Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

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Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by Win10-Hater »

Hello all, I own a Dell Latitude e5420 with the following specs:
  • i5-2520m
    8GB DDR3-1333 MHz RAM
    14" 1366 by 768 TN panel
    480GB Kingston A400 SSD
According to Dell and many Youtubers, the fastest supported CPU on this laptop is the i7-2640m (It is possible to upgrade further to quadcore CPUs but the small single cooling fan is just insufficient to cool quadcore beasts, causing thermal shutdowns on full load and overheating on even the most basic use). I plan on upgrading it further to a quadcore CPU, so are hardware modifications to the heatsink system possible? Also, can 1080p IPS displays be used on the e5420 (1366 by 768 and 1600 by 900 panels are offered by Dell)? I love this laptop and want to futureproof it, so I asked. Any help in the form of replies would be much appreciated.
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Re: Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by asdf2345 »

Why do you like it?
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Re: Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by Win10-Hater »

asdf2345 wrote: 19 Jan 2021, 18:26 Why do you like it?
I love it because the keyboard on it is superb (not as good as a ThinkPad classic keyboard though) and is great for fast typing, which I do pretty much all the time. I am also a fan of its tough-looking and attractive design. There is lots more I could tell about this laptop, but that list is going to be exhaustive, so I won't tell here.
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Re: Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by asdf2345 »

Win10-Hater wrote: 20 Jan 2021, 03:41
asdf2345 wrote: 19 Jan 2021, 18:26 Why do you like it?
I love it because the keyboard on it is superb (not as good as a ThinkPad classic keyboard though) and is great for fast typing, which I do pretty much all the time. I am also a fan of its tough-looking and attractive design. There is lots more I could tell about this laptop, but that list is going to be exhaustive, so I won't tell here.
I think the 8470W would be a better 14in notebook
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Re: Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by Win10-Hater »

asdf2345 wrote: 20 Jan 2021, 04:54
Win10-Hater wrote: 20 Jan 2021, 03:41
asdf2345 wrote: 19 Jan 2021, 18:26 Why do you like it?
I love it because the keyboard on it is superb (not as good as a ThinkPad classic keyboard though) and is great for fast typing, which I do pretty much all the time. I am also a fan of its tough-looking and attractive design. There is lots more I could tell about this laptop, but that list is going to be exhaustive, so I won't tell here.
I think the 8470W would be a better 14in notebook
Yes, I know that the 8460p/8470p are upgradable to quadcore CPUs without any hassle, but now I can't and don't want to trade this laptop for anything else. I just want to know whether atleast an IPS display can be used on this laptop.
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Re: Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by i430VX »

I wonder if a tool like RMClock could be useful in your goal of having quad cores feasibly. Though you will need a different program, as RMCLock doesnt support anything further than Core2. Also, perhaps a possibility is buying a better cooler from a different laptop, if that is feasible. My ThinkPad T60 was uncomfortably close to Tjunction under max load and with the stock cooler. I bought a T500 cooler and used RMClock to decrease the CPU voltage as much as i could without instability.
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Re: Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by Win10-Hater »

i430VX wrote: 21 Jan 2021, 03:52 ....Also, perhaps a possibility is buying a better cooler from a different laptop, if that is feasible.
Sadly, no, that is not an option. So, I am considering either buying a Dell Latitude e5430 (Ivy Bridge counterpart of the e5420) or swapping the e5430's mobo into my e5420's chassis and putting in an i7-3632qm (35 W quadcore CPU). Is the second option possible?
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Re: Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by XP Luna »

Isn´t that essentially buying a new computer?
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Re: Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by i430VX »

Win10-Hater wrote: 13 Feb 2021, 04:50 Is the second option possible?
Unsure... You would need to see if everything lines up between the original and new boards.
XP Luna wrote: 13 Feb 2021, 09:27 Isn´t that essentially buying a new computer?
No... It CLEARLY isn't... a motherboard is just one (big and important) part of a computer.

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Re: Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by XP Luna »

i430VX wrote: 13 Feb 2021, 22:29
XP Luna wrote: 13 Feb 2021, 09:27 Isn´t that essentially buying a new computer?
No... It CLEARLY isn't... a motherboard is just one (big and important) part of a computer.
Maybe it is, he is replacing his motherboard and CPU, with are the core parts of a computer. He´s essentially only keeping the chassis and the RAM. So it´s pretty close.
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Re: Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by i430VX »

XP Luna wrote: 14 Feb 2021, 17:25 Maybe it is, he is replacing his motherboard and CPU, with are the core parts of a computer. He´s essentially only keeping the chassis and the RAM. So it´s pretty close.
And keeping system drive... and the screen... and the inverter board...and the wireless card... and the optical drive... and the touch pad... and the keyboard... and the battery...
Not Close.

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Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by Win10-Hater »

Okay, so I found out that replacing the chipset could break more things than anticipated, so I am considering installing an i7-2860qm (fastest Sandy Bridge mobile 45 W CPU) and undervolting it, but I don't know of anything else that could keep it cool while, say, running a Windows 7 VM with 4 cores allocated and browsing the web and writing up a document or two, or when editing images in GIMP or Photoshop. Any suggestions anyone?
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Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by legacyfan »

use a vm to run vista that will fix the issue

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Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by Win10-Hater »

LegacyFan wrote: 21 Apr 2021, 02:57 use a vm to run vista that will fix the issue
Do you even know what issue I was talking about? This post of yours makes zero sense.
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Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by legacyfan »

Win10-Hater wrote: 21 Apr 2021, 03:21
LegacyFan wrote: 21 Apr 2021, 02:57 use a vm to run vista that will fix the issue
Do you even know what issue I was talking about? This post of yours makes zero sense.
yes i read the topic title im just saying if you use vista in a vm you wont have to change so much stuff

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Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by k24a1 »

>use a vm to run vista that will fix the issue
CPU stress is CPU stress. Changing his VM's OS won't do jack shit.

>I don't know of anything else that could keep it cool while, say, running a Windows 7 VM with 4 cores allocated and browsing the web and writing up a document or two, or when editing images in GIMP or Photoshop. Any suggestions anyone?
You might be running into a bit of a cooling barrier. Seeing as how the 2860QM runs at 45W and the CPU cooler seems to be a more lightweight unit to cool 35W CPUs, you might need to fall back to a quad core chip that runs at 35W (if there is one on sandy bridge, i know that there's a few 35W ivy QC chips but your system won't support those) or increase the fan speed to push heat out a little more effectively.

I'd recommend possibly selling the E5420 and getting an E5430/E6430, in my experience Ivy Bridge systems run cooler and are somewhat more reliable than Sandy Bridge systems.
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Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by legacyfan »

k24a1 wrote: 21 Apr 2021, 16:01 >use a vm to run vista that will fix the issue
CPU stress is CPU stress. Changing his VM's OS won't do jack shit.

>I don't know of anything else that could keep it cool while, say, running a Windows 7 VM with 4 cores allocated and browsing the web and writing up a document or two, or when editing images in GIMP or Photoshop. Any suggestions anyone?
You might be running into a bit of a cooling barrier. Seeing as how the 2860QM runs at 45W and the CPU cooler seems to be a more lightweight unit to cool 35W CPUs, you might need to fall back to a quad core chip that runs at 35W (if there is one on sandy bridge, i know that there's a few 35W ivy QC chips but your system won't support those) or increase the fan speed to push heat out a little more effectively.

I'd recommend possibly selling the E5420 and getting an E5430/E6430, in my experience Ivy Bridge systems run cooler and are somewhat more reliable than Sandy Bridge systems.
ivy bridge is what my laptop is im using right now the e6430 and it runs really good on every thing accept windows 10

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Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by k24a1 »

LegacyFan wrote: 21 Apr 2021, 16:23 ivy bridge is what my laptop is im using right now the e6430 and it runs really good on every thing accept windows 10
Sure, Windows 10 isn't very good but have you ever heard of a wonderful storage medium called a Solid State Drive? 10 likes to rape mechanical hard disks.
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Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by Win10-Hater »

k24a1 wrote: 21 Apr 2021, 16:01 >I don't know of anything else that could keep it cool while, say, running a Windows 7 VM with 4 cores allocated and browsing the web and writing up a document or two, or when editing images in GIMP or Photoshop. Any suggestions anyone?
You might be running into a bit of a cooling barrier. Seeing as how the 2860QM runs at 45W and the CPU cooler seems to be a more lightweight unit to cool 35W CPUs, you might need to fall back to a quad core chip that runs at 35W (if there is one on sandy bridge, i know that there's a few 35W ivy QC chips but your system won't support those) or increase the fan speed to push heat out a little more effectively.
Is there a way to decrease the power limit down to 35 W using ThrottleStop 6 (which is the only version compatible with both my laptop and OS, that is Vista)? And also BTW, my laptop has an old application of thermal paste which makes it run a little hotter than average temp, so I think a cleanup of the heat sinks, a new thermal paste application and ThrottleStop would help.
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Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by k24a1 »

I've never tried that program before but a new thermal paste application and a cleanup of where the fan meets the heatsink would make a good difference.
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Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by Win10-Hater »

Thanks for the tip @k24a1!
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Dell Latitude e5420 -mods?

Unread post by Kouto »

k24a1 wrote: 21 Apr 2021, 17:09
LegacyFan wrote: 21 Apr 2021, 16:23 ivy bridge is what my laptop is im using right now the e6430 and it runs really good on every thing accept windows 10
Sure, Windows 10 isn't very good but have you ever heard of a wonderful storage medium called a Solid State Drive? 10 likes to rape mechanical hard disks.
Oh it damn well does. Windows 10 seems to undergo some kind of sadistic torture to one's hardware when it is installed on a HDD that manages to rival Iris Heart...

Then again, SSDs of a large capacity are bloody expensive.

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