E1505 Overhaul, would you do this?

Hi all... It's been a long time since I've been on here, mostly because my E1505 has been a great machine that I've been very happy with. I got it in March (I think) of 2006 with the following configuration:

WXSGA+
Core Duo T2300
1GB RAM
160GB HD
x1300 Graphics
802.11g
No Bluetooth
9-Cell battery
DVD/CD-RW

Over time, I've done the following to it
- Added bluetooth
- Upgraded to 4GB RAM
- Upgraded to 500GB HD (well, first upgraded to 320 and then later to 500GB)
- Upgraded to 8x DVD+/- DL RW drive
- Replaced the screen under warranty after 18 months, so the screen is relatively new and still looks GREAT - bright, sharp, no dead pixels

Overall the machine still works fine, but I have a few things that I need to do to it at this point:

1. Replace keyboard - I have a keycap that I partially broke a couple of years ago that has finally come all the way off and won't stay on
2. Replace the battery - 3+ years have really shortened the battery life
3. Replace hinges - the old ones are pretty shot - the lid is very wobbly
4. Replace missing screws - I've had the thing open several times and have replaced both internal drives (HD and optical) and have loosened several other screws

In addition, I'd like to run Win 7, and be able to go 64 bit, so I am interested in potentially upgrading the video card to the x1400 and swapping out the proc to a Core 2 Duo.

I don't do PC gaming any more (last game I played was Half Life 2 - which ran okay on the existing machine) and I don't do much video encoding anymore (now that I have an HD Tivo, I rarely have to transcode captured video).

I'm looking just to extend the usefulness of the machine for general purpose computing, some media playback improvements, and VMWare workstation for software development - I also do CD ripping on the box for my media library.

So, after perusing eBay for a while today, I came up with this list of parts to purchase:

1. Used ATI x1400 video card $54
2. Used Core 2 Duo T7200 $95
3. New Dell LCD Cover/Hinge assembly $31
4. Set of screws for E1505 $10
5. New Keyboard $12
6. New Dell Genuine 9-cell battery $65

All prices are shipped for a total of $267

I'm really tempted by this - I'd essentially get to a fine Win 7 64-bit machine for under $300.

Obviously, I could eliminate over half of that cost by not doing the x1400 upgrade/T7200 upgrade, but that would leave me without the option of 64-bit.

Anyone have any thoughts on this, does it make sense to you?

Thanks,

Ted

 

This makes great sense. I was thinking about doing a similar overhaul with my e1705, the only reason i decided against it was because i had the cash for a new one, and i had someone to pass off this machine to.

Go with the 64 bit if you want - i heard elsewhere though that the machines are limited to 32-bit by other chips on the motherboard. I know the e1705 won't recognize more than 3.25 GB of ram with or without a 64-bit processor, but if you have 4 GB running already, it may not be an issue.

One thing I love about these machines is that even if they're not that pretty, they're really easy to work on.

 

I don't think the X1400 is necessary for 64 bit. You can just upgrade to a Core 2 Duo and leave the X1300 as is.

 

Yeah... I understand that x1400 isn't a 64-bit upgrade, but if I'm going to go for the processor upgrade, it is with an eye toward getting another 2 to 3 years out of this machine at a minimum, and I've been eyeing the x1400 upgrade almost since I bought this machine.

The slowest part of my vista experience numbers was the video score, and Aero was okay, but slow enough that I ran with it off when I used Vista.

For $54, if I'm doing the processor upgrade, I think I'll do the video card too.

 

In that case, go right ahead. Better graphics peformance never hurt anyone.

On that note, I thought there was some higher-end nVidia 7xxx series graphics card that you could use in the E1505 as well, or am I thinking of another model?

 

my e1705 has a nvidia geForce go 7800. the 7900 GS was an option as well, and some adventurous people have put in 7900 GTX's in as well. Maybe that's what you were thinking of?

 

My understanding of those E1705 options was that they would not physically fit in the 1505 - though they are pin compatible - because of space issues.

The only other video card I'm aware of for the 1505 was the 7300? GeForce - which is about the equivalent of the x1300 I already have.

 

Thanks for the feedback and info.

I decided to go for the overhaul.

All parts are on order from eBay, including the x1400 and T7200.

Hopefully, I'll have everything and be able to do the overhaul by the time Windows 7 is available to MSDN/Technet next week.