R2 motherboard in R1?

I noticed in the M18x section users put the R2 motherboard in the R1 M18x and it works.

Now i'm wondering if this is also possible with the M14x. The processor would be a sandy bridge i7 quad, but would it work in the motherboard?

Everything seems like it would work fine and would technically be an R2 with a sandy bridge processor.

Anyone know for sure?

 

Well for starters the ports are different between R1 and R2, so you might hit a wall right there, unless you're willing to drill into the case of your laptop.

 

motherboard size is the same , also the barebones. I'm not sure about processor didn't bother to try.

 

Actually they're exactly the same.

Yeah it'll fit and everything. I'm just worried the processor might not work. Also if the other components will work too like all the ports, mousepad, etc.

The M14xR2 used to come with a Sandy Bridge i5 so if that processor was included originally I would think a i7 quad should work too.

 

The one thing I would be worried about is the heatsink fitting right. I know they switched to a larger one on the r2.

 

Yea ur right.

R1



R2

 

I see, thanks for that. So one would need the motherboard and a new heatsink for such a conversion.

Now if only I can find someone or a confirmation of the sandy i7s working in it.

Are there any other things changed? Or should everything besides the heatsink just plug and fit fine?

 

I'm not really sure hopefully someone could help you with that but previously m14x-r2 able to fit in a i5-2450M Sandy Bridge , see these link for reference

Alienware M14x R2 Review - Notebookcheck.net Reviews

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m14x/666638-m14x-r2-sandy-bridge-i5.html

 

Yeah, that's exactly why I think an i7 quad should work too. It seems simple enough. If anything one can sell the sandy bridge processor and get an ivy bridge version, if it didn't work of course.

 

It will work. I put in my m18xR2 which came with Ivi bridge an Sandy bridge XM processor and it worked just fine.

You will also be able to fit the r2 motherboard but I recommend getting the heatsink as well, as this system gets quite hot and it will help a lot with cooling.

 

Thanks for the confirmation, looking good. So technically it is a R2 with a sandy bridge processor.

 

To answer your question more clear, you do not need to do anything, just install the CPU the normal way, put thermal paste and Fix the heatsink (though I do recommend to put the heatsink that comes with the R2 version). You may be able to get all those from ebay or http://www.parts-people.com (or something like that).

 

I like this discussion guys.

Hopefully someone will be able to completely do this so I can also give it a go; since there is absolutely no way I can upgrade the GT555m on my R1 :/

 

i would just watch for deals and buy a whole r2. the mobo will not be cheap, and you'll still be stuck with some of the old machine still if you upgrade an r1 (which i still don't think will work...).

 

The r1 and r2 are almost identical. A new motherboard with ivy bridge support, the 650m instead of a 555m and a newer heatsink. You can count the sound card too but other than that, the internals are the same.

Converting a R1 into a R2 would pretty much be the same as a regular R2. The motherboard is the one component that has the newer things. The rest of the components are still the same. If you can get a r2 motherboard for around $150 or less, it wouldn't be a bad deal. It'd cost around $400 to sell a r1 and get a r2 for around a 15% overall increase in performance.

If I can get my hands on an r2 motherboard for cheap, I will definitely try this. I do believe it'll work.

 

I think a mobo runs over $400?

 

If you buy officially from dell of course it's expensive. There's always used and other people selling them sometimes.


New question! Would a R2 heatsink fit a regular R1? This could help with some heating issues on the r1 if it's a direct fit and if it is better at cooling.