Dell Inspiron 1520: Viable After Market Upgrades

Hello Mihael Keehl, Hats off on the extensive research done on upgrading the Dell Inspiron 1520, I joined today but Ive used your viable upgrades for a Dell Inspiron 1520 for the past 3 months as my main "go to" during the process of my rebuild/upgrade of my 1520... basically a ground up rebuild.... MoBo, GPU, CPU,RAM,Turbo Memory, LCD/LCD Back Cover...Alpine White,Windows 7 Ultimate... Thank You for this extensive in depth post it has been greatly helpful ....

Now I am in the research aspect of upgrading my WLAN card ...currently it has the Intel Pro/Wireless 3945 ABG Network Card.... do not want any usb or wireless insert card I want to have it internal and after looking around the past 2 weeks I have my eye on the Intel® Centrino® Ultimate-N 6300 as my top choice however it is a half card so I would need the half card adapter(makes a half card fit in a full mini PCI-E slot) Ive seen all over the internet Ebay etc, second choice is the Intel® Ultimate N WiFi Link 5300 third is the Intel Wireless WiFi N card 4965AGN MM1 ..... heres some links to the different cards and the half card adapter,whats good is that Dell already has extra antannae and from my research thus far I would use the original antanae leads plus the solid gray one thats already there Anyway any input would be greatly appreciated, thanks Phil/xx


Intel® Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN – Overview


Intel® Ultimate N WiFi Link 5300

Intel® Centrino® Ultimate-N 6300

PCIe Half Mini Card Adapter Bracket-Use Half height Cards In Full Height Slot | eBay

 

About to start the upgrade to my vostro1500. Found this screen but it says it's for the Inspiron6000. Looking in to it i have seen some panals for the inspiron that say 6400 on board only. Is there more than one WUXGA option for the inspiron 6400s?

 

Don't use Inspiron 6000 panels. Inspiron 6400 panels should be fine, and yes, there are probably multiple ODMs.

 

Anyone know if it's possible to get a good quality Inspiron 1520 9 cell still? My 9 cell charges to 16whr instead of 86whr, dies in 30~ minutes or so, rather depressing. I was searching but a lot of aftermarket batteries have bad reviews, and I worry that a battery for this laptop would have been sitting around for a few years by now.

 

Cheers for that will have to keep my eye out for another. if only i lived in the US loads of D820s etc over there.

 

I got a 9-cell (7800maH) from eBay for $28 and it's doing pretty good, I get 2 hours full hard use.

I would really invest time/money into upgrading the WiFi card, but if you must make sure you get the correct dimension as it's Mini-Card not a Half Mini-Card.

 

Just bought one! Will report back next week

 

This is a great thread. I posted a question in the aftermarket forum and was directed here.

What would you recommend as a replacement HDD that I can swap with the factory HDD on my 1520? I thought I was having Windows/software issues, as the system was crashing continuously. It finally got to a point where I couldn't even get into Windows...it would just say bootmgr missing. I tried to install Windows XP from a CD, but it gave me an error saying it couldn't find a hard drive. I'm guessing then I might have a hardware issue and need to replace the drive.

I think this Seagate Momentus will work based on the list in the original post: Amazon.com: Seagate Momentus 7200.4 320 GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s 16MB Cache 2.5 Inch Internal NB Hard Drive ST9320423AS-Bare Drive(Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging): Computers & Accessories. But I want to make sure before I buy. Also wasn't sure if I was going to need to modify BIOS or do something else in order to get the new one to work.

This is one potential solution, but I have another plan brewing in the back of my head. I am thinking about ordering a new Lenovo Y470p, which comes with a 750GB 5400 rpm HDD. I'd ultimately love to be able to put the 7200 Seagate Momentus in the Lenovo and then put the Lenovo's 5400 rpm drive in the Inspiron 1520. Not sure what this would all entail, as this would be the first removal/installation of HDDs I've undertaken. Any advice is appreciated.

EDIT: I should probably add that I plan on installing Windows XP on whatever HDD I end up putting in the Inspiron 1520, if that makes a difference. If I am able to transfer the Lenovo HDD into the Dell and put a new Seagate Momentus in the Lenovo, I'll probably end up buying Windows 7 to install on the Lenovo...

 

I'm not exactly sure what your concern is here, but if it's a matter of compatibility, you should be able to use any 2.5" SATA HDD. SATA 1, 2, and 3 are all backwards and forwards compatible with each other.

If you don't need a lot of storage space, I would recommend buying an SSD.

 

That is encouraging. My concern was that the new hardware might not work seamlessly just installing it in the HDD bay. Your response makes it sound like I don't have to worry about it. Install it, install Windows, install drivers, and fixed (hopefully). I'll take a look at the SSD prices. I actually probably won't need much space on this, because it will probably just end up being a backup computer and for the occasional foray into old 1990s computer games (thanks to its 32-bit XP OS).

Thanks for the help.

 

thanks for this thread! I've ordered some parts to bring new life into the 1520.
From:

T7700/7500rpm HD 100GB/win xp

to:

T9300/OCZ vertex 2 60 GB/win 7 ultimate 64bit

I have 4gig of ram, and was considering going to 6gig...though won't I lose the dual channel mode?

 

Excellent upgrade, the T9300 is a very powerful chip and if you need 64-bit drivers, let me know I'll have to dig them up. I had them before and the 6GB RAM won't make you lose Dual Channel, you'll still have 4GB of Dual Channel Memory, the extra 2GB will run in single-channel mode.

I'm not sure about the OCZ Vertex, as far as SSDs are concerned, I would perhaps just get a Samsung 470 128GB/ 256GB SSD. It'll probably give you better results because the 60GB just seems far too small for an OS, your stuff and to be able to run maintenance/trim on it.

You can find cheap ones on eBay with for much less than they are being sold for on NewEgg or TigerDirect. I would highly recommend the Samsung SSDs simply because they have the most reliable SSDs, especially in that generation.

 

I was debating larger than 60GB but I have a 1TB raid 1 NAS box which has all my files. So the 60GB will be used ~20GB for win7, ~20GB for installed programs...with some leftover for temp files etc. I think the vertex line is rated for MTBF vs OCZ's other models so I think it will be be good enough.

Is there a utility that can tell you if the memory is running in dual channel mode? I'll definately go to 6GB if I can confirm performance wont be degraded along the way.

 

It's your call on the SSD, but I recommend you do your research on the SSDs, take a look at AnandTech's website.

Performance won't be degraded, the actual term for using a 4GB + 2GB stick is Flex Mode. There are a number of documentations that explain but none better than the actual website.

 

I installed a new HDD in my ailing 1520. Unfortunately I diagnosed incorrectly, and was still running into problems. Further (more careful) testing revealed that it was the RAM all along. Removed one of the RAM sticks and was finally able to install the OS (Windows XP Pro).

I'm now in the process of finding all the drivers. I have been running some tests to see if components are functioning correctly and I may have a problem with the video card. I installed a nVidia driver but a couple old games couldn't (a) play video off of the CD or (b) use 3D acceleration.

Would having only one stick of RAM installed impact 3D performance in any way? My guess was that it wouldn't, though I do intend to get a replacement stick (or possibly upgrade both sticks). If not, then I'll have to hunt for updated drivers tonight. I'm not sure if the one on the Dell site is working for me.

Edit: It was the driver. Went directly to nVidia and downloaded most recent driver for 8600m GT and things are looking better now.

 

thanks for the info, perhaps I will get some more memory. BTW, im posting this on the 1520 w/ win7 x64 and the SSD

Unfortuantely im still using the old processor, the faster one was DOA. 3 quick blink lights, and a wierd BIOS overheating message once I reinstalled the old processor...so no T9300 for me, yet.

A fresh win7 ultimate install with drivers and updates uses 13.2GB. (only 1GB page file and 50% hibernation file)

 

I came across this forum post a few months back, and have been doing research into upgrading my 1520. And this has been invaluable. So thank you for your efforts in putting something like this together.

My 1520 started out in 2007. 1.6Ghz Dual Core, 80gb HD, DVD CD Writer, 2gb ram.

I used this forum to upgrade it to a T7500 2.2ghz Dual Core, 500GB HD, 6GB Ram. w/ Bluetooth, New Screws, New Processor fan.

I have a few other upgrades I want to do. I was wondering. If I get a 1525 Bezel and webcam, can I add it, and if so, where to I plug the webcam in on the motherboard? Also Flash Memory Modules. What kind of increase would I see, if any? If I added a 4GB chip to the FMM bay?

I am also going to pick up the 1520 Dell Remote, just to have it. I bought a new Asus and hated it after a week of testing it out. So I opted to upgrade my Dell instead. I am glad I did.

Again, thanks for your posts.

 

You can't use most 1525 parts on a 1520. All 1520 should have wiring for the webcam in place, though. You just need to buy a 1520 webcam module and the appropriate 1520 bezel. I dunno much about the flash cache, but I think you're much better off getting a straight SSD or a Momentus XT.

 

What is on the bottom center of the laptop directly where the main Dell sticker is?

My laptop is constantly producing an metallic whining noise from there.

 

i got my DOA CPU sorted out

so some upgrade info...
was:
T7500 2.2Ghz 4mb 800/HD/4GB ram/winxp prof [no win experience score]

to:
T7500 2.2Ghz 4mb 800/SSD/4GB ram/win7 x64 [no graphics drivers]

• 5.5,5.5,1,1,7.7

T7500 2.2Ghz 4mb 800/SSD/4GB ram/win7 x64 [with graphics drivers]

• 5.4,5.4,4.7,5.8,7.7

T7500 2.2Ghz 4mb 800/SSD/4GB ram/win7 x64 [with chipset and rapid store drivers]

• 5.5,5.5,4.7,5.9,7.7

T9300 2.5Ghz 6mb 800/SSD/4GB ram/win7 x64 [all drivers]

• 6.1,6.1,4.6,5.9,7.7

the compter working now...i'm very happy!

 

Hi guys, many thanks for this thread. I have been a fairly satified 1520 user for nearly 5 years and now my laptop has run out of warranty it is now time to do some serious upgrading and modding. I am fairly happy with this laptop hence the reason why I do not intend buying a new one in the forseable future. I have 4 things I intend to do shortly which are as follows:

1) To upgrade the optical drive from the DVD combo to a Bluray recorder

2) To upgrade the memory from 4GB to 6GB

3) To upgrade the CPU from my T7500 to the X9000

4) To upgrade my display from the 1440x900 (WXGA+) to the 1920x1200 (WUXGA).

I have a few questions and would appreciate some advice prior to purchasing my upgrades.

Firstly, I have been doing some research into laptop internal bluray recorders and wanted to purchase a bluray recorder that can write bluray at least at 6x speeds. The PATA drives that I have seen only write at 2x speeds. I have only seen SATA drives that appear to write at 6x speeds. Are PATA drives limited only to 2x speed.? If that is the case is there an adapter that I can attach to the SATA connector should I purchase one that will convert the drive to PATA? If this is possible I would appreciate posting of a link so I could purchase one should I opt to buy a SATA bluray drive.

Secondly, I am strongly considering buying the X9000 CPU as I am fairly sure it will run with less heat than my T7500 given that it is a 45nm chip and my T7500 is built upon the 65nm archetecture. I do not intend to overclock the CPU (I don't believe that overclocking can be possible with the A09 BIOS as it is quite basic). Up until very recently my laptop was getting really hot but since I intergrated a fingerpint reader into my palm rest it has been running much cooler. I have checked the intel website to confirm whether the X9000 has the same socket as my T7500. The Intel site states that the X9000 supports the PGA478 socket whilst my T7500 supports the PBGA479 & PPGA478 sockets. I am wondering whether this is a type error or whether the X9000 will definitely not fit in my exsisting CPU socket.

Advice on the above 2 points would be grately appreciated



Dell Inspiron 1520
4gb Ram
Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.2ghz CPU
Seagate Momentus 500GB 5400rpm Hard drive
Windows 7 64bit Ultimate SP1 bitlocker encrypted drive
nVidia 8600M descrete graphics card driver version 295.73
Working 9 & 6 cell battries
Mod UPEK TrueMe fingerprint reader intergrated into the palm rest
WEI 5.5, 5.5, 4.7, 5.9, 5.9

 

1) 1520's internal ODD bay is PATA. Yes there are PATA Blu Ray drives, I would just stick with that
2) I believe 1520/1500 can do 8 GB, as other laptops in the same period support 6/8 GB.
3) Yes you can do X9000 but is that really worth it? T9300/T9500 would be better values
4) Yes, you might want to go with a D830 panel for best success.

 

I had to dremel to fit a D830's panel onto a 1520, just putting that out there.

 

A X9000 is worth it if you want to overclock it using Throttlestop. It's the X9100-E0 stepping that you'd want to max out performance by applying a pinmod to get it to work: http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...intel-gl960-gl40-useful-info-pll-modders.html

That's probably a bit too much. A T8300 is only 100Mhz slower than a T9300 but tends to cost up to half less making it better value.

Before investing in this system you may want to calculate what the changeover cost would be compared to say a $500 15.6" HP Probook 4530s on ebay or $400 (after coupon) Dell Vostro 3550 at the Outlet. The 4530s is HP's budget unit but when a 900P or 1080P LCD is added there is nothing budget about it. See http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...-probook-4530s-screen-upgrade-900p-1080p.html . Can be user upgraded to a i7-quad too.

 

Hi,

My display SEEC3350 WSXGA on Dell 1520 has broken and i am searching for a replacement.
I have found a Samsung LTN154P4-L01 15.4" WSXGA+ but i am unsure if it fits or not to dell 1520.

If not, can someone suggests some display models that would fit?

A WXGA screen would work on this?

Thanks in advance!

 

I was a little confused about the drive speeds (I'm looking to upgrade to an SSD):

Meaning, it will operate at SATA II speeds? Because if the speed of the interface is 1.5 Gbps, I don't see how it can reach 3 Gbps...

Meaning, SATA III will also work, but only reach speeds of 1.5 Gbps? Or 3 Gbps?

Thanks for any clarification you can provide -

 

Is this screen from another 1520? Or at least another Dell of comparable vintage?

Nominally the 1520 should be SATA 3gb/s capable. I did not have any issue running a SATA 3gb/s drive at SATA 3gb/s speeds, but some people have been testing that their 1520s will only run at SATA 1.5gb/s speeds - there may or may not be other factors influencing these tests.

Either way, you will not notice the difference between the two in day to day use, so I would not worry about it.

SATA 6gb/s drives will clock down. They will not run at their full 6gb/s capacity.

 

No, is from a MSI, at a goot price.
I have found on alibaba that was sell as replacement for dell 1520...

 

Thanks for the lightning-fast reply. I was asking about SATA-III because I haven't had much luck finding a 90GB (or larger) SSD in the sub-$100 range that's not SATA-III. For example, this one is $84.99 after rebate:

Newegg.com - OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-90G 2.5" 90GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

I don't mind that it operates at SATA-I or SATA-II speeds, just that it's able to outperform a 7200RPM drive (which I assume it will be able to, at least as far as seek is concerned).

 

Try it and see if it works!

I've seen some non-Dell screens work with Dells and some non-Dell screens not work with Dells, so it's kind of a crapshot, really. At the very least it won't damage your machine, etc.

Would generally not recommend OCZ, but that drive should work fine, and it will definitely outperform even the fastest mechanical HDD.

 

Thanks for encouraging. I'll give it a shot, i'll lose shipping charges if is not working.

 

Update: Answered my own questions, update was successful. Details below (all prices include shipping):

1) BIOS: Had seen reports of BSOD on the Vostro 1500 running Win 7 64-bit, so flashed this update:
Vostro 1500 GMA965 memory corruption info & workarounds
2) Optical: DVD-RW via eBay, had to swap faceplates ($20)
3) Hard drive: 90GB SSD via NewEgg ($84.99)
4) Memory: 2 x 2GB via Amazon ($49.99)
5) Battery: 9-cell via Amazon ($28.05)
6) CPU: T8100 2.1GHz via eBay ($20.77)
7) Drivers: None are required, but they do provide additional controls:
- Synaptics Touchpad Driver (R230390)
- Sigmatel Audio (R171786)
- Ricoh (R146465) - didn't need it, but eliminates yellow triangle in Device Manager
- QuickSet (R163853) - I only selected the 'hotkeys' component (e.g. Fn-F3 for battery display)

Was tempted to do more (bluetooth, webcam, wireless 802.11N) but wanted to stick to a $200 budget (which I went over by $4 when I decided I wanted an SSD over a 7200RPM drive).

That's it! Thanks for the help everyone -

 

Can a WiMax card be put in these? and how? What cards would be compatible? I am looking at the Intel 6250/6150, but if there is a cheaper option, that would be awesome. It looks like it should work and there is only 3 antenna connectors on the cards, so it should work like Wireless N, but just wanted to know if anyone has successfully done it. Thanks

 

WiMax requires pci-e and USB pins to be available on the mPCIe slot. The Inspiron 1520 schematic confirms it's mPCIe slots are wired that way, so yes, you could add a WiMax card.

 

Replacing LTN154P3-L05 with LTN154P4-L01 is not working on Dell 1520.
The lamp is on, contrast in changing on display but stays black.
I have receive it without invertor if this may be a issue..

Also screws around the camera wont catch display as they are not in the same position, case would fit with a little cutting.

Hope is helping for others.

 

Hi nando4, i've been trying to reach you, i hope you read this...

I have inspiron 1720 and i want to activate sata 3.0Gbs by your ich8m instructions for ssd upgrade. I think i found my CAP.ISS=ABAR+00h-03h = FEBFB800, but i cant find these two values "PxCMD.ST=ABAR+118h/198h/218h/298h" & "PxSCTL.DET=ABAR+12CH/1ACH/22Ch".

bit 23:20 at FEBFB800 is already 2h but my sata speed is always 1.5Gbs.

I really need your help, thank you.

 

Yes, CAP.ISS=3Gbps. So the bios isn't capping the link speed. More likely the little daughterboard used to connect the drive prevents the system from being able to establish a 3Gbps link. There's discussion about it in http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...spiron-1720-dedicated-video-card-version.html .

 

thanks for answering, best wishes.

 

Hi all! I'm a proud owner of an inspiron 1520, got it 5 years ago and I think it did his job pretty well. I was looking to replace it, but at last I decided that I would prefeir to give it some last glorious time and use it till next spring.
I've just finished to read the whole thread, registered asap and now I'm in a hurry to do some commissions, so later i'll probably update, but anyway:
I've thought to get an ssd, the problem is I would not spend 200+ euros to get a 256 gb one, and I need at least 150 gb for the stuff i use almost daily, I dont really like getting an external hd, so i've found that there are some bay for a 2nd hd using the optical drive space and it seemed to me a good solution. I've looked around to check compatibiliies and such (and so i came across this thread) and i'm a bit confused... Has anyone tried this? what do you think? when i'll get back home later i'll post you some options i found
(btw i live in italy and next year i'll be in germany, so some us shops are not an option unluckly)
And btw this thread is really awesome!I thought noone was still talking about the 1520 out there!

 

I don't see why this wouldn't work. You may have to switch faceplates, but that's only cosmetic.

(I made the mistake of paying a premium for a DVD-RW for a Vostro 1500, which would presumably have come with the right faceplate, only to find that people make multiple versions of their ads for each laptop with which it's compatible - and you still end up providing your own faceplate.)

Also, in your search for Inspiron 1520 parts, don't forget to search Vostro 1500 too - that can provide a lot of additional search results.

 

Thank you for the tip! now that I have some more time: I was thinking to use the ssd mainly for the boot and some programs/games, so I had decided to go for a 64gb ( Prezzo Samsung Solid State Disk 2.5'' 64gb MZ-7PC064B/WWthis one), but in this thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-inspiron-dell-studio/650362-sata-2-full-speed-dell-inspiron-1720-dedicated-video-card-version-2.html probably the reading speed is limited to 1.5 or 3 gb/sec (correct me if i misunderstood, i'm not much a tech savior as you can see XD).
Then i've looked at my optical drive compatibility and it's a atapi, isn't it?
so, after this poorly written wall of text, what if i put this ssd in my optical drive?
Should i put the other hard disk (200gb 7200rpm)there and the ssd in the main slot?
Problem is i got a screw of my hard disk bay stucked and today i wasnt able to unscrew it... any thought on that is appreciated too (already tried with some wd40 too, but did not change the situation)

 

Are you asking if the optical HDD + primary bay SSD will work? Or is it how to undo your stripped screw?

You should put the HDD in the optical drive bay and the SSD in the primary bay. It will work either way, though.

 

I thought to put the ssd in the primary bay, but if i'm not able to unscrew it I would like to know if putting it in the optical bay will work properly or if it will be slower (than in the main bay), this is my main concern.

Then I have the problem with this screw, and since probably some of you opened your laptops more times than I did (just twice), I thought that maybe someone could give me some good tips about it.

I hope this is more straight than my previous post!

 

The 1x20 series all have PATA optical drives. If you install a SATA caddy with an SSD, it will have an adapter, but the ultimate speed will be limited by the PATA bus. Depending on what you are doing, though, you may not notice much of a difference.

As for the screw, you could try stuff like soldering a screwdriver into it or cutting a notch into it with a dremel, etc.

 

ok, i'll do my best to get this screw out in the next days, so that i can put the ssd in the main bay. I'll let you know how it goes!

 

Hi all! Just wanted to let you know that I'm done with that screw and I've ordered the 2nd hdd bay (found one that would ship to italy for vostro 1500-1700, thanks Mumpsimus!). I'm waiting for it now, when i get it I'll find some way to test it and then I'll buy the ssd if it works.
For the ssd i was thinking about a samsung 830 64gb, I've read it's a good one and probably it will outlast my inspiron..
It's not 9,5 mm (it's thinner), but i've read it shouldn't be a problem.
If you have any consideration or tips I'll glady hear it!
(I know I'm being kind of spamming, but it's the first time I do something with my laptop that is not just open it to clean the fan and such, so thank you for your patience and time! )

 

Nearly finished updating my Vostro 1500 (Inspiron 152x) and it is now a completely different beast.

Ram 3Gb to 4GB (Freebie)
New Ac Adapter (Freebie)
New Battery (6 Cell) (£16)
New Keyboard (£6)
New Touchpad assembly (£11)
Replaced AG Wireless Card with a Intel 4965AGN (£6)
Replaced DVDRW with Bluray RW UJ-220 (£23.74)
Replaced WXGA with WUXGA (From Inspiron D830) (£39.75)
Replaced 7200 HDD with 120GB Kingston V+200 SSD (£69.99)

Looking for a WWAN card to eliminate the Dongle and a 4GB SODIMM at the right price.

Would love a 8600M GT DDR3 PCIE module. Rumour has it a few appeared but cannot find any if true.

The only other thing would be the T9300 to a X9000/9100 but the results would not be worth the large cost.

Am more than happy with the beast now and it should service me for many more moons to come.

 

hey newbie1001, where did you get the battery so cheap?
and I was thinking about changing the wireless card too, have you noticed big differences with the new one?

Meanwhile I've bought the samsung 830 64gb and I'm waiting for the caddy to arrive ^_^

 

You can get the batteries for dirt cheap on eBay, when it comes to aftermarket parts, I would recommend staying with eBay because they offer the best yields on quality for cheaper pricing. I was able to get a 9-cell battery for $30 (£19) on eBay and the 6-cell being (£10.96).

 

I will be re-uploading the drivers to my web server so that you guys can download it without a problem. It'll be on my iCloud service when I am a bit more freer later on tonight or perhaps tomorrow evening.

As it stands, I'm still operational and running, approximately 4 years and 6 months in now and things are working really fine for me and I couldn't be happier with my product. I'm looking to upgrade by the end of this year, I don't think I'll be able to run on fumes alone.