bump

Okay i should take that back than if i need a more powerful power supply than ill deffinitley get one if i can get a newer card to run well than i cant argue.

so with the 120 HZ are you basically saying that you cant run the integrated graphics?

im pretty sure i have to take the whole laptop apart in order to change the lcd cable? thats no problem.

can you please link me the 2 panels or more that will work for a decent price? can you also link me the proper video cable needed for 120 hz?

is there a pls or ips panel i can buy? if i can get one i dont mind going the 60 hz route because with the TN panels and how the colours are washed out its a pain for me atleast anyway

and say if i did upgrade the psu can you give me the instructions to use a 1070? i think i saw a video where they said its important to disable HD audio in the bios?

where do i download these modified drivers?

Yes, you cannot run the integrated graphics with the 120hz. It uses the eDP connector on the board which does not connect to the onboard graphics, only an Nvidia card. 

Yes, you have to pretty much disassemble the entire laptop. There are a lot of screws that hold the palmrest in but it isn't difficult (They are labelled with a P). This also means removing the Optical drive and both storage drives. You have to take note of what screws go where because you can do some damage if you put one in the wrong spot. The screw holes are labelled so you shouldn't go wrong (ie M2.5x8 is the 8mm screw) but I have seen many people you messed it up. 

The two 60Hz displays are the anti-glare matte displays. I find the colours on these aren't nearly as sharp and crisp as the glossy 120Hz display. I use the Parts-People to find most of the correct part numbers. They don't always have stock but they have a good database for part numbers. I don't see any of the glossy panels on their website right now though, nothing on ebay either so they must be getting hard to find. You cannot use an eDP cable on the LVDS connector or vice-versa so if you get the 120Hz panel then you need the 3D eDP cable. Some links below.

The 10 series cards will work with the 60Hz display but they don't really like Optimus so it usually suggested to get the 120Hz as you will get better performance during games. You really just need to install the card and the modded driver. The HD Audio disabling was for the older M17x R3, not required on the 17. There are different version of the 1070 with the MSI version being the better one but it requires modifications to the chassis to make it fit and they are pretty hard to find. There are many threads on NotebookReview but here is one if you want a long read. Tenoroon went through a few trials and tribulations with his upgrade so he may be a good one to ask. 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/threads/upgrading-my-ranger.834497/

There is no real database for modded drivers so the best thing to do is learn how to do it yourself but I can help if you need. You can go to www.laptopvideo2go.com and get the modded inf that needs to go into the modded driver but learning how to mod your own inf is better, in my opinion. Link below on how to mod one. 

The 10 series cards will need the triple heatsink if you want to keep temps where they need to be. Same with the 980M. There are 4 and 5pipe custom heatsinks also available on eBay. 

https://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=category&id=151&subid=446&refine=lcd+screen

https://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=category&id=151&subid=446&refine=lcd+cable

https://null-src.com/posts/nvidia-notebook-driver-inf-mod/post.php

At the end of the day you need to decide if all these upgrades are worth it. It can get very expensive. Many of us just like keeping the older laptops alive and it's a lot of fun tinkering with them, unlike the rigidly un-upgradeable laptops of today. 

EDIT: I have a few 120Hz panels at home that have vertical lines through them. I can check the manufacturer part numbers on them as it will help finding them online rather than using the Dell Part#. Dell do not make the panels themselves and they are usually from Samsung.  

thanks a ton for all the info. a 120 hz panel would be nice but that and the 3d lvds cables are out of stock. ive got a bit of more thinking to do but im probably leaning toward a 60 hz screen but glossy. i saw on amazon theres a company that makes screens called "screenarama" but i couldnt find a 40 pin connector version. do you know any other vendors selling a 60 hz  glossy displays for this? i figure that may be the next best option. when it comes to picking a gpu would you lean toward the 10 series or rather a 970m or 980m? are 9 series easier and more compatable with less trouble shooting? when picking a 9 card besides possably flashing its bios and getting the correct heatsink are there any brands to favour? im seeing them for a fair price on ebay. even tho the 60hz glossy panel is still TN are the colours better than the older TN panel that these laptops had back in 2014? or is the contrast and colour ratios still the same?

Forgot to ask another question from you. would you say any AMD gpus are worth while? wasnt the 290xm a decent card? going to have to say tho looking at how well the 1060m performs it blows the 970m out of the water in the benchmarks ive seen..... that would be a nice upgrade picking a good 1060

Happy to help if I can.

I don't really know much about the contrasts and colours on the panels sorry. I haven't heard of a glossy options for the 60Hz but it's possible that there is one. They only came in matte from Dell. I'll ask around with some of the guys I know. 

I notice that you spell colour properly with a u, does this mean you're in Australia or the UK? If you're in Australia then I can help a little more as I have some eDP cables, unfortunately I'm out of perfect 120hz displays though. 

I would definitely lean towards a 10 series as they are stronger than the 900 but you're also paying more so you need to balance cost/performance. The 970M will not be great with modern titles at high res while the 980M and above is still decent at 1080p. 

The R9 M290x (rebadged 8970M) came with the 17 so there is no need to do anything fancy. The performance isn't up to the 900 series but you can usually get them relatively cheaper. The 1060 is a good one if you can find it. 

EDIT:  I also have triple heatsinks for the Nvidia and AMD cards. I'm out of 240W adapters but I do have some 330W ones that are usually for the 18" laptops. Some guys go for the 330W when they pair a 10 series card with an overclocked 4930MX. Probably cheaper to find an aftermarket 240W one though as genuine OEM Dell 330W adapters aren't very cheap. 

im from Canada actually. otherwise i appreciate the help with the cables and screens do you work on these type of systems? looks like its either the 980m or 1060m than. im leaning toward the 1060 if i can get it for a decent price plus they run cooler and only draw around 80 ish watts? so i could probably keep the 180 power supply i have than. which heatsink is on my 765m now do you know? would it work with the 1060 or would i need to buy a different one? for screens im really disliking TN panels do you know of any IPS or PLS panels for my unit? so instructions to get the 1060m working would be to physically install it and is there a display connector from my screen that connects to the actual card? im use to desktop pcs. after that should it boot and get me into windows? or do i download the custom made drivers install them in first than install the card physically? im not sure of the exact steps i imagine just installing the card itself will yeild in no post or no boot at all?

another question? is there a connection for an m.2 ssd on this system? or only SSD?