The upgrade is even easier than you think. The reason for that is that there are no cables to disconnect/reconnect. Just loosen one screw, pull the old drive out, insert the new drive, and tighen the screw back. I performed the upgrade from DVD-ROM to CDRW-DVD-ROM combo in my old C800 and it worked great. My wife now has that system and still uses it all of the time.
I do not know if the part number you quote is the same as what you need, but if it is, then it is really a very easy thing to upgrade. Make surte that you are getting the needed DVD player (software) and CD-writing software as well, otherwise you might not be able to use all of the capabilities of your new drive.
Lastly, the price thing. As odd as it may sound, that is not that uncommon. The older drives have been in stock for some time and probably cost Dell a good bit more when they were purchased. If you watch the on-line auctions, you can often get a combo drive for about $125, and the DVD-ROM for about $75. Dell often keeps older parts priced relative to what they paid for them rather than the going market rate. I have seen them selling HD's for 3-4 times the going market price...
JersWork
770 Posts
0
March 2nd, 2004 19:00
The upgrade is even easier than you think. The reason for that is that there are no cables to disconnect/reconnect. Just loosen one screw, pull the old drive out, insert the new drive, and tighen the screw back. I performed the upgrade from DVD-ROM to CDRW-DVD-ROM combo in my old C800 and it worked great. My wife now has that system and still uses it all of the time.
I do not know if the part number you quote is the same as what you need, but if it is, then it is really a very easy thing to upgrade. Make surte that you are getting the needed DVD player (software) and CD-writing software as well, otherwise you might not be able to use all of the capabilities of your new drive.
Lastly, the price thing. As odd as it may sound, that is not that uncommon. The older drives have been in stock for some time and probably cost Dell a good bit more when they were purchased. If you watch the on-line auctions, you can often get a combo drive for about $125, and the DVD-ROM for about $75. Dell often keeps older parts priced relative to what they paid for them rather than the going market rate. I have seen them selling HD's for 3-4 times the going market price...