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Inspiron 9400 DX10 compatible?

post #1 of 5
7/18/07 at 6:25am
Thread Starter 
Hello there and good morning

I've posted this one on the Dell support forum as well, but I wasn't sure whether it might belong in here, considering that DX10 is a Vista issue. Hope that's ok

A rather serious issue did lead me to your board today. Please forgive me if my technical know-how is but very limited.
The reason why I'm here is the Inspiron 9400. I bought this Notebook assuming that it'll be DX10 compatible. However, I recently discovered that the GF 7k series does not support DX10. That's a kinda annoying situation, considering that DX10 was one of the reasons due to which I decided to buy such an expensive laptop.

Well, now I don't have any clue whether it is possible, but I'm looking at exchanging my video card. I was reading somewhere that those Dells are quite handy when it comes to exchanging components. Unfortunately, I have hardly any experience in such a profession and exchanging a video card seems to me a major intervention.

I really would like to know whether there are any video cards available for laptops that will support DX10, and if that is the case, whether they are attainable at a reasonable cost.

Is there any other advise you might want to give me? Any help is very appreciated Thanks for your help.
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post #2 of 5
7/18/07 at 6:50pm
did you talk to a dell rep before buying? if so i would say you should try to return it on those grounds... oh and how long ago did you buy it btw?

to the best of my knowledge the only DX10 notebook cards out are the 8600 and 8400 (all the 8 series has dx 10 support) but i dont think you will be able to swap out your 7 series for one, but i could be wrong.
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post #3 of 5
7/18/07 at 11:32pm
Yea try and get it returned, Dell has a certain point to when you can return it. the 8400/8600 are the DX10 cards on the market right now. There is a toshiba 8700GT which is more powerful but also costs more.

Do some digging in these forums for dx9/dx10 concerns

Hope it helps
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post #4 of 5
7/19/07 at 2:58am
The 7950GTX is the maximum you are capable of putting into the 9400. This will remain the best graphics card for that platform now, as the new form factor of the 1720 systems won't allow for the graphics cards to be backwards transplanted.

DX10 compatibility is not something you really need to worry about just yet anyway. Cards that support DX9 will still be able to play DX10 coded games for the time being - perhaps even faster than their current DX10 counterparts. Currently the fastest NVidia DX10 mobile video card is the 8700M, and its performance pales (or closely matches in some scenarios) in comparison to that of a 79xx series card. The hardware interface of the 8-series mobile parts is extremely crippled to allow for better heat transfer and simpler cooling solutions.

Don't count out that 9400 just yet... The new Inspiron line won't likely be seeing a high end 8-series graphics card at all anyway - due to the inclusion of only ONE fan to cool the chassis. The 8800M will be released with the new XPS lineup and that is surely going to cost between 1000-1500 dollars more than a comparable Inspiron system anyway. So if you want a fast DX10 notebook, wait a while to see what the new XPS holds in store. Just be prepared for it to lighten your wallet significantly...
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post #5 of 5
7/19/07 at 4:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Krayziepop View Post
The 7950GTX is the maximum you are capable of putting into the 9400. This will remain the best graphics card for that platform now, as the new form factor of the 1720 systems won't allow for the graphics cards to be backwards transplanted. DX10 compatibility is not something you really need to worry about just yet anyway. Cards that support DX9 will still be able to play DX10 coded games for the time being - perhaps even faster than their current DX10 counterparts. Currently the fastest NVidia DX10 mobile video card is the 8700M, and its performance pales (or closely matches in some scenarios) in comparison to that of a 79xx series card. The hardware interface of the 8-series mobile parts is extremely crippled to allow for better heat transfer and simpler cooling solutions. Don't count out that 9400 just yet... The new Inspiron line won't likely be seeing a high end 8-series graphics card at all anyway - due to the inclusion of only ONE fan to cool the chassis. The 8800M will be released with the new XPS lineup and that is surely going to cost between 1000-1500 dollars more than a comparable Inspiron system anyway. So if you want a fast DX10 notebook, wait a while to see what the new XPS holds in store. Just be prepared for it to lighten your wallet significantly...
I too am capable of well-thought out answers but my ADD kicks in, so yea.........
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