Dell Inspiron 1520: Viable After Market Upgrades

Does the core speed ramp up when you load the CPU?

 

It's running in SuperLFM mode where the FSB is halved. Ie:

200x12.5=2.5Ghz (HFM)
200x6=1.2Ghz (LFM)
100x6=0.6Ghz (SuperLFM)

Installing Throttlestop and/or configuring the Windows Power plan Processor settings will get you full performance again. If you disable Speedstep in the bios you'll be able to run a T9300-2.5 in dual-IDA mode to get 2.7Ghz.

 

Hmm. So, I'm installing Windows Updates right now (Had to re-install everything since I also upgraded to a 7200RPM HDD) and I noticed it shot up!



It actually went up to like 2693 for a second then dropped back down. So I guess all is well, right?

Also, this thing runs hella cool! Right now with this load (roughly 36%) it's at about 100 degrees F right now. I'm just a little shocked though that for the Windows Experience Index, the CPU speed didn't increase.

I'd say this thing is running as should. Agreed?

 

Oh I see, post your entire current Windows Experience Rating here, which section is it low in?

 

WEI is notorious for being stupid. See if your Super PI or wPrime scores match up with what's "correct".

 

WEI is notorious, but WEI dropping that much does indicate a problem. Looks like you've got it sorted out now, though. And if you want to rerun WEI, it ought to go back up to where you were before or slightly higher. That 2693 MHz is Intel Dynamic Acceleration kicking in, and you can get that speed all the time with ThrottleStop.

100F is not bad for a mid-level load, but the 100% load for extended periods is the real measure that matters. Celsius is preferable, though - almost all benchmarks are in Celsius, so it quickly becomes the common currency. I'm even from America, the Land of Fahrenheit, where I tell the weather and cook in Fahrenheit, and had to do a conversion to get a sense of how good a temperature that was for computers.

 

Can't believe the 1520 still have a following, but good news for me since I've been putting off upgrading for a while now.

Recently (maybe the past two months or so) I've been have some video issues. My Inspiron's screen would glitch up, freeze, and usually would require a hard reset. 9 out of 10 times it would only happen when on battery.

I've changed the graphics drivers multiple times and even reformatted last week but the issue remains. Under Windows error logs, I see a "Video Hardware Error".

Is this an indication of my 8600M GT dying? If it is the problem, I'm considering replacing it with a 8400M GS since I don't game anymore, might as well reduce the power usage and heat output.

EDIT - Looks like WSXGA+ to WUXGA panel and T7300 to T9300 might be a possibility as well, but at that point, shouldn't I just go for a brand new laptop

 

Well, I wouldn't really say so, most of the upgrades you can make for your laptop currently, aren't all that much cash. You can buy a brand new T9300 for around $70 and I think a replacement 8600M GT is around $21 (both on eBay, of course). As for the panel, WUXGA is worth around $89 on eBay as well, the end result you'd probably pay somewhere right under $200 dollars to maximize your performance.

Graphics card dying? Perhaps. It may be dying but you might also have a dying laptop screen. I would recommend replacing the GPU as soon as possible and so how your machine responds as opposed to replacing the screen (gpu is cheaper to replace).

 

i purchased the recommended 4GB stick of RAM

my system properties shows the installed memory as 4GB, but when i ran the crucial.com system scan it said i only had a 256MB memory stick

anyone kno what the issue is?
task manager shows my total memory at 4GB also

 

If you do not have Windows (x64 Bit) Version, it will not allow you to access RAM greater than 3.4GB. Make sure you have a 64-Bit Version of Windows in order to access the full 6 GB of RAM.

What type of Windows are you using (e.g. XP, Vista or 7)?