Swapping Graphics Cards in Inspiron or XPS Series

What is the feasability of swapping out cards in the Inspiron / XPS 17" models? I'm having trouble making a final decision on whether to go with extended battery life provided by the ATI X1400 cards in the e1710, or to choose ultimate power and short battery time and go with the Nvidia 7900 series.

The thought came to me maybe I could additionally purchase one or the other card in addition, possibly dual boot (to minimize driver issues) and swap the cards out depending "where I want to go today".. IE watching DVDs or playing F.E.A.R.. Has anyone ever tried something like this?

Additionally anybody know if you can put an X1400 into the XPS?

Supposedly the ATI card allows "up to 88%" more battery time than the Nvidia series. (according to this: http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=2766&p=16)

R3

 

You won't just be swapping these cards on the fly; you have to disassemble the entire laptop. Tell us what games you'll be playing and how long you want this laptop to last and we can give you a recommendation.

 

Ok that's pretty important to know. At one point in the Inspiron line there was a panel beneath the computer to access the graphics card, but I didn't know if this was still the case.

 

Generally you can't swap out the graphics cards unless you are upgrading to a supported card for that specific system. The reason is because you have to have BIOS support.

The only laptop that I know of that supported a graphic card which was not offered by dell for that system was the 9300 system.

Other than that, you are pretty much stuck with the cards that dell offers for your laptop.

 

A good bit of advice is don't buy a laptop and plan on changing the graphics card, even if you can. Buy the laptop with the card you want.

I don't really see the sense in buying an XPS and putting the Radeon X1400 in; the XPS is designed for gamers, and if you're not a gamer, then quite frankly the XPS isn't for you.

But if you plan on playing the latest games such as FEAR, then you'll want to go for the Go7900GS. The X1400 will struggle with that game.
It looks like you could use some direction; completing the FAQ (you can copy + paste it into here) would help us to see what's best for you.

 

Thanks but I just need to find my motivation, I'm a bad decision maker. I've been shopping these out for a month now lurking the forums trying to decide.. Power, Portability, or Productivity?

Hmm.. Unless somebody knows of a magic pill for this problem it was really something of a hypothetical hopeful question.. I'm torn between losing battery time with a dedicated 3D powerhouse or gaining the productivity and losing the power.. I want it all. I was just hoping I'd discover a loophole somewhre if I dug deeply. It's really just a shame there's no sort of stepdown processing on graphics cards.

 

You could always consider a smaller 15.4" notebook with a fast mid-range card, such as the Go7600 or Radeon X1600. They're about twice as powerful as the Radeon X1400, and you'll still be able to get good battery life.

 

My only reason for considering a card exchange is the battery life versus the options available for the XPS. Gigabit internal and that D-Series docking port are advantages I really can make use of which the Inspiron lacks, but I know battery life matters. I want a Truelife screen so Latitude/Precision are out. This is why I considered making a card switch. I have a company discount if I purchase a DELL, so I'm trying to stay with a DELL system. The XPS would be great if it lasted more than two hours on a 90WHr battery, and since the two systems are nearly identical I thought possibly I could put in an X1400 card and get that "88% increase". I'm just stuck by a few frills they've cut from the Inspiron line.

I'd be willing to change cards once and for all and leave it be if I knew it was possible, and understood how difficult the procedure was going to be..

 

Did you find a tech source for undocumented hardware on the 9300 or was this just stuff discovered over time by tweakers? I read recently about people putting 4GB of 667MHz RAM inside Inspiron 9400/e1710 systems with no problem, even though the DELL site says 2GB Max, and some people are considering creating a surgical incision and soldering a d-series docking port onto the Inspiron motherboard because apparently the points are there, though I'm not quite that adventurous myself.. Assuming the XPS has the same motherboard as a 9400 (also found some comments that the M90 is using the same MB), wouldn't they accept parts from sibling systems?

We installed interior paneling from a 1971 Lincoln Continental inside a 1970 Thunderbird once.. Isn't it all the same sort of thing?

(NOTE to anyone following the thread: I inserted an article in the original message about swapping an Inspiron graphics card today)

 

actually, some other users just experimented around and figure it out. They had to get a cracked BIOS and some hardware in order to do it. I think it was just a lucky situation. Don't expect this to happen with very many laptops.