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3402
May 10th, 2018 06:00
Replace my XPS 17 L702X?
The time has come, the walrus said ....
I have now happily run my Dell laptop for 6 years, but there are times when it is struggling despite its high end Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2720QM CPU @ 2.20GHz, 2201 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 8 Logical Processor(s).
My immediate thought was to look for a new XPS 17 but there isn't one.
The Inspiron looks a bit weedy in comparison, and the Alienware is too power hungry with ridiculously high end graphics cards.
Why has Dell stopped producing a 17 inch version of this amazing laptop?
What is the best alternative
ejn63
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30.8K Posts
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May 10th, 2018 07:00
If everything else is running OK (including the GPU), the best solution may be simply to replace your hard drive with a solid state drive - that will breath new life into the system.
If you need a new system, there is a new line of gaming-class notebooks between the Inspiron and Alienware systems - the G7 series. These will likely wind up replacing the higher-line Inspirons at the entry level of gaming - which is where your 17" XPS sat in the model lineup.
DELL-Jesse L
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17.9K Posts
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May 10th, 2018 07:00
sgbwrgh,
Yes, the L1702x was a Great Running Laptop. Check out the latest Inspiron 17 laptops at the link below. You may also want to chat with the sales rep on the site below as well.
dell.com Inspiron 17's
sgbwrgh
21 Posts
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May 10th, 2018 10:00
sgbwrgh
21 Posts
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May 10th, 2018 10:00
The 7 and 9 on the number pad haven't worked for a year and the whole keyboard stopped working a month ago. A back-lit keyboard is £120 or more. However, since posting I found a thread on a different dell forum suggesting shut down, remove battery, remove power cable, hold down power key 10 seconds, replug and startup without battery. Amazingly it worked and apart from the two number keys all is well. At home I have a second screen and keyboard so it is only when out (at least once a week) that it gets annoying . I'd even carried my external keyboard the last two weeks!
The GPU is no good now in Adobe Lightroom, which is part of the reason for changing.
Thanks for the info on the new range. I'll look out for them.
Alternatively maybe I could think about a lighter laptop (even a 2in1) to take out and about.
edendale
2 Posts
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July 31st, 2019 01:00
It's a good machine, isn't it? I am still using it since 2012. I have upgraded it with SSD and it works very fast for me, work and games. I am just looking for a screen replacement. Mine works fine but broken by the hinges and support is required at the back of screen.
21stcenturyfox
2 Posts
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October 17th, 2020 10:00
I'm still here in 2020 and this machine was the best.
Yes as others have said upgrade to SSD and if you can put up with the fan noise its still a great machine.
Not gonna be playing the latest games but the build quality (appart from the screen hinges) is great. I sourced a replaced screen lid on Alibaba.
I doubt there are many other laptops out there that will still be rocking it in 9 years time.
sgbwrgh
21 Posts
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October 18th, 2020 06:00
I've just had a huge surprise. I was searching to see whether I might somehow be able to get access to the two hidden RAM slots, and came across a mention of RAM upgrading the XPS 17 L702. That led to a YouTube video (several actually) suggesting that DEPENDING ON THE SPECIFIC MODEL it might be as simple as installing 2x8GB sticks in place of the 2x4GB . Using various memory manufacturers checkers still showed 8 was the maximum. I thought it worth the attempt and bought new Corsair memory modules. They are an easy swap. Those same memory upgrade checkers now show 16GB (2x8GB) on board, suggested upgrade 8GB (2x4GB).
It worked! I've now 16 GB RAM and that bottleneck has disappeared. I'm down to using 50-60% of the memory rather than 90% plus hard disk overflow. My 9 year old laptop has a new lease of life. And it upgraded to Windows 10 2005 shortly before that.
Sadly it is a deskbound device now after yet another battery lost the ability to hold more than a few minutes of charge. But I already bought a much more portable laptop to carry round. Annoying that Dell brought out their new XPS 17 since that.