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    XPS M170 to M1710 conversion

    Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by epik_x, Oct 28, 2008.

  1. epik_x

    epik_x Newbie

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    Recently I discovered that my M170 with the Pentium M @ 2.26 GHZ is unable to smoothly play 1080p video. Since I am not currently in the market for a new laptop, I figured I can try and upgrade this one.

    After looking through some replacement parts for both the M170 and M1710, they seem interchangable including the motherboards, with the exception of the rear USB ports and dock port, which a little case hacking can remedy, or purchase a M1710 base. The benefit here being the M1710 is Core 2 Duo. Which I believe can also be upgraded up to a T7600. Most of the needed parts can be found on ebay for decent prices.

    I plan on swapping the motherboard and CPU from a M1710 and keep everything else from my M170. My only question is about RAM and video card. Will the 533Mhz DDR2 from the M170 work on the M1710 motherboard, either at 533mhz or 667mhz? Also since both the 7800GTX and 7900GS are PCI-E x16 they should fit, but will the M1710 BIOS recognize the 7800 GTX?

    Finally is there anything else that I might be overlooking? Am I just talking crazy? Hopefully for a $200-$300 investment I can make my M170 last a little longer.
     
    epik_x, Oct 28, 2008
    #1
  2. Magnus72

    Magnus72 Notebook Virtuoso

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    Yes the M1710 recognizes the go 7800GTX.
     
    Magnus72, Oct 28, 2008
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