The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Can i replace xps l702x motherboard?

    Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by ghostrider85, Jun 3, 2012.

  1. ghostrider85

    ghostrider85 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    10
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    6
    hello everyone, i just bought an xps l702x with 3630qm cpu and gt 550m gpu, i tried playing diablo 3 with it earlier and i was not happy, it's kinda laggy.

    i found a motherboard in ebay with a gt 555m gpu, i'm planning to buy it and replace the motherboard in my laptop, the question is, how hard is it to do so? any soldering involved? or i'll just have to remove some screws and unplug some cables? or can i even do it in the first place? TIA
     
    ghostrider85, Jun 3, 2012
    #1
  2. Tsunade_Hime

    Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow

    Reputations:
    5,413
    Messages:
    10,711
    Likes Received:
    1,204
    Trophy Points:
    581
    Consult the L702x Service Manual, but I highly advise against this upgrade as the GT555M while more powerful than a GT550M, you'd benefit more jumping to an actual gaming card. If you are unhappy with your laptop's performance, return or sell it and buy a proper gaming laptop, XPS 17 is not a gaming laptop.
     
    Tsunade_Hime, Jun 3, 2012
    #2
  3. xxgokouxx

    xxgokouxx Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    151
    Messages:
    313
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    31
    replacing a motherboard is just as it is, replacing a motherboard. No soldering necessary. Like tsunade said, a GT555m is not that big of an upgrade, but if you're running out of memory, then yes, 3GB ram on the video card will help a bit :)

    I've yet to experience what diablo III is like, so I can't give my input yet.
     
    xxgokouxx, Jun 3, 2012
    #3
  4. Sam_A_1992

    Sam_A_1992 Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    139
    Messages:
    655
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    @ the op i would just overclock the 550 as it can then easily reach 555 levels.
     
    Sam_A_1992, Jun 3, 2012
    #4
  5. Tsunade_Hime

    Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow

    Reputations:
    5,413
    Messages:
    10,711
    Likes Received:
    1,204
    Trophy Points:
    581
    If the L702x gets the 144 shader GT555M, sure overclocking a GT550M may reach the GT555M levels, but then you can overclock the GT555M. On top of that, overclocking doesn't make up for shaders, TMU's and ROU's. But point being, a GTX card will beat face a GT555M, so again if you find it isn't sufficient with your gaming needs, look at an Alienware or Clevo or MSI laptop with much more powerful discreet GPU options.
     
    Tsunade_Hime, Jun 3, 2012
    #5
  6. ghostrider85

    ghostrider85 Notebook Enthusiast

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    10
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    6
    im happy with this laptop, i just want to upgrade the GPU, this laptop is not my primary gaming PC as i have a custom built desktop PC with high end components.

    i just wanna know what problems i might encounter with replacing the motherboard of this laptop?
     
    ghostrider85, Jun 3, 2012
    #6
  7. xxgokouxx

    xxgokouxx Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    151
    Messages:
    313
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Nothing. it's all wiring, no soldering
     
    xxgokouxx, Jun 3, 2012
    #7
  8. Sam_A_1992

    Sam_A_1992 Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    139
    Messages:
    655
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Im also pretty sure the 550 also has 144 shader cores.
     
    Sam_A_1992, Jun 3, 2012
    #8
  9. Tsunade_Hime

    Tsunade_Hime such bacon. wow

    Reputations:
    5,413
    Messages:
    10,711
    Likes Received:
    1,204
    Trophy Points:
    581
    Tsunade_Hime, Jun 3, 2012
    #9
  10. madmattd

    madmattd Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    367
    Messages:
    1,138
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    Dell's GPUs were somewhat non-standard last year. The Dell 555m outperforms all the other variants on the market, despite being DDR3 RAM. Forget the reason, it was more cores or something like that.

    That said, sure, the mobos should be a direct swap, AS LONG AS the one you are getting is NOT for the 3D monitor!

    Also, since when did the XPS have the Ivy Bridge CPU? (3xxx chips). Last I read, they have not been released yet, and they will certainly come with the new 6xx series graphics cards. Typo?
     
    madmattd, Jun 4, 2012
    #10
  11. LJJannett

    LJJannett Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Did your motherboard upgrade work? I fried my Dell XPS L702X motherboard # JJVYM and I would like to upgrade to # YW4W5. Did you run into any issues and do you have any recommendations? Any and all information will be greatly appreciated!

    Thank,
    Loren
     
    LJJannett, Dec 6, 2012
    #11