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    xps m1710 upgrade question

    Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by fatgrapeape, Oct 30, 2010.

  1. fatgrapeape

    fatgrapeape Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hi,

    I have an xps m1710 and I recently upgraded the video card to a 7950 gtx and took a stick of 1gb ram to upgrade to a 2gb stick to max out at 3 gb.

    Are there any other modifications you can think of which can be done?
    The processor is 2.19 Dual core I think the burner is lightscribe.

    Any upgrades I am missing to make it more modern?
    Different video card, different burner, Faster processor?

    Thanks.
     
    fatgrapeape, Oct 30, 2010
    #1
  2. Commander Wolf

    Commander Wolf can i haz broadwell?

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    Buy an SSD? I personally don't think it's worthwhile to spend a ton to upgrade such an old machine, though. Especially since those 7xxx graphics cards are fairly well known for going to an early grave...
     
    Commander Wolf, Oct 31, 2010
    #2
  3. fatgrapeape

    fatgrapeape Notebook Enthusiast

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    Really?

    Wow, I thought that it was still a very fast machine and still handled games like WOW and such incredibly well.

    The price difference between adding an SSD though and getting a new laptop gaming rig is pretty big.

    What did you have in mind for a good gaming rig now adays? I haven't bought anything since this machine.

    Thanks
     
    fatgrapeape, Oct 31, 2010
    #3
  4. FXi

    FXi Notebook Deity

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    A 500GB physical drive will give you a good go, and cost far less.
    Step up from that would be a Seagate XT hybrid.
    SSD would be great, but it's a pricey step up.
     
    FXi, Oct 31, 2010
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  5. Commander Wolf

    Commander Wolf can i haz broadwell?

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    I didn't say it wasn't still a fast machine. I just said it's old and that the graphics cards are known to have short lifespans. If it works fine for you, well, that's great. I would just hate to drop a three digit figure on upgrade parts just to have it or some other part of the machine kick the bucket in a matter of months.

    And yes, the Momentus XT is also a good choice if you don't want to flat out get an SSD.
     
    Commander Wolf, Oct 31, 2010
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  6. yellowlt4

    yellowlt4 Notebook Consultant

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    With 60-80gb SSD drives dropping to the ~$100 price point this could really boost your performance and make this system perform quite a bit better. This is assuming 60-80gb's if enough to fit your needs.
     
    yellowlt4, Oct 31, 2010
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  7. fatgrapeape

    fatgrapeape Notebook Enthusiast

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    The SSD just fits into the SATA holder?
    Or is there some adapter?

    Thanks for all the tips. I've heard that SSD can boost things, and I'm just looking for some little boosts. May be playing Cataclysm on it in a few months.
     
    fatgrapeape, Nov 1, 2010
    #7
  8. Commander Wolf

    Commander Wolf can i haz broadwell?

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    If you buy a standard 2.5" SSD, it'll fit anywhere a standard 2.5" HDD will fit.
     
    Commander Wolf, Nov 1, 2010
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  9. meanstreet

    meanstreet Notebook Guru

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    meanstreet, Dec 2, 2010
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  10. meanstreet

    meanstreet Notebook Guru

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    meanstreet, Dec 2, 2010
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  11. Commander Wolf

    Commander Wolf can i haz broadwell?

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    Mobile Graphics Cards - Benchmark List - Notebookcheck.net Tech

    75 out of 282... the 7950GTX - if you get an M1710 with a 7950GTX - is still decent with respect to sheer GPU compute power, but if you're upgrading - because of the high price of the individual graphics cards - (and possibly even buying used), I think there would be comparably priced newer systems that do the same job while using less power, etc.
     
    Commander Wolf, Dec 2, 2010
    #11
  12. fatgrapeape

    fatgrapeape Notebook Enthusiast

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    I don't know if it is or not, they have laptops with 2 cards now etc.
     
    fatgrapeape, Dec 2, 2010
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  13. gull_s_777

    gull_s_777 Notebook Consultant

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    Yeah that seems pretty mainstream score for today.... not at all weak card considering new xps 15 has 435 which has got almost same muscles as 7950
     
    gull_s_777, Dec 3, 2010
    #13