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DELL Inspiron 11 3147 2 in 1 Upgrades
Good day. I wanted to share my experience with the DELL Inspiron 11 3147 2 in 1 with Intel N3540. I purchased from the DELL Outlet. Received in great condition. Slight pry marks where the bottom cover had been removed. I liked the form factor, the convertible feature, the processor choice and suggested battery life.
I have added,
Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB,
Kingston HyperX Impact 1600MHz DDR3L CL9 SODIMM 1.35V Laptop Memory HX316LS9IB/8 GB Black and
Intel 7265NGW Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 802.11ac, Dual Band, 2x2 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.0.
The tools needed,
small Phillips head screw driver,
nylon spudger pry bars, to aid in removal of the bottom pane,l to facilitate the removal and installation of the 3 items mentioned.
USB 3.0 to 2.5" SATA III Hard Drive Adapter Cable w/ UASP - SATA to USB 3.0 Converter for SSD/HDD - Hard Drive Adapter Cable
or
2.5" SATA 6gb/sHard drive enclosure with USB cable
Cloning software, (Samsung included both the migration and optimization software). You can download from Samsung website, or transfer from included disc, you will need an external optical drive.
The Samsung software at this point 8/20/2015 may not support Windows 10, which I had updated to. The migration software would not recognize the Samsung SSD as I attempted to clone the SSD. I had called Samsung Customer Service and the other suggestion is that one of the updates from Microsoft or DELL, may hide the USB connection. I used the recovery software to return the Inspiron 11 3147 back to the Windows 8.1 original state, (no updates) and the Samsung software recognized the SSD. I installed the SSD and the system recognized. I am now in the process of updated Windows.
I had installed the memory, 8GB, and the system recognized and acknowledged the 8GB.
I had installed the Wi Fi card and the system recognized and acknowledged the new card. The Intel 7265 is slightly wider than the original DELL 1707, which is a single channel card and it fit with no modification.
There are other brand options for the parts replaced.
The main suggestion is to take your time, the bottom removal is not complicated, the pry bar help in not damaging the case which is plastic. Parts People in Austin, TX have a video on You Tube for removing the back to facilitate the removal and insertion of the HDD/SSD. The battery screws and the HDD screws have to be removed to complete the exchange.
I will update with any new info in regards to the items replaced.
dhdiaz
3 Posts
0
August 21st, 2015 11:00
Good morning,
I have updated the 11 3147 to Windows 8.1, all updates prompted for as of 8/21/2015. Windows 10 has not been an option as of yet. I have reregistered thru the Window icon that appeared on the right bottom notification bar. I have not added any additional software other than Bitdefender Free Anti Virus and CCleaner. I deleted McAfee Livesafe, using the McAfee removal software before I cloned the Samsung SSD.
Notes on the hardware upgrades:
Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB; Info from Samsung Magician software.The used space shows 40GB (Windows 8.1) free space 191GB. Total capacity as new storage disk 232.89GB. The SSD is set for Maximum Performance. The performance testing shows Sequential Read 283MB/s, Sequential Write 271MB/s, Random Read 27292IOPS and Random Write 18419IOPS.
The Samsung SSD 850 EVO has the ability to preform better. The Dell system does not support a SATA 6 GB/s (SATA3) port. The Samsung says the SSD is connected to a SATA 3 GB/s (SATA2) port. I had ran across this info on the net. The Samsung software seems to conform that.
At this point I accept the results. I don't game or run demanding software that the higher read/write scores would be beneficial to me. The benefit of using an SSD vs HDD. The SSD has no moving parts that I have to worry about as I hold or move the 11 3147. The start, opening closing of the software/app is faster than the 5400rpm HDD that came with the 11 3147.
The Kingston 8GB memory: The Microsoft System info shows 8.00GB (7.89GB useable).
The Intel Dual Band wireless AC 7265: I have not utilized any test method to determine real changes compared to the Dell 1707. It connects and holds the connection. I am using TWC combo phone/TV/internet modem. The Intel 7260 and 7265 wifi cards have been and are used in other DELL products.
The Device manager on the 11 3147 shows all connections good, no problems. I mention that because when I had updated to Windows 10 with the HDD, I was seeing a problem some device not connected and no driver available. I will address when Windows 10 is installed.
Terry, thanks for your question.
DELL-Terry B
3.5K Posts
0
August 21st, 2015 12:00
Thank you for the reply; I imagine in spite of some of the limitations of the SATA controller you should still see a little improvement in overall performance.
If you are interested in installing Windows 10 you can download the OS now from this Microsoft link. In the process it will scan your system and verify if it is compatible with Windows 10 and allow you the option to create an ISO on USB media. I have used it and it works well.
Dell has tested the Inspiron 11 3147 for Windows 10 so you shouldn’t have any difficulties with drivers.
DELL-Terry B
3.5K Posts
0
August 20th, 2015 16:00
Thank you for the post, where you able to complete installing Windows 10? Other than that how is the system performing?
Would you suggest something like this for a system was under warranty?
TB
dhdiaz
3 Posts
0
August 21st, 2015 11:00
Terry, I have not updated to Windows 10 yet. Windows Update has not provided that option. As for my system being under warranty, I really did not think about the ramifications of doing the upgrades. I will cross that bridge if it presents itself.
I have been using DELL computers since 2008. Some from DELL retail and DELL Outlet. I have had only 1 encounter with warranty service and that was with a XPS M1210 that I believe came from the Outlet. I have upgraded memory, hard drive and network cards on most of these. I did have a video card and or screen issue with another XPS M1210, that occurred after the warranty expired. I did not address. Most all still work, only limited by the hardware.
I guess I have been lucky with most hardware. I do treat my stuff/things respectfully.
Terry, Thanks again for the question.
vchoe69
9 Posts
2
September 7th, 2015 09:00
I DO NOT recommend these upgrades within WARRANTY period.
There's also the safety of keeping a working Win 8.1 500GB HDD and the original 4GB PLC3L Ram. I had an issue with my Seagate 500GB SSHD upgrade that said my SSHD was defective. Worked with Dell Tech support to discover that it was a drive cable fail. Dell insisted a depot repair and when I got it back, a new cable was there and the Inspirion booted OK. After the HDD drive cable, I fenagled Recovery Disk. I got the original Inspiron/Vostro/Latitude Win 8.1 OS Recovery DVD but not the Inspiron drivers that the recovery disk required during fresh install. Dell, about a month later sent me a 8GB Thumb drive with the Inspirion recovery data.
I had a hardware issue with the drive cable that Dell replaced with warranty prior to my upgrades. Also , when I bought this laptop as a fix it only with a power supply issue. It turned out to be the power supply it self and not the connector.
After I did the RAM 8gb and the 256GB SSD upgrades migrate to Windows 10. I did the Windows 10 upgrade on July 30 with the Media Creation Tool X64 first. From Dell Inspiron 11-3147I Drivers and Downloads update, it showed me needed drivers for the new Intel 7160 WiFi card drivers using the driver auto-detect function and found the drivers needed for windows 10.
About the Dual Band WIFI and Bluetooth 7160 upgrade module. BE SURE that the Intel 7160 module is from USA (local) and the seller allows return. There are brand NEW modules from China at attractive prices, BUT it's a hassle to return for warranty. When you search or look at the Network drivers for Windows 10 includes the drivers for the Intel Dual Band Wireless-N 7260 (7260NGW BN) a/b/g/n/ + B PCIe NGFF FRU 04X6009
About LAN/USB 3 port dongle, I got a 3-port USB 3 hub and LAN adapter from USA seller. It worked without drivers and supplied enough current to run a USB 3 powered 2TB Toshiba backup drive.
About backup drives (since I went from a 500GB HDD to a Samsung 256GB SSD). I kept the original 500GB HDD as a backup resource drive should ANY of the upgrades go awry. I opted for a used Toshiba 2TB HDD to store the vast amounts of pictures I take.
mohdhasrin1998
1 Message
0
December 8th, 2016 16:00
erm hi, im definitely new to upgrades on laptop. those upgrades of yours is a really eye catching to those that are having low specs laptops, but would you make a video on the performance of those upgrades?