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Help with Upgrading and identifying correct model for parts
I've had my Alienware what seems like forever. Ordered 9/5/2014 and I have always cherished and loved it. I know it is a 17 but that's when the confusion hits. On the bottom of the laptop, it says m17x with my service tag. When I go to my support page, it says 17 and that's it so I am very confused when trying to research any upgrades for it. This is my first time ever posting or asking for assistance here since I've owned it.
First, let me be very frank and clear, I am sure the BEST option is to get a newer laptop but that is not what I want to do nor am I capable at the moment. Maybe in the future I'll consider it but I don't see any real reason to do so when this one is still good after 9 years. My interest is solely to upgrade what I can and possibly get more time with it as I do truly love it. I have been searching all over the internet for options but nothing is 100% clear as a yes/no. I am hoping someone here can provide that clear answer. My current specs are below and questions beside them.
My current specs are:
Intel(R) Core (TM) i5-4210M CPU @ 2.60GHz (Can I upgrade this? If so, what is reasonable?)
Samsung SSD 850 PRO 256GB (Can I take this larger?)
HDD, 1TB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 860M (The main upgrade I want since I can't update drivers anymore, what info I could find has led me 980m, so I am asking if that is doable)
16gb RAM
Any help is much appreciated, I just need pointed in the right direction. I am also running Windows 10 Pro 22H2 version.
mattyb3
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October 19th, 2023 05:04
@clambert1273 I have extensive experience upgrading these laptops so I'm happy to help if you need.
Short answer. Yes you can upgrade to a 980M and even a 1060 or 1070. Technically even higher if your budget allows. There are also Quadro cards which are good options and can often be cheaper than their GeForce equivalents. The Quadro P4000 sits somewhere between a 1060 and 1070.
You will just need to run a modified display driver as Nvidia only support GPUs that were shipped with the specific laptop. This is pretty easy and now there is a program called NVCleanInstall which makes it even easier.
As far as the CPU is concerned, any i7 will be an improvement so I'd suggest the 4710MQ or if you're happier to spend more, the 4910MQ is a more powerful option. The price for these can still be quite high though.
You can upgrade you memory up to 32gb of 2133Mhz DDR3L SODIMM.
Yes, you can put a larger 2.5" SSD in there. 2TB would probably be big enough.
Also, Alienware were a little confused when releasing this laptop and they sent them out with Service Tag stickers that read M17x just to confuse everyone else. It is definitely the 17 (R1).
(edited)
DELL-Chris M
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October 18th, 2023 16:07
Ordered in 2014 so it is the 17 R1. But shown here as Alienware 17 and 17 R1 =
The M17x R1 came out in 2009.
(edited)
clambert1273
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October 18th, 2023 16:27
@DELL-Chris M thanks for that direction at least :) I'll see if I can dig up answers to upgrades.
crimsom
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October 18th, 2023 18:23
Hi clambert1273 welcome to this free user-to-user Alienware laptop discussion forum.
The Dell System Service Tag will change with installation of a different system board (aka motherboard). Please Download Belarc Advisor - MajorGeeks, Run and look at System Model to reveal System Serial Number (Dell System Service Tag). Please use this Dell System Service Tag within parts-people.com to look for your laptop parts. (Do not share your private System Service Tag or Express Service Code in this public forum.)
clambert1273
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October 18th, 2023 19:00
Belarc gave me the same service tag I've had since I got it. The parts link doesn't like it and returns an error and "dell undefined" 😂😂
crimsom
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October 18th, 2023 20:21
Hi clambert1273 thank you for sharing update. Did Belarc Advisor reveal Alienware Model and Revision number of your laptop? Does Dell Product Support say System Service Tag date is before Dell purchased Alienware on 22 March 2006?
(edited)
clambert1273
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October 18th, 2023 20:29
@crimsom I'll check all of that when I get home and let you know but I don't think it shows before my purchase
clambert1273
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October 18th, 2023 22:40
@crimsom The product support page for my tag does not indicate any other date. The Belarc information came up as: Alienware 17 A17 the rest is just the service tag info.
crimsom
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October 19th, 2023 00:03
Hi clambert1273 thank you for sharing update.
Belarc Advisor says your laptop is Alienware 17 (R1) with BIOS version A17. Parts-people link is therefore Shop Dell Alienware 17 R1 Replacement Parts List (parts-people.com). Use parts-people database to determine Dell Part Number (DP/N) and search internet using DP/N for the replacement part.
Support for Alienware 17 R1 (6/25/2013) Specifications says there is Integrated GPU and Discrete GPU, Memory has four slots, is Dual-channel DDR3L up to 1600 MHz and Storage interface is two or three 2.5" SATA III 6.0Gb/s (not M.2 NVMe) drives. Crucial System Advisor database provides Alienware 17 | Memory RAM & SSD Upgrades | Crucial.com. Memory cards up to 32GB and Storage SATA III drives up to 4TB. Look at internet reviews: example Alienware 17 (GTX 880M) Notebook Review - NotebookCheck.net Reviews.
(edited)
clambert1273
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October 19th, 2023 00:41
@crimsom I looked at it but it doesn't have anything for cpu or gpu 😂😂 so I'm back to my research loop
crimsom
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October 19th, 2023 00:57
Hi clambert1273 thank you for sharing update. Hopefully another user will contribute to the CPU and GPU upgrade options.
clambert1273
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October 19th, 2023 13:29
@mattyb3 thank you for hopping in. I was hoping you would see this as in my research, I read just about everything you've responded to lol.
I think the i7 you recommended will be just fine. I'm a 50 yo grandmother so it's not like I hardcore game all the time. MOST of my games are old and run just fine currently. There are some newish ones I struggle with, but I only get an itch to play those in small spurts so this is more of a project just for me.
I have a 980m tagged on ebay currently that I'm watching. I have no problem modding the drivers every time as in one of your posts I came across gave a good link and instructions for it so I feel comfortable with it.
My biggest rabbit hole loop came into trying to figure out if my old heatsinks would be sufficient for either gpu or cpu. I know how to do the ssd drive as that was the ONLY thing I did to it the day I received it. I've learned a lot in my research to where I'm not terrified I'm going to destroy it. One previous post I dug up on here was someone did the 980m and the fan wouldn't work so that me nervous but then there are so many others that have succeeded that I just chalked it up to one of those things to keep in mind. IF for some reason I fail at this, I will still have my current card to toss back in lol.
mattyb3
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October 19th, 2023 21:25
@clambert1273 Sounds like you've already gathered lots of information on this so you're doing pretty well already. They are fun laptops to tinker with and you will really get to know the insides of it very well once you start pulling things out.
Your original heatsink should have a wattage rating on it. it it says 75W then it would be best to find a 100W one for the 980M. I've got more 17 heatsinks than I know what to do with but I can't remember if they had a 75W and 100W one like the old M17x series did. I'll have to check it out after work.
Good luck with all your upgrades. There is also the NotebookTalk.net forum if you want more information.
clambert1273
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October 19th, 2023 23:10
@mattyb3 Thanks so much but you mentioned the heatsink and that's where i lose it. No amount of searching fills in the blanks. Do you happen to know a part number or something I can search with 🤷♀️
mattyb3
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October 20th, 2023 02:06
@clambert1273 Here is the 3-pipe 100W heatsink. It's currently out of stock at parts-people but the part# will help you search on eBay for one.
https://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=item&id=23432
They should be very common and usually pretty inexpensive.
EDIT: There is also an ebay seller who makes custom copper heatsinks and I know a few people who have bought them from him. They are more expensive than the OEM ones though.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/264321972080?hash=item3d8ad13770:g:4T0AAOSw07VafDPA
(edited)