Inside Dell XPS 17 9720 – disassembly and upgrade options

Despite its slim profile, the XPS 17 9720 offers a great amount of upgradeability.

Check out all Dell XPS 17 9720 prices and configurations in our Specs System or read more in our In-Depth review.


1. Remove the bottom plate

You need to undo 8 Torx-head screws to access this laptop’s internals. After that, pry the bottom panel with a plastic tool and lift it away from the chassis. Be careful because the metal edges are really sharp.


2. Battery

Inside, we see a 97Wh battery pack. To continue with the teardown process, unplug the battery connector from the motherboard. And if you want to remove the battery entirely, you’ll need to undo 7 Phillips-head screws.


3. Memory and storage

Memory-wise, you get two SODIMM slots, which fit up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM in total. As for the storage, there are two M.2 PCIe x4 slots, which support Gen 4 drives.


4. Cooling system

This laptop’s cooling solution comprises a vapor chamber with a pretty slim profile. It has two heat sinks attached to it, while two fans that are large in diameter, blow the heat away.

Check out all Dell XPS 17 9720 prices and configurations in our Specs System or read more in our In-Depth review.

Dell XPS 17 9720 in-depth review

Without a doubt, the XPS series is the most recognizable PC notebook on the market. It is revered as the main MacBook rival, not only because of its slim form factor but also because of the surprisingly powerful hardware it comes with.All of this comes at a time when we mark a huge resurgence in Dell's laptop quality, and we happen to recommend the brand more and more lately. On the other hand, the XPS 15 from last year happened to be a bit of a flop, compared to its 17-inch brother. Now, we got ourselves the latest XPS 17 9720, and we hope that it will build on the somewhat mixed success[...]

Pros

  • Strong body build of carbon fiber and aluminum
  • Virtually bezel-less screen
  • 600+ nits maximum brightness, 100% sRGB coverage (Sharp VRX73-LQ170N1 (SHP1518))
  • Accurate color representation with our Gaming and Web design profile (Sharp VRX73-LQ170N1 (SHP1518))
  • Thin and light
  • Boasts up to Core i9-12900HK processor
  • Easy upgrade and maintenance
  • Great keyboard, touchpad, and speakers
  • Fingerprint reader embedded in the power button and optional IR face recognition system
  • Four Thunderbolt 4 connectors, USB Type-C charging, and an SD card reader (+ tiny dongle inside the box)

Cons

  • Can't handle top trim CPUs
  • Pricey
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