Ok, let's begin.

First. From reading tutorials and step by step guides of how to upgrade a "basic" Dell Inspiron E1705 I have created a guide for myself, since I wanted to upgrade my dear ol' lappy. Even though a lot of tutorials are very thorough and include detailed pictures, there have always been a couple of things that I (being a newbie when it comes to modding and medium-leveled when it comes to drivers) found unclear and sometimes totally confusing. Ergo, I have created this small tutorial to aid others in these not described steps. You can find a more detailed guide online, but in this mini guide I created you will have a general idea of what challenges you will face and know what you need to look for.

I will be adding pictures for this "newbie" tutorial soon, so if you don't like to read, please wait until then or find a photo tutorial instead.

Let's start.

The laptop that I have is a Dell Inspiron E1705:
Intel Core 2 Duo processor T7200 (4MB/2.00GHz/667MHz)
17 inch TrueLife Wide-screen WXGA
2GB, DDR2, 667MHz 2 Dimm
256MB ATI MOBILITY RADEON X 1400 HyperMemory
120GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition
Integrated 10/100 Network Card and Modem
24X Combo CD-RW/DVD
Integrated High Definition Audio
Intel PRO/Wireless 3945 802.11a/g Mini Card (54Mbps)
80 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery

Back in the day (about 2 years ago), this was a pretty decent configuration. The primary use for this laptop was for school (cad classes) and eventually some gaming.

Today, some features seem... well, weak. The processor is ok for what I do (could be better, but for now I won't even think of getting into that), the memory is pretty good but could be better (more so if you have a couple of applications like photoshop, autocad and maya open at the same time), obviously it would also be nice if the graphics card also improved, and even though I have not filled up the hard drive I am definetly thinking of expanding to either a bigger HD or maybe get into the realm of exterior ones (I think this option is more attractive because of my needs at this moment).

So, what options do we have?

The memory upgrade is by far the easiest one of all .
I found some nice OCZ memory sticks at newegg for 60 dollars. For memory you just need to check out some 4gb (2x2gb, meaning 2 sticks of 2gb each for a total of 4gb) 200-pin ddr2 so-dimm 667 dual channel. They have to be so-dimm (this indicates laptop memory), and 200 pin (otherwise it won't fit in the slot).
The bad thing about this upgrade is that the E1705 will not see 4gb, at least not all of it, it will only see about 3.25gb max. (I got the 4gb because I am considering getting a laptop later on and re use the sticks).

To install the memory sticks you only need to unscrew a panel under the laptop (it has an M next to it).

The graphics card is waaaay more difficult, mostly because it requires a small physical modification to the case and the gpu itself. You can find a lot of tutorials showing how to remove the gpu, so I will not go there. But, there are a couple of things that none of the tutorials I have seen talk about. A few forget to mention that before opening your lappy you need to uninstal the drivers of the ati card that is already in the laptop. To do this it is recommended to first get a piece of software that will automatically remove the ati drivers and any other applications that might creat conflicts later on. I purchased Driver Cleaner, and it really makes thing easier. First you need to find the appropiate drivers for your new gpu (laptopvideo2go would be the first place to look). Get into the uninstal programs folder and uninstal any ati items, reboot to safe mode, disable any antivirus program, run driver cleaner and remove the remaining ati drivers. turn off the lappy and install the new gpu.

The tricky part comes here. depending on which gpu you get your hands on there are two options: if it only has one heat pipe you should be happy as hell and good to go; if it has two heat pipes get ready for some bending, twisting and cutting. A lot of tutorials show that you have to cut a little bit of the "casing" in order to get that second hit pipe to fit. But there is also another issue you have to be aware of, there is a small metal "tag" connected to the power terminal that might touch the new heat pipe. In personal experience this might be an issue if you don't bend the heat pipe away from this metal piece or at least cut away the small metal clip that the heat pipe has right there. The idea here is to not touch the metal clip and avoid any electrical issues that might damage the card. Although the heat pipe seems to be made of copper and some sort of metal aloy, it doesn't hurt to be extra careful with your investment.

Now that you have successfully cleared that small annoyance, you can put back together the laptop. Or, you can also improve the cooling of your lappy here. Since you are already inside the guts of the machine, you might as well do this, its really simple and it reaaaally helps with the overheat issues. You will need to buy some arctic silver 5 (I found some at fry's for 5 dollars). You need to remove the heat pipe going to the cpu, clean it up a little with alcohol and a paper towel, apply AS5 and put everything back together. The result, you will get a much more efficient cooling effect from the fans and a much cooler laptop.

Finally, get a new power adapter. You will need at least a 130w (PA-13) power supply that you can get on ebay (got mine for 30, original dell part), or you can go to dell online and buy a new one.

Now that you have put back together the laptop you will need to start the system, enter the set up pressing f8 and set up the time and date again. Exit, start windows and install the new drivers. Reboot and everything should be ready to start enjoying the new empowered system .


Hope this small guideline tutorial helps all the newbies, like me, that want to upgrade their E1705.