Inspiron E1505 Video Upgrade - Will this work?

I know there are like five million questions on this topic, but I have a specific method and a specific question.

I know that the E1505 can be upgraded from X1300 to X1400, but to me that's not enough. I want more. I know that the E1705 can easily be upgraded with a 7800Go, which is more than enough for a puny 1280x800 screen that is on my E1505. Of course, the massive heatsink doesn't fit in the E1505. Now, the graphics chips can be disassembled, i.e. the card separated from its heatsink. Does anyone know if it is possible to take one of these 7800Gos and strip its heatsink off, then attach the heatsink that was on my X1300, and then stuff it back into my E1505?

I know I would need a 130w AC adapter if this works, and I have a 9-cell battery already.

 

Even if it does work, that is a terrible idea. I'm no expert but I'm almost sure that would overheat if it is even possible to install it.

 

Lol, very true. Laptops are inherently not designed for much upgradeability beyond the RAM, hard drive, and processor. It's what you get for all the portability.

Flaming laptops!

 

So there's no reason to believe it physically wouldn't work, it might just get super hot... (If you haven't noticed, I'm kind of determined to at least try this if the card physically fits in there...). Dell also underclocks the part a good deal as well, and I'm not going to fuss if I have to drop the clocks through the floor except when gaming, or if I end up needing a laptop cooling pad.

 

I seriously doubt a cooling pad, bar one of those giant fans behind football benches, would "solve" your problem.

Anyway, isthere any documentation concerning the upgradeability of the E1505 with aftermarket video cards? From what I understand, Dells are fairly proprietary, so I would assume your looking at possibly a 90% chance it won't even fit/connect properly.

Actually, I'm typing this on a E1505 myself, albeit with integrated graphics. I dunno, I'd be very wary of such an "experiment", but all the more power to you...

Post some pics if it melts upon boot up or gaming or something.

 

Well, the 7800Go module I would use would fit in an E1705, and based on the pictures I've seen of it, it has the same slot type (Mini PCI-E) as the card I have now (X1300). The only documentation I've seen about E1505s is from X1300->X1400, for which I see no point personally. That is why I've decided to strike out into virtually unknown territory, as no amount of Googleing has revealed anything other than the X1300->X1400 business...

Hopefully, I can score the 7800Go I found on FleaBay for around $85...

 

I dunno about the comparison between the 1705 and 1505. I know they look like mini and max versions of the same laptop, but who knows what Dell does with the insides of these things...

Seriously, though, there's the connection issue, of which there is no guarantee will screw in properly / connect properly, even if the slots are "similar". Also, with the "lesser" heatsink, unless you can get in and severely undervolt/underclock it, I guess, it might not even boot. Isn't there some protection on GPUs that shuts them down when they get too hot?

I have 0 experience doing this, but it would be interesting. I'm assuming you don't need this laptop very much or have a backup? Because you are definitely looking at royally screwing the whole thing if it goes bad...

 

GPUs do shut down when overheated, and if my legs start to burn I know there's something amiss. I would imagine Dell would have no reason not to use the same PCI-E interface on both notebooks, from what I have seen the PCI-E slots appear to be the same (I'm going to try to verify that by opening up a friend's broken E1705). As long as there's enough clearance for the card (and also by comparing cards from the E1705 and E1505, the 7800 goes into the 1705 without modification), it should fit, physically speaking. You're right about heat though, this 15" was probably not meant for that. But like I say, if that becomes an issue it will most likely become glaringly obvious right away (as I plan to install a game to test it for such issues)

 

All right, well, godspeed to you!

Interesting idea, please keep us updated.

 

haha your going to get set on fire

 

There are three roadblocks, all of which can potentially be overcome:

1. Does it fit into the slot? Does the new GPU actually snap into the slot and fit correctly?

2. Does it fit into the notebook? Does the new GPU actually fit into the constraints of the computer? The 17 and 15 are internally different. Is there enough space within the computer for it to fit?

3. Will the BIOS recognize the new GPU? If the BIOS does not recognize the GPU, then it won't boot through POST. You might find a hacked BIOS for your particular situation, but no guarantees.

If all 3 of the above are good-to-go, then it will work.

The heat issue may or may not come into play, but I'm pretty sure the life of your computer will be compromised.

 

I dont know if you've looked at both service manuals, but the cards face 2 different directions, it wouldn't even fit. It simply wont work.

 

The heat from the GPU can also damage other components.

 

Exactly. All the components are stacked on top of each other and crammed next to each other. Anyway, who cares about the GPU? You already have the original one you can swap out if need be. The issue is frying your motherboard which is usually not cost effective to replace; i.e., new computer.

 

The GPU will not fit in the slot, without me destroying the LAN port and taking a dremel to the CPU heatsink. Phooey. Weekend mod project ruined