Dell Inspiron 1520...

I would like to upgrade some components in my Inspiron 1520:

Windows Vista Home Premium (32 bit OS)
120GB HD 5400 RPM
1GB DDR2
Intel Core 2 Duo (T7250 @ 2.0GHz/2MB Cache/800MHz FBS)

Some of the stuff I was thinking about putting in were:

250GB HD 7200 RPM
8GB DDR2
Intel Core 2 Duo (T9500 @ 2.6GHz/6MB Cache/800MHz FBS)

My question is this: Will the BIOS be able handle it? Or do I need to shoot a little lower on my upgrades?

 

The Inspiron 1520 would take all of those things, HOWEVER...
You're going to be spending disgusting amounts of money to make those upgrades. Might I suggest instead...
250GB 7200RPM
4GB (2x2GB) DDR2
Keep your CPU...

4GB modules of DDR2 are very expensive. 8GB will cost you about 600 dollars. On the other hand, 4GB can be had for about 50 bucks.
The T9500 is going to cost you a lot too. Unless you have a specific need for a faster CPU, I would keep your current one. Even if you do need to upgrade the CPU, a T8300 would make a lot more sense, since it will cost significantly less and not be much worse. Well... the right CPU for you depends on what you do with your PC. So... what do you do with your laptop?

 

Well, the main reasons I wanted to upgrade is because i'm starting school soon, i do watch movies and listen to music, i game a little (just diablo 2: lod), and the internet is especially important.

i was basically just testing my limits with those high standards. so, that's good to know. and yeah, i've done some research, and the 8GB RAM and t9500 processor are quite expensive.

 

For what you do, I would get no more than 4GB of RAM and I would DEFINITELY keep your CPU. I used to game on that CPU, it can definitely handle movies and music and internet browsing. Save your cash for something else.
RAM is nice for anyone who multitasks and it's so cheap, so why not.

 

sweet. thanks for the help, i really appreciate it!!

 

320 GB 7200 RPM hard drivers are less then $90 on newegg.com now. For a few bucks more you might as well get an additional 70 GB's of hard drive.

 

Tigerdirect and Zipzoomfly both have $20 MIR on a $79.99 pricing for the Hitachi 320 gb, 7200 RPM SATA II HD.

 

Just to add, the highest RAM supported by the Inspiron 1520 is 6GB. Not 8GB. I know this, because I tested on other 1520 machines (3 of them just to confirm) with the latest BIOS can't boot/POST with 2x4GB sticks. Then I tried 6GB, (1x4GB + 1x2GB setup) and they work.

 

Does this only work on 64bit?

 

LOL, to access 4GB RAM or more you need an x64 OS. Apparently, Dell restricts the 1520/1720 BIOS to 6GB RAM max.

 

if you are going with the t9500,,,i would make sure you have the latest bios.
not sure if i would go with the t9500, expensive, but if you got the money and want to do it...go for it...i just bought a 1520, had one before, and also will upgrade cpu...i am going from 1.5 ghz to 2.4ghz.. i went with the t8300,,got it for $159 off ebay.


the memory,,,one dimm goes in the back,.the other, you have to take the keybord off.
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins1520/en/sm/index.htm
the hard drive would be nice upgrade, and very easy install....the cpu, i have done on my previous 1520, not hard, just have to be careful ...lots of pieces...took me 1.5 hours.

 

Just went through some of this on a 1520. Hitachi 320 gb 7200 rpm HD is about $50 after MIR, OCZ 6400 2x2gb sticks is about $40 + shipping maybe depending on the deal [Amazon and Zipzoomfly are good sources for deals] and Zfactor had some good quality T9500 (ES) CPUs for about $250. Install of the CPU is a bit of work, but definitely can be done by user. I agree that you should upgrade the bios first...

 

I have a 1520. I game one it and run a load of virtual machines. Never had a problem with 3gb of memory.

Wouldn't mind a faster processor though ...

 

If you do decide on the T9500, good call. It's a fantastic processor if you can afford it.

 

I put T9500s into the Dell Inspiron 1520 and a Vostro 1310, and I put a T9300 into a Vostro 1500. Combined with 3 or 4 gb of memory and a 7200 rpm Sata II Hard Drive, all of these Laptops move right along and are no longer frustrating to use.

This coming from someone who's gaming Laptop is a Clevo D901C with 8800 GTX SLI and a E8600 CPU. I point this out not as a boast, but rather to say that performance wise, on day to day Software, these Dell Laptops work well if they have the benefit of faster components...

 

Hi, I'm about to perform some upgrades to my Inspiron 1520 as well. Mine has the Intel GM965 chipset and the Core 2 Duo T5250.

My question is, will this motherboard support a PC2-6400 memory, or is the PC2-5300 the maximum that it will support?

Thanks.

 

The GM/PM965 supports FSB up to 800MHz and RAM up to 667MHz.

 

The xx965 chipsets support up to 667MHz RAM, aka PC2-5300. You can use PC2-6400/800MHz if you want, but it will just underclock itself.

 

agree,,,667mhz memory is stanard speed on this laptop...mine came with 1gb on vista basic, and i got 2x1gb crucial from newegg for $19...cheap-
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148086

well, it looks like it went up a $1 since i bought it..inflation.

sort of would like to upgrade my 1.5ghz core 2 duo..but it seems to work nicely...really don,t game that much, and games like crysis would be difficult to run on this laptop....even with the 2.6ghz cpu...but probably could be played ., not very good though

 

Very nice - the inspiron 1520. But where and how do I get the bluetooth to work?