00

MY SYSTEM CONFIGURATION & PARTITIONING

Dell Inspiron 17R - 7720 SE (BIOS A16)

  • 17.3" Full High Definition 1080p LED Display with Anti-Glare (non 3D model)
  • 3rd Generation Intel® CoreTM i7-3630QM 2.4 Ghz (6MB cache, up to 3.4 Ghz)
  • 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz
  • 256GB Samsung SSD 840 PRO Series (Windows 7 + Mac OS X Yosemite - GUID)
  • 1TB 5400RPM SATA HDD ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB (Mac OS X RecoveryHD + Data - GUID)
  • 128GB mSATA SSD KINGSTON SMS200S3120G (Mac OS X Mavericks - GUID, BIOS set to AHCI and can’t boot mSATA directly, using boot loader on HDD1 or HDD2)
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M GDDR5 2GB (disabled by DSDT)
  • Intel HD Graphics 4000 (Built-In Display&HDMI enabled by DSDT+patched AppleIntelFramebufferCapri.kext )
  • WiFi/BT (Intel replaced with Atheros 9285 )

More info :

http://www.tonymacx86.com/yosemite-laptop-support/151080-guide-dell-inspiron-17r-7720-se-mac-os-x-yosemite-10-10-1-a.html

5 Posts

March 13th, 2015 04:00

Hi!

 

Sorry for reusing this old post, but I would like to have a confirmation for my understanding.

I'm owning a Inspiron 7720 SE with two 1 TB HDD and it is not possible to configure them in RAID 1.

Thank you!

1 Rookie

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87.5K Posts

March 13th, 2015 04:00

Hardware RAID is not possible -- correct.

5 Posts

March 14th, 2015 03:00

You emphasiz HARDWARE Raid...

Isn't software Raid more common?

Do you think that it's possible to switch my two little used HDD into software Raid 1?

1 Rookie

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87.5K Posts

March 14th, 2015 05:00

Depending on the version of Windows, yes - software RAID may be an option.  However, bear in mind that software RAID requires the OS to load - anything that corrupts Windows will render the array unbootable.

5 Posts

March 31st, 2015 13:00

Thank you EJN63 for your help.

Due to a lack of time and experience I will cancel this project.

Instead I will try to secure my data with backups as generally recommended.

 

April 19th, 2016 11:00

what are the possibleupgraded intel i7 processors for dell mother board 04M3YM, SOCKET 988BrPGA, Itel core i5 3210M 2.5Ghz ( ivybridge) max tdp 35 watts. ( SERVICE TAG <ADMIN NOTE: Service tag removed per privacy policy> )

April 20th, 2016 11:00

Thanks, for answering for processor upgrade, can you suggest some LATEST suitable intel i7 processors for upgradation, my system is 17r, 7720, intel i5 3210 M 2.5 Ghz ivy bridge 35w, Mother board is dell 04M3YM.

1 Rookie

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87.5K Posts

April 20th, 2016 16:00

The i7-3632QM looks like the fastest 35W Ivy Bridge mobile.

April 22nd, 2016 01:00

Thanks ejn63, It seems every thing is matching, except for no of cores and threads, what more precautions needed before going for a upgradation, and thanks once again.

Product Name

Intel® Core™ i7-3612QM Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.10 GHz) rPGA

Intel® Core™ i7-3632QM Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.20 GHz) rPGA

Intel® Core™ i5-3210M Processor (3M Cache, up to 3.10 GHz, rPGA

Code Name

Ivy Bridge

Ivy Bridge

Ivy Bridge

◄●►

◄●►

◄●►

 

Product Name

Intel® Core™ i7-3612QM Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.10 GHz) rPGA

Intel® Core™ i7-3632QM Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.20 GHz) rPGA

Intel® Core™ i5-3210M Processor (3M Cache, up to 3.10 GHz, rPGA

 

Code Name

Ivy Bridge

Ivy Bridge

Ivy Bridge

 

-

Essentials

 

Status

Launched

Launched

Launched

 

Launch Date

Q2'12

Q3'12

Q2'12

 

Processor Number

i7-3612QM

i7-3632QM

i5-3210M

 

Cache

6 MB Intel® Smart Cache

6 MB Intel® Smart Cache

3 MB Intel® Smart Cache

 

Bus Type

DMI

DMI

DMI

 

System Bus

5 GT/s

5 GT/s

5 GT/s

 

Instruction Set

64-bit

64-bit

64-bit

 

Instruction Set Extensions

AVX

AVX

AVX

 

Embedded Options Available

No

No

No

 

Lithography

22 nm

22 nm

22 nm

 

Recommended Customer Price

TRAY: $378.00

TRAY: $378.00

TRAY: $225.00

 

Conflict Free

Yes

Yes

Yes

 

Datasheet

Link

Link

Link

 

-

Performance

 

# of Cores

4

4

2

 

# of Threads

8

8

4

 

Processor Base Frequency

2.1 GHz

2.2 GHz

2.5 GHz

 

Max Turbo Frequency

3.1 GHz

3.2 GHz

3.1 GHz

 

TDP

35 W

35 W

35 W

 

-

Memory Specifications

 

Max Memory Size (dependent on memory type)

32 GB

32 GB

32 GB

 

Memory Types

DDR3/L/-RS 1333/1600

DDR3/L/-RS 1333/1600

DDR3/L/-RS 1333/1600

 

Max # of Memory Channels

2

2

2

 

Max Memory Bandwidth

25.6 GB/s

25.6 GB/s

25.6 GB/s

 

ECC Memory Supported ‡

No

No

No

 

-

Graphics Specifications

 

Processor Graphics ‡

Intel® HD Graphics 4000

Intel® HD Graphics 4000

Intel® HD Graphics 4000

 

Graphics Base Frequency

650 MHz

650 MHz

650 MHz

 

Graphics Max Dynamic Frequency

1.1 GHz

1.15 GHz

1.1 GHz

 

Graphics Output

eDP/DP/HDMI/SDVO/CRT

eDP/DP/HDMI/SDVO/CRT

eDP/DP/HDMI/SDVO/CRT

 

Intel® Quick Sync Video

Yes

Yes

Yes

 

Intel® InTru™ 3D Technology

Yes

Yes

Yes

 

Intel® Insider™

Yes

Yes

Yes

 

Intel® Wireless Display

Yes

Yes

Yes

 

Intel® Flexible Display Interface (Intel® FDI)

Yes

Yes

Yes

 

Intel® Clear Video HD Technology

Yes

Yes

Yes

 

# of Displays Supported ‡

3

3

3

 

Device ID

0x166

0x166

0x166

 

-

Expansion Options

 

PCI Express Revision

3.0

3.0

3.0

 

PCI Express Configurations ‡

1x16, 2x8, 1x8 2x4

1x16, 2x8, 1x8 2x4

1x16, 2x8, 1x8 2x4

 

Max # of PCI Express Lanes

16

16

1

 

-

Package Specifications

 

Max CPU Configuration

1

1

1

 

TJUNCTION

105 C

105 C

105 C

 

Package Size

37.5 x 37.5mm (rPGA988B)

37.5 x 37.5mm (rPGA988B)

37.5 x 37.5mm (rPGA988B)

 

Graphics and IMC Lithography

22 nm

22 nm

22 nm

 

Sockets Supported

FCPGA988

FCPGA988

FCPGA988

 

Low Halogen Options Available

See MDDS

See MDDS

See MDDS

 

-

Advanced Technologies

 

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology‡

2.0

2.0

2.0

 

Intel® vPro Technology ‡

No

No

No

 

Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology ‡

Yes

Yes

Yes

 

1 Rookie

 • 

87.5K Posts

April 22nd, 2016 04:00

You'll need a 130W or better power adapter to run an i7 quad -- a 90W won't be sufficient.

6 Posts

November 1st, 2016 16:00

Can I upgrade to 3D LCD?

My LCD is broken so I am thinking of buying 3d screen if it works.

I have 3d emitter and glasses of nvidia.

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