Upgrade Old Dell XPS 15 9550 vs Buying New Dell XPS Laptop?

Hey all. I posted this a while back but did not upgrade nor get a new computer. So I play online poker on my laptop... use it with 2 external monitors connected pretty much all the time. I bought this laptop back in late 2016 so a while back. I have the dell xps 15 9550 laptop.


Specs


i5-6300 hq processor
8gb ram
250gb 2.5 inch samsung ssd
32gb m.2 ssd
Nvidia Geforce GTX 960M Graphics Card
1920x1200 resolution
56 whr battery


It originally came with a slow 1tb 7200 rpm hard drive but I had it replaced at a computer shop with an old 2.5 inch samsung 250gb ssd of mine. The 32 gb m.2 ssd came with the system so 2 hard drives. Back then when I bought this laptop, i had no idea it came with 2 hard drives... which meant I was stuck with the 56whr battery. I mean I use this laptop connected almost always... but I rather have the bigger battery. When I used this laptop a while back, I had no idea 250gb would not be enough. Back years ago, I never used more than 100gb max out of the 250gb ssd. But as I used this computer since late 2016, it shows only 22gb available out of 232gb space on my ssd.


I did bought a 56whr battery replacement about 2.5 years ago on ebay... for 100 dollars. My battery now is basically 92% worn out so I need a new battery. But like I said, i use it charged all the time so it isn't an issue. But I want more space on my ssd since I seem to running low on space.

 

These are the things I would upgrade.


1- 97whr battery. - $130

So I see on a site laptopexpress that I could buy a 56wh battery for $110. But I could get the 84wh for $120 or 97wh for $130. Now since my ssd is running low on space and i want to replace that, makes sense to just buy a bigger battery right? I do know with the dell xps... if you have the bigger battery, you cannot have 2 hard drives which is what i have. I never had any use of of the 32gb m.2 ssd. So it makes sense to get the biggest battery right?


2. M.2 SSD - $185 for 1tb or $98 for 500gb

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BN217QG/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_5?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

This is the best m.2 ssd out there right? I see it is most expensive and seem to have the best reviews. My current ssd which is 2.5 inch samsung 250gb... I have used it since 2013 and I find it very good. So stick with samsung right? I do see other brands out there with 1gb ssd like

WD Black- $163
Western Digital Blue - $114
Crucial P1 - $114
Sabrent Rocket - $131


But seems like best to stick with samsung? Or are those lower cost still good? But samsung is fastest right? Again I know my ssd now is SATA and its already fast for me. So those other ones are all faster than the one i have now right?


3. 16gb ram - $71

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BIWMWVS/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_4?smid=A2NDNAPHQ3UDKH&psc=1


Almost all of you have 16gb ram at least? For me 8gb ram is fine but sometimes it lags... so 16gb would solve this issue?


Total = $386


So it would cost around $386 to upgrade. But I don't know how to install these things so I might have to go to repair shop to have someone install it. But if I do this, I'm guessing it will cost probably $150 - $200 to have all these 3 things installed? I do see on the video on youtube, it doesn't seem that hard to replace ram, battery and ssd on the xps 15 9550 series.

 

Or Buy Dell Xps 15 From Dell


https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/del...rationid=e52a01da-2ffd-4311-921a-1fd8e45aac1c


i7-9750h processor
16gb ram
97whr battery
1920x1200 resolution


If you upgrade ssd from 256gb m.2 to 512gb .. it cost $100 more. But if you go from 256gb to 1tb.. its $250 more. So let me get this straight. If you just get the 256gb included in price... but you buy the 1tb m.2 nvme samsung ssd from amazon for $185... and you know how to take out the ssd yourself... you basically save $65 but also get another 256gb m.2 ssd for free as oppose to just paying $250 to pugrade from 256gb m.2 ssd to 1tb m.2 ssd? I guess its because people want it configured and thats why? But would any computer tech savy person never upgrade the ssd here as they save money by buying a separate m.2 ssd from amazon and also the one Dell supplies isn't going to be samsung and a worst quality? What brand name is the ssd dell supplies customers with on the m.2 ssd?


Now if you upgrade it to 1tb... it takes the cost from 1450 to 1700 dollars. Seems to be 10 percent code so it would be 1530 dollars. Then when you factor in taxes and shipping... let say another $150. So basically having it fully configured by dell with those specs and the 1tb m.2 ssd... you would pay around $1680 right?


If you compare this to upgrading an old xps 15 9550 for around $386... is it a no brainer to upgrade the old xps 15 9550? even if you pay another $150 for someone to install ram, battery and ssd... that would be $536 compared to $1680. But the only difference would be a better graphics card maybe and of course the i7-9750h processor? Now that is much better than the i5-6300hq right? I know my laptop is a quad core and I know years ago, quad core laptops mean more power but also uses more battery. But these i7-9750h processors are not only quad core... but they are energy efficient right? I remember years ago it was get quad core laptop with power and sacrifice battery life... or get a i3/i5/i7 U Series and get better battery life but less power. But now... the processors give you the best of both worlds?


So I read the 9750h is actually 6 core? Again I'm not updated on this but what is the most cores laptops have these days? So the 9750h would be much faster than my already
i5-6300hq?


Would that also mean a 97whr battery on the dell xps 15 7590 last longer than the same 97whr battery on my old dell xps 15 9550 because of the processor?

 

Drew,

Let's start with the basics. Your laptop is a little outdated but still more than usable for things like office productivity and internet surfing. Upgrading the memory and storage and installing a new battery would make it like a brand new PC again.

There's also nothing wrong with getting a new PC for a change of scenery. It will have a warranty and you won't have to change out any parts. Plus, it's an opportunity to get some newer tech - like a 4K screen, for instance - that may not have been available when you bought your current PC.
You can use the Dell Outlet to get a refurbished XPS and save a bundle of money ...here's our guide to doing that: http://www.notebookreview.com/howto/nbr-how-to-outlet-shopping-for-hp-dell-and-lenovo-notebooks/

So what do you want to do?

Charles

 

Hi. Yes I know my laptop is updated... I got this back a long time ago. For playing online poker, it still works good, but occassionally there is some lag but that is rare. I think the 16gb ram upgrade would easily make it better?


You say upgrading memory, storage and new battery would make it like new pc again. Yea that is what I like. But the thing is this. Say my laptop right now had a 500gb 2.5 inch samsung ssd instead and i would have a lot of space left... then well... i think i would probably just upgrade the ram and 56wh battery? Thing is for some reason i really want a 97wh battery even though... i use it inside apartment almost 100% of the time plugged into outlet and connected to my 2 external monitors. Or say my laptop had the original 84whr or 97whr battery instead of the 56wh one... that would mean I have only the m.2 ssd since it could fit only one hard drive if you have the bigger battery. Again when i bought this laptop, i had no idea the xps 15 9550 came with 2 types of battery, the smaller or bigger. So i was disappointed mine came with smaller one. So now if i had the 84wh/97wh configuration, i would just upgrade the battery and the ram... and of course upgrade the m.2 ssd if its running out of space.


Yea well getting a new pc seems good but it cost $1000 more. I mean $386 + $150 repair shop for installing = $536 vs about $1680 for a dell xps 15 7590 with the 1tb ssd and 16gb ram and 97wh battery like with my old xps 15 9550. But of course you get the faster processor i7-9750h vs my i5-6300hq and the video card is better... though it seems I don't have any care for that? Again I play online poker... and my xps 15 9550 has worked fine since I got it... its more than sufficient.


I wouldn't want a 4k screen. I want to stick with 1920x1080 resolution on it. I rarely use the laptop by itself and connect it to monitors. I know those 4k screens on laptops uses a lot of battery which I don't like. Again i use it plugged in all the time but i just want the standard screen.


Well i don't want to get any refurbished laptop. I also want to stick with the dell xps series since I just like the xps 15 9550. Because right now say... it had the original 84wh or 97wh battery that is worn out and 8gb ram and say it was a m.2 ssd where it has 500gb and i have plenty of space left at the moment. If that was the case, I would just buy another laptop battery 97wh and upgrade ram to 16gb and thats all. Does that make sense? The other issue though is recently, I noticed my laptop touchpad is pushed up... I read this is due to battery swelling. I never had this happened before and I read you need to get a new battery for it which is another reason why I want to get a new battery. I only got one battery replacement for it and it was 2.5 years ago. So battery is basically worn out... but now it causing my touchpad to raise up.

 

You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but typically, a refurbished notebook bought directly from the manufacturer will offer you better bang for you buck. The XPS 15 starts around $1,000. Most refurbed notebooks are returns offered with a nice discount over new. I've personally bought refurbed products from HP, Lenovo, Dell and Apple, and they always look new, though sometimes you don't get the fancy packaging. You'll also get at least a ear of warranty directly from the manuacturer, sometimes more depending on the model.

$185 seems a bit high for for a 1TB SSD. I'm thinking you should be able to find one for $100 or so. The service manual will show you how to upgrade you machine. Why pay a shop $150?

 

Hi, well I just don't want anything used or refurb if I buy one. I mean... my laptop xps 9550 is fine. Again, if my laptop had a 97wh battery already and needed to be replaced like the 56wh i have now, well i can replace that easily since that would mean i would have a m.2 ssd now instead of having a 2.5in ssd and that m.2 ssd in my laptop at the moment. I would just upgrade ram and battery and the m.2 if i was running out of space.


Yea the 185 for a 1tb ssd... that is the best samsung one out there. There are some that are 113 dollars and some like 130 and some 163.... but rarely you find a 1tb m.2 ssd lower than that. So the one i saw is Western Digital on amazon that cost around 113 total including tax but i do see more bad reviews compared to others.


Well... is opening up the xps 15 9550 and replacing the battery, ssd and ram easy? The thing is I always went to a repair shop and paid to get battery replaced and ssd replaced because im concerned me doing it could damage the computer. Obviously i would do it myself it is very easy. I seen some videos on youtube and it doesn't look that that easy. But based on what i described, would you agree upgrading those 3 parts is better than getting a new dell xps laptop? I would not buy any other laptop beside a dell xps 15 laptop and it being 15.4. I basically want the same one i have. Again, if i didn't have worn battery and low space on my current xps and only 8gb ram, i would have no plans to get a new laptop.

 

I'm typing this on a 2014 Mac Mini with a 90GB OCZ Agility III purchased in 2011. For most uses it seems just as peppy as the supposedly better SSD I bought for my main desktop a few years back. In my experience all SSDs are fast because it's the latency, how fast information is found and read, not the throughput, how much data can pass through the controller, that makes SSDs feel fast. The latency for all SSDs is very low. I wouldn't fall into the trap of thinking one SSD will be noticeably faster than the next for most uses.

I've done it before, so it doesn't seem bad to me, but if you think it's beyond your ability, then have a shop do it.

Worth is subjective. Generally speaking if you feel you current machine meets your needs, then wait, cause the longer you want, the more you'll get for you money. If you need the better performance and don't mind spending the cash, then buy.

 

Hi. Well the machine meets my needs and I don't want to spend $1680 or so on a brand new computer. The parts would be around $386 total and if i were to bring it to repair shop to install all of them, i assume $150 max. Would you say that is way too high for that? To install new ssd, ram and replace laptop battery? How much does it cost generally each? A while back when i went repair shop to do it, i think the guy charged me like 30 dollars to replace battery. The ram has to be the same right? But the ssd... i mean unless they are reinstalling windows... then can't be that much?

 

I've never brought my machine in for repair, so I can't tell you much about it. I suppose you could call around to see what people are charging.