Dell Inspiron 15R Special edition (7520)

Is there any option to upgrade the graphicscard????

 

Thanks for the info, are you or anyone else with a 15r se able to check if it has dedicated Bluetooth antenna cables pls?

 

I found some pics I took when I disassembled this unit. They aren't that good because they were from my cell phone just to help me put it back together correctly. The first pic shows the upper right of the motherboard. It shows the N-2230 adapter with two antenna leads. I found no other antenna leads. I've never saw separate bluetooth leads and don't really know what to look for. Having taken apart the laptop though I found nothing that I could suspect where separate bluetooth antenna leads. This is the top side of the daughter board. The mSATA is underneath. The next pic shows the motherboard without the wireless card. You can see how the motherboard overlaps the daughter board. The third pic shows my table after disassembly. I had post it notes set up with various items and the screws they went with. Quite involved.

Wireless card:


Without wireless card:


Disassembly:


Sorry I can't offer more help.

 

ok, thanks a lot. much appreciated. Dell is having me send out my xps to replace the keyboard but I find that useless seeing as the revised 521 has a new chassis that improves wifi performance nd I will be requesting that replacement then the 15r se if it does not work.

 

Hey guys I just bought my 15r se with i5 3210m for 520$ Only downside is the 1366x768 glossy screen. I actually don't mind the lower res screen (I use an external 24in monitor most of the time) but I don't like glossy screens. So I was wondering if I could buy a 1600x900 matte screen for the inspiron 15r on the following link (are the connectors the same as the 15r se? the image looks the same for me). I looked at the inspiron 7520 options, but they only have 1080 screens, which is a bit overkill for me (I use my 24in external for 1080 stuff)

inspiron 15r 1600x900
Dell INSPIRON 15R replacement Laptop LCD Screen from $49.99 Brand-new screens (never used).

inspiron 7520 1920x1080
Dell INSPIRON 7520 replacement Laptop LCD Screen from $79.99 Brand-new screens (never used).

 

I've never replaced a screen and I couldn't tell you what is compatible with this unit.

 

well thanks very much for replying...

 

how can I control the fan (to make him more quiet)?

 

If someone could be kind enough to post a good detailed picture of the daughter card WITH mSata, so we can see the reference numbers on it and try to find it somewhere online (DELL or others) for the poor guys like us who didn't get the mSata port..

Thanks
Dominique - France

 

I am from India and dell has stated the following

15.6" FHD Anti-glare (1920x1080) For ICC

Is it LED display or LCD display? I asked Dell Sales Rep and they say it is LED.

Can anybody clarify here?

 

This is the only pic I have of it. Looks like the card is covering board numbers, so I'm not sure how much help it is.



I also found a thread with daughter board photos without the mSATA:

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/p/19458679/20149435.aspx

 

I received a brand new Dell Inspiron 15R Special edition (7520) yesterday. Sadly, I am facing some problems :

1. COD Black Ops - 2 does not run/start at all and BattleField-3 runs with glitches.
2. When screen display becomes off after laptop is idle for sometime, it does not turn back on when I move my mouse/trackpad or press any keys.
3. Laptop automatically went to sleep while power on - even before showing welcome screen.

Maybe the games can be incompatible with Windows-8. But, for the display, is it a driver issue?
I didn't try installing drivers because laptop came pre-installed with them.

 

Problem 1: You should search forums specializing in these games and Win8. A quick search revealed some other people also having problems.

Problem 2: Are you sure the laptop didn't go into sleep mode? What action did you take in order to have the screen come back on?

Problem 3: Is the power cord plugged into a working electrical outlet and you have a full battery?

You should also run Windows Update until there are no more important updates. I didn't have any issues with drivers right out of the box. You should also be telling us all the specs of your unit like, CPU, memory, HDD, etc.

 

Have you added BLOPS 2 and BF3 in the Switchable Graphics app? First time it starts its with Intel graphics, then quit, then make sure in the Switchable Graphics program BLOPS and BF3 are under High Performance and then start it again.

If you still have issues then it could be related to the other problems you have, could be the AMD card is faulty. It happens.

 

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for sharing your experince and knowledge on Dell Inspiron 15R SE and 17R SE in this thread. I'm currently waiting for my 15R SE to be shipped from Dell and have thus read many posts here. Obviously Dell starts to ship these computers with Win8, which I never used before. Therefore I'd like to ask you and especially those who have used the both OS:

1. Does Win8 feel much different than Win7 in general user-interface and everyday uses? How is the compatibility when you use the software not coming from Microsoft, f.ex. Google Chrome, Google Earth, Itunes, Adobe design package, Phase One photo editing programs etc. etc.? I understand some Games does run on Win 8 at all at the moment.
2. My 15R SE will come with Win 8 preinstalled. In case I wish/need to "downgrade" it to Win 7, does Dell still provide drivers for this computer (f.ex. through their download pages)?

Thank you again for a great thread

Edit: PS. I have Win 7 retail DVD, so the question 2 is only for drivers.

 

Yes both Win 7 and 8 drivers are available at the Dell site. I have not used Win 8 so cannot comment.

 

which driver do you use? because I get bad fps in black ops 2 (which cant be true, because in modern warfare 3 for example I can play with way more better fps). I have A00 dell driver.

 

Hello guys, I had been looking for this part and calling/emailing DELL for four month.. and finally I got it !

To get the daughter card with mSata here is what I finally did :

- I called DELL and asked to speak with the "Spare Parts" department
(no need ot explain you complicated situation, just say you need to buy a part)
(maybe you'll have to wait a long time on the phone, so surf on the net while waiting on the phone,
and try to call them on a cheap number)

- Ask for the Dell part number "N7JHH" or maybe "CPL-N7JHH" if the first doesn't work (it's an international reference number, meaning the same everywhere)

- It'll cost 11.5€ (!) - about 15$ (US) and they ship it for free (at least they did for me)

That's it, no more headaches..

well, you still have to disasemble your computer again and buy an mSata drive.. but at least now, you have your SSD drive for SRT caching or to put Windows on, and still have your 750GB or 1TB drive for the data

The part for me seem to be shipped by UPS from the Netherland - I live in France - and it should arrive a week after my order

(Laptop reference : Inspiron 15R SE 7520)

In case someone needs it, here is the french phone number for DELL : 01..80..60..2000

 

Your driver is not the latest.
You need the A01 if you use WIn7.
Drivers and Downloads | Dell [United States]

Also make sure you use AMD's CCC to configure the games exe file to run on High performance so you get to use the 7730. Discrete GPU does not come on automatically you have to configure it.

 

1. No, it does not. In fact, when you are using the "Desktop" portion of W8, you totally forget you're using a different operating system. I loved W7 but am very much enjoying W8.
1b. Software compatibility is seamless. I have found no issues whatsoever. Obviously you want to go with 64 bit versions of software when possible but other than that I don't notice it. Google Chrome already exists for W8, iTunes just got updated. I use Adobe - an old version from 2009 - perfectly fine. I'm also using Office 2007 - no problems at all.

2. Yes, you can get those drivers from DELL. I don't think you're going to want to downgrade. I was frustrated at first with W8 - it took me about two days to get used to it. I realized most of my problems stemmed from things that were not W8's fault. My router is not fully compatible with W8, so I'm unable to use a password on my WiFi (it will not connect otherwise). I'm also thinking about uninstalling the McAfee that the DELL comes installed with because I believe it is causing network issues. W8 comes with Windows Defender, which includes Microsoft Security Essentials (a great antivirus program that was free for W7). May just roll with that.

 

hi i have ordered a 15r 7520( the i5 version) and it comes with 4gb of RAM and i want to upgrade it to 8GB,i saw some Kingston so-dimm rams on eBay for $25 which is 1600mhz will any of these be compatible with it or should i go for a specific type?

 

That's good to know, so the users can choose the right version of Win :thumbsup:. Thank you!

 

Very useful information, Thanks!

I've used both 32bit and 64bit versions of Win 7. Obviously to access more than 3.5 Gb ram, the 64 bit will be the preferred version; but has any one of you experienced that the 64bit Windows runs hotter than its 32 bit's counterpart? It's just a general feeling and not because I made any measurement or anything .

One more thing is that how easy / difficult to make a Win 8 bootable DVD from Dell's standard Win 8 configurated 15R SE? I've read that you can call Dell to get a Win 8 installation disc, but just wondering if it's fairly easy to do yourself...

 

Go to the Dell website. View the this laptop. Tech Specs state 720p LED. The individual models either state 720p LED or 1080p LED. I don't know why your website states FHD. Are you using a browser with a translating feature? If you are not viewing the English version, try that.

Welll, assuming it is functioning correctly there's not much you can do. I think this unit's fan is reasonable, but if your computer is getting too hot I would work on keeping it cooler, so the fan doesn't have to kick on high as frequently. Place it on hard, well ventilated surfaces. Keep the ambient room temperature cooler. Consider using a laptop cooling pad. Keep it away from situations where the air is dirtier, like outside or dusty environments. Dust build-up will degrade the cooling performance. I would not recommend using software to manually turn off the fan, since it is there to protect your components.

 

I don't know about creating a bootable DVD, as I use Win7. Just wanted to say that I highly recommend getting an installation disc if Dell is offering you one. Nothing can replace the usefulness of a clean install if things get really bad.

 

Hi Dom,

Really happy for you to finally got this msata board issue sorted. It's been a frustrating affair .

I've also read about many users who were unsure/frustrated regarding the backlit keyboard or not when order this computer. Dell will do their users and themselves a huge favor by giving us better information, more options in their online shops and not least train their sales personals, so their are able to assist the users with the new component / technology that is available in their products ...

 

dont think that they change their much in a01. And it already uses the amd 7730m in game. and I have windows 8. How do I install the a01 driver? Do I need firstly to deinstall my current driver?

I read that someone uses a beta driver from amd, is this possible? And can someone play black ops 2 with low settings in hd ready resolution in multiplayer (stable 60fps)? I can just play it with 1024x720 resolution on low settings...... I dont care about the settings, but I want to play it at least in 1366x768 resolution.

yes but while playing games the gpu and cpu just goes on 60°C, so I thought its maybe possible to let the temperatures goes to 65°C - 70°C and let the fan being quieter.

 

Guys, can u tell me:

1) How many wifi antennas 7520 has? Is it possible to have Intel 6300 working on this machine?
2) Why DELL is limiting m-SATA SSD drive only to 32GB? Were there any issues running 128GB drive?
3) Which Intel HD4000 drivers are u using? Those on DELL site are 15.28.4.64.2843 while on Intel site there are already 15.​28.​8.​64.​2875. I compare both packages and the differences are too major so I'm wondering if DELL is customizing Intel HD4000 drivers?

 

1. There are only the 2 leads from the card. If it splits into multiple antennas in the display, I couldn't say.

2. Don't know. Don't know. No issues with a 256GB drive.

3. I'm using the Dell driver. No problems and I'm not gonna mess with it.

 

1) So there is no 1 free connector out there, hanging not connected?

2) Great! Was your unit shipped with any m-SATA SSD already? I'm wondering if those units with only 1TB HDD drive are equipped with m-SATA port on the daughter board.

3) The problem is that at some point Dell will stop updating drivers for this model and then we'll have to switch to Intel drivers anyway.

 

1. I didn't see one.
2. Yes. I think that is correct, but you are able to purchase the mSATA daughter board from Dell parts if needed.
3. I don't think you will have to. If a driver is working properly then why would you need to update it?

 

Thanks e6bwhiz for your help! I will look for Intel 6200 then and also make sure I can buy this daughter board part in my country.

 

I'm not a power user and this computer's temperature seems just fine to me, so I cannot give you an answer on the first one.

I BELIEVE there is a feature on W8 that allows you to make an easy back-up of the operating system. I have not used this yet. I'm sure you can read up on it though. It's a built-in feature.

 

Anyone have a problem when you open your laptop or return it from sleep and the WiFi does not connect? I usually have to troubleshoot and then it fixes itself. Trying to figure out if that's a driver issue, router issue, McAfee issue, etc. I'm already unable to use my router W/ a password with my computer. I believe that's a W8 issue. It could be a McAfee issue but I think I disabled the firewall and anti-virus and tried it. No idea what order to test this out in so I can rectify it and figure it out.

 

Not sure. Maybe try "forgetting" that router then re-connect to it. I don't use McAfee or Win8 so I can't help there. Have you had the opportunity to see what it does with other routers, away from your home?

 

You just run the exe file no need to uninstall driver(like when you get from AMD directly) but you can do it perhaps it makes a difference.
If you are running W8 then you need A02 GPU version as A01 is for W7.
Check for the driver after selecting correct OS @dell. Your issue seems like GPU driver related.
MY temps under heavy use reach a max GPU 63C and CPU 71C.

 

Hi, I have an issue after upgrading BIOS to A07! Whenever I boot or reboot the laptop with the lid closed I get a black screen: the screen is backlited, the led of power and wifi are lighted, but the PC doesn't boot (no Dell logo with blue bar). If I open the lid then no problem: everything is working properly!

Can someone help me?

Many thanks

 

How and why are you rebooting the computer with the lid closed? I don't think I understand. The lid has to be open in order to see a black screen, but you said if you open the lid there's no problems. Please explain. Also, is the unit using the Intel RST? Is the "reboot" a full restart or just coming out of standby? Or hibernation?

 

ehm yes I omitted one information: I use the laptop with an external monitor and lid always closed

So this I my procedure:

reboot: ok this is simple, by start command on win7 (so is not a resuming after standby or hibernation)
boot: I open the lid, I press the start button and immediately I close the lid

in both cases the screen remain black and no HD activity occurs. Of course I open the lid to check that the screen is backlited! This happens after the BIOS upgrading: before I was used to do the same procedures without any issues. If I boot or reboot with the lid open than no problems!

The system is the Inspiron 15R SE with 32Gb SSD and yes is with RST.

 

So for shutdown you don't open the lid, you use the external monitor to choose Windows shut down?

Did you try opening the lid and waiting a minute and then shut it? I assume you disabled all the windows options to do anything when the lid closes?

I only mention the RST because if you close the lid (in the way Dell ships them), the unit will go into Windows standby. After a certain amount of time Intel RST will kick in and hibernate it (not Windows hibernation). In this state the power light will not pulse and look completely shut off. Upon pressing the power button the Intel RST is resuming from it's hibernation. Either way, if you wait for the computer to completely start before closing the lid and still see a black screen, I don't know what the problem is. Maybe experiment with un-plugging the external monitor before start. Experiment with the F1 Dell function of display switching. Other than that I don't know.

 

I changed the power management of the laptop: when plugged the closure of the lid doesn't trigger the standby (is the only way to work with the laptop with lid closed).
When the screen is black the power led is lighted (fix not pulsing) and also the wi-fie one but no activity from HD. The fans are running. Definitely the laptop is not in stanby or in hybernate state; this problem happens also at the first boot if I close the lid just after pressing the power-on button: the unit dos not start the boot sequence, the bios is not charged ... the only way to exit from this state is to press again the power button switching off the unit.
It is not a display issue. I think is a setting in the BIOS parameters related to the RST or UEFI that changed with the BIOS upagrding!

 

Hi,

Thanks to Dom's advice I have sourced a N7JHH daughterboard direct from Dell.

Do anyone have any advice for the software setup required to get the mSATA drive caching?

cheers

Rich

 

hi, in the test from notebookcheck.com in 3d mark 11 the laptop got 1600 points. now I have done also an 3d mark test AMD Radeon HD 7750M video card benchmark result - Intel Core i5-3210M Processor,Dell Inc. 0PXH02 score: P2007 3DMarks what does this mean? does this mean that I get 200, 300 or 400 points more with new drivers?

 

hello

can you tell us what manufacturer and model of msata drive you have installed

thankyou

hello

can you tell us what manufacturer and model of memory and msata drive you have installed

thankyou

 

Hi,

I got the N7JHH board from dell direct and the Crucial mSATA 32GB from Dabs in the UK. (Crucial 32GB m4 SATA 6Gb/s mSATA Solid State Drive)

Hope this helps

Rich

 

Hello Rich

Thankyou for replying, is this the model number for your drive CT032M4SSD3,
on crucial website CT032M4SSD3 - 32GB, mSATA Solid State Drive , from Crucial.com
at least we all know this model definetley works so it has been very helpful to everyone !

I am also from the uk and msata choice is quite sparse i was looking to buy the Crucial 256mb version CT256M4SSD3 or the 128mb version CT128M4SSD3 but can not find any info on comparability with the 15R SE, can anyone help ?


Cheers

 

Hello

I noticed in your post your specifications are

15R Special Edition|i5-3210m|1080P|ATI7730|16GB|Win7 Prem|750GB|2230N|BT4.0|Backlt KB|

In regards to the memory of 16GB what manufacturer and model did you purchase that worked correctly with the 15R SE

Thankyou

 

Most memories are the same these days as long as you get equal or lower latency than installed (<11) and PC3-12800 you should be OK.

I got this one
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 16GB (2 x 8G) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory Model F3-1600C10D-16GSQ

Just to be clear I did not notice much performance improvement going from 6GB to 16GB.

 

Can u tell me where u live and how much you paid for this part?

 

Hi,

I called Dell UK technical support and asked for the spare part. I explained that I wanted to fit the mSATA drive but was unable to because I didn't have the correct daughterboard. They arranged for an engineer to come out the next day and fit the board. All for no charge!! All I had to do was get hold of the mSATA drive itself.

(btw I'm in the UK and purchased the system via the outlet back in October)

Hope this helps

Rich