Upgrade XPS M1330 questions

My current configuration is the following:
CPU: T7500
RAM: 2GB

Is it worth upgrading to T9500 and 4GB of RAM?
Should I do it through Dell or by my own? I know that doing it by my own is much cheaper but what's happening with the guarantee? Moreover, will I need a new charger? How much does it cost approximately?

Is there anything else that I should take into account?

 

Where do you find your laptop falling short? IMO, I don't see any real advantage to either upgrade (maybe the RAM).

How much are the parts going to cost you?

 

Upgrading through Dell probably isn't an option. They don't offer that service that I am aware of. I think your first question should be "Can I upgrade it?" rather than "Who do I upgrade it through?". RAM upgrade is easy. CPU upgrade is tricky at best in most laptops except for those that are specificially built for doing that.

 

You can do both.. easily.. But any performance increases from upgrading the processor would be minimal.. However, you can go for it if you find the lower power dissipation attractive..

RAM would definitely help, though..

Upgrading the processor technically voids your warranty, although it's extremely easy to undo..

 

I would just upgrade the memory from an online retailer or eBay. I am not sure if the T9300 would stay cool inside the M1330. Plus, the performance gains may be small. If you do upgrade the CPU, remember to clean the heatsink and apply fresh thermal paste (i.e. Arctic Silver 5) to the CPU.

 

I think that the T9500 CPU would cost me around 200 bucks.

What is the memory cost though? Is there a special memory company that I could use or any? What does dell use?

Is it worth investing on 4GB of memory and moving to 64bit windows vista version?

By the way I already use 4GB of ready boost technology (150X speed).

 

Ready boost isn't RAM.. neither performs likewise.. Think of it as an extended paging file.. IMO 4GB is worth it.. I am on 8 at the moment.. And it's good..
You could go with Corsair, OCZ, or any of the good brands.. Dell mostly uses Hynix..
And the T9500 and 9300, both have a TDP of 35W, same as the T7XXX series.. so cooling shouldn't be an issue..

 

That's exactly what I thought...

 

So...

I decided to go for the memory upgrade.

Which is my socket? 200 pin SODIMM??

I decided to go for Corsair; is it compatible?

How about the following? Is it the appropriate one? What's your opinion; is it good deal?
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Corsair-4GB-2x2GB-Value-Select-PC2-5300-667MHz_W0QQitemZ150304238608QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item150304238608&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Corsair-4GB-2x2GB-DDR2-667-PC2-5300-SODIMM-Notebook_W0QQitemZ310090352618QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item310090352618&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50

Thanks in advance!

 

Doesn't anybody know?

 

They're all SODIMM. The difference is the speed of the memory, and the latency. You have to check what memory speed is loaded into Dell, but then again, you shouldn't have a problem with memory speed unless you're doing something that actually needs it.

 

For the CPU, you should go for a P-series Penryn not a T-series one if battery life is important to you. Also, the specs for the memory are DDR2 PC-5300 200-pin SODIMM. Anything should work in that speed. Get two 2GB sticks, I'm not sure if the M1330 supports 4GB sticks.

 

I am thinking of upgrading with this Kingston memory:
Kingston HyperX KHX5300S2LLK2/4G

Would it be compatible? It has 4CL latency and it is going to cost me around 60 euros:

http://azerty.nl/producten/product_detail/739/77048/kingston-hyperx---geheugen---4-gb-2-x-2-gb-.html
http://www.simmcity.nl/index.php?mod=3225&art=740617132366
http://www.dollarshops.eu/product_info.php/products_id/9096

Is it worth the money or should I just go for the 5CL Corsair VS4GSDSKIT667D2 which will cost me around 45 euros?

http://www.dollarshops.eu/product_info.php/products_id/34195
http://azerty.nl/producten/product_detail/739/79072/corsair-value-select---geheugen---4-gb-2-x-.html
http://www.informatique.nl/cgi-bin/iqshop.cgi?M=I&A=137352&REFCODE=TWN

 

The P Series is not compatible with the m1330 (Santa Rosa platform). It is for the new Montevino platform.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Thank you for the information, but I am not interested in upgrading the processor anymore but only the RAM... It's a matter of cost...

 

That entirely depends on your current usage. If you're using more than 1.5GB according to Performance Monitor on a daily basis, upgrading would be worth it.

 

Yeah but still, the question is if it is worth upgrading and moreover if it worth paying some more money to get the 4CL latency memory. Under windows XP I only sometimes use all memory, but under Windows Vista I certainly do use more that my current 2GB...

 

I wouldn't pay extra for better latency when I'm running on an OEM motherboard where I can't modify the timings, but that's just me. What are your current timings? (CPU-Z should tell you this)

 

5 CL

So I should just go for the 5CL ones.. Right?

 

Yep. (You better give me a rep for this )

 

I'm sorry but this statement is false. I am using the X9000 right now in my M1330, I installed it 2 days ago. With BIOS A15 installed it works great, no heat issues, no loud fan. screenshots available on request.

 

im also planning the same upgrade (processor, RAM, and GPU)

current config is

CPU T7250
RAM 3Gb
GPU 256mb 8600gt


But when i call dell singapore, they told me that it would cost me like 1.1K SNG $$s just for the cpu upgrade to T9300. Quite disappointing...

Wonder anyone knows if i can replace my NVIDIA GPU with ATI on a 1530...

 

So if I understand this correctly, one can upgrade the M1330 to 45nm Penryn processor but the cost is usually prohibitive.
The T8x00 series offer lower power consumption (less heat, longer battery life)
The T9x00 series offer higher performance at the same heat.

Many of the models have a higher FSB speed (1066 vs 800 MHz) but that is presumably limited by the chipset so not actually achieved (doesn't the M1330 use 667 Mhz anyway?).
Does that actually mean that the power saving of the T8x00 will be more than the indicated 35W-25W, and the T9x00 would also achieve some power saving?

The T8x00 currently have 3MB L2 cache against the 4MB of my original T7500.

[Basically the thing that tempts me is the power saving of the T8x00 series. If they come down in price I may do that in the hope of extending the GPU life once the warranty is expired]

 

Nalada - You are almost bang on. The earlier models of M1330 all came with stock memory at 667MHz and a divider to run CPU at max potential of 800MHz. However, now M1330's can be purchased with up to 8GB RAM and 800MHz FSB for best results with CPU/RAM. To my knowledge, no M1330 can support 1066MHz with any current BIOS revisions.

Personally, I noticed a significant performance leap from T7800 to X9000 and the applications I run. The 200MHz and extra 2MB L2 cache sounds like very little, but is very nice.

 

Is there any physical/electrical difference between earlier and later M1330s? (Can earlier M1330s accept the later RAM configuration?)

 

If you go to Dell.ca and configure a new M1330 it will allow you to create one with 6GB/8GB RAM. I was curious about how it is possible so I called dell and talked to a couple tech's in their online chat. The response was the same in every case, "The Dell M1330 will support a maximum of 8GB as long as you have Windows Vista 64bit installed as your operating system.". I asked if this was a motherboard revision or propriatary ram made by Dell... to which they said "no." just OS capabilities.

By saying that, since new M1330's can also be configured with 800MHz ram, we should also be able to buy 800Mhz ram beyond dell.

I have some OCZ PC2-6400 sodimms ordered and will let you know if the system down clocks them or uses them at the 800MHz speed.

 

^What Dell are saying is partially true. It's not so much that Vista 64-bit is required, but some kind of 64-bit OS is required to make use of 4GB+ RAM. I'm sure you know this, but wanted to clarify for those who didn't. It could be XP 64-bit, Linux 64-bit or whatever, nothing special about Vista.

Basically, newer m1330 bios revisions added support for 8GB RAM, so it doesn't matter how old your machine is.

 

Here's my XPS m1330 running on 800 MHz FSB. I'm using 2x 2 GB PC2-6400 sodimms on a T9300 CPU:

 

Thanks Sparhawk909, but your screenshot also shows that your CPU is at 800MHz FSB and your RAM is NOT.

Your RAM screen shot shows you are running at a divider to only use 667MHz...DRAM Frequency seems to not be running in sync with cpu...interesting.

 

That is my system with 667MHz RAM installed, and it is running at the same speed as your 800MHz RAM...Spar, what BIOS revision are you on? I am A15...

 

Bios revision A12

 

Hmmm I wonder if I should cancel my order for PC2-6400 RAM if its just going to down-clock it like that...

 

Save your money. I just installed 2x 2 GB PC2-5300 DDR2 667 MHz modules and I get the exact numbers from CPU-Z.

Basically, I got the 800 MHz modules and T9300 for a future laptop when I sell this m1330.

 

Thank you Spar, I wonder if the latest BIOS revision from support.dell.com would change your results with the 800MHz sticks?

 

I have the latest bios revision. A15 and i also get the same thing. I have 2 x2gb ddr2 and my dram frequency is 333mhz my processor is at 667mhz (T5250)
I really want to upgrade to a T9300 but apparently its not going to perform to its max ability..

 

Yes, if they are cheaper. If they are the same price, get the lower latency ones.

M1330 sets correct timings according to STD or STP or whatever that on-chip system is called. No need to set timings manually.

The performance increase from cl4 vs. cl5 is very, very small. The Kingston cl4 memory has its timings set on-chip so the BIOS will auto-configure to use cl4 on the M1330. I should know, I have the exact same memory. 4GB 667MHz CL4, working great on my M1330 and timings are correct, according to CPU-Z and SiSoft Sandra at least. Though, the extra money you spend could be spent elsewere, so I cant recommend it if you can get 4GB of memory cheaper... timing is unimportant, IMHO