Dell E1705 7950GTX upgrade..f.e.a.r. screenshots

Hi everyone. Just got done upgrading the E1705 to a T7400 processor and the 7950GTX Video card. The t7400 cost me $200(oem version on ebay sold "as is"), and the 7950GTX cost me $310 U.S. dollars. I upgraded from the 7900GS. For anyone thinking about doing it, it's very easy...and from my performance results...definitely worth it. I spent $900 for the E1705, so it was worth it to me to spend another 5 bills for the upgrades. Here is the pic of the install completed. I have arrows which show where the two walls are under the left heat sink arm. You will definitely have to cut the wall nearest to the processor. The other wall furthest from the CPU I had to cut as well as it was giving me issues...but you may not have to cut that one. Does not affect aesthetics outside the laptop obviously..and you don't even see it with the laptop opened up once the card is on.



Some Performance Results
I used Windows Vista Home Premiere, and was using the stock 90watt power supply. I used the 7950GTX driver on the dell web site which works quite well. In the Nvidia CP I basically set everything to get the best possible image quality. My peformance test consisted of one thing...Playing F.E.A.R. maxxed out on all settings. The resolution I played at was 1024X768. This is the resolution I always play at and is the resolution this game is optimized for. The game runs incredibly smooth and looks great. I ran the performance test under the display options and got an average of 50FPS and a maximum of 60FPS. Note this is everything set at maximum settings with VSYNC On.

Some Screen Shots





More Screen Shots

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w181/scegods/laptopshot3.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w181/scegods/laptopshot4.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w181/scegods/laptopshot5.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w181/scegods/laptopshot6.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w181/scegods/laptopshot7.jpg


Sumarry

Just to note when installing the t7400 cpu, I used the same heat sink already installed - Part #DF031) and used Arctic Silver 5 thermal compound and am having no issues. I am very impressed with my current setup. The 7950GTX and the T7400 processor was well worth the upgrade. If I can play F.E.A.R. maxxed out, than I can pretty much play almost everything. If your thinking about doing this to your E1705, don't hesitate!

 

very nice screenshots, they look good. I didn't know you could upgrade the video card in the e1705

 

yah, just have to cut that insignificant wall. still trying to find some more tweaks to hopefully raise fps. if anyone has suggestions let me know.

 

Good job mate. I did a similar thing with my M90, but I didn't have to cut the walls. Certainly is worth the effort!

Ginga

 

Well I'm still going to sell my current 2gb 533mhz memory and get 667mhz memory....and I'm also going to get a 7200RPM hard drive as well. After that there really isn't any thing more that I can do.

 

anyone have a guess as to whether the new Dells still have the same setup and will allow you to upgrade?

 

i have the same exact table as you

 

WOW everything is rendered beautifully. Thanks for posting!

 

Hmm, interesting. I didn't know that about the resolution optimisation. I have been playing with high most things at my G1S native res of 1680x1050 with my 8600M GT, and the fps is smooth enough to me. Guess this means I should try this optimised res and hope to push effects even higher..?

 

Actually this is just for the game f.e.a.r...when toggling through resolutions on the display options there will be an asterisk next to the resolution which the game will specify it "was not optimized for" - 1024x768 was one of the options it was "optimized" for...the highest resolution it is optimized for seems to be 1600x1200.

At a higher resolution, there will definitely be a decrease in performance and fps. As we all know, f.e.a.r. isn't any game...it is one of those games that will challenge most desktop beasts, and it's the game that really sets apart the men from the boys. I think you need a minimum desktop running 2 7900GTX in SLi or two X1950XTX in crossfire to get it running super smooth at maxed out settings with a decent resoltuion. One desktop 8800GTX will suffice. At least that's the card I have in my desktop and it of course, runs fear a lot faster. I would have to say the 7950GTX Go is certainly quite impressive...and should be the standard for laptop gamers. It would probably even be better if dell updated the drivers for it frequently.

 

Lol, I guess we both have good taste

 

Excellent work. For more tweeks, you should check out this forum:
http://www.notebookforums.com/forum153.html

I've upgraded myself from a 9300 to a 1705 this week as well (lappy needs to be forwarded to me in a few weeks though). I don't game, but as you mentioned in other threads, there is no laptop with this kinds of spec for this price. I would have gotten a 1720 (even managed to see it in person), but I needed DVI. Anyhoo, the only upgrades I'm doing now is the 1710 gray keyboard (2 weeks wait). I will see if the 1720 webcam can be retrofitted once they produce the service manual. Congrats. (Oh, I'm thinking of getting an expresscard eSata card, and also the Audigy Expresscard when it becomes available.)

 

So I was wondering what type of processor the TC started with?

I have an e1705 that was a Core Duo and I wanted to upgrade to a Core 2 Duo and I was unsure if this works?

Also, where did you get a GeForce Gov7950GTX? Is there anywhere more reliable than ebay to buy one?

And what did you use to cut the walls?

And one last question si there anyway to unlock the locked BIOS?

Thanks!

 

Also curious what video card you started with along with the above posters question

 

It works...I'm running a T7400 Core 2 Duo in mine with the stock heat sink. I used arctic silver 5 as the thermal compound.

I got my card on ebay. I hear some say you can get one on Dell. Obviously, it's going to cost a lot more from Dell I would imagine.

The "walls" are an extremely thin metal. I thought they were plastic at first but they are a very thin metal. I used a very...very...small hand saw to make two cuts....and then I just took some pliers to break it off. It's a really small section, no big deal.

As for the locked Bios...I assume you mean the GPU Bios? I have no idea if that is possible. I know you can flash the 7900GS to 7900GTX speeds...not sure about the 7950GTX.

I started with a 7900GS. Some people think that card is adequate...but I just couldn't resist the upgrade.

 

Sounds good, let me know how good that Audigy Expresscard turns out...that is something I might want to do as well.

 

Thanks for answers.

Did you need to do anything else or just change the hardware?

Can a Core 2 Duo with an 800Mhz FSB be used such as a T7500?

How much risk is their that something will go wrong?

 

I'm about to purchase a laptop, but I'm hesitant to buy the new inspirons because of the VGA only option. The 1705 sounds like a decent option. I wonder if this video card upgrade is possible with the 256MB ATI MOBILITY RADEON X1400 HyperMemory card or Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 950.

 

The 800mhz chips are using a different socket (socket P) therefore they will not be backward compatable with 1705/10.

1705 graphic can be upgraded PROVIDED you buy either the x1400 or 7900GS dedicated video card option. It is not upgradable if you buy it with an integrated GPU solution. Is there any particular reason you need DVI? VGA works quite well, I've tried it up to 1920x1200. In my case, my particular external monitor accepts only DVI, hence why I have to settle for the 1705, otherwise I'd be all over the newer 1720.

 

I remember some guy said he ll stuff the 7900gs into the 1505... i wonder if he had succeeded.

 

I haven't done the comparison myself, but I've seen a lot of threads that suggest that there is a noticeable different in quality with the DVI as opposed to the VGA at high resolution. What size monitor do you use? Maybe that makes a difference as higher resolutions on a smaller monitor might not be as pronounced.

Also, I suspect that it might not be possible to upgrade the newer inspiron's video card from the 8600 gt. If Dell has a way of upgrading their xps 1710 system to the dx 10 cards (namely the 8700 card and 8800 card when it comes out), it seems that the 1705 would be able to do the same.

I'm not rushing into anything. I'm posting my thoughts on the forums to get opinions before jumping.

 

i've hooked up a Dell 24" 2405 via VGA and DVI to two computers, and there isn't much difference. None that I can tell.The only bigger 1920x1200 screen is the Dell 27". Of course TV LCD go bigger still. Anyhoo, that's my experience. I used it in that dual setup for over a year.

There are so much inprovement in the new Dells that if it's just between vga an dvi and you are still able to use both, I'd skip it and get the newer Dell. Also take note, I don't game at all.

Lastly, don't dream about the new XPS GPU fitting in the old line. It's not going to happen. Dell will make a totally new design just as they have done with the 1330 and 1720/1520. New design will mean, it more likely will not fit the old laptop.

You may want to look at this solution. There is a Belkin Expresscard expansion device that supports a whole host of things including a DVI out. It is speced at 1600x1200. And Expresscard is a x1 device.

 

was there no overheating issues when doing this upgrade? how does the e1705 fans handle it?

 

Did you remove the lid, like Dell suggests, or just opened it and covered/ protected while working..?
Also how was the heat issue with the new card, if any please...?

 

Not to be dense, but what major improvements are there? There's the dx10 card and upgraded Hard Drive options. What else?

 

Well, it's a little improvement on everything. Firstly it's Santa Rosa, suppose to be better at saving energy (bus cuts in half), 800mhz FSB, Robson flash card (socket is built in already), wireless N, and best yet, all the wireless cellular network you want built in (you have to choose at build time of course). Webcam built in, number pad built in, real 4GB RAM max, quieter cause only one fan... hmm what else... ya DX10. Oh, best part, looks better, also the cover I think is magnesium alloy. Oh, Blue Ray option. Man, I really wished it had DVI, that is the deal breaker for me, so I got a 1705.

Edit: to add, also it is likely Santa Rosa will be able to use the next gen chips, Penryn, just as last gen supported Core Duo then Core 2 Duo. And, faster chips are now Socket P only, 2.6 and 2.8 are coming.

 

No overheating issues. The GPU runs pretty hot at 70C. From what I've read this is normal. Fans seem to do pretty well. I wish I could figure out a way to keep them full blast when gaming though.

 

Just followed the service manual that you can download from the dell web site. Not hard at all. I did remove the monitor as instructed in the sm.

 

New dells should of come with a DVI. A VGA to DVI adapter always does the trick I suppose. Still...DVI is the standard, and to not include it is pretty WeaK on Dell's part.

 

Just wanted to make this semi-review post semi-complete now that I have all the upgrades installed, new performance intel, and the total cost of the laptop and upgrades after selling the old parts that originally came with the laptop. I have 3dmark06 scores with the dell video driver and a 3dmark06 score from a laptopvideo2go driver that seems to work well for me.

E1705 Specs

7950GTX 512MB
Intel T7400 Core 2 Duo 2.16GHZ Process
100GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
Geil 2GB 667MHZ PC2-5300 Memory
"Tru Life" 1900x1200 native res. monitor"

3DMark06 score with laptopvideo2go driver version 158.36



3dmark score of 6100 was taken with resolution set at 1024X768 as you can see in the pic using the video2go driver. When using Dell's driver I got a score of 5900. I found the 2go driver to be the best and most stable so it's not surprising it scored higher. I also did a 3dmark score before I pulled the 120GB 5400RPM HD out, and got a score of 5200. So you can see that the speed of the HD dramatically increases your performance. Also I went ahead and tested my desktop running an amd 6000+ processor, 2GB Ram, and 8800GTX and it scored over 10000. So as good as this laptop is, it's not going to replace my desktop

Index Score



Was hoping to get at least 5...but memory is holding me back.

Price Break Down

E1705 laptop on ebay: $930 shipped
7950GTX 512MB Card: $330 shipped
T7400 Processor on ebay: $220 shipped
100GB 7200RPM Hard Drive: $123 shipped
Geil 2GB 667mhz Ram: $70 shipped (after rebate)
Total without selling old parts: $1673

Old parts sold that came originally with the E1705:

7900GS Video Card: $140
120GB 5400RPM Hard Drive: $70
2GB PC2-4200 533mhz Ram: $60
T2250 Core Duo Process: $80
Money Back total: $350

Total price of laptop after selling all the old stuff: $1323

Other Thoughts

Not too shabby considering what I payed. I haven't truly compared this configuration with other laptops selling for over a thousand more. I looked at other 3dmark06 scores and it seems this laptop performs up to par with them.